The Captain stepped out from among the Fatui,single-handed sword lowered at his side.The temperature around them plummeted the moment he appeared.
If it were the Traveler Ying—someone famous across Teyvat—he might have exchanged a few words first,maybe even attempted negotiations,even though she had slain countless Fatui.
But Liang Chuan…an unknown outsider with not even a whisper of reputation?
For him, the Captain drew his sword immediatelyand unleashed a killing blow.
"Whoosh!!!"
A blade of frost shot straight toward Liang Chuan's face.
He knew—if that hit, he wouldn't die outright,but he'd be critically wounded.
Yet with Cryo restricting his body,his movement was crippled; he couldn't dodge.
He could only watch as the frost blade grew larger in his eyes—
"PA!"
It didn't slice into him.
It slammed into—an Ice Shield.
Citra Lili again.
Izpapa responded instantly to her call,summoning a shield that intercepted the blow.
At the same time,Oloron cast [Echo of Darkness],summoning a Thunderclap Eye amidst the Fatui ranks—electro energy bursting among themand dragging their attention away.
"What are you waiting for?! RUN!"
Citra Lili dashed in front of the players,pointing angrily at the Captain.
"How dare you try to kill in front of the Obsidian High Priestess!Have you no shame?!"
"Citra Lili, that man is the Fatui's Captain.In terms of raw strength, he's the strongest among all Harbingers!Don't fight him head-on!"
Liang Chuan warned her urgently.
He and the players could revive using Bio-Energy.Citra Lili could not.
In his memory, she was not an inheritor of an Ancient Name,and the Soul-Reciting Verse didn't work on all Natlanians yet.
Meaning—
If Citra Lili died,she might stay dead.
She froze.As a High Priestess who had lived over two centuries,of course she knew the Captain's reputation.
"This is bad…"
She inhaled sharply, then shouted:
"Oloron! Go back to the tribe—inform Bilang immediately!Tell him the Fatui's Captain is here!Have him contact Maravika for support!I'll hold him off!"
"No! I can't leave you alone!"Oloron yelled.
"If you stay, we'll lose for sure!GO—get Maravika now!"
While they argued,the Captain launched another wave of icy slashes.
Even Citra Lili's Ice Shield couldn't endure much more;cracks spread across its surface.
It was about to shatter.
"How about… you two retreat first, and I stall him?"
Liang Chuan raised his hand from behind Citra Lili.
"You?"She shook her head.
"You're strong for a mortal without a Vision—but defeating the Captain is impossible!"
"I know I can't beat him.But stalling him… that I can do."
Liang Chuan sighed.
"I didn't want to use this.But at this point, the only option is… blowing up the Captain."
"Blowing up… what does that mean?"Citra Lili asked, confused.
"Blowing up. Literally blowing up."
Liang Chuan answered, taking a lump of clay from his [Inventory]and stuffing it into his mouth to chew.
"Class talent from the [Demolitionist].Clay Bomb.But since I don't have any other 'primer' materials right now—I have to eat the clay myselfand turn my own body into the bomb."
He continued as he chewed:
"A player picked the Demolitionist classand thought it was garbage.Turns out he unlocked a new playstyle for me.Use myself as the fuse—turn myself into an explosive.
Damage = 500% of ALL attributes combined.Even you, Captain…will taste my art."
The Ice Shield shattered at that exact moment.
Liang Chuan activated [Gale Step]and rushed straight toward the Captain.
Even stealthed, his footsteps left faint traces—the Captain caught onto them immediately.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Multiple frost blades slashed toward him.
Liang Chuan didn't dodge.Didn't block.
Even as his body was cut open,he forced himself forward—straight into the Captain's arms.
A heartbeat later—
"BOOOOOOM!!!!!!!"
A massive explosion erupted.
Fatui caught in the center evaporated into ash instantly.The Captain was blasted into a crater,struggling to climb out.
Citra Lili, Oloron, and all the players—blown away by the shockwave—stared in absolute disbelief.
"Holy—BROTHER CHUAN JUST SELF-DESTRUCTED!!!"
"System message—main quest failed… We're doomed! Are we losing our accounts?!"
"Wait—system says:'Player self-destruction counts as a special case. Accounts intact.But as punishment for main quest failure, rollback initiated.'We're being rolled back one day."
"Only one day? Could've been worse…"
The players exhaled in relief.
Even if the accounts were reset entirely,they could've accepted it.
Their biggest fear was losing their accounts altogether.
After experiencing Genshin: Execute,a 100% reality-level game…who could go back to normal games?
No other game let them wield actual supernatural power.
"Liang Chuan… you…Why would you be so stupid…"Citra Lili collapsed weakly to the ground,unable to sense his presence.
Her sorrowful expression made the players whisper:
"…Wait. Is pink-haired twin-tails his official CP?"
"Impressive. Using such a method to fight me—I acknowledge your courage."
The Captain crawled out of the crater—covered in dirt and ash.Even he hadn't expectedsomeone without a Visionto unleash such destructive force.
"WHAT THE—HE'S STILL ALIVE?!"
"RUN! If we die after losing a day of resources, we're done for!"
"WE'RE OUT OF COMBAT! LOG OUT! LOG OUT NOW!!"
Players disappeared one after another.
Soon, only three remained:
The Captain.Citra Lili.Oloron.
Citra Lili glared at the Captain,refusing to retreat even now.
"Grandmother…"Oloron wanted to pull her away.
Her cold glare cut him off.
"Go get Maravika.Do not make me repeat myself."
She was truly angry—Oloron knew it immediatelyand rushed off toward the tribe.
The moment he left—the area around the Captain and Citra Lili erupted into a blizzard.
Citra Lili unleashed her strongest technique,consuming her spiritual power without restraint—
[Radiant Sovereign Edict]!
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
https://www.patreon.com/Mindsmithstudio