Su Han had never expected that the world of Teyvat actually possessed its own consciousness.
But even if it did, so what?
When countless lives perished beneath the Abyss, it never appeared to protect them.
When innumerable living beings were swallowed by the Abyss, it still never showed itself.
What was there to fear from the consciousness of such a worthless world?
After being glared at by Su Han, the world's consciousness quickly dispersed, as if it had never appeared.
"Hmph. I knew you wouldn't dare show yourself."
Su Han rose into the air and flew toward Liyue.
By now, most of the catastrophe had already come to an end.
Only a handful of monsters remained along the way.
Many of the people of Khaenri'ah had turned into Hilichurls after the disaster.
Su Han had only one thought about it.
Serves them right.
Had Khaenri'ah not recklessly sought greater power and tried to seize control of the Ley Lines, they would never have ended up like this.
He wasn't merely traveling along the way.
Whenever he encountered powerful monsters, he eliminated them.
After all, saving even a few more lives was worthwhile.
He even saw Rosalyne.
She wandered barefoot aimlessly, completely delirious. Her appearance was heartbreaking.
"The Hellfire has already consumed her."
He sighed softly, unable to bear watching any longer.
As Su Han departed, the Crimson Witch suddenly turned to look in his direction.
She had the strange feeling that someone had been watching her.
But after looking around, she found nothing.
Was it just an illusion?
Rosalyne slowly withdrew her gaze and smiled bitterly.
"Rostam is gone. There's no one left who can move my heart. Let this filthy world be completely destroyed."
Leaving the desert behind, Su Han arrived at the border of Liyue.
Rain poured from the sky.
Normally, he would have used his power to keep it away.
For some reason...
This time, Su Han chose to wear a straw raincoat instead.
The roars of beasts still echoed along the shoreline.
There, he found Zhongli.
"Rex Lapis, may I have a few moments of your time?"
The battle within the city had only just ended.
Looking toward the war that still raged in the distance, Rex Lapis gently shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have the time. As you can see, there are still countless monsters along the coast that need to be dealt with."
Earlier, he had gone to Khaenri'ah.
The Yakshas had already suffered devastating losses.
This time, he absolutely could not let them bear that pain alone.
At the very least, more people had to survive.
Otherwise, Zhongli would be heartbroken.
Everyone said he was cold and unfeeling.
Yet who knew how much sorrow this Geo Archon carried in the dead of night?
As the years passed...
There were fewer and fewer friends left who could share a drink with him.
Following Zhongli's gaze into the distance, Su Han shook his head.
"I can only remain here for a very short time. If you can spare me one hour and agree to one request, I can guarantee that five hundred years from now, you will truly be able to rest. I can also ensure that your departed friends will return."
Hearing the stranger's words, Zhongli looked puzzled.
He could sense that the man's aura was unstable.
It was as though he had been injured, or perhaps had done something extremely dangerous.
Who exactly was he?
And what was he trying to accomplish?
Zhongli couldn't understand.
Yet the aura surrounding him felt remarkably similar to his own.
He possessed the power of a God.
"Rest assured. The destruction of Khaenri'ah is already set in stone. The monsters on the coastline no longer pose a threat. If you speak with me, perhaps the future may change. At the very least, you may no longer have to worry about erosion."
"Oh? The future? It seems you know quite a few things."
Zhongli was finally interested.
The two of them moved to another location.
Getting straight to the point, Su Han said,
"The age of human rule will eventually arrive. After thousands of years, perhaps you're already tired. Why not take a rest?"
"I would like nothing more than to rest. The problem is that the world has only just survived a great calamity."
Even so...
The smile at the old gentleman's lips simply refused to disappear.
Seriously.
So he had already wanted to retire back then.
Still...
Su Han was happy to see this side of him.
After all...
If Zhongli never retired, how was Su Han supposed to take control of Liyue?
Zhongli took a sip of the tea Su Han had brought.
He gently savored it.
The rich fragrance immediately brightened his eyes.
Tea from Chenyu Vale.
It seemed the man before him had long since become familiar with Liyue.
Could he be someone from Liyue?
Yet Zhongli couldn't recall any magical beast or God of such strength existing within Liyue.
At that moment, Su Han spoke.
"The catastrophe will eventually pass. I'd like to make a deal with you, one capable of changing this world."
