After escorting the people back to Liyue, Elliot returned alone to The Chasm and walked slowly with the Azhdaha toward Tianheng Mountain.
Emerging from The Chasm, Azhdaha was once again stunned by the world before him. Flowers and trees, things long familiar to humans, seemed wondrous and new to his eyes.
The journey from The Chasm to Tianheng Mountain took an entire week, and along the way, Azhdaha was brimming with excitement.
With the eyes bestowed upon him by Elliot, he reexamined the world anew. The longer he looked, the deeper his gratitude toward Elliot grew.
...
At that moment, Ganyu was training diligently at the base of Tianheng Mountain when she faintly sensed the ground trembling beneath her feet.
She instinctively turned, and her pupils shrank violently. Her body trembled, frozen in place.
A colossal stone dragon was advancing step by step toward Tianheng Mountain.
"Waaahhh!!!! A god is attacking!!!"
Ganyu screamed, tears welling up.
By all reason, her master and the Emperor should have detected a god entering Liyue. Yet one now loomed at Tianheng Mountain itself...
That could only mean the Emperor and the King had either been defeated or were unable to come.
The thought crushed her with despair.
Staring at the overwhelming presence of the Azhdaha, every instinct screamed at her to flee.
But then she remembered her promise to the Night King—to protect Liyue.
Ganyu was caught in torment.
She knew her previous slaying of a god had been pure luck. In a true battle, even ten of her wouldn't stand a chance.
Her whole body trembled as she faced Azhdaha. The only reason she had managed before was because her four masters had been with her, and she knew the King was watching from the shadows. She had never truly been alone.
But this time, the god was at Tianheng Mountain. That meant her masters, the Emperor, and the King were all locked in battle elsewhere. She was left alone.
"I… I can't back down..."
"I must protect Liyue..."
Her legs shook, her fear threatened to break her, but Ganyu still faced the Azhdaha.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Each step Azhdaha took made the ground quake harder, and Ganyu's terror only deepened.
Until finally, the colossal dragon stood right before her.
Her eyes widened blankly, her body trembling so hard her fur stood on end.
"D-don't… don't come closer!!"
"I… I… I've… I've slain a god before!!"
On the verge of tears, Ganyu stammered the threat.
"Pfft..."
"Hahahahahaha!"
The laughter, so out of place in such a tense moment, suddenly reached her ears.
She turned toward the sound and saw figures appear beside Azhdaha: Cloud Retainer, along with Elliot and Morax.
When Azhdaha had entered Liyue's borders, the alarm had sounded. Morax had rushed over, ready to strike, but Elliot stopped him. After explaining the truth, they quickly understood, and together with Cloud Retainer and the others, staged this scene.
They wanted to see how Ganyu would react if a god truly attacked Liyue.
And the result exceeded all expectations.
They had thought she would panic and flee. But instead, even terrified to the extreme, she stood her ground before Azhdaha.
"You... you all..."
"You're bullying me together!!!"
"Waaahhh!!! I'm not playing with you anymore!!!"
At once, Ganyu realized she had been tricked. The tears she had been holding back streamed freely.
Crying pitifully, she ran down to the foot of Tianheng Mountain, crouching with her head against the stone, like a little stray dog abandoned by the world.
The sight left everyone momentarily stunned. Then they exchanged looks and, one by one, broke into knowing smiles.
"King, I'll stay here at the foot of Tianheng Mountain with this little blue ball," Azhdaha said.
"Alright. But her name is Ganyu. Call her a 'ball' in front of her, and she'll get angry," Elliot corrected.
"Understood," Azhdaha agreed.
"By the way, Morax," Elliot suddenly turned, "weren't you complaining you had no sparring partner?"
"Yes, why?"
"Why not spar with Azhdaha? You two should be of similar age."
"Huh? That can't be. That meteorite hasn't been here nearly as long as I've known you," Morax replied, doubtful.
"I wasn't born from that meteorite. It just happened to land on my home," Azhdaha explained, sensing the misunderstanding.
"Not from it!?" Morax was taken aback—he had always thought Azhdaha was that fallen star.
"No," Azhdaha shook his head.
"Well then. Shall we spar?"
"With pleasure," Azhdaha replied.