"Sam Li, Sam Li… the pitch-black calamity has invaded Sumeru…"
The Traveler and Paimon rushed into Yujing Terrace. Before they even caught sight of Sam Li, Paimon was already shouting at the top of her lungs.
Everything had happened far too suddenly.
They had believed the Abyss's main offensive would be aimed at Natlan or Snezhnaya. No one could have imagined that the first place to fall would be the Mausoleum of King Deshret in Sumeru.
At the time, the Traveler and Paimon had been in Sumeru themselves.
The moment they received the news, they immediately used the Statue of the Seven to teleport to Liyue, desperate to inform Sam Li and the others as quickly as possible.
Hearing their cries, Keqing hurried over.
"Traveler, Paimon—what happened? Take a breath and explain."
There was no time.
Paimon couldn't slow down at all. She spoke in a rush, words tumbling out one after another.
"Sumeru—Sumeru's in huge trouble! The pitch-black calamity descended from the Mausoleum of King Deshret and has already swallowed a massive stretch of desert… We have to go help right now! If the monsters damage Irminsul, all of Teyvat will be finished…"
After listening to Paimon's halting explanation, Keqing immediately understood what was happening—and grasped just how serious the situation was.
Although preparations had been underway for months ever since Rex Lapis's return, the sudden outbreak of the calamity in Sumeru still caught her off guard.
She quickly motioned for the Traveler and Paimon to follow her.
"The Geo Archon is here. Come with me—"
With that, Keqing hurried ahead to lead the way.
The Traveler and Paimon didn't dare waste a second and followed her at once to see Sam Li.
Soon enough, in the rear courtyard of Yujing Terrace, they found Sam Li, Nicole, Himeko, Welt Yang, Arataki Itto, Hu Tao, and the others.
The moment they met, Paimon—panting for breath—recounted everything happening in Sumeru all over again.
Before she even finished, everyone around them frowned deeply.
Sam Li was visibly surprised as well.
"Choosing Sumeru this time… it's likely because of Irminsul. We need to provide support immediately."
His thoughts aligned perfectly with the Traveler's.
Nearby, March 7th, Himeko, Nicole, Zhu Yuan, Tsukishiro Yanagi, Arataki Itto, and the others all spoke up in turn.
"Mr. Sam Li, we'll go with you."
"We've prepared for so long, stockpiled so many weapons—this is finally what they're for."
"If we could defeat Hollow Zero, we can defeat the Abyss too."
…
Those who had come from New Eridu had never witnessed the pitch-black calamity before, and their confidence was unshaken.
The natives of Teyvat, on the other hand, were visibly tense.
Paimon couldn't help urging him.
"Sam Li, hurry and go support Sumeru! The Traveler and I still need to go to Mondstadt to notify Venti, to Inazuma to inform the Raiden Shogun, and to Fontaine to tell Neuvillette…"
It was clear enough.
This time, the Abyss's main target was Sumeru.
Sumeru alone could never withstand such an overwhelming number of Abyss monsters—let alone the Antimatter Legion, or even a Lord Ravager.
Only by gathering the strength of all Seven Nations would they stand a chance of defeating the Abyss.
Sam Li understood this perfectly. Supporting Sumeru was non-negotiable.
However—
Before leaving Liyue, there were still arrangements to be made.
Immediately afterward, Sam Li instructed the Adepti and the Liyue Qixing to take charge of Liyue's defenses, ensuring the safety of its people until his return.
Once everything important had been entrusted, Sam Li led the reinforcements from New Eridu, the Astral Express crew, the Cunning Hares, Hu Tao, Arataki Itto, and the others toward Sumeru to help repel the Abyssal army.
Because they were transporting a large number of heavy weapons developed in New Eridu, their pace was slow.
At their current speed, it would take at least two days to reach Sumeru.
Sumeru's situation couldn't afford to wait that long.
To arrive as quickly as possible, Sam Li left part of the group behind to transport the heavy equipment.
He led the rest to travel light and teleport directly to Sumeru using the Statue of the Seven.
As darkness briefly swallowed their vision—
In the next instant, when they opened their eyes, they were already standing in the deserts of Sumeru.
The moment they arrived, Nicole, March 7th, Zhu Yuan, Tsukishiro Yanagi, and the others were stunned by what they saw.
The sky was shrouded in dim, oppressive hues, as though endless darkness were descending from above, intent on devouring the entire world.
In the distance, vast swathes of black mist were spreading rapidly toward them.
From so far away, the others couldn't make out what the mist truly was.
But Sam Li saw it clearly.
That so-called black mist was largely composed of pitch-black monsters.
It was the Abyssal army itself.
Not only that—he also saw Sumeru's soldiers holding the frontline, only to be swallowed in an instant by the pitch-black calamity, utterly powerless to resist.
"Follow me."
Without hesitation, Sam Li led everyone straight toward the encroaching disaster.
They soon met the Abyssal army at the temporary defensive line Sumeru had hastily constructed.
Staring at the endless sea of pitch-black monsters, feeling the surging waves of dense destructive energy rolling toward them, everyone's expression grew grave.
At this moment, whether it was Tsukishiro Yanagi, Zhu Yuan, or Caesar, they were witnessing the terror of the Abyssal calamity for the first time.
According to what Sam Li had said before, this was already the second descent of the Abyss.
It was almost impossible to imagine how the people of Teyvat had managed to overcome such a terrifying enemy the first time.
Piper tightened her grip on her five-star axe.
"What do we do? They're about to charge!"
Billy shouted.
"What else can we do? Fight, of course! Shame the heavy weapons aren't here yet—otherwise I'd be hauling a giant cannon straight into the fray."
Nicole said firmly.
"Billy, don't act recklessly. Follow Sam Li's orders."
Nearby, Sam Li continued to gaze at the surging Abyssal horde.
"Stay behind me. Provide support from the sides."
As he spoke, Sam Li raised his hand, and the Vortex Vanquisher appeared instantly in his grasp.
He stepped forward, leading the charge into the pitch-black army.
Nicole, Billy, Hu Tao, March 7th, Tsukishiro Yanagi, Zhu Yuan, Caesar—and countless reinforcements from New Eridu—followed closely behind him.
The next moment, as Sam Li swung his spear, a flash of golden light cut through the air.
The battle had officially begun.
Even with Sam Li holding the line and so many allies supporting him, the number of pitch-black monsters was simply overwhelming.
Their combined strength alone wasn't enough to stop the tide.
Before long, reinforcements arrived.
Tighnari, Collei, Alhaitham, Cyno, Dehya, and the rest led Sumeru's main forces onto the battlefield.
However, the Lesser Lord Kusanali remained behind to safeguard Irminsul.
Even with these reinforcements, they were still unable to stand against the pitch-black overlord.
Just as the war continued to escalate—
Venti, Ei, Neuvillette, and Mavuika arrived one after another.
Together with Sam Li already fighting on the front lines, all of the Seven Nations' Archons—save for the Dendro Archon and the Tsaritsa—had gathered once more, five hundred years later.