"What kind of deal?"
"Five hundred years from now, a man named Su Han will appear before you. When that day comes, I ask that you protect him for a while. In exchange, you will gain freedom and peace."
"Five hundred years?"
Zhongli couldn't understand why the other man kept mentioning that number.
It seemed...
That year would witness countless important events.
"That's right. Also, what I'm about to tell you must never be spoken to anyone else, Zhongli."
The moment Su Han finished speaking...
Countless barriers instantly enveloped the pavilion.
Zhongli raised an eyebrow.
His face filled with confusion.
Why release so many barriers all of a sudden?
If this were simply a sparring match, there would be no need for such precautions.
Wait.
Only then did the old gentleman notice something strange.
"You called me Zhongli?"
"Isn't that your name?"
Su Han looked at him in confusion.
Unexpectedly, Rex Lapis shook his head.
"That is not my name. However, if I am to walk among mortals in the future, I should indeed have one."
As he spoke...
The old gentleman quietly savored the name Zhongli.
His eyes immediately lit up.
"This is an excellent name. From now on, I shall be called Zhongli. It reminds me of an old friend..."
Thinking back upon the past...
Everything was filled with regret.
Su Han had never expected that he himself was the one who gave Zhongli that name.
Though even without him...
Zhongli would still have become Zhongli.
The two continued chatting for some time.
When Zhongli learned that Su Han had come from five hundred years in the future, he finally understood why all those barriers had been erected.
"So it's to keep the Heavenly Principles from finding out. Understood."
After that...
Zhongli came to understand everything.
After Su Han handed him the coordinates, he disappeared.
Watching the sea monsters gradually vanish...
The sorrow in Zhongli's eyes finally faded somewhat.
"So there will still be a day when my old friends return. That's wonderful..."
He, too, had been grieving.
But as the head of a great family, as the pillar supporting an entire nation...
He could not allow himself such negative emotions.
The only thing Zhongli could do was continue leading everyone forward.
Searching for the light ahead.
But now that Su Han existed...
He could finally rest a little.
Just thinking about it made him rather happy.
Leaving Liyue...
Su Han headed straight for Inazuma.
The catastrophe was nearing its end.
Yet the darkness had not completely faded.
Because he had spent so much time elsewhere, by the time he arrived in Inazuma, the war was almost over.
Releasing his aura, Su Han searched for Chiyo.
Since he had saved so many others...
He might as well leave her a way out too.
To his surprise...
He actually found her.
She was hiding on Yashiori Island.
When Su Han found Chiyo, she was lying inside a cave, crying out in agony.
"No... I didn't mean to..."
"Ei... please forgive me..."
"I really didn't mean it..."
"Roar..."
The Oni race's power naturally leaned toward darkness.
Combined with the corruption of the Abyss, Chiyo was clearly no longer able to resist it.
But she truly didn't want to become Inazuma's enemy.
That was why she had hidden herself here.
Just as Chiyo could no longer endure it and prepared to end her own life...
A crimson flame descended from the heavens and landed upon her body.
The flame was warm.
There wasn't the slightest sensation of burning.
Wrapped within the Pure Yang Flame, the muddled Chiyo let out a comfortable moan.
She looked blankly toward the cave entrance.
Her clouded mind finally regained a trace of clarity.
"Save me... please... save me..."
Chiyo didn't want to die.
Nor did she want to become a slave of the Abyss.
The man before her was her final hope.
Watching the Oni swordmaster struggle toward him, Su Han sighed softly and reached out his hand.
He infused the power of Golden Light into her body.
Although it couldn't immediately eliminate the Abyssal corruption within her, it could at least ease her suffering.
It wasn't that Su Han wanted her to suffer.
The Abyss had already penetrated deep into Chiyo's very bones.
Even if she was to be saved, it would have to be done gradually.
As the power flowed into her...
The Oni swordmaster finally regained her senses.
She looked up at the man before her.
A single tear rolled down her face.
"Thank you... truly."
She had been only a tiny step away...
From becoming a complete slave of the Abyss.
That had been far too close.
Su Han shook his head.
"There's no need to thank me. Come with me."
"No. I have to help Ei. I can't leave her..."
Although she had been in a delirious state earlier...
She remembered everything concerning Ei perfectly clearly.
