[Location: Spiral Abyss, Floor 12, Chamber 3, Second Half]
[Objective: Defeat the Pyro, Electro, Dendro, and Hydro Consecrated Beasts within the time limit.]
[Additional Info: Different completion times will result in different ratings. Achieve the highest rating in all chambers to leave this place.]
[Countdown: 9:23]
As Lumine was sent flying, she saw the floating text in mid-air, her mind already starting to go numb.
Ever since she reached the final chamber, she hadn't stopped being sent flying.
If the Maguu Kenki Trio were opponents she could defeat with skill, the four Consecrated Beasts of different elements were completely unreasonable.
Sure enough, before even a minute had passed on the countdown, Lumine's body disintegrated into countless particles, signaling "GG."
The world chewed me up...
Revived once again, Lumine wanted nothing more than to drag the designer of this place into a real-life PvP match. If you don't want me to clear this, just say so! Why create something so disgusting?!
Or just get it over with and throw a hundred Consecrated Beasts at me! Let me give up completely!
But this current situation—where it seemed like there was a tiny chance of success, yet every attempt ended with her being sent flying—was what truly shattered Lumine's composure.
Lumine felt genuinely discouraged. There was still hope, but not much.
All she had to do was dodge every single attack. It sounded simple, but in practice, it was anything but.
But thinking of Nahida, thinking of Paimon, Lumine knew she couldn't give up just like this.
Nahida's life was hanging by a thread. As her good friend, how could she just watch helplessly while Nahida was in danger and simply give up?!
I can't give up! They're just Consecrated Beasts!
They're just monsters, barely stronger than Hilichurls! I can definitely do this!
Lumine began to hypnotize herself, then mustered her courage and charged at the four Consecrated Beasts with her Dull Blade.
Forty seconds later, Lumine sat in the pose of The Thinker, contemplating the meaning of her actions.
I'm doing this to save Nahida!
Contemplation complete.
Lumine once again raised her Dull Blade and charged at the Consecrated Beasts.
Forty-five seconds later: Lumine lay sprawled on the ground in a "大" shape. She wondered for a moment if staying in this position would prevent her from being sent flying again.
Fifty seconds later, Lumine's heart burned with rage.
Damn Consecrated Beasts! You've gone too far!
Consecrated Beasts, I, the Traveler, will fight you to the death!
Nahida, hold on! I'll definitely find Neuvillette to save you!
At that moment, the expression on Nahida's face, bound by black vines, suddenly twitched. Then, she slowly opened her eyes.
At first, Nahida's consciousness was still hazy. She seemed to have just experienced many terrible nightmares.
It was utterly astonishing. As the Dendro Archon, she had been so thoroughly defeated by a mortal—and in her own area of expertise, no less. Even manifesting an invincible Neuvillette hadn't been enough to overcome her opponent.
Nahida took a moment to compose herself and looked around.
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and the manifested Neuvillette were also enveloped in black vines, their eyes tightly shut, seemingly still trapped in their nightmares.
Dr. Edward and Scaramouche were nowhere to be seen, likely still within the Black Sun in the sky.
Then, Nahida used the Akasha to observe the current state of Sumeru. The scene that unfolded before her left her completely stunned.
Through the Akasha, Nahida saw that Sumeru had undergone an earth-shattering transformation. Everywhere, people were suspended in mid-air, bound by pitch-black vines.
Nahida didn't know what would happen to these people if this continued, but she knew the only chance for salvation rested on her.
After all, as the Dendro Archon, her power might be somewhat inferior to Dr. Edward's, but her resistance was far higher than anyone else's—which was why she had woken up early. Perhaps even Dr. Edward hadn't anticipated this.
Moreover, the Laws of Time that had previously affected them seemed to have lost their effect. It appeared the residual power of that object had been completely exhausted. This was a golden opportunity!
Nahida deduced that Dr. Edward must be fully occupied maintaining the slumber of all Sumerians, unable to divert his attention.
As long as she moved carefully, she believed Dr. Edward wouldn't notice her too quickly.
