Sumeru City
The desert is also a part of Sumeru, and Nahida clearly felt the anger pouring down from the sky to the ground.
"The Nail of Cold Sky! I see... it's meant to end the arrogant ones and take back the power that's out of his control."
Nahida touched her chest, recalling the traces of authority that the Archon had left on her body, and smiled softly.
Perhaps no one in this world could understand that being better than her. He seemed casual, enjoying his time, but was in fact domineering—even more so than the original Phanes.
In his eyes, everything in the world belonged to him. How could he allow power that was beyond his control to exist? Yet, at the same time, he was gentle. As long as one obeyed him and relied on him, he was accommodating, even enjoying the small tantrums of others.
His only requirement was, "You are his," and he would protect you.
Nahida looked at the sky and turned her attention to the desert, sensing the terrifying power.
"Great Dendro Archon, are there sinners in the desert who have violated the laws of heaven?"
She had absorbed most of the knowledge and common sense passed down by the previous Archon and could already make judgments on her own, even if they were not always accurate.
Nahida's small hand touched her ears, her cheeks slightly flushed as she understood what "shyness" meant.
"Does Lord Tianli like to bite my ears to express his affection?"
---
Liyue
Zhongli, who was strolling through the flower and bird market, suddenly looked up into the distance, surprise flickering in his calm, mature eyes.
"It's that kind of power..."
What was happening? Why did the Heavenly Law drop the Nail of Cold Sky in the Sumeru Desert?
Three thousand years ago, when he was still young, the Archon War had just begun. He remembered witnessing firsthand the fall of a nail from the sky onto Mondstadt.
Fendenir, a kingdom established by humans, had instantly been buried by the power of the "Nail of Cold Sky," which had ended everything and frozen all life. Elemental power, ley lines, time, and space—everything had been stopped.
Even as a young god, he would have been suppressed if he had faced that nail.
And that was just the power of heavenly law.
It was then that Zhongli understood: "The Heavenly Law must never become my enemy."
"North of the desert... Khaenri'ah?"
Even without full details, his deductions gave Zhongli a rough idea of the situation.
---
Mondstadt
*Pffft—*
Venti, standing there and drinking wine, suddenly spat it out, spraying the person who had invited him to drink.
"Hey, what are you doing, Venti? This wine isn't bad. I was moved by your story before, so I invited you to drink!"
Venti quickly apologized, "Sorry, I just choked. I didn't dislike it. How could I dislike wine? I can drink even the cheap stuff."
"Yeah, you'd better be grateful that you've got wine to drink, you poor poet."
Venti felt a flash of fear in his heart as he looked in the direction of Sumeru. Was he sensing this correctly? The Nail of Cold Sky had fallen upon Sumeru?
He had seen firsthand the devastation caused by the Nail of Cold Sky—the kind that could destroy everything.
*Is something wrong with the seal of Khaenri'ah?*
Venti shook his head. It was far away from Mondstadt, so it had nothing to do with him. He only cared about playing and drinking.
He was finally free—now he could enjoy his life.
Venti shamelessly looked at the kind person who had bought him a drink, "Sir, I just choked. How about another drink?"
"Fine, you poor poet. I'll buy you another."
Venti was ecstatic, "Thank you, sir. May the Anemo Archon bless you."
---
At this time, the rocky desert had turned into a snowfield, creating an extremely striking visual contrast with the surrounding yellow sands.
The deserters and Sumeru scholars who had entered the rocky desert were not killed, but now they shivered from the cold.
The Nail of Cold Sky, controlled by Takumi, would only obliterate "foreign objects" beyond his Supreme Order.
Any power not under his control was considered a "foreign object" in the world.
The three figures who had inherited the power of the "Traveler from Beyond" had been frozen the moment the Nail of Cold Sky came down. As the space distorted and shattered, all matter was erased.
At the center of this frozen wasteland, only a single stone pillar remained, half-pierced into the ground. Three purple-black spheres of light and three rings floated at the top of the Cold Sky Nail.
Suddenly, space cracked, sucking in the three spheres and the three rings.
---
The Void Between Worlds
On a small floating island where Reindot was conducting her experiments, Takumi raised his hand, and three purple-black spheres and three rings emerged from a spatial crack.
The three spheres exuded an ominous aura—they seemed to be enemies of the world, yet connected to it in a mysterious way.
Reindot, who had been working on her alchemy, stopped and looked at the spheres and rings.
"Those... those are the powers inherited from Surtruch and Visefnir, and the Abyssal Rings. Master... did you kill them?"
She swallowed nervously. She hadn't seen the master leave or take action.
Takumi looked at Reindot, raising an eyebrow. "Crazy woman, do you want me to silence you?"
Reindot immediately shut her mouth and resumed her work, hiding her shock.
The master could turn the world of Teyvat into a plane world—it wasn't surprising that he could kill Surtruch and the others from afar.
After all, it was beyond her comprehension.
Takumi gazed at the dark spheres in his hand, excitement gleaming in his golden eyes.
"Is this the power from the Traveler from Beyond? The purest and core power—the Power of the Void Realm? Now I can unlock Phanes' seal and control the Void Power System."