Walking along the paths of Watatsumi Island, Sangonomiya Kokomi nervously searched for an explanation after the earlier teasing words of the Lord Heavenly Principle.
"Life for the people of Watatsumi Island is now something we couldn't have imagined before," she began. "There's no shortage of food or clothing. We have vast lands to cultivate, and the harvests next year will be abundant. No one will go hungry anymore."
"We are deeply grateful to the Shogun for treating us equally and recognizing us as her subjects. We will strive for Inazuma's prosperity."
As she spoke, Kokomi cautiously glanced at the ever-smiling god walking beside her, her hands clasped tightly in nervousness.
"However, Lord Orobashi was also a savior to the people of Watatsumi Island," she continued. "It's said that long, long ago, our people lived in the lightless depths of Enkanomiya, struggling daily against the dragon lizards for the scarce space needed to survive."
"It was Lord Orobashi who led the people of Watatsumi Island to the surface and created fertile lands for us to live on. This grace is something we can never forget, no matter what. Otherwise… it would be an act of ingratitude."
Her voice quickened as she finished, afraid of being misunderstood.
"The people of Watatsumi Island no longer worship Lord Orobashi, but we hope to always remember his kindness to our ancestors."
After finishing, Kokomi's heart pounded as if it might leap out of her chest.
Noah suddenly stopped walking and turned to look at Kokomi.
She clasped her hands to her chest, staring at him with a mixture of fear and anticipation.
Noah smiled.
"Why are you so afraid? I'm not going to punish you over a few words."
He reached out a hand, and Kokomi instinctively shrank back. But she quickly realized that the god merely placed his hand gently on her head.
"Although you're just a mere ornamental fish, what you've achieved is commendable. Gratitude is gratitude—it should never be forgotten. No one should be ungrateful."
Kokomi hadn't denied Lord Orobashi's contributions despite now serving under Raiden Ei. This small virtue was a rarity among people.
Even this simple act of honesty was something few could uphold.
Bearers of the Vision were, after all, the brightest among humanity.
Relief washed over Kokomi as the weight in her heart lifted. The god hadn't faulted her—in fact, he seemed to appreciate her stance.
Having a god place his hand on her head felt like an extraordinary blessing.
Lowering her head, Kokomi allowed him to pat her gently. "Yes, the people of Watatsumi Island will not be ungrateful. We will not disappoint you, my lord."
She sneaked a glance upward at his eyes.
The god's gaze was… so gentle.
A faint thought crept into her mind—she wanted to become his shrine maiden.
But surely the god wouldn't consider her worthy. At the very least, she'd have to be someone like Yae Miko to even stand a chance.
After all, Lord Noah was a god above the heavens, one whose rank surpassed even the Shogun.
Noah flicked his finger, lightly tapping Sangonomiya Kokomi's forehead. "Little Kokomi, your imagination runs wild."
Kokomi immediately covered her forehead, realizing that her inner thoughts had been entirely perceived by the god. Her cheeks flushed instantly, and she felt as though she might transform into a pot of boiling fish soup. It was only natural, after all, for a god to possess the ability to read minds.
Noah spoke playfully, "Wanting to be my shrine maiden isn't impossible, but at the very least, you'd need to become a god in the future."
In the days to come, Inazuma would likely be tasked with assimilating multiple worlds that shared similar cultural roots, providing plenty of opportunities for this girl to shine. In fact, the current holders of Visions in Teyvat all held the potential to ascend to godhood.
Kokomi, however, took this as a rejection. Her heart sank with disappointment.
"My lord," she said hesitantly, "the entrance to the Abyss under Watatsumi Island is just ahead, but… the seals have long fallen into disrepair."
Noah waved dismissively. "No need to trouble yourself."
Kokomi blinked, understanding immediately that the god had no need to unlock the seal.
The next moment, she saw his figure gradually turn transparent, as though merging with the air itself.
She patted her chest and gave a slight bow: "Wishing the Lord God smooth sailing ahead."
...
The Abyss
This was once a site of fragmentation during the Primordial War, where Teyvat's land was shattered. Although later repaired by Phanes, the connection points could not be entirely sealed.
After all, this place linked to the Void Rift, the boundary between the crimson sky and Teyvat's continent.
