Because the affected area was too large, Lumine struggled to maintain the prison that trapped the Ruin Serpent. Unable to see the result clearly, she called out to Victor Wang.
"Is it over?"
Victor Wang didn't answer right away. After making sure that the shockwave had completely dissipated, he finally exhaled.
"It's over. That serpent's been smashed to pieces."
Lumine then released the geo construct that had confined the Ruin Serpent. For a brief moment, the serpent's fragments rained down upon the ground like a storm. She also breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's over."
Paimon cheered, "It's over, it's over! That huge crystal pillar has been purified! Once Khedive confirms this really was the source of the anomaly, our commission will finally be done!"
"Yeah. If this wasn't the source of the anomaly… there doesn't seem to be anywhere else it could be." Lumine looked around the area and continued, "My guess should be correct. It sounds a little strange, but it's as if the Abyss Order was trying to use an Abyssal contamination device to purify the Abyss itself."
Paimon tilted her head. "Haha, that sounds like a tongue-twister! Why would a device that purifies the Abyss end up being corrupted by the Abyss?"
"They built stone gates, constructed those devices, struck bells, hid keys… all of that couldn't have been just for fun."
While Lumine and Paimon chatted, Victor Wang was still thinking about the strange black star from before. Not far from them, the fragments of the Ruin Serpent scattered across the Dark Mud began to stir restlessly, quietly piecing themselves back together. When two of the larger fragments clicked into place with a sharp ka-da, Victor Wang, already on edge, immediately caught sight of the motion.
"That serpent… is it coming back to life?!"
Lumine's expression changed. She remembered the monsters in Enkanomiya—those that were covered in the dark mists of the Void Realm, creatures that simply couldn't die. "We need to purify it!"
Both she and Victor Wang raised their Lumenstones and charged forward. The light's radiance melted away the Dark Mud wherever it touched. Yet, even when the corrupted substance vanished from sight, the serpent's fragments continued to merge.
"If it can revive after being shattered like that… imagine if it were a living creature instead. Ugh… that power's terrifying!" Paimon shivered just from the thought.
"This isn't the time to be amazed!"
Watching the serpent slowly reform, yet unable to stop it, filled Lumine with helpless frustration. She was almost ready to dig into the ground itself just to see if any Dark Mud remained.
Victor Wang searched through the wreckage for the source of the corruption. He could sense the Abyss everywhere… until suddenly, he spotted a glowing fragment—one that pulsed with both amber and violet light. When illuminated by the Lumenstone, the violet energy writhed, clinging like a curse that refused to disperse.
Holding the fragment, Victor Wang's mind calmed. He looked up at the Celestial Nail—it was still tilted, but he no longer needed it to crush the serpent. As long as he got close enough and amplified the purification power, the Ruin Serpent wouldn't be able to revive. He raised the energy block, signaling to Lumine.
"It's the Lumenstone's purification power—it's not strong enough. I'll try to bring down that crystal above us. You two, get some distance."
After Lumine and Paimon retreated, Victor Wang rose into the air—only to lock eyes with Yelan, who stood some distance away, bowstring drawn.
Both froze for an instant. Seeing Victor Wang about to strike the Celestial Nail with his sword, Yelan silently shook her head. Victor Wang paused and stepped back. Yelan then nodded once and released her arrow, its water energy thrumming with force.
This time, the Celestial Nail's reaction was far stronger than when Lumine had pierced it before. A thunderous shockwave burst outward, shaking the mountain, shattering stone, and filling the air with dust. The Nail itself descended, driving into the ground.
When the chaos subsided and the view cleared, Yelan was nowhere to be seen.
Victor Wang looked downward. The Celestial Nail had embedded itself deep into the earth—first it went still, then its surface and the surrounding terrain began to emit a faint azure light. Gradually, it floated upward again, and from its radiance, pure blue energy crystals began to form. It had been restored.
As for the Ruin Serpent—bathed in that light, it went completely still.
"This time, it's really over. But… that crystal actually fell?"
"Yeah, I thought it'd just keep floating forever… it really did fall?"
Both Lumine and Paimon gave Victor Wang puzzled looks. Thinking fast, he improvised, "Well… because that crystal shard earlier fell after being purified—it even drilled out a new passage, right?"
Paimon helpfully chimed in, "That shard fell because it was reuniting with the main crystal pillar, you know."
"Got it. I'll remember that for next time…" Victor Wang countered quickly, "But this time, the crystal did fall, didn't it?"
Lumine and Paimon immediately looked away, each wearing that awkward-but-polite smile.
"Hey! Are you all done?" Zhiqiong's voice echoed from the entrance. "The air in this 'Crystal Hall' feels different now—so it's over, right?"
Unable to contain her excitement, she ran toward them. Victor Wang called out a warning, "If you start feeling unwell because of the crystal, speak up immediately."
Standing close to the Celestial Nail, Zhiqiong shook her head. "No discomfort."
"Really?"
"Really. This crystal feels different from that fragment before—hard to explain, but it doesn't make me uneasy."
So the Nail's core caused discomfort to ordinary people, yet the complete Celestial Nail did not...
Victor Wang pondered deeply, while Zhiqiong continued sketching and said, "Though I was hoping this area might show some traces of that Yaksha who's said to protect Liyue."
Paimon's curiosity flared. "Yaksha? Why would there be one down here?"
"I grew up hearing Yaksha stories. The elders always said one of the 'Adepti Yaksha' was sealed beneath The Chasm. It's supposedly tied to a great battle from five hundred years ago. That's all I know."
"The Adepti Yaksha? If that's true, then it must've been a friend of Xiao's! But in the Record of the Guardian Yaksha, it says the others didn't end well… Maybe we should ask Xiao about it once we're out?"
Lumine thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Let's investigate first before bringing it up."
…
"Your Highness… the pollution experiment in The Chasm has been interrupted. It seems your blood relative is responsible again."
"I recall that experiment has been ongoing for quite some time, hasn't it?"
"For several years now."
"The experimental data?"
"All regularly recorded… Understood. The final results can be extrapolated from the changes over time. There's plenty of data—no issue there."
"Good. Then it doesn't matter."
"In addition, the purification experiment using the ancient ruins there… once the mines reopen, it may be impossible to continue. Shall we proceed?"
Aether's expression finally shifted. He closed his eyes and sighed, reaffirming the decision he had made long ago.
"Proceed. Better for them to return to the 'Cycle' than to live on stripped of all dignity. Do not let them bear those false sins any longer."
"Your judgment, Your Highness, is the Abyss Order's blessing."