Stepping onto the teleportation circle glowing with arcane light, Victor Wang was once again enveloped in that familiar, all-senses-obscuring state. When his vision returned, the low wooden ceiling was replaced by vast, churning black clouds overhead.
Realizing the teleport had succeeded, Victor Wang quickly surveyed the surroundings.
Beneath his feet was a platform formed from sea-blue energy. Directly ahead stood three massive, uniquely designed ballistae—the Guizhong Ballistae. Upon the central one stood a deer, while a crane perched atop each of the two flanking machines.
Beyond the Guizhong Ballistae floated the Jade Chamber, a complex of buildings supported by levitating islands. Ningguang hovered at the entrance, maintaining its stability, flanked by Madame Ping, Xiao, and Ganyu—all wearing stern expressions, likely focused on sustaining the others with adeptal power.
Turning his head, Victor Wang saw flashes of steel and elemental light to the left. Lumine, now empowered by three adeptal forces, was fighting alongside Keqing—imbued with at least one—and the Millelith, all engaged in fierce battle against the numerous Fatui forces.
A swirling portal of energy hovered at the far end, endlessly spewing more Fatui soldiers onto the battlefield.
Only two such portals existed on the platform. The other was behind them, where Fatui reinforcements had already been cut down by the Bubblegum Squad, relieving Lumine and Keqing of half their burden.
As Victor Wang took in the new scene, the Qixing and the Adepti also turned to examine the sudden arrival of the Bubblegum Squad. Most of them recognized Ningguang, and many of the Adepti knew Xiangling, so no friendly fire occurred.
Madame Ping narrowed her eyes at Xiangling. "Child, you look a bit worn."
"Madame Ping!"
"You've all come through that portal, no doubt drained. Then accept my power."
Still standing hunched with both hands clasped behind her back, Madame Ping made no gesture—but Victor Wang immediately felt an invisible force surround him. The elemental energy of the world flared before his eyes, eager to surge into his body. It grew so active that visible light began to swirl around him.
Unfortunately, his elemental reserves were still full, and he couldn't absorb much. Hu Tao and Xiangling, however, were soon glowing brilliantly.
"Huh?" Sensing something, Madame Ping raised her right hand, palm aimed gently toward Victor Wang.
This time, he felt his mind rejuvenated—his mental energy, previously down to a third, now completely restored. He copied Xiangling and shouted, "Thank you, Madame Ping!"
Madame Ping nodded with a smile.
"Let's go help the Millelith fight the Fatui!" With familiar adeptal energy coursing through him again, Xingqiu drew his sword and charged toward the left flank.
Because of the sudden conflict—and the fact that extra people weren't helpful against the Overlord of the Vortex—when Ningguang flew the Jade Chamber into battle, she'd only carried those she couldn't deploy in time: ordinary Millelith guards, Keqing, the Adepti, and Lumine and Ganyu, who had caught up mid-flight.
No one had expected these Fatui to emerge after the Guizhong Ballistae were deployed. To protect the devices from destruction, even the regular Millelith, now empowered by adeptal energy, had joined the fight.
Close-combat weapons clashed with specialized Fatui elemental weapons. The violence was even more brutal than clashes between Vision bearers… Both sides were taking casualties. It was a battle to the death—there was no room for mercy.
Victor Wang didn't hesitate. He immediately unleashed his strongest attack, targeting enemy weak points with the Erosion Blast, cutting down foes in its path.
The current state of battle was: the Overlord of the Vortex pressured the Jade Chamber; the Jade Chamber, in turn, suppressed the Fatui.
With the Bubblegum Squad's arrival, the Fatui began falling faster, allowing Ningguang to finally breathe easier.
But the Overlord of the Vortex wasn't idle. It kept launching energy blasts toward the Jade Chamber. The very first blast after the squad's arrival was headed straight for Victor Wang.
The entire sky was cloaked in black clouds—except for a strange ring of white clouds directly above the Overlord of the Vortex. Inside it was an inverted abyss that led skyward. Within the abyss, white clouds remained, the sky was still blue, and sunlight pierced through, illuminating the five sapphire heads of the Overlord of the Vortex, making it resemble a deity.
Divine judgment was descending. A massive energy blast plummeted like a meteor. The pressure alone made Victor Wang crane his neck in awe.
It's huge!
He dodged quickly, just as a cold sensation wrapped around him. The divine judgment crashed down, erupting into a vast Hydro shockwave that caught him in its radius. Thankfully, a flicker of scaled light around him absorbed the blow.
"Don't worry about injury. I'll protect you all." It was Ganyu's adeptal power—but her face had turned pale. Withstanding the Overlord of the Vortex's strike hadn't been easy.
The Fatui in front of Victor Wang weren't so lucky. Some were hit directly and disintegrated on the spot. Others caught by the shockwave exploded into bloody fragments… The scene was far more brutal than any age-12 rating would allow.
Soon, the Fatui reinforcements couldn't keep up with the casualties. Three Adepti were now manning the Guizhong Ballistae against the Overlord of the Vortex. The rest were temporarily freed from combat.
"Huh? The portal we came through is gone! Was the battle over there so intense that it destroyed the other end of the teleportation circle?" Xingqiu was first to notice the change.
