Aether, who had originally been fighting Dainsleif to a stalemate, never expected that after activating the Mark, the other could erupt with such formidable power. He was instantly blasted into the ground by Dainsleif's attack.
Dainsleif did not pursue him. As Aether's former traveling companion, he knew all too well how tanky the other was. Though he held the upper hand in strength now, even if he could continuously deal damage for several minutes, the other would at most sustain minor injuries.
Moreover, his goal was not to kill Aether, but to stop him from continuing down the wrong path.
Having witnessed Khaenri'ah's destruction by the Abyssal power with his own eyes, he knew that relying on the Abyss could never bring salvation to this world.
Yet, five Sinners had already divided the Abyss's power due to their own greed, and he could not stand by and watch Aether fall further astray.
Dainsleif believed Aether was being blinded by the Abyss. He tried desperately to persuade him many times, but Aether insisted on his own decision, and from then on, they parted ways, eventually even becoming enemies who drew swords against each other.
After realizing he could not change Aether's mind, Dainsleif chose to hinder him by obstructing the Abyss Order's actions.
The "Eye of the World's First Tilling Machine" was the most critical link in his efforts to thwart their plans.
With that object, he no longer had to search for Aether's whereabouts; instead, he had to hide from him at all costs, preventing Aether from finding him.
However, it was unexpected that since Aether's trip to Fontaine, he had stopped paying much attention to tracking him.
Dainsleif suspected that Aether might have found a replacement for that energy core in Fontaine, which was why he had once again taken the initiative to seek him out.
At this moment, Dainsleif shifted his focus to the Abyss Monsters present. If he could eliminate all of them here, he was certain it would significantly disrupt Aether's subsequent plans.
With this thought, power surged violently within Dainsleif, even laced with the Abyss Aura.
Of course, unlike the other Sinners who had actively embraced the Abyssal power, he was afflicted by the Abyss's curse.
"For the Abyss Order!"
"For His Highness the Prince!"
Ziyan roared, then charged toward Dainsleif.
Seeing Ziyan lead the charge... to his death, the bewildered Abyss Monsters immediately followed suit. In an instant, the sky was filled with the elemental glows of various colors.
Witnessing this scene, Dainsleif's heart relaxed.
This actually made things easier for him.
Dainsleif showed no mercy. With each swing of his blade, he effortlessly cut down a large number of enemies. Even Ziyan, the strongest among them, was forced into his second state after a single strike.
"Charge! Buy time for His Highness the Prince!"
Even as he lay on the ground counting down the seconds, Ziyan shouted in an incredibly tragic tone. Waves of Abyss Monsters continuously rushed toward Dainsleif.
Seeing Ziyan's unwavering loyalty, even Dainsleif's heart was slightly touched. However, he still swung his sword without a moment's hesitation, for he had witnessed this exact scene countless times before.
Though the Abyss Order was infamous across the continent of Teyvat, it was undeniable that its members were fiercely loyal to Aether.
After swinging his blade a few more times to sweep the area clear, Dainsleif came to a halt before Ziyan and struck again.
"Dainsleif, stop!"
The ground began to shake violently as a formidable aura soared into the sky. Countless shattered stones were blasted into the air by the terrifying impact, only to gradually crumble into dust.
A figure burst from the ground, his golden blade wreathed in iridescent light.
Aether's gaze was cold as he cast aside his hesitation. He activated his Mark, then charged at Dainsleif with unparalleled speed, sword raised.
He could tolerate the loss of other Abyss Monsters, but he could not allow Dainsleif to kill Ziyan.
The Zi family, known for their unwavering loyalty, held a significant place in Aether's heart. While they were far from his former companion Dainsleif, he cared for them much more than the other Abyss Monsters, whose lives and deaths he viewed with indifference.
However, Aether was still a step too late. Dainsleif had not expected Aether to react so violently, but this only solidified his murderous resolve. He struck down without hesitation, and Ziyan's head was instantly severed from his body.
"Dainsleif!"
Seeing this scene, Aether was truly enraged. In the past, he had always considered their former bond and turned a blind eye to Dainsleif's minor actions, but this time Dainsleif had truly crossed a red line!
