Natlan.
"Venti, are you really just going to stand there and watch Mavuika sacrifice herself?" Paimon asked, unable to hold back as she looked at Venti and the others, who remained unmoved.
Mavuika intended to use her own life to sustain the Sacred Flame and keep the Night Kingdom in existence.
"Paimon, you need to understand that we are not Natlan's gods. We have no right to interfere in another nation's affairs as we please," Venti said earnestly.
He respected Mavuika's choice, but he would not act.
"Do all of you think the same way?" Paimon asked, looking at the other gods.
"Yes, Paimon. So long as it has nothing to do with us, we do not interfere in the affairs of other nations."
It was not that they were cold-hearted. It was simply a basic principle: gods did not meddle in the internal affairs of foreign lands.
Unless the Seven Nations—or Teyvat itself—were in danger.
"Haha, Paimon, this is Natlan's battle," Mavuika said with a smile, not bothered in the slightest that the other gods had chosen not to intervene.
"Mavuika, I've been waiting for this day just as long as you have. But now that we have a better solution, then let me do it instead."
The Captain walked forward slowly, each step steady and powerful. The rhythmic sound of his footsteps seemed as though they could tread directly upon the soul.
"Captain?"
Mavuika froze for a moment when she saw him. His arrival had clearly gone beyond anything she had expected.
Olorun?
The moment she saw Olorun, Mavuika understood how the Captain had managed to come here.
"Olorun!"
Citlali was furious. This disobedient grandson of hers had really done it this time.
"Uh…"
After being shouted at, Olorun stiffened awkwardly, not daring to look at his obsidian grandmother.
"Mavuika, this is a future you created with your own hands. Where it will lead must be guided and defined by you. Your life should not end here," the Captain said.
"'Death' is the destination I have always wished to reach. I came all this way in the hope that my death would open the gates of the ley lines for them."
Venti praised him openly. "The wind of time tells me that there are many souls within you, Captain. The oldest of them have been with you for over five hundred years."
The Captain answered directly, "As expected of the Anemo Archon. You are correct. For five hundred years, their souls have remained within me."
He pressed a hand to his heart. "The homeless souls are all here. My comrades, and the 'lives' of those Natlan people as well… they are all here."
"A staggering feat. The will of those under your command has already transcended itself," Vatrey commented.
There were simply too many souls inside the Captain. For anyone— even a god—such a burden would be nearly impossible to bear.
He had to keep his will steady at every moment. Otherwise, the impact of those souls would have killed him completely long ago.
"I understand now. You want to return the souls inside you to the ley lines." Mavuika looked at the Captain with a mixture of complexity and respect.
He was a true warrior. A true hero.
"It's just that, under the rules of Amauroti…"
Mavuika let out a soft sigh. Natlan's ley lines were in complete chaos. There was no way they could accept the souls inside the Captain.
"The ley lines may not be able to accept them," the Captain said, "but if I become the master of the ley lines and merge with the Night God, then wouldn't I be able to change the rules?"
He laid out his plan plainly.
Mavuika looked toward the Night God. The answer was obvious—the Night God had already agreed.
"Such a rule would be more friendly and fair to humanity. Besides, the Captain has another goal as well: to challenge the authority of the Ruler of Death… or rather, to take revenge."
"Take revenge on me?"
Ronova and Koji stepped out from a Spatial Passage, calmly looking at the Captain.
"Yes. Thanks to your power, I bear the 'curse of immortality'—absolute life."
Ronova's gaze remained as calm as ever. "I know your intention…"
The Captain met her eyes without a trace of humility or fear. "Then can you feel my resolve? My hatred?"
Khaenri'ah had indeed committed a grave sin. But many people had known nothing about it, and yet they were dragged into it all the same.
The Captain then stated his plan in full. "The moment I offer my life to the Night God, you will witness death taking place—but that death will then be negated by your curse of immortality…"
"If this paradox is not resolved, it may even shake the very foundation of the world's laws. Even the exalted Ruler of Death would not be able to bear the consequences of that."
"Your curse has now become the power by which I will reverse the order between gods and men. It is also the challenge I lay before you."
At that moment, the Captain shone even more fiercely than Mavuika, the Pyro Archon herself.
"Oh?"
"To use 'immortality' against 'death.'"
"To use 'myself' against 'myself.'"
Ronova looked at the Captain with clear interest. For a human to arrive at such an answer was something almost no one could hope to achieve.
"Do you know what you are doing?"
The Captain answered calmly, "Of course I do. More than five hundred years have passed. Heroes cannot remain homeless forever. It is time for them to go home."
"Make your choice."
"Will you deny your own 'rules'…"
"Or will I be the one to trigger the 'paradox'?"
Ronova turned to Koji and said, "You should decide. With your power, you can do anything you yourself wish to do."
"All right."
Koji nodded and looked at the Captain, who stood upright and unyielding.
"Captain, if I can solve the problems of Natlan's ley lines and the Night Kingdom, would you choose to remain?"
The Captain answered without hesitation, "No. For an immortal like me, it is time to leave this mortal world behind. My journey has reached its end as well. For me, an ending like this is not bad."
"Good. Then I grant you release, and I will settle the matters here as well."
That was Koji's way of expressing respect for the Captain.
This warrior deserved to rest.
What he needed was not to sit upon a throne, but true eternal sleep.
"That is enough," the Captain said with a nod.
"Heavenly Pillar Knight, I'm here… to see you off on your final journey."
A passage to the Abyss opened, and the Abyss Prince, Aether, emerged. His expression as he looked at the Captain was complicated.
The two Abyss Lectors standing beside him both regarded the Captain with the highest respect.
Though the Captain no longer belonged to their organization, what he had done was worthy of such reverence.
"Aether?" Lumine said in surprise, clearly not expecting her brother to appear.
"Your Highness, this is the last scene that must not be disturbed."
"I'm sorry that I cannot be of any help to you."
The Captain spoke apologetically. The burden Aether carried was even heavier than his own, but now, there was nothing more he himself could do.
"It doesn't matter. You can finally rest now, Heavenly Pillar Knight."
Aether shook his head, not minding it at all.
The Captain had already done enough.
(End of Chapter)
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