Time seemed meaningless in that spiritual ocean. After Zhongli and the other two exited the mental link, the clock hand seemed to have only moved a short distance.
"consultant, consultant, Zhongli!"
"Huh?" Zhongli turned his head to look at Hu Tao, who was waving her hands wildly in front of him.
Seeing Zhongli's consciousness return, Hu Tao finally relaxed: "Oh, you scared me to death! I was waving my hands until they were a blur right in front of you, and you didn't react! What happened to you just now?"
Zhongli shook his head: "I am fine. That seemed to be a side effect of using the Hiraishin Kunai; it only causes momentary disorientation, the impact is minimal."
Everyone felt relieved seeing Zhongli recover. After all, Zhongli's Hiraishin Kunai had just been shattered!
But immediately afterward, Keqing and the others looked solemnly at the scene before them: a massive void, from which strange colored lights and intermittent roars emanated, sounding utterly terrifying.
"Was that thing just now, those spider-leg-like things on fire, the form Orion took after being cursed?" Keqing clenched her fist, feeling disheartened. She couldn't understand what Orion had done to deserve such a curse.
Behind her, Jahoda also pouted: "He... he was cursed until he wasn't human anymore, yet he still wanted to use that cursed form to save others..."
Upon hearing this, the people of Liyue Harbor all showed signs of distress and lowered their heads.
Why did such a good person have to suffer such a fate?
Suddenly, a strong man roared: "No way! Our lives were all saved by Sir Orion! Now that he's facing this, we definitely can't stand by and do nothing!"
"Exactly! We can't stand idly by! We'll go back and publicize his story so everyone knows his deeds!"
With one call, a hundred responded. Everyone shouted that Orion should not have to bear everything alone.
Keqing and the other three were moved by this display.
Yelan frowned slightly: "If it is a curse, shouldn't there also be a way to break it?"
"That's right!" Jahoda's eyes lit up: "Even if we can only find a way to alleviate it, we should try our best to search!"
Keqing bit her lower lip and nodded: "He is my comrade. I will not let him walk this path alone, no matter what!"
Hu Tao also patted Zhongli: "Zhongli, you know so much; do you know anything about the secrets behind this?"
Zhongli: I just said that casually; how would I know the secrets?
However, he reacted quickly and immediately shifted the topic: "Since Brother Huo's curse manifested in Mondstadt, perhaps Mondstadt already has a method to suppress it."
The four people's eyes brightened upon hearing this. Yelan immediately stated: "I will arrange this matter. We definitely won't let him suffer!"
But just then, a wave like a sonic boom cloud rolled across the sky. Everyone was startled, and they looked up to see that the dark clouds overhead had grown even thicker!
Among them, Zhongli's brow furrowed deeply.
— Osial's seal has broken? How could this be?
The power leaked by a sealed God is not the same as a complete God, and he knew the seal he set better than anyone. Ordinary destruction would never break such a seal.
What exactly happened?
At the same time, the turbulence of the earth gradually subsided. Zhongli knew that Orion's usurpation had ended.
Suddenly, the Liyue populace behind them felt dizzy and collapsed, unable to support themselves. Clearly, Osial's might had spread this far.
He quickly deployed the Jade Shield to shield everyone from the pressure, and reminded them: "Something must have happened in Liyue Harbor. We need to hurry back. This oppressive aura is incredibly strong; it must be the presence of a God.
If we are affected even here, then the elderly, weak, women, and children in Liyue Harbor and other villages are likely in danger!"
"A God appearing..." Keqing murmured. Suddenly, her eyes widened: "Could someone be plotting to release one of the Gods? In the direction of the sea, could it be Osial!"
Yelan also snapped back to reality: "Ningguang and the Adepti are on the Jade Chamber; they must be fighting on the front lines! How can they possibly win against a God?!"
The crowd only felt despair, unaware that their discussions were being transmitted into Orion's sensory organs.
Deep within the earth, Orion quickly extended his perception into the Miliastra Wonderland. Sure enough, the Miliastra Wonderland was completely empty.
This meant his family members, Ningguang, Ganyu, the Adepti, and the Liyue Harbor soldiers were all still holding the front line. Lumine and the others hadn't even considered retreating to the Miliastra Wonderland.
They are in danger!
Everyone felt a violent shaking of the ground, and then, from the massive void, a silver flying disc, now grown to five hundred meters in diameter, slowly ascended.
Below the flying disc were three glowing circular plates. It suddenly emitted a colorful light, and then, with a whoosh, disappeared into the clouds.
"Wha—what was that thing?!" Jahoda exclaimed.
"That was Orion," Zhongli answered calmly. "It seems we no longer need to worry."
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.
.
Above the sea, the waves churned, yet the people atop the Yaotai Technique structure no longer had any means to fight.
The sea was sneering.
The hundred-headed Colossus extended its divine body, resembling a jungle rising from the sea. Each sea serpent body stretched for a thousand meters; the entire ocean had come alive.
