"We have already seen Persephone. Your previous judgment was correct."
Neuvillette spoke to everyone after returning to the base. Zhongli followed behind him, his head slightly lowered in silence.
"That's wonderful news!"
Paimon exclaimed with a hint of surprise.
"This means our chances of defeating Persephone are much greater, and the situation with everyone's injuries will also improve a lot."
Neuvillette nodded in agreement.
"I hope we can completely eliminate Persephone's threat here, find a way to rebalance the two worlds, and restore peace to the world once more."
After saying this, Neuvillette turned to look at Zhongli and asked.
"Mr. Morax, has there been any change in the situation with the other Marks?"
For a long time, Neuvillette received no answer from Zhongli and couldn't help but look at him with some confusion.
Not only him, but everyone else also turned their gaze toward Zhongli.
Only then did Zhongli sense the anomaly. He snapped back to his senses, suppressed his inner thoughts, and said slowly.
"The Marks that were originally separated have now reunited and are approaching us."
"If they haven't decided to join forces, then the battle over there must have already ended."
"I hope they haven't joined forces," Ganyu said with some worry.
If the opponents joined forces, they would possess the strength to fight them head-on, and they probably wouldn't easily accept their proposal.
"They won't join forces. Everyone, prepare for battle."
Zhongli took a deep breath, looking at the increasingly oppressive thunderclouds in the sky and the denser and more frequent lightning strikes.
"The victor should be Beelzebul. During the Archon War, I once joined forces with her for a time, so I am quite familiar with her aura."
"The cooperation back then was completed under her sister's leadership. From what I know of her, she would not choose to join forces, nor would she even accept our proposal."
Upon hearing Zhongli's words, everyone's hearts immediately hung in suspense.
They never expected to have to face a god again so soon, and that was while they were on the verge of starting a war with Persephone.
Furthermore, Raiden Ei was different from Guizhong, who was not skilled in combat. She was a powerful god, as renowned as Zhongli.
"Is it really impossible to persuade the Electro Archon to stand on our side? As long as we defeat Persephone, there will always be hope."
Neuvillette also did not want this battle to happen, so he couldn't help but ask Zhongli again.
Zhongli merely shook his head and continued.
"The chances are slim. After all, compared to a tangible opportunity to fulfill their own wishes, our choice is based on restoring order to the world as quickly as possible. As for whether such an opportunity will arise again later, none of us can guarantee it." Zhongli's tone grew increasingly somber, his voice dropping lower and lower until it was almost a whisper only he could hear.
"In truth, there are quite a few who are unwilling to give up this opportunity."
As he spoke, Zhongli glanced at Kamisato Ayaka.
"They might have had to give it up because their strength was insufficient to secure victory."
Hearing Zhongli's words, a wave of bitterness washed over Kamisato Ayaka's heart.
During this time, she had done her best to adapt to and master the power of two elements. But even though she exerted all her effort, she was still far from the threshold of a god. In a battle of this level, her power was truly insignificant. At this moment, Zhongli looked again at Zhao, who stood in a corner far from the crowd. Zhao's body swayed slightly, and the next moment, her figure vanished from everyone's sight.
"Perhaps they are making a choice and a sacrifice for something more important."
Zhongli then shifted his gaze to the others, finally resting on Hu Tao. He paused for a moment before looking away.
"But Beelzebul is different. All this time, Inazuma's true Electro Archon has actually been her sister, while she has only existed as her sister's shadow dancer."
"Although she took over the rule of Inazuma five hundred years ago, for her, all of Inazuma combined is probably not as important as her sister."
"If this is the case for Inazuma, then it goes without saying for the Teyvat continent."
Hearing Zhongli speak of past secrets, the people from Inazuma couldn't help but be shocked. At the same time, hearing that Raiden Ei might have already given up on Inazuma, their hearts also filled with endless bitterness.
In fact, they had roughly anticipated this point since Raiden Ei hadn't made much of a move for so long, but when their thoughts were truly verified, their hearts still felt extremely painful.
"Alright."
After Neuvillette finished listening to Zhongli's words, he thought of the scene from some time ago when Inazuma's "Electro Archon" simply refused to listen to any of his words and attacked him the moment they met. He took a deep breath and spoke slowly.
"If negotiations fail, a battle will likely be unavoidable. We should indeed make preparations early."
