After Nahida proposed using the soldiers of Snezhnaya as leverage, Capitano's expression finally wavered.
"As a soldier, I once swore never to lay down my sword..." Capitano instinctively looked at his soldiers. "But..."
"But even if not for yourself, you should think about your soldiers," Nahida said with a gentle smile. "If you continue to fight, it will only bring needless casualties. As long as you lay down your weapons, I will see that your men are treated well."
"Truly? You will keep your word?" Capitano was surprised. He hadn't expected the Dendro Archon to be so magnanimous.
"The Lesser Lord Kusanali has always been kind. Of course she means what she says." Lu Chen shot a glance at the grim-faced Doctor. "Do you think we'd stoop to the same scheming as certain people?"
The Doctor immediately let out a cold snort. "Don't believe them! A desperate last stand still holds a sliver of hope. But if you trust their sweet words so easily—"
"You talk too much!" Lu Chen's figure vanished in an instant.
A thunderous crack echoed through the air. The Doctor spat blood with a muffled groan, his body hurled across the battlefield.
Lu Chen wiped his fist with disdain, smirking as though he had dirtied his hand.
The Doctor crashed onto the hard ground and could no longer rise, coughing and gasping in utter humiliation.
Seeing him in such a miserable state, Scaramouche, who stood behind Nahida, could no longer suppress the joy on his face.
For the first time, even Lu Chen—the man he had often scorned—rose in his eyes.
But he held back from delivering the finishing blow. The situation was still unstable, and he refused to ruin Nahida's efforts to secure peace.
If Lu Chen and Ei could hear his thoughts, they would probably say: The kid finally grew up...
Capitano didn't spare the Doctor a glance. He simply sighed and turned to his soldiers.
"Vanguard, heed my command!"
"Lay down your weapons and await my next orders."
At once, the soldiers lowered their weapons in unison. Not one resisted.
Even in defeat, their formation remained orderly and disciplined, which made Venti click his tongue in amazement.
"Such discipline, even for just a vanguard unit. It shows the true strength of Snezhnaya..."
He turned to Zhongli. "What do you think Nahida and Lu Chen will demand?"
Zhongli thought for a moment. "They are both wise. With Teyvat's situation already so complex, they will not seek to escalate matters."
"Hmm... true." Venti nodded slightly. "That makes sense."
Seeing Capitano submit, Lu Chen knew his part was done. He quietly walked over to the corner and sat down on the same bench as Venti.
It wasn't that he wanted to slack off. After Nahida repaired the Irminsul, the system notification had finally appeared.
[World Quest]
[Repair the Irminsul and resolve the issue of The Withering's spread]
[Quest Completed: Reward – 10,000 Primogems, 10 million real-world currency]
[Reminder: Remaining time will consume Primogems]
Though filled with twists and turns, the world quest had finally been completed. Lu Chen checked his Primogems balance.
[Primogems: 72,250]
An impressive amount. Ever since he was missing only the final Hydro Vision, he hadn't spent any, saving it all for the last piece of the Light Realm Force.
Now everything was ready—only the draw remained.
Time to roll.
He dumped 50,000 Primogems into the wish system. Meteors streaked across the sky, one after another.
Golden light flashed repeatedly, and Lu Chen hurriedly glanced at the wish interface.
[Golden Item — Skyward Pride (Claymore)]
[Golden Item — Vision (Hydro)]
[Golden Item — Canned Knowledge (Blueprint for the God of Machines)]
[Golden Item — Canned Knowledge (Blueprint for Primordial Energy Mechanics)]
This wish had finally given Lu Chen a fitting five-star weapon, once again from the Skyward series. The two Canned Knowledge blueprints also caught his eye—one for the pseudo-god they had just fought, and another for Primordial Energy Mechanics. The latter, he thought, would be perfect for Ei.
But most importantly, he had finally obtained the last missing Hydro Vision.
Browsing the system, he saw the seven Visions neatly aligned, their colors radiating in harmony.
Lu Chen slowly extended his palm, and following the method he had used before, began merging the seven elemental powers.
A purer, dazzlingly white sphere of light formed in his hand.
Suddenly, his senses expanded by countless levels. His perspective on the world subtly shifted—it was as though he could now perceive the essence of all things.
"Eh? Lu Chen, what are you..." Venti looked over curiously, then furrowed his brows.
"This is a higher power from the heavens," Zhongli said gravely. With his vast knowledge, he immediately recognized the unfathomable might contained in the tiny sphere of light.