To kill Ziyan, Dainsleif had failed to dodge Aether's strike. Aether had no intention of holding back. In his desperation, Dainsleif hastily parried the blow, but the terrifying force following it slammed into him. The ground beneath his feet instantly collapsed several meters, and Dainsleif's body sank deep into the earth.
A golden aura erupted from Aether once again, suppressing the dark aura emanating from Dainsleif with visible speed. Then, a brilliant light burst from the Golden Sword in Aether's hand, striking Dainsleif directly in the chest and blasting him deep into the subterranean depths.
Immediately after, another blindingly brilliant sword strike fell, and a deafening boom erupted. The earth was split directly in two, revealing Dainsleif with a pale face.
Golden wings unfurled from Aether's back. The next second, he turned into a golden streak of light and charged straight toward Dainsleif.
The collision of the two once again produced a massive boom, after which Dainsleif's body was sent hurtling even faster into the distance.
When Neuvillette appeared on the battlefield, this was the scene he saw. Seeing the Abyss Aura swirling around Dainsleif, he immediately took Aether's side without hesitation.
One side had the Abyss Aura, while the other side radiated the golden light of righteous energy. There was no need to think twice about who to help!
Neuvillette raised his hand. Terrifying Hydro Elemental Power condensed in his palm, and even in the distant sea, countless currents of Hydro Elemental Power surged toward this place.
Sensing himself locked onto by Neuvillette's attack, Dainsleif's face changed again. He tried to move, but Aether was suppressing him so hard he could barely breathe.
Aether's expression also changed; he had thought Neuvillette was coming to help Dainsleif.
At the instant Neuvillette attacked, Aether promptly withdrew.
The next second, the surging torrent crossed a distance of over ten thousand meters, slamming brutally into Dainsleif's body.
Blood trickled from the corner of Dainsleif's mouth. He mustered his last remaining strength to swing his sword, momentarily splitting the torrent of water before him, then tore open a rift in space and slipped inside.
The instant Dainsleif's body vanished into the spatial rift, the torrent surged forward, crashing into the spot where he had just been. A terrifying force erupted, and even though Dainsleif had already taken refuge in the spatial rift, he couldn't fully escape. The horrific, uncontrolled turbulence tore at his body, worsening his injuries.
Seeing that Dainsleif had narrowly escaped, Neuvillette frowned.
He had already unleashed his full power in that last attack, which was also a sneak attack. He hadn't expected the opponent to be so strong. This meant he couldn't let him leave so easily, or he would surely cause significant trouble for the continent of Teyvat in the future.
However, just as Neuvillette was about to tear open space to pursue him, he was surprised to see Aether rapidly retreating. Aether finally stopped before the remaining forces of the Abyss Order, waved his hand to open several spatial portals, and then, amidst their fanatical and respectful gazes, stepped into a portal with them to evacuate the scene.
This scene left Neuvillette completely stunned.
Wait, who's the villain here?!
Crap, did he attack the wrong person?!
At this moment, Neuvillette's expression was extremely complicated, but he soon breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, Dainsleif had escaped on his own, which was a silver lining in a bad situation. He would definitely find an opportunity to compensate him and apologize in person later.
Neuvillette shook his head. Because of his inner hesitation and confusion, he had missed the best opportunity for pursuit. By now, Aether and those Abyss Monsters had already fled far away through the spatial portals, even masking their auras to prevent him from tracking them.
Neuvillette didn't want to waste too much time and ultimately decided to go back first and plan his next move.
With this thought, Neuvillette headed back in the direction he had come from.
However, before Neuvillette could go far, he suddenly sensed something. His expression changed abruptly, and immediately after, his body turned into a streak of blue light and flew toward the coastline.
With Neuvillette's full power unleashed, he reached the seaside in a few minutes. Then, he felt clearer premonitions and emotional fluctuations coming from the seawater, and his mood grew heavier and heavier.
Neuvillette set off again, flying toward the open sea at an extremely fast speed.
As Neuvillette moved, power continuously poured into his body from the sea, allowing him to unleash even more terrifying speed.
After another few minutes, Neuvillette finally came to a halt.
