In Sumeru, the Lesser Lord Kusanali—Nahida—gently placed her hands against the great tree and slowly closed her eyes. Drawing upon the power of the Irminsul, she glimpsed an expanse of boundless darkness.
Within that darkness, countless shadows emerged—endless Antimatter Legions, and towering, incomparably vast Devastators.
What she saw was only a phantom of the enemy.
Yet even within that pitch-black illusion, Nahida could feel the surging power of darkness, saturated with the aura of destruction. The mere presence of it inspired instinctive dread.
For an ordinary person, a single glance would likely have caused their body to collapse on the spot.
In the next instant, the colossal black silhouette seemed to notice Nahida, casting a gaze in her direction. The pressure descended immediately.
With a muffled groan, Nahida's vision was abruptly cut off. She slowly opened her eyes and gently withdrew her hands.
Recalling what she had just seen, her gaze filled with deep concern. That endless pitch-black army was assaulting the sky above Teyvat itself.
Judging by the scene she had witnessed, it would not be long before the pitch-black calamity swept across the entire continent once more.
When that happened, the disaster of five hundred years ago would repeat itself.
Nahida could not stand by and allow that future to unfold. After a brief moment of contemplation, she finally made her decision.
She would inform the gods of the other nations as soon as possible and jointly discuss how to respond to the coming catastrophe.
However—
Just as Nahida was preparing to personally make a trip to Liyue, Alhaitham, Collei, and Tighnari hurried over, urgently reporting the sudden changes occurring within the forest.
"The Withering Zone has appeared again… and it's still expanding."
Collei and Tighnari had been the first to discover the new Withering Zone. They initially believed they could handle it themselves, but its rate of expansion far exceeded their expectations. Left with no choice, they sought out Alhaitham and came together to report the matter to Nahida.
Hearing this, Nahida's expression immediately changed.
She had planned to travel to Liyue herself, but under the current circumstances, that was no longer possible.
In the next moment, Nahida swiftly informed Tighnari and Collei of the ominous signs of the pitch-black calamity she had witnessed. She entrusted them with traveling to Liyue in her stead, asking them to relay the disaster's omens to Liyue's Geo Archon, Morax.
After listening to Nahida's account, both Alhaitham and Tighnari frowned deeply.
The situation was far worse than they had anticipated.
Upon hearing Nahida's request, Tighnari asked in confusion, "Liyue's Geo Archon, Morax? Didn't he already pass away?"
Nahida replied solemnly, "I do not know the true intentions of the Geo Archon, but I am certain that he has not truly fallen. Go to Liyue and seek out the Liyue Qixing. They will surely know the truth behind the Geo Archon's feigned death."
Afterward, Nahida gave a few additional instructions before sending Tighnari and Collei on their way.
As for Nahida, she set out with Alhaitham toward the forest to personally investigate the situation surrounding the Withering Zone.
No sooner had they departed than another figure hurried into Sumeru City—it was Cyno, who had rushed back from the desert.
Upon arriving at Nahida's sanctuary, he was informed that Nahida had just left for the forest with Alhaitham.
"If you have something urgent, you can tell me first. Once the Lesser Lord returns, I'll pass it along to her," someone told him.
"No need. I'll head to the forest now," Cyno replied.
With that, he immediately set off.
The reason for his urgency was simple—abnormalities had also appeared in the desert.
It wasn't just the Traveler and Paimon, Tighnari and Collei…
Furina and Clorinde, Kaeya and Klee, and many others all set out for Liyue the moment they detected signs of the coming calamity.
At the same time, Liyue itself was undergoing its own upheavals.
At Wuwang Hill, deathly energy was spreading outward.
Within the Chasm, thin strands of unknown black energy seeped through cracks in the underground seals, slowly leaking into the open.
Ningguang and Keqing, representing the Liyue Qixing, had just received reports from all directions.
They were immediately overwhelmed, their expressions heavy with concern.
For Liyue, the most pressing issue was the absence of the Geo Archon.
After resolving the Hollow Zero crisis in New Eridu, the Geo Archon had boarded the Astral Express together with Venti and the members of Cunning Hares, setting out alongside the train's crew to explore the stars.
Keqing, meanwhile, had already returned to Liyue.
No one had expected so many abnormalities to erupt at this precise moment.
As they reviewed the intelligence reports pouring in from every direction, Ningguang and Keqing were instantly reminded of the pitch-black calamity from five hundred years ago. The present circumstances bore a striking resemblance to the records left behind in history.
They feared that the disaster of five centuries past was about to repeat itself.
With the Geo Archon absent, Ningguang and Keqing found themselves at a loss.
After a brief silence, Ningguang turned and issued an order to Baiwen and Baishi beside her.
"Immediately invite all the Adepti to the Yujing Terrace. We must discuss how to respond."
Baiwen and Baishi accepted the order without hesitation.
With the Geo Archon gone, Adepti such as Cloud Retainer and Mountain Shaper were now Liyue's most critical line of defense.
Without delay, Ningguang and Keqing left the Jade Chamber and headed toward the Yujing Terrace to make preparations.
However—
As they walked briskly along Liyue's main streets, a sudden commotion broke out.
The surrounding citizens raised their heads, staring up at the sky as murmurs spread through the crowd.
"Look! What is that? Something's flying over!"
"A divine dragon?"
"No—wait, that's not it… Could it be enemies?"
"Hurry and notify Lady Ningguang!"
"Over here! Lady Ningguang and Lady Keqing are here! Lady Ningguang, enemies are approaching!"
…
Ningguang and Keqing had been deep in thought, focused entirely on the looming calamity, and hadn't paid attention to the sky at all.
Only when they noticed the unrest among the people and heard the rising voices did they look up.
There, flying above Liyue Harbor, was the Astral Express.
Seeing it for the first time, Ningguang instinctively furrowed her brow.
Keqing, who had encountered it before, broke into a delighted smile.
"It's the Astral Express. The Geo Archon is on board."
As she spoke, Keqing quickened her pace, heading straight toward the direction where the Astral Express was descending.
Ningguang followed closely behind.
At the same moment—
Elsewhere in Liyue Harbor, Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, Xiao, Madame Ping, Yanfei, Ganyu, and the others also noticed the Astral Express.
Without hesitation, they all rushed toward the place where it was about to land