The Captain strode out from among the Fatui, his single-handed sword in hand.
The temperature around them plummeted sharply the moment he appeared.
If it had been Lumine—the famed Traveler—the Captain might have taken his time, exchanged a few words before fighting.
He wouldn't strike the moment they met.
Even if Lumine had slain countless Fatui.
But this Liang Chuan…
This completely unknown outsider...
The Captain didn't hesitate in the slightest—he drew his sword and unleashed a killing strike!
"Swoosh!!!"
A flash of icy sword energy came slicing straight for his face!
Liang Chuan knew—if that hit landed, he'd be dead or crippled for sure!
But with his movements slowed by Cryo restriction, he could hardly move, let alone dodge.
He could only watch as that gleaming arc of frost expanded in his pupils—
"Clang!"
The icy sword aura didn't split his body apart—it smashed against an ice shield instead!
It was Citlali again!
She had summoned the shield in time, using Itzpapa to protect Liang Chuan.
At the same time, Ororon activated [Echoes of Silence], summoning the Sonic Spirit Eye among the Fatui ranks.
Electro energy burst out, injuring them and drawing their attention.
"What are you all still standing there for?! Run!"
Citlali darted in front of all the players, pointing toward the Captain.
"How dare you try to kill someone before me—the Guardian of Secrets! You've got some nerve!"
"Citlali, that's the Fatui Captain!" Liang Chuan shouted a warning.
"In pure combat strength, he's the strongest among the Harbingers! Don't take him head-on!"
Liang Chuan and the players could die and revive with a bit of bio-energy.
But Citlali... she wasn't necessarily the same.
At least in his memory, Citlali wasn't one of the Ancient Names' Inheritors.
And the current Ode of Resurrection couldn't resurrect all Nata people.
Meaning...
If Citlali died—she might really die.
Hearing this, Citlali's brows furrowed deeply.
As a high priestess who had lived for more than two hundred years,
of course she'd heard the name Captain.
"This is bad..."
She exhaled slowly, then called out to Ororon:
"Ororon! Return to the tribe at once and inform Pacal!
Tell him Fatui's Captain is here!
Have him contact Mavuika for reinforcements.
I'll hold him off here!"
"No! I won't leave you here alone, Grandma!" Ororon protested.
"If you stay, we'll all die together! Go get Mavuika—now!" Citlali shouted.
While they spoke, the Captain didn't pause.
He sent another barrage of icy slashes their way.
Even Citlali's summoned ice shield couldn't withstand repeated strikes from him—
cracks spread across it, about to shatter.
"How about… you two fall back first? I'll hold him off."
Liang Chuan raised his hand slightly from behind Citlali.
"You?"
Citlali shook her head.
"You may be strong for a mortal without a Vision—but you're no match for the Captain!"
"I know," Liang Chuan sighed. "I'm not his equal.
But holding him off… that's all I can do."
He took a deep breath.
"Didn't want to use this trick… but looks like I'll have to blow up the Captain."
"'Blow up' the Captain? What do you mean by that?" Citlali asked, confused.
"Exactly what it sounds like," Liang Chuan replied,
pulling a lump of clay from his inventory and shoving it into his mouth to chew.
"Demolitionist class talent—Clay Bomb.
But since I don't have any other catalyst materials right now,
I'll have to eat the clay myself—turn my own body into the bomb."
"That player who picked Demolitionist thought it was a useless whiteboard class...
But thanks to him, I found a new trick:
use yourself as the fuse, become the bomb.
The bomb's damage equals 500% of your total four attributes!
Even you, Captain—
I'll show you what true art is!"
As the ice shield shattered, Liang Chuan activated [Windstep] and charged straight at the Captain.
Even though [Windstep] granted invisibility, the Captain still sensed the disturbance beneath his feet.
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"
Several more icy slashes came slicing toward him!
Liang Chuan didn't dodge—he took the hits head-on,
and crashed directly into the Captain's chest!
And then—
"BOOOOM!!!!"
A deafening explosion erupted!
Liang Chuan, now transformed into a clay bomb, detonated himself.
Everything at the center of the blast—Fatui soldiers, ice, earth—was reduced to ash!
Even the Captain was hurled into a deep crater, staggering to rise again.
Citlali, Ororon, and the players were all blown off their feet, stunned.
"Holy crap!!! Bro Chuan just self-destructed!!!"
"System prompt—main quest failed... Oh no! Are our accounts gone?!"
"Wait! System message: Bro Chuan's self-destruction counts as a special cause. Our accounts are still safe!
But as punishment for main quest failure—we're getting a rollback!
All resources revert to one day ago!"
"Just one day? That's not so bad..."
Hearing that, everyone sighed in relief.
Even if they had to start fresh, they'd accept it.
Losing their accounts—that was their real fear.
After experiencing Genshin: Reboot, a game that was 100% immersive—
How could they ever go back to playing anything else?
No matter how polished other games were,
none could make them feel the power of the extraordinary.
"Liang Chuan… you foolish child…"
Citlali sank to her knees, her expression hollow.
"If only you'd held out a little longer… Mavuika would've arrived…"
Seeing her grief, the players couldn't help murmuring among themselves—
"Wait, is the pink twin-tail priestess actually Bro Chuan's official CP…?"
"Impressive," the Captain's low voice echoed.
"To think you'd choose such a method to challenge me. I acknowledge your courage."
He climbed out of the smoking crater, disheveled and bloodied.
He hadn't expected that someone without even a Vision could unleash such power.
"Holy crap! He's still alive?!"
"Run! If we lose another day of progress dying here, we're done for!"
"Hey! We're out of combat—log out! Log out now!"
With a series of panicked shouts, the players vanished from the scene.
Only the Captain, Citlali, and Ororon remained.
Citlali glared at the Captain, showing no sign of retreat.
"Grandma…" Ororon began, still wanting her to flee.
Citlali shot him a cold glance.
"Go fetch Mavuika. Don't make me repeat myself."
Her tone was so grave that Ororon instantly obeyed, sprinting toward the Masters of the Night-Wind.
The moment he left,
an icy storm erupted where Citlali and the Captain stood!
Citlali no longer conserved her strength—
she unleashed her ultimate spell—
[Radiant Mandate of the Divine Orders]!
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