Chapter 156: This Is Our Red-Hot, Passionate Combination Attack!
「 "Heheheh…" Suddenly, in the Scalegorge Waterscape, Phantylia's chilling, bone-deep chuckle echoed once more: "Forgive my indulgence. Your struggle in the face of certain death is... Touching."
One of Phantylia's colossal hands abruptly swept away the dust, summoning two Abyssal Lotuses beneath Jing Yuan's feet and above his head. Almost simultaneously, countless roots of the nearby Ambrosial Arbor shot forth, binding Jing Yuan's limbs with an iron grip.
From the very beginning, Phantylia's objective had been singular.
—Jing Yuan!
After being bisected by the Lightning-Lord, half of Phantylia's body was all but shattered. Though her ravaged face still bore a smug, confident smile, the fury simmering beneath her brows was now impossible to conceal.
Having siphoned the 『 Abundance 』 power from the Ambrosial Arbor, she hadn't anticipated such a protracted, grueling battle. Fortunately, the 『 Abundance 』 continued to ceaselessly mend her form. This battle, from its very inception, had already been decided—
"For my next trick, I shall turn each of you into my Voidrangers. Let the power of 『 Destruction 』 will eat away at your flesh and transform you into pawns of the great Nanook!"
Before her words fully faded, the two Abyssal Lotuses clamped together, unleashing an astonishing collision. The shockwave instantly engulfed Jing Yuan, who was trapped within. 」
「 .....」
〜Genshin Impact World〜
"—JING YUAN!!"
Witnessing Jing Yuan suffer such a grievous blow, Keqing unconsciously bit down on her lip.
"Damn it, why didn't he use the Lightning-Lord to sever those vines immediately? The Lightning-Lord can cleave Phantylia's very body; severing these Ambrosial Arbor roots should be easy, shouldn't it?"
"And… where is his Lightning-Lord? If Jing Yuan falls, will the Lightning-Lord also vanish?"
"…I fear so."
On the Jade Palace Terrace, Ganyu, observing the battle, also frowned deeply.
"Not deploying the Lightning-Lord at a time like this… could it be?"
Just then, a resounding "CRASH!"—the violent shockwave from within the light screen—interrupted their thoughts.
Following the sound, they saw Jing Yuan plummeting from mid-air like a severed kite, crashing heavily onto the ground.
Most of his gilded armor was ruined, his entire body scarcely possessing an unscathed spot. He knelt on one knee, barely able to support himself with his Guan Dao.
He would lose.
A terrifying thought flashed through Keqing's mind.
Though she had considered Phantylia might gain the upper hand, Jing Yuan had the High Elder and the Astral Express crew aiding him. This battle might be a bitter struggle… but the General would ultimately be the victor.
But now—
"We must get the General out of there, allow him to regroup. If he dies… even if Phantylia doesn't act directly, the Luofu will plunge into utter chaos."
Keqing instinctively assessed.
"…As for Phantylia, she'll likely require the combined might of the other Arbiter-Generals to eradicate."
"Don't be so hasty, Keqing."
From behind, at the stone table, Madame Ping, also observing, smiled gently. She patted the stone stool beside her.
"First, sit down and have a cup of tea. Wipe the sweat from your brow. The more critical the moment, the more you must trust Jing Yuan."
"But he's already…"
Keqing couldn't bear to watch what was about to unfold.
"Crisis often conceals opportunity."
Madame Ping took a delicate sip of tea.
"…If that Abomination catches the bait."
—
「 "It's decided, we'll start with this arrogant, overbearing Xianzhou General…!"
Phantylia raised her massive hand, and a colossal suction force immediately lifted Jing Yuan into the air, suspending him like a puppet beneath her five fingers.
In an instant, countless streams of golden aura began to emanate from Phantylia's vicinity, progressively flowing into Jing Yuan's body.
This was the first step of transformation, the genesis of a person's descent into a Mara-Struck soldier, the beginning of losing one's sanity—Phantylia slowly leaned in, observing with keen interest the battle-scarred Xianzhou General who still desperately clung to life.
"I wonder if the transformation of a Xianzhou general into a Voidranger... Would cast the Luofu back into chaos?" Phantylia found this immensely amusing, chuckling softly: "Such destruction would be far more entertaining…"
Suddenly, the gravely wounded General in her palm slowly raised his head.
"Hahaha…"
Even on the brink of death, the composed smile on Jing Yuan's lips had never truly faded.
Phantylia, who had been gloating moments before, now found the smile wiped clean from her face. She finally realized that the Lightning-Lord, which had been absent all this time…
—Was behind her!
The water behind her, which should have been empty, abruptly tore open. A golden light, like an ancient dragon shattering the abyss, as thunder exploded, a blinding ray erupted amidst the oppressive wind and cascading water. It was as if myriad thunders roared in unison, screaming their wrath!
Phantylia whipped her head around, finally catching a glimpse of the brilliant gleam behind her with her peripheral vision. Alas, too slow… it was too late! 」
「 .....」
〜Bleach World〜
Inside the Seireitei—
"The surprise attack worked!"
Accompanying Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya's voice, overwhelming cheers erupted both inside and outside the First Division's meeting room.
Watching Phantylia's eyes roll back as the Lightning-Lord impaled her, many female Soul Reapers even wept with joy, letting out a collective sigh of relief for Jing Yuan's survival.
Outside the door, members from various divisions unconsciously wiped sweat from their foreheads, some even exclaiming,
"Phew… I wasn't even this tense fighting the Wandenreich. That scared me half to death. Thankfully, Jing Yuan was one step ahead…"
But soon, the discussions gradually quieted, as someone spotted a blind spot.
"Wait, isn't Phantylia unconscious? Why is Jing Yuan still restrained in the sky?"
Renji Abarai frowned, realizing the matter wasn't over yet.
—
「 "Ughhh…!" Mid-air, Jing Yuan's expression was pained, his teeth clenched. He was desperately struggling to break free from Phantylia's control.
This was a fleeting opportunity, a sliver of victory he had lured forth by offering himself as bait!
"Dan Heng! NOW—!"
With his last ounce of strength, Jing Yuan clenched his right fist. He didn't look back, for he had already entrusted his back to him… just as he had centuries ago.
At this very moment—
A cerulean light tore through the air!
Like a cerulean dragon emerging from ancient texts, a meteor streaking across the wilderness! That Cloud-Piercer spear, imbued with the vast hydro-power of the Scalegorge Waterscape, not only shattered the restraints on Jing Yuan but also severed Phantylia's connection to the Ambrosial Arbor!
"CLANG—!!!"
A shattering sound ripped through the air. Almost simultaneously, the Lightning-Lord behind Phantylia moved again. Its dazzling golden lightning, like dragon fangs, tore open Phantylia's back, piercing through her chest!
Like the collapse of a mountain peak, Phantylia, deprived of the Ambrosial Arbor's regenerative power, crashed heavily. The purple miasma shrouding her form began to dissipate, and her body fractured like shattered glass.
In the aftershocks, Jing Yuan, plummeting rapidly, could only hear a sharp ringing in his ears.
It was as if someone had driven a red-hot steel needle directly into his eardrum. The Scalegorge Waterscape was instantly drained of sound, leaving only blurred, distorted afterimages.
…Like Master, yet also like Yingxing.」
「 .....」