The players in the livestream hadn't even processed what happened.
The screen was flooded with ???
Guinaifen stared blankly at the display.
Everything had unfolded too quickly.
One moment, they were immersed in the high-octane animation of consecutive ultimate attacks,
raising milk tea cups in fervor, their passion unquelled despite years of trials.
But just a few frames later, another wave of formidable enemies appeared,
and suddenly, her favorite character was taken offline?
Who could withstand that?
Combined with the characters' reactions on-screen and the perfectly timed music,
Little Gui's nose stung, and she quietly turned off the camera capture.
[??? Host, you're just gonna do this?]
[I came here to lose it with you, turn it back on!]
[Haha, there's no way anyone actually believes this, right…?]
Guinaifen was already a big streamer.
The viewers in her livestream were mostly Mu Yang fans.
At this moment, many forgot their usual antics.
Their hearts felt as if pricked by a needle, a slight but piercing pain.
They recalled Mu Yang from their first meeting in Mondstadt, through the crisis in Liyue,
and then in Inazuma. Almost every time, Mu Yang stood protectively in front of the Travelers.
It was as if, with him there, they'd never get hurt.
This time was no different, right?
Was it really the same?
Both Xiao and Mu Yang had said that as long as the seal remained,
Mu Yang was cut off from the source of his power.
So, dissipating in this state—didn't that mean he could never return?
No longer could they, as before,
push open the second floor of Three Bowls Won't Cross the Harbor and hear his warm greeting,
or see that faint smile and his outwardly cold but inwardly warm heart…
Guinaifen still hadn't turned the camera back on.
Her eyes were red-rimmed by now.
Thinking of Mu Yang, her favorite scene was still the Moonlit Festival reunion.
Mu Yang and his sister leaning against a large rock, gazing at the moon.
That was her computer wallpaper, unchanged to this day…
[Host, don't cry, there's a twist!]
[Little Gui, wipe those tears quick—he really does have a plan!]
[Feels like they're using that achievement foreshadowing now.]
Guinaifen saw the barrage shift and wiped her face, eager to see what had happened.
— — — — — —
Back in Teyvat,
at first, seeing Mu Yang turn to silver frost, everyone was stunned,
unsure how to react.
Yelan bit her lower lip tightly. Once again, someone else had saved her with their life…
Yanfei still couldn't believe it. From her perspective,
Mu Yang had a keen eye, always striking gold in any business venture.
He trusted her completely, offering her the highest salary and involving her in all sorts of endorsements.
To her, Mu Yang was undefeatable—whether in commerce, literature, or martial prowess.
Who could've imagined that today's battle would be a farewell?
And he didn't lose—he chose to sacrifice himself to protect everyone present…
Lumine, needless to say, was the most devastated.
Why, why could she do nothing as Mu Yang sacrificed himself before her eyes?
Three elements were still too few…
Memories of her time with Mu Yang flashed before her eyes.
Unbeknownst to her, the glow at her wrist grew brighter…
Everyone present had their own thoughts, but Mu Yang, of course, didn't know what they were thinking.
He hadn't left—he was still there, spectating his own drama up close.
Eating his own big melon.
Honestly, he was quite satisfied with the players' reactions.
But today, he hadn't planned to go this big.
So he didn't add too much flair to his act.
He was about to reappear soon.
Because this operation was just a small cut.
The real goal was to take an item from the player's backpack: [???].
That fragment they picked up in Mondstadt's Snowy Mountains.
Those vague descriptions annoyed Mu Yang.
He liked small surprises outside his plans,
but he couldn't tolerate things beyond his control.
If that [???] was meant to play a role at some point, he wanted it to be today.
It had to be today. He deliberately left a small crack in the seal to cover for the fragments he hadn't collected.
Just then, an unexpected "roaring surprise" appeared.
A bird, black-feathered with red eyes—a raven.
Clarisse spread her wings from Lumine's wrist.
After circling in front of everyone, she perched on Lumine's shoulder,
nuzzling her cheek vigorously.
"That's… why does it feel familiar?"
Yanfei reacted instantly, "Doesn't anyone else think this bird feels a lot like the beautiful woman we saw in Mu Yang's illusion?"
The group nodded. They remembered the two were adversaries.
But now, even if they wanted to stay on guard, they were too exhausted.
Besides, the bird didn't seem combat-capable and carried Mu Yang's aura.
It probably wasn't an enemy, right?
"Though the aura is faint, it's definitely his."
Lumine's confirmation eased everyone's worries.
Mu Yang really wasn't reckless—he'd left himself a backup plan…
Paimon patted her flat chest, "Phew, I thought we'd never see Mu Yang again!"
Clarisse, probably infected with a flair for drama,
heard Paimon and deliberately circled her a few times, nuzzling her face,
before returning to Lumine's shoulder.
— — — — — —
The livestream audience, having seen the Raiden Shogun and Mu Yang's battle,
knew exactly what this raven represented.
It was a part of Mu Yang's manifested power.
Though it was the darker part,
for now, her being alive meant Mu Yang was alive too.
They didn't know how Mu Yang pulled it off,
but at least he'd survived.
[Little Gui's heart rate is calming down.]
[Mine too. Don't pull this again!]
[I'm getting old; I can't handle these rollercoasters.]
[Family, thank goodness my internet lagged, or I'd have booked a ticket to Mondstadt.]
[I've got fast internet—I actually booked it!]
[You're the real MVP (thumbs up).]
— — — — — —
Mu Yang frowned slightly.
This was indeed an unexpected little surprise.
Clarisse had somehow broken through the domain and was acting outside.
This meant that during the time Mu Yang was cut off from the Oath of the Sunken Blade,
she had been twisting, crawling, and entwining in the shadows…
further eroding Mu Yang's core. This wasn't good news.
This woman used to seem like a refined, elegant older sister.
But if Mu Yang had to describe her now:
Her entire being screamed rebellion, save for her overwhelming presence.
Originally, this performance could've tugged at the players' emotions a bit longer.
But her interference turned their emotions into a rollercoaster ride.
They hadn't even had a full minute to wallow.
What about my popularity?!
Once he got out, he'd head straight back to Mt. Mingyuan and deal with Clarisse decisively.
Rebellious brat, did she really think she was in charge?
Mu Yang mentally called out to his system, "No major issues at the Oath of the Sunken Blade, right?"
Chenyu Vale absolutely couldn't have any problems.
The system replied, "Of course not. Trust in this system's capabilities."
Since everything was fine, Mu Yang relaxed.
Next up was Xiao's performance.
As brothers for thousands of years, I deliberately didn't break the seal.
I've set the stage for you—pretty generous, right?