Day by day, the decisive battle against the Abyss drew closer.
Both worlds faced looming catastrophe, and panic was spreading everywhere. Yet inside the seaside villa, preparations continued steadily, without pause.
On the beach outside, the family gathered to watch four colossal figures.
Scaramouche piloted his custom-built flagship mecha, the "God of the True Machine,"stomping heavily through the shallows. Each heavy step sent waves crashing and rolling back to shore.
"So... in the end, he really did obtain the divine form he'd always dreamed of?" Diluc said as he watched the excitable Scaramouche, recalling all too clearly what might have been.
Had Lu Chen not brought Scaramouche to this side, the Doctor's god-making plan would surely have been carried out on him. The false god who once ravaged Sumeru would have been Scaramouche himself.
Standing beside him, the Miko noticed Diluc's lingering frown. After a moment of thought, she realized his concern lay not in Scaramouche's power, but in where his loyalty truly stood.
If anyone here held the deepest prejudice against Scaramouche, it wasn't Ei, nor Lu Chen—it was Diluc, who despised the Fatui with all his being. His father had been killed by their treachery.
"Relax," Miko said with a teasing smile. "We've all seen how much this kid has changed lately. Sure, he's still sarcastic and sharp-tongued, but aside from that, he's practically a role model now."
"A model young man? Him?" Diluc was visibly skeptical.
Nahida giggled. "He really is—a model young man certified by the system itself. Just yesterday, he cleared his challenge quest. He's actually helped quite a few people recently."
"Is that so..." Diluc folded his arms, still watching Scaramouche maneuver the mech, his sharp gaze never softening.
High above the ocean, Lu Chen and Ei kept a close watch, guiding him patiently from the sky.
In truth, Scaramouche's physical form posed no issue in piloting a divine body. What Lu Chen needed from him was something more—coordinating the operation of the other three mechs.
The four Gnosis offered by the Archons had been reforged by Ei into brand-new "Divine Core Units," designed to stand as their direct combat force against the Abyss.
But only Scaramouche could currently synchronize with such constructs. After some thought, Lu Chen decided he would command the "flagship unit," able to direct the others and draw out the Gnosis' full power.
Yet Scaramouche, drunk on the godlike power he had long coveted, was quickly losing control.
"Marvelous! Absolutely marvelous!"
He piloted the squadron into the sky, ignoring Lu Chen's instructions and instead pulling off a string of reckless maneuvers.
"So this is the power of the gods?!"
"Hahaha! Hahahaha!"
"Look at me—I've ascended to godhood!"
Amid his manic laughter, all four mechs activated in unison. Light flared—Anemo, Geo, Electro, and Dendro—bursting outward in successive beams. The blasts swept across the ocean, nearly stirring a tsunami.
His excitement only grew, and storm clouds gathered, thunder rumbling ominously above.
"Hey!" Lu Chen flew into his path, blocking him with a weary expression.
"You're still learning to control this power. Listen to me—step by step."
He glanced toward the First Squad assembled on the beach. Ever since partnering with the authorities, Wang Qi's team had rarely left his side. Now, the entire squad stood frozen on the shore, wide-eyed as they stared at the massive figures churning the sea.
"Tch..." Reluctantly, Scaramouche guided the formation back down into the shallows.
"Boring..."
...
Meanwhile, in the villa's training grounds, Venti and Zhongli were engaged in a sparring match.
This wasn't a drinking contest, nor a tea-brewing duel—it was a pure test of strength.
In the open yard, a simple boulder clashed against razor-sharp gales. The confined arena could barely contain the sheer force they unleashed, pressure spilling over into every corner of the grounds.
The impact of rock and wind was terrifying, even more so than the spectacle of the four mechs on the beach.
The air cracked like thunder under the weight of compressed force. Even Scaramouche, watching from afar, felt the suffocating pressure pouring from the villa.
In the end, the winds failed to shatter the stone.
"No more! No more!" Venti cried, wiping sweat from her brow and waving her hands in surrender. "How do you keep getting stronger with age, you old monster? That was no boulder—it was a lump of pure condensed rock. I didn't stand a chance!"
Zhongli smiled faintly as the stone drifted back into his palm and vanished into golden dust.
"Lord Zhongli truly has grown even stronger..." the quiet spectator, Xiao, murmured. "I witnessed his might at the peak of the Archon War—but today, he seems more unfathomable than ever..."
"This is the power of faith," Zhongli said slowly. "The devotion of humanity strengthens gods, and in turn, gods protect humanity. You've been away from Mondstadt's people for too long. That you still wield such power now is remarkable."
"No need to console me." Venti waved with an embarrassed grin. "I'm satisfied just to help. Once this is all over, I'm taking a proper rest. These past months of preparation have been exhausting..."
As they spoke, a system notification popped up in Lu Chen's mind.
[Challenge Quest: Zhongli's Leisurely Stroll]
[Achievement Unlocked: Stretching One's Limbs]
[For an elder's health, tea and opera alone aren't enough~]
[All achievements acquired. Quest complete.]
[Reward: 6,400 Primogems. Reward: 6.4 million real-world currency units]
Lu Chen landed on the beach with a faint smile. By now, every challenge quest had been cleared.
[Archon Quest Progress: 99%]
Only one final step remained before reopening the Gate of Teyvat, bridging the two worlds once more.
"Once we repel the Abyss... it will all be over..."
Lost in thought, Lu Chen turned toward the villa, only to see Wang Qi approaching with two formally dressed men.
"Senior! These gentlemen are the official coordinators for civilian evacuation."
"You must be Mr. Lu Chen? We've heard so much about you!"
"Hello, hello."
The officials greeted him warmly. Lu Chen welcomed them inside, where he learned that the government's massive underground shelters were now fully prepared. They had come to confirm the progress of his own plans.
In the beginning, cooperation between Lu Chen and the authorities had been shaky. But the invasion of the Abyss had become undeniable proof. No matter how impossible it all seemed, they had no choice but to believe.
Later, when Lu Chen displayed power on the level of a god, shaking the entire world, cooperation naturally followed. His requests were not excessive. On one hand, the authorities gave full support to Genshin Impact, promoting it worldwide to gather Will Power on a massive scale. On the other, they provided facilities to assist Ei's god-making plan.
Still, they could not entrust the fate of the world to one mysterious man alone. Multiple contingency plans advanced alongside his. Elemental energy development had been pushed forward aggressively, and the vast underground shelter project was nearly complete.
When doomsday finally arrived, humanity would retreat underground, waiting out the battle on the surface.
After sending the officials off, Scaramouche's seaside training also wound to a close.
Lu Chen raised his eyes to the sky, growing grayer with each passing day. The breaches in the border were spreading. The Abyss's erosion deepened.
"Finally... it's coming..."