She snapped her head up, her gaze upon Zhongli filled with bone-deep venom and resentment, her slightly trembling fingertips gradually tightening.
The Moonlight Strings tautened in her palm once more, glowing with a dangerous, eerie blue light, the strings vibrating faintly from the extreme force.
"Since you want to kill me, since you are so cruel... then I will destroy everything you protect!" she shrieked hysterically in her heart, a mad fire igniting in her crimson eyes. "Liyue, the contracts, every inch of land you cherish, every single subject... I will make you watch with your own eyes as everything you spent a lifetime protecting turns to ruins in the Abyssal Moon's tide!"
Hydra seemed to sense her utter rage and despair, the Abyssal Rune on its forehead erupting with a blindingly demonic light.
Nine heads roared in unison, a deafening sound, as dark green venom sprayed wildly like a torrential rain, launching an even more ferocious, reckless charge toward Zhongli.
Meanwhile, Yunqin sat upon the crescent moon, staring fixedly at that dark-robed figure, the fear in her eyes gradually replaced by madness and a desire for destruction.
She would make him regret it, regret bringing her back to Mt. Aocang, regret teaching her what it meant to protect, regret personally pushing her into the Abyss.
She would make him remember forever that there was once a child he had raised to adulthood, who in the end, under his betrayal, had transformed into a blade of destruction, pointed directly at everything he had spent his life protecting!
The Hydra's thickest head opened its maw wide, venom dripping from its fangs mixed with saliva, as it charged fiercely toward Zhongli.
Along the way, the Seaborn had no time to dodge, only to be crushed to pieces by its massive body, spreading a black mist of blood.
The moment the Hydra charged in, the adepti's defense line shattered instantly like it was made of paper!
Dark green venom splashed everywhere, and the adepti were thrown back by the immense impact.
The ice wall Ganyu had hastily condensed barely held for half a breath before being smashed to pieces by the Hydra's tail fin.
Amidst the scattering ice shards, she stumbled backward.
The venom clinging to her horns slid down her scales, searing tiny marks into them, her eyes filled with lingering terror.
"Not good! Stop it!" a Millelith general roared, raising his long spear in an attempt to lead the soldiers in forming a defensive line.
But the Hydra's body was more massive than three Adepti Peaks stacked together, and when its claws struck the ground, the blue stone road cracked into a spiderweb of fissures.
Soldiers were thrown back by the shockwave, the sounds of clashing armor, weapons hitting the ground, and terrified cries weaving together in a chaotic mess of despair.
A young soldier gripped his spear so tightly his knuckles turned white, his lips trembling, his eyes filled with the shiver of terror at the unknown.
Just then, streaks of warm golden light descended from the sky, covering everyone like a gentle veil.
The adepti and soldiers thrown by the Hydra's charge were enveloped in a soft glow, their falling speed abruptly slowing before they were caught by gentle breezes and set down softly on the ground.
Cloud Retainer shook her damaged wings, her eyes churning with disbelief as she watched the Hydra's unstoppable back.
Everyone's gaze was glued to the colossal creature charging recklessly forward.
The Hydra ignored all obstacles in its path, its nine heads all locked onto the highest mast of the Jade Chamber.
The thickest head opened its maw wide, the venom on its fangs corroding the air and emitting a harsh hissing sound.
It suddenly leaped high into the air, its massive body blotting out the sky like a black mountain about to collapse, crashing down toward Zhongli with world-destroying momentum!
"Not good!"
Ningguang's eyes suddenly widened, the Glazed Rock Projectile she had summoned in her palm trembling slightly, her voice tinged with barely concealed panic.
She simply could not understand why Mr. Zhongli, a consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, would suddenly appear on the most prominent mast.
And she could not grasp why this monster, which even the adepti struggled to restrain, harbored such intense murderous intent toward him.
The Millelith soldiers were pale as sheets. Some couldn't help but turn away, covering their eyes tightly with their hands, unable to witness the coming carnage.
Under such a terrifying impact, even an Adeptus would likely perish. Mr. Zhongli was merely a "mortal." How could he possibly withstand it?
Despair spread like a tide, and even the toxic mist in the air seemed to grow thicker.
"How did he end up there?" Moon Carver steadied his swaying body, his tone filled with astonishment and confusion.
The adepti exchanged glances, seeing alarm and doubt reflected in each other's eyes.
They knew Zhongli's true identity.
But they had never imagined he would confront the monster's sharpest edge in such an unconcealed manner.
This completely contradicted his usual style of acting only after a plan was fully devised.
"There is no need." Facing Ningguang's attempt to conjure the rock projectile, Zhongli's voice was calm yet powerful, as immovable as a towering mountain.
He slowly raised his hand, and the Geo element condensed into a heavy Geo Shield blocking the mast. Hydra's head slammed violently against the shield, producing a thunderous crash that shook the earth.
The Geo Shield remained motionless, without even a single crack, as if mocking this futile attack.
Yunqin sat on the crescent moon, watching this scene. The strings at her fingertips were pulled tighter, her knuckles turning white, almost snapping the strings.
The Abyss's whispers echoed again, like a venomous snake coiling around her ears: "Do you see? You are no match for him. Only by destroying Liyue can you prove you are not a 'useless piece of trash'!"
These words were like a poisoned needle, stabbing brutally into her heart, striking her deepest fear.
She suddenly increased her output, the silver threads tightly binding Hydra's neck, forcing it to launch another attack.
Eight heads simultaneously spewed venom, creating a "sizzling" sound as it corroded the surface of the Geo Shield, yet it still could not budge it in the slightest.
Zhongli stood behind the Geo Shield, his gaze piercing through the venom and dark energy to fall upon Yunqin in the high sky.
He could clearly sense the barely perceptible trembling hidden in the strength with which the child controlled Hydra.
That was not anger, but fear of him, and even more so, a deep panic over her own "uselessness."
The small statue in his sleeve pressed against his palm, and Zhongli's eyes darkened, a complex surge of emotion churning in their depths.
This child had ultimately been driven to the brink by the Abyss.
"Let me deal with you," Venti said, hovering in midair, his voice carrying the lightness of the Anemo element as he suddenly plucked the lyre at his fingertips.
A tornado wrapped in the scent of dandelions formed, coiling around Hydra's neck like a giant hand, forcibly dragging the colossal creature toward the deep sea.
Hydra's tail fins beat frantically against the sea's surface, kicking up waves several meters high.
Nine heads roared simultaneously, spewing venom onto the wind pillar, only for it to be instantly scattered by the Anemo element.
Venti's toes rested upon the wind vortex, his divine attire exceptionally dazzling under the dark purple sky, as his fingertips plucked the strings once more.
"Just leave this big guy to me for now."
The moment his words fell, the tornado exerted a sudden, powerful force.
Hydra was dragged toward the distant sea, sweeping away Seaborn along the way, temporarily relieving the pressure on the shore.
"Boom!" The wall of water spanning heaven and earth was suddenly split open by a flash of lightning!