Neuvillette did not want to make concessions at a time like this. However, using the Mark as the price to exchange for Raiden Ei's alliance would be unfair to the others, and irreparable cracks would appear within the alliance.
Under such circumstances, it would be even more impossible to defeat Persephone in a fight.
Therefore, they could only fight. Neuvillette was not worried about the outcome of the battle; he was just slightly concerned whether this fight would cause their relationship with Inazuma to completely deteriorate.
After all, facing the pitch-black apocalypse, the hope of the nations of the Teyvat continent uniting was already incredibly slim, let alone with conflicts arising among them.
But at this point, he couldn't think of any better solution. Neuvillette could only begin to prepare for battle...
Not much time had passed when Zhongli suddenly looked up and spoke with a serious tone.
"They're here."
Before Zhongli even spoke, Neuvillette had already sensed a terrifying aura approaching them at incredible speed.
Neuvillette and Zhongli exchanged a glance, then moved to the front of the formation under the worried gazes of the others.
The rest of the group nervously activated numerous protective measures, and soon, several beams of colored light completely enveloped the Expeditionary Force.
They did not need to participate in the battle between gods; their only task was to ensure their own safety amidst the battle's aftershocks.
After another moment, a dazzling purple light first appeared as a tiny dot in everyone's field of vision, then rapidly expanded in the next second, appearing directly thousands of meters ahead of them.
As expected, the one who appeared before them was Raiden Ei.
This was the worst-case scenario. If it had been anyone else, they could still use force or try to persuade them.
Neuvillette looked at the figure standing not far away, his expression turning a bit strange.
Although the person in front of him looked very similar to the "Electro Archon" he had seen last time, something seemed off.
She was only very similar, not identical!
The Raiden Shogun of Inazuma couldn't possibly change her appearance and mood on a whim, could she? So, had the person who appeared before him last time not been the Raiden Shogun of Inazuma at all?
Neuvillette never expected to make such a huge blunder; the two of them were just too similar.
In fact, they were so similar that when he mentioned the person he had met before to others, no one who heard his description noticed that the person he was talking about was not the Raiden Shogun of Inazuma.
After a short while, Neuvillette temporarily set this matter aside and looked at Raiden Ei again.
However, even though he knew the chances of persuading Raiden Ei were slim, Neuvillette still tried to reason with her, but as expected, it had little effect.
Raiden Ei looked at Neuvillette and simply shook her head.
"I will never give up this opportunity!"
"Words are useless. Make your move."
After speaking, Raiden Ei unleashed her power without reserve. The terrifying surge of energy caused Neuvillette and Zhongli's expressions to change instantly. Zhongli then rapidly closed the distance to Raiden Ei, while Neuvillette remained behind to protect the others. Neuvillette did not intend to join Zhongli in fighting Raiden Ei, after all, doing so would only widen the rift between them and Inazuma.
Besides, Zhongli alone was more than enough on the main battlefield; his strength was still a bit greater than Raiden Ei's.
In fact, this wasn't the first time Raiden Ei and Zhongli had clashed, but before, it had only been a friendly sparring match between friends, whereas now it was a fight to the death!
The commotion generated by their battle was terrifying, like a series of erupting volcanoes, kicking up visible shockwaves of air.
Everything around them was pulverized by the powerful impact. Neuvillette quickly acted, deploying a deep-blue Protective Barrier to shield the others. Then, the aftershocks of the battle struck the barrier, sending ripples across its surface.
Feeling the pressure the barrier was withstanding, Neuvillette was inwardly surprised. The intensity of the battle had slightly exceeded his expectations. He had thought that as one of the Seven Elemental Dragon Sovereigns, his affinity for and control over Elemental Power would far surpass these so-called gods. But in reality, both Raiden Ei and Zhongli's control over Elemental Power was not much weaker than his own.
A clash of Elemental Power of this magnitude would be no less than an apocalypse to ordinary people.
Ordinary people couldn't tell at all which side had the upper hand. Only a few people present could see the situation clearly: Zhongli's strength was indeed a bit greater, but of course, it was only by a limited margin, and the battle ultimately entered a stalemate.
At this moment, Neuvillette suddenly noticed that Raiden Ei's aura was somewhat abnormal. Sensing it carefully, he discovered that she seemed to have taken back her Gnosis.