Though Phanes had defeated the Moon Sisters, their dominion extended only over Teyvat's continent and the white sky. The crimson sky remained outside their grasp, deemed uninhabitable by humanity.
Losing interest in areas unfit for human life, Phanes had essentially turned the subterranean sky into a dumping ground. Anything harmful to Teyvat—such as forbidden knowledge, abyss powers, or even the Void Realm Force System—was discarded into the crimson sky, which had now become the stronghold of the Abyss Order.
The seal that the Goddess of Flowers Malikata opened for King Deshret was an entrance leading directly to the crimson sky.
Noah appeared on the land of Byakuyakoku. The area wasn't shrouded in total darkness.
Radiant white light emanated from the Dainichi Mikoshi, perched on the largest floating island, illuminating the surrounding void.
Noah extended his senses across the vast void space and the barrier beneath it separating the crimson sky.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. It's all suffused with abyssal energy. It seems the sky once ruled by the Moon Sisters has now fully become Teyvat's Abyss."
"This is quite similar to Tartarus in Greek mythology."
"It appears that after dealing with the opportunists of Khaenri'ah, it'll be imperative to gain control of the Void Realm Force System. Otherwise, as Teyvat grows stronger, the Abyssal Sky will grow stronger as well."
"Fortunately, Phanes' seal over the Void Realm Force System remains intact."
He smiled faintly. "An unexpected boon. Teyvat now has a version of hell-like dimensions. Later, when assimilating the world of Inuyasha, this can help perfect Teyvat's reincarnation system."
As Noah considered these prospects, he stepped forward, and the space ahead of him distorted instantly.
In the next moment, he arrived at a small floating island, less than a kilometer wide.
The island bore a single house, surrounded by countless bottles. These bottles contained various body parts of elemental creatures, and some even held the severed heads of abyss mages.
At the very center of the area, the largest bottle contained a pulsating, abyssal-tainted flesh mass. Threads of divine pressure emanated from it with each heartbeat-like throb.
A golden-haired woman was busily pouring liquid laced with abyssal energy into the bottle, her focus unwavering.
"What am I still missing? What would allow an alchemical creation to be fully accepted by this world and become a true part of it? Does it need to completely simulate the primordial form?"
Rhinedottir murmured to herself as she slowly poured the abyss-condensed liquid, collected from the edge of the underground sky, into a cultivation flask designed for alchemical creations at a godly level.
Five hundred years ago, before Khaenri'ah was destroyed, she had once created a perfect alchemical lifeform modeled after the Primordial One.
But this so-called "perfect" creation wasn't truly flawless. Although it was accepted by the world, it was also restricted by it.
The creation could not operate at 100% functionality, or else it would lose its sense of self due to conflict with Teyvat's natural order, leading to self-destruction.
The world's order was established by the Primordial One after achieving total victory and setting the rules for the world.
Every living thing in Teyvat must exist within the bounds of this order. Anything that deviated from these rules would clash with the order, becoming an enemy of the world.
To be deemed an enemy of the world was to be a living embodiment of sin in the eyes of the world.
Her lifelong dream was to create an alchemical lifeform as close to the Primordial One as possible.
But the alchemical knowledge she had inherited regarding the creation of life was incomplete, and the information she possessed about the Primordial One was scant.
As she was deeply lost in thought, the sound of footsteps echoed from behind her, instantly pulling her out of her reverie. She froze.
Footsteps?
This was a void layer of the world—how could there be footsteps here?
Even among the surviving people of Khaenri'ah, no more than two individuals knew her location.
Moreover, she relocated her experimental base at regular intervals. Unless she actively reached out, it was impossible for anyone to find her.
Rhinedottir immediately turned around. "Who is it?!"
Before her stood a young man with an indifferent expression, his golden eyes exuding authority and mystery. Behind him, a radiant, multicolored halo slowly rotated.
An aura of supreme divinity swept over her like a tidal wave.
Rhinedottir's expression froze. In an instant, her body weakened, and she collapsed to her knees before the young man.
Her mind went blank.
What… what is this?
Who is he?
What kind of power is this?
In a single moment, she felt like a fish out of water. The energy within her body fell silent, lifeless as stagnant water.
