The clash of sword and surging water was like thunder slamming into crashing waves—every strike igniting a storm of spray and ripples of energy that rocked the harbor.
Shajin and Keqing darted across Liyue Harbor's docks like lightning, their movements so fast they left afterimages in their wake.
Sword flashes flowed like water; sword auras arced like rainbows. Blades wove through the air, painting a breathtaking scene of battle.
"Shajin! Are you really willing to sacrifice all of Liyue for your so-called justice?!"
Keqing slashed with her Lion's Roar, her voice ringing loud over the roar of the fight. Her eyes burned with both fury and unwavering resolve, like twin flames.
"Justice?" Shajin let out a cold laugh, his blade pointing to the distant sky as if to pierce the heavens.
"True justice is when everyone has the right to speak for themselves—not when a single person or group dictates their fate!"
Their blades collided again with a ringing clash like a symphony's crescendo. Sparks flew, lighting the night like fireworks.
Shajin's sword technique carried the crushing power of Geo—each strike as heavy as a mountain, suffocating in pressure.
Keqing's style was fluid and unpredictable, her Electro blade flashing and twisting like a dancer mid-storm. Each move struck like a violent downpour, difficult to block or evade.
"You're not building anything! All you're doing is tearing it down!" Keqing's lightning-charged sword aura slashed toward Shajin's vital points.
"Building? Hah. On an unjust foundation, any so-called progress is just a castle in the air!"
He swung his blade again. Geo energy surged along its edge, steady and weighty.
Their swords tangled midair, unleashing shockwaves with every exchange that shook nearby buildings, now creaking under the battle's tremors.
But neither combatant saw anything except each other.
"Shajin, come back! Are you really going to be the villain who will Liyue's downfall?" Ningguang called from nearby, her voice laced with pain and desperation.
"A villain? No—I'm a gambler," Shajin replied, a feverish gleam in his eyes. "And this time, I've wagered everything."
Suddenly, Beisht's assault intensified—the sea began to boil, and a massive whirlpool surged toward Liyue Harbor.
The Adepti and Millelith struggled against Beisht's overwhelming power, doing all they could to avert catastrophe.
"This can't go on!" Ningguang clenched her fists, her brows furrowed. She couldn't afford to wait any longer—not if Liyue was to be saved.
"Keqing, we must work together. Stop Shajin's attack—protect Liyue!"
"I understand, Ningguang." Keqing's voice was firm. Her Lion's Roar crackled with electricity, trembling with eagerness to unleash its full strength.
Her swordsmanship turned razor-sharp, each blow filled with resolve to cut down the enemy before her.
Purple lightning and golden light intertwined, a devastating force hurtling toward Shajin. Their power fused—amplifying each other as they struck.
At the same time, Cloud Retainer activated the Guizhong Ballista. From its barrel burst a roaring bolt of energy, hurtling toward Beisht like a comet. The air tore apart in its wake.
"Hmph. You think this will stop me?" Shajin sneered, dashing toward Ningguang and Keqing in a blur, sword raised high. Geo energy shielded him in solid layers.
"Shajin, enough!" Ningguang summoned Jade Screen, crystalline stones circling her as a barrier. But he was too fast—he tore through it in a heartbeat.
Just then, Keqing struck. Lightning exploded from her blade, transforming into a violet dragon that lunged at Shajin.
The thunderous clash of Electro and Geo ripped the air apart in a violent blast that knocked all three back.
Shajin was first to recover. His gaze hardened.
"You'll never understand. Only absolute change can bring true justice."
"Justice doesn't come from destruction!" Keqing snapped, raising her glowing sword once more.
"Then prove it—with strength!" Shajin roared, charging again with blinding speed.
Their battle reignited, every blow rocking the sky.
Lightning boomed above Liyue. The sea churned beneath. Chaos consumed the harbor as civilians looked up in terror, uncertain of the outcome.
—
Cloud Retainer narrowed her eyes, sensing the moment had come.
"Hold Beisht off! I'll initiate the Guizhong Ballista's combined barrage!"
The Adepti and Millelith sprang into action, pouring all their might into distracting Beisht.
Ganyu's arrows rained down like a storm.
Pyro, Anemo, Hydro, Cryo—elemental energies exploded around Beisht in dazzling bursts.
The Millelith charged in, spears gleaming, armored bodies forming waves of iron that crashed upon the beast.
With Beisht's focus fractured, Cloud Retainer gained her opening.
Standing at the Ballista's console, she channeled her Adepti power. Three Guizhong Ballistas whirred to life, glowing with accumulating energy.
Then—BOOM—the three Ballistas fired in unison.
Three beams merged midair into a colossal pillar of light, screaming toward Beisht with divine force.
The blast tore through Beisht's defenses, slamming into its core with devastating impact.
Beisht shrieked, body trembling violently as if coming apart.
The surrounding sea boiled in the aftermath, titanic waves battering the harbor.
Shajin caught sight of it all and understood—this wouldn't finish Beisht completely.
"Beisht! Hold on!" he shouted, racing toward it.
But then—betrayal.
A subtle gesture from Shajin's fingers, and the Geo that had protected Beisht shifted into Imaginary energy, causing an invisible collapse from within.
"YOU TRAITOROUS HUMAN!!" Beisht howled, its form crumbling, voice fading.
No one knew who Beisht meant. But Shajin screamed in return, eyes wide with rage and denial.
"NO!!!"
He stared as Beisht's body dissolved into particles of elemental light, vanishing in a final, deafening explosion.
"Shajin, stop!" Ningguang cried, pleading.
"Stop?!" Shajin's laugh was manic now. "I can't stop! I won't let it all be for nothing!"
He charged again, each strike wild and furious.
But Beisht was gone, and now the Adepti and Liyue's finest turned their full might on him.
One by one, elemental ultimates rained down—brilliant and brutal.
Shajin fought back, but even he could not hold forever.
His defense cracked. Wounds bloomed across his body.
At last, exhausted and battered, Shajin fell.
"Qixing of Tianquan—how do you wish to handle this criminal?" Cloud Retainer descended beside Ningguang, her voice calm but stern.
Behind her, Ganyu stared at the unconscious man with a storm of doubt in her eyes.
She remembered late nights—when he'd quietly brew her tea, claiming it would help her focus.
But she'd always fall asleep soon after, only to wake to find her work perfectly finished, every paper sorted.
He'd simply say, "You must've finished everything before resting, and just forgot."
His answers never quite added up—but Ganyu chose to believe him.
After all, he had always seemed so earnest… so dependable.
They both knew the truth.
But now—how could someone so gentle, so kind—be capable of such destruction?
There had to be more to it.
Ganyu fell into silence, unable to find peace.
Ningguang stood quiet for a long moment before speaking.
"He did it all for Liyue—but his way was wrong. He deserves a fair trial, so the people may learn the truth."
She turned to the others, eyes firm.
The group nodded. They understood—justice wasn't vengeance. It was clarity.
Shajin would be imprisoned for now.
In two days' time, Liyue would judge him publicly.
As the soldiers led him away, the sea—once wracked by battle—finally began to calm.
_
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