On the Yaotai Technique structure, even with the protection of Adeptal arts, people still felt immense pressure, and some Millelith had already fainted.
They couldn't win.
Even if the Adepti attacked at full strength, they could not defeat a fully unsealed Osial.
Gods also have varying strengths, and Osial, especially over the ocean, possessed inexhaustible power.
"Is there really nothing we can do..."
Ganyu clenched her fists to her chest. Facing this situation, they were helpless.
Yunli wasn't afraid of this thing; the enemies they had faced were far more dangerous. But poor compatibility was poor compatibility. She could only complain under her breath: "Damn it, if only Orion were here, he'd take care of it in minutes!"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for everyone to hear.
"Huh?" Ganyu turned back in surprise. She wasn't sure what she had just heard. Even against a powerful enemy like Osial, did Yunli believe Orion could win easily?
Cloud Retainer, Grandma Ping, and Ningguang were also concerned about Orion. They were startled by Yunli's words, and crucially, judging by Clara and Hyacine's expressions, they seemed to agree with Yunli.
"However, time is short, and the whip is too short to reach. Even if the young friend Orion you speak of truly possesses such ability, how can he possibly arrive here in time?" Moon Carver shook his head and sighed.
Xiao also frowned: "If I were to go and find him—"
"No need."
Lumine's sudden voice interrupted everyone.
"Lumine?" Paimon looked at her worriedly, only to find Lumine staring intently at the sacrificial sword in her hand.
"He taught me," Lumine slowly stood up. "He taught me how to summon him."
All eyes focused on her, and even Osial's golden eyes held mockery.
But Lumine's thoughts drifted back to the past.
It was one morning. The night before, Orion had just summoned Clara. That morning, Skirk took Clara out to tour Mondstadt City, leaving only Lumine and Orion at the inn, preparing to take on a commission.
At that time, Orion gave her this sacrificial sword and whispered a strange phrase in her ear. She didn't understand it, but Orion explained it to her.
"It's nothing, just a spell."
"What kind of spell?"
"If you run into danger and shout this phrase, I will come and save you."
Lumine raised the sacrificial sword and shouted the phrase as loudly as her strained voice allowed.
"Oh, please, save us, Metro Man! The hero with the chiseled jaw, and the glossy hair, and the beautiful, shimmering soul!"
"Bzzzzzzzzzz—"
Above the dark clouds, a colorful light suddenly flared. A strange, inorganic buzzing sound echoed across the sea of clouds, accompanied by thunder.
The next moment, high above the sea of clouds, an object, like a meteor plunging into the clouds, trailed a cloud-tail as it descended into the scene. Behind it, three beams of light illuminated the clouds, and finally, a massive circular disc smashed a hole straight through the cloud layer, landing on the sea right behind the preceding object.
Just before the silver object slammed into the ocean, it suddenly unfurled. The previously wrapped silver carapace was connected in the middle by blue plasma flames. These segments of carapace turned out to be silver limbs, giving it the appearance of a Giant Spider.
In its center was a silver "head" resembling a mask. Its naturally silver body reflected the blackness of the sea surface, making it appear like black armor, with only its joints glowing blue.
The moment its plasma-flame body touched the sea surface, the entire ocean immediately began to boil. Foul-smelling steam rose from the water, as if the sea had been brought to a rolling boil.
Finally, the massive silver disc descended and silently hovered behind the spider. Although there was no physical contact, a "clack" sound was heard. Then, the disc's light retracted, leaving only the three glowing circular plates flashing sequentially, emitting an inorganic sound.
"Beep—Beep—Beep—"
Absorbing the Dragon King Authority, the five-hundred-meter-tall Giant Spider stood upon the sea surface.
"Is that... Orion?" Paimon said blankly. "So he wasn't lying when he said he was a Giant Spider..."
"Orion isn't... human either?" Ganyu covered her mouth in disbelief. She had thought Orion was just cheerful and comforting, but she never expected... that he was in the same situation as herself!
Shenhe's expression was also slightly stunned. Xiangling looked at Orion, then at Lumine and the others, and whispered: "Exciting!"
Only one person was an exception.
Ningguang stared blankly at the Giant Spider through the transparent Yaotai Technique array.
The Hiraishin Kunai in her embrace felt slightly warm. She took it out; it was the jade token of alliance Orion had once placed on her desk.
At that time, a poem had appeared along with this Hiraishin Kunai.
"Clouds imagine her clothes, flowers imagine her face; the spring breeze brushes the railing, dew is thick. If not seen atop Jade Chamber Mountain, we would meet beneath the moon on Yaotai..."
Now, the Jade Chamber has crashed, and the Yaotai Technique structure is about to be destroyed by the God. They will all be buried in the sea.
But at this very moment, he appeared, in a non-human form, to meet her again beneath Yaotai.
Ningguang slowly raised her head, looking at the large hole punched into the sea of clouds by the silver disc.
During the battle, the sun had set unnoticed, and stars and the moon had filled the sky.
And right in the center of that hole, a perfectly round celestial body floated high above.
Tonight, it was a Full Moon.
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