Under the torchlight, when Bosacius saw the endless horde of monsters within the underground chamber, even he, with his boundless battle lust, could not help but frown. Boyang and Rongzhao, seeing that dark tide of elite monsters stretching almost beyond sight, were frozen in place. Only by gripping the Taisui Compass tightly could they feel a sliver of reassurance.
Just then, the countless elite monsters, drawn by the torchlight, turned toward Bosacius and Boyang, shrieking horribly.
The next moment, they charged.
Bosacius charged to meet them.
What followed was the most difficult battle of Bosacius's life.
Against these monsters, Boyang and Rongzhao's arts could do little real damage. They could only support from the rear. Effectively, Bosacius fought the entire horde of elite monsters alone.
Surrounded on all sides, his four hands gripping four spears, he swung relentlessly. For a time, his single-handed might held the monsters at bay.
Not only that, as he slew monster after monster and their blood stained his body, memories of the past flickered through his mind. He recalled the name of one of his companions—Menogias. He had a yaksha companion named Menogias.
At this remembrance, his heart leaped with joy. Finally, he had remembered a companion's name. And as he fought, more vivid images surfaced: a yaksha wreathed in flames, one who wielded Hydro, one dressed in green robes, gentle and refined, and another who stood barely a meter and a half tall.
These were his companions. Though they were not beside him, he could almost feel their presence, almost hear their voices. His fighting spirit blazed even hotter. Like a man possessed, he slew every monster he touched.
No one knew how much time had passed. Minutes, perhaps tens of minutes. When the Millelith commander finally arrived with his full force, hundreds of torches illuminating the chamber, they witnessed a sight they would never forget.
Piles of elite monster corpses, almost forming mountains. Rivers of black blood flowing across the floor. And all of it was the work of a single nameless yaksha.
This was the power of a yaksha? Though the Millelith had already seen Bosacius's strength and witnessed his battles, the scene before them was still overwhelming.
But it was not only the mountains of corpses and the powerful nameless yaksha that struck them. It was also the dark spatial rift at the far end of the chamber.
When the torches illuminated the space, Boyang and Rongzhao also saw the rift. Boyang's guess had been correct. But there was no joy in his heart—only terror. The worst case had come to pass.
That dark rift must lead to the nest of monsters in Khaenri'ah.
Even as Bosacius fought the elite monsters, more of them, and even higher-level creatures, were emerging from the rift, rushing toward him. Unless the rift was destroyed or sealed, no matter how many monsters they killed, they could never cleanse this place. Eventually, they would be overwhelmed.
As Boyang and Rongzhao stood frozen, the Millelith commander gave the order. "Help Brother Yaksha! Slay the monsters!"
Though they knew the monsters could never be killed completely, as long as they kept emerging from the rift, the only way to protect the Chasm and Liyue was to keep fighting.
Just then, Boyang and Rongzhao snapped out of their shock. "Brother Yaksha, brothers of the Millelith! Attack the spatial rift! Destroy it! Otherwise, monsters will keep pouring out endlessly."
Even as they shouted, Bosacius and the Millelith had already charged forward, slaying the monsters before them and cutting a path toward the rift. When they reached it, they struck with all their might.
With a thunderous crack, Bosacius's Electro attack against the rift produced an explosive sound. Then, under everyone's horrified gaze, the rift, which had been only a dozen meters wide, expanded—growing to over twenty meters. Monsters poured out even faster than before.
Everyone was aghast. Their attacks had not destroyed the rift; they had only made it harder to close.
The Millelith commander shouted at Boyang and Rongzhao, "Attacking the rift is useless! Find a way to seal it!"
Without needing to be told, Boyang and Rongzhao knew that was the only option. They pushed through the chaos, fighting their way to the rift, and activated the Taisui Compass with all their power, hoping to seal it.
But the light from the compass washed over the rift to no effect.
Even Boyang's and Rongzhao's faces turned pale. Their efforts were useless. Though the rift was only a few dozen meters wide, the elemental power within it was immense—far beyond what they could hope to affect.
Seeing their failure, the Millelith commander, still fighting, shouted again. "The monsters emerging are getting stronger! Seal the rift now! If you delay, none of us will be able to hold them back."
He was right. If the rift truly led to the monster nest of Khaenri'ah, and those creatures kept pouring out, even Rex Lapis himself would have a difficult time.
Hearing the commander's voice, seeing their Millelith brothers fall one by one to the monsters, Boyang and Rongzhao exchanged a glance. They looked at the glowing Taisui Compass in their hands and set their jaws. Their expressions hardened into resolve.
"There is only one way to stop the monsters from endangering Liyue."
"We must seal this place—and the spatial rift itself—together, in this underground darkness, never to see the light of day."