The group finally pieced it together.
Yanfei exclaimed in surprise, "Wait, the one you fought was Bosacius? He's the one who injured you?"
"…Yes."
The Khaenri'ah beast tide invasion, the fierce battle in the Chasm, Yelan's ancestors…
"I can't shake the feeling that everything is somehow connected."
Yanfei tried to link the clues, piecing together the entire event.
"So many coincidences, yet they can't all be coincidences. Could these be related to that artifact mentioned in the will, the Fantastic Compass?"
"A will?" Xiao wasn't there earlier, so he didn't know about it.
"Oh, right, I came here because of a will."
Yanfei patiently explained.
After all, Xiao likely didn't deal with such matters often.
"Both humans and Adepti write their wishes and concerns into wills, entrusting others to carry them out."
To everyone's surprise, Xiao responded, "Can you make one of those anytime?"
Lumine glanced over, quickly shutting down his train of thought.
[No way, Xiao's seriously considering it?]
[Making a will on the spot? What kind of move is that?]
[MHY! I'm warning you, be kind. Touch my Xiao, and I'm at your office doorstep tomorrow!]
[Upstairs is intense.]
Xiao dropped the will topic and, based on the group's information, analyzed the space again.
This space wasn't just conscious—it was clever.
It exploited the team's desire to find their companion, creating opportunities to lure them into traps.
But a simple deception would be easy to see through.
The truth, mixed with just a hint of lies, was the most terrifying.
Mu Yang felt a bit offended…
Xiao continued, "What it sent you were indeed words I've said."
"It used my real voice to create panic. One-way information is just bait."
Thankfully, through Mu Yang's power, they'd made contact via a spatial rift.
This gave the team a heads-up to stay cautious.
Otherwise, someone might have already been left behind.
Compared to outright slaughter, this space seemed more intent on draining their souls.
Mu Yang agreed—attacking the mind was the ultimate strategy.
It was all about that shrimp-and-pig-heart tactic.
The door had already shown that.
Xiao dropped another bombshell.
Staying here too long was unsafe.
This space would consume people, turning them into wandering spirits.
Regardless of whether Bosacius's matter was resolved, they needed to get out now.
Xiao, bound by his oath, had to protect Liyue's people.
Mu Yang nodded in agreement.
After discussing, they returned to the resting area, where Paimon had woken up.
Yanfei skipped over the Khaenri'ah war, only mentioning how the space could consume them.
Staying too long would turn them into wandering spirits.
This spooked Itto again.
He definitely didn't want to become a ghost.
[He's ended up becoming the thing he fears most.]
[A ghost turning into a ghost? Isn't that just staying the same?]
[Guess he got Liyue citizenship too.]
Xiao quickly offered a plan.
If he went all out and struck the weak point where the space connected, he could open a passage to the outside.
But getting so many people through and back to the outside world would likely require maintaining the passage for a long time.
"…I know how to risk my life to make this happen."
Lumine grew uneasy. "Using your power like that, doesn't that mean…"
Everyone caught on—was he planning to stay behind?
They immediately insisted that no one would be left behind.
Besides, they had Mu Yang, whose sword could also cut through space.
All eyes turned to Mu Yang.
He'd anticipated this.
He stayed silent, letting them fill in the blanks.
Sure enough, Lumine panicked. "Wait, were you planning to sacrifice yourself from the start too?"
"Not necessarily. I'm in better shape than Xiao. My consciousness is merely present here."
Xiao didn't back down.
"You're too weak right now to sustain a portal for long."
"Besides, after all this time, your power's been waning, not growing—clearly, you're cut off from the outside."
[??? So Mu Yang was holding back again?]
[Planning to sacrifice himself in secret?]
[Alright, alright, everyone's trying to off themselves, huh?]
[Give us a break, the kids are getting stabbed silly here.]
The two Adepti argued, both vying to sacrifice themselves.
And the sacrifice wasn't even guaranteed to get the others out.
They didn't even know where the weak point to the exit was.
Otherwise, Mu Yang would've sent them out already.
Lumine stepped between them. "I don't agree with this plan."
Yanfei shook her head firmly. "Neither do I."
Yelan didn't need to say anything—she was the most opposed.
Watching comrades leave was the deepest wound in her heart.
Back before she had her Vision,
a powerless Yelan watched her companions dwindle one by one.
Overwhelmed by helplessness, she hid in a small hut.
Ningguang found her.
She swore never to be an ordinary person again, never to let others bleed or sacrifice for her.
Since then, she'd roamed the shadows alone, taking on high-risk missions.
Now, faced with the choice of sacrificing others to save herself, how could she bear it?
"In short, we're not at the point of desperation yet. There might still be hidden paths we haven't explored. The way out could be there."
Xiao turned to face Yelan's increasingly icy gaze.
"If there's no path, or we never find it, and we're too weak to even have the strength to sacrifice ourselves…"
"What will you do then?"
Yelan didn't back down, even against an Adeptus.
"Sacrificing now has the same success rate as searching for an unknown exit. Neither strategy is clearly better, so we can't act rashly."
Now it was Mu Yang's turn to mediate. Both were too extreme.
Xiao wanted to start right there, burning his power to find a way out.
Yelan insisted on finding a path without sacrificing anyone.
Mu Yang took a middle ground—he wanted to find the path closest to the exit and use his sword to cut through space.
But maintaining that sword slash would still drain him.
Back then, after coming out, he'd collapsed straight into Lumine's arms…
In the end, no one could convince the other.
The atmosphere grew tense, and Lumine and Yanfei didn't know how to interject.
Then, someone broke the stalemate.
While they were arguing, Itto slipped over to a stone wall.
"An all-out strike can break the space? Haha, your big guy overheard that."
"None of this 'one stays, one goes' nonsense—I don't wanna hear it! After all this talk, isn't this what you need?"
Itto flung off his coat, his right hand brimming with Geo energy.
"Come on, let's see what kind of ghost thing can trap people here to death."
"Take this!"
Itto unleashed an all-out strike, smashing through the entire stone wall, revealing a hole big enough for a person to pass through.
"Hah… hah… looks like I couldn't punch this lousy place to bits… but there's a new path, right?"
He panted heavily, clearly having used up all his strength.
"Being a hero… leave it to me…"
Shinobu dashed forward, catching the collapsing Arataki Itto.
"…Should've seen that coming."
[Haha, stop fighting—watch my boy Itto perform!]
[Smash it!]
[One Punch Man!]
[Tears in my eyes, ugh, I didn't even cry at Halfdan's part.]
[This is what a real man looks like!]
[Itto, you're my god—that punch was too cool!]