The Dark Sea—a realm beyond the Seven Archons' Territory, unfit for human habitation.
Vast and desolate, the Dark Sea sheltered many defeated gods and demons from the Archon War. Beisht, defeated after wreaking havoc in Liyue, had fled here.
Torrential rain, thunderous roars, and raging waves...
Below stretched an endless expanse of sea, punctuated by a few barren islands utterly devoid of life.
The Gods advanced at breakneck speed. After several hours, they finally landed on one of these islands.
Morax: "Traveler, begin."
Lumine nodded slightly, drawing forth the Unrelenting Will Sword.
As soon as the blade appeared, it instantly manifested a Domain around Lumine, shielding her from the rain and waves.
The Gods and the Dragon Sovereign retreated to the island's edge, unleashing their divine power to envelop the entire island in a protective barrier.
At the island's center, Lumine held the Unrelenting Will Sword horizontally before her chest.
Angie and Fidelle exchanged glances, then each placed a hand on the sword's blade.
Buzz—!!
A violent hum resonated from the sword. Five colors of light slowly surged forth from the Unrelenting Will Sword, intertwining with the ice-blue glow emanating from Angie's hand and the purple energy radiating from Fidelle's palm. The intertwined energies shot skyward in a brilliant beam.
The seven-colored beam pierced the heavens with blinding intensity, instantly dispelling the perpetual storm clouds that had shrouded the island for eons.
-
The barrier erected by the Gods to isolate the entire island was instantly nullified by the pillar of light. Yet, due to the pillar's inherent ability, the barrier's range not only didn't disappear but actually expanded.
The pillar of light persisted for over ten seconds, then a sudden message appeared in Lumine, Angie, and Fidelle's minds.
After processing the information, the three exchanged grim glances.
Lumine's brow furrowed deeply.
The trio hadn't received any divine blessings or power enhancements—only a piece of information.
It was a location marker pointing to Natlan. Though the message lacked specific details, all three immediately understood what lay at the indicated coordinates:
The Slumbering Place of the Goddess!
But... according to their existing knowledge, that location, or rather that space, seemed to... be infested by the Abyss...
Whether this was a coincidence or a deliberate plot by the Abyss, it was ominous news for everyone.
It meant they would need to spend even more time searching for the Goddess's Slumbering Place, and time... was precisely the most unstable factor.
Moreover...
Lumine, Angie, and Fidelle looked up. The pillar of light was gradually dimming, and a terrifying aura suddenly descended upon them.
But almost immediately, the oppressive force diminished significantly.
Morax and the others had intervened!
"The Abyss has truly arrived!" Barbatos declared solemnly.
Rukkhadevata teleported beside Lumine and her companions. Before she could ask, Lumine spoke:
"The Goddess's Slumbering Place is in Natlan, within a dimension separate from reality. It seems to be connected to the Night Kingdom. The Abyss is entrenched there, and I can feel its immense power!"
Rukkhadevata paused for half a second to consider, then enveloped the three in a protective barrier, preparing to send them to Natlan.
"We'll hold them back here. You three must return to Natlan immediately, inform the Pyro Archon, launch a full-scale assault on the Abyss, locate the Goddess's Slumbering Place, and secure her energy..."
Bang!
Before Rukkhadevata could finish speaking, the trio, halfway through their teleportation, slammed into an invisible purple-black wall and bounced back.
"Morax, over here! Full-power assault! We need to get the Travelers through!"
In an instant, Morax's Geo Spears, Ei's blade flashes, Barbatos's arrows, Neuvillette's Hydro torrents, Apep's razor claws, the Tsaritsa's ice, and Capitano's sword strikes crashed into the purple-black wall.
Boom!
A deafening roar shook the sea, sending waves crashing back and shattering into a rain of water droplets.
The violent aftershocks surged recklessly toward the Gods, but the purplish-black wall merely flickered, remaining steadfast.
"Damn it! The entire area is sealed off!" Barbatos exclaimed, his face paling as he felt the wind cease to flow.
"The wall is too sturdy. Brute force won't break it."
Within the enclosed space, the rain stopped, the wind stilled, and a massive vortex materialized in the sky.
The scene mirrored the Abyss's emergence over Inazuma years ago!
The only difference was that this vortex was many times larger than the one in Inazuma—a grim omen indeed.
Rukkhadevata murmured, "The worst has come to pass..."
Lumine, Angie, and Fidelle also gazed up at the colossal vortex dominating the sky. Suddenly, a portal materialized beside them.
"Lumine, over here!"
Lumine whipped her head around. She recognized the portal instantly: the Abyss—no, the Chaos Order's portal!
Aether's figure emerged from the other side. "Hurry! We're running out of time!"
Lumine acted decisively, grabbing Angie with one hand and Fidelle with the other, and charged through the portal.
Aether was the last to enter. Just before crossing, he sensed someone watching him. Turning, he saw Morax.
Morax gave Aether a slight nod.
Though the Gods were wary of the vortex in the sky, they had also noticed everything unfolding below. When they saw Aether take Lumine and their companions through the portal, the Gods silently breathed a collective sigh of relief.
The massive vortex in the sky slowly widened, revealing a colossal, crimson eyeball on the other side.
As this enormous eye appeared and gazed down upon the assembled Gods, space itself seemed to freeze.
"It's... it... It's actually come in person!"
"My body won't move!"
Neither the Gods nor the Dragon Sovereigns could move even an inch. It was a terrifying sensation—consciousness remained sharp, yet they were utterly powerless to control their bodies.
Just as the Gods, their struggles futile, resigned themselves to awaiting the Master's judgment, rows of black-and-red cubes shattered through the purplish-black barrier, interposing themselves between the celestial eye and the assembled deities.
Realizing they could move again and that the purple-black barrier had been breached, the Gods immediately scattered.
The colossal eye in the sky turned its gaze forward, focusing on another massive eye looming ahead. Within this great eye were countless smaller eyes, and many smaller eyes hovered around its periphery.
Beneath the largest eye, a dangerous yet graceful figure materialized out of thin air.
She wore a crimson robe adorned with blood-red patterns, black wings sprouted from her back, and a Celtic triquetra symbol at her waist.
It was her—Ronova, the Ruler of Death!
Ronova's sudden appearance dyed the sky above her a crimson hue.
As the great eye of the Abyss caught sight of Ronova, a figure emerged from the spatial rift where it floated, hovering in the air to face her across the void.
This was one of the final three villains, whose power surpassed even that of the Archons.
The remaining two villains were Gosoythoth and Jiang Mumu's true form.
Now that the Emotional Value had reached the required threshold, even such extravagance wouldn't matter.
Besides, the grander the spectacle, the greater the Emotional Value earned!
While the Gods sought to restrain her, she intended to restrain them as well...
Hmm, and there are still several Archons left. It would be best to include members of the Hexenzirkel as well.