Zhongli's pupils constricted sharply as he witnessed this scene. In an instant, he felt a suffocating pressure, followed by a surge of endless rage. He raised his hand, condensing the Geo Element into a mountain-like hammer, and swung it down with all his might at Persephone. Simultaneously, several stone pillars erupted from the ground, forming a golden cage. Persephone, trapped within, bore the weight of ten thousand tons.
However, this seemed to have little effect on her. She moved as if unburdened. In the next second, she threw a single punch. All the surrounding stone pillars and the massive hammer in Zhongli's hand shattered instantly. The countless fragments even turned to dust and completely dissipated in the remaining shockwave.
Persephone's figure flashed again, appearing above Zhongli in the next instant. Her lean right leg stepped upon the tip of the Stone Spear Zhongli had just condensed, and her terrifying strength sent Zhongli's figure plummeting toward the ground like a meteorite.
"Boom!" "Boom!"
The moment Zhongli's figure slammed into the ground, Lumine also crashed down, her body covered in countless dense, tiny wounds. Blood had soaked her clothes crimson; she had suffered a significant defeat in her exchange with Raiden Ei.
"Zhongli!"
"Rex Lapis!"
"Traveler!"
"Princess!"
Seeing this scene, everyone's hearts tightened, and they cried out in panic and desperation.
However, their hearts eased slightly when they saw Zhongli and Lumine soar back into the sky. Yet, the looks they gave Persephone became even more fearful and despairing.
How could they possibly fight this? It was impossible! They had no chance of victory!
Perhaps if Zhongli had followed the plan and asked Persephone to limit her power, they might have had a chance. But facing Persephone at full strength was simply too despairing.
Thinking of this, some in the group couldn't help but feel strong dissatisfaction with Zhongli's previous actions, but they dared not reveal it now, hiding their resentment deep within their hearts.
Seeing this terrifying battle scene, panic spread among the other original residents of Inazuma City, and countless people fled frantically toward the city gates.
Even as the Two Commissions simultaneously maintained order, the results were far from ideal.
Of course, there were still those who firmly believed they would win; though their own strength was not great, they resolutely launched an attack against Persephone.
But their strength was truly too weak, at least against this kind of combat intensity above the level of gods—they were simply not in the same league. Against these people, Persephone didn't even bother throwing a punch, but merely clapped her hands together, instantly sending out a surge of the Power of Destruction.
In an instant, more than half of the people were utterly defenseless under this Power of Destruction, their bodies being ground into blood mist by the terrifying force.
The bodies of the remaining people seemed to bear a massive impact, and a dense series of crisp sounds echoed as they were sent flying backward, uncontrollably spitting out mouthfuls of blood that splattered in midair.
Such a tragic scene brought tears to Sangonomiya Kokomi's eyes, yet even with her strength so depleted, she still spared no effort to maintain the highest intensity of healing at all costs, so much so that as long as a person had a single breath left, Sangonomiya Kokomi could drag them back from the Gates of Hell.
Of course, this only applied to ordinary people. For Neuvillette or Zhongli, not only would it be difficult to harm them, but it would be even harder to quickly heal their injuries!
Right at this moment, the azure protective barrier Neuvillette had cast to protect the entire Inazuma City shattered completely. Suddenly, everyone was directly exposed to the current, extremely hostile environment. Immediately, many people began to collapse one after another, their breathing growing faint.
The vast majority of these people were the soldiers who had not yet managed to drink the Dragon Blood Potion.
Although production had increased significantly, they had simply run out of time. The time left for them was extremely limited.
The disappearance of the protective barrier also meant that Neuvillette, who had previously absorbed the attacks, was now too exhausted to maintain a barrier of such immense scale. Meanwhile, Sangonomiya Kokomi's face was as pale as paper due to the sudden surge of casualties.
However, Daphne noticed Kokomi's distress and immediately provided auxiliary healing. A layer of emerald green light, infused with potent life force, washed over the entire Inazuma City. Only then did the pressure on Sangonomiya Kokomi ease slightly.
The next moment, a golden barrier replaced the azure one, shielding Inazuma City. Only then did Sangonomiya Kokomi's situation ease slightly.
