In the end, did she stay in The Chasm... just like Bosacius?
The Geo Archon must have sensed something urgent, rushing to The Chasm immediately after resolving the Chi crisis.
Xiao still clutched the shattered Jade Talisman—the Mystic Barrier. The Geo Archon's timely arrival must have been triggered by its destruction.
Judging by the Archon's frantic state, Qingge's Mystic Barrier had likely shattered as well. As the Geo Archon raced to The Chasm, he must have sensed Xiao's Mystic Barrier breaking too...
Xiao was clever; connecting these details led him to this conclusion.
So, in the end, was it because of us that the Geo Archon failed to reach her in time?
Xiao had replayed Qingge's final actions in the depths of The Chasm countless times, yearning for the right moment to express his gratitude. Now, that chance was gone forever.
"Ugh..."
Xiao suddenly clutched his head, letting out a low, pained groan.
"Xiao, what's wrong?"
"Conqueror of Demons?"
Gritting his teeth, Xiao fiercely suppressed the Karmic Debt surging within him. Once it subsided, he reassured the others, "It's nothing."
This wasn't the first time Xiao had experienced such episodes. The Adepti quickly understood the cause, but they remained powerless to help him.
Moon Carver: "Conqueror of Demons, your condition is unique. You must take greater care of your body."
Xiao: "Mm..."
-
Player World.
Having reached this point in the quest, Chen Xiyao felt a pang of disappointment. She had hoped to personally control the Traveler and avenge Rola and Qingge, but instead, they were mere spectators, denied even the chance to participate in the battle.
While it was true that the Traveler couldn't realistically intervene in a conflict of this scale, it still felt... unsatisfactory to settle the score without direct involvement.
However, Chen Xiyao's disappointment quickly evaporated as the next scene in the game sent her and her live stream audience into a frenzy!
On the screen, her original four characters had vanished, replaced by two new figures:
Morax and Barbatos!
And they were marked as "Trial Characters"!
"Trial Characters... Am I seeing this right?!" Chen Xiyao asked her live stream audience, as the chat erupted in a flurry of messages expressing their shock.
After wiggling her mouse to confirm it wasn't a glitch, she immediately opened the character interface.
Aside from their appearances and names, every other stat and detail was marked with question marks.
Seeing this, Chen Xiyao's face was a mask of confusion.
[Holy shit, a trial run? Did Mihoyo actually create second-stage Venti and Zhongli?]
[They're definitely going to be added to the gacha, right? They have to be!]
[What are you even thinking? At most, it'll just be a new outfit.]
[An outfit would be amazing too! Please, Mihoyo, you have to release it!]
Players who had long coveted Venti and Zhongli's Divine Regalia were understandably excited to see the two skins available for trial in the game.
On the game screen, Chen Xiyao had already begun controlling Barbatos and Morax.
The two Archons' target was naturally Malice.
The game's camera zoomed out, giving players a clear view of Malice's entire body.
Chen Xiyao maneuvered Morax to unleash a skill. After a screen-filling burst of effects, a colossal pillar of rock materialized from thin air where Malice stood, instantly blasting the monster off the screen.
Judging by the scale of the in-game Morax sprite, the pillar had to be at least thirty to forty meters tall.
A super-thick shield immediately enveloped Morax, though no damage numbers appeared. Instead, a massive chunk was simply cleaved from Malice's health bar.
Chen Xiyao tested the basic attack, finding nothing particularly special. However, when she used a charged attack, Morax instantly teleported from one side of the screen to the other, and multiple Geo Spears rained down from the sky.
Malice's health bar immediately dropped to half.
"This is basically Zhongli's skills on steroids. It's too overpowered to be added to the gacha pool. It would completely break the game's balance."
Chen Xiyao felt a pang of disappointment. She had hoped to summon a true Divine Regalia-equipped God.
Next, she tried Barbatos's moveset. The same pattern held true: each skill was an ultra-enhanced version, boasting dazzling visual effects and explosive damage.
Finally, under Morax's utterly unreasonable, colossal Planet Befall, Malice's sliver of remaining health was instantly reduced to zero.
Throughout the entire encounter, Malice was either being crowd-controlled or about to be. Its one desperate attack was effortlessly blocked by Morax's shield.
It had to be said, utterly crushing the enemy felt incredibly satisfying, especially since the foe was that Abyss-dwelling nuisance that had been infuriating players for multiple versions.
Once Malice's health bar hit zero, the game transitioned into a cutscene.
-
Inside the barrier, Malice had already engaged Morax and Barbatos in combat.
Initially, Malice managed to put up some resistance, but once the two gods grew serious, she was completely overwhelmed.
Morax casually wielded a spear forged from his Geo Element Authority. Each seemingly effortless swing effortlessly toppled Malice.
Barbatos unleashed a storm of Wind Blades that tore through the air, forcing Malice to roar in agony.
Unsurprisingly, Malice stood no chance.
She was always destined for a swift exit, her initial power already lacking. Even her final burst of strength proved futile.
In truth, Jiang Mumu could have directly elevated Malice to the gods' level, but doing so would have drained a significant amount of Emotional Feedback Points, a cost she was unwilling to pay.
Facing the twin gods, the 200-meter-tall Malice resembled a dragon confronting ants.
Malice's massive greatsword couldn't even touch the gods, while their attacks relentlessly battered her, gradually shrinking her colossal form.
Finally, she lay defeated in a crater blasted by Morax, the ground around her stained crimson with her own blood.
Morax pressed the tip of his spear against Malice's throat.
Venti had already dispelled the barrier, and the entire group waiting outside rushed toward them.
Malice deliberately waited for everyone to arrive before erupting into hoarse, cackling laughter.
But the laughter quickly triggered her injuries, and she began coughing violently.
"Cough... To be so deeply resented by two Original Archons that they would conspire to defeat me... I... cough, feel immensely honored!"
The group glared coldly at Malice, disgusted by her brazen arrogance even in this dire situation. They yearned to tear her lying tongue from her mouth.
Morax had been deliberately holding back, fearing that a full-force strike might kill her outright and prevent him from retrieving Kaiyang's Soul.
"My mission ends here, but this is far from over! The Abyss... will rise again!"
The aftereffects of using the Forbidden Technique began to take hold, and Malice's life force rapidly dwindled.
"The Kaiyang's Soul—hand it over," Morax demanded, sensing her weakening state.
"Kaiyang? Ho ho ho... Her soul has long since merged with the Abyss. A Pure Soul is the Abyss's finest sustenance, and it is also the Lord's..."
Malice suddenly fell silent, as if realizing she had said too much.
Barbatos, who had been staring intently at Malice, suddenly spoke:
"Old Man, it's inside it's abdomen."
Hearing Barbatos's warning, Morax's eyes narrowed. With a speed only Venti could follow, he reached into Malice's abdomen, rummaged briefly, and withdrew a black-purple jade ring.
Malice: "..."
I hate people who lack boundaries. No, I hate gods who lack boundaries.
Couldn't you have waited a little longer? I was going to give it to you eventually!
Good thing I suppressed my pain receptors beforehand.
"Useless emotions... they were always meant to be discarded..."
Morax ignored Malice, took the jade ring, glanced at Barbatos, and left.
Barbatos turned to Lumine and the others: "It's yours now. It can no longer conceal itself."
With that, Venti hurried after Morax.
Lumine, Diluc, and the others glared at Malice with bloodshot eyes, drawing their weapons.
Malice: "..."