Dehya watched the Grand Sage standing atop the Prime Machine God and chuckled.
"This young, handsome Grand Sage is a thousand times better than those old fossils we used to have."
She nudged Nilou. "He's… hard not to like, you know—from the opposite-sex side of things."
Nilou's cheeks flushed crimson. She didn't argue.
Just then Cyno's voice rang through every Akasha earpiece—another task Idris had given him: marshal Sumeru's strength.
"Marana's hordes are advancing on four fronts," Cyno announced. "West, southwest, south, and east. The north is a sheer escarpment, and Marana itself rises in the southwest.
"Southwest will be the fiercest. I and the golden-haired Traveler will hold there with the Matra and the Corps of Thirty.
"West and south are the next heaviest. I'm asking Dehya, Alhaitham, all Gilded Brigade leaders, the Port Ormos troops and their mercenaries to anchor those lines.
"East is lightest. Tighnari and the Forest Rangers will handle it. Scholars with Visions—if you'll fight—reinforce the east.
"In the Grand Sage's words: this enemy is the root of five centuries of Sumeru's pain. Whether for vengeance or survival—let's share in the deed."
He raised his spear and moved with the elites to the southwest.
On that road the Traveler drew a breath, feeling the entire nation pivot in unison at one man's direction. Only now did they grasp how wrong they'd been about Idris. There was only one answer they could give:
Steel.
They would repay their mistake with the blade.
Hearing the orders, Dehya rolled her shoulders; Nilou drew the weapon she almost never showed onstage.
"I'm better at dancing than fighting," Nilou said softly. "But if it's for the Grand Sage—I'll help."
By headcount, the Gilded Brigade dominated the west gate. Their frontman was none other than the once-hardline Red King believer, Rahman.
"Grass God or history—let the truth put down our hate," Rahman barked. "We fight for our future. I believe the Grand Sage will bring a new dawn to the desert. Brothers—forward!"
Dehya laughed. "Been itching for this. Together!"
"For Sumeru—for the Grand Sage!"
They surged out as one.
To the south, Alhaitham led the Port Ormos guard. Dori—richest merchant in Sumeru—arrived with her mercs and a small army of adventurers.
"The Grand Sage is my golden goose," Dori sniffed. "No way I'm letting monsters raise his stress levels."
Alhaitham glanced desert-ward and smirked. Kaveh's still out there fussing over some construction, isn't he?
"He'll be back in a few days. If he learns he missed a spectacle like this, he'll shake with rage."
He drew twin blades and marched.
On the east—lightest of the four—Tighnari marshaled the Forest Rangers. Amber and Lisa stood behind the line, eyes on Collei.
"Collei—are you sure your body's up to this?" Amber asked, clasping her hand.
"I'm okay now, Amber! Thanks to the Grand Sage," Collei beamed. "Stay back and don't worry—I'll handle these pests!"
She nocked, drew, and pinned a charging shroombeast through the eye, then stepped forward to pour arrowfire into the tide.
Seeing her radiant, confident stance, the Mondstadt visitors smiled.
"Our little Collei's grown," Lisa sang. "She's found someone she likes so much she'd fight to the last for him~"
Amber muttered, "So… she really does like the Grand Sage, huh? Well… he is extraordinary."
Eula folded her arms. "There are a lot of girls in Sumeru who think so. Let's hope Collei can compete."
Lisa nudged. "Then we elder sisters should tutor her—hands-on."
Eula flushed. "Stop. None of us have even dated! What 'experience'?"
"Not that kind," Lisa winked. "Field-testing whether the Grand Sage has any weaknesses with women."
Eula glared and fell silent, fuming and pink.
At the firing line, Layla sighed. "Is our comp scuffed? Why am I the only non-archer with a Vision over here?"
Faruzan laughed. "You're great at drawing aggro and bubbling up shields. Don't fret—leave the damage to us, junior!"
"O-okay, senior… I'll try not to fall asleep…"
She trudged into the mob, a sleepy bulwark in a sea of claws.
The main battlefield remained Idris's. Satisfied with the city's dispositions, he faced Marana in full.
"Prime Machine God—advance!"
From the titan's brow, Frostmourne in hand, Idris charged. Compared to the Withering colossus—whose arm was bigger than the entire machine—he was a speck. But he had to fight. As Grand Sage, he would use this battle to change himself—and his nation.
High on the Sacred Tree, Nahida watched both fronts: the crashing tide and the dueling giants. Worry pinched her brow—but the city's strongest had formed a living wall, and Idris had taken the greatest threat upon himself.
She was not the only one there.
Venti sauntered out onto the bough and grinned at the man beside him. "Zhongli, old timer. You came too."
"Mhm. To witness new history with my own eyes."
He'd flown from Liyue out of concern for Hu Tao—only to find this. So he stayed… to watch.
Feeling Marana's power roll across the canopy, Zhongli murmured, "An avatar of the unknown and the dead—corrupting beasts to its call. Even in the Archon War, this would have been a warlord in its own right. Sumeru's illness is… grave."
Then his eyes warmed as they settled on the youth standing on steel.
"A month ago, Sumeru was still a tangle of factions. In a single month, Idris seized the helm, unified them, and now rides out to meet calamity. Hah. Why does this 'King of Sumeru' carry such a Liyue flavor, I wonder?"
Venti's gaze drifted, thoughtful. "I've heard the winds speak of him. In not even two months he pulled a crumbling nation back from the brink—ruled with absolute will, bound high and low together against a common foe. He reminds me of the human chieftains before the Archon War. By bearing and by deed, he's a human king in all but name."
He slanted a look at Nahida, eyes dancing. "Though your relationships in Sumeru are… odd. Idris was the last sage of the Great Lord Rukkhadevata. You call him your first sage. Now he's about to crown himself king, over and above you. After this, what will you two call each other?"
Nahida's ears reddened. "We'll call each other whatever we like. I'll call him my sage—he can be his king. There's no conflict in that at all."
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