Ei had already lost her sister.
She had also lost Kitsune Saiguu.
If Chiyo left as well...
Ei would completely collapse.
At that moment, Chiyo also found the man in the straw raincoat strangely familiar.
"Wait... you're... you're Su Han!"
"You have to come with me. In history, Chiyo already died. That is an established fact. If you remain here, this world won't accept you. It will simply arrange for your death once again."
The world possessed the power of correction.
It couldn't do anything to Su Han because he didn't belong to this world.
Furthermore, the mark upon him was far too powerful to manipulate.
But Chiyo was merely a powerful individual.
At best, she was only comparable to one of Liyue's Adepti.
What right did she have to resist fate?
"W-What? You... you're from the future."
Chiyo trembled all over.
She finally understood why this man was so powerful.
So he was someone from the future.
In that case...
She truly had no choice but to leave.
Seeing that she no longer resisted, Su Han immediately brought Chiyo into the Underworld.
"From now on, you'll be responsible for watching over the souls here. When the time is right, I'll let you out."
"Very well."
Chiyo nodded gently.
As long as she wasn't dead...
She felt relieved.
Su Han nodded lightly before leaving the Underworld.
Everything had been taken care of.
The only thing left was to alter the memories within Irminsul.
Once that was done...
He could finally return completely.
With Su Han's current strength, reaching Sumeru took less than half an hour.
Irminsul was now vacant, allowing him to enter freely.
After all...
He possessed the authority granted by the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
The interior of Irminsul resembled an illusory labyrinth.
But to Su Han...
Everything was perfectly clear.
Someone lacking sufficient strength would undoubtedly become lost within it.
He, however, was different.
Upon reaching the level of a God, such restrictions no longer existed.
Authority activated. Delete part of the Inazumans' memories. Modification complete.
Authority activated. Retrieve the Tatarasuna Incident. Record complete.
With both tasks finished...
Su Han turned around without the slightest hesitation and left.
Because even the tree was rejecting him.
Not only that...
The world itself was rejecting him.
He could no longer remain here.
Half an hour later...
Su Han arrived in Inazuma.
The moment he reached the shrine, he heard Yae Miko crying bitterly.
Raiden Ei also stood nearby.
But the woman who once wore a faint smile...
Now had only numbness and icy coldness upon her face.
Su Han sighed inwardly.
Concealing his presence, he disappeared into the tree.
No one noticed him.
After returning to the future...
Su Han immediately examined the World Tree of Time.
The temporal passage, which had previously remained relatively stable, had now become completely chaotic.
A tremendous force had also sealed it.
"The will of the entire world..."
"But everything has already been accomplished. There's no need to go back anymore."
Su Han's return immediately drew everyone's attention.
The first to approach him was Kitsune Saiguu.
The fox maiden noticed the look in his eyes and asked curiously,
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing... There are just some things I want to tell you."
"Alright."
The two entered a room together.
For a moment...
Su Han didn't know how to begin.
Should he tell her that she wasn't the real Kitsune Saiguu, but merely a fragment of her memories?
Wouldn't that be too cruel?
But saying nothing wasn't right either.
As for their relationship...
At first, Su Han had believed it was false.
After all, she was only a memory.
But when he thought about it carefully...
Even as a memory, she had survived until now solely because of her feelings for him.
She now possessed tremendous power.
She also possessed her own independent consciousness.
It was difficult to say she wasn't an individual in her own right.
Noticing the change in Su Han's expression, Kitsune Saiguu reached out and held his hand.
Her voice was gentle.
"Is there anything between us that can't be shared? Go ahead. Whatever it is, we'll face it together."
Faced with her comforting words...
Su Han felt that remaining silent would truly be going too far.
So...
He told her everything.
Kitsune Saiguu's pupils trembled.
Her face was filled with shock.
Yet in the end, she gradually calmed down.
Even so...
Her fingers continued trembling.
It was obvious that this calmness was merely forced.
After all...
If someone suddenly told you that you weren't an independent person, but a being born from another's memories...
How could anyone remain composed?
"So... what do you think?"
Kitsune Saiguu wanted to hear Su Han's answer.
No matter what...
The decision rested with him.
Su Han reached out and embraced her gently.
In a soft voice, he said,
"I don't care what anyone else thinks. You will always be my treasure."