Ei drew a painful, deep breath as Musou Isshin manifested in her hand.
The battle had shifted from a deadlocked clash into an even more perilous stage. The main force of the Black Abyss was steadily closing in on the surface—less than a thousand meters away now.
If an Abyss army of this scale reached the ground, it would be a one-sided massacre. The entire world would face its most terrifying apocalypse, and no one would be spared.
And for a moment, it felt like this catastrophe was truly about to happen.
All eyes turned skyward in despair.
The funnel-shaped canopy above was no longer just one. Dozens of ruptured boundary breaches now scarred the heavens, as far as the eye could see.
And that was only what could be seen with the naked eye. Lu Chen's figure flickered out of sight, and within seconds he had witnessed countless breaches across different cities and nations. The battlefield had expanded from a single city to half the planet.
"Heh... heh... heh..." Scaramouche lifted his weary gaze. "So this is the end, huh... Dying like this really doesn't sit right with me..."
Miko stared at the sky, her face dark as could be. This seemed to be exactly what Lu Chen had once described—the true "Abyss Apocalypse."
Zhongli strained to uphold the golden canopy, his body feeling an exhaustion unlike anything before. Even in his prime, he had never endured combat this relentless.
Venti drifted on the wind, scanning the heavens. Then, he caught sight of a massive, indescribable shadow—black and colossal.
"Ugh... Don't tell me everything before this was just an appetizer... and now comes the real main force..."
Except for Lu Chen's family, despair was all that remained in everyone's eyes.
Could something like this really be defeated...
...
"Of course it can!"
Suddenly, Nahida's voice rang out across the battlefield.
Miko turned toward her. In Nahida's hand was a strange device, almost like a remote.
"The most dangerous moment is also the turning point. Believe in Lu Chen. Believe in all of humanity."
With those words, she pressed the button.
The instant she did, shrill alarms blared across countless underground shelters. The signal traveled in an old-fashioned way—via radio waves—from one shelter to the next. Gradually, every city, every nation, billions of people heard the alarms, followed by the prerecorded voice of a young girl—gentle, yet unyielding.
"The hour of greatest peril has come."
"People, do not fear."
"Entrust your faith to him."
"This is the moment to strike back! All belief will shine brilliantly, etched into the sky above."
"Believe in the power of wishes."
"Pray, bless, roar!"
Only resolve remained in Nahida's eyes.
Her final words echoed from the speakers:
"Humanity will never perish!"
As her voice faded, the chaotic battlefield stilled for an instant.
Then, a tidal wave of furious shouts erupted.
"Fuck it! I'm not living through today anyway—kill them all!!"
"Damn it! Fight to the death!!"
"Victory! Humanity will fucking win!!!"
High above, Lu Chen closed his eyes. He felt the endless surge of voices.
In every shelter, in every shadowed corner, all of humanity was praying.
Some shouted with burning conviction, "Humanity will prevail!" Some dreamed of confessing to the girl they loved once the war was over. Others called out their own names, making earnest vows...
Lu Chen's mind transcended his body. As the faith of the entire world converged within him, his form began to radiate with an extraordinary light.
The process stretched on. When the pure, dazzling white glow finally filled the heavens, every Abyssal presence sensed the threat. The funnels above twisted like tornadoes, all turning toward Lu Chen.
But he continued to gather the power of wishes. It still wasn't enough. His gaze had to reach every corner of the world.
Ei looked up at the godlike figure of Lu Chen, his eyes shut tight as he floated motionless in the sky—like a lighthouse, casting light into the world's darkness.
But he was also a beacon—a thorn in the Abyss's side. All its black tide surged toward him.
Ei's Musou Isshin erupted in a blinding violet blaze.
Her mission was to protect Lu Chen.
As long as she still drew breath, not a shred of darkness would reach him. This was the final, crucial step in the plan—the key to turning defeat into victory.
Facing the boundless Abyss, Ei raised Musou Isshin and charged without hesitation.
One strike. Two strikes. Three strikes...
Countless strikes.
The Musou no Hitotachi—once restrained—now unleashed with full might, enough to shatter worlds and annihilate nations. Endless Abyssal shadows were torn apart, severed, obliterated beneath her blade.
Yet the black tide still surged, engulfing her again and again. Her cold face was now carved with slaughter. Again and again she fought through the darkness, carving a path back to Lu Chen's side, only to charge back into the fray...
Those few minutes stretched like centuries, but Ei never faltered. Even as her strength waned, she remained steadfast at his side.
A broken blade. Trembling wrists. A pale face...
She returned once more to his side. But the black tide still sought to tear through the lone barrier she formed.
This was it... the final wave.
Her final stand.
Ei lifted a weary smile. Numb from the endless killing, yet in her mind lingered the image of a slender youth—always there, unshakable.
Hurry...
Chen.
If it's you... you can do it...
Ei gripped Musou Isshin tightly once more, ready to charge into the dark with the last of her strength and her final wish.
But suddenly, a hand closed over hers.
Startled, she turned—and saw calm, indifferent eyes meeting hers.
"Rest for a while."
"Leave the rest to me."
His gaze felt unfamiliar, but his voice always gave her peace.
Ei smiled and nodded firmly.
"Mm."
Lu Chen drew her close, shielding her with his body. Facing the endless black, he slowly raised his hand.
White light pierced the darkness, blanketing the entire world.
Everyone held their breath.
Guided by Lu Chen, the power of the Human Realm flowed into every Abyssal being. Their pitch-black, chaotic essence unraveled, disintegrated, and vanished...
One second. It took him only a single second to erase every trace of darkness within the boundary.
Lu Chen raised his gaze to the breaches above. The Human Realm's power pressed back against the Abyss, slowly forcing it out—and even beginning to seep beyond.
From the heavens came countless cries, raw with agony.
On the ground, Venti let out a long, relieved breath, and the others collapsed to the earth, no longer caring about appearances.
Then they realized, astonished, that a gentle light was washing over them. The corruption within their bodies was being purged, vanishing without a trace.
"It's over. It's all over."
Miko looked up at the sky, at Lu Chen—standing like a god.
And in the very next instant, both Lu Chen and Ei vanished from this world.