Outside Aaru Village.
A violent torrent of Electro energy collided head-on, exploding thunder scorching the sand into crystallized glass.
The sheer intensity of the clash alone was enough to reveal how powerful the two combatants were.
A desert storm howled chaotically, obscuring clear sight. Within the swirling yellow sands, only two shadowy figures could be seen repeatedly crashing into one another.
After an unknown stretch of time, the two figures finally separated.
Cyno bent forward slightly, breathing heavily, eyes locked onto his opponent like a hunting panther ready to strike again.
Just days earlier, after sending a letter to Collei, he had already been marked by Azar.
Cyno knew very well that the Akademiya was no longer a place he could remain in.
At this point, his only option was to leave immediately.
Otherwise, forget coordinating from within, avoiding capture alone would already be a miracle.
Though Cyno was powerful, fighting inside Sumeru City meant he could not recklessly unleash his full strength without endangering civilians.
Moreover, the Corps of Thirty alone numbered over a thousand. No matter how strong he was, facing that many people, possibly even reinforced by the Fatui, would eventually end with him being subdued.
Before leaving, Cyno had already confirmed that Dunyarzad's Eleazar had been cured.
He quietly left her a brief note, telling her that when they contacted her again, she should find a way to assist from within.
As for the rest of the arrangements…
There simply hadn't been time.
Cyno didn't even dare to use Teleport Waypoints.
Nor did he go to Gandharva Ville to seek out Tighnari.
He instead raced through the night toward the desert, following what Alhaitham had told him before.
If anything went wrong, regroup either in the desert or at Gandharva Ville.
Deep down, Cyno didn't want to drag Tighnari into danger.
So he chose the desert.
Even for him, this nonstop sprint was exhausting.
Yet just as he reached the outskirts of Aaru Village, he noticed something wrong,
Aaru Village, usually tightly guarded, had no sentries at all today.
Alarm bells rang in his mind.
As he prepared to enter and check the situation, he suddenly sensed an overwhelmingly dense surge of elemental energy outside the village.
And so…
He encountered this enemy.
Staring through the sandstorm ahead, a bead of sweat slid down Cyno's temple.
Had he been at full strength, he might not have been able to instantly defeat his opponent, but at the very least, he could have fought to a standstill.
But now, his elemental power was heavily depleted, and the fatigue from nonstop travel made his limbs ache.
If this dragged on any longer, victory was far from guaranteed.
The yellow sand slowly dispersed, revealing a tall figure.
Purple-black lightning armor enveloped the body, completely obscuring the face.
The figure hovered in midair, black thunder crackling ominously around it.
An Abyss Herald.
Cyno recognized it immediately.
Abyss Heralds were among the Abyss Order's elite combatants.
But,
They weren't like Abyss Mages, who appeared everywhere.
There was no reason for one to casually show up here, especially near Aaru Village in the desert.
Coupled with the village being completely deserted, a grim premonition rose in Cyno's heart. His grip on his weapon tightened.
"You're strong,"
the Abyss Herald's muffled, hoarse voice echoed from beneath its armor.
"But you are not my opponent."
It didn't rush to attack. Instead, it stared at Cyno and said coldly,
"Move aside. I don't have time to fight you."
Cyno's Vision flared once more.
After a brief silence, he asked coldly,
"What did you do to Aaru Village?"
The Abyss Herald fell silent.
Staring at Cyno, irritation surged.
Today, it had only been summoned here by Aether to handle a task.
The Abyss Order had a bad reputation, sure, but that didn't mean they fought to the death the moment they met someone.
It hadn't even attacked first.
This man had opened with violence without a word.
If not for the fact that their Prince was waiting, the Abyss Herald would've already called reinforcements.
The Abyss Order's combat doctrine had never been about duels.
As the largest, at least in the eyes of Teyvat, dark faction in existence,
they specialized in overwhelming force.
The Abyss Herald slowly raised its hand, dense lightning gathering in its palm.
Its patience was gone.
"Move. Or die."
Cyno raised his spear, a colossal, indistinct figure faintly manifesting behind him.
"You've made the wrong choice."
Now the Abyss Herald was truly enraged.
Thinking of Aether waiting in the Abyss, it decided to end this quickly.
Lightning slammed violently into the air.
A massive rift tore open.
The next instant, a swarm of Abyss Mages poured out.
At a glance, over fifty of them.
Even at full strength, Cyno would have had to avoid confronting such numbers head-on.
Let alone now, when he was barely able to lift his weapon.
And standing among them was an unscathed Abyss Herald.
Even Cyno couldn't help but bitterly marvel at his own terrible luck.
But retreat was not an option.
Behind him was Aaru Village.
Though he didn't know what state it was in, Cyno believed that with Candace, the village's guardian, present, things might still be all right.
But if the Abyss Order entered,
That was another matter entirely.
"Those who stand in our way will be annihilated!"
The Abyss Herald raised its arm high and brought it down.
The Abyss Mage army surged forward in unison.
Countless elemental attacks began charging.
A chill ran through Cyno's heart as he prepared to evade,
When suddenly,
A thunderous dragon's roar shook the air.
An unprecedented wave of dragonfire descended like a cataclysm.
The Abyss Mages' assault collapsed instantly.
