"There's really no other choice? I can sell you information—things you can't find anywhere in the Seven Nations… I can even trade precious artifacts for my life."
If he was honest with himself, Dainsleif had no desire to become anyone's dog.
As long as there was even the slightest sliver of a chance, he wanted to fight for it.
All the more so because the man in front of him was, in his eyes, nothing but the wind god's lapdog. To make Dainsleif submit to that was harder than climbing to the heavens.
Su Han looked at him calmly. "You don't have the right to choose. Submit… or die. I'll give you five seconds to decide."
Tenseiga slid slowly from its sheath.
Dark Netherworld power flowed over the blade.
In that moment, Dainsleif felt a killing intent that shook him to his core.
The man before him wasn't bluffing. If he said no, he would die.
He thought of Khaenri'ah's fall.
He thought of that unfinished dream.
Was he really going to die here, so uselessly?
His heart twisted in conflict.
Just then, Lisa spoke up. "If I remember right… there's a squad of Black Serpent Knights in the Chasm, isn't there? One of them named Halfdan. He's working for you now, yes? They've cut down quite a few Abyss creatures."
Halfdan?
That name.
Hadn't he already—
Dainsleif snapped his gaze toward Su Han, eyes wide.
"Yes. His mind has recovered somewhat," Su Han said lightly. "He even lent a hand when we fought the vortex demon god. Anyway, your five seconds are up. Since you won't choose, I'll send you off.
"Meidou Zangetsuha."
Boom.
Netherworld power roared out, enveloping Dainsleif.
At that instant, he felt death staring him in the face. If that attack struck him directly, he understood there would be no survival.
"N‑no… I submit!" Dainsleif shouted.
The cold force brushed past him.
A portion of the armor on his body vanished, cleanly erased.
If Su Han hadn't twisted his wrist at the last moment, Dainsleif would have been the first soul claimed by Meidou.
"Huff… huff…"
He slumped back against the wall, breathing hard.
He had come within a hair's breadth of dying.
Sweat soaked the back of his shirt.
Looking at the man who'd been scared half to death, Su Han shook his head. "I thought you'd cling to that pride of yours. So this is all it amounts to."
He had originally considered drawing out Dainsleif's soul power and seeing what would happen.
He hadn't expected him to yield.
"I just don't want the Abyss to keep spreading," Dainsleif answered through clenched teeth. "If you're someone who stands against the Abyss, then… I don't think you'll bow to 'Heaven' either. I still have many things to do. I can't die yet."
The fact that this man could purify Halfdan meant he wielded some special force.
In that instant between life and death, Dainsleif had formed a thought: perhaps by following him, he might one day destroy the Abyss—and topple Celestia itself.
Of course, that alone wasn't enough to make him submit.
What truly shifted his heart was the thought of Khaenri'ah's survivors.
He wanted to save those people.
Even if it meant becoming someone's hound.
Su Han let out a cold laugh. "I know exactly what you're thinking. But, Dainsleif, you'd best correct your view.
"The Seven Archons are not your enemies.
"Your true enemies are yourselves.
"If Khaenri'ah hadn't obsessed over probing the Abyss, there would have been no disaster five hundred years ago. You've always hated the Seven so much. But have you ever considered—
"If Khaenri'ah hadn't been destroyed back then, how many would have died in the Seven Nations instead?"
Dainsleif's face turned ugly.
He ground his teeth. "But… they still destroyed our nation…"
"Your sin lay in delving into Abyssal power, in seeking strength that could slay the gods, in trying to become gods yourselves," Su Han said flatly. "But the Abyss only brings calamity.
"The dragon Durin. The Ruin Golems—your walking war machines. The monsters that poured out alongside the disaster.
"If not for Khaenri'ah, Teyvat would be better than it is now.
"Or are you going to claim you could have kept that disaster in check with your own strength? Do you believe those words yourself?"
This time, Dainsleif fell completely silent.
The Abyssal calamity had already slipped beyond control back then.
The Seven's destruction of the country had been because Khaenri'ah had trespassed where it should never have gone.
Even if the Archons hadn't intervened, the disaster would have erupted regardless—and perhaps even more horribly.
He remembered, faintly, that even gods had fallen in that battle.
"Think about it properly," Su Han said. "Your desire to fight the Abyss isn't wrong. But don't push the blame for your nation's fall entirely onto others.
"Khaenri'ah suffered. But the other nations didn't have it easy either. Liyue paid a horrible price to withstand that calamity.
"When you've sorted it out, go to the Chasm and find Halfdan. For now, you don't need to take on any missions."
