"Childe?"
The familiar voice made Qingge easily recognize the newcomer.
"Hey, partner! I was looking for you for a fight. Couldn't find you in Liyue Harbor, so I figured I'd come straight here."
The Abyss Monsters at this stage weren't particularly strong, allowing Qingge time to banter with Tartaglia between bouts.
"Heh, you haven't learned your lesson after so many defeats?"
"Fighting strong opponents is one of the greatest joys in life!"
"Alright, then you've come at the perfect time. Help me fend off the Abyss invasion, and I'll indulge your craving for battle anytime you want!"
Tartaglia unleashed a sweeping Riptide attack, instantly clearing a massive swathe of monsters. To him, these ordinary Abyss Monsters were mere fodder, slaughtered as easily as chopping vegetables.
"Is this all you've got? How utterly disappointing!"
As if in response to Tartaglia's challenge, the moment he finished speaking, colossal Abyss Monsters surged from the Mouth of the Chasm, their immense size and imposing presence clearly surpassing anything they had faced before.
Tartaglia's voice stiffened as he shot an innocent look at Qingge.
But Qingge had already charged forward. "What are you spacing out for?"
"Looks like I'll have to show my true skills!" Tartaglia retorted.
Lumine had been fighting nonstop, finally realizing these Abyss monsters were nothing like her brother's Abyss Order. These were the true Abyss—Teyvat's common enemy.
Between strikes, she scanned the battlefield.
The Millelith were vastly outnumbered by the endless tide of monsters pouring from the Mouth of the Chasm, yet they showed no sign of faltering. Led by their elite commanders, they had even managed to push back the monsters at times.
However, when higher-level Abyss monsters surged from the Chasm Entrance, the Millelith formation buckled, forced into a constant retreat.
Qingge watched the endless tide of monsters erupting from the Chasm Entrance, her expression grim.
This place seemed to be the Abyss's lair itself. With monsters pouring forth without end, they would surely be worn down and perish here!
Fighting relentlessly, Qingge slowly maneuvered closer to Lumine.
Lumine was locked in a fierce battle with a grotesquely shaped Abyss Monster when Qingge seized the opportunity to thrust her spear into the creature's head, ending its life.
"Lumine, we can't keep fighting like this! I need you to do me a favor!"
"How can I help?"
"Go to Liyue and ask for reinforcements!"
Lumine was the ideal candidate to summon help. What would take others days to travel, she could cover in an instant by teleporting to a nearby Teleport Waypoint.
Understanding the urgency, Lumine immediately nodded.
"There's no time to lose! Let's move now!"
"Right!"
Lumine swiftly withdrew from the battlefield and found Paimon and Qingxu hiding at the rear of the camp.
"Qingxu, no! You absolutely can't go out there!" Paimon clung to Qingxu's arm, resolutely enforcing Qingge's order to keep the younger girl safe.
Seeing Lumine, Paimon brightened like she'd seen a savior: "Lumine, hurry! Qingxu insists on going out to help!"
"Paimon, I'm not weak!" Qingxu protested. "I have a Vision too! My spear techniques were personally taught by my sister!"
The battle raged fiercely ahead. Though Qingxu had never set foot on a battlefield, she refused to hide while her sister fought alone at the front.
She remained confident in her own strength, believing herself far stronger than the average Millelith soldier. If even they were fighting, what reason did she have to hide in the back?
To Lumine, the fourteen-year-old Qingxu was still just a kid. She said sternly, "The battlefield is brutal. You should listen to your sister and stay behind. Paimon and I are going to Liyue to get reinforcements. Wait here, and if all goes well, we'll be back soon."
Qingxu didn't argue with Lumine's lecture. "Then hurry and go! You absolutely must bring back reinforcements!"
Lumine and Paimon nodded solemnly and immediately sprinted toward the distant Teleport Waypoint.
Once Lumine and Paimon had vanished from sight, Qingxu drew her spear—the Dragon's Bane.
Her sister had personally given her this spear as a birthday gift last year.
Now, she would wield this spear—her sister's gift—and fight alongside her sister on the battlefield!
Still just a child, she felt a sudden surge of excitement at the thought, as if an invisible sense of duty had descended upon her.
Sister, I'm coming!
-
Lumine and Paimon teleported directly to Wangshu Inn.
When seeking reinforcements, their first thought was naturally the Adepti. For Lumine, the most convenient choice was the Conqueror of Demons.
While the players were aware of the events unfolding, Lumine remained oblivious, destined to run into a dead end.
Finding Xiao absent at Wangshu Inn, Lumine immediately called out his name.
But Xiao, currently locked in a fierce battle with Chi, had no energy to spare for such distractions and couldn't respond.
Simultaneously, Lumine sensed something was amiss.
The disturbances in Tianqiu Valley and Liyue Harbor were far too intense.
"Lumine, what's happening? What's going on in Liyue?" Paimon noticed it too. Today was the Lantern Rite, the Wangshu Inn was still decorated for the occasion, but the place was nearly deserted, and the few people present wore expressions of stark terror.
"Let's find Ningguang!" Lumine declared.
Since Xiao was unavailable, the chances of finding other Adepti were slim. As the Tianquan of Liyue, Ningguang would undoubtedly know something about the events unfolding across the region.
-
Jade Chamber.
"What?! The Abyss has erupted in The Chasm, and Qingge urgently requests reinforcements?!"
Ningguang was already overwhelmed by the crises in Tianqiu Valley, Qingce Village, and the Liyue Harbor sea. Now, an Abyss eruption in The Chasm?
Her mind raced, calculating which forces could still be mobilized for support.
All the Adepti were occupied battling Chi in Qingce Village. Given Chi's strength, the Adepti were already barely holding their own.
The battle between the Anemo Archon and Osial was locked in a stalemate. Empowered by Abyss Power, Osial's might was immense, making a swift resolution impossible.
Though the Geo Archon had feigned death, the Dragon Sovereign's power remained formidable.
After exhaustive consideration, Ningguang concluded that the only remaining top-tier combatants available for reinforcement were the humans themselves.
She first explained Liyue's current dire situation to Lumine, then declared, "I will immediately notify Keqing to lead the Millelith on an emergency forced march, accompanied by all Liyue Vision holders. They must mobilize to The Chasm at once!"
The Chasm.
"Do these things never end?" Tartaglia asked Qingge, drawing closer.
He truly knew nothing of the situation. He'd arrived and immediately plunged into battle, only remembering to address the underlying problem after thoroughly enjoying the fight.
Now, it seemed that if these creatures were truly endless, brute force alone wouldn't solve the problem.
Qingge stared at the Mouth of the Chasm, where Abyss Monsters continued to pour forth, and finally made up her mind.
"Tartaglia, I need your help. If I go down there and don't come back, take my sister and get her out of here!"
Tartaglia's expression darkened. "What are you planning?"
"You've seen it yourself—fighting alone won't solve this. Human strength has its limits, but these creatures seem endless. I'm going down there to find the source. There must be some kind of portal or gateway; they can't just appear out of thin air!"
Only by destroying this potential gateway could they truly win this battle.
"Sister, I'm not leaving!"
Qingge: "???!!!"
Her face paled as she swiftly checked Qingxu for injuries. Seeing none, her anger exploded. "Who told you to come here?!"