Hmm… he even changed his appearance again…
Is he really that afraid of being recognized?
Wait—
If that's the case… could Morax also be doing the same?
Möbius tilted her head slightly, studying "God-form Venti's" appearance. It wasn't the same as before. Her gaze then drifted toward the figure beside him—Morax. If Venti could change his appearance, then the Geo Archon probably could as well.
That thought made her genuinely curious.
Had she… perhaps already met the real Morax in Liyue before, without even knowing it?
Up in the air, Zhongli and Möbius stared at each other.
This power… I have never seen it before.
Is it a power from beyond the world? Or… from the Abyss Outside the Abyss?
Zhongli's golden eyes narrowed. Whatever that ink-green energy was, it definitely did not originate from Teyvat. Even across thousands of years, he had never witnessed anything similar.
So it really is her…
Venti's expression darkened as soon as his eyes fell on the "little girl" below. The citizen's earlier description flashed in his mind. But his gaze quickly shifted—to three figures lying on the ground.
Diluc.
Kaeya.
Childe.
His fists clenched hard.
They were alive—he could feel their breath—but the sight alone made fury climb up his throat.
And at the same time… a shiver of relief.
If he and Morax had come even a little later, he might never have seen his friends again.
"That's… the Geo Archon of Liyue!?"
One of the Knights suddenly cried out in shock, pointing upward. But realizing it was disrespectful, he quickly snatched his hand back and bowed.
"What?! Two gods—for real?!"
"No way… seeing Barbatos alone was already something I thought I'd never experience in my whole life. But the Geo Archon too… this is unreal…"
"No matter what—
we're saved."
Whispers spread among the Knights like wildfire.
To them, the Wind God was nothing more than a figure in their legends—someone described in ancient books, someone worshipped across Mondstadt, a symbol of freedom. The last time Barbatos had descended in person was over a thousand years ago.
Seeing him in the flesh was a miracle.
Seeing two gods at once was beyond anything they could have imagined.
"That really is him. I've visited Liyue before—their statues of the Geo Archon look just like that. They say the Lord of Geo descends every year during a festival—it must be him."
Hearing that, the Knights became certain.
Two gods were here.
Two real gods.
With that kind of power, how could they possibly lose?
Even if that strange little girl was strong—stronger than anything mortals had faced—how could she be stronger than not one, but two Archons?
Even the fake wind god previously had been subdued by the real Barbatos.
How could this little girl surpass a god?
The fear that had suffocated them minutes ago vanished completely.
Even if Möbius stood just a few steps away…
Even if she looked right at them…
There was nothing left to fear.
Descend…
Zhongli paused for a moment, hearing the word and recalling something far away—something in Liyue he had once planned long ago.
The Rite of Descension.
The plan he meant to carry out during that event had been interrupted, derailed by far too many unexpected incidents. He never saw the result he had anticipated. So now he wondered—should he still continue with it? But if he were to do it now, the timing would be all wrong.
He shook his head.
Not now. Handle what's in front of me first.
"Big brothers," Möbius said sweetly, pointing toward the unconscious men lying on the ground,
"Are you two planning to end up like them? Though to be fair, you are a little different from them… but to me, you're all just cute little test subjects~ hehe~"
Her tone was soft, innocent even—like a curious child asking adults a question. Her expression perfectly matched.
"That is the Wind God and the Geo Go—"
"Interrupting someone while they're speaking…
That's not very polite, you know—"
Her smile vanished instantly.
With a flick of her wrist—
Szzzt—!
Several ink-green spikes shot toward the Knight who had spoken.
Crap—
Venti reacted instantly, conjuring a wind barrier before the Knight.
Crack—
The moment the spikes touched the wind barrier, cracks spread across it like a spiderweb. The Knights sucked in a breath, horrified.
Bang—!!
Clang—!!
The next instant, Venti's wind barrier shattered completely. But before the spikes could skewer the Knights, a second barrier—golden, etched with ancient sigils—flared to life.
Geo power.
The spikes hit the Geo shield and, having exhausted their momentum breaking Venti's barrier, were finally deflected.
Huh…? Did I make him that weak? Or… did I use too much force?
Möbius blinked in mild surprise. She thought she'd only leave cracks in the wind barrier—not break it entirely.
The Knights, safe but trembling, stared at the shattered wind barrier.
That little girl…
just broke the Wind God's protection?
What… What kind of monster… is she?
A god's power was absolute—unchallenged.
Barbatos had won a divine seat in the Archon War itself.
He ended the blizzards that froze Mondstadt.
He founded the land of freedom.
How could a god's shield be broken so simply? So easily?
Their world view shook—cracked like the barrier.
Had they imagined it?
Were their eyes tricking them?
It all happened in seconds.
But the shock carved straight into their souls.
"Barbatos," Zhongli said slowly, "take them away. I will handle the rest—"
"Trying to run, big brothers?
That won't be so easy~"
Before he could finish, Möbius dove straight into the ground through the ink-green ooze. The liquid surged toward the Knights at alarming speed.
The Knights panicked instantly.
"I—I'm not staying for this!"
"Run!! Scatter!!"
They fled in every direction as the green liquid chased them like hungry vipers.
"I'm not leaving."
Venti shook his head firmly. "Help them first!"
He dove toward the battlefield—
and Zhongli followed right behind him.
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