As the full Light Realm Force manifested, Lu Chen once again felt that faint gaze from high above—only this time, it lingered much longer, refusing to fade.
He looked toward Celestia. Am I being watched...?
The Light Realm Force was the most primal, original power of this world—the very force that had shaped Teyvat.
Now that he has mastered it in full... did it mean he had reached the same level as the beings of Celestia?
He shared the good news with Ei, Venti, and Zhongli. Their reactions were all different.
"Chen... even if you faced the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, you could stand against her now?" Ei's eyes widened slightly. Without realizing it, Lu Chen had far surpassed her—no longer the rogue who once needed wrestling tricks in the garden to win against her.
"Hey, hey! Why are you always thinking about fighting? Not everyone up there is bad..." Venti said casually. "Istaroth once helped me a great deal, you know..."
Zhongli, however, furrowed his brow, his voice heavy. "That means we finally have a true bargaining chip against the higher gods."
"I never thought this day would come so soon..." Venti looked at Lu Chen with uncharacteristic seriousness. "Whatever path you choose next, we will stand behind you."
Deep inside, he thought: one day, Lu Chen had become a symbol for all of Teyvat. Unlike the iron-fisted designs of the Tsaritsa, Lu Chen truly stood on the side of ordinary mortals. And for that, Venti trusted his character.
"What are you all talking about? Why didn't you include me?"
Nahida noticed them gathered in the corner and curiously walked over.
"Hm? Capitano has already been taken away?" Lu Chen looked toward the plaza of Sumeru City. Most of the Akademiya scholars had dispersed. Capitano was gone. Only the gravely injured Doctor remained, with Scaramouche guarding him.
"Yes." Nahida nodded. "Capitano is indeed a man of his word. He and his soldiers have already been detained by the Eremites. But..."
She added, "He said he is willing to take responsibility in his own name—for all the losses caused by the Fatui."
"Then he'll have to pay dearly..." Lu Chen glanced at the ruins. "But can he afford it? You'll have to knock on the Tsaritsa's door for that."
Nahida shook her head with a wry smile. "Exactly. It's not as simple as Capitano makes it sound. Fatui's actions represent the will of Snezhnaya. What happened today is no different from an invasion. He just doesn't want to tarnish his Empress's reputation. As for the details of the negotiations... I will need to think carefully."
"Then why not..." A thought crossed Lu Chen's mind, and he smiled.
"Tell the Fatui that if they want their Harbinger back, the Tsaritsa herself must come and retrieve Capitano."
Venti, ever eager for spectacle, slapped the table in delight. "Yes! Let's do that! Let's see if she dares come!"
Zhongli sighed softly. "I have not seen her in five hundred years, not since the fall of Khaenri'ah. I hear her nature has changed greatly. I wonder what kind of meeting it would be now..."
Ei caught on to something in Lu Chen's words. "Why only ask the Tsaritsa to come for Capitano? What about the Doctor?"
"The Doctor..." Lu Chen's gaze shifted toward the center of the plaza. "Why do you think I asked Scaramouche to guard him alone?"
Everyone turned their eyes to the plaza—and a piercing scream rang out.
"Scaramouche!!"
"You—!"
A flash of cold steel pierced through the air. Scaramouche drove his blade into the wounded Doctor.
Crimson blood spread across the ground from the Doctor's chest. The once-feared Harbinger of the Fatui finally breathed his last. Even in death, his twisted eyes burned with disbelief.
Having avenged his greatest enemy, Scaramouche dropped his blade and collapsed onto the ground, letting the blood soak his legs.
No one could see his expression.
Nahida let out a soft sigh. Scaramouche had slain the strongest and most cunning of the Doctors, but his revenge was not over.
That thirst for vengeance against every Doctor was what kept him alive—but it might also forge him into someone more warped and paranoid.
...
After the great battle, Sumeru City lay in ruins and desperately needed rebuilding. In the days that followed, Nahida was busier than ever.
With Lu Chen's help, she quickly purged the Akademiya. The Great Sage Azar and several sages involved in the god-making project were all taken into custody.
With the upper echelons now vacant, Nahida swiftly promoted Naphis — a renowned Amurta scholar and Tighnari's mentor, who had been imprisoned for refusing to align with the Grand Sage — and elevated Alhaitham, entrusting the two with the supervision of the Akademiya.
With these matters settled, Lu Chen finally stole a moment of leisure, spending his time eating and drinking with Lumine and Paimon in Sumeru City... all while waiting for the Tsaritsa to arrive.