"Zhongli's" aura surged violently. The black mist around him grew denser, nearly swallowing his entire figure, as his crimson eyes swept over Lumine, Lydia, and Yunxuan.
"Since you've seen through my disguise, it matters not."
He glanced at Yunqin, who was still held firmly by the Abyssal Power behind him, a cruel smile curling his lips. His tone carried undisguised triumph.
"I had hoped to use your trust in Rex Lapis to seize your half of 'lucidity.' After all, your understanding of Rex Lapis is far deeper than we anticipated."
"But it doesn't matter. We already have Yunqin. Her Abyssal power is far more useful than yours."
"Therefore, please... die!"
Before his words even faded, "Zhongli" raised his hand, condensing a massive amount of Geo Elemental Power. The dark purple Abyssal aura coiled around it like a viper.
A destructive Geo Elemental shockwave, with a roar that tore through the air, smashed viciously toward the three of them!
The power was too terrifying. Lumine and Lydia's faces turned deathly pale, their blood feeling as if it had frozen in their veins.
They wanted to resist, but knowing the vast difference in their strength, they could only instinctively shield Yunxuan behind them and tightly shut their eyes.
Just as the Geo Elemental shockwave was about to engulf the three of them, two massive vortexes suddenly materialized out of thin air.
Two Hydro Elemental Vortexes spun, blocking the path before them!
The vortex on the left frantically devoured the surging Abyssal aura, while the other gently neutralized the violent Geo Elemental Power.
The two vortexes intertwined and coiled, forming an indestructible barrier.
The shockwave struck the vortexes and was instantly swallowed whole, without leaving even a single ripple.
The black mist churned violently, as if stirred by an invisible force, and two colossal figures slowly emerged from the vortexes.
On the left was Osial, surrounded by surging Hydro Element and a faint Abyssal aura, each step he took making the ground tremble slightly.
On the right was the slender Beisht, faint Hydro Elemental particles flowing at her fingertips, her gaze as cold as ice yet radiating an inviolable majesty.
The two stood side by side. Though their auras were fierce, they steadily shielded Lumine and her companions behind them, forming an indestructible line of defense.
"Abyssal brat, dare you act so insolently before us?" Osial's voice boomed like a thunderclap. He slammed his fist heavily onto the ground, making the earth tremble and the black mist churn.
Beisht, meanwhile, stared coldly at "Zhongli," her gaze filled with disdain and disgust. "Stealing the name of a god, manipulating the people of Liyue, and aiding a tyrant in his evil deeds. Today, you shall taste the wrath of the gods!"
"Zhongli's" expression finally changed, a clear flicker of wariness crossing his crimson eyes.
He had clearly not expected Osial and Beisht to break free from the Abyss.
And by the looks of it, they had come to help Lumine and the others.
"Arrogant fools, dare you interfere in the affairs of the Abyss!"
"Zhongli's" crimson eyes locked onto Osial and Beisht. His deep black divine robes billowed and snapped in the windless air.
Majestic Geo Elemental Power, entwined with viscous Abyssal Black Miasma, instantly transformed into a sky full of sharp Geo spikes. They rained down on the two like a storm, the air shrieking as it was torn apart.
Osial roared in fury. The Hydro Element around him surged violently, forming a hundred-foot-tall wall of rushing water to shield him.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
The dense Geo spikes slammed into the water wall one after another, kicking up a vast mist. Water droplets splashed onto the rock wall, actually corroding it with black spots.
He swung his massive, fan-like hand. A giant Hydro Vortex condensed in his palm, crushing toward "Zhongli" with a terrifying momentum that threatened to devour everything.
Beisht's movements were as agile as a phantom. Several Hydro Blades, sharp as cicada wings, condensed at her fingertips. They streaked through the black mist like shooting stars chasing the moon, striking at "Zhongli's" vital points with ruthless precision.
"Zhongli's" lips curled into a cold sneer. The rock beneath his feet instantly rose, forming a thick Obsidian Geo Shield that steadily blocked the combined attack of the Hydro Vortex and Hydro Blades.
With a "crack," the Geo Shield was covered in fractures but did not completely shatter.
His figure vanished from the spot. The next second, he had teleported in front of Osial. A Stone Spear, black as ink, condensed in his palm. The spearhead was wreathed in a dense Abyssal aura, carrying world-destroying power as it thrust viciously toward Osial's chest.
Osial was caught off guard, struck brutally by the Stone Spear. His massive body was sent reeling back like a mountain, and he coughed up a large mouthful of black blood.
The armor on his body was torn open, revealing a wound deep enough to see the bone. Hydro Element and blood mixed together, gushing from the injury.
"Osial!" Beisht cried out in alarm, a flicker of anxiety crossing her eyes as she turned to launch a fierce assault on "Zhongli."
But "Zhongli's" strength far exceeded their expectations. The Geo Element's stability and the Abyssal Power's ruthlessness blended perfectly, making his moves both ferocious and cunning.
He raised his hand, condensing several Stone Spears to simultaneously keep Osial and Beisht at bay. His figure teleported again, appearing behind Beisht, and he struck her back with a palm strike imbued with immense Geo Power.
Beisht let out a muffled groan, bright red blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Her figure stumbled forward, the Hydro Element around her instantly becoming chaotic, and the once-cold light in her eyes dimmed.
The battle reached a fever pitch. Within the black mist, Geo light and Hydro Element clashed and intertwined. Deafening crashes echoed continuously, and the entire ruins shook violently, raining down rubble.
Though Osial and Beisht fought with all their might, they still fell short against "Zhongli." Wounds multiplied on their bodies, and their auras grew increasingly faint as they gradually lost ground, able only to barely hold on.
Meanwhile, Lumine and Lydia were engulfed by the shockwaves of the battlefield, unable to spare a moment to intervene.
Yunxuan lay in Lumine's arms, her breath so weak she seemed on the verge of death. Yet as she watched Yunqin, who was firmly controlled by Abyssal Power not far away, a flicker of heartbreak and resentment pierced through her clouded eyes.
She mustered the last shred of her strength, struggling to break free from Lumine's support, and staggered toward Yunqin.
Every step felt like walking on knife-tips, the excruciating pain of her reopened wounds making her tremble all over.
Her face was pale as paper, yet she stubbornly moved forward, step by step, as if the short distance was the shore she must reach in this lifetime.
"Yunqin..." Yunxuan's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, like an old, wheezing bellows. Tears traced paths down her pale, parched cheeks, dripping onto the rubble-strewn ground. "Look at me... It's me, Yunxuan..."
Yunqin's entire body stiffened, her crimson eyes slowly turning toward her, containing no trace of the joy of reunion, only bone-chillingly cold killing intent.
Her hand gripping the Abyssal Blade Glow tightened slightly, her mind filling with a maddening thought.
Eliminate this being who looked exactly like herself and become the unique "Yunqin," no longer ever overshadowed by "another self."