On the chaotic battlefield
Blood soaked the platform of the Jade Chamber. Rivers of it. The Millelith and the Fatui clashed in brutal combat, their battle cries shaking the heavens.
Steel clashed. War cries echoed.
The sound of weapons colliding and the dull thud of blades piercing flesh painted a grim picture of the carnage.
The Fatui's collective strength far surpassed the Millelith's, but the Qixing and the adepti stood with the defenders. The battle wasn't one-sided, but that only made the carnage worse.
...
Out on the water
Bosacius's stamina and adepti energy were draining fast. His manifested form stood like a losing general, barely holding on. Menogias was in no condition to continue fighting, and Alatus had fallen into the sea, unable to dodge in time.
In the pouring rain, Bonanus dove into the water, frantically searching for Alatus.
Alatus sank deeper and deeper into the dark depths. He was afraid. No one could face death without fear, not even this brave young adeptus.
Even unconscious, he struggled. If his family hadn't returned, he might have seen this as a release. But now he had something to live for.
His life was slipping away. Images flashed through his mind like a film reel playing in reverse.
He saw Bosacius throwing tantrums after losing games, Menogias giving him a new bamboo flute, Indarias coming to compare heights with him.
And his beloved sister Bonanus, always there to comfort him in his darkest moments, gently stroking his head.
Perhaps it was survival instinct that jolted Alatus awake. His eyes snapped open, and he thrashed desperately, trying to swim up from the black water.
But he had no strength left. The weight of the water pressed down on him, filling his nose and making it impossible to breathe. His chest burned. Even gods needed air, let alone a weakened young adeptus.
Just when he thought he couldn't hold on any longer, a familiar figure swam toward him. Like a lifeline in the storm, Alatus grabbed hold with what little strength he had.
He knew this was his rescuer.
In the next moment, that familiar figure pressed her lips to his. Her kiss was soft, breathing life into him. She gave him what little air she had, a gift more precious than gold in that moment.
He would never forget that touch. It was his beloved sister.
Alatus wanted to open his eyes and see her face, but he had reached his limit.
...
Clash! Clang!
BOOM!
Splash!
The battle raged on. Bonanus used every ounce of her strength to drag Alatus out of the water.
The moment they broke the surface, she shot upward, carrying the unconscious boy to the Jade Chamber.
The rear of the Jade Chamber was safe, staffed with logistics and medical personnel. Bonanus laid Alatus on an empty cot.
There she saw the busy medics and a flustered Paimon, hiding from the danger.
"Paimon, come here." Bonanus called out to the nervous little mascot.
"Take care of Alatus, please. I'm counting on you." She spoke quickly. Though she was worried about Alatus, as an adeptus, she had to return to the battle.
Paimon flew over immediately and nodded firmly, patting her chest.
"Leave it to Paimon!"
Paimon radiated an air of reliability. Her reassurance eased Bonanus's mind. She bought a healing pill from the system shop and fed it to Alatus, then gently touched his pale face.
She bit her lip, took a deep breath, and turned back to the battle without hesitation.
...
As she returned, the fully charged Guizhong Ballistas unleashed a devastating blast at Osial.
BOOM!
A golden beam struck the god. A piercing scream echoed across the harbor. The attack had truly wounded him.
The explosion threw up a cloud of smoke, briefly obscuring Osial's vision. But the rain quickly washed it away.
Bosacius, still fighting Osial, finally had a moment to catch his breath. Menogias had withdrawn from the fight, and Alatus had been rescued.
But Bosacius couldn't retreat. He knew that if no one kept Osial occupied, the god would turn his attention to the Jade Chamber, or worse, Liyue Harbor.
He still had strength. He still had adepti energy. As the Great Marshal of Rex Lapis's five guardian Yakshas, as the eldest brother of them all, he showed his true power.
He would not take a single step back.
Bosacius's battered manifestation lunged at Osial. The god's attacks had knocked the weapons from its hands, but it still had its fists.
With a thunderous roar, Bosacius grappled Osial with his fading form.
Dazed and disoriented, Osial tried to gather his power for another devastating blast to destroy the manifestation once and for all.
But Bosacius wouldn't give him the chance. He had learned his lesson. If you fall into a trap once, you walk around it the next time.
Bosacius's manifestation grabbed Osial by the neck and slammed him into a rocky outcrop with a furious roar.
One punch, two punches, three punches, four. Blows powerful enough to pulverize flesh rained down on Osial. For a moment, the god was completely overwhelmed.
Osial was furious. These pests were relentless. First the formation, then those attacks that could actually hurt him.
Now he was battered and bruised. One more hit from the Guizhong Ballistas would be the end of him.
He wasn't a fool. But what could he do? This hulking brute was too tenacious.
Just then, two voices roared across the battlefield.
"Indarias, reporting for battle!"
"Bonanus, reporting for battle!"
Though the battlefield was chaos, those words cut through the noise and struck Osial's ears. His blood ran cold.
Two more? He had just driven off two, crippled a third, and now two more showed up. He was about to lose his mind.
In his prime, Osial wouldn't have feared them. But now, wounded and weakened, he could already see his defeat.
Damn Morax! Damn the Geo Archon! Damn the adepti of Liyue!
No one heard his silent curses. While he was still locked in combat with Bosacius's manifestation, Indarias unleashed her power. From a distance, she summoned a rain of Pyro meteors from the heavens.
"Burn! Blazing Funeral!"
The meteors screamed through the sky, one after another, crashing into Osial's heads.
His screams filled the air. He had been bullied by Rex Lapis in the past—that was understandable. But now he was being tormented by lesser adepti. It was unbearable.
Meanwhile, Bonanus took action, but not to attack. She used her Hydro energy to mend and reinforce Bosacius's failing manifestation. It was just enough to keep the fight going.
The outcome was sealed. Osial was doomed. All they needed now was one last shot from the Guizhong Ballistas.