[Xiangling: This... What is this?! These unusually large things that look like space rifts aren't all Fragmentum rifts, are they?]
[Ningguang: That should be correct! Takagi is right—the closer to the Stellaron, the more severe the Fragmentum situation.]
[Tighnari: It's just like the Withering Zones in Sumeru... No, perhaps it's even more serious than those.]
[Raiden Shogun: The god's curse...]
[Yae Miko: The god's curse? Don't say that—it really is somewhat similar.]
[Yelan: Although I cannot feel the power emanating from those rifts, analyzing the expressions of Barbara, Jean, and others who have stepped onto a Path, they look as if they are facing a formidable enemy. Those Fragmentums can indeed be described as land contaminated by the curse of a god.]
[Candace: The Fragmentum itself can affect reality, and it will continuously produce monsters. No wonder Bronya's face was so grim.]
"Takagi, are these all Fragmentum rifts?" Lumine asked with a serious expression, turning her head to look at him.
"Yes! Just as I thought before. The Stellaron's influence on this world is more direct, so the Fragmentum here is spreading even faster. It's a bit troublesome. Once a Fragmentum forms, it takes a lot of time to make it disappear," Takagi said.
"You... You're kidding, right? These are all Fragmentums? I never knew the erosion could develop to such an extent," Pela said in horror.
"Damn it! It must be the Supreme Guardian who lifted the seal on the Stellaron," Seele clenched her fists and cursed angrily.
"I'm afraid the situation is even worse than what we see. Beyond that door, there will likely be even more terrifying rifts and more troublesome monsters," Natasha sighed. If Takagi hadn't been by her side, Natasha felt that the moment she saw the situation before her, she would have already despaired.
"Mother really activated the Stellaron. The situation in the Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone and further inside Everwinter Hill has really gotten worse! No, I must stop Mother." Bronya's eyes were determined, and she quickly snapped out of her shock. Seeing that Gepard and the others were already fighting the monsters, she immediately rushed forward.
Acting at the same time as her were Gepard's older sister Serval and Pela, Gepard's colleague. Seeing this, Seele and Natasha also stepped forward. Although they were from the Underworld, that didn't mean they wanted to see the Overworld eroded by the Fragmentum. Immediately after, Acting Grand Master Jean, Lumine, and the others also joined in.
"Little brother, I'll help you!" Accompanied by the music of an electric guitar, a large amount of lightning fell on the monsters being fought by Gepard and the other Silvermane Guards.
"Sister? And Pela, Bronya? Wait, aren't those the wanted criminals who kidnapped you?" Gepard looked at the people rushing forward and asked in great surprise.
"Now is not the time to talk about this, Gepard. We must repel these monsters." As Bronya spoke, she directly used Path power to play the "Belobog March" for all the Silvermane Guards present! Instantly, Gepard and the guards felt a surge of power gushing from within their bodies.
"Bronya's power has become so strong!" Gepard glanced at her in surprise. Although he was puzzled, he knew now was not the time for questions. After seeing Seele, Natasha, Jean, and the others also aiming their weapons, Gepard led the strengthened guards to swing their weapons at the monsters.
Just then, a piercing sound came from in front of everyone. "Wha... What's going on?!" Gepard had just repelled an Incineration Shadow, and looking at the suddenly changing scene, he was instantly stunned.
"Damn it, is it too late?" Bronya frowned, gritting her teeth and looking ahead.
The others were the same. In front of everyone, there was no longer any gate or protective wall. A huge crack spanning the entire defensive barrier broke all the walls in half. Not only that, the spatial rifts in the sky were also increasing and getting larger. A dense Fragmentum power poured out from them. In the blink of an eye, all the sky and land before everyone's eyes were shrouded in darkness.
In the gloom, countless monsters flashed and roared in the black mist. A heavy aura instantly pressed down on the hearts of everyone. Especially after seeing the damaged automatic mechs covered in black mist instantly transform into Fragmentum monsters, everyone's hearts became even heavier. Some Silvermane Guards with weak wills saw this scene and directly knelt down, as if they had lost the will to fight.
[Yoimiya: So, so scary. The Fragmentum has expanded further. Can those Silvermane Guards really resist?]
[Charlotte: Did I see things? Those fighting machines instantly turned into monsters? If even machines are like this, does that mean people will also instantly turn into monsters if they fall into it?]
[Dainsleif: This kind of direct transformation ability is simply like the Abyss.]
[Tartaglia: Exactly! That pitch-black land can no longer be described as being contaminated by a god's curse. That power is completely Abyss-level power!]
[The Jester: What a familiar scene.]
[Aether: The familiar scene you're talking about—are you referring to Khaenri'ah?]
[Venti: Perhaps the Fragmentum that Belobog is experiencing is even more terrifying than the Abyss that Khaenri'ah experienced.]
[Sucrose: More terrifying than the Abyss... Then, is there still hope for Belobog? I see more monsters appearing!]
[Moon Carver: I must be seeing things. How can there be so many Decaying Shadows in that black mist!]
[Mountain Shaper: Countless powerful monsters, infinitely extending rifts. Can Belobog really continue to exist under such circumstances?]
[Yoimiya: Belobog won't... won't be destroyed, right? As long as everyone works together, they will definitely be able to overcome the difficulties, right?]
[The Jester: The curse of the Abyss can even devour gods. This Fragmentum curse, which is extremely similar to the Abyss's erosion, has already permeated the entire sky. Can simply relying on people working together really stop this?]
[Lisa: Takagi is still here; he will definitely have a way.]
