Seeing his attack fail against Morax's shield, the god narrowed his eyes, his expression turning serious.
"Frostbite Glacier!"
He clenched his hand, and the shattered cryo crystals seemed to come alive, surging toward Morax.
Within moments, Morax was completely frozen in cryo. But it didn't stop there—more and more cryo piled up, swelling at a speed visible to the naked eye until the outline of a mountain began to take form.
Even then, the god did not relent. He intended to seal Morax entirely within that mountain.
"Once the glacier solidifies, no one can escape it so easily."
He looked at Morax trapped within the cryo and felt a surge of satisfaction.
Crack…
Crackle…
His triumph didn't last. The growing mountain of cryo began to emit strange cracking sounds.
Staring closely, he saw a fissure spread across its surface.
Shocked, he immediately poured more power into the crack.
But it was too late. As the fractures multiplied, with a resounding boom, the half-formed glacier shattered apart.
Morax stood holding a longbow, already nocking a slender arrow.
The god swept his arm, summoning a massive cryo spike that shot violently from the ground toward him.
Before the spike could strike, Morax released the drawn bowstring.
Whoosh!
The arrow flew at blinding speed toward its target.
At the same moment, the cryo spike slammed into Morax's shield, carving two deep cracks into the stone barrier.
"A mere arrow," the god scoffed, raising a colossal cryo shield to block.
"Open."
At Morax's command, the arrow shed its casing and unleashed a second burst of force. With lightning speed, it pierced straight through the cryo shield and drove into the god's chest.
Boom…
As the massive wall of cryo collapsed, the god clutched his chest in disbelief, blood pouring freely.
"What… did you do…?" He stared at Morax in shock, unable to comprehend how that arrow had pierced his defenses.
Furious, the god erupted with elemental power, raising his hands as countless shards of cryo gathered like a storm.
But Morax lifted his hand, and two sharp stone spikes shot from the ground, impaling the god's legs.
"Aaagh!!!"
The scream tore through the air as his legs gave out, the power he had gathered vanishing instantly.
Morax nocked another arrow, drew the bow, and aimed directly at the god's head.
"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!!! I'll leave now—I'll never come near this place again!!"
Realizing his defeat, the god collapsed to his knees, begging for mercy.
Morax held his bow taut, staring at the bloodied figure before him. He hesitated.
"Please! Spare me! I swear I won't return!! Just let me live!"
"I'm sorry! I was blind! I shouldn't have come here! I never should have provoked you! Please, spare my life!"
As Morax remained unmoving, the god grew even more desperate. Kneeling, he kowtowed over and over, tears streaming down his face.
Morax's brow furrowed. His hand trembled on the bowstring.
Looking at the broken god groveling before him, his heart wavered.
"Leave! Never set foot in Liyue again!!" Morax ground out, finally lowering his bow.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
Pfft!
The god bowed repeatedly in gratitude, but just as he rose, a jagged stone spike burst from the ground and pierced through his skull.
Morax froze, shuddering. He turned sharply.
A masked man stood on a tree branch, then turned away without a word and left.
As if realizing he had committed a grave mistake, Morax sprinted after him at full speed.
"Brother… I was wrong." He reached Elliot quickly and apologized at once.
"Morax…"
"I'm disappointed."
Elliot slowly extended his right hand, pushing Morax aside before walking away.
Morax stood in silence, staring at his brother's retreating back, his heart heavy with guilt and regret.
As Elliot's figure disappeared into the distance, Morax understood his own weakness.
If he had truly let that god go, what would happen when the enemy returned one day?
Would he release him again?
If nothing changed, he knew the answer—yes.
As Elliot had said, this was war. Death was inevitable.
Every god coveted Liyue like a feast, each eager to claim a portion.
If they knew Morax was unwilling to strike the final blow, they would return again and again. When defeated, they would cry, beg, and plead for mercy.
And the ever-softhearted Morax would forgive them, letting them go each time.
If this continued, no matter how strong he became, he would one day perish because of his own weakness.
Morax was not foolish. He understood this truth all too well.
But even so, he could not bring himself to kill a god he had never truly known.