With this in mind, Nahida did her best to calm herself, then gathered her power to force the pitch-black vines binding her to release their grip.
After some effort, Nahida succeeded. She was free!
But it wasn't time to celebrate yet. Nahida quickly freed Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and Neuvillette, then entered their consciousnesses to awaken them from their nightmares.
Before long, the two of them opened their eyes.
When they saw that Nahida had saved them, they were surprised at first, but a hint of gratitude soon appeared in their eyes.
Seeing that Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and Neuvillette were about to speak, Nahida quickly cut in.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, let's save the talk for later. Our priority right now is to rescue everyone else."
Hearing this, Neuvillette nodded. Nahida then turned to Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and asked, "Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine. I can hold on for a while longer."
Relieved that neither of them seemed to be in any immediate danger, Nahida began to formulate a plan.
After a moment of thought, she addressed Neuvillette.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, I recall that your Prime is already before Irminsul, correct?"
"What if we try attacking Dr. Edward from both sides simultaneously? We could forcibly interrupt his current state and awaken all of Sumeru's people."
Upon hearing Nahida's plan, a look of admiration appeared on Neuvillette's face.
"An excellent plan. Truly worthy of Sumeru's God of Wisdom."
At Neuvillette's praise, Nahida rubbed the back of her head, slightly embarrassed.
"You flatter me, Monsieur Neuvillette. We should prepare quickly. Saving everyone is the most important thing right now."
Neuvillette nodded in agreement. His consciousness then withdrew from the manifested body, which immediately began to fade into illusion.
"Nahida, you've grown so much."
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's gaze was also filled with deep approval, making Nahida even more flustered.
Taking two deep breaths, Nahida finally calmed herself. She looked directly at the massive Black Sun in the sky and began to establish contact with Neuvillette, who had returned to his Prime.
After a brief discussion, Nahida started counting down silently in her mind.
Now!
She unleashed all her power without reservation, joining Neuvillette in a simultaneous assault on the physical and mental forms of Dr. Edward and Scaramouche.
This was their only chance. They had to succeed—failure was not an option.
The thought of countless Sumerians plunged into hellish suffering should she fail drove Nahida to surpass her limits, unleashing a power far greater than any she had wielded before.
Watching Nahida's display, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's eyes seemed to shimmer with brilliant light.
Soon, both attacks struck their targets almost simultaneously. Before Nahida's eyes, the Black Sun began to twist and distort under the immense power, then completely disintegrated. Two figures fell limply from its vanishing form.
"We did it!"
Suppressing her excitement, Nahida rushed forward to deliver the final blow.
Dr. Edward's greatest threat was his incomprehensibly powerful psychic energy. She had to cripple him here and now!
With this thought, Nahida unhesitatingly gathered all her remaining strength and struck Dr. Edward again.
She watched as Dr. Edward coughed up what seemed like gallons of blood. His form flickered, growing increasingly translucent before finally fading away completely.
"What just happened?"
Nahida shot a fierce glare at the newly awakened Scaramouche, who immediately threw his hands up.
"Wait, don't kill me! I surrender!"
After confirming Scaramouche was no longer a threat, Nahida and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata quickly returned to their own bodies.
Nahida freed Paimon along the way, then piloted the Ship of Dreams toward Irminsul.
Midway, she spotted Lumine, tattered and looking utterly wretched. Nahida quickly pulled her aboard the Ship of Dreams.
Finally safe, Lumine looked at Nahida with overwhelming emotion, tears of gratitude streaming down her face as she sobbed uncontrollably.
Nahida couldn't bear to see Lumine in such a state and comforted her like a mother. Before long, Lumine's emotions stabilized.
Just then, the Ship of Dreams reached the roots of Irminsul. Nahida hurriedly led everyone toward Neuvillette. Seeing Dr. Edward and Scaramouche imprisoned in water cages, her anxious heart finally settled.
"It's over, Dr. Edward."
"Your plan has failed!"
"Cough, cough... To lose to the God of Wisdom... I accept my defeat."
