As the giant wave surged forward, the people on the Jade Chamber had no time for further disputes. The Adepti quickly formed a protective barrier, shielding Liyue from the force of the wave before taking to the sky, launching their attacks on Osial.
For a moment, the area around Osial was filled with dazzling bursts of energy, but none of it seemed to deal significant damage. Though Osial had been sealed for so long, a god is still a god, and its power remained formidable. Even with the combined efforts of the Adepti, victory was far from certain.
Each time Osial summoned another massive wave, the Adepti had to work together just to hold it back. In their desperate attempt to defend Liyue, the Adepti and the Qixing were gradually being overpowered.
Just as the situation seemed dire, a barrage of golden arrows rained down from the Jade Chamber, striking Osial and eliciting a series of agonized roars.
These were not ordinary arrows—they came from the Guizhong Ballista, a weapon from the Archon War. With the Ballista's relentless assault, Osial's massive body became an easy target, each volley leaving deep wounds. For a moment, the tide of battle shifted, and Osial began to retreat under the onslaught.
The Millelith stationed at the harbor cheered, believing the victory was within reach. Their morale soared.
However, the current Millelith was nothing like the elite force from the Archon War that had once hunted gods. These days, they were more suited to maintaining law and order rather than fighting ancient gods. Their strength was far from what it once was.
And just when they thought victory was assured, shadows emerged from the southern mountains, moving stealthily through the storm toward the battlefield.
While the Qixing and the Adepti were focused on the battle against Osial, a faint blue glow appeared on the deck of the Jade Chamber, where the Guizhong Ballista was stationed. Several portals opened, and from them emerged well-armed Fatui Skirmishers, their sights set on sabotaging the Ballista.
The Adepti and Qixing were fully engaged in their struggle with Osial, leaving the defense of the Ballista to Lumine and a small detachment of Millelith soldiers stationed on the Jade Chamber.
The Millelith posed little threat, so in the end, it was essentially Lumine facing the Fatui forces alone.
Without hesitation, Lumine's eyes sharpened as she drew the Dull Blade, engaging the Fatui Skirmishers in combat.
Meanwhile, back at the Northland Bank.
Natalia and the others had returned to the building after successfully evacuating the Snezhnayan merchants. As Luo Qing's personal subordinates, they couldn't abandon him, even in the face of such danger.
While Luo Qing had a quirky temper and an unpredictable personality, they still considered themselves lucky. If he hadn't chosen them to be his subordinates, they might have ended up on the Jade Chamber, fighting to destroy the Guizhong Ballista alongside the rest of the Fatui.
"Luo Qing, is this part of the plan that Childe ordered?" Natalia asked.
"They're just marching to their deaths, aren't they?" Sergei added.
"Osial's already been unleashed. What's the point of sending them up there?" Natalia's voice wavered with fear. She had just emerged from training, and seeing the fierce battle unfolding above filled her with a deep sense of dread.
Some of the Fatui soldiers now lying dead on the battlefield had been Northland Bank guards, people she had spoken to not long ago. Even though Lumine was holding back to avoid unnecessary death, her strikes—enhanced by Adepti magic—were deadly to the ordinary soldiers.
With each clash, another Fatui soldier fell.
Although Natalia, Sergei, and Igor couldn't see the details of the battle, the sight of their comrades falling one by one weighed heavily on their hearts. They understood Childe's plan, but they didn't understand why, after releasing Osial, he had sent people to interfere further.
"Are you scared?" Luo Qing asked, glancing at them casually.
"You should understand something—soldiers live to follow orders, even when those orders lead them to certain death..."
Of course, if it were up to him, Luo Qing would've been more cunning. He wouldn't have let his people die so senselessly.
As he spoke, a familiar figure caught his eye through one of the portals—Electro Cicin Mage Teresa.
"So, she's there too…"
Luo Qing had suspected this after his conversations with Teresa back at Guyun Stone Forest. He had a feeling Childe had gathered the surrounding Fatui forces for this exact moment.
But now that he saw Teresa fighting on the Jade Chamber, a complicated feeling stirred within him.
The Electro Cicin Mages, with their distinctive combat style and rigorous selection process, were far stronger than regular Skirmishers. Teresa herself had considerable combat experience, more than many of her peers. Her Cicins, sparking with electricity, joined the fray, making it difficult even for Lumine to hold her ground.
Just when Luo Qing thought Teresa might succeed in destroying the Ballista and retreating, an elderly figure in the sky summoned a zither.
With each note, the energy around Lumine surged, and soon she was surrounded by even more powerful magic.
It was Madam Ping's boon.
Lumine, now strengthened by the Adepti's support, grew even more formidable. Each swing of her sword cut through Teresa's Cicins, killing them en masse.
With her Cicins gone, Teresa's combat ability plummeted, and the Fatui forces were once again at a disadvantage. Not only could they not destroy the Ballista, but now they were struggling just to survive.
The portal they had used to arrive was a one-way ticket. The only way out for them now was to leap from the several-hundred-meter height of the Jade Chamber—an almost certain death sentence.
"Tch, this is really a tough spot…" Luo Qing muttered, watching Teresa's desperate situation.
Though he wouldn't normally intervene, the sight of Teresa cornered, her life hanging by a thread, tugged at him.
If he jumped in to save her, and the Qixing or Adepti recognized him, all the trust he had painstakingly built would be gone.
"Ah, screw it. I'll save her," he muttered, shaking his head.
If he hadn't shared those moments of casual conversation and meals with Teresa back at her little camp, he might not have cared. But now, after spending time with the lively, energetic girl, the thought of her dying here felt… regrettable.
"Igor, give me your hood and mask," Luo Qing ordered.
Igor hesitated, glancing at the Jade Chamber high above. "Sir, are you sure you want to go up there? It's too dangerous…"
Luo Qing, irritated, snapped, "Do I need to repeat myself? I'm perfectly fine. Now hurry up."
Without further protest, Igor handed over his hood and mask. Luo Qing slipped them on, covering his face. His eyes, now glowing with a golden, catlike gleam, disappeared as he leapt from the balcony.
On the Jade Chamber.
Teresa stood alone, the last remaining Fatui operative, cornered at the edge of the deck.
Her once pristine combat gear was torn, her body riddled with cuts and bleeding as rain mixed with blood, staining the ground beneath her.
Behind her was a sheer drop, hundreds of meters down to the port below. If she fell, there would be no coming back.
But with Lumine and Keqing closing in, there was nowhere else for her to go.
After all, they had come to sabotage the Ballista. It was only natural that their enemies wouldn't let them leave alive.
Keqing's sword crackled with lightning as she approached.
Teresa steeled herself, believing this was the end. Soon, she would join her fallen comrades.
But just as Keqing's blade was about to strike, her vision blurred. In the blink of an eye, Teresa felt herself being swept off her feet, held securely in someone's arms as they evaded the deadly strike.
A figure, cloaked in a hood, had come to her rescue.
---
T/N: Li Feiyu has arrived.