As they walked, Nahida suddenly stopped, her expression twisting in pain.
"Nahida, what's wrong?" Paimon asked anxiously.
Nahida clutched her head, her voice filled with sorrow. "I can almost feel Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's pain. The corruption here is so severe, every corner radiates madness, chaos, and agony."
"Was this the state she was in when she stubbornly resisted the corruption of Forbidden Knowledge until her death? She even used the last flicker of her conscious awareness to leave us a clue..."
Lumine: "The clue you mentioned... is that line: '...the world... forget me...?'"
Nahida: "Exactly. The Forbidden Knowledge still interferes with it, leaving us only these key words. But now, we have a chance to unravel this mystery."
Paimon: "Then let's hurry! We need to find out what Greater Lord Rukkhadevata truly wanted to tell us."
The trio set off once more.
After navigating a narrow corridor, they arrived at several floating islands. The area remained steeped in corruption and chaos, with numerous monsters spawned by the Forbidden Knowledge's influence.
Lumine exerted considerable effort to clear the islands.
Finally, they reached a ship. According to Nahida, this was the Ship of Consciousness, the vessel that would transport them out of this Consciousness Space and to Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's true location.
However, due to the influence of Forbidden Knowledge, the Ship of Consciousness had also been corrupted, sprouting twisted vines and birthing numerous monsters.
After clearing the ship, the group arrived at the control room and restarted the long-dormant vessel.
"Nahida, is the current course correct?"
"Yes. According to the current trajectory, the Ship of Consciousness will soon take us away from here."
As the ship began to sail, the trio made their way to the deck.
"We're almost at our destination. Are you both still lucid?"
Lumine replied, "I had some strange thoughts earlier, but I think I'm fine now."
Paimon, however, felt perfectly normal.
Nahida said, "Let's hope there are no more unforeseen complications. This time, we should finally be able to meet Greater Lord Rukkhadevata."
Paimon leaned in, asking curiously, "Wait, Nahida, you've never actually met Greater Lord Rukkhadevata before?"
"No. My birth and her death seem to have occurred simultaneously. If that hadn't been the case, I believe she would have guided me further, and I could have done even better than I have."
Paimon reassured her, "You've already done an amazing job! Come on, let's hurry out of this creepy place and go see her!"
Lumine felt the same way. Nahida's abilities were undeniable; had she not been imprisoned by the Akademiya, Sumeru would undoubtedly be a very different place today.
The Sages believed her to be like a child, but how could the avatar of Irminsul be so simple?
If only they had trusted Nahida more, she could have governed Sumeru with remarkable skill.
The Ship of Consciousness sailed onward for some time before finally reaching the Irminsul tree.
Paimon gazed up at the towering Irminsul, her heart filled with awe.
This was her first time seeing it in person.
"So, this is the place you've been talking about all along... at the foot of Irminsul..."
The trio followed the tree's massive roots forward. "This is it," Nahida confirmed.
"Exactly," Lumine agreed. "It's the same place I remember."
"We... we came to find Greater Lord Rukkhadevata... right?" Paimon stammered. "But who's standing there...?"
Before them, beneath the vast canopy of Irminsul, stood a small figure, its back turned to them.
"Me...? It's exactly like me..."
Nahida's pupils trembled slightly. "You're... Greater Lord Rukkhadevata?"
The small figure slowly turned around, revealing a perfect double of Nahida. "Yes, it's me. Does this form... surprise you?"
[As expected, this is the voice we heard back in the Confinement Room when we awakened Nahida's consciousness! It really is Greater Lord Rukkhadevata!]
[She looks exactly like Nahida, but her voice is so gentle...]
[Just hearing her voice, I know she must be a very kind God.]
Within the Akasha, Silaya sensed the epic meeting between Lesser Lord Kusanali and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. Jiang Mumu had already transferred the Emotional Feedback to her, and she had completed her preparations. Now, she was certain she possessed the Ability to save Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
The price... would be her entire being.
Trading her own certain death for Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, whom all of Sumeru revered, was a bargain any way she looked at it.
Replacing Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's soul—erased by Irminsul—with her own Pure Soul had been Silaya's firm Judgment ever since she learned of the Dendro Archon's suffering.
Moreover, she had learned during this time that the Abyss was searching for Persons of Pure Soul. Her encounter with the monsters wasn't a coincidence; they already knew she was one of them and wouldn't give up easily.
Given this, even if Irminsul deleted her soul, they still wouldn't obtain what they wanted.
Preventing the Abyss from collecting all the Pure Souls was also part of Jiang Mumu's plan. According to the lore, if the Abyss succeeded in gathering all the Pure Souls, Teyvat would stand no chance in the war.
Once her soul was deleted, the Abyss would immediately sense it, and the grand spectacle in Sumeru would finally unfold.
Rukkhadevata at her peak... perhaps not her absolute peak, but like in a game, when you attack the gold-ranked support, the main DPS can't just stand by and watch.
What about Scaramouche now? Didn't he want to recreate a fragment of the Archon War? Well, his wish would come true.
Silaya had prepared thoroughly, but she wasn't going to act yet. The "Dendro Archon's blade"—this tragic setup had been meticulously foreshadowed throughout Sumeru's entire storyline. Even if Rukkhadevata was ultimately saved, the players still needed to taste the bitter blade.
She had been drenched in the rain before. Even if she were to offer them an umbrella, it would only be after the storm had passed.
"As Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, I am the embodiment of Irminsul, and you are the purest branch broken from its boughs."
"It's like... even when a tree dies, its branches will one day take root and grow anew, continuing life in another form."
"The 'me' before you now is merely a fragment of consciousness remaining from my time as the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. The true 'me' must have perished long ago, wouldn't you say?"
The Dendro Archon gazed at Nahida. "Hmm... Judging by your current form, I've probably been dead for about five hundred years? You've finally come, the me reborn through samsara."
Though the hour is late, it doesn't matter. There's still time to set things right.
Lumine: "So the Lesser Lord Kusanali and the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata... their relationship was like this all along."
Nahida: "If that's the case, does that mean... one day I might become a great God like you?"
Rukkhadevata: "Though our essence is the same, our destinies will inevitably diverge. All things have their own unique Fate. Just as a branch that grows into a new tree can never be identical to its original parent."