As the enormous pillar of flame dissipated, the dark clouds above Guyun Stone Forest gradually scattered.
The gloomy sky faded away, returning once more to clear blue skies.
At this moment, Guyun Stone Forest was calm once again— the sea smooth and tranquil, without a single ripple.
The Whirlpool Demon God, Osial, was nowhere to be seen.
"The ominous aura is gradually disappearing.
It seems Osial has truly been dealt with this time."
After sensing the surroundings, Xiao spoke to the group.
"That's good!"
Upon confirming that the demon god had been eliminated, smiles finally appeared on everyone's faces.
Although most of them hadn't played a major role in defeating Osial, the important thing was that Liyue had been spared from destruction.
That alone was worth celebrating.
"I never expected Lady Ningguang's Jade Chamber, combined with Little Klee's bomb,
to be this absurdly powerful!
I wanted to help, but I didn't even get the chance…"
Lumine scratched her head a little awkwardly.
It honestly felt like she had just come to watch the show.
The moment she said that, the adepti all looked a little embarrassed.
This time, the ones who truly resolved the crisis were Ningguang, Keqing, Ganyu, and Little Klee.
Especially Ningguang and Klee—
One smashed the demon god with the Jade Chamber.
The other blew it up with bombs.
Completely unhinged.
Originally, the adepti had planned to intervene, using the Guizhong Ballista to suppress Osial.
But it was destroyed early on, leaving them with nothing to do but shout "Nice!"
while watching the Jade Chamber and bombs do all the work.
For normally proud immortal beings, this was… rather humbling.
"Don't think of it that way.
Everyone who came to help has my sincere gratitude."
Ningguang stepped forward with a smile.
"And honestly, the reason the Jade Chamber could display such power is thanks to Boss Han's Fake Peace Orb.
Without it, today's battle would have been far more difficult."
She wasn't exaggerating.
At the moment Osial was defeated, a thought surfaced in Ningguang's mind—
What if Boss Han's comic shop rewards hadn't existed?
Keqing and Ganyu wouldn't have been able to restrain the demon god.
Once the Guizhong Ballista was destroyed, there would have been only one way left to suppress Osial—
Sacrificing the Jade Chamber itself.
"In a way, Boss Han also saved my Jade Chamber."
Looking at the floating palace in the distance, Ningguang felt genuine gratitude in her heart.
"That's true. We should definitely go thank Boss Han later."
Keqing smiled.
"I remember Boss Han really liked your cat form.
Why not represent Liyue and thank him personally?"
With the danger gone, Ningguang relaxed—and began teasing Keqing again.
"Y-you—what nonsense are you saying?!
Th-there are so many people here!"
Keqing's face instantly flushed red.
She never expected Ningguang to tease her like that in public.
But the remark also sent her imagination running wild.
"Could it be that Boss Han really likes… that?"
The image of herself in cat form, nestled in Boss Han's arms, eyes closed as he gently stroked her head—
Keqing's face grew even hotter.
"Oh? Lumine, looks like you've got a rival now!"
Seeing Keqing's reaction, Paimon floated over and nudged Lumine with her elbow.
"Hmph, what rival?
I have no idea what you're talking about."
Lumine replied calmly—
But her eyes subconsciously drifted toward Keqing.
"Cat form, huh?
So Boss Han likes that now?"
Lumine quietly began pondering.
Should she try it too sometime?
"That's absolutely right.
We truly owe this victory to that comic shop."
Cloud Retainer and the other adepti nodded in agreement.
Everyone who made a decisive contribution today had relied on rewards from Boss Han's comic shop.
Without them, Osial would never have been so easy to deal with.
Of course, some might argue that the demon god's revival was also connected to the comic shop.
But in the eyes of the adepti—
Osial's seal had endured for thousands of years.
It was already weakening.
Even without the Fake Peace Orb, Osial's release was only a matter of time.
And if someone interfered recklessly, the seal breaking early would become even more likely.
If blame had to be assigned, it should go to the person who failed to properly handle the reward.
With that thought, Cloud Retainer spoke up:
"Where is that so-called 'Childe' you mentioned?
Now that the demon god has been dealt with, it's time to settle accounts."
"The adepti, Childe is right over there."
Keqing snapped out of her thoughts, a mischievous smile appearing as she pointed at someone attempting to sneak away.
"He actually came here?"
Cloud Retainer was stunned.
Shouldn't someone who caused trouble run as far away as possible?
Why would he come to the scene?
Showing off?!
"Uh… good afternoon, everyone."
Under the group's eerie stares, Childe forced an awkward laugh.
His emotions were beyond complicated.
When he came, he had expected an intense battle.
Instead, he ended up being nothing more than background decoration.
Osial was flattened by Ningguang and a little girl—
One smashed it with a floating palace.
The other nuked it with bombs.
After witnessing those two terrifying weapons, Childe was utterly dumbfounded.
Osial really didn't die unjustly.
Being beaten repeatedly by weapons like that was honestly something to brag about.
Since the matter was resolved, Childe originally planned to quietly retreat once they returned to Liyue.
But somehow, he still got caught.
Left with no choice, he explained helplessly:
"This really isn't my fault.
I didn't know the Fake Peace Orb could fly, okay?
Right, Slime?"
For a moment, the group felt conflicted.
Childe's explanation did have some logic.
But the instant the word "slime" came out—
Everyone's expressions changed.
"You might have lived,"
Keqing said cheerfully, giving a thumbs-up.
"But now?
Not happening."
Everyone knew—
Cloud Retainer absolutely hated being called a slime.
Especially when it was Childe saying it.
As expected, Cloud Retainer's face darkened instantly.
"Fatui scum— accept this adeptus' judgment!"
With a single hop, she lunged forward.
Even though she currently looked like a slime, she still possessed the power of an adeptus.
Childe was completely outmatched.
He was immediately stomped into the ground, receiving an enthusiastic beatdown.
"Slime—did I say something wrong?"
After getting pummeled, Childe protested weakly.
"DO NOT SAY SLIME!"
The Cloud Retainer roared.
"But you are a slime!
I'm a Fatui Harbinger—there's no way I'd mistake that!"
Childe looked serious.
You can beat him up, sure—
But you cannot insult his intelligence.
If this wasn't a slime, then what was it?!
And then—
There was no "then."
Only waves of agonized screams echoed through the air.
Truly—
Heartbreaking to hear.
Painful to witness.
—------------------------------
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