What appeared before Neuvillette now was a terrifying tsunami that blotted out the sky.
In fact, when the Expeditionary Force was sailing toward Inazuma, they had already encountered a tsunami, but that one was far incomparable to this one.
If he did not act and allowed this tsunami to ravage the island, who knew how many people would die in this catastrophe.
Neuvillette let out a soft huff, and then a dazzling azure glow emerged on his body, while an ancient and solemn aura radiated from him.
The seawater, as if responding to Neuvillette's call, also glowed with a faint blue light. An unimaginable amount of Hydro Elemental Power soared into the sky, all converging around Neuvillette, as a powerful aura erupted from his body.
"Silence!"
Neuvillette spoke sternly, raising his cane high with his right hand before bringing it down heavily. In an instant, the waves before him froze, and a moment later, as if struck by a massive impact, their height abruptly dropped by dozens of meters.
Neuvillette was extremely surprised that his intervention had failed to completely suppress the tsunami. At that moment, he also sensed a familiar power of destruction contained within the waves.
He had felt this power before at the ruins of Mt. Tianheng in Liyue. Clearly, the person responsible for causing such an impact was Persephone.
Since his first attempt had failed, Neuvillette prepared to strike again. But before that, he first cast a blue shield around himself, completely blocking the impact of the waves.
Then, watching the tsunami as it tried to surge away, Neuvillette immediately concentrated all his power, launching wave after wave of attacks against the destructive force within the sea, utterly annihilating it...
-
"I hope everything is going well on Monsieur Neuvillette's side."
After offering a low prayer, Keqing approached Ganyu.
"Ganyu, have you still not been able to contact Yae Miko?"
Hearing Keqing's question, Ganyu spoke with a hint of embarrassment.
"Keqing, I've already tried several methods, but I still haven't been able to reach her."
"The people on Ritou say that the Guuji seems to have been missing for some time, and even the Grand Narukami Shrine has been closed for several days."
"Do you think something might have happened to her?"
Seeing Ganyu's worried expression, Keqing quickly spoke to comfort her.
"Don't worry, Ganyu. Yae Miko is not weak. Even if she encountered an enemy, it's impossible for there to be absolutely no news at all."
"I think Yae Miko might have already left Narukami Island for some reason."
Hearing Keqing's speculation, Ganyu nodded, her heart feeling a little more at ease.
"By the way, Ganyu, someone from Inazuma should be coming to find us soon. Keep an eye out."
"Yes, okay."
Ganyu replied.
"The fog is so thick, I will remind everyone to be careful."
"Fog?"
Keqing spoke in confusion, then her heart leaped as she looked around.
Without knowing when it had started, a thick fog had already obscured the distant scenery, and the visibility was rapidly decreasing.
Because the sky was covered in thunderclouds, the surrounding light was already dim. If Ganyu hadn't spoken up, Keqing might have taken some time to notice the anomaly.
"What's wrong, Keqing?"
Ganyu asked in confusion, while Keqing immediately explained to her.
"Ganyu, notify everyone to get ready right away. I'm afraid enemies are coming..."
Seeing Keqing's serious expression at this moment, Ganyu felt a slight jolt in her heart, then nodded and hurriedly told the others about this.
As Ganyu moved, the surrounding fog grew thicker and thicker.
No, this wasn't fog at all. Previously, it was because it was affected by the dense Hydro Elemental Power in the air. Now, Keqing could clearly feel the Geo Elemental Power rushing toward her face!
This was a sky full of dust!
"Enemy attack, everyone get ready!"
As the order was passed down, everyone present looked around with extreme vigilance, and several Clockwork Meka Squads were sent out to scout the situation and give warnings.
"To actually take the initiative to find so many of us, it seems the enemy this time is very confident."
"Consultant Zhongli, you should hide behind this Director in a moment. This Director will protect you well..."
Before Hu Tao even finished speaking, she suddenly discovered that Zhongli had disappeared from her side at some unknown time.
Under normal circumstances, Hu Tao should have been looking for Zhongli's location, but at this moment her gaze shifted, and she seemed to have thought of something, so she did not tell the others about this matter.