Player World.
It has to be said, using Qingxu to defeat Qingge was surprisingly easy. Qingxu's handling felt incredibly smooth, and against Qingge, dying was nearly impossible.
By simply bringing a healer to ensure Qingxu's survival and then leveraging her ability to rapidly stack elemental damage, taking down Qingge was only a matter of time.
After Chen Xiyao, controlling Qingxu, completely depleted Qingge's health bar with a single devastating strike, the game transitioned back into a cutscene.
The opening scene showed the Traveler plunging her longsword into Qingge's body.
Chen Xiyao: "..."
"Holy crap, don't tell me we killed her! I thought Qingxu would be the one to do it!"
[Qingxu couldn't have done it. If she'd personally killed her sister, she would have completely broken down.]
[Waaah, but what about us? We're going to break down too...]
[Sigh, get over it. Venti and Zhongli couldn't save Qingge either. She was destined to die. At least we gave her a quick end.]
[That's true, but still...]
[Waaaaah, Mihoyo, you bastards!]
-
Thud.
The sound of the longsword piercing flesh was distinctly different, a stark reminder of Qingge's undead state.
The blade, radiating an overwhelming sharpness, plunged into Qingge's heart. Its golden light surged, completely eclipsing the original crimson glow.
Qingge, who had been lunging at Qingxu with bared fangs and claws, froze mid-motion.
She abruptly lowered her gaze to the sword protruding from her chest, a scene disturbingly familiar.
Only this time, it was a bloodless sword instead of a bloodstained blade.
Clang!
The spear fell from Qingxu's hand, clattering against the Geo Shield Zhongli had conjured.
"Sister..."
Qingxu dropped to her knees, scrambling to Qingge's side.
Perhaps it was the golden light from the sword, but Qingge, impaled by the blade, regained a sliver of consciousness in her final moments.
She weakly pushed away her sister, still clinging to the same conviction: her body was tainted, filled with impurity, so repulsive that even she herself couldn't bear to look at it. How could she allow her sister to touch her?
But Qingxu was stubbornly persistent, throwing herself back toward Qingge the instant she was pushed away.
"Sister, don't reject me. Let me hold you, just for a little while. Please, just a little while, okay?"
Tears and snot streamed down Qingxu's face. Seeing her in such a pitiful state, Qingge couldn't bring herself to push her away again.
Holding her sister with her right hand, Qingge turned to Lumine, who was deeply remorseful after the recent sword strike.
Realizing Qingge wanted to speak to her, Lumine knelt on one knee.
"Lumine, thank you... for helping me find peace. Thank you so much..."
Lumine's eyes were red-rimmed. "Rest in peace, Qingge."
Zhongli had already withdrawn his Geo Shield. Keqing, Hu Tao, and Paimon rushed over.
Paimon: "Waaah, Qingge..."
Qingge: "Little Paimon, still so easily moved to tears, huh? Keqing, please look after Qingxu for me in the future. She's still just a child."
"Mn!" Keqing nodded forcefully, very sad, but did not cry.
"Director, I've already had one funeral. This time, let's keep it simple. I don't want Mom and Dad to see me like this... I don't want them to see me in this state."
"Leave such a small matter to me! I guarantee Qingge will have a beautiful send-off."
Qingge managed a weak smile. Director Hu, you truly are reliable.
She braced herself upright, needing to say a few more words:
"Lumine, the reason I've become like this is because of the Abyss. It's like another version of myself—no, it's not me. She wants to seize my body, but thankfully, I still retain some consciousness and haven't let her succeed..."
Qingge noticed Lumine's tightly clenched right hand and sensed a faint, oppressive aura nearby.
The Abyss had once again drawn a wave of hatred.
"After regaining control from that thing, I learned some hidden truths about the Abyss."
Qingge planned to flesh out the Abyss's lore:
"My soul is a tremendous source of nourishment for the Abyss. There are seven of us like this—Rola is one of them. The Abyss won't spare us. The pain of having one's soul devoured by the Abyss is excruciating. I don't want the other five to suffer the same fate."
"Lumine, I have a premonition. Once the Abyss gathers all seven of our souls, Teyvat will face the greatest calamity in its history. You must find them and stop the Abyss from claiming their souls, no matter what it takes..."
Lumine's expression turned grave. She would have done this even without Qingge's urging.
But... the Abyss is so powerful. Can she really stop it?
Silaya's incident had just concluded, and the Abyss had nearly breached the defenses of four God-level combatants. Qingge's only recourse was to find those with Pure Souls before the Abyss discovered them and ensure their safety.
Lumine felt immense pressure, but this was Qingge's final request. She nodded swiftly and pledged her word.
Having been in this world for so long, Teyvat had become something more than just another world they had traveled through before.
With Lumine's assurance, Qingge felt a measure of relief.
She gently patted Qingxu's back with her right hand and rested her head on her sister's shoulder.
"Qingxu... your sister is a little tired..."
Sensing her sister's exhaustion, Qingxu choked back sobs. "Sister... this time, you can finally rest..."
"That's wonderful... you'll always be... your sister's... pride..."
Leaning against her sister's shoulder, Qingge exhaled her last breath and closed her eyes forever.
"Waaah..."
No longer feeling her sister's presence, Qingxu clung tightly to Qingge, collapsing into inconsolable tears. Paimon joined in her grief.
Zhongli gazed up at the sky, while Venti began to play the Holy Lyre der Himmel.
Xiao slowly approached Qingge, picked up the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear, bowed respectfully, and silently retreated.
He had witnessed countless separations and deaths, yet Qingge's death still weighed heavily on his heart.
Xianyun, who couldn't bear such scenes, stood rooted to the spot, sighing repeatedly.
After weeping for a long time, Qingxu had cried all her tears dry. Gently laying her sister down, she withdrew the longsword from her body and handed it to Lumine. "Thank you, Traveler," she said, her voice trembling. "Thank you for freeing my sister."
In that situation, if not for the Traveler, she would have had to do it herself—something she could never have managed.
Lumine accepted the sword, her expression complex.
Xianyun removed her glasses, wiped away her tears, and put them back on.
She stepped forward and embraced Qingxu. "Your sister saw your progress before she passed. You've already done so well."
"Waaah, Master..."
Qingxu buried herself in Xianyun's broad embrace, sobbing uncontrollably, though no more tears would come.
Exhausted from crying, Qingxu fetched clear water and personally cleansed her sister's body.
She was meticulous, careful, remembering clearly how her sister had once said she felt dirty...
But her sister was never dirty—she had always been the purest and most pristine!
-
Zhongli returned Qingge's remains to Tianheng Mountain and reburied her there.
Qingxu knelt before the grave for a long time before finally leaving. Keqing, Hu Tao, and others followed suit, leaving only Zhongli and Lumine behind.
"Zhongli, your body..."
"It's nothing. I must thank you two young friends for helping me recover her remains."
After Lumine and Paimon properly paid their respects to Qingge, they rose to return to Sumeru.
As soon as Lumine left, Venti suddenly appeared.
"Old friend, lend me your aid."
Venti nodded and produced the Holy Lyre der Himmel.
That day, golden and azure divine power intertwined over Tianheng Mountain, the Authority of the two Gods enveloping the entire mountain.
From then on, such incidents would never occur again.