This made the situation slightly unfavorable for Zhongli. Besides enhancing strength, the Gnosis could also convert the Power of Faith, reducing physical exhaustion.
However, Neuvillette then noticed something strange about Raiden Ei's body, as if her condition wasn't very good. Many times, her movements even had a clearly noticeable moment of hesitation. It seemed the final outcome would only be known when the time came.
Not long after the battle between Raiden Ei and Zhongli erupted, the speed of the Electro Elemental Power's erosion of the sea water increased further. Now it had directly bypassed the Kujou Encampment and affected Narukami Island. The speed was so fast that everyone was caught completely off guard.
When the people on Narukami Island clearly felt the concentration of Electro Element in the air rise dramatically, a minor commotion immediately broke out, but it soon returned to calm under the pacification of the Yashiro Commission.
Of course, the most important reason was that the Dragon Blood Potion they had previously drunk had taken effect. Although they clearly felt the Electro Elemental Power in the surrounding environment becoming denser and denser, they did not feel too much discomfort.
Of course, there were still some people whose bodies were inherently weak who could not withstand this change and fell to the ground, but the number of people who encountered this situation was not very many.
The samurai of the Yashiro Commission and the Tenryou Commission maintained order in Inazuma City, carrying the unconscious people to the doctors for treatment.
And among them, a group of people were in a hurry, starting to search Inazuma City for those who had not drunk the Dragon Blood Potion at the beginning.
Although these people not only strongly resisted the Dragon Blood Potion themselves, but even tried to interfere with others' chances of survival, they were very detestable.
But in the end, they were just ordinary people, and they still couldn't bring themselves to just stand by and watch them die. So they left a batch of Dragon Blood Potion, hoping that when the crisis truly occurred, they would finally accept reality, and then they would distribute the Dragon Blood Potion to them.
After they found the people who had refused to drink the Dragon Blood Potion, they could see that their appearance was very miserable.
However, to their utter surprise, the expressions on these people's faces were not fear, but excitement!
"This is the Almighty Shogun's test for us!"
"I finally got a Vision!"
"Your Grandpa finally made it!"
"Hahahaha!"
Looking at those people who were vomiting dark red blood foam while laughing crazily, the soldiers of the Two Commissions felt a chilling sensation creep down their spines.
After being stunned for a long time, someone finally snapped out of it, stepped forward two steps, and spoke somewhat hesitantly.
"What time is it already?"
"Are you guys really not afraid to die?"
"It is still not too late to drink the Dragon Blood Potion now."
"Even if there are Vision holders among you, you're not absolutely safe. To be safe, I advise you to make a decision as soon as possible."
After hearing the samurai's words, those people suddenly went quiet, and then pairs of eyes stared at him, making his scalp tingle.
Soon, resentment surged on those people's faces.
"Get away from here, you self-degrading bastards!"
"Human blood is the most noble lineage! You have filthy blood flowing in your bodies, yet you dare try to make us degrade ourselves with you!"
"Stay away from us! Even if we die, even if we die out here, even if we jump down from here, we will absolutely never take your things!"
"Get lost, or we won't be polite!"
"Back off, back off, back off!"
"You... you are simply unreasonable!"
Seeing their reaction, the soldiers felt as if their good intentions were being trampled upon and couldn't help but speak.
"We kindly brought you life-saving medicine, yet you still refuse to show gratitude!"
"Do you even know how many people are waiting for these Dragon Blood Potions right now? They are warriors heading to the front lines, yet they would rather put themselves in danger to leave these things for you. Don't you feel any shame?"
"Stop spreading your poisonous lies! Your hearts are so malicious! Brothers, grab your weapons!"
Seeing the other side actually preparing to attack, the warriors of the Two Commissions clenched and unclenched their fists in fury. They exchanged glances, and their leader spoke directly.
"Don't delay any longer. There are still many people who need help. Knock them unconscious and force-feed them the potions!"
Hearing this, the other soldiers nodded in agreement.
However, before their plan could even be carried out, those people began to vomit blood halfway through their charge. Then, one by one, they collapsed, leaving everyone stunned.
It took a long moment before someone finally reacted and shouted, "Quick, save them!"
Yet, even as the rescue was underway, some of the victims remained conscious and violently resisted, causing the scene to descend into utter chaos.