"Cough... cough... cough..."
Luo Qing spat out a mouthful of blood.
He glanced down at Lumine, who had been transported out of the Plane of Euthymia, and offered a faint smile to the Raiden Shogun.
"You got me," he said softly.
Lumine's reappearance signaled that Ei had been defeated. The obsession with eternity must have been resolved.
"Any last words?"
The Raiden Shogun held Luo Qing firmly with her left hand while raising the Musou Isshin with her right. Her eyes were cold and unfeeling.
"Cough... cough..."
Another mouthful of blood spilled from Luo Qing's lips. The smile on his face turned pale, his energy waning.
Ei's obsession with eternity might have been shattered, but the murderous intent she had sown within the Shogun remained unyielding.
Even as the battles between the Resistance and the Shogunate began to subside, Luo Qing understood one thing clearly: unless he died here, neither Ei nor the Shogun would let him live.
"It seems the both of you really want me dead," Luo Qing muttered weakly. He had no intention of resisting anymore.
"This body and her obsession... it ends here."
The Musou Isshin traced a sharp arc through the air and pierced through Luo Qing's body.
"Ah... it hurts," he whispered, feeling the sharp pain rip through his abdomen. Yet he forced himself to stay calm, a faint smile lingering on his lips.
He reached out with a trembling hand, gently brushing his fingers across the Raiden Shogun's face.
"You know... you look rather beautiful... like this," he murmured.
And then, with a twist of his neck, Luo Qing slid along the blade's edge, falling toward the ground below.
This scene unfolded before everyone's eyes.
Gorou, Lumine, Kaedehara Kazuha, and the Resistance fighters—they all stared in disbelief.
Luo Qing, who had protected them and held back the Raiden Shogun, would no longer witness the peace they were about to achieve.
"Luo Qing!" Lumine cried out, dashing toward him in an attempt to catch his falling body. Even Paimon flew after her, desperate to help.
---
On a rooftop near Komore Teahouse, Kamisato Ayaka collapsed, her hands clasped tightly together.
"Luo Qing... how could this... No... I must save him!"
Before Thoma could stop her, Ayaka summoned the power of her Vision and charged toward Luo Qing without hesitation.
---
At the edge of Inazuma City, four figures stood frozen.
Never had they imagined their lord would die before their eyes.
"Lord Luo Qing... Lord Luo Qing!"
Theresa's vacant expression twisted into a scream as she bolted in Luo Qing's direction.
But before she could take more than a few steps, the others held her back.
"Are you insane?! That's the Raiden Shogun! You'll only throw your life away!" Igor shouted.
"Let me go! Lord Luo Qing is dying! I must save him!" Theresa yelled in anguish.
"Don't forget our mission!" Natalia barked, gripping Theresa's shoulders tightly.
"Our orders are to ensure Lady Rosalyne's safety and retreat! Are you going to defy his final command?!"
"But... but..."
---
Meanwhile, high above the battlefield...
Raiden Shogun stared at her hand, still clutching the Musou Isshin, as Luo Qing's final words echoed in her mind.
Hadn't she achieved her goal? Hadn't she erased him as part of her eternal obsession?
So why did her heart feel so empty?
Suddenly, she dove toward Luo Qing's falling body, catching him in her arms.
Lumine and Ayaka, rushing toward him, froze in their tracks, too stunned to approach.
"What did you mean by that?!" the Shogun demanded, her voice trembling.
But in her arms, Luo Qing's life force had all but faded. His lips curled into a faint, gentle smile as he attempted to raise his hand once more to touch her face.
Yet, halfway there, his strength failed him, and his hand fell limp.
The next moment, Luo Qing's body dissolved into specks of deep blue starlight, vanishing from the Shogun's embrace.
"No... wait! Wait!"
The Raiden Shogun tried desperately to grasp the scattering starlight, but each attempt only made it dissipate faster.
At last, all the light was gone.
The Tenshukaku was empty—Luo Qing's presence was no more.
"How... how could this happen..."
The Shogun's eternal form dissipated, leaving her clad in her familiar deep purple kimono. She fell to her knees before the gathered soldiers.
A single tear slipped down her cheek—a tear from a god.
Witnessing their archon in such a vulnerable state, mourning as if she had lost a loved one, left everyone present in stunned silence.
They had never seen her cry before.
"This..."
Lumine and Paimon exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of what to do.
---
Outside the Tenshukaku, Kamisato Ayaka crumpled at the base of the Statue of the Omnipresent God.
"Luo Qing... Luo Qing..."
Her cries were heart-wrenching as tears streamed freely down her face.
She curled into herself, clutching her hands tightly to her chest as though trying to hold onto him.
"Ah..."
Thoma sighed softly, stepping beside her. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as he gazed toward the doors of the Tenshukaku, where Resistance and Shogunate forces stood mingled.
With a shake of his head, he muttered, "Just like before... All we're left with is regret and sighs.
"There's nothing more we can do. Nothing left to save."
---
Beyond the city, four figures carried a weakened Rosalyne toward their hidden camp. They glanced back occasionally at the distant Tenshukaku, their eyes filled with determination and grief.
Even though their lord had vanished into starlight, they clung to the belief that one day, he would return.
"Lord Luo Qing..." Theresa whispered.
As they pressed on, tears fell silently from her eyes, leaving tiny drops glistening on the grass.
---
At the same time...
Pain radiated from his abdomen as Luo Qing gasped for breath.
He quickly pulled out a Supreme Vitality Pill from his system inventory, ignoring its size as he shoved it into his mouth.
While chewing, he cautiously scanned his surroundings.
Only at the last moment had he used his substitute doll to escape.
It seemed the doll's description was accurate—he had been transported to a completely different location.
Looking around, Luo Qing found himself atop a cliff, overlooking a vast, shattered plain.
"What is this place...?"
His gaze fell on a massive, verdant tree at the center of the plain, and he froze in place.
Suddenly, a voice rang out behind him.
"Fatu—get ready! We've got Fatui incoming!"
"Huh?"
---
Hey everyone! Looks like The Weapon Master Shall Never Die Bare-Handed in Genshin Impact got blocked because it was flagged as a translation. Don't worry, though—it's still available on my Patreon if you want to read it.
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