"This one is on me, I was careless..." Alhaitham let out a deep sigh. "I underestimated the nature of Bed Wars. This loss is too great."
They had lost four people on the center island and three on the sub-island. Adding it up, they had still lost seven people: a number equal to Mondstadt's losses. However, the damage to the sub-island was far more severe for Sumeru. Not only had their timber supplies been drastically reduced, but their villagers were currently unusable.
"I still haven't fully grasped the essence of Bed Wars or the unique mechanics of this world. It's my fault."
Hearing this, Tighnari shook his head. "Assigning blame now is useless. This is just an exhibition match; it isn't important. Suffering a blow now is actually a good thing. We'll know exactly how to handle it in the official tournament. Our priority now is to gather all the remaining resources from the sub-island. We are at a major disadvantage, so we cannot afford to attack. The best we can do is wait for others to come to us, defeat them, and seize their resources."
Tighnari said it, but he knew the chances were slim. The other four nations understood the "meta" of this world better than they did. Their soldiers had only just finished their training, after all.
"Mondstadt plays too dirty..." Alhaitham sighed, steadying his emotions. "Leave thirty men to gather resources. Watch for anyone trying to board our sub-island from below. Leave the main island as it is for now: keep making traps and watch for anyone flanking us from behind. We'll wait for them to come to us. This isn't just a game; it's a war. Everyone needs to approach this with a wartime mindset."
Having said that, Alhaitham turned to look at the center island with a hint of anticipation in his eyes. Their best hope now was for Snezhnaya and Inazuma to take each other out in the chaotic brawl at the center. If that happened, those two would lose a fifth of their manpower and end up in an even worse position than Sumeru.
Returning to a few minutes prior:
After Cyno hurriedly led his team back to defend, Kujou Sara let out a sigh of regret. She had been hesitating just moments ago about whether or not to intercept Cyno. But that momentary hesitation had cost her the best opportunity. Kujou Sara hadn't played Bed Wars much; ultimately, she still couldn't cross that internal moral hurdle. After all, Cyno had just cooperated with them to fight Liyue. As a general of Inazuma, Kujou Sara still adhered to her personal bottom lines in war.
However, while Kujou Sara was lost in her complex thoughts, she completely failed to notice that Childe's gaze had grown profound as he quietly closed in on her.
But Ryen noticed. He gave a meaningful smile.
"Liyue has already brought back their loot and is busy integrating their gains. By utilizing this batch of resources, Liyue will secure an even greater advantage. On the Sumeru sub-island, Sumeru is currently clashing with Mondstadt. But we should also pay attention to the center island. There are still plenty of resources left, and only Inazuma and Snezhnaya remain to contest them. Who will ultimately claim this massive haul?"
The moment the words left Ryen's lips, Kujou Sara felt a sudden, violent gust of wind. Childe grinned and swung a heavy fist straight at her.
"Snezhnaya, of course!"
The punch landed squarely, sending Kujou Sara flying several meters. She nearly tumbled off the Sky Island, and her health bar took a significant hit. Childe didn't give her a chance to recover; he lunged forward, his fists striking out with ruthless efficiency.
"Full assault! Knock every Inazuman soldier off the island! Occupy the center!"
Two Inazuman soldiers, caught off guard, were hammered into the void instantly.
"Dammit! You ambushed us!" Having regained her senses, Kujou Sara blocked Childe's attacks with a face full of fury.
"Ha? You shouldn't put it like that. This is war. Did you really expect your enemy to cooperate with you in good faith? General Kujou, your wartime mindset is a bit fragile!" Childe grinned. "Press forward! Press forward! Force them to the edge!"
Kujou Sara steeled herself, continuing her counterattack without a word.
Back on Inazuma's main island, the Shogun, who had already crafted a wooden Iaito training sword, tightened her grip on her weapon and said coldly: "I'm going to save them."
It was clear that she too had been incensed by Childe's hesitation-free betrayal. However, before the Shogun could move, Ei held her back.
"You can't go!"
"The center island is currently a lightning rod. If you lead our main force away, our base will be left wide open for other teams to infiltrate. The moment you leave, Snezhnaya and Sumeru will likely dump their main forces into the fray as well. A chaotic brawl serves us no purpose: Liyue and Mondstadt are just waiting to sit back and reap the rewards."
In the spectator stands, Makoto heard Ei's words and felt a surge of pride. At the very least, her sister was no longer the type to simply draw her sword and charge out to fight alone at the slightest provocation. She had learned how to lead a team; that was progress.
The Shogun didn't give up easily. She said firmly: "I can go alone."
"Impossible!" Ei shook her head decisively. "Your martial prowess is the same as mine, but in this world, everyone's strength is suppressed. Even if you can face their army alone, if the enemy sends reinforcements and organizes a pincer attack, you could still be knocked into the void. Each nation only has four top-tier combatants. If you are kicked out of the war, we will fall into a major disadvantage."
The Shogun fell silent, looking at the center island with a trace of irritation. Inazuma had already brought fewer people than Snezhnaya, and now they had been caught completely off guard. At this rate, their forces at the center were in dire peril.
