At the Northland Bank, Tartaglia had just wrapped up his daily affairs. He turned to his subordinates and asked evenly, "So? Any news on the Primo Geovishap?"
After learning from Futsu Mitama that the creature was highly likely to surface near The Chasm, he had immediately dispatched men to keep watch there.
Though the Millelith maintained a heavy presence around The Chasm, the Fatui still had ways to gather intelligence. The reason was simple: many of the Millelith stationed there were veterans who had once fought alongside the Fatui.
Thus, upon receiving the information, Tartaglia had promptly ordered preparations of gifts and supplies to be sent to those soldiers.
On the surface, it was concern for Fatui personnel stationed beneath The Chasm. In truth, it was an excuse to inquire about the Geovishap's whereabouts.
"Not yet." The Debt Collector shook his head lightly, his tone restrained. "There have been reports of unusual activity within The Chasm, but the specifics remain unclear. However, it cannot be ruled out that the Primo Geovishap has already entered it."
Another Fatui operative nodded in agreement and added solemnly, "According to data from the research division regarding Geovishap Hatchlings and Vishaps—"
"This species possesses an innate ability to burrow. If it truly is a Primo Geovishap, it may be capable of bypassing the Qixing's seal and slipping into The Chasm."
Tartaglia shook his head, dismissing the notion outright. "The Qixing's seal is not so easily circumvented. If simple burrowing were enough—"
"Then the Treasure Hoarders and countless other factions would already have countless ways of entering The Chasm."
Silence fell.
Once the Qixing were involved, the situation took on an entirely different weight. The Chasm was currently one of Liyue's most tightly guarded locations. With the Rite of Descension approaching, the Qixing had no intention of allowing any disturbances.
And according to the intelligence Futsu Mitama had provided, the Adeptus were likely preparing to hunt the Primo Geovishap during this window.
That creature represented Tartaglia's best lead in locating Azhdaha. He could not allow it to be slain.
"Then there's no helping it. We proceed with a carpet search." Tartaglia rose to his feet, his gaze sharpening as it swept over his subordinates. "Futsu Mitama's intelligence cannot be taken at face value. Just as what I tell him is nine parts truth and one part deception."
"He is likely the same. As for the Primo Geovishap, we must secure it. At the very least… we must ensure it remains alive."
Tartaglia was willing to trust Futsu Mitama—to a degree. But he also knew the man was wary of him. Most of the information might be accurate, yet the most critical details would never be shared. Such as the exact timing of the Geovishap hunt.
Lacking that, Tartaglia had no choice but to deploy his forces at nightfall, sweeping across Liyue's terrain. The search range was clear: between The Chasm and the South Gate.
Any farther, and even if something was discovered, the information would not arrive in time.
"Yes!"
The Fatui responded in unison, their voices brimming with energy.
They were eager for action. Since arriving in Liyue, most of their duties had revolved around assisting the Northland Bank—tracking debtors, collecting overdue loans, and combing the land for remnants of the Archon.
The first two tasks were endless. Countless individuals owed money to the bank, keeping them occupied day after day.
The last, however, was exceedingly rare.
Logically, Liyue—where so many gods had fallen during the Archon War—should have been rife with remnants. Yet aside from a handful of ruins containing faint traces, there was nothing.
Time and again, rumors would surface of remnants appearing somewhere, only for eager Fatui agents to arrive and find nothing at all.
It was baffling. And so, as the Fatui set their plans in motion—
On the other side, Futsu Mitama suddenly felt an astonishing softness press against his back.
This time, he was seated in front, with Shenhe behind him.
Cloud Retainer flew at tremendous speed, and the powerful wind pressure forced Shenhe close, her arms wrapping around his waist as her entire body pressed against him.
Just as Futsu Mitama had done the day before.
Shenhe, however, was no carefree "saint" like Hu Tao or Xiangling.
She was the so-called "evil Dodo-King," her presence solid and substantial—heavier even than Kujou Sara.
