The moment Ningguang took out the Nuke, everyone present instantly felt a suffocating, overwhelming sense of death.
There was no escape. There was no survival.
A sharp alarm went off in the minds of all the Adepti. An intense, primal fear urged them to flee— but their bodies were frozen, as if bound by invisible chains.
Even Venti, who had been slumped drunk on the table just a second ago, suddenly jerked awake. With a jolt, he darted behind Ryen, peeking out from behind him with a horrified expression as he stared at what Ningguang was holding.
"That's… What is that?! That's way too dangerous! How could something so terrifying even exist?!"
Ningguang carefully placed the Nuke onto the ground, holding it like a fragile treasure.
Her expression was filled with complicated emotion.
She really, truly didn't want to use this thing.
This was a weapon that could flatten Liyue Harbor in one blast— and make the land barren for centuries.
No one knew what would happen if this was detonated on Osial.
That Osial wouldn't survive it? Guaranteed. But—
This thing was a lose-lose weapon.
The sea around them could become a cursed dead zone— a lifeless, radioactive grave.
"Launcher code: Fat Man. Loading ammo—"
Ningguang paused slightly, then said solemnly:
"Miniature nuclear bomb…"
"Nuclear bomb?!"
Perhaps the Adepti and even Jean and the others didn't truly understand what this was. But back on the Floating Island, Ryen had given Keqing and the others a very detailed explanation of nuclear weapons and their terrifying power.
This was the weapon of mutual extinction.
No one wanted to see a mushroom cloud bloom over Teyvat.
"Ningguang!" Keqing urgently grabbed Ningguang's hand, stopping her. "You can't use that! It's way too cruel!"
Even Ningguang seemed uncertain now.
"But… this is the only weapon that can kill Osial in one strike."
"And it's also a weapon that will kill all life in this sea!"
Ganyu also rushed to dissuade her, eyes full of desperation.
"So then…" Moon Carver gulped and instinctively took a few steps back, putting some distance between himself and the nuke.
"What even is this thing?! Why do I feel more intense danger from it than I ever have from facing a god?!"
Just then, a golden light flashed across the Jade Chamber.
Zhongli appeared with Lumine beside him, his expression stern.
He gazed silently at the nuclear device in Ningguang's hands, then began to explain in a calm but heavy voice:
"Nuclear weapons… also called 'Nukes.' In Ryen's words: before this weapon, all beings are equal."
"Whether it's a god or an ordinary monster, once the nuke is unleashed, they'll all turn to ash."
"But that alone isn't what makes it terrifying. What makes nuclear weapons truly fearsome, is their insidiousness."
"When a nuke explodes, it releases deadly radiation. That radiation turns everything within miles into a wasteland for tens of thousands of years."
"Any living being caught in the radiation will begin to suffer horrific, biological corruption— organs rotting from within, bodies festering and decaying alive."
"Those exposed to radiation have almost zero chance of survival. And even if someone miraculously survives, their children, and their children's children, will suffer inborn mutations and disease."
"No one would survive past ten years."
"This weapon is pure evil. To call it inhumane, monstrous, or a violation of natural law—none of that would be an exaggeration."
"Once it's detonated, any part of this ocean caught in its blast will be utterly lifeless. For centuries, any living being that steps foot here will suffer a twisted death."
When Zhongli's words fell, an unbearable silence blanketed the entire Jade Chamber.
An intense, bone-chilling dread gripped everyone's heart.
"Ningguang, a weapon this deranged must never be used!"
Zhongli looked sternly at Ningguang. Even just standing near this real, deployed nuclear weapon, he could sense that sickly, decaying aura of death.
This thing's power was even greater than he had feared.
"Lord Rex Lapis…"
Ningguang pressed her lips together tightly.
Zhongli's tone grew heavier.
"This thing… Did you make it?"
His words were already bordering on reproach.
Back when the hot weapons faction of demons first appeared, Zhongli had already asked Ryen whether a "Nuke" existed.
Ryen's answer had been vague. But Zhongli had known—it did exist.
He had repeatedly warned Ningguang and the others: such a weapon must never be created.
But now—they'd made it anyway.
He would be lying if he said he wasn't angry.
Sure, Osial was a calamity. But after pelting him with enough TNT, they were going to nuke him too?
Zhongli could accept killing Osial, but who could guarantee that the nuclear fallout wouldn't reach Liyue Harbor?
Even though the site of Osial's sealing was far out at sea, it wasn't completely isolated. What if merchant fleets later passed through and suffered horribly from lingering radiation?
Zhongli would never allow such a malicious weapon to exist in Teyvat.
"Don't use that tone with my Ningguang."
Ryen stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Ningguang's shoulders. Rolling his eyes, he muttered:
"You're the one who told people to unseal Osial, summon that giant sea beast, bring in Bathysmal Vishaps and even the Fatui's vanguard for some 'test.'"
"So what if I gave Ningguang something to keep her safe?"
Zhongli frowned slightly, looking at Ryen with a bit of helplessness.
"Even so… you can't bring out something this dangerous. This weapon won't just hurt Osial—it could wound the entire world."
"That's nuclear deterrence for you," Ryen chuckled, speaking lightly.
"Having it is one thing. Using it is another. And besides… we haven't used it yet, have we?"
Zhongli let out a slow sigh, shaking his head, clearly at a loss.
"Regardless, this thing must not be detonated. It should not even exist in Teyvat. You'd best put it away."
"As for the trial—everything I've seen from you all has proven it. You've already earned the qualifications necessary to embrace human governance."
"So there's no need to go further. Just seal Osial."
If it had been earlier, Zhongli might still have watched to see how Ningguang and the others would deal with Osial.
But now… He couldn't allow them to continue.
If he stood by any longer, he wasn't sure that nuke wouldn't go off for real. And that would be disastrous.
As for the trial itself? Honestly, there was no more need.
Liyue's strength spoke for itself—beneath the level of archons, they were unmatched.
Even if they lacked the raw power to slay a god (minus the nuke), Zhongli wasn't dead.
If a god ever did come, he would step in himself.
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