"…Yes," Dainsleif said quietly.
The seal on his body was lifted.
But he didn't dare run.
He knew very well: if he tried, his end would be miserable beyond words.
By nightfall, he had left a letter behind and set out for Liyue.
With the Abyssal transport network there completely destroyed, his only option was to take the train.
Fortunately, Su Han's orders meant no one stopped him.
Around midnight, he arrived at the Chasm.
In the upper layers, a squad of Black Serpent Knights were practicing a special attack formation.
Beside them stood a group of Millelith.
It was clear they got along well.
"Hey, Captain Halfdan, go for it—flatten that old ironclad!"
"Hahaha, Halfdan, don't lose!"
Watching the scene, Dainsleif felt a faint ache in his chest.
He had seen something like this once, long ago.
He had never thought he would see it again five hundred years later.
Only when the spar ended did he walk up to Halfdan.
The two men met each other's eyes.
Halfdan's expression shifted in shock. "Lord Sword of Twilight… y‑you're here?"
"So you really have come back to yourself… Halfdan," Dainsleif said.
In that moment, he was genuinely grateful for the choice he'd made.
By following Su Han, he could see a glimmer of hope for restoration.
With this man's help, perhaps the scattered remnants of Khaenri'ah could one day return to normal.
"I… chose to follow Lord Su Han," Dainsleif continued. "He said I'd find you here. Can you tell me what's happened lately? I've been running through the Abyss for some time. I knew nothing of this place."
"So that's how it is," Halfdan smiled. "Then we're comrades again. Everyone, get over here! Lord Dainsleif is back!"
A group of Black Serpent Knights came running.
When they saw Dainsleif, their eyes filled with emotion and surprise—and, more than anything, a deep, long‑buried sorrow.
Of all those who had marched under that banner, only they remained.
"My lord, it's so good to see you again…"
"My lord, Khaenri'ah hasn't perished! As long as we still live…"
"Lord Su Han told us that once we're fully restored, he'll even grant us land of our own…"
In just a few sentences, they told him everything that had happened.
Su Han was not a cold man.
On the contrary, he held deep respect for Halfdan and the others.
And the people of Liyue, who knew the truth of that catastrophe, had chosen to accept them.
Dainsleif's throat tightened. "So that's how it is… It seems I was wrong. All these years I've let hatred blind me."
Khaenri'ah had fallen.
But the other nations hadn't escaped unscathed either.
Fixating only on his own pain and ignoring others' wounds—it had been a foolish way to live.
"Hehe… that's right, Lord Sword of Twilight. If we follow Lord Su Han, one day we'll crush all disasters and rebuild our nation," one knight said with a grin. "As long as Khaenri'ahns still live, we can endure."
"Yes," another added. "Lady Ganyu also told us—even in this form, we can't forget why we fight. We're here to protect those who are still alive…"
"It's great that you've joined us too, my lord," someone else said. "With Lord Dain here, we'll be even stronger. Once we've cleansed the curse inside us, we'll be the strongest warriors there are."
Just then, the Millelith officer in charge walked over.
He looked at Dainsleif and offered him a cup with a smile. "Brother, have a drink to celebrate your return."
"Thank you… for treating my brothers like this," Dainsleif said quietly.
These Black Serpent Knights were his subordinates.
Seeing the state they were in now, much of the bitterness in his heart slowly melted away.
He even found himself wanting to seek Su Han out and talk seriously about what should come next.
Because he knew where many other Khaenri'ahn survivors were hiding.
They could become formidable warriors for Liyue.
But because they had not regained their sanity, all he could do until now was let them wander in the dark.
It was the only thing he'd been able to do.
…
Meanwhile, in Inazuma.
Inside a certain residence, a thick stack of reports lay spread out in front of Kujou Sara.
Documents that had been held back for over a month had been dumped onto her desk all at once.
At first, she'd merely been puzzled.
But after reading their contents, she was stunned.
"Is this… really true?" she whispered.
The intel detailed sweeping changes in Liyue and events that had unfolded there: the suppression of the Chasm, the defeat of the vortex demon god.
Then there were reports from Mondstadt: the founding of Eagle Harbor and its massive expansion of territory; the purification of the corrupted Stormterror; multiple instances of foiling the Fatui's schemes.
Even the reincarnated North Wind Wolf, once a demon god in his own right, was said to have knelt at that man's feet.
"Why were these reports never sent to me before?" Kujou Sara demanded, looking up at the servant kneeling before her.
"The master forbade it…" he answered in a small voice.
"What did you say? Such vital intel—and he chose not to report it?"
Kujou Sara's anger boiled over.