"Who are you..."
Theresa murmured, dazed. For some reason, she felt as though she'd seen this person before, but with the hood obscuring his face, she couldn't see clearly.
Luo Qing remained silent as he gently set Theresa down. He glanced toward the distant Osial, who was entangled with the Adepti, and then at the Guizhong Ballista on the deck.
With a slight gesture, he summoned his Thousand Rock Spear.
"That's... the Thousand Rock Spear?"
On the Jade Chamber, the people who recognized the weapon looked at the hooded man with suspicion, unsure of his motives.
The next moment, Luo Qing flicked his finger, and several dark brown stone spears materialized, shooting straight toward the Guizhong Ballista.
"Not good! He's going to destroy the Ballista!"
Keqing shouted in alarm, rushing toward the Ballista in a desperate attempt to stop the stone spears. But they were too fast. Before she could reach it, the Ballista had been pierced, rendered inoperable.
Realizing that this hooded figure was an enemy, Lumine brandished her Dull Blade and charged toward Luo Qing.
But Luo Qing didn't move. He stood perfectly still, letting Lumine approach.
As Lumine's sword closed in, she saw Luo Qing raise his head slightly, revealing two golden, slit-pupil eyes that locked with hers.
In that moment, Lumine felt as if she wasn't staring at a person, but at some ancient being.
The next second, her blade missed its mark.
Luo Qing and Theresa had vanished from the Jade Chamber.
"Who is he...?"
The crowd was filled with speculation.
Summoning stone spears and wielding the Thousand Rock Spear—there had to be some connection to Liyue, but now was not the time to dwell on it.
With the Guizhong Ballista destroyed, how were they going to deal with Osial?
Meanwhile.
Luo Qing, having rescued Theresa, leapt a few times and returned to the Northland Bank.
"She's suffered multiple sword wounds. Help her get treated," Luo Qing ordered, placing the wounded Theresa on a bed before swiftly disappearing over the balcony.
Seeing Luo Qing about to leave again, Natalia hurried after him, calling out, "Sir, where are you going?"
"Don't worry. I'm just going to see a friend," he replied before vanishing.
When Luo Qing descended from the Jade Chamber earlier, he had spotted Zhongli standing alone on a nearby rocky outcrop, watching the battle unfold on the sea.
This was a rare opportunity to hear what the old man was thinking, and Luo Qing wasn't going to miss it.
On the southern mountainside, Zhongli stood in solitude, gazing out at the battlefield on the ocean. A moment later, Luo Qing appeared beside him.
"Weren't you supposed to be evacuating Hu Tao? Why are you standing here alone?"
Luo Qing asked, stepping up beside Zhongli.
"Hu Tao insisted on staying with the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. No matter what I said, she refused to leave."
Mentioning Hu Tao brought a hint of weariness to Zhongli's otherwise composed expression.
"So you just left her there alone?" Luo Qing raised a brow, wondering at this rather... peculiar approach.
"Not exactly," Zhongli shook his head and explained, "I used some small techniques to put her to sleep and instructed the funeral parlor attendants to take her to a safe place."
"..."
As expected from Zhongli.
"So, how are you feeling now? A bit anxious?" Luo Qing inquired, adopting a more casual tone.
"A little," Zhongli admitted with a nod.
"It's kind of like waiting outside a school while your child takes an exam—nervous and worried. Except, unlike most parents, you could walk in and help them finish the test yourself if you wanted."
Luo Qing chuckled as he watched the distant battle unfold.
"A rather curious analogy, but it does capture some of the sentiment," Zhongli said, nodding again in agreement. He then added, "By the way, I heard Osial calling out for someone named 'Li Feiyu,' cursing him with a hatred even greater than for me. But there's no such person among the Qixing. Do you have any insight on this?"
"Never heard of him," Luo Qing responded quickly. "Not familiar at all."
"Hmm... I see," Zhongli murmured, casting a thoughtful glance toward the Jade Chamber. "Perhaps there are deeper reasons behind all of this."
Luo Qing immediately chimed in, "Right, right. I think so too."
This entire battle was a test for Liyue. Zhongli wouldn't interfere until the final moment, leaving the city's fate to its inhabitants.
As for Luo Qing's destruction of the Guizhong Ballista when rescuing Theresa, that was simply to curry favor with Childe later. After all, if he hadn't intervened, Osial would have destroyed the Ballista anyway. The outcome would've been the same.
With the Ballista out of commission, the tide of the battle on the Jade Chamber shifted once again. Osial began summoning increasingly larger waves, and despite the combined efforts of the Adepti and Shenhe, some of the waves crashed into the outer harbor, causing significant damage to buildings and ships.
Just as the defense line was about to break, a soft yellow light spread across the Jade Chamber.
Above, Ningguang floated in the air, casting a protective barrier around the Jade Chamber. She ordered the others to retreat, leaving only herself behind.
She then began to pilot the Jade Chamber, steering it directly toward Osial.
However, just as the Jade Chamber was about to crash into Osial, a sharp cry pierced the air from the sea below.
Another beast, similar in size to Osial, emerged from the depths.
It was Beisht, Osial's wife.
Either of the two monsters alone might have struggled to withstand the Jade Chamber's assault, but together, they conjured a powerful water vortex and hurled it toward the descending platform.
With a thunderous crash, the vortex was broken, and the Jade Chamber still landed on Osial and Beisht, leaving large gashes on their bodies. But the power of the platform had been diminished, and it could no longer suppress Osial.
Now, the two beasts loomed over the sea together, still very much alive.
"Hah... is that all you've got?! Morax! Li Feiyu! Come out and face me! If you surrender now, I might consider leaving these people in one piece. Otherwise, I'll drown this entire city!"
Osial's voice thundered across the harbor. With his wife by his side, the prospect of Morax not appearing emboldened him further. The Adepti and the Millelith wouldn't be able to stop them now.
On the harbor, both the Qixing and Adepti watched in silence, frowning at the growing threat.
The effects of the forbidden ritual would only last for so long, but if they retreated now, by the time the ritual wore off, Liyue—the millennia-old city—would be in ruins.
"Lady Ningguang, what should we do now..." a Millelith soldier asked, dejected.
With the Jade Chamber now destroyed, Ningguang's expression was grim. Her usual confidence had faded. After a long pause, she finally ordered, "We've lost this battle... Prioritize the evacuation of civilians inland. As for the city... buildings can be rebuilt, but our people must survive."
"...Understood, Lady Ningguang."
As the Millelith began preparations to retreat, Osial and Beisht conjured another massive wave, poised to crash down upon Liyue.e, this one aimed straight at Liyue Harbor.
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T/N: Woah that's actually different from usual fanfics!