Raiden Ei watched Raiden Mei's figure gradually dissipate, panting heavily.
In the end, after paying the price of one Mark, she was the last one standing.
However, Raiden Ei's condition was not good at this moment either; her left hand had completely disappeared, and there was even a vicious sword scar on her chest.
The surrounding environment was also devastated, and there was no island visible within a thousand-mile radius. The sky was covered with countless black fissures; this was the distortion caused to space by the collision of extremely powerful attacks.
At the center of their battle, the concentration of Electro was particularly intense. Visibly purple light in the air flashed into a string of electric arcs like veins, rendering this place a Forbidden Zone for life.
The sea surface beneath Raiden Ei was noticeably lower than elsewhere. As the battle ceased, vast amounts of seawater surged toward this area, kicking up waves after waves of surging tides.
However, because the Primordial Sea Water was present, these waves quickly returned to a state of calm.
Raiden Ei carefully assessed the extent of her injuries; her body was now nearly half-destroyed.
It could be said that if she hadn't borrowed the power of the Mark, she would be the one lying fallen now.
If she hadn't been driven to the end of her rope, how could Raiden Ei have been willing to waste a Mark that might be crucial to her sister's resurrection?
But even though she had won this battle, what should she do next?
Even at her peak, she would find it difficult to defeat Morax or Neuvillette individually, let alone in her current state.
Moreover, the opponents had already formed an alliance, and they might not even fight her one-on-one.
When that time came, she would have not a single shred of hope for victory.
Raiden Ei looked at the five black Marks on the back of her hand and murmured softly.
"Sister, what should I do now?"
Raiden Ei flipped her palm, and a purple chess piece floated in her hand.
This was her Gnosis, obtained from Arlecchino. She did not know how the other woman had acquired it.
Originally, Raiden Ei had no intention of using this power, for she believed that her current self was utterly unworthy of calling herself the Raiden Shogun of Inazuma, nor did she deserve to use the Gnosis.
But at that moment, she did not know why, yet by the time she came to her senses, the Gnosis was already in her hand, gripped tightly.
Perhaps even she herself realized that even if she fought with all her might, the hope of ultimate victory remained slim, which was why she had subconsciously grasped this glimmer of hope.
After a long silence, Raiden Ei sighed deeply, and finally pressed the Gnosis into her own chest. Feeling the Power of Faith surging madly, Raiden Ei controlled it to slowly repair her body.
In the end, she had still used this power. Raiden Ei felt a profound shame, but she had no other choice.
Neither Morax nor Neuvillette possessed a Gnosis, and their powers were also incomplete. This might be her only chance.
With this thought, Raiden Ei took a deep breath and swiftly flew toward Seirai Island.
Long after Raiden Ei's figure had vanished, a golden figure followed like a shadow, keeping close behind her.
Aether had returned to this spot after knocking Dainsleif unconscious and hiding him, waiting for the final outcome of this battle.
It did not matter who won. He simply intended to follow the victor to find his sister and rescue her from danger.
Aether was very skilled at concealing his presence. He followed cautiously behind Raiden Ei, remaining undetected by her.
Thus, the two advanced toward the final stage, one behind the other.
"We're finally back on Seirai Island!"
Paimon exclaimed with emotion as she looked at the massive lake in the center of Seirai Island.
"We almost lost our lives last time. Good thing we ran fast!"
Hearing this, Sangonomiya Kokomi walked onto the deck and spoke.
"Actually, I think it's possible that the Traveler saved everyone."
"At first, Persephone had no intention of letting us leave safely, but when she fought the Traveler, she was extremely excited by the improvement in the Traveler's strength."
"I think Persephone is probably looking forward to what kind of surprise the Traveler can bring her the next time they meet, which is why she didn't chase after us."
Hearing Sangonomiya Kokomi's analysis, the people involved felt a wave of lingering fear.
In fact, they also vaguely felt that it was impossible for Persephone to lose their position because of an explosion, even though the shock wave produced by that explosion was simply destructive in nature. It had exploded thousands of meters in the sky, yet it still caused such a terrible impact on Seirai Island.
They could be considered lucky to have survived that explosion.
