===✧✦✧===
On the other side, Lucian and Lumine stepped out of the room. The sky was dark, the oppressive black clouds making it hard to breathe—a scene straight out of the apocalypse.
In the distant sea, several whirlpools raged across the water, and faint roars could be heard. The ancient god of the deep had awakened.
Lucian formed a hand seal, casting Divine Striding on the three of them. Lumine and Lucian quickly made their way to the harbor.
At this moment, Liyue Harbor was completely empty, a far cry from its usual bustling and lively atmosphere.
Ningguang had already evacuated the crowds when Lucian brought Tartaglia to the Golden House.
Wait—not entirely empty. Standing at the edge of the dock was a small blue figure: Qiqi.
Before they could even greet her, a large bird swooped down.
"This adeptus has been waiting for you for a long time. Come, this one shall take you up," Cloud Retainer said.
The "up" she referred to was the Jade Chamber, which had already flown to the center of the sea.
"It's... uh, the something-something adeptus," Paimon stammered.
"Insolence! This one is Cloud Retainer!" the adeptus scolded.
"Even though you're big, can you carry two people?" Lumine asked.
"Insolence! Who said this one would carry you?" Cloud Retainer snapped again.
"This one need only employ a minor art to bring you to the Jade Chamber." With that, she cast Divine Striding.
This was the true Divine Striding, unlike Lucian's version, which merely made them run a little faster.
"So cool! I feel like Paimon now," Lumine marveled.
When Lucian had cast Divine Striding earlier, she hadn't felt much—she could already use Anemo to run faster, so the spell just made things a bit easier.
Now, Lumine finally understood the true power of Divine Striding—it could even make you fly.
"This adeptus's magical tools are even more impressive than adeptal arts," Cloud Retainer boasted.
"Yeah, my master's tools can cook automatically," Lucian nodded.
Though he hadn't used them yet, cooking was such a hassle. If there really was a tool that could do it automatically, that would be amazing.
If he ever met Ei, he'd make sure to gift her one.
"Automatic cooking? Hmm... interesting. If I invent one and sell it, I might just earn enough to buy a house," Cloud Retainer mused.
"ROAR!!!"
Osial's furious roar shook the heavens as his colossal, sky-obscuring form erupted from the depths.
"Eek! That's terrifying! Maybe we should stop talking about cooking—can we even fight this monster?" Paimon fretted.
"Rest assured. This one has repaired the Guizhong Ballistas in advance. With the combined efforts of the adepti, we will surely subdue Osial," Cloud Retainer declared confidently.
The group (and bird) flew up to the Jade Chamber, where Ningguang was directing operations.
"Cloud Retainer, you've arrived," Moon Carver said flatly, unfazed even by Osial's emergence.
"Adepti, prepare," Ningguang commanded sternly. At this moment, even the adepti obeyed her orders.
The adepti offered no objections, each taking their positions at the Guizhong Ballistas. These ballistas required adeptal energy to unleash their full power.
There were only three ballistas. Madame Ping and Xiao did not operate them, instead standing guard to intercept Osial's attacks and allow the other adepti to focus on firing.
"Attack!" Ningguang ordered once they were close enough.
The ballista bolts, infused with adeptal energy, struck Osial. Even an ancient god would feel pain from such blows.
"ROAR!"
Osial prepared to retaliate, but a cannon blast interrupted him.
"Fire! Fire!" Beidou stood at the bow of her ship.
One foot planted on the railing, she pointed her greatsword at Osial with one hand while chugging from a liquor bottle with the other.
Osial glanced at the Crux Fleet, only to be struck from another direction.
Keqing had organized the Millelith on the islands to attack, with Ganyu's arrows joining the fray.
The sensation was like being pelted with pebbles—until someone suddenly fired an RPG.
Under assault from three sides, Osial's multiple heads at least allowed him to keep track of everything.
Truthfully, Osial was a bit confused. After being sealed away for who-knows-how-long, he'd just woken up to being bombarded from all directions.
What was happening? Why was the seal broken? Had Morax died?
Good news! Time to celebrate!
Osial fired seven water blasts into the sky.
These blasts rained down precisely on Liyue's three main forces.
"Hahaha! Bring it on!" Beidou tossed aside her liquor bottle and gripped her sword with both hands.
Electro surged along the blade as she swung horizontally.
The slash shattered Osial's water blast, reducing the terrifying attack to harmless rain.
"Whew. That felt good," Beidou exhaled.
But an ancient god was still an ancient god. Blocking that strike wasn't as effortless as she made it seem.
Another blast was still descending toward the Crux Fleet. Beidou raised her sword again, ready to slash once more. She could manage a dozen more strikes like this.
Kazuha drew his blade, unleashing a gust of wind that formed a barrier. The water blast struck the barrier, spiraled along the currents, and dissipated.
Sheathing his sword, Kazuha picked up Beidou's bottle, dusted it off, and handed it back to her.
On Keqing's side, the Millelith formed ranks, raising their spears nervously as the water blast descended.
Ganyu lifted her bow, but before she could act, Shenhe stepped forward, holding a talisman between her fingers.
She flicked it forward, and the falling water blast instantly froze before shattering into icy fragments, scattering like starlight.
She knew her junior brother would come to help, so she had to contribute as well.
The last water blast was dealt with by Hu Tao. The crowd only saw a flash of flames before the blast evaporated.
Hu Tao remained her usual playful self, as if she hadn't exerted any effort. But behind her, a cute white ghost floated.
The Millelith were stunned. They knew everyone here was extraordinary, but these two were on another level.
Such a terrifying attack, resolved so effortlessly?
They recognized Hu Tao—the current director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—but who was this white-haired girl?
Finally, Lucian's group was also targeted. Since the Jade Chamber was a large target, Osial focused more attacks here.
But the three water blasts were easily handled—Lucian, Lumine, and Xiao each dealt with one.
For Osial, these attacks weren't his strongest moves.
His massive form twisted, and towering waterspouts erupted, their destructive power far surpassing the water blasts.
Even worse, while the waterspouts raged toward them, Osial continued firing water blasts—each of his heads taking turns.
One head even functioned like a laser cannon, relentlessly battering the Jade Chamber with torrents of water.
Fortunately, Xiao and Madame Ping erected barriers, blocking the relentless assault.
"This Osial is way harder than in the game..." Lucian muttered.
He'd thought that with Shenhe's extra help, plus Lumine's additional elemental abilities, this battle would be easier.
But it wasn't easy at all. He'd rather fight Childe again.
The good news was that Osial couldn't keep attacking indefinitely. After a while, he finally paused.
His attacks seemed to require a cooldown.
This gave everyone a chance to counterattack. Now it was the Guizhong Ballistas' turn to fire nonstop.
Lucian and Lumine joined in, shooting water blasts of their own—though they were about as effective as squirt guns, just adding to the spectacle.
The best news was that the Fatui, who would normally interfere, were absent.
They could focus entirely on Osial.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voiceline · Shenhe: About Osial
"A formidable enemy. I'm no match for him... but he tried to hurt my junior brother, so I acted."