Yet Shenhe herself noticed nothing amiss. Nor did Cloud Retainer.
Futsu Mitama, on the other hand, felt the situation growing increasingly dangerous. No matter how composed he was, he was still a normal adult man. He had instincts.
"Strange."
Cloud Retainer's voice suddenly rang out, causing Futsu Mitama's heart to tighten.
Had she noticed?
"What is it, Master?" Shenhe's tone remained calm and steady. "I don't sense anything unusual below."
"According to your description, the Primo Geovishap is as large as a small mountain. If it appeared, we should be able to see it at once."
Shenhe continued scanning the land beneath them.
Cloud Retainer did the same.
As for Futsu Mitama… though his gaze was also directed downward, his focus was anything but steady.
"This truly is strange."
Cloud Retainer's voice carried a trace of puzzlement as she spoke slowly.
"Not only that—along the way, the number of monsters flying about has noticeably decreased."
"Normally, even if monsters are fewer at this hour, they never disappear entirely. This degree of scarcity is far too abnormal."
Hearing this, Futsu Mitama blinked, memories surfacing unbidden. Earlier that afternoon, when he had planned to head into the wilderness with Zhongli to test the bracelet, he had already sensed something amiss.
There had been scarcely any monsters in the wilds.
At the time, he had assumed the Millelith were simply being efficient—and that a certain short Adeptus had been overly diligent in exterminating threats, leaving little behind. But now, listening to Cloud Retainer, he realized matters were unlikely to be so simple.
Ignoring the [Dudu Archon] behind him, Futsu Mitama recounted the afternoon's events to Cloud Retainer.
The absence of monsters was not limited to The Chasm or the South Gate. From Liyue Harbor all the way to Mt. Aocang, the land had been unnaturally quiet.
Aside from a handful of Slimes and the occasional Hilichurl, even Whopperflowers—usually impossible to avoid—were nowhere to be seen.
"…Hmm?"
Cloud Retainer seemed to grasp something at once. She descended from the sky and landed lightly upon the ground.
"It appears the monsters have been drawn elsewhere," she said. "In great numbers."
At her side, Shenhe spoke calmly. "Master, what should we do?"
If the monsters had been lured away, then the Geovishap had likely followed. Though Shenhe did not yet understand the cause, she trusted her master's judgment and asked directly.
"This lies beyond my initial expectations." Cloud Retainer sighed, producing a small box from her sleeve. "I had intended to use what lies within to draw out the Geovishap active at night."
"But now…"
Her eyes sharpened.
"Whatever it is that can attract so many monsters—and even the Geovishap—I shall contend with it."
"Let us see whose bait proves superior."
She opened the box. Pure Geo elemental energy surged outward, dense and ancient.
"This is—"
Futsu Mitama's pupils contracted. Resting within the box was a broken horn.
No—more precisely, half of one.
He recognized it instantly.
Azhdaha's horn.
Though different from the image he remembered, as though forcibly split apart, there was no mistaking the origin. It was unmistakably a fragment of the Dragon Lord's crown.
No wonder Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver had been so unconcerned. With such a trump card in hand, how could the Geovishap resist emerging?
Silently, Futsu Mitama snapped a picture and sent it to the Chat Group.
[Azhdaha]: "Hmm? Is that not a fragment of my horn, broken during my battle with Morax?"
[Azhdaha]: "So that is the plan—using it to lure the little Vishap. Cloud Retainer is indeed clever."
[Azhdaha]: "With this, it will certainly come. Even after a thousand years, devouring my horn would grant it immense benefits."
[Raiden Makoto]: "To think the Adeptus of Liyue still possess such a relic. How fierce was your battle with Morax?"
[Yae Miko]: "A fragment? From such a horn, no less?"
[Kamisato Ayaka]: "Even a horn was broken… the clash must have been extraordinary."
