Scaramouche glanced at the soldiers around him who'd lost the will to fight, let out a cold sneer, and raised his eyes to the sky.
"My turn."
He piloted his flagship unit upward, commanding the four Divine Machines to climb in formation and punch straight into the battlefield.
All four god-tier mechs unleashed cataclysmic elemental torrents at once.
Lightning crashed. Hurricanes roared. Golden stars rained down. Chained Intensification flared in succession across the high skies. With Scaramouche's timely support, a massive gap was blasted open in the black tide about to hit the ground, and the situation was forcibly pulled back from the brink.
Even so, scattered Chaos creatures made landfall.
Fortunately, Zhongli arrived in time.
A vast golden canopy unfurled over the defensive line, shutting out the Abyss creatures. A collective breath of relief swept the surface; the looks on people's faces were those of the newly spared.
Suspended high above, Zhongli frowned. The corrosion of forbidden knowledge was straining even his jade-carved shield.
He was not what he once had been, and yet even so, the sporadic erosion of Abyss force made holding the line feel arduous.
That was the Abyss's threat made plain: it worked on neither the elemental plane nor the physical.
"Everyone, hold on!"
A clear, pleasant girl's voice rang out across the battlefield—so out of place it made soldiers turn, startled, toward the sound.
"Am I seeing this right?"
"It's..."
"Barbara??"
"The wildly popular idol singer?"
Barbara clasped her hands tight, eyes shut in prayer.
Then, a voice as fresh as a mountain spring echoed over the perilous field.
It carried a strange magic—strength seeped back into limbs, pain and confusion ebbed, and some even found wounds from days earlier inexplicably healed.
The sky seemed to split, and long-lost winter sunlight spilled down. All eyes fixed, entranced, on the girl as pure as an angel.
At length, the song ended—and thunderous cheers erupted.
"Victory!"
"Humanity will prevail!!"
Morale surged. Concentrated fire poured into the heavens once more.
After the healing, the exhausted Barbara nearly collapsed. The Miko caught her, worry in her eyes.
"I'm fine... just... a bit of a headache..."
Miko's concern only deepened. She gently cupped Barbara's face and checked her eyes—streaked with bloodshot veins.
"Forbidden knowledge is highly corrupting. Don't do that again—everyone will worry."
"It's alright, Miko..." Barbara gave a strained smile. "Everyone else is so strong. I... can only do this much..."
"No, you did wonderfully." Supporting her, Miko guided her to a clear patch to rest.
But her brows remained knit. Barbara was not in a good state—likely tainted by the Abyss.
Miko swept a glance over the field. Everyone was fighting flat out.
"Butterfly Fire Sweeps the Prairie! Send them to rebirth!"
Hu Tao's Ann Mystic Art ignited searing flames in the air. A swirling ghostly blaze swept out, sending the Rift Hounds to their end.
"Exorcism Dance!"
Xiao, long absent from battle, donned his Nü mask once more. This was no time to dwell on karmic burdens. He excelled at cleansing filth, and his efficiency topped them all—every slam into the ground erased swathes of Abyss creatures in an instant.
Even so... Miko could feel the backlash of The Abyss power clinging to everyone. That foul force was maddeningly persistent; even those who hadn't been touched were tainted to some degree.
And yet, once Barbara was settled, Miko plunged back into the horde without hesitation.
Because she knew Lu Chen would win.
With him here, everyone's corruption would be purged.
In the endless struggle, Miko would sometimes glance skyward. Each time she found Lu Chen, a wash of calm settled over her.
"Lu Chen, you have to win..."
"For all of us..."
"For me..."
...
Towering above the clouds, Lu Chen and Ei kept their eyes on the battle below.
The clash between humanity and the Abyss had reached a fever pitch. Day bled into night, then back into day. Garrison troops rotated again and again. Even the glow of Scaramouche's four Gnosis grew dim—and the energy of the Gnosis was said to be virtually inexhaustible.
But only "virtually." The Gnosis could still run dry. Lu Chen noticed Scaramouche's mech moving more and more sluggishly as he fought to shake off the Abyss creatures crawling over it, curses rattling inside the cockpit.
"Shouldn't we help?" Concern flickered in Ei's eyes.
"Wait... a little longer..." Lu Chen ground out.
"Alright..." Ei always trusted him. This time was no different.
He still didn't strike personally—but the time had come to play another card.
Lu Chen opened the system interface and dumped out the entire stockpile of Primordial Energy Constructed Machinery—well over 999 units.
For four months, he and Ei had worked day and night to forge this mechanical army. It couldn't decide the Abyss War outright, but it could turn the tide for a while.
When the swarm appeared, thousands of cores powered by Primordial Energy painted the sky in a spectacular array. In an instant, half the firmament glowed a pure, radiant blue.
Where blue collided with black, dazzling colors blossomed. The Primordial Energy machine army carved through like a blade, pushing the tide back. Dense flocks of creatures from The Abyss were purified and erased, and black "rain" fell from above.
The sight of those falling corpses drew a helpless sigh from Zhongli. The golden canopy spread wider, a barrier beneath the black and the blue to keep the tainted remains from reaching the ground.
But the Jade Tablet shield had its limits; it was now pockmarked with holes. That was when the wind spirit, Venti, stepped in.
He always appeared where he was needed most—like a firefighter, patching breaches with wind and sweeping the filth away.
Lu Chen continued to watch the upper sky. The Primordial Energy Constructs were many, but only in the thousands. For all their efficiency, they were a drop in the ocean against the Abyss without end.
And so, the blue glow thinned. The exchange rate in the high air turned brutal—Abyss creatures were trading nearly 1000:1 against the Primordial Energy Constructs.
After three grueling hours, the last Construct completed its mission, detonating in a final blaze ten thousand meters up.
Watching months of effort wink out, Ei let out the faintest sigh.
"There are no more trump cards."
"How long can this level of assault go on..."
This battle felt more terrifying than the fall of Khaenri'ah, more than even the Archon War. To her, it could rival the "Throne War" that decided Teyvat's ruler.
Back then, the Sovereign had fought Phanes with the power of the Abyss—indirectly hastening the decline of Celestia.
"There are still cards to play. There are still cards..."
Sweat slicked Lu Chen's palms as he clenched his fists. "Not yet. Wait a little longer—just a little longer..."
From the ground came Miko's shout.
"Everyone, hold on!"
"We will win!!"
Ei looked down, anxiety creeping in. Everyone was buried deep in the beast tide—and worse, they were all tainted to varying degrees by The Abyss. Faces had gone dark, and foul black aura seeped from their bodies.
"Chen!!"
"I know, I know..."
Lu Chen squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to look.
"Just a little longer. Hold on a little longer!"