Ei glanced at Sam Li and Venti, then shifted her gaze to the Astral Express in the distance. She immediately noticed the energy clinging to the damaged sections of the train—an energy saturated with destruction, one she knew all too well.
How could Ei possibly forget?
That energy, brimming with annihilation, was almost identical to the force behind the Cataclysm that had invaded Inazuma five hundred years ago.
Seeing this, Venti and Sam Li exchanged a look and decided there was no point in hiding anything anymore.
They immediately toldEi about the Antimatter Legion gathering outside the "False Sky," as well as the existence of the Devastator.
Hearing this,Ei's heart tightened.
"Antimatter Legion? Devastator?"
These names were unfamiliar to her.
But from Venti and Sam Li's descriptions, combined with her own experience from when the Cataclysm descended five hundred years ago,Ei instantly understood how serious the situation was.
According to Sam Li and Venti, the Antimatter Legion's numbers were immense, far surpassing the monsters that had poured into Inazuma during the Cataclysm...
The Devastator was indescribably terrifying, utterly beyond anything those monsters from five centuries ago could compare to...
That Devastator was definitely a powerhouse on the same level as the Four Shades of Celestia on Skyfrost Nail, and with its intrinsic nature of Destruction, its destructive power might even exceed theirs...
If things were really as Sam Li had speculated,
then the Antimatter Legion and the Devastator had set their sights on Teyvat at least five hundred years ago—perhaps even earlier.
Thinking of this, even Ei couldn't help but knit her brows together.
"Do you know who exactly this Antimatter Legion is?" she asked quietly. "And why they've targeted Teyvat?"
Sam Li, of course, had no way to answer that.
However, the Trailblazer, Himeko, March 7th, and the others could clear things up for her.
Himeko walked over slowly.
"The Antimatter Legion are the followers and devotees of Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction," she explained. "Over countless years, they've already wiped out innumerable worlds across the universe... The Devastator is both an Emanator of the Destruction Aeon and a commander within the Antimatter Legion. Its very purpose is to carry out the Will of Destruction..."
After briefly outlining the relationship between the Antimatter Legion, the Devastator, and the Destruction Aeon, Himeko continued,
"To this day, every world that caught the eye of the Destruction Aeon has fallen into ruin..."
A vast Antimatter Legion and a single Devastator were already troublesome enough...
Now there was also the terrifying Destruction Aeon looming behind them...
Ei's brow furrowed even more tightly.
"Hmph. So what?" she said coldly. "As long as I'm here, Inazuma will not be destroyed."
It had been that way five hundred years ago.
And now, it was the same.
Though Ei projected absolute confidence on the surface, in truth, whether it was her, Sam Li, or Venti, all of them knew just how fearsome their enemy really was.
If the Antimatter Legion and the Devastator truly managed to shatter the "False Sky,"
then the combined strength of the Seven Nations alone would barely be enough to respond.
Just as everyone fell into heavy silence, suddenly, a familiar voice rang out from afar.
"Hey, hey, hey! So it really is you guys! Brother Sam Li, Brother Billy, Nicole, Nekomata, Venti... You finally made it! I've been waiting for you in Liyue for so long..."
The newcomers were none other than Arataki Itto, Kuki Shinobu, Ayato, Ayaka, and Thoma...
Ever since he'd returned to Inazuma two months ago, Arataki Itto had wanted to head back to New Eridu to find Billy and have some fun.
But all sorts of things kept getting in the way.
Sometimes Kuki Shinobu stopped him... Sometimes Yoimiya came to ask for his help... Sometimes Yae Miko called him over for something...
Since he couldn't go to New Eridu,
Arataki Itto had always hoped Billy would come from New Eridu instead. He waited and waited, but Billy never showed up.
He never expected that now,
Billy would actually appear before him.
Seeing Billy again after two months, Arataki Itto was overjoyed and immediately rushed over.
Billy was just as excited.
"Brother Arataki, I knew you'd be here."
Arataki Itto laughed loudly.
"Brother Billy, come with me! I'll take you to catch the fattest Onikabuto!"
Billy agreed without hesitation.
"Let's go—"
But before he could take a step,
Nicole shot him a sharp glare. At a time like this, and he was still thinking only about beetle fights?
Feeling Nicole's gaze, Billy hurriedly cleared his throat.
"Ahem, Brother Arataki, let's settle everything else first. Then we'll go catch Onikabuto."
At that moment, Kuki Shinobu, Ayato, Ayaka, and Thoma also walked over.
Kuki Shinobu and Ayaka had visited New Eridu before, so they already knew Nicole, Nekomata, and the others.
Ayaka took the initiative to introduce them.
"This is my elder brother, Ayato. And this is our housekeeper, Mr. Thoma..."
Billy was as forward as ever.
"Brother Ayato, Brother Thoma, I'm a high-intelligence tactical unit designed for firepower-based area suppression. Ahem, that's a bit long... Just call me Billy. This is Boss Nicole, this is Anby, this is Nekomata, and this is Sam Li... This is the Trailblazer, and this is March 7th..."
After the introductions, Ayato smiled at the group.
"Everyone, welcome to Inazuma."
Once they were all acquainted, the next steps became much easier.
With the Astral Express damaged, Himeko and the Trailblazer needed to find materials as soon as possible to repair the broken power engine, so they immediately requested assistance from Ayato and Ei.
Ei nodded in agreement and entrusted the matter to Ayato.
Ayato smiled and said, "Everyone, just tell me what materials you need. I'll have them arranged as quickly as possible."
Hearing that, Himeko immediately listed off a long string of materials, components, and tools.
Ayato was completely stunned... Power sources... propulsion engines... composite materials... He had never even heard of such things.
But it wasn't an insurmountable problem.
Even without those specific tools and parts, as long as they could provide the most basic raw materials, the train could still be repaired—it would just take a bit more time.
Before long, as more and more people gathered to see the train that had fallen from the sky,
Yoimiya, Kirara, Kujou Sara, and Kazuha all arrived as well.
On the way, Kujou Sara had even brought a squad of Shogunate troops.
In the next moment, Ei immediately gave the order for the Shogun Army to cordon off the area and protect the train that had made the emergency landing on the beach.
At the same time, she invited everyone to return to Inazuma City together.
On the way back to the city, Sam Li and Venti walked side by side.
Venti smiled faintly.
"Old man, if there's anything you want to ask, just ask."
Sam Li hesitated for a moment, then slowly shook his head.
"Nothing..."
During this period, Sam Li had gradually realized something—Venti's identity was far from being as simple as just the Archon Anemo.
A long, long time ago,
Venti had already known about the Antimatter Legion and the Devastator, and he knew they were the very source of the Cataclysm.