The vessel of the Third Descender shattered, leaving every mortal ruler grievously wounded.
One Lord Ravager was already beyond anything they could handle—yet a second appeared. Like a heaven-devouring colossus, the monstrous behemoth opened its vast maw, as if it intended to swallow the entire Sumeru Desert in a single bite.
No escape—
No resistance—
Only despair!
Was Teyvat truly about to be destroyed like this?
"No—!"
Mavuika's thunderous shout rang out across the battlefield.
"Do not give up! A thousand years ago, the people of Natlan, with mortal bodies, defeated a god. Today, we can defeat the Lord Ravager as well—!"
The moment her words fell—
Mavuika raised her greatsword high and leapt into the air.
In that instant, countless flames converged. Blazing wings of fire formed upon her back, lifting her skyward.
Slash after slash—her battle intent burned like an unquenchable inferno.
Neuvillette, Ei, Tsaritsa, and the others seemed stirred by Mavuika's resolve. One after another, they drew upon their elements and launched another assault on the Lord Ravager.
"Kill—!"
"You will not destroy Teyvat—!"
"Morax, Venti! What are you standing around for? Move!"
…
Hearing Ei and Tsaritsa call out, Venti glanced toward Sam Li beside him.
He sensed something different—especially the ancient patterns etched across Sam Li's body. Those markings alone seemed to carry an overwhelming, primal might.
Though Venti had no idea what was happening, he could clearly feel it.
Sam Li's aura was surging—growing stronger at an absurd, frightening speed.
"Old man," Venti muttered, "looks like we're relying on you again."
With that, he stepped upon the wind and followed Ei, Mavuika, Tsaritsa, and the others into the sky, attempting to stop the Lord Ravager from devouring the desert.
But—
This Lord Ravager was truly terrifying.
Its massive form blotted out the heavens, and its gaping maw seemed capable of swallowing the entire desert whole. Their attacks struck its body again and again, yet they had no effect whatsoever.
Worse still—
The other Lord Ravager had already recovered and launched another assault on Ei, Venti, Tsaritsa, and the rest.
In an instant, they were beset on all sides.
They could neither stop the heaven-devouring Lord Ravager nor defeat the other one.
Despair—
But what choice did they have?
Just as they were pushed to the brink, an unnatural storm erupted around them. Countless grains of sand were swept into the sky, turning the heavens a dim, ashen gray.
Suddenly—
A colossal figure burst forth from the murky storm, charging straight toward the Lord Ravager in the sky.
Seeing this, Mavuika cried out in shock, "What is that?!"
Paimon exclaimed in delight, "It's Apep, the Dendro Dragon Sovereign! She's here to help too…!"
"Together—!" Mavuika shouted.
However—
The once-mighty Dendro Dragon Sovereign was now little more than a massive shell. Endless torment had long since stripped away her former glory.
With a single clash, she was struck down by the Lord Ravager.
Boom!
As Apep's colossal body crashed into the ground, the earth itself trembled violently.
And above them, the Lord Ravager's heaven-devouring maw had already closed in.
This time… it truly seemed over.
Yet at that very moment—
A dragon's roar, ancient beyond measure, resounded across the entire world.
"ROAR—!"
In that instant, it was as if time itself had been frozen.
Mavuika's flames halted mid-burn.
The Lord Ravager's open maw stopped in place.
Ei's blade froze halfway from its sheath…
Sam Li slowly opened his eyes, feeling the power surging through his body.
"So this is… the power of the Aeon of Permanence, Long?"
He didn't understand how it had happened. He had only heard a call from the starry void—and suddenly, the power of the Aeon of Permanence, had descended upon him.
The next moment—
As the power within Sam Li erupted once more, the frozen world resumed its motion.
The stars began to turn again.
The Lord Ravager continued its devouring advance.
Mavuika's flames burned on.
Ei completed her draw—
And finally, Sam Li moved.
He simply raised one hand.
In an instant—
A colossal dragon claw, vast enough to encompass the boundless cosmos, manifested out of nowhere. Transcending time and space, it appeared directly before the Lord Ravager's "Devour the Heavens" maw.
With a gentle closing motion, the dragon claw seized the Lord Ravager by the throat.
It happened far too fast.
From the moment the dragon claw appeared to the instant it grasped the Lord Ravager's neck, everything occurred in a single heartbeat.
Even Venti, Ei, and the others failed to see the full sequence.
The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.
The Lord Ravager let out a shrill roar.
"No… no, impossible! How could you be here…? No—you're fake…!"
The instant it was struck, it had recognized the power of the Aeon of Permanence.
It struggled frantically, attempting to break free from the dragon claw's grip, even trying to counterattack by swallowing Sam Li whole.
But—
Before the power of the Aeon of Permanence. What could a mere Lord Ravager possibly do?
The next instant—
Sam Li clenched his hand.
The colossal dragon claw snapped shut, crushing the Lord Ravager's head in a single, devastating grip.
For any ordinary being, such a blow would have been fatal.
Yet Sam Li could feel it—
The Lord Ravager was not dead.
In the next moment, Sam Li stepped into the sky and swung the Vortex Vanquisher with one hand.
In an instant, countless golden spear phantoms filled the heavens, striking the Lord Ravager's remaining body innumerable times.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Lord Ravager's body could not withstand the onslaught. In barely a second or two, it shattered into countless fragments.
As golden light flickered, the once-colossal Lord Ravager vanished like a mirage.
This was the power of the Aeon of Permanence.
With mere gestures, a Lord Ravager could be erased.
And that wasn't all.
In the same effortless motion, the countless Abyss monsters and the Antimatter Legion were reduced to ashes in an instant.
Witnessing this, the remaining Lord Ravager was seized by terror. Knowing she was no match for Sam Li, she immediately chose to flee.
However—
How could Sam Li allow her to escape so easily?
"Destroy."
With a soft utterance, his body became a streak of golden light, tearing through space in pursuit.
At the same time, an enormous dragon shadow—far larger than even the previous "Devour the Heavens" form—manifested and slammed a massive claw down upon the desert.
Boom!
Where the sands had once been flat and endless, a colossal, claw-shaped abyss was carved into the desert in an instant.