Suddenly, the scene fell silent. Everyone looked at Zhongli with disbelief, never expecting him to betray them at a time like this.
That's right, this was blatant betrayal. Zhongli had received all the Marks they had gathered, yet he selfishly made such a wish.
One must understand that among them, countless people hoped their former friends or family members would be resurrected. However, perhaps because they were too weak, or because Neuvillette had persuaded them, they decided to place their hopes on the slim chance of success after defeating Persephone. They trusted Zhongli so much that they even voluntarily handed over their Marks, yet Zhongli had betrayed their trust.
"Why, Zhongli? This is not what we agreed on!"
Paimon flew closer in agitation, shouting loudly at Zhongli through the Protective Barrier in front of her.
"Rex Lapis!"
The people of Liyue could hardly believe this was real, even starting to doubt if what they were seeing was all a dream.
Hu Tao sighed softly. In truth, she had a faint feeling. Zhongli's behavior recently had been very different from before. But having made a similar choice herself back then, she truly had no right to judge Zhongli's decision now.
Ei watched the scene over by Zhongli, her eyes shimmering with intense joy and anticipation, but this soon turned into pain and struggle.
At this moment, Raiden Ei's heart was shattered. Although she had previously been deceiving herself with lies, there had at least been some hope, yet Zhongli's actions had utterly extinguished that final sliver!
"Mr. Morax!"
Neuvillette snapped back to his senses, his figure transforming into a streak of light as he closed in on Zhongli. However, while he was still a considerable distance away, Persephone moved.
With a single raised fist, Persephone's body did not even shift. The mere shockwave of her punch made Neuvillette sense an immense danger, and he immediately halted, raising his hand to gather a large amount of Hydro Element before him to block the attack.
Even though Neuvillette's reaction had been swift enough, he was still knocked back half a step by this single blow.
After personally experiencing Persephone's power, Neuvillette immediately realized that the other people's assessments of her were not exaggerated at all, and had even been conservative.
"Now is the time for the final settlement. If any unrelated personnel wish to interfere with the result further, I can only grant you death."
Persephone glanced at Neuvillette, whose face was full of wariness, smiled, and then turned her gaze back to Zhongli.
"Morax, are you sure this is your choice?"
Zhongli did not answer Persephone's words immediately. He examined his own heart once more, and only then did he slowly speak.
"That is correct."
"I know what you want to see, and I know how great a price will be paid for this, but I cannot tolerate your desecration of them."
Whenever Zhongli thought of Guizhong, who loved humans so much, personally causing such heavy casualties in the end, his heart tightened, and the anger within him could not be stopped.
However, on the surface, Zhongli remained calm, not leaking a hint of his inner emotions.
"As for you, Persephone, even without restricting your power, I will personally defeat you."
Zhongli spoke these words with such absolute conviction, as if stating a fact.
"Your true strength is indeed worthy of such confidence, but even if you truly achieved it, the price you would pay would be even greater."
"In the end, you are also very selfish!"
Persephone said with emotion, then continued.
"Fine, I will fulfill your wish."
After saying this, Persephone raised her hand. Suddenly, Zhongli felt the mark on his hand emit an astonishing heat, and then a dazzling radiance spread from his hand, forming a pillar of light that connected to Persephone's hand.
Not long after, the light gradually faded. Zhongli noticed something, and when he looked up, he found that all the marks had completely disappeared.
Persephone stroked her chin, thinking carefully.
"Let me see... Hmm, your performance was very good. Such a sacrifice can indeed fulfill your wish."
Raiden Ei's deduction was correct; the number of marks was indeed related to the final evaluation, but it was not everything.
Persephone raised her hand again, and a piercing golden light shot into the sky, drilling a huge hole in the sky. The space tore apart piece by piece like a puzzle, revealing another world that emanated endless desolation and deathly silence.
After another moment passed, several figures appeared from that side. They quickly crossed the distance between the two worlds and appeared before everyone.
Although everyone was shocked and bewildered by Zhongli's betrayal, when this scene, which seemed like a divine miracle, appeared before them, almost everyone still focused most of their energy there. This was the revival of life!