"Then isn't Mister Zhongli in danger?" Leaving Zhongli alone to face The Fair Lady—a troubling thought.
"Eh, I don't think I've ever seen Zhongli in danger… I'm sure he's fine." Hu Tao reassured Xiangling, though she was clearly reassuring herself too.
Victor Wang didn't dwell on it. He reasoned, "Maybe he destroyed the portal on purpose to stop more Fatui from the Northland Bank coming through?"
"Maybe, but there's no way to check."
"No, there's still one portal left," Hu Tao said, pointing to the other circle still releasing the occasional Fatui soldier.
"You mean…?"
"We track it in reverse. Maybe we can return to Liyue Harbor—and cut off the remaining Fatui at their source!"
As the battle eased, Keqing and Lumine approached.
"Counterattack, huh? Not a bad plan." Keqing's eyes swept over the squad, lingering slightly on Victor Wang.
Though this wasn't the time for personal talk, Victor Wang could still read the unspoken 'Fancy meeting you here' in her gaze. He hadn't expected to get drawn into the main plot like this.
"No time to waste. Let's go," Lumine nodded, looking only at Xiangling and Victor Wang—she didn't know the others yet.
"Ahem, you two don't need to worry. We'll handle it. Someone has to stay behind just in case." Victor Wang didn't want Lumine leaving. She still needed to destroy the Jade Chamber—that mission was too important.
Keqing folded her arms, thinking. "Hmm… If you were able to fight your way here, your strength is undeniable."
"Exactly. Plus, the Adepti have restored us fully, and that portal's only spitting out a few Fatui now."
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Whew. Victor Wang breathed a silent sigh of relief. "Bubblegum Squad, move out!"
No one knew why he suddenly liked that name, but Hu Tao echoed, "Bubblegum Squad, move out!"
Leaving behind a confused but impressed Keqing and Lumine, the Bubblegum Squad dove into the remaining portal.
They arrived in a large Fatui base. A dozen Fatui vanguard soldiers were lined up, waiting to teleport. Upon seeing each other, both sides assumed battle stances.
"Trouble's come knocking!"
The Fatui erupted in chaos. Cryo, Hydro, and Pyro guns locked on instantly—but within two minutes, they were all down, thanks to the squad's cooperation.
"Judging by the terrain and foliage, this is the Qingxu Pool region," said Xingqiu, who had ample experience exploring the wilds.
"Looks like it. So many tents—let's split up and check for more Fatui."
A minute later, the squad regrouped.
"My side was empty."
"Same here."
"Seems that's all of them. They staggered the teleportation to make it seem endless—just to buy time."
"Let's return to the Jade Chamber—see what else we can help with."
By the time they returned, the three Adepti were maximizing the Ballistae's power. Under their guidance, the three machines fired a unified energy beam at the Overlord of the Vortex.
The massive explosion made one of the Archon's heads reel as if it were about to fall—but it steadied itself, then all five heads howled toward the heavens.
"It's working! If we keep this up—"
Just as Paimon shouted excitedly, the Archon's five heads conjured thick spheres of energy so intense they sparked lightning in the air. The orbs merged into one massive beam, shooting into the abyss above.
Everyone who sensed the energy widened their eyes. The next moment, divine punishment rained down like a storm, bombarding the platform with countless blasts. The entire force evacuated to the Jade Chamber.
Ganyu bit her lip and expanded her power to shield everyone. Madame Ping withdrew her own energy to assist Ganyu. Even so, they could only manage to keep everyone alive.
The Jade Chamber's Wonder Core and Immortal Talismans—along with the Ballistae—were completely destroyed.
"With the Ballistae gone, we've lost our means of suppression. Counterattacking is nearly impossible now."
"But the Jade Chamber is our last line of defense! We can't retreat another step!" Ganyu clenched her fists.
Staring at the still-functioning Fatui portal, Ningguang made her decision. She steered the Jade Chamber toward it and declared, "Everyone but the Adepti, evacuate through the portal! Lumine, I need you to stay."
"You mean…?"
"I… intend to abandon the Jade Chamber."
The secretaries and guards aboard evacuated through the portal. So did the Bubblegum Squad. Left behind were only the Adepti, Ningguang, Keqing, and Lumine.
Ningguang guided the Jade Chamber directly above the Overlord of the Vortex.
"Traveler, lend me your strength."
Xiao, Ganyu, Madame Ping, Cloud Retainer, Mountain Shaper, and Moon Carver—all six Adepti imbued Lumine with their power. A golden blaze shot skyward.
"Farewell, my old friend… This goodbye is for the chance to reunite someday."
"Hi-yah!" As Ningguang's parting words faded, Lumine plunged her sword downward.
The Galley's lights flickered like faulty wiring, then the ship plummeted, empowered by adeptal force. It struck the Overlord of the Vortex, and the energies of the Wonder Core and Immortal Talismans exploded violently upon impact.
The resulting shockwave stirred ocean waves rivaling those created by the Archon itself. The roar threatened to shatter the sky, and the light turned the entire stormy heavens white.
The Adepti carried Lumine, Ningguang, and Keqing back to the docks of Liyue Harbor. As they looked back, the sky rapidly cleared.
The Overlord of the Vortex was gone.