Chapter 140: Resurrect! My beloved Tingyun—!
「 "Miss Tingyun!" March 7th exclaimed.
Before she could get closer, Tingyun's body collapsed to the ground like a puppet with cut strings, and a small, glowing orb slowly floated out from her chest and abdomen.
"Benefactors... allow me to reintroduce myself—I am the Lord Ravager, Phantylia. I have come with a single purpose: To set in motion the self-destruction of the Xianzhou!"
As she spoke, countless Antimatter Legionnaires suddenly appeared, blocking everyone's path.
"Miss Tingyun... is a Lord Ravager of the Antimatter Legion!? What—what on earth is going on?!" March 7th, still wore an expression of disbelief.
"Everyone, calm down! With such a formidable enemy before us, we must not lose our composure!" Fu Xuan's voice came from behind, and the Cloud Knights behind her swiftly engaged the Antimatter Legion.
"You are fortunate that Zephyro and Celenova never set their gaze upon the Xianzhou."
Phantylia's voice drifted in mid-air, as she looked down from above, appreciating the sight of everyone fighting, as if enjoying an interesting piece of art, still not satisfied: "As for me, I really dislike personally causing destruction… But since that stubborn general of yours has forced me to take center stage, I'll make sure I steal the show."
"Haha... My apologies for leaving so soon, but I have an appointment to keep. I'm sure my friends here will be happy to entertain you..." 」
「 .....」
〜Jujutsu Kaisen World, Past Timeline〜
"The mastermind pulling the strings has finally been revealed, and it turns out Tingyun truly was suspicious all along."
Satoru Gojo yawned and stretched:
"Ever since the Abundant Ebon Deer, I've been waiting for Tingyun to reveal her true form. She's quite a catch, indeed."
"But the opponent is an Emanator of Destruction(Lord Ravager)…"
Yuta Okkotsu stroked his chin,
"And I don't think Phantylia would act without preparing beforehand."
"Isn't there an Emanator of The Hunt on the Xianzhou?"
Satoru Gojo pouted,
"You've seen that General Jing Yuan's strength, haven't you? Not to mention him, just that golden, radiant guy behind him is extraordinary; he looks incredibly strong! Plus, the Nameless is helping… that Welt is quite deep; it's hard to say he isn't hiding his true power."
"Then, sensei, do you think they'll win?"
Yuta Okkotsu was still a little worried.
"Heh, if two more Emanator of Destruction (Lord Ravager) showed up, it would be troublesome, but if it's just Phantylia alone…"
Satoru Gojo's lips curled into a slight smile, full of confidence.
"Nah, they will win!"
—
「 "Th-this… W—Wait, hold on a second — are you really saying that Miss Tingyun was a member of the Antimatter Legion all along?" March 7th was completely flustered now: "What was that ball of fire that came out of her? And her body — where did it go?"
She looked up at Welt: "Uncle Yang, you're smart. What exactly just happened?!"
"…" Welt sighed: "Alas, that fiery orb called itself the Lord Ravager, Phantylia, a name I've heard other Nameless speak of in the past."
"She's one of seven Lord Ravagers(Emanator of Destruction) who serve Nanook... and finds pleasure in witnessing the self-destruction of mortals. She's led countless souls down a dark and hopeless path."
Fu Xuan's gaze deepened: "...Meaning that Tingyun had long since fallen under the Lord Ravager's influence? Becoming a pawn of the Legion?"
Stelle and Welt exchanged glances. No one could easily accept such a conclusion.
"…I don't believe so. Phantylia revels in watching a corrupted mind eating away its host from the inside out, until the obliteration of both is achieved." Welt analyzed, "But there was no indication that Tingyun had been misguided or manipulated... It's possible that the Tingyun we knew wasn't her true self, but an image Phantylia devised to serve her own purposes."
"Uncle Yang, you're saying that the real Tingyun is still..." March 7th, looked at Welt with a worried expression.
"I'm sorry, March, I can't say with any certainty where the real Tingyun may be, or at what point she was replaced by the impostor. Without knowing where the body vanished to, it'll be tough to get an answer." 」
「 .....」
〜Genshin Impact World〜
"If Miss Tingyun dies, how can we live, boo hoo hoo…"
"Please, Miss Tingyun! Revive! My beloved—!"
"Noooo, I'm willing to trade Itto-dono's ten years of celibacy for Miss Tingyun's revival!"
In Inazuma City, a group of burly men holding the latest Tingyun merchandise folding fans were weeping bitterly, their heartbroken wails causing onlookers to shake their heads and sigh. Even the Tenryou Commission officers responsible for dispersing them felt a pang of pity.
"Hahaha—my Miss Tingyun definitely isn't dead, how could she die? Hehehe…"
Among them, a man wearing a shirt with Tingyun's illustration wiped away tears while laughing, looking utterly dazed and deranged.
"Sigh, another one gone mad…"
Kuki Shinobu sighed, then suddenly spotted her boss and a few Arataki Gang members in the crowd, all weeping inconsolably. Infuriated, she immediately pulled Itto out of the crowd.
"Boss, they're crying, why are you joining in?"
Kuki Shinobu demanded.
"Huh?"
Arataki Itto wiped the tears from his face, pulled out his newly bought limited-edition Tingyun folding fan from his pocket, and proudly waved it in front of Kuki Shinobu's face:
"Shinobu, I'm currently the president of the 'Tingyun Fan Mutual Aid Support Group'! Of course I had to come!"
"So, the gang funds you took from me a few days ago were to register a fan support group with the Tenryou Commission?"
"…"
Kuki Shinobu rubbed her forehead in exasperation,
"So what now? Your support group was established less than three days ago, and Tingyun is dead."
"SHINOBU!! I MUST CORRECT YOU! MISS TINGYUN ISN'T DEAD!!"
Seeing many people around, Arataki Itto quietly leaned into Kuki Shinobu's ear and whispered,
"There's no indication whatsoever that Tingyun is dead, right?"
"…But there's also no indication that she's alive."
Kuki Shinobu mercilessly shattered his illusion.
"Don't say it, Shinobu!"
Itto gave a pitiful expression,
"If you keep talking like that, my hard-earned support group will disband! I don't want half a month's worth of my part-time earnings to go down the drain in three days!"
—
「 "This is just my personal conjecture… and hope. But if that body belonged to the real Tingyun, it does raise the question of why Phantylia would go to such lengths to destroy any evidence of her. Wouldn't it be more in line with her destructive nature to leave Tingyun's remains behind as a display of power?"
"I believe this is Phantylia's true objective—to sow seeds of doubt among us and ensnare us, and completely fall into her venomous scheme."
Welt's analysis was well-structured, and Fu Xuan nodded in agreement: "It's clear that the sudden resurgence of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus is all connected to the Lord Ravager. Pretending to be a Xianzhou citizen, planting a Stellaron on the Luofu — all part of her plan to bring about our self-destruction."
"Her target must be the Ambrosial Arbor! To lay hands on the Ambrosial Arbor is like taking away the very root of the Luofu. If that happens, annihilating Xianzhou will be effortless. We must not delay; we must stop her!"
"We need to take a starskiff to Scalegorge Waterscape— the Ambrosial Arbor can be sealed from that delve." 」
「 .....」