Of course, this idea was actually not that accurate. Everyone now knew that the soul was another form of life, and the definition of death was not so superficial, but this did not affect the shock this scene brought them in the slightest.
Especially when the figures of Guizhong and her group walked out of that place one after another, the shock in everyone's hearts had already reached its peak.
The moment several Guardian Yakshas appeared, they seemed to see a mortal enemy and erupted with all their strength, charging toward Persephone to kill her, but they were stopped halfway by Guizhong.
"She is not an enemy that can be dealt with so simply. Everything will follow Rex Lapis's arrangements."
After speaking, Guizhong looked at Persephone, her eyes also filled with intense anger. The memory of pledging allegiance to the other party still existed in their hearts. Before, there was no fluctuation in their hearts, but now, every time that memory appeared, it made their hearts bleed!
However, Guizhong restrained her emotions. She knew that if they acted rashly, it would only betray the enormous price Zhongli had paid to bring them back to life.
Guizhong's words were very convincing. The Guardian Yakshas finally took several deep breaths one after another, forcing themselves to calm down.
Seeing this scene, Qi could no longer hold back. His body turned into a streak of azure light and quickly arrived in front of the other Guardian Yakshas.
Looking at those familiar faces, Qi's vision couldn't help but blur.
Qi no longer cared what would happen next. As long as he could see them again now, his heart was already extremely satisfied.
"Alatus, you did a great job before."
"If it weren't for you, we might have made an even bigger mistake."
Yaksha Bosacius looked at Zhao, his tone filled with emotion and self-reproach.
"Big Brother Bosacius!"
Qi called out the other's name, his voice choking up. At this moment, Bonanus stepped forward with a look of disdain.
"Ugh, you're so old, how are you still crying?"
Skybracer also stepped forward and said,
"Conqueror of Demons, rest assured, we are back."
"This time, we will never leave easily again."
Hearing these words, Qi felt even more overwhelmed with emotion.
On the other side, Zhongli and Guizhong looked at each other from a distance, and it felt as if countless springs and autumns had passed in a single glance. Finally, Guizhong took a deep breath, shook her head, and spoke.
"Rex Lapis, this is simply not worth it."
"No, it is very worth it."
Zhongli shook his head and then slowly began to speak.
"This might be the last chance to see you all again. By comparison, the desire to limit Persephone's power is so insignificant."
Even Zhongli himself had held a pessimistic view about the idea that defeating Persephone would bring everyone back to life. This was why, after much hesitation, he had ultimately made such a choice.
At this moment, Neuvillette saw that the people had been resurrected and, knowing the matter could no longer be undone, could not help but shake his head helplessly.
He didn't even feel regret or anything like that, but he was a little disappointed.
Even Rex Lapis would do something that betrayed everyone.
At least half of the people of Liyue present had their faith completely shattered.
Raiden Ei clenched her fist even tighter, a surge of immense anger welling up in her heart.
If she had fully accepted her own defeat, perhaps her heart would not have been so furious after seeing this scene.
Yet, just as Neuvillette's words had finally rekindled a glimmer of hope for her, Zhongli personally shattered it.
"The people who died before have actually been resurrected!" Paimon exclaimed in utter shock.
"And this time, everyone is finally free from Persephone's control. This outcome isn't so bad, right?"
"After all, they are still powerful combatants, aren't they, Traveler?"
Paimon tried to comfort the others and looked to Lumine for confirmation. Lumine nodded in agreement.
These words did indeed make many people feel much better.
Of course, most of them knew that Guizhong and the others would have little impact on the final outcome of the war. Such words were merely self-consolation.
Just then, a terrifying pressure descended upon the world, causing the various barriers to flicker violently, as if they would be broken or extinguished in the next second.
At the same time, everyone snapped back to their senses and refocused their gaze on Persephone, who looked extremely displeased at having been briefly ignored.
"Hey, hey, how about we save the reunion for later?"
"Morax, I have already fulfilled your wish. I did not interfere with them in any way, and this is a true resurrection. They have regained their most compatible bodies."
"However, you still have a small amount of your opportunity left, enough to resurrect one more person. Make your choice quickly."
Upon hearing Persephone's words, Zhongli was slightly stunned.
