The sea raged violently.
Gigantic sails strained against the gales, and the enormous ships cleaved through the waves like beasts of steel and wood.
At both the bow and stern of each vessel, colossal ballistae were mounted—
their cold, gleaming bolts thick as tree trunks, capable of piercing whales or slaying deep-sea monsters with ease.
To call them ships would be an understatement.
This was a fleet—a naval armada in all but name.
The flagship alone stretched over a hundred meters long and dozens wide.
At its prow stood a woman with one eye covered by an eyepatch, clad in a battle-modified cheongsam, a massive claymore gripped in her hands.
The Crux Fleet—commanded by none other than Beidou, the Uncrowned Lord of the Ocean!
At this moment, Beidou slammed her sword into the deck and raised her arm, pointing straight at the distant leviathan.
"Fire! Bring that thing down!"
To the common folk, the Crux Fleet was known only as a merchant convoy—hauling goods across the seas.
Few knew the truth: under Beidou's leadership, the Crux was also a hidden navy,
a force capable of battle on the open ocean.
At her command, countless bolts soared from the fleet's ballistae.
In this world of elemental power, such weapons had astonishing range and devastating might.
Within moments, Vortex God found himself under attack from both sea and sky.
But to the ancient god, the fleet was nothing more than a swarm of ants—
their bolts stinging, but incapable of true harm.
The Seal of Prohibition binding Vortex God would not last forever.
He had no interest in these insects; his true goal was Liyue Harbor,
where he would finally exact his vengeance for millennia of imprisonment!
As the Jade Chamber reeled in the skies above,
Vortex God surged toward the coast like a tidal calamity.
At Liyue Harbor, the remaining Qixing had already begun mass evacuations.
The Millelith poured in by the hundreds, forming defensive lines along the waterfront,
ready to make their last stand against a god.
The entire city was tense and alive with desperate purpose.
There was Baizhu, Qiqi, and Yaoyao, tending to the wounded.
Hu Tao, gripping her Staff of Homa, stood at the shore with a grim look.
Xingqiu mobilized his merchant networks to aid the evacuation.
Yelan moved through the alleys like a shadow, hunting Fatui saboteurs.
At the southern docks, Xiangling, Chongyun, and Yun Jin prepared for battle.
Yanfei tossed aside her law books, wielding her catalyst as a weapon.
Xinyan raced toward the coast, her greatsword blazing.
And high above them all stood Shenhe, expression unreadable as she gazed toward the sea.
Behind the Millelith ranks stood a group of trembling yet unyielding young men—
afraid, but refusing to retreat.
[Jean]:So this is Liyue… facing calamity with such unity. (awed)
[Alhaitham]:A city of willpower—these people seem unafraid of gods themselves.
[Neuvillette]:Why is it that, when facing death, humans so often march toward it instead of away?
I still fail to grasp this emotion.
[Nahida]:Please… they have to win! (Nahida·hopeful)
[Paimon]:Let's go, Liyue! You can do it!!
[Klee]:Yeah! Go Liyue! Want Klee to help? I can make lots of Boom-Boom Bombs!
[Jean]:Klee, stay put in confinement. That's ancient Liyue—we're fine in the present day.
[Alhaitham]:I hate to dampen the mood, but the odds of victory are… extremely slim.
[Heizou]:I never understood what made a god so terrifying,
but now I do—whether it's ten thousand men or a million,
to a demon god, they're all just ants.
Humans might be swarmed to death by ants, but gods won't be.
[Zhongli]:Even so, seeing the people of Liyue united in heart is… heartening.
[Hu Tao]:@[Zhongli] Guest Consultant!
Hey, why don't we see you in the video, huh?
Don't tell me you're the one who offed the Geo Lord! (shocked)
[Paimon]:Yeah! Where are you, huh?! (Nahida·points accusingly)
[Furina]:Aha! So my suspicion was right! (excited)
[Zhongli]:Let's not focus on that for now.
Watch closely—the vortex god Vortex God draws ever closer to Liyue Harbor.
Just as Zhongli said, in the video, Vortex God raged across the seas,
forcing his way toward the shore in a frenzy.
