Aether's luck wasn't bad—at least none of the stones raining down from above smashed onto his head, or else he would've been forced to say goodbye right here.
He looked up helplessly at the two figures impossibly battling it out midair, shook his head with a sigh, hoisted Childe onto his shoulder, and moved to a safer place—lest this captive just suddenly drop dead.
Rosalyne had no intention of dragging this fight out, only wanting to escape as quickly as possible. Osial had already been freed, so staying here and getting tangled in pointless combat made no sense. She didn't even bother rescuing her captured colleague.
But Jiang Bai had no intention of letting her off so easily. Wind element surged beneath his feet, briefly suspending him in midair.
He hadn't seriously studied wind element much, but sometimes a sudden flash of inspiration in battle was more useful than days spent grinding through boring research.
Rosalyne's wings flapped softly, scattering sparks like tiny stars. She danced upward like a burning butterfly, seeking to escape directly.
Without warning, a vortex appeared in the sky, rapidly swelling into a roaring tornado. The fierce wind screamed through the air, dragging smoke and dust, completely trapping Rosalyne in mid-flight.
Countless rocks—large and small—swirled violently inside the tornado, transforming it into a storm of devastation wherever it passed.
Sharp fragments scraped across Rosalyne's face and body, leaving bloody gashes in their wake.
Pain ripped through her, forcing a scream from her throat. No longer holding back, she released the remaining divine power bestowed by the Tsaritsa in one massive surge.
In an instant, everything around her—stones, winds, even intangible gusts of air—froze into solid ice, suspended unnaturally in place.
Boom!
The ice shattered explosively, and Rosalyne hovered there, wings beating slowly, glaring at Jiang Bai with murderous coldness.
"You've really pissed me off now."
Her chilling voice reverberated through the air, a bone-deep chill permeating the entire space.
With a wave of her hand, several gigantic ice spikes appeared behind her. Each spike measured three meters in length, their tips razor-sharp, glowing ominously.
Before she even unleashed them, Jiang Bai—who was locked squarely in her sights—already felt as if ice had pierced into his bones.
He exhaled sharply, unreservedly pouring out his remaining mental strength. Massive stone slabs instantly formed behind him.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Rock slabs and ice spikes collided violently! The impact shook the entire Golden House, threatening to collapse it altogether!
Paimon and Aether anxiously watched the scene, terrified the largest mint in all of Teyvat was going to crumble into rubble.
Whoosh—!
With a rush of wind, Rosalyne suddenly appeared before Jiang Bai, a flaming whip swinging directly toward his face.
Spiked and blazing with Pyro energy, the whip hurled chunks of stone and ice along with it. A direct hit would cripple him, if not kill him outright.
Breathing heavily from exhaustion, Jiang Bai grit his teeth. [Baiyuan] armored his arm as he reached out, directly grabbing the whip mid-strike!
The sharp barbs sliced deeply into his palm, fire igniting his flesh, yet his expression didn't waver at all. He yanked fiercely, tearing the whip from Rosalyne's grasp.
Snap!
With a swift flick, the whip snapped back viciously toward Rosalyne's face.
Equally drained, Rosalyne cast him a deep glance before dissolving into flames, vanishing from the Golden House.
Seeing her leave, Jiang Bai descended to the ground. He propped himself up against the rubble, panting heavily.
Aether and Paimon hurried forward to support him. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, fine," Jiang Bai waved weakly. He had to admit—he wasn't yet strong enough to defeat Signora outright.
But at least he'd snatched away a trophy. The fight hadn't been a total waste.
He glanced at the whip stained crimson by his blood and carefully stowed it away.
"Your hand's covered in blood! Quick, bandage it!" Paimon urged anxiously.
Exhausted, Jiang Bai sat straight down onto the floor, extending his injured hand. "I'll have to trouble you guys—I don't have the strength left for this."
Fighting two Fatui Harbingers in quick succession had utterly drained both his stamina and mental strength.
Aether sighed helplessly, took out a waterskin, carefully cleaned Jiang Bai's wounds, and wrapped them tightly with bandages.
Jiang Bai flexed his hand a bit, glancing over at the unconscious Childe. "We should get out quickly. Outside is probably already total chaos."
...
At the Jade Chamber, everyone who'd previously been locked in fierce debate immediately shot to their feet the moment they felt the ancient god awaken, their faces grim.
Ningguang quickly walked onto the terrace, gazing far out into the violently churning seas surrounding Guyun Stone Forest, now engulfed in cyclones and chaos.
Deep beneath the waves lurked an enormous shadow. Though Osial had not yet fully risen from the depths, the suffocating pressure from its awakening radiated outward, tangible even across the sea, striking dread into every heart.
...
At that moment, Zhongli was sitting in a tavern in Liyue Harbor, leisurely drinking with Venti. Upon seeing this terrifying sight, Venti jumped up in shock, tiptoeing to peer anxiously out the window at the god slowly unfurling itself from the sea.
"Old man, you're really playing it this big?"
Zhongli said nothing, merely staring toward Guyun Stone Forest, worry clouding his usually calm eyes.
He'd known that his departure would inevitably bring this disaster.
Without a deity to hold it down, could Liyue truly overcome this calamity?
...
"Osial's seal has been broken! How could this have happened?"
The adepti, who'd swiftly reverted to their original forms and flown onto the Jade Chamber, wore deeply serious expressions.
Even Madame Ping and Ganyu, who hadn't originally been aboard the Jade Chamber, hurriedly joined them.
Though Ningguang's expression was grave, she hadn't lost her composure. "My spies previously detected Fatui activity around Guyun Stone Forest. They'd been secretly duplicating Baiwu Jinjifu. Combined with the Fatui's intentions, we anticipated this eventuality."
Liyue was a land of many sealed gods. Since the Fatui had set their minds to it, they'd undoubtedly use every means possible to achieve their goal.
If not the god beneath Guyun Stone Forest, then another sealed elsewhere.
Liyue was vast, and the gods imprisoned here were many.
And the Fatui—impossible to fully guard against.
Yet they hadn't sat idly. They'd prepared, always readying themselves to confront once again the ancient gods who'd previously brought disaster to Liyue.
The freshly awakened Overlord of the Vortex, Osial, stretched its enormous body, not yet fully emerging from the sea. Yet, just its awakening pressure was already crushing.
Monstrous waves rushed toward Liyue Harbor. The skies turned heavy as ink-black clouds extinguished every bit of sunlight. Rain fell like bullets, wind like sharpened blades, stabbing downward relentlessly.
The sudden, violent storm struck without warning, leaving no time to react. In mere seconds, Liyue Harbor descended into chaos.
Panicked crowds scrambled blindly to escape as the Millelith rushed against the flow.
They organized the fleeing masses, struggling desperately to maintain some semblance of order.
"Quickly! Everyone back inside! Shut your doors and windows tight!"
"Forget your wares! Run!"
"You, child! Don't stand there—come with me!"
Civilians on every street were swiftly herded indoors. Restaurants, stores, teahouses—all flung their doors wide open, sheltering people fleeing the storm.
Amidst the pouring rain, the Millelith moved swiftly, their shouts sharp, their actions precise amidst the chaos.
---
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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