"What do you think made me so powerful... It was you!" The monster's crimson sockets flared with wildly dancing dark purple flames, its golden Soul Core trembling violently within the dark energy. "Once this Soul Core detonates, the entire ruins will instantly be reduced to dust, and you ants will be left without even a speck of ash!"
The monster's voice suddenly rose, carrying a despair-inducing boast: "Mondstadt will be swallowed by the Abyss Rift, Liyue Harbor will be torn apart by the dark energy, and the people you want to protect, the scenery you cherish, will all vanish into the Abyss!"
"When that time comes, countless Abyss monsters will swarm from the Rift, Mondstadt's winds will be stained with blood, Liyue's Geo will be eroded by darkness, and these two nations will become He's new anchor points for occupying Teyvat!"
It stared fixedly at Yunqin's pale face, its tone filled with mockery: "And you will only be able to watch all of this happen, without even the right to stop it!"
"You think you've won just by breaking free from my control? You're only fooling yourselves! In the face of absolute destruction, all your struggles are like the antics of a clown, laughable and impotent!"
These words were like poisoned daggers, stabbing cruelly into the hearts of everyone present.
Lumine and Lydia felt a chill run through their bodies. Behind them lay the crumbling ruins, and before them, the Destruction Core was about to detonate. Despair engulfed them like a tide.
In Lu Nanqing's live stream, the players watched the monster's arrogant display on the screen, feeling both heartache and helplessness, wishing they could charge into the game and tear the beast to shreds.
"Self-destruct? In your dreams!" Yunqin snapped back to her senses, the despair in her eyes replaced by fierce determination.
Just as she was about to step forward, the Abyss monster suddenly broke free from the Sword of Light's suppression. Its massive claw, carrying a foul wind, struck viciously toward her.
Abyssal Venom dripped from the claw's tips, corroding black holes into the ground: "You think you can stop all this with your incomplete self?"
At this critical moment, two weak yet resolute figures suddenly rushed out from the side. It was Osial and Beisht!
Both were covered in wounds, with dark energy swirling around their injuries. Their auras were so faint it seemed they might vanish in the next second.
Yet they still mustered their last remnants of god power, condensing two intertwined Hydro Elemental Vortexes that bound the Abyss monster's limbs tight.
"Roar!" The Abyss monster struggled frantically. Black scales and Abyssal Venom sprayed as the vortexes shook violently.
Osial let out a muffled groan. Black blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, dripping down his massive jaw and splashing onto the ground to form a black mist.
The strain on Beisht's wounds caused her body to convulse violently with pain, yet she didn't slacken her grip in the slightest. Instead, she poured all her remaining strength into the vortex, desperately restraining the monster's movements.
"Are you crazy?!" Yunqin cried out in a mix of shock and anger. Tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes as she stared at their swaying figures. "Do you even know what I'm trying to do!"
"Silly girl... From the moment you called out 'Father,' you were no longer alone." Osial struggled to lift his head. The former ferocity in his massive eyes had vanished, replaced by nothing but affection and resolve for his junior. His voice was low yet clear. "You became... our most cherished daughter."
Beisht's voice was as hoarse as if it had been scraped by sandpaper, yet it carried a heart-piercing tenderness. Tears shimmered in her eyes, reflecting Yunqin's figure: "We owe you too much... We owe you a complete childhood, a proper protection, and an apology to Yunxuan that is long overdue."
Her voice choked with sobs, each word weighing a thousand pounds: "Yunxuan used her life to wake you up. This time, it is our turn to protect you both."
"For our daughter, for the scenery Yunxuan never got to finish seeing, and for the people of this continent we have grown to care about... it is worth it." Osial's voice grew lower and lower, yet the Hydro Elemental Vortexes grew more solid, crushing the monster's struggles. "We were once gods who were hated, but you made us understand that protecting is more meaningful than destroying."
Yunqin shuddered all over, tears instantly blurring her vision.