Cyno's pupils shrank as he turned his head.
Candace, Dehya, and the others were rushing over.
At last, Cyno could breathe.
The moment his tension broke, his body gave out.
He dropped to one knee, face pale, gasping for air.
The extreme overuse of his Vision had pushed his body past its limits.
"Cyno!"
Emerald Dendro light shimmered beside him as Alhaitham appeared, steadying him.
One glance at the dense Abyss forces ahead made Alhaitham frown deeply.
"What's going on?"
"No time to explain,"
Cyno forced out,
"Withdraw, now!"
Candace and Dehya moved to stand beside him.
Normally, Candace would have immediately detained everyone involved.
That was her rule.
No matter who was right or wrong, anyone fighting outside Aaru Village was her enemy.
But now,
The enemy before them was the Abyss Order.
Candace did not need to think long to understand the situation.
The Abyss had launched an attack, and Cyno had intercepted it.
"So many Abyss Mages…"
Dehya tightened her grip on her greatsword, her expression heavy.
"Damn it…"
"Candace, we can't win this," Dehya said in a low voice.
"Prepare to evacuate the people of Aaru Village."
Candace clenched her teeth.
In the past, she would have led the villagers away without hesitation.
A large-scale Abyss Mage incursion was something Aaru Village simply could not withstand.
But now…
Aaru Village had just obtained a never-ending source of water.
The villagers were still rejoicing, ready to embrace a better life,
and now they were supposed to abandon their home again?
She could not accept that.
"Candace…"
Dehya gently pushed her shoulder and said firmly,
"There are too many of them. We can't fight this head-on. Withdraw first, once we find reinforcements, we'll take Aaru Village back!"
"But, "
"Oh, stop hesitating!" Dehya urged.
"If we lose the water, we can ask Lumine to help again. If we lose people, there's nothing left! We'll hold them off, go make the arrangements!"
Candace's heart sank.
After a moment, she slowly nodded.
"Wait!"
Lumine pressed her lips together and stepped forward, placing herself in front of everyone.
"I'll negotiate."
"Lumine, !"
Dehya's heart skipped. She reached out instinctively to stop her.
There were far too many Abyss Mages, and that Abyss Herald's strength was still unknown.
This level of force could devastate even Sumeru City before being suppressed.
Lumine was strong, yes, but this was not something she could necessarily resolve alone.
If anything happened to her, Dehya would never be able to explain it.
Candace was equally anxious.
No matter what, Lumine was the one who had brought Aaru Village an endless water source, its benefactor.
But before either of them could say anything more, Lumine had already stepped to the very front.
She stared straight at the Abyss Herald.
Seeing Lumine emerge, the Abyss Herald immediately raised a hand.
The dense formation of Abyss Mages retreated at once, gathering behind him.
The Herald observed Lumine for a moment,
Then, to everyone's shock, he bowed slightly.
"Your Highness… Princess."
The words stunned Dehya and the others.
Even Lumine froze.
She pointed at herself, utterly confused.
"Princess? Me?"
On second thought, if Aether was the Abyss Order's Prince, then her being called a Princess… wasn't entirely wrong.
She didn't dwell on the title and instead asked coldly,
"Why did you launch such a large-scale attack on Aaru Village?"
The Abyss Herald glanced calmly toward Cyno standing behind her and replied,
"My apologies, Princess. The Abyss has no intention of becoming your enemy.
His Highness has no plans to invade the desert."
"This clash was unavoidable."
"I came here under the Prince's orders, to find you."
Lumine grew even more puzzled. She scratched her cheek and muttered,
"Aether? What is that guy up to now? Didn't he say he wouldn't see me? Why is he suddenly looking for me again?"
After a brief pause, she put her hands on her hips.
"Either way, you don't look like you came just to 'find' me."
The Abyss Herald flicked a glance at Cyno.
With a thought, the Abyss Mages turned back and vanished into the portal they had come from.
In the blink of an eye, only the Abyss Herald remained.
Still, Dehya and the others did not relax.
If he could dismiss them at will, he could summon them just as easily.
The Abyss Order was far more dangerous than the Fatui.
Alhaitham watched Lumine with a complicated expression.
He had never imagined she was connected to the Abyss Order.
The situation had become even more complex.
But now was not the time to analyze that.
The priority was to wait for Lumine's decision.
Lumine had originally planned to trick the Abyss Order into withdrawing, then strike the Herald down swiftly.
She was strong, and she had dragons in support, but against this many Abyss Mages, with the enemy able to summon endlessly, even victory would come at a cost.
Yet the Abyss Herald truly did not seem hostile.
That made her hesitate.
After all, these Abyss Heralds answered to Aether.
If Aether genuinely needed her urgently…
Lumine wrinkled her nose, clearly annoyed.
"What a pain. He said he wouldn't look for me, yet when something comes up, he sends someone else instead!"
"Why doesn't he come himself?"
The Abyss Herald did not react to her complaints, replying calmly,
"His Highness is burdened with many affairs. Please forgive him, Princess."
Lumine clicked her tongue, losing patience.
"Fine. What does he want from me?"
The Abyss Herald glanced at the six massive dragons circling above.
After a brief flicker in his eyes, he looked away and spoke in a low voice:
"An enchanted weapon… for him."