"Even if you kill me, the Abyss will not halt its advance..."
Diluc strode forward, Claymore in hand, unwilling to listen to Malice's rambling any longer. He was determined to avenge Rola properly before the creature died.
"Young friend, might I have a moment?"
Diluc turned to see Streetward Rambler speaking. Silently, he stepped aside, Claymore still in hand.
Madame Ping took a step forward:
"Why are you collecting Pure Souls?"
Malice tilted its head, refusing to answer.
"Who is the 'master' you speak of? Are these Pure Souls related to him?"
When Malice remained silent, Madame Ping ignored its defiance and pressed on with her questions:
"Did you orchestrate this massive upheaval in Liyue solely to gather these so-called Pure Souls?"
Malice finally reacted. "Hoh hoh, you're asking why the Abyss attacked Liyue? Foolish! The future of this continent belongs to the Abyss!"
Madame Ping turned away, ceasing her questioning, and nodded to Diluc.
Diluc charged forward, Claymore raised, and soon Malice's agonized screams echoed through the chamber.
Witnessing this, Lumine drew her sword and joined the fray. Paimon also tried to rush in, but Madame Ping held her back.
What could this little one possibly do?
Forced to watch from afar, Paimon felt a surge of vengeful satisfaction as she watched Lumine and Diluc mercilessly pummel Malice.
"Too bad Qingxu isn't here to see this..."
Malice, currently being brutally pummeled by Lumine and Diluc, was putting on quite a show to let them savor their vengeance.
"Flames, burn it all!"
Finally, under Diluc's ultimate attack, Malice's body was completely incinerated, leaving behind only his final, agonized wail in this world.
-
Player World.
[Rola, are you seeing this? Your brother has avenged you!]
[That bastard is finally dead!]
[sob But Qingge and the others will never come back!]
[Zhongli took Qingge's soul. Will we get to see her one last time, like we did with Rola?]
[Probably not. Mihoyo never repeats the same plot twice.]
[Qingxu is missing...]
-
Having exacted his revenge, Diluc knelt on one knee, his Claymore supporting his weight.
Where his flame-wreathed Claymore pierced the corrupted, purple-black ground, malice was instantly incinerated within a small radius around the blade.
"...Rola, Brother... has avenged you..."
Two tears fell to the ground, Diluc's entire body trembling slightly.
Lumine stared silently at the spot where malice had finally perished.
This thing is dead. I should be happy, she thought, but the sorrow and emptiness in my heart haven't lessened at all.
It was dead, but those it had killed would never return. Its death was deserved, yet countless such deaths could never equal the value of a single Rola or Qingge's life.
"Lumine, does this count as avenging Rola and Qingge?"
Lumine nodded, walking over to Diluc and gently patting his shoulder.
Diluc wiped the tears from his eyes and rose to his feet.
The Adepti were deep in discussion, and Aether had already left at some unknown time.
Lumine sighed inwardly. Not even a goodbye.
Diluc and Lumine approached the Adepti, who were still deep in discussion.
Cloud Retainer turned to Diluc. "Your timing is impeccable. We have some suspicions about that creature's motives, but we need more information to be certain. If you find our questions intrusive, you need not answer."
"Please ask, Adeptus," Diluc replied.
"That creature murdered your sister in Mondstadt. Did it also claim her soul?"
Diluc's expression darkened as he nodded.
The Adepti exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.
Lumine's curiosity piqued. "What exactly is that creature's objective?"
Diluc also looked at the Adepti, wondering if there were secrets hidden beneath the surface that he was unaware of.
"Allow me to explain," Madame Ping volunteered. "These are merely our conjectures, and further investigation is required."
"Earlier, that creature mentioned 'the master.' Its strength is considerable, and to address someone as 'master' with such reverence suggests either the Abyss itself or a high-ranking figure within it."
"When I questioned it about the connection between this 'master' and the Pure Souls it collects, it refused to answer. However, based on its emotional fluctuations at the time, I'm about seventy percent certain there's a link."
"The Pure Souls it spoke of are quite special. I had the pleasure of meeting the young girl named Rola once. She gave me a warm and familiar feeling, just like Qingge. Perhaps you wouldn't understand if I said it like that. To put it another way, they both exude a pure and innocent aura, the kind of people who would never harbor malicious thoughts and can get along well with everyone around them..."
Lumine nodded. Rola and Qingge were indeed kind-hearted individuals who seemed to have excellent relationships with everyone.
Diluc, who knew his sister best, affirmed her purity without reservation.
Rola was endearingly naive and innocent, yet she had forged close relationships with almost everyone in Mondstadt. Even those with notoriously harsh personalities seemed to soften in her presence, their expressions becoming markedly more gentle.
Reflecting on the commonalities between Rola and Qingge, Lumine remarked, "And... they seem to share the same birthday..."
Her words drew all eyes to her.
Diluc realized with a start that Rola and Liyue's current Kaiyang were indeed born on the same day!
Cloud Retainer exclaimed, "In that case, our initial hypothesis is likely correct!"
Xiao added, "Desecrating the souls of the living—the Abyss has crossed the line."
Madame Ping's voice echoed once more:
"As for why it caused such a commotion, that creature was right: the beings of Teyvat and the Abyss are inherently enemies. Its goal wasn't just to collect Pure Souls; it also targeted the living beings of this continent..."
"And this matter isn't over yet. The Pure Souls it mentioned won't be limited to just two."
Lumine immediately tensed up. Not just two?
Meaning there are more?!
Paimon: "But didn't we already kill that thing?"
Madame Ping: "If the Abyss is capable of being the enemy of the continent's beings, then naturally there would be more than one formidable figure. However, we needn't worry too much. The creature we defeated was already one of the Abyss's strongest. After causing such chaos in Liyue, they'll likely lie dormant for some time."
Xiao: "Moreover, now it's not the Abyss coming after us; it's us going after them."
Madame Ping: "What I've said is purely speculation. The final outcome will depend on the Geo Archon's situation."
Hearing this, Paimon grew anxious:
"Lumine, let's go find Zhongli! Maybe we can see Qingge one last time!"
Lumine: "Okay!"
Lumine and Paimon hastily bid farewell to Diluc and the Adepti, preparing to seek out the departed Anemo Archon and Geo Archon.