The thunderous might of three archons converged into a single strike, instantly shattering the encirclement formed by several Doomsday Beasts.
Mavuika seized the opening and broke free.
Once the surrounding beasts were forced back, she finally saw the figures rushing toward her from the distance—Sam Li, Venti, the Traveler, Xilonen, and the others.
Joy surged in her heart.
The people she had been waiting for had finally arrived.
In just a moment, Sam Li, Venti, Klee, the Traveler, Himeko, Nicole, Xilonen, and the rest reached Mavuika's side.
Seeing that she was safe and unharmed, the Traveler, Paimon, and Xilonen all let out a long sigh of relief.
Venti smiled warmly.
"Mavuika, it's been so long. After all these years, you haven't changed a bit."
Mavuika returned the smile.
"It really hasn't been that long…"
For Venti, it had been five hundred years since their last meeting in Khaenri'ah.
But for Mavuika, only a little more than a decade had passed.
She then turned her gaze to Sam Li. "Morax, you're the same as ever—one move, and you suppress an entire horde of monsters."
As the three archons exchanged pleasantries, Himeko, March 7th, Nicole, Nekomata, the Traveler, Xilonen, and the others all stared ahead in shock.
Before them stretched an endless sea of monsters, so vast that its end was nowhere in sight.
Most were beings transformed from lives devoured by the Abyss. A smaller portion consisted of members of various Antimatter Legion units, and among them loomed several massive Doomsday Beasts.
The aura of destruction rolling in from the front made everyone frown deeply.
How were they supposed to fight this?
They had already seen the strength of the Doomsday Beasts firsthand. Just the few nearby were already far beyond what they could deal with easily.
Let alone the boundless horde of Abyss monsters stretching endlessly before them.
Even during the great invasion of Teyvat five hundred years ago, the scale hadn't exceeded this.
Paimon, ever sensitive to danger, clearly felt the oppressive destructive presence ahead. She quickly grabbed the Traveler's clothes and hid behind them.
"Traveler, there are so many enemies… what do we do now?"
The situation felt even harder to handle than Hollow Zero in New Eridu.
After all, no matter how many Ethereals there were in Hollow Zero, they couldn't compare to the sheer numbers of these Abyss monsters.
Lumine's expression grew solemn. "We have to stop them. If they break through, it'll be nearly impossible to halt the Abyss's advance afterward."
The monsters before them were numerous, but in the Traveler's eyes, they were merely the vanguard of the Antimatter Legion.
If even this couldn't be held back, then when the Antimatter Legion launched a full-scale invasion, there would be no way to stop it.
With that, the Traveler looked toward Sam Li, Venti, and Mavuika.
These three archons were their greatest support.
Sam Li, Venti, and Mavuika stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with the others as they faced the endless Abyssal tide.
"Everyone, just provide support from the sides."
"That's right—just cheer for Sam Li and Mavuika with me."
"Barbatos, I've missed your music. Hurry up and play."
"Alright—leave it to me."
...
The moment his words fell, Barbatos raised a hand, and a brand-new harp appeared within his grasp. Clear, melodious strings rang out, and free-spirited songs spread rapidly across the battlefield.
At the same time, Sam Li and Mavuika moved.
Countless golden Geo spears manifested in midair, shooting toward the advancing monsters…
Raging flames surged forward alongside the greatsword, instantly engulfing vast swaths of enemies…
Nearby, the Traveler, March 7th, Himeko, Nicole, Billy, Xilonen, and the others didn't hold back either, joining the battle one after another.
As time passed, second by second, countless monsters fell—pinned to the ground by golden Geo spears or swallowed by roaring flames.
Even so, there were simply too many monsters.
Fortunately, Venti remained in support. His gentle harp music and unrestrained melodies continuously washed away fatigue and negative effects from everyone. Even after fighting for half a day, they all remained in peak condition.
With Venti's support, Mavuika only grew more ferocious. She charged alone into dense clusters of monsters, swinging her greatsword in all directions.
Like cutting grass, she mowed down wave after wave of enemies.
Meanwhile, Sam Li fought alone against several colossal Doomsday Beasts, slaying them one by one.
After an entire day, the number of monsters finally began to decrease…
By the second day, once most of the monsters had been eliminated, the remaining ones gradually retreated, disappearing back into the pitch-black depths of the Abyss.
Looking at the ground littered with bones and the land stained black by corruption, Mavuika, Xilonen, the Traveler, and the others all let out a deep breath.
They had finally won.
The invasion had finally been repelled.
Mavuika turned to Sam Li and Venti. "Thank you both. Without your help, I truly don't know how we could have defeated so many monsters."
Venti smiled lightly.
"Protecting Teyvat is my duty."
Sam Li, however, spoke with a serious expression.
"The monsters have only retreated for now. Do not lower your guard. If anything happens again, inform us immediately."
What truly concerned Sam Li were not these lives tainted by the Abyss.
It was the Antimatter Legion lurking beyond Teyvat—and the terrifying Lord Ravager. Even Sam Li had yet to figure out how to defeat such an enemy.
After successfully repelling the Abyss's invasion, the group soon departed the Night Kingdom under Mavuika's guidance and returned to the land of Natlan.
Feeling the warmth of the sun, Paimon's stomach suddenly growled.
"We fought all day—aren't you guys hungry?"
Billy corrected her calmly.
"To be precise, you watched all day."
Nekomata asked excitedly, "Is there fish?"
"Of course. I'll have it arranged right away." Mavuika laughed.
After the meal, Sam Li had no intention of lingering in Natlan. After discussing joint resistance against the Antimatter Legion and future preparations with Mavuika, he boarded the Astral Express once more and headed back to Liyue.
Venti, the Traveler, and Paimon, however, were kept behind by Mavuika.
...
More than an hour later, as the Astral Express descended once again onto the beach outside Liyue Harbor, Sam Li stepped off the train and immediately spotted several familiar figures.
Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, Hoshimi Miyabi, Tsukishiro Yanagi, Ellen, Corin, No. 11, Caesar, Piper…
After more than half a month apart, they were reunited once again.