Unlike the black-robed figure, the clones he split off were entirely gray. There were four of them, and together with the original, they formed a group of five, attacking Barbatos from five different directions.
-
Liyue.
Slightly earlier, at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Zhongli sat to the side, sipping tea. Beside him, Hu Tao was hunched over the table, writing something with a brush.
"Zhongli, do you think Wangsheng Funeral Parlor should offer bigger discounts? That person who lived on the east side of Liyue Harbor didn't have much Mora and had no family left. Now that he's passed, I've decided to give him a free..."
"The Director's decision is final," Zhongli said calmly, taking another sip of tea.
Suddenly, he set down his cup and gazed toward Sumeru, his eyes sharp and piercing.
"Zhong-..."
"Director, I need to request a day's leave for urgent matters."
Seeing Zhongli's solemn expression, Hu Tao knew this was no small affair.
"Um... Be careful..."
Zhongli's body dissolved into golden light and vanished, leaving Hu Tao staring blankly at the empty space.
What's happened this time?
Before leaving, Zhongli made a brief stop at Tianheng Mountain to set up some simple arrangements, then sped toward Sumeru.
-
After Zhongli left Liyue, Puppet Qingge, who had been secretly hiding in the city, revealed a smile.
With you, Morax, around, I couldn't do a thing. Now that you're gone... even though you made some arrangements, they're nothing to worry about.
Dressed in a black robe, Qingge began walking toward Tianheng Mountain.
-
Sumeru, the Desert.
Barbatos's expression was grim. These clones felt no different from the original black-robed figure—all possessed the power of a God.
He quickly gathered the surrounding Anemo to form a shield around himself.
Boom—
A massive shockwave erupted. The black-robed figure and his four clones were blasted back, seemingly unharmed. In contrast, Barbatos, who had taken the brunt of the attack, clutched his chest, clearly having suffered a heavy blow.
"Life Barrier!"
Rukkhadevata's voice rang out. She had momentarily broken free from the Armored Monster's entanglement to cast the Life Barrier.
Within the barrier, Barbatos's injuries instantly healed for the most part. He floated in the air, pouring his divine power into his bow. A dense volley of arrows rained down, leaving the black-robed figure with nowhere to hide.
The black-robed figure plunged his long saber into the sand. His four clones surrounded him, and a black shield rapidly formed.
Barbatos's arrows slammed into the shield, creating a tremendous impact but failing to break through.
The black-robed figure pointed, and two clones immediately shot out from the shield, hurtling toward Barbatos.
Barbatos obliterated one clone, causing it to dissipate instantly. The other fared little better, but its last-ditch counterattack managed to halt Venti's overwhelming suppressive fire.
Seizing the opportunity, the black-robed figure and his remaining two clones surged upward. He once again merged the long saber in his left hand with the new moon blade in his right, while the last two clones reabsorbed into his body.
He raised the combined long saber above his head, its immense energy swelling, and then brought it down with a vicious slash!
Barbatos's face paled, and he immediately retreated. But the black-robed figure's attack had locked onto him, making escape impossible—a fact Barbatos quickly realized.
Meanwhile, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was also being suppressed in her own battle. However, the Armored Monster she faced seemed to lack high intelligence. Though she was far outmatched in raw power, Rukkhadevata yielded to no one when it came to cunning tactics.
After trapping the Armored Monster in another dream, Rukkhadevata sensed the massive energy fluctuation from Barbatos's battlefield and immediately sped toward it.
Just as she arrived, she saw Barbatos flying toward her. She caught him instantly.
"Barbatos!"
Blood trickled from the corner of Barbatos's mouth, his face deathly pale.
This guy... he's strong...
I'm not suited for close combat. Once he gets near, my movements are completely restricted.
"My apologies," Barbatos said, his voice strained. "To meet again after five hundred years in such a sorry state..."
Just minor injuries. Nothing serious.
-
Meanwhile, on another battlefield...
Shouki no Kami, the Prodigal, was completely outmatched by the Black Serpent's sheer size. Under the serpent's crushing power, the desert floor had been torn apart, riddled with tunnels carved by Shouki no Kami's repeated impacts.
Their battle had drifted far from Rukkhadevata's, with almost no terrain left to constrain them.
Once again, the Black Serpent dragged Shouki no Kami from beneath the sand, its fangs clamped onto the automaton. Shouki no Kami's four massive hands desperately gripped the serpent's venomous fangs. Using his body's momentum, he strained with all his might, managing only to make the beast stumble before it violently flung him away.
"Damn it!"
Shouki no Kami was now covered in wounds, one arm completely paralyzed. Fortunately, as a mechanical construct, the Black Serpent's venom had limited effect; otherwise, Scaramouche would have been defeated long ago.
Even so, Scaramouche was struggling. His most powerful attacks barely scratched the serpent's hide. At this rate, defeat was inevitable.
What infuriated Scaramouche most was that the Black Serpent seemed to be nothing more than a mount for the two humanoid monsters. He couldn't even defeat a mere mount!
Gritting his teeth, Scaramouche piloted Shouki no Kami forward once more.
-
On the edge of the battlefield, Lumine and Paimon hid behind a large tree, watching the desert conflict unfold.
They were still quite far from the action, only catching occasional glimpses of Shouki no Kami being flung through the air and the disturbances caused by Venti's battle.
Paimon's small face was etched with astonishment. She peeked out from behind Lumine, only her little head visible.
-
Player World
[Why aren't we jumping in?]
[Hiss... Look at that battle! If we went in, we'd be insta-killed.]
[Scaramouche is getting wrecked. I kinda hate the guy, but in this situation, I still hope he wins!]
[Traveler, hurry up and get your power back! Let's hope you're not just a bystander next time.]
[Hasn't Zhongli shown up yet? Even Venti is here.]
[Speaking of which, Venti seems to show up for every major fight in every nation. Who even remembers when he was the biggest slacker?]
-
"Go help that robot. I can handle things here," Barbatos suggested. Even amidst the battle, he could sense the surrounding situation. The robot was being completely overwhelmed by the Black Serpent, utterly outmatched.
"You? No. In your current state, you can't defeat him," Rukkhadevata refused.
"Who said I'm alone?"
Barbatos glanced at the sky, took out the Holy Lyre der Himmel, and gently plucked its strings.
An invisible ripple surged toward the black-robed figure. The figure scoffed; such an attack would do nothing more than slow him down.
"You mortals..."
Before the black-robed figure could finish, a deep, majestic voice echoed in his ears.
"Planet Befall."
The figure snapped his head up just as a massive meteor, filling his entire field of vision, plummeted from the sky, crashing down upon him.
"Morax...!"
The name was barely uttered before the black-robed figure and the entire area around him were smashed into a deep crater.
High above, Morax's amber eyes stared coldly down, a Geo Spear held firmly in his hand.