Four months passed in the blink of an eye, and the day of destiny finally arrived.
That day, Lu Chen and Ei patrolled the border as usual. As expected, the erosion of Abyss Power had reached its peak; the fragile barrier looked as if it might shatter at any moment.
In these final days, the entire world had changed beyond recognition.
A pitch-black sky pressed down with oppressive gloom. More than ten sunless days had blurred the line between day and night.
The city's residents had been fully evacuated. In the bitter winter, only empty streets remained—the once-vibrant metropolis reduced to desolation.
This was City A, where Lu Chen had saved Wang Qi. After long-term scouting with Ei, he judged this border to be the weakest link—very likely the primary battlefield for the Abyss's first wave.
Lu Chen looked down, searching.
The military, already in full battle readiness, and the Scaramouche of the God of War had been waiting here for some time.
In the deserted amusement park, Venti sat atop the towering Ferris wheel and waved toward Lu Chen, signaling that everything was in place.
Lu Chen waved back.
The tang of gunpowder seemed to hang invisibly in the air. Everyone on the ground stared up at the sky, anxiety and tension written across their faces, waiting for the looming "The Abyss Apocalypse."
Time ticked by, second after second.
At last, with a crisp, cracking sound, Lu Chen and Ei turned in the same direction.
"Chen, they're here."
"Good."
Lu Chen drew a deep breath. Together with Ei, he found a perfect vantage point to observe the battle.
As their trump card, he wouldn't strike first. He also wanted to gauge the true extent of Abyss Power.
The black sky now resembled an inverted funnel—magnificent and terrifying.
Look closely, and the darkness resolved into a densely packed swarm of pitch-black beasts. They tore through the heavens and poured down like a torrential flood, hurtling toward the ground at breakneck speed.
"Targets sighted!!"
"All units, take positions!!"
The forces on standby trained every anti-air weapon on the sky. Against targets this massive, precise aiming was unnecessary.
When the beast tide fell to ten thousand meters, the long-prepared barrage blanketed the firmament. To repel the onslaught, humanity unleashed every cutting-edge weapon in its arsenal.
Shockwaves from the explosions blew apart the dim cloud cover, and at last the long-lost sunlight broke through.
But the numbers were overwhelming. Though the beasts visibly thinned, fresh ranks immediately filled the gaps until every visible swath of sky was a black ocean.
Perched on the Ferris wheel, Venti felt the war potential of this world for the first time. Watching the sky blaze like a second sun, he couldn't help but whistle.
"Good thing we're firing at the Abyss. If that hit Mondstadt, I'd say..."
"Human potential is inexhaustible," Zhongli's voice sounded beside him as he joined Venti on the Ferris wheel. "This is a world freed from the gods' restraints. Still... we should be grateful that Lu Chen is the one who holds the 'Gate.'"
"Mhm." Venti nodded. "As guardian of both worlds, Lu Chen won't sit by and let this happen."
"Huh? Why are you two just sitting here?" Hall Master Hu popped up out of nowhere.
Meeting Zhongli's golden gaze, Hall Master Hu chuckled. "How could this Hall Master not help with something like this? Don't think you can sneak off to fight without us~"
"This isn't a place for mortals to meddle, Hu Tao. You should go to the shelter," Venti said, wearing the same disapproving look as Zhongli.
"No way!" Hu Tao planted her hands on her hips. "We've come this far—it's life and death! Besides, aren't we family? Family stands together!"
Venti felt a headache coming on—if even Zhongli couldn't rein her in...
"Hu Tao is right," came Xiao's voice from the Ferris wheel.
"Uh..." Venti glanced back to see Xiao, Diluc, and Miko—nearly everyone capable of fighting had gathered.
"And us!!" Everyone looked down to see Barbara waving, Qiqi's hand in hers.
"I can heal the wounded! I'll be really useful!!" Barbara's little face was taut with determination.
Qiqi nodded hard.
"Qiqi... fights very well!"
"Don't underestimate Qiqi!!"
As Venti hesitated, Miko smiled. "Everyone wants to lend a hand. And think about it—if Abyss Power reaches the surface, hiding in shelters only buys a little time. Sticking with you two is actually safer, isn't it?"
"Alright, alright..." Miko's words finally made Venti sigh and nod. "When the fighting starts, stay behind me and Zhongli, got it?"
"Got it!" everyone answered in unison.
Their gazes returned to the sky.
The black ocean kept pressing closer to the ground.
At one thousand meters—within the range of elemental-standard armaments—multicolored elemental barrages bloomed like fireworks, ceaseless in the sky.
From that height, the impact waves were already hammering the skyscrapers below. Air temperature spiked, concrete sheared away, and steel skeletons lay exposed.
For a moment, people even glimpsed a turning point.
Gradually, the density of the black tide thinned. Countless black corpses tumbled earthward.
"Is that it?" Scaramouche stared up, catching the soldiers' rising cheers around him.
"It's not over," Lu Chen said on the other side. He would not underestimate the Abyss. This tide was only a vanguard thrown to die.
"Chen, look there!" Ei pointed higher.
Lu Chen looked up. Shapes of indescribable chaos were appearing in the sky.
Their numbers rivaled the Rift Hounds—and their methods were far more troublesome.
Sure enough, as they drew near the ground, they unleashed an ancient, uncanny chorus strong enough to shatter human minds.
Indescribable mutterings echoed through people's heads. Unfathomable, incompatible forbidden knowledge surged in, corroding what sanity remained. In an instant, ground fire weakened by more than half; soldiers retched, curled up, barely able to stand.
"They..."
"They're coming down... Quick! Pull yourselves together!!"
"Target... less than five hundred meters!"
"Aaaahhhhh—"
"What is this—inside my head—"