[Dottore: If that's the case, why hasn't he made a move until now?]
"As expected, relying solely on Lumine and Bronya isn't enough. I didn't expect Cocolia to be even more extreme than in the game. She has already unleashed the Stellaron to this extent," Takagi muttered to himself, temporarily closing the Teyvat Forum panel. He summoned his Flame Lance and appeared before Gepard, Bronya, Natasha, and the others in a single step.
"Takagi?! The Fragmentum energy is coming. Please step back!" Bronya exclaimed in surprise.
Hearing this, Takagi gave Bronya a big smile, letting the energy of the Fragmentum engulf him.
"Takagi!" Natasha, Seele, Pela, Bronya, Serval, and the Teyvat passengers instantly widened their eyes. Even though everyone had confidence in Takagi's strength, seeing him swallowed so abruptly made them feel terrified.
Just at this moment, a bright flame suddenly ignited within the dark space. In the blink of an eye, it burned through the darkness. Bronya and the others felt as if only a second had passed. The space that had been swallowed by darkness was restored to brightness. Not only that, but the land was now enveloped by a huge golden energy shield. Within the shield, the proliferation of Fragmentum cracks instantly stopped.
Natasha was the first to react. "Takagi, are you alright?" she asked, running to him as he pointed his burning Flame Lance towards the sky.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. And it seems my power can suppress this erosion to some extent," Takagi smiled.
"As expected of Takagi! I knew you could protect us," Paimon excitedly waved her small fists. Seele, Jean, Barbara, Klee, and the others also breathed a sigh of relief.
"He's the one who stopped the Fragmentum!?" Gepard looked at Takagi in surprise.
"Who else could it be? Look closely—his Flame Lance is continuously delivering energy to the shield in the sky. If he didn't stop the Fragmentum, who did? This Takagi is really powerful," Serval patted Gepard's shoulder, looking at Takagi's back with admiration.
"Is that so? He's really not simple. However, isn't he a kidnapper?" Gepard looked at Bronya and Pela in confusion.
"This matter is not as simple as you imagine. In short, he is not our enemy," Bronya said to Gepard, then quickly ran towards Takagi.
"Pela, Sister, what happened? The Supreme Guardian ordered me to arrest Takagi and the others, but Bronya says he's not an enemy. His performance... doesn't really look like an enemy," Gepard frowned.
"It's hard to explain in a few words. All you need to know now is that the Supreme Guardian is the one acting as our enemy," Pela said.
"What?!" Gepard's eyes widened.
"I'll explain it to you properly later. We must go stop Cocolia from continuing to activate the Stellaron now," Serval patted Gepard's shoulder and ran towards Takagi with Pela. Gepard could only follow.
[The Jester: He... he actually suppressed it!]
[Ningguang: What astonishing power. Can this shield not only block Stormterror's winds but also suppress the Fragmentum within?]
[Dainsleif: Does this mean Takagi's power can also suppress the spread of the Abyss?]
[Zhongli: If that is truly the case, Takagi's power will have even more profound significance for Teyvat.]
[Venti: The Seven Archons would also be tempted by this ability, wouldn't they?]
[Sucrose: Takagi is so amazing; he actually did it.]
[Yoimiya: As expected of Takagi, I find myself starting to admire him.]
[Sangonomiya Kokomi: It's hard not to admire Takagi, who possesses such power.]
[Candace: Yes, what a power to yearn for.]
[Dottore: Indeed, something to yearn for. I really hope I can thoroughly research his 'Texture of Memories' light cone. Perhaps, even without stepping onto a Path, I can feel the greatness of Path power.]
[La Signora: ...]
"Although the Stellaron is still trying to spread the Fragmentum, as long as my shield is here, the spread will be suppressed." Takagi looked at the sky, then at the group gathered before him. "I believe that as long as we successfully deal with the Stellaron and Cocolia during this time, Belobog's crisis can be resolved. In addition, since the Fragmentum is temporarily suppressed, the mental corrosion on Cocolia will also slow down. During this time, try to persuade her, Bronya," Takagi said.
"Thank you, Takagi." Bronya looked at him gratefully.
"Don't thank me too soon; Cocolia might not listen. Having unsealed the Stellaron to this extent, her own combat power will be very high. If you want to wake her up through combat, you'd best be mentally prepared." Bronya nodded heavily. Her eyes were firm; at this moment, she had no choice.
"Since we've decided, let's go, everyone. I will stay here and keep the energy shield from disappearing. If anything unusual happens, I can react in time," Takagi said.
"Hey! Takagi, aren't you coming with us? If Cocolia doesn't listen to reason and we can't defeat her, then wouldn't we be in great danger?" Paimon exclaimed.
"Is it because you need to maintain the shield?" Natasha asked.
"That's not it. Even while moving, I can maintain it. The reason I'm not going... is because I'm worried Cocolia will become overly vigilant if she sees me. So vigilant that she won't even talk to Bronya. After all, the energy I'm outputting is quite strong." Takagi pointed at his Flame Lance and the shield in the sky.
"That's right. If Cocolia sees you, who stopped her actions, she'll definitely be very nervous. She might even attack you directly," Seele nodded.
"So, you all go first. Let Bronya talk to Cocolia. If the talk doesn't go well, then you can engage her in battle. Lumine, I'm really looking forward to you stepping onto a Path through this battle." Takagi smiled at the Traveler.
"I'll do my best." Lumine nodded heavily.
"Then you all can depart now. Don't make Cocolia wait too long. As for me, I will decide whether or not to attack depending on the situation," Takagi said with a smile.