[Sangonomiya Kokomi]: "If Lady Makoto herself could not prevail against him, the battle must have shaken the heavens."
[Azhdaha]: "I do not remember clearly. Erosion clouded my mind—only hatred and sorrow remained."
[Azhdaha]: "After regaining myself, I asked Morax to seal me. What followed was muddled… until I was inexplicably drawn into this Chat Group."
[Zhongli]: "Being here allows clarity, at least. That is no small blessing."
[Raiden Makoto]: "And it gives him endless opportunities to urge Morax to join."
[Yae Miko]: "Azhdaha: 'Morax! Come down already!'"
[Sangonomiya Kokomi]: "Surely Lord Rex Lapis will descend during the Rite of Descension."
[Albedo]: "Hmm… intriguing material."
[Futsu Mitama]: "Ah?"
[Azhdaha]: "Hmm?"
[Zhongli]: "?"
[Raiden Makoto]: "Dangerous phrasing."
[Albedo]: "I meant only that I should arrive around the Rite—three or four days hence."
[Kuki Shinobu]: "Wait. The ground is shaking."
[Zhongli]: "It has arrived."
Outside the Chat Group, Futsu Mitama felt it as well.
The trembling earth.
He recognized it immediately. It was the same sensation as before, deep within the cavern.
The Geovishap was surfacing.
Compared to whatever unknown force had drawn the monsters away, Cloud Retainer's dragon horn fragment was far more alluring.
And as Azhdaha himself had said—if the Geovishap devoured it, its strength would increase drastically.
"It's here?" Cloud Retainer's eyes gleamed. "Hmph! I shall make an exception and act this once!"
She was clearly eager to strike.
Once, she had nearly slain this Geovishap, but it had fled too swiftly. And with Millelith soldiers besieged by hatchlings and lesser Vishaps, she had chosen to save lives instead.
Now, only Shenhe and Futsu Mitama stood beside her.
Together, their strength rivaled her own. With Futsu Mitama wielding the authority of the Electro Archon, slaying the Geovishap was no impossible task.
Still—Cloud Retainer wished to demonstrate her might.
"Master," Shenhe said evenly, "allow Futsu Mitama and me to handle it."
She continued, unfazed by the moment.
"The disappearance of monsters suggests a deeper anomaly. You should investigate the source. I suspect the Abyss Order."
Futsu Mitama glanced at her.
She was direct—perhaps overly so.
Cloud Retainer hesitated, reluctant but thoughtful.
"…That is reasonable."
Before she could speak further, the earth split apart.
Shenhe leapt back without hesitation.
Cloud Retainer and Futsu Mitama followed—yet both were shocked.
This was wrong.
As an earth dragon, the Geovishap did not fracture the land simply by moving underground.
Such destruction implied only one thing.
"ROAR—!!!"
The Geovishap burst forth, wreathed in black aura. Its eyes burned crimson, madness pouring from its presence.
It was uninjured.
Yet its aura far surpassed before—violent, unstable, utterly unrestrained.
The moment it emerged, it charged skyward.
Not at Cloud Retainer.
At the box.
"This—remnants of the Archon?!" Cloud Retainer exclaimed.
Such contamination was exceedingly rare within Liyue—almost unheard of.
"Swish!"
Shenhe struck first.
Her kick landed squarely against the Geovishap's abdomen mid-air.
"Bang—!!"
The colossal creature was sent flying back, though it quickly stabilized, Hydro energy gathering within its jaws.
"Presumptuous!"
Cloud Retainer spread her wings. A crushing gale descended, smashing the Geovishap into the earth and dispersing the elemental charge.
"BOOM!!!"
Smoke billowed.
The Geovishap rose again, unharmed, hatred blazing brighter than before.
"Hmph. You recognize me, yet still dare bare your fangs."
Wind blades tore through the air.
The Geovishap burrowed underground—faster, smoother than ever before.
"…So it truly has been affected," Cloud Retainer muttered.