Before this, he had only worried that there wouldn't be enough opportunity for everyone to be resurrected. He never expected that there would still be a portion left at the end.
The others were also stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then a light called hope began to flicker in many of their eyes.
Since Zhongli had chosen to let Guizhong and her group be resurrected, would they have a chance too?
Raiden Ei shouted to Zhongli with even greater urgency.
"Morax, let my sister Raiden Makoto be resurrected, and we will owe you a favor!"
"No, no, no. I'm sorry, Lady Beelzebul, but the remaining portion is not enough to resurrect your dear sister."
Before Zhongli could even speak, Persephone had already extinguished the flicker of hope that had reignited in Raiden Ei's heart.
Seeing this, Zhongli sighed softly. If he could, he truly intended to resurrect Raiden Makoto, as this would be the best way to win her over, but he simply did not have the opportunity.
Then Zhongli fell back into thought. The expectant gazes of those around him made it difficult for him to even meet their eyes. He never expected that such an opportunity would become such a hot potato.
There were simply too many people who wanted this chance, leaving him completely unable to make a choice.
Finally, Zhongli suddenly thought of Kamisato Ayaka, whose face had been clouded with deep sorrow these past few days.
He had heard the cause of death of the person Kamisato Ayaka wanted to resurrect and ultimately decided that he was the most suitable candidate, because that person had fallen under the influence of Persephone's power.
"Resurrect the Kamisato Clan's retainer... Aoba."
"As you wish."
Zhongli's words left Kamisato Ayaka with an expression of utter disbelief. She never expected that Zhongli would ultimately choose to help her.
Just then, Persephone raised her hand and snapped her fingers. Not long after, another figure slowly emerged from the rift in space, gradually becoming more solid.
Unlike before, this figure did not seem confused upon appearing before everyone, disoriented about his current situation and surroundings.
At the same time, he stepped into the air and fell straight from the sky toward the ground, but he was soon caught by a bright yellow light and stopped mid-air.
Then, this power slowly lowered him into the barrier, right in front of Kamisato Ayaka.
"Aoba!"
Kamisato Ayaka hurriedly caught Aoba's body. By now, her face was already covered in tears, and her long-dormant heart had once again been reactivated.
"Are you... Milady?"
"It seems a part of my memory is missing. I can't remember no matter how hard I try."
"It's okay, you can take your time thinking. As long as you're back, that's all that matters!"
Kamisato Ayaka spoke through her low sobs. In the distance, Kamisato Ayato felt a slight pang of bitterness in his heart as he watched this scene. He had the urge to separate the two, but in the end, he could only sigh. Perhaps it was time for him to let go.
At this moment, she looked at Persephone with a questioning gaze. Persephone snapped her fingers again, and the image of another world in the sky gradually faded as the space began to rapidly mend itself.
After doing this, Persephone spread her hands and explained.
"His strength was too weak, and his soul suffered a certain degree of wear. This situation is quite normal."
"However, he hasn't been dead for long, so the impact won't be too great. With a little more time, he might be able to remember everything completely."
Hearing these words, Kamisato Ayaka was thoroughly relieved.
At this moment, a torrent of pain and resentment surged within Raiden Ei's heart. In the end, even Kamisato Ayaka could enjoy a reunion, yet after she had abandoned everything, she had nothing.
This was simply too ironic!
In the end, everything she had done was for naught, and she was nothing more than a clown.
Suddenly, a wild idea took root in Raiden Ei's mind.
Raiden Ei looked up, staring at Persephone, and spoke word by word.
"If I swear allegiance to you, can you bring my sister, Raiden Makoto, back to life?"
Raiden Ei's words caused the expressions of everyone present to change drastically, and even their hearts were filled with a profound sense of dread!
"Hahaha, of course I can!"
Persephone burst out laughing upon hearing these words.
"Good!"
Under the dissuading gazes of everyone present, Raiden Ei took a deep breath, then held the Musou Isshin horizontally across her chest and spoke.
"Resurrect Raiden Makoto, and I will fight for you from now on!"
"As you wish!"
The moment her voice fell, the image of another world reappeared above everyone's heads...