But Zhongli, already at an absolute disadvantage, had to divert so much of his power to protect ordinary people. The final outcome was already self-evident.
Soon after, Zhongli was struck again by Persephone's attack. His Jade Shield, unable to withstand such force, shattered instantly. Zhongli himself was sent flying over ten thousand meters by the punch, slamming into a small mountain. The terrifying force he carried directly caused the mountain to collapse.
Soon, the golden barrier enveloping Inazuma City also gradually dissipated. This scene drove many people to utter despair.
Neuvillette had fallen, and now Zhongli had fallen too. And for some reason, two versions of their Almighty Shogun had appeared, one of whom had clearly sided with the enemy. Who else could they rely on for protection?
But they had no time to think things through. The Electro Element spread across the sky and earth, and the shockwaves from the battle rampaged through Inazuma City without any hindrance. In a short time, Inazuma City was transformed into a living purgatory.
There were simply too many casualties needing treatment. Sangonomiya Kokomi could not possibly attend to them all. Even with Daphne assisting her, the first death soon occurred.
Then came dozens, hundreds, and even thousands of deaths!
The already dire environment became even more horrifying under such a large-scale battle. Even after drinking the Dragon Blood Potion, many people with weak constitutions still could not withstand it.
Such terrible casualties truly broke Raiden Makoto's heart. She wanted to step forward and protect everyone, but she was not proficient in using the Power of Time. She could only barely maintain a Domain with a radius of a few hundred meters, which could protect only a few people.
At this moment, Raiden Makoto wished so much that this was all a dream. She had not been resurrected, her sister had not defected to Persephone, and many People of Inazuma were still living their lives normally without experiencing this catastrophe.
Or perhaps, Raiden Makoto wished she could lose consciousness under Persephone's attack, so she would not have to endure such immense torment.
But seemingly because of Raiden Ei, Persephone did not have much interest in her. She dismissed her attacks as if she were coaxing a child.
Raiden Makoto herself was not skilled in combat, and the Power of Time had very limited effectiveness against Persephone. In this situation, she posed absolutely no threat to Persephone.
A deep blue figure flew rapidly from the distance. Neuvillette had finally returned to the battlefield. Behind him, countless Hydro elements trailed a deep blue river in the sky, unable to keep up with his speed.
Neuvillette saw the tragic state of Inazuma City at a glance, and a sudden feeling of suffocation seized his chest.
If he could have held on a bit longer, perhaps this scene would never have happened.
Soon, a deep blue curtain of light again protected everyone in Inazuma City, but this time the light was noticeably weaker.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, are you alright?"
Clorinde wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and spoke with concern to Neuvillette.
Neuvillette was about to say something, but suddenly coughed up some fresh blood. The answer was already self-evident: clearly, his injuries were severe.
In truth, Neuvillette should be a being of the same echelon as Persephone. As the pinnacle of the Hydro Element, the power he could wield was truly terrifying.
But on one hand, he was still young and had not been a Sovereign Dragon for long, and his command of his power was still too unrefined. On the other hand, he also had to devote a great deal of his mind to caring for the ordinary people in Inazuma City. If not for this, Persephone would not have found an opportunity to heavily wound him so quickly.
Finally, Neuvillette gently shook his head and immediately joined the fray, absorbing the vast majority of Persephone's pressure and allowing the others to catch their breath.
However, this action was of little significance. Anyone with eyes could see that the battle had already entered its "garbage time." Persephone's strength was simply too overwhelming; she was not someone they could easily deal with, even by joining forces.
Every gesture Persephone made was so effortless and graceful. In contrast, the others had to muster all their strength to jointly face each of her attacks, just to slightly lessen the injuries they sustained.
Persephone wore a beaming smile, clearly toying with them!
Moreover, as time passed, Persephone's condition showed almost no decline. In contrast, the others' bodies were already pushed to the brink of exhaustion.
Lumine wanted to immediately join the fight against Persephone to share the burden with the others. However, the current Raiden Ei was cold and powerful, standing before her as an insurmountable mountain.
Knocked down once again, Lumine looked up with a face full of anxiety at another battlefield nearby.