Her thoughts raced.
A ruin filled with Archon remnants—had it been opened?
Had the Vanquisher of Evil already gone there?
Aloud, she commanded, "Shenhe. Block its movement. We must end this quickly and trace the source."
"The Geovishap is secondary. What matters is sealing that ruin before the remnants spread."
"Yes, Master."
Shenhe's expression remained calm, but killing intent surged.
Archon remnants could not be allowed to spread.
Ordinary people would die.
Even Adeptus would not survive prolonged exposure.
She raised a talisman. Frost erupted.
Cracks rippled through the earth.
"Futsu Mitama—move!"
The talisman flew.
Chakra Desiderata flared.
Futsu Mitama vanished.
The ground split wide as the Geovishap lunged upward, jaws snapping shut on empty air.
"Heavenly Edict."
An icy avatar formed behind Shenhe.
Absolute cold descended.
The Geovishap froze mid-leap—immobilized, roaring silently.
Lightning surged.
Musou Isshin appeared in Futsu Mitama's grasp.
Dark clouds gathered once more.
This time—
the hunt would end.
"Thoughtless and conceptless—let all illusions be severed!"
Futsu Mitama drew Musou no Hitachi, once again invoking the authority of the Electro Archon.
The blade descended amid a piercing thunderclap, violet lightning bursting forth and flooding the battlefield with blinding radiance.
High above, Cloud Retainer beat her wings. A visible gale condensed and crashed downward like a falling mountain.
The frozen Geovishap sensed mortal danger. With a violent roar, it shattered the ice encasing its body, fragments scattering in every direction.
A flicker of surprise passed through Shenhe's eyes. She had not expected it to break free in less than two breaths.
—but it was already too late.
"Zzzzz—!!!"
Musou no Hitachi struck again, cleaving straight into the Geovishap's body.
Before it could even cry out, the descending gale slammed it into the ground.
Wind and lightning tore into its flesh in succession. The scales that had once repelled countless attacks were rendered meaningless under the combined assault of Futsu Mitama and Cloud Retainer.
The Geovishap roared in fury, unwilling to die, unwilling to dissipate under their hands.
That stubborn obsession awakened the remnants of the archon within its body, which surged violently and fused completely with its flesh.
In an instant, its wounds healed by more than half. Its aura swelled, growing even more oppressive.
"ROAR—!!!"
The transformation completed, the Geovishap raised its head. Electro energy condensed in its maw, crackling wildly as it locked onto Cloud Retainer in the sky and unleashed the attack.
"Hmph."
Cloud Retainer avoided it with ease, her tone calm and cold.
"The remnants of the archon have merged with it. That is not entirely bad—once it dies, they will return to the earth."
"But be cautious. It now wields a fragment of divine power. Past experience will no longer suffice. Use your full strength."
Her vigilance toward the remnants was absolute. Such corruption could not be destroyed outright, only sealed or dispersed through death—this was why gods were often sealed rather than slain during the Archon War.
"Understood."
"Understood."
Shenhe and Futsu Mitama answered in unison.
Unable to strike Cloud Retainer, the Geovishap roared defiantly, provoking her to descend. She merely conjured another gust of wind, answering contempt with silence.
Its gaze then shifted—locking onto Futsu Mitama.
The fear it once felt was gone. Now, maddened by corruption, it saw only prey.
The Geovishap charged, jaws wide, intending to devour him whole.
Whoosh—
The Chakra Desiderata flashed, and Futsu Mitama reappeared beside Shenhe.
"This thing's become troublesome," he said quietly.
"In the end, it is still a beast," Shenhe replied. Calamity Queller appeared in her hand as an ice construct manifested behind her. She lowered her stance, eyes fixed on the enemy. "Let's end this."
Lightning flickered in Futsu Mitama's eyes as he gripped Musou Isshin. Behind him, the Chakra Desiderata seemed to awaken, its gaze locking onto the Geovishap.