Seeing Dr. Edward's seemingly severe injuries, Nahida ultimately decided to heal him. Unexpectedly, this act completely won his loyalty.
"To think that even after everything I've done, Lesser Lord Kusanali would still heal a sinner like me... Your magnanimity, Lesser Lord Kusanali, fills me with shame."
"If you wouldn't mind my sinful status, Lesser Lord Kusanali, I am willing to dedicate my entire life to the medical field, contributing to Sumeru's development and atoning for my sins."
Hearing Dr. Edward's sincere words, Nahida considered that while his actions had been extremely malicious, they hadn't caused many casualties. She agreed to his proposal.
Nahida had to admit that Dr. Edward was a true talent. If he could be put to use for Sumeru, it would be for the best.
Meanwhile, with Dr. Edward's plan thwarted, the strange phenomena in Sumeru gradually subsided. The people and animals who had been suspended in the air slowly regained consciousness.
Just as everyone was feeling lost and confused, Nahida descended from the Dream World aboard the Ship of Dreams, radiating a brilliant light like a goddess descending from the heavens.
At first, no one knew what had happened. But soon, when they saw Dr. Edward standing beside Nahida, the excitement on their faces became impossible to conceal.
Then, when Nahida announced before everyone that the war was over, and Dr. Edward voluntarily confessed his crimes and pledged his allegiance to her, the crowd erupted!
"Long live Lesser Lord Kusanali!"
Amid the fervent cheers, Nahida felt an immense surge of Faith Power rush into her, quickly replenishing what she had expended.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, this is the Faith Power you lent me earlier. Now that the battle is over, I should return it to you."
Hearing Nahida's words, Neuvillette quickly waved them away.
"There's no sense in taking back something I've already given. Keep it. Wait here, I'll go get some more from the Hydro Archon—she has plenty.
"Sumeru is so powerful now. Consider this a gift to witness the friendship between Fontaine and Sumeru."
"How could I possibly accept..."
Feeling the overwhelming generosity radiating from Neuvillette, Nahida was deeply moved.
Hearing her hesitation, Neuvillette smiled and said...
"There's no need to feel embarrassed. With Sumeru's current strength, I'm sure countless nations will soon be eager to establish friendly relations with you."
"I won't disturb you any longer. I must return to Fontaine immediately to tell the story of Lady Nahida saving Sumeru to our good-for-nothing Hydro Archon. Perhaps she can learn a thing or two from it."
"By the way, our Hydro Archon is also an outstanding actress. She might even turn your story, Lady Nahida, into a stage play and tour it across the Seven Nations."
"Isn't that a bit too ostentatious?"
"Not at all."
At that moment, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata stepped forward and spoke with a gentle smile.
"As a nation's deity, having a high profile isn't a bad thing."
"In the future, all who admire you, Nahida, will journey to Sumeru to pay their respects, hoping to catch a glimpse of you. This will boost Sumeru's economy and set it on a path of healthy development."
"The more famous you become, the better it will be for Sumeru!"
Nahida was convinced by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's words.
"Alright, Monsieur Neuvillette. I'll have to trouble you with this matter, then."
"It's no trouble at all. In fact, I might even ask Lady Nahida for an autograph when the time comes."
With those parting words, Neuvillette departed.
Subsequently, Sumeru held a grand celebration banquet. Nahida's fame spread far and wide, her name on everyone's lips, eventually surpassing even that of the former Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
"Nahida, you've done it."
"You've become even more outstanding than I ever was," Greater Lord Rukkhadevata said, her voice filled with deep emotion.
"Not at all. There are still so many things I need to learn from you, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata."
"No, you've already surpassed me by far. There's nothing more I can teach you."
"However, I can serve as your assistant and help you with some of the trivial matters."
"From now on, you only need to make the most crucial decisions. I'll handle the daily work for you."
"Oh, but how could I possibly..."
In the sky, the colossal Black Sun continued to cast its grayish-black light, shrouding the entire world in an atmosphere of deathly stillness.
And at that moment, suspended in mid-air by dark, thorny vines, Nahida slept soundly...