The Southern Cross Fleet vanished quickly over the horizon, their sails retreating into the distance until nothing but ocean remained. Saphir stared at Beidou's motionless body on the deck, her voice low with a sigh.
"Beidou… you shouldn't have been this weak."
She knew all too well how powerful Vision-wielders could be. That final Spear of Victory might have severely wounded Beidou, but it shouldn't have been fatal. Yet the so-called Dragon King of the Southern Sea now lay dead before her.
Replaying the battle in her mind, Saphir realized it wasn't her attack that had sealed Beidou's fate—it was Beidou herself. Her movements, her strength, even her Elemental Burst… everything had been slower, weaker than expected.
She must've already been injured before the fight even began.
Saphir curled her lips into a bitter smile.
"So stubborn… You could've just backed down. Did I look like some bloodthirsty butcher? What good was there in throwing your life away?"
"Lady Dark Shepherd, what should we do with the body?" the Debt Collector squad leader asked cautiously.
To see their Harbinger crush the infamous Beidou in a matter of minutes left the Fatui soldiers awestruck. Beidou had long been a thorn in their side—her fleet intercepting supply lines, evading capture with ease. Even "The Banker" Pantalone had failed to do anything about her. But today, she was gone.
And that left Saphir with a dilemma.
After a long pause, she finally gave the order.
"Prepare a small boat. No—make it two. Place her body in one. Handle it gently."
She glanced down at Beidou's still form. "I'll disembark here. You take the cargo to Liyue Harbor, report to Tartaglia. Until I return, he's in charge."
Without waiting for questions, she headed toward the lifeboat. Her men swiftly carried Beidou's corpse aboard.
Before leaving, she turned back to the crew and locked eyes with a Mirror Maiden standing silently nearby.
"Ada. You're coming with me."
The Mirror Maiden named Ada gave a silent nod and followed.
—
The waves of the Southern Sea rolled quietly as the two small boats approached the towering pillars of Guyun Stone Forest. Formed by the Geo Archon's sealing of the vortex god Osial with a divine spear, the protruding spire had, over millennia, created the mountain-like islands now known as Guyun.
"Did Morax choose this place to seal the demon, or did the seal itself give birth to the site we now call Guyun?" Saphir mused aloud, stepping onto the rocky shore.
Ada carried Beidou's corpse in silence, offering no reply. She knew Saphir well enough to recognize when the woman was talking to herself.
They found an abandoned Hilichurl camp. When a fire axe-wielding Hilichurl brute charged at them, Saphir casually batted him away with a swing of her cross-shaped weapon. The rest of the tribe scattered in terror.
Inside a crude shelter, Ada laid Beidou's body down with care, even placing a bed of straw beneath her. She had known Saphir long before either of them joined the Fatui—they had grown up together in the House of the Hearth. After Saphir became a Harbinger, Ada requested to serve under her. Their conversations were sparse, but Ada understood her superior's character well.
Saphir wasn't the type to kill without reason.
And yet today… she had accidentally killed Beidou.
Back when Ada trained as a Mirror Maiden, she'd also studied basic healing. Now that she was closer to the body, she could confirm what Saphir had already guessed—Beidou had been injured before the battle. That, Ada thought, must be why Saphir's final blow became fatal.
Still… they were Fatui. Killing was nothing new.
What was strange, though, was why Saphir brought her here, alone, carrying a corpse.
Then she watched as Saphir removed her heavy cloak, revealing the nun-like outfit she always wore beneath: a white robe under a long black overcoat, now paired with a black veil that she took from her pack and draped over her head. It looked bizarre at first glance, but something about the solemn attire exuded an almost divine dignity.
Saphir inhaled deeply. She placed her right hand over Beidou's abdomen and pulled from her waist the golden Vision she usually wore as an ornament, now slung as a pendant around her neck.
The Vision pulsed—brighter than anything Ada had seen during their earlier battle.
—
[Light of Resurrection]
Unleashes divine power to revive the deceased. The user suffers backlash proportional to the strength of the revived individual. After resurrection, a soul-link forms between caster and target. This ability can only be used once per year. Use with caution.
—
A warm white glow enveloped Beidou's body. Ada's eyes widened as color slowly returned to the woman's face—faint, but unmistakable signs of life.
She nearly gasped aloud but caught herself, clutching her mouth with both hands and barely breathing.
Saphir, however, was clearly struggling.
Her face grew deathly pale. When Beidou's chest finally rose in a shallow breath and her heart began to beat again, Saphir doubled over with a violent cough, blood splattering onto the ground.
Still, she held on. She endured, until Beidou's pulse stabilized, her breathing regular.
Only then did she slump back against a nearby crate, exhaustion pouring from every pore.
Ada rushed to support her, gently wiping the blood and sweat from her face with a handkerchief.
"She's alive?" she whispered, still in disbelief.
This—this was not just power. This was divinity. Even Morax piercing the sea to create Guyun Stone Forest seemed less miraculous than this.
To bring someone back from death—truly back—that was something even gods, even Celestia, might not be able to do.
Saphir simply offered a faint smile.
"Her life isn't meant to end here. Not just for our plans in Liyue, but for things yet to come. Without her, they won't work."
"I don't fully understand… but if it's your decision, Lady Saphir, I will support it."
Ada's voice returned to its usual calm. The Mirror Maidens were trained to be ever-graceful, their poise drilled into them from youth. It was second nature now.
Saphir chuckled lightly.
"Because you trust a Harbinger… or because you trust me?"
Ada hesitated. Then replied softly,
"Both. But I trust Saphir more."
Seemingly embarrassed, she stood and gave a formal bow.
"I'll go gather some food. You need to replenish your strength after such an ordeal."
"Go ahead," Saphir murmured, adjusting her posture and slowly closing her eyes. She was utterly drained.
Though it looked simple, the revival had cost her dearly. Beidou's soul had already begun to dissipate. The reason she chose this old battlefield wasn't random—she'd used the chaotic leylines of the area to gather scattered fragments of Beidou's essence and rebind them to her body.
In the span of minutes, she had combed through the spiritual fabric of all of Liyue, matching Beidou's soul with its missing parts, ensuring no error, no misalignment.
Now… she needed rest.
As Saphir slipped into a light doze, far above her, in the night sky, a faint constellation flickered to life.
The Southern Haishan, once dark, now blazed once more—this time, with a golden halo.
In a sea of darkness, a single golden star shone bright. Invisible to mortals… but not to all.
Constellation: Throne of the Seraphim
Activated.
Linked Constellation:Southern Haishan.
Star Unlocked:Gabriel's Mercy.
Effect:For God so loved the world, that She watched your act of atonement from on high. Even in your sins, Her mercy endures. Under Her divine light, all healing abilities are greatly enhanced.
Atop the cliffs of Jueyun Karst, a man dressed in robes adorned with square, key, and dragon patterns stood silently within a mountain pavilion.
His amber eyes peered into the heavens, past clouds and stars, as though seeing the very constellation that had just awakened.
Behind him, a celestial deer and two divine cranes stood quietly, gazing upward with him.