The two split apart, charging from opposite directions with flawless coordination.
"ROAR!!!"
As expected, the Geovishap lunged straight for Futsu Mitama. The pain he had inflicted before had driven its hatred to its peak.
A massive claw slammed downward—
Bang!
Dust erupted, but there was no impact of flesh.
"Above, idiot."
Futsu Mitama's voice sounded calmly overhead. Musou Isshin plunged down, piercing straight into the Geovishap's skull.
The beast roared in agony.
Cloud Retainer, watching from above, narrowed her eyes. The hardest scales on its head—pierced clean through.
Whoosh—
A surge of icy air followed as Shenhe thrust Calamity Queller into the Geovishap's leg. Divine steel met flesh without resistance.
Enraged, the Geovishap stomped down at her.
The ice construct raised its arms, barely supporting the crushing force.
Shenhe placed a talisman upon herself.
Crimson light flared around her body.
She leapt—and punched.
Bang!
The air exploded. The mountain-sized Geovishap was sent flying into the sky.
…
Cloud Retainer's beak twitched slightly. Shenhe's ferocity truly had not dulled with time.
And yet—this was the opening she had created.
Futsu Mitama landed beside Shenhe, momentarily stunned. He knew her strength was terrifying—but this bordered on absurd.
In the sky, Cloud Retainer spread her wings.
"This Adeptus shall see whether you live or die. Futsu Mitama—take Shenhe away."
Without hesitation, his hand closed on Shenhe's shoulder. Lightning flashed.
They vanished.
When they reappeared, a small tornado had formed in the distance—like a localized calamity.
"So this is an Adeptus…" Futsu Mitama murmured.
"Master is strong," Shenhe said calmly. "If nothing unexpected occurs, the Geovishap will perish."
Within the tornado, the Geovishap's roars echoed, tinged with desperation. Pyro energy flared—but was swallowed and reflected by the storm itself.
Then—
Swish! Swish!
Several water arrows streaked in from afar.
"How dare you!"
Cloud Retainer roared, batting them aside with a violent gale. But as she withdrew one wing, the tornado dissipated.
The Geovishap crashed to the ground in a massive crater.
Futsu Mitama and Shenhe vanished again, reappearing beside it.
The beast was mangled—scales gone, flesh scorched and bloodied. Panicked, it began to dig.
"Trying to escape?!"
Musou Isshin rose. Calamity Queller followed.
The Geovishap gathered fire in its mouth—not to fire, but to overcharge. Its body screamed in protest.
A final warning.
Kill me, and I will take you with me.
They advanced regardless.
Whoosh—
A verdant spear tore through the air, piercing straight through the Geovishap's skull.
Instant death.
Futsu Mitama and Shenhe froze.
Someone else had ended it.
And neither of them had sensed the approach.
"Go."
A cold, youthful voice rang out.
A short young man appeared in an instant, placing one hand on Futsu Mitama's shoulder and the other on Shenhe's. Gentle Anemo surged, precise and restrained, and the two were displaced several dozen paces away in the blink of an eye.
Boom—!
The explosion followed.
With its life forcibly severed, the vast Pyro energy the Geovishap had been compressing could no longer remain contained. Flames erupted outward, the blast accompanied by a choking wave of heat and the acrid scent of scorched flesh.
Only then did Futsu Mitama and Shenhe fully register it—
The Geovishap was finished.
They turned back.
A short-haired young man stood where the beast had fallen, a teal yaksha mask concealing his face. His posture was upright, his presence sharp and solitary. His gaze swept over them briefly before he spoke, his tone calm and measured.
"I arrived a step late," he said. "You two handled it well."
With that, he lifted a hand and removed the mask.
The moment his face was revealed, the instability of his aura became apparent. Bloodstains marked his clothing, and wounds—large and small—lined his body. It was clear he had just come from an intense battle, rushing here without pause.
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