She remembered Yunxuan lying in a pool of blood, still trying to wake her up; she remembered Osial clumsily mimicking a human father, trying to pick a Glaze Lily for her and nearly falling off a cliff; she remembered Beisht quietly wrapping a warm cloak around her on a rainy night.
The Overlord of the Vortex and his wife, who had once struck terror into the hearts of Liyue, were now willing to die to protect her and this continent.
This sudden surge of familial love washed away the hatred and despair in her heart like a warm current, yet it also made her chest ache so much she could hardly breathe.
"How... ironic," Yunqin chuckled softly, though her tears flowed even more fiercely.
She turned to look at Lumine and Lydia behind her, both severely injured and struggling to even stand, and gazed at them deeply.
"Lumine, Lydia," Yunqin's voice trembled slightly, yet it was exceptionally firm, "live well for me. See every Lantern Rite in Liyue for me, and taste every season's Apple Cider in Mondstadt for me."
The next second, the golden and blue light surrounding Yunqin erupted, and her body began to dissolve into specks of starlight, a sign that she was expending all her life energy.
Each wisp of starlight carried her longing for Liyue, her concern for her friends, and her cherishing of this newfound family.
She flew toward the Abyss monsters, Osial, and Beisht, the starlight trailing a long arc behind her like a meteor piercing the darkness, dazzling and resolute.
"Don't come any closer!" the Abyss monsters roared in frenzy, having sensed the mortal threat. Yet they were locked fast by a Hydro Elemental Vortex, able only to watch as the ball of light Yunqin had become drew ever nearer.
Yunqin did not respond. The moment the ball of light touched the monsters, it abruptly expanded, enveloping the Abyss monsters, Osial, and Beisht within.
"The Seven Cycles? Ridiculous!"
"This is my soul, and I alone should control it!"
"I will absolutely... absolutely never let you take it and wreak havoc upon the world!"
The golden Soul Core throbbed violently within the ball of light, trying to break free and detonate, but was ruthlessly suppressed by Yunqin's starlight power.
Osial and Beisht felt the warm power within the ball of light and smiled at each other, their eyes devoid of regret, filled only with liberation.
They closed their eyes simultaneously, letting their own god power merge with Yunqin's starlight, transforming into an even more powerful Purifying Power that gently wrapped around the Soul Core carrying both destruction and bonds.
Lumine and Lydia watched the ball of light grow brighter and brighter, subconsciously closing their eyes as tears streamed down their faces.
They seemed to feel Yunqin's gentleness, Osial and Beisht's resoluteness, and Yunxuan's unfulfilled wish.
The anticipated destructive explosion never came; instead, only a gentle yet immense power radiated outward.
Wherever it passed, the lingering black mist instantly dissipated, the cracks in the ground were filled with starlight, and even tender green sprouts grew forth.
On the rocks corrupted by the Abyss, tiny Glaze Lilies bloomed, emitting a faint, delicate fragrance.
As the light faded, only specks of starlight slowly drifted down. The Abyss monsters, Osial, and Beisht had vanished, and the golden Soul Core had also floated back into Yunqin's body. Together, they transformed into pure energy and merged into the land.
A gentle breeze brushed past, carrying the lively atmosphere of Liyue Harbor, as if Yunqin and Yunxuan were softly bidding farewell.
A gentle breeze wafted by, and Yunqin's voice, tinged with a faint smile, lingered in Lumine and Lydia's ears, refusing to fade.
"My dearest friend, for me... please see more of the world."
Lumine and Lydia slowly opened their eyes and gazed at the empty ruins. Tears could no longer be held back as they rolled down their cheeks, and heartbreaking sobs echoed through the desolate site.
In the Blue Planet's live stream, Lu Nanqing had long been weeping, her microphone filled with her muffled sobs. The chat was flooded with messages like "Rest in peace, Yunqin" and "Farewell, Osial and Beisht."
Countless players offered their heaviest mournings for this kinship that transcended species and pasts, and for this resolute protection.