At this moment, Lumine finally understood. If she relied solely on herself, it would be impossible to break through Raiden Ei and join the other battle. She had to call for reinforcements!
With these thoughts, Lumine immediately rushed to Aether's side. Because time was of the essence, she wasted no words and slapped him twice right across the face.
"Brother, wake up! I need your help!"
Aether finally opened his eyes slowly, two red handprints still on his cheeks.
Upon waking, he immediately sensed something abnormal with his body and asked in confusion.
"Why does my face feel so hot?"
"It's the Electro Element! There is so much Electro Element in the air!"
After hearing Lumine's explanation, Aether sensed his surroundings for a moment and barely accepted this answer.
"Lumine, listen to me, this time we absolutely must leave Inazuma! This place is too dangerous!"
Suddenly, Aether noticed the blood on Lumine's body, and his expression changed drastically.
"Lumine, you're hurt?! Who did this?!"
Aether was instantly furious. In his memory, he had almost never seen his younger sister so badly injured, which made his heart ache unbearably.
Of course, although Lumine appeared so disheveled right now, the wounds on her body were only superficial. Under Sangonomiya Kokomi's healing, she had fully recovered not long ago. However, the bloodstains on her clothes couldn't be cleaned, making her look rather ghastly.
Lumine shook her head and explained.
"I'm not hurt, so stop worrying for nothing."
"Besides, we're already fighting Persephone."
Hearing Lumine's words, Aether's face immediately showed a shocked expression, then he looked up at the battlefield where Persephone was, and his body slightly trembled.
Sure enough, just as he had expected, Persephone (No. 3) was simply too dangerous!
"Then what are we waiting for? Come with me right now, Lumine!"
"I won't leave. Everyone is fighting, how could I just leave like this?!"
"Brother, help me this once."
"You wouldn't want to lose your dearest younger sister today, would you?"
Hearing Lumine's words, Aether was somewhat speechless.
After not seeing her for so long, his younger sister had actually learned how to play him, her older brother, like this. She really was his good little sister!
"Lumine, now is not the time to be willful. No matter what, you must come with me today!"
After breaking free from his restraints, Aether immediately grabbed Lumine's hand and prepared to leave. However, the next second, a brilliant flash of sword light slashed down between them.
Aether's face turned cold as he raised his sword to block the strike.
Aether wasn't too concerned about Raiden Ei's sword strike, after all, he had just fought her not long ago. However, what he didn't expect was that the moment the two swords touched, Aether felt an irresistible force. His entire body was pressed into the ground by the sword light, and then the earth was sliced open.
At the last moment, if Lumine hadn't pulled Aether back in time, she might have had two older brothers.
Looking at the sliced earth, Aether's head was still buzzing.
Wait, how many years had he been unconscious? How had Raiden Ei suddenly become so strong?!
"Brother, even if you want to take me away, she won't let me go."
Aether followed Lumine's gaze to Raiden Ei over there, and finally sighed helplessly.
"You truly are my good sister!"
"Attack!"
Aether and Lumine exchanged a knowing glance, then their figures vanished in different directions, only to reappear and charge toward Raiden Ei from opposite sides.
They watched each other's backs, coordinating their movements.
Soon, the tide of battle turned. Raiden Ei struggled to cope with their seamless teamwork.
Finally, they found an opening and drove Raiden Ei back a considerable distance. Lumine and Aether exchanged another glance before rapidly closing in on Persephone.
Before they joined the fray, Zhongli had already returned to the fray. With the support of the others, this was the most complete gathering of the Expeditionary Force's combat power, now bolstered by Aether.
However, for Persephone, this made little difference.
A terrifying shockwave erupted from her position, instantly shattering the encirclement. One figure after another was sent flying backward, crashing through buildings and coughing up blood uncontrollably.
Some fighters had already slipped into unconsciousness. If not for Sangonomiya Kokomi's astonishing healing, they would have been dead.
Neuvillette, Zhongli, Lumine, and Aether joined forces to withstand the shockwave, but their bodies were severely injured again, their faces turning deathly pale.
Then, as Raiden Ei returned to the fray, everyone present entered a moment of life-or-death decision.