The adepti worked together to stabilize the falling Jade Chamber.
Standing aboard it, Ningguang gazed down at the furious god and then toward the harbor.
Her expression softened for a moment, tinged with sorrow—
but that sorrow quickly gave way to iron resolve.
"There's only one thing left to do," she said quietly.
"What do you mean?" Lumine asked.
"I'll have to sacrifice the Jade Chamber," Ningguang declared.
"What?! Give up the Jade Chamber?!"
Paimon gaped.
Lumine fell silent for a moment, then realization dawned in her eyes.
[Dori]:Wait, what? The Jade Chamber means everything to the Tianquan Star—it represents her entire career!
She's just going to destroy it like that? (confused)
[Heizou]:Analyzing it logically—the Jade Chamber is massive, unbelievably heavy.
If it crashes down, it could very well pin Vortex God beneath the sea again.
Makes sense, even if it's risky.
[Vortex God]:Impossible!
[Neuvillette]:Under normal conditions, perhaps unlikely.
But if Vortex God is gravely wounded beforehand,
then yes—the Jade Chamber might just finish the job.
A pity the Guizhong Ballistae are destroyed;
with them, the odds would've improved greatly.
[Paimon]:Wait—listen! Those voices… It's Gu Chen and Zhongli!
The video stayed focused on the Jade Chamber,
but the sound of two men speaking could be heard.
"Do you think their plan will work?"
"In purely rational terms—
if Vortex God takes enough damage, there's a possibility."
In other words—it might not be enough.
"Does this sight please you?"
"Of course."
"Good.
But if their strike fails, Vortex God will go berserk.
I don't want Lumine getting hurt.
If it comes to that, I'll kill him myself."
"Try to spare his life if you can."
"Then let's hope he's strong enough to survive."
The camera shifted.
Zhongli stood atop Yujing Terrace, hands clasped behind his back, gazing toward the horizon.
And beside him—Gu Chen, clad in snow-white robes, a silver spear gleaming in his hand,
stepped forward to meet destiny.
[Paimon]:Yay! It's Gu Chen!!
[Ningguang]:Wait—so I sacrificed the Jade Chamber for nothing?!
[Keqing]:Pretty much, yes.
[Ningguang]:…
In the real world—
Ningguang looked down from the Jade Chamber, speechless for a long moment.
As she had once said, the Jade Chamber held deep meaning for her—
It was the culmination of her life's work.
If sacrificing it could truly save Liyue, that would be worth it.
But if it failed… then she would've lost everything for nothing.
"Jade Chamber, my dear friend… please, don't fail me."
In the video—
"Farewell… my old friend," Ningguang whispered, eyes glimmering.
Lumine raised her sword and struck the release mechanism.
The Jade Chamber lurched—and plummeted.
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion split the heavens,
followed by an earth-shaking roar of fury.
"Wha—?! It's still not over?!" Paimon gasped.
Lumine's eyes widened in shock.
Vortex God, enraged, retaliated with sheer madness.
Each of his five heads unleashed torrents of elemental destruction.
Lumine barely evaded with the help of her Wind Glider,
but one blast pierced straight through it—
sending her hurtling helplessly toward the sea.
"Lumine!!!" Paimon screamed.
Lumine panicked, desperately trying to slow her fall,
but without her glider, even the Anemo currents couldn't stop gravity.
Just when she braced for impact—
she fell into a warm, steady embrace.
Turning her head, she saw the one who caught her—Gu Chen.
[Prince Charming]:Hah, classic timing—showing up just to save the damsel in distress? How cliché! You make me sick!
[Kaeya]:Gu Chen, my friend, your haters could smell you coming from miles away! (mischievous grin)
[Paimon]:Yay! Everyone on the Jade Chamber's safe—the adepti saved them! (Klee·hooray)
[Vortex God]:Wait—Gu Chen, what are you planning to do?!
In the video, Gu Chen gently set Lumine and Paimon down on the dock.
"Wait here for me," he said coldly.
Then, gripping his silver spear,
Gu Chen stepped onto the waves—
and strode straight toward Vortex God.
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