The Abyss.
The Abyssal Church had almost no living souls left.
Those who coexisted with the Abyss vanished into nothingness along with it, erased and negated.
Aether weakly leaned against the throne.
Tears fell as if in a bitter smile, a silent cry, without even the strength to scream—so utterly fragile.
A dream shattered in an instant. Nothing could be more agonizing.
In that moment, all hope turned to dust.
He was lost.
And at the same time, figures like the Six Sinners of Khaenri'ah were likewise cast down into the mortal dust, so weak that even a wild boar could easily end them.
For those who took such pride in their own power, this was nothing less than torture.
Unable to even take their own lives, as if waiting for the executioner's blade—one moment arrogantly surveying the continent of Teyvat, scoffing at the Heavenly Principles' lack of wisdom, and the next, reduced to this.
What humiliation!
--+--
On Celestia, Asmoday sensed the situation below and felt a deep reverence for Kiana.
"Your power truly shines like the blazing sun. No one can stand in your way."
"You bet!" Kiana puffed her chest proudly, hands on her hips, looking both cocky and cute.
As for those in Teyvat who had perished under her constraint field, Kiana held no particular thoughts.
First, she only cared about those she personally valued—she was neither a saint nor free of willfulness.
Second, before, Phanes had protected the humans of this world far too well.
The iron law of loving humanity was even engraved deep into the soul of every Archon.
It had made humans forget their place.They needed a wake-up call—it was necessary.
Though Kiana often acted on whims, whenever she got serious, it was never without reason.
Mondstadt had been coddled into a giant infant.
Liyue kept clamoring for human self-rule.
For heaven's sake, while other nations were still governed by gods, you alone insisted on human rule. What kind of logic is that?
Did you really think Liyue was respected because of a few merchant elites? Without Morax, do you think others would trade with you so peacefully?
It was just… hard to take.
Inazuma… let's not even go there.
Sumeru had once imprisoned their own god.
And the people of Fontaine dared to put their Hydro Archon on trial, even publicly criticizing her—how in the world does that make sense?
If they weren't shown some consequences, they'd think the Heavenly Principles were as easy-going as their own gods.
And now, even if only for a dozen or so minutes, the very land shifted, environments fell into chaos.
It was like a world-ending flood had suddenly descended, and all they could do was watch.
This was their punishment.
But!
Kiana didn't actually intend to wipe them all out.
So, once it felt sufficient, she began to revoke her authority.
"Asmoday, you can go notify the Seven Archons now. No need to go down—just bring them here to see me."
To allow the Seven to ascend to Celestia, she had to return their power.
That was another reason for lifting the constraint field.
After all, the Abyss was gone now.
The void powers faded like mist, melting away like ice and snow.
The very air felt fresher.
It felt great.
--+--
At the same time, everyone in Teyvat felt the agonizing weakness rapidly fade.
Ordinary humans began to regain their stamina.
Vision holders once again sensed elemental power, shaken but relieved.
Elemental beings, having nearly met their end, now huddled like quails, too scared to show themselves.
Hilichurls, along with other Abyss-touched monsters, turned completely to dust, returning to earth.
For a time, only Slimes remained in the wild. They'd hidden away, scared half to death.
"We… survived?"
In Mondstadt, the Thousand Winds' Ode took effect once more, bringing a warm breeze.
In Liyue, impurities were purged, but the collapsed mountains could not be restored. Even the ley lines seemed to have shifted violently.
In Inazuma, "Why did it have to come to this…"
Most of Watatsumi Island had sunk.
Even if the people were saved, with their homes destroyed, where could they go?
In Sumeru, the withered rainforests were barely better off than the neighboring deserts.
Restoration would depend on their own long, arduous efforts—planting trees, nurturing the land.
In Fontaine, though Neuvillette immediately reactivated the power of the Primordial Sea, turning the people of Fontaine back into humans,
Everything that had just happened still cast a shadow over their hearts.
No one wanted to remember it.
But!
Beyond that, a bigger problem emerged.
"The Seven Archons of the mortal realm, come swiftly to Celestia for an audience."
It was the call of the Heavenly Principles.
Yet, Focalors, the Hydro Archon of Fontaine, was gone.
All that remained was Furina. Even if she now possessed a Vision, what use was it? She couldn't even ascend to Celestia.
Which meant, Fontaine had no god to answer Celestia's summons.
Earlier, when the Heavenly Principles reawakened, as if declaring her might, she had nearly sealed away all energy across the world.
That alone showed how formidable she was.
And regardless of what she intended to do with the Seven on Celestia, if one couldn't even attend…
The consequences were all too easy to imagine.
So… what could they do?
Neuvillette was sweating bullets.
"The Heavenly Principles has finally cooled down… sigh!"
Venti also received the summons. Dressed in his divine attire—the skimpiest of them all, looking quite risqué—he wore a weary expression, dragging his feet as if he could delay things step by step.
He really didn't want to go!
Because his act had been so unconvincing, and he'd lost his Gnosis.
How was that any different from a feudal lord losing his seal?
"Director, I have some business to attend to…"
Zhongli fell silent for a moment, then solemnly requested leave from Hu Tao.
"Judging by your stern face and the dark aura over your brow… should I prepare a premium coffin for you in advance, Consultant?"
Hu Tao lay slumped over her desk, still recovering from the earlier weakness of having her powers stripped.
Her words came out feeble.
"That won't be necessary…"
Zhongli paused briefly, then changed his mind. "On second thought, perhaps one would be appropriate."
Hu Tao was stunned.
She'd only been joking!
In Inazuma, the Raiden Shogun felt she'd done nothing wrong. Unafraid, she headed straight for Celestia at full speed.
In Natlan, the Pyro Archon, Mavuika, did the same.
In Sumeru, though the Dendro Archon didn't believe she'd erred, her mind was filled with doubts and unease.
The Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya looked bitterly at the Fatui around her, then, with a heart full of despair, set off for Celestia.
So!
What about Fontaine?
After some thought, Neuvillette used his own power to send Furina up.
"No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no noaaaaaaaah!"
Furina screamed all the way, pure terror written all over her face—but it was useless.
She still carried part of the Hydro Archon's persona. By any measure, she counted as the Hydro Archon's representative.
Attending the audience on Celestia wasn't entirely unreasonable.
If Celestia truly intended to hold Focalors' actions against Fontaine, Neuvillette wouldn't just stand by, even knowing he was outmatched.
This wasn't about pushing Furina out as a scapegoat.
But especially at a time like this, they couldn't afford to act rashly.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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