The Armored Man had completely lost his ability to fight. Though not yet dead, he was close, merely waiting for one of the gods to find a moment to deliver the final blow.
The black-robed figure wasn't in good shape either. Only by facing Morax head-on could one truly understand why he was called the War God. That damn shield of his was absurdly thick; ordinary attacks couldn't even scratch it.
With Barbatos providing ranged support, the situation was utterly suffocating.
This was far enough. The deaths of two God-level combatants were sufficient. As for the black-robed figure, he would be spared for now—he had a greater purpose to serve later.
Still, this guy is too overpowered. He needs a nerf.
The black-robed figure pushed himself to his feet, leaning on his longsword. His aura surged, and the energy within him climbed steadily. Immense Abyss Power poured from his body, channeling into the blade in his hand.
"Old Man, be careful! He's going for a desperate, all-or-nothing attack!"
The energy radiating from him was even stronger than the strike that had nearly cleaved him in two earlier. He must have been holding back this move throughout the long battle, likely because it would take a massive toll on him.
Now, realizing he had no chance of victory, he was forced to risk everything on a single, final gamble.
Such enemies were the most dangerous. A single moment of carelessness could get you dragged down with them.
Morax didn't need Barbatos's warning; his attention had been fixed on the black-robed figure all along. The man's movements were unpredictable, and his strength was nearly on par with Morax's own. If Morax had been alone, he would never have been able to stop him.
After casting a Geo Shield over the three gods on his side, Morax watched as the black-robed figure sprang into action.
The figure leaped into the air. The instant his blade descended, his body seemed to split into five, each clone swinging its sword from a different angle. The combined arcs of light slammed violently against the shield Morax had summoned.
Crack—
The shield shattered on impact. Morax's expression turned grave as he channeled a massive amount of divine power into his Geo Spear, opting for offense as his best defense.
BOOM—
The most powerful attacks of the two top-tier Gods collided, blasting a massive crater into the battlefield. The shockwave erupted outward, spreading across the landscape.
From a distance, Barbatos played the Song of the High Heavens, intercepting the already weakened shockwave.
At the center of the battlefield, Morax's robes whipped in the wind. Amidst the swirling yellow sand, his amber-gold eyes glowed brightly, strikingly visible. A closer look would reveal a trickle of golden blood at the corner of his mouth.
"Barbatos!"
"Right! Leave the rest to me!"
Barbatos strummed his lyre, and a fierce gale intercepted the black-robed figure mid-flight.
The figure's cloak was now mostly shredded, and he clutched his chest with his right hand.
In his direct clash with Morax, he had managed to injure the Geo Archon, but the backlash he suffered was far more severe. Combined with the force of Morax's attack...
...it had even disrupted his ability to tear open space, allowing the prepared Barbatos to block his escape.
Once Barbatos had him cornered, Morax and Buer arrived.
"Old Man, how are you?"
"It's nothing."
Rukkhadevata had already healed him. Besides, the injury hadn't damaged his core foundation; it would just take some time to recover.
The three Gods positioned themselves in a triangle, cutting off all escape routes for the black-robed figure.
"Heh heh heh... Impressive. I admit defeat this time."
"What is your objective?" Barbatos demanded, his expression grim and his voice cold.
The black-robed figure glanced contemptuously at Barbatos. Though he had no visible eyes, the disdain was palpable.
The black-robed figure ignored Barbatos and spoke as if to himself:
"Clever... a very clever little girl, to think of such a method to evade our pursuit. At this point, it's impossible to retrieve it. Since that's the case..."
The figure's voice suddenly turned sinister. "Taking two gods down with me would make this trip worthwhile..."
The energy within the black-robed figure surged, quickly reaching a terrifying level.
"Not good! Retreat!"
Barbatos pulled Rukkhadevata back as Morax threw up a shield around them. The three Gods retreated hastily.
BOOM—
Another deafening explosion rocked the desert, carving a new, massive crater into the sand.
The three Gods watched from a distance. The black-robed figure's aura had vanished. It seemed he had truly self-destructed.
"Huuu..."
Rukkhadevata let out a long breath. She had only just awakened and was already thrown into such a crisis. Thankfully, her two old friends were there to help.
But what did that black-robed figure mean by his last words? she wondered.
Morax turned his gaze in another direction and hurled a Geo Spear.
The Armored Man, who had been lying in the desert with his last breath, finally expired.
"Cough, cough..."
Morax couldn't help but cough.
"Morax, let me heal you," Rukkhadevata offered.
"Old Man, is it serious?" Barbatos asked, concerned.
Morax waved his hand dismissively. "I have urgent business to attend to. We'll meet again after I've handled it."
With that, Morax immediately sped toward Liyue.
-
Somewhere in the desert.
A rift suddenly tore open in the sky, and the black-robed figure, previously thought dead, tumbled out.
He slammed heavily onto the sand, then staggered to his feet. Glancing back toward a certain spot in the desert, he let out a disdainful snort.
After just a few steps, his legs gave way, and he collapsed onto his back in the sand.
-
The Player World
The war between the gods had the players' blood pumping. The golden blood at the corner of Zhongli's mouth caused the bullet comments in Chen Xiyao's live stream to explode instantly. But the final scene—the black-robed figure escaping alive—made them collectively lose their minds.
[The destructive power... It's insane!]
[Nooo, Zhongli's hurt! My heart aches... 😭]
[That bastard didn't die! AAAAAAH!!!]
[Holy shit, we're screwed. Is he gonna cause more trouble?!]
[It's over. Zhongli and the others don't even know he's alive. He's a ticking time bomb.]
[Is he really that strong? He survived an assault from three gods?]
[He seems badly injured, though. In his current state, we should... uh... probably still get our asses kicked...]
[Someone, quick! Go finish him off! Kill that Abyss bastard!]
[I have a bad feeling about this. If he doesn't die now, he's definitely going to make my blood pressure skyrocket later!]
-
Liyue
A short while earlier...
After Morax departed, Puppet Qingge used Emotional Feedback to bypass his security measures and successfully steal her own corpse.
This time, Qingge had no intention of repeating Rola's methods.
She recalled that when her soul was collected, the process had been rushed, resulting in some anomalies. This was an opening she could exploit.
Qingge carefully staged the gravesite to make it appear as if the corpse had clawed its way out on its own. To enhance the realism, she even expended some Emotional Feedback to infuse the scene with a chilling atmosphere.
Once everything was set, Puppet Qingge's body slowly transformed back into the real Qingge. Her severed arm was gone, and her face took on a shrunken, deathly pale appearance, as if completely drained of blood.
The sight was utterly horrifying.
Alright, she thought. From now on, I am no longer Puppet Qingge. I am Qingge, corrupted by the Abyss and turned into a living dead, but retaining fragments of my past memories due to the state of my soul...