Ryen spoke with a heart full of emotion. "Spectators, this is the true Bed Wars: perfect cooperation one second, and cutthroat conflict the next. Everything you see with your eyes, except for your own teammates, is an enemy to the death: but also an opportunity for cooperation to be exploited. If you can't grasp this quickly, you will fall into a total disadvantage."
"Mondstadt took advantage of a vacuum to raid the Sumeru sub-island, burning resources and attacking villagers. Snezhnaya took advantage of a vacuum to ambush Inazuma, attacking the comrades they were just working with. It seems underhanded; it seems 'dirty.' But this is the true essence of Bed Wars. Please remember: except for your own teammates, there is no one you can truly trust. This is a war! From the moment you step onto the Sky Island, it is no longer a mere match."
Ryen took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and continued. "It seems Inazuma is in dire straits. Will the center island's resources be claimed entirely by Snezhnaya?"
To put it plainly, Sumeru and Inazuma didn't play Bed Wars often. Their understanding of the game was shallow compared to the three nations that spent every day practicing here. Those three nations studied Bed Wars constantly. They had evolved from being polite to each other to wanting to grow eight hundred "layers of schemes" to kill their opponents. Even the normally upright Zhongli wouldn't play fair once he stepped into a Bed Wars match. If he could use a trick to kill someone, he would never attack them head-on. Everyone was becoming a "turtle," and everyone was playing "dirty." If Inazuma and Sumeru couldn't adapt quickly and accept the nature of this competition, they would be toyed with until they lost.
Suddenly, Ryen noticed Zhongli beginning to arrange his troops along the edge of the Sky Island. His eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands.
"It seems we won't know the true winner until the very last moment! While Snezhnaya and Inazuma are still entangled, Liyue has finished integrating all their loot. Liyue is about to launch an attack!"
Childe gasped. He no longer hesitated, parrying Kujou Sara's blow and immediately turning to run back toward Snezhnaya. "Retreat! Retreat!"
Just as the shout rang out, Zhongli gave a leisurely wave of his hand. Twenty Millelith stood in a neat line, drawing their bows toward the center island.
"If we can't have the resources, then no one touches them," Zhongli stated calmly. "Target the center island. Indiscriminate carpet fire! Leave no one standing!"
The crisp sound of bowstrings snapping instantly drowned out the battle cries. Twenty Millelith fired continuously, filling the sky with a dense rain of arrows. The volley pressed down upon the center island like an overwhelming cloud.
Childe's pupils constricted. He reached out and grabbed an Inazuman soldier, holding them behind his back as a shield. The sound of arrows piercing flesh echoed through the air. Childe seized the opportunity to leap onto the bridge back to his main island. Behind him, a golden light flashed from the Inazuman soldier: their Totem of Undying had been activated.
Childe turned back to drop the soldier, offering a cheerful pat on the shoulder. "My apologies!"
The Inazuman soldier looked helpless and shook his head. "Lord Childe is indeed a veteran Bed Wars player... I admit defeat."
Childe smiled and casually plucked a dozen arrows from the soldier's body. The latter shrugged and jumped straight into the sea. The arrow barrage didn't last very long; after all, Zhongli's arrow supply wasn't infinite. But even so, the results were magnificent. Snezhnaya had arrived with twenty men, but now only nine remained, returning to their base heavily injured.
As for Inazuma, they were in even worse shape. They still couldn't bring themselves to play as "dirty" as Childe without any psychological burden. Many of them had been grabbed by Snezhnayan soldiers to serve as human shields against the arrow rain. After the volley, only five people remained unharmed.
Seeing Zhongli order another round of arrows to be distributed for a second volley, Childe shouted: "Retreat! Pick up some arrows! Quick!"
The Snezhnayan soldiers didn't hesitate. They threw a few punches at the Inazuman soldiers beside them and snatched the arrows stuck in their gear. They fled back toward the Snezhnaya bridge, each managing to bring back a dozen or so arrows. While it was still a net loss compared to their casualties, they at least didn't come back empty-handed.
Kujou Sara stared at Childe and his team with a frigid gaze. "Very well... playing dirty. I'll remember this!"
In the distance, Childe gave a cheerful wave. "Sorry! Looks like we're one step ahead of you!"
Kujou Sara was fuming, but seeing Liyue's next attack imminent, she didn't dare linger. She took her remaining five men and hurriedly retreated.
"What a theatrical turn of events! Just as Snezhnaya and Inazuma were competing for the center island's resources, Liyue launched an indiscriminate strike. I must say, this was a perfect choice: having secured a resource advantage, they used ranged fire to turn the center island into a forbidden zone. Liyue's maneuver is something all Bed Wars participants should learn. I hope everyone remembers that seizing resources isn't the only way to gain an advantage. Denying your enemy resources is just as valuable. Through resource integration and bold maneuvers, Liyue currently holds a supreme resource advantage. These last few clashes, though small in scale, were intense and spectacular to watch. For now, Liyue and Mondstadt have secured the upper hand in combat. But the true advantage remains firmly in Liyue's grasp. Now, with Liyue's arrows covering the center, it has become a total forbidden zone. It will be hard for the other teams to break this stalemate!"