Perhaps in Persephone's eyes, being able to survive this explosion was their own skill, which was why she did not chase after them to completely erase them.
"So Persephone is in this place..."
Keqing muttered, then looked at Zhongli standing in front of her, her eyes very complicated.
She could vaguely feel the conflict and struggle in Zhongli's heart at this moment.
Perhaps she didn't know much about the story between Zhongli and Guizhong, but she could still tell that Zhongli's feelings for Guizhong were incredibly deep.
Just then, Clorinde approached Neuvillette, placing a hand over her chest as she reported.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, all the soldiers are ready."
"We will eliminate the threat Persephone (No. 3) poses to Teyvat right here."
Hearing Clorinde's words, Neuvillette nodded.
"Next, we will fully cooperate with Rex Lapis's actions."
"Yes!"
Clorinde nodded and then passed this order down.
The greatest taboo in an army was to have two voices. Previously, the two Expeditionary Forces were not very familiar with each other, and their coordination was quite poor, which was why they were commanded separately.
However, after spending some time together and jointly dealing with a God-level war last time, the relationship between the two armies had become much more harmonious. In this situation, a unified command would be more effective.
And Rex Lapis's reputation preceded him. As the God of Contracts, he was respected and trusted by everyone. Most people felt very relieved to hand over the command to him.
Several minutes later, the warships finally docked one after another, and the soldiers immediately disembarked to begin setting up defenses. Various sophisticated instruments were moved onto the ground, followed by a large number of Clockwork Meka taking to the skies to survey the surrounding area.
Neuvillette and Zhongli also disembarked in turn, then exchanged a glance and nodded.
The next second, their figures vanished simultaneously, crossing a great distance to arrive at the spot radiating endless pressure, finally seeing their enemy, Persephone (No. 3).
At this moment, Persephone sat quietly on a throne floating in the air, her face resting on her hand as she looked at Neuvillette and Zhongli, who had suddenly appeared before her, a slight smile playing on her lips.
And Yae Miko and Kitsune Saiguu stood by her sides like maids.
"So you are Persephone (No. 3)."
Neuvillette felt the terrifying aura emanating from Persephone, his heart couldn't help but grow heavy as he looked at her and spoke slowly.
"Neuvillette, I've heard about you from others."
"Your strength is truly something to look forward to!"
After speaking, Persephone shifted her gaze to Zhongli and slightly raised an eyebrow.
"We meet again, Morax."
"You have indeed grown stronger since the last time we met."
"But not by much."
"To be honest, you've disappointed me a little."
"Perhaps the true Rex Lapis died the moment the Archon War ended."
Hearing Persephone's words, Zhongli took a deep breath, refusing to lose his composure over her taunts, and asked her in a low voice.
"So you tried to use Guizhong, the God of Dust, to provoke my anger?"
"Tsk, tsk, it seems there's a slight misunderstanding between us."
Persephone shook her head.
"You don't think I have the spare time to do something so pointless, do you?"
"Regardless of what level of strength you ultimately recover, it doesn't matter to me."
"You are merely seasonings in my process of destroying this world, but that doesn't mean you are important to me."
Persephone's lips moved slightly as she spoke words that chilled the heart.
"I simply ordered them to attack the Mark holders, and they happened to choose a target they were more confident in."
"They are all too familiar with both you and those Liyue soldiers, and they even devised the attack plan themselves."
"I have not controlled their actions; I only require their loyalty, not a bunch of marionettes."
Hearing these words, Zhongli's heart shook violently. If Persephone had not personally manipulated the events that had just occurred, then this matter was even more terrifying.
To make Guizhong, who loved humans so much, the Adepti who swore to protect Liyue to the death, and the Liyue Qixing, who had dedicated almost their entire lives to Liyue's development, take the initiative to attack Liyue's forces was a complete distortion of reality!
"Morax, you seem to be a bit angry."
Persephone looked at Zhongli's expression and smiled slightly, then continued.
"Why be like this? I see you have already collected many Marks, and the final wish opportunity might even fall to you. You should be happy."
Zhongli's gaze as he looked at Persephone was extremely cold.
However, Neuvillette did not notice Zhongli's strange demeanor and questioned Persephone.