Noah walked up to Rhinedottir and, with a wave of his hand, a magnificent chair appeared behind him. He sat down, crossing his legs, and looked down at the kneeling alchemist.
Her long golden hair cascaded down to her waist. She was undoubtedly a rare beauty, exuding the unique aura of a scholar deeply versed in knowledge.
Rhinedottir raised her head, her gaze filled with terror as she looked at the young man radiating overwhelming power. She could tell that he had come specifically for her. Swallowing hard, she stammered, "Wh-who are you?"
In the world of Teyvat, apart from the Heavenly Principle and the Four Shades capable of instantly sealing her power and rendering her no different from an ordinary person.
Among the alchemical knowledge she inherited, there was indeed information about the Primordial One and its Four Shades, yet there was no mention of this individual before her.
Noah spoke coldly, "The Fifth Descender, the current Heavenly Principle, and the master of this world."
Rhinedottir's pupils shrank.
The Fifth Descender? The current Heavenly Principle?
Had the one who previously ruled over Celestia been silently killed by this new Descender?
Suddenly, she recalled the changes that had occurred in the world over the past two months.
The diseases plaguing Teyvat's lands were abruptly eradicated by an unfathomable force, and the world had been made whole at an unimaginable pace. A few days ago, Teyvat's false sky had transformed into a real one, and the world had been entirely sealed off, completely isolating itself from the external cosmos.
Swallowing hard, Rhinedottir realized it was all likely the work of the Fifth Descender standing before her.
What kind of terrifying power was this?
Even the Primordial One and the Sinner in her inherited memories seemed far inferior by comparison.
Trembling slightly, she hesitated before asking, "May I ask what you seek from me?"
Noah rested his face on his hand, a smirk playing on his lips as he gazed at her. "How bold of you to ask. Do you truly think what you're doing here poses no threat to the world?"
"Or perhaps you believe that as one of the culprits behind nearly destroying the world five hundred years ago, I should simply turn a blind eye to you running rampant in my garden?"
"Hmm?"
As Noah's tone dropped, his golden eyes narrowed slightly, and an oppressive aura bore down on Rhinedottir.
She felt as though an enormous mountain had been dropped onto her back, and she cried out in pain, "Ah! Please wait, I have something to say…"
Internally, Rhinedottir let out a bitter laugh. So that's how it is.
Even after escaping the lands under the Seven Archons's influence and retreating to this remote place, not even the newly descended Heavenly Principle would tolerate her existence as a sinner.
Noah used the tip of his foot to lift Rhinedottir's chin, his tone playful. "Very well, I'll hear what you have to say. But if you're here to argue that you've done no wrong…"
If Rhinedottir believed she was innocent, there would be no keeping her alive. After all, if someone who nearly destroyed the world could think themselves blameless, how twisted must their soul be?
Rhinedottir bit her lip, her gaze bleak. "O new Great Lord of the Eternal Throne, I know that no one could ever feel at ease with a sinner like me alive in this world."
"I admit to the monstrous crimes I committed five hundred years ago. Even if I were to die ten thousand times, it wouldn't be enough to atone for all the lives lost because of me."
Her obsession with creating the perfect alchemical lifeform, combined with the King's ambitions to use her creations to conquer the surface nations, had driven her to conduct such reckless experiments.
She had never imagined that the moment she succeeded in creating a god-tier alchemical lifeform, the barrier of the false sky would be completely torn apart.
Khaenri'ah was destroyed because of her, and the surface nations were plunged into unimaginable catastrophe as Abyss creatures poured in from beyond the world.
She bore no resentment toward the Seven Archons for coming to Khaenri'ah only to exacerbate their suffering instead of saving them. All of it had been her fault.
Because of her obsession, even the Seven Archons who came to seal the Abyssal rift had lost half their number.
Noah's gaze remained cold as he addressed the woman who did not deny her crimes. "You admit your sins are unforgivable, yet you shamelessly continue to linger in this world. If you had even a shred of conscience, you would have taken your own life to atone for your sins five hundred years ago."
"Now, you have two options: end it yourself with dignity or let me ensure you have a dignified end."
As he spoke, a dagger forged of pure Light Realm Force materialized in his hand, which he tossed in front of her.
This blade, even if it pierced the heart of one of the Seven Archons, would spell instant death.
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