"Persephone, you said before that any wish can be granted, right?"
"What if our wish was to impose some kind of restriction on you?"
After Neuvillette finished speaking, the smile on Persephone's face deepened.
"Of course it is possible. In fact, I would prefer it if you did so."
"For me, that is where the challenge lies."
Having obtained the answer he wanted, Neuvillette nodded. After hesitating for a moment, he ultimately chose not to act directly against Persephone.
Neuvillette did not have much confidence, and even teaming up with Zhongli would be the same; the pressure Persephone exerted on him was simply too overwhelming.
In the end, Neuvillette decided to play it safe: wait until they used their wish to force Persephone to limit her own movements before launching the final decisive battle.
"Persephone, I hope you do not go back on your word."
After leaving those words, Neuvillette motioned to Zhongli.
At this moment, Zhongli also returned to his usual state. After taking a deep look at Persephone, the two figures vanished once again.
Only after the two had left did Yae Miko finally breathe a sigh of relief. Earlier, Neuvillette and Zhongli had also unleashed their God-level pressure on Persephone, and Yae Miko, standing beside Persephone, had felt it too.
Although it was not directed at her, Yae Miko still felt a bit suffocated.
As for this pressure, Persephone seemed to have completely failed to sense it, showing no abnormality whatsoever.
Yae Miko was truly shocked. She had indeed thought about finding more helpers back then, but she never expected the helpers who came to support Inazuma this time would be so formidable.
But the problem was, her position had now changed slightly. If Raiden Ei found out that she was the one who had brought Zhongli and Neuvillette here, she would probably give her a severe interrogation!
Thinking of this, Yae Miko's body suddenly stiffened. She quickly resolved that Raiden Ei must never find out about this matter.
If Raiden Ei ultimately won, it would be okay. But if she lost, Raiden Ei would certainly not let her off for this.
And in Yae Miko's opinion, the possibility of Raiden Ei defeating Zhongli and Neuvillette was practically zero, so she definitely had to guard this secret with her life.
However, at this moment, Yae Miko couldn't help but ask Persephone.
"My Lady, if it's the complete resurrection of a god, can you truly achieve such a thing?"
Obviously, Yae Miko was not referring to the current [Heroic Spirit] state, but to a complete resurrection.
And after hearing Yae Miko's words, Persephone looked at her and spoke with a smile.
"Little Fox, it seems you are very interested in this matter."
"How about I give you a chance to enter as well? That way you can verify it personally."
Yae Miko's body stiffened again. After thinking for a moment about the status of the current Mark holders, she then shook her head violently.
Was this a joke? With her strength, entering the field would be no different from being delivered as a snack.
If she surrendered even a little too late, Raiden Ei would probably be the one attending her funeral banquet next!
At this thought, Yae Miko immediately abandoned any ideas of seeking death, standing by obediently and trying her best to make her eyes look clear and foolish, attempting to awaken the animal-loving consciousness deep within Persephone's heart.
"Little Fox, there's no need to be so nervous. As long as you don't choose betrayal, I am still quite lenient with my subordinates."
Seeing Yae Miko's reaction, Persephone spoke softly.
"And do not doubt this ability. In my view, other than needing to pay a heavy price, this ability is omnipotent."
"But resurrecting a mere god is all it takes? Who are you looking down on?"
"If I can't even do such a thing, how could I have promised to fulfill any wish?"
Persephone's words brought a spark of joy to Yae Miko's heart. As long as it could be done, no matter how difficult, there would always be hope!
And at this moment, Persephone also continued to speak.
"If this is your reason for taking my side, then you'll have to work hard."
"Fighting on my behalf is the fastest way to achieve all this."
"However, for you, I will grant a special exception for a simpler method."
"Now, lay down obediently on my lap, Little Fox."
Yae Miko: "..."
"My Lady, my wish is the same as Miko's."
After Kitsune Saiguu finished speaking, Persephone nodded.
"Mm, then you can come here too."
Not long after, two foxes, one white and one pink, lay on Persephone's lap, staring at each other with wide eyes.
In order to resurrect Raiden Makoto, they had truly paid too much!