"Ningguang, look at this quickly."
Ganyu hurriedly found Ningguang and handed her a letter.
After Ningguang finished reading the letter, her expression turned slightly serious.
"Is Persephone in Inazuma now..."
"Ningguang, Yae Miko is calling us for help. I'm afraid Inazuma has reached its most critical moment."
Ganyu spoke with some worry.
"Ganyu, calm down. We cannot let ourselves lose our composure at a time like this."
Ningguang frowned and said slowly.
In fact, she felt that the contents of the letter were exaggerated, after all, this was written by Yae Miko herself, but she did not say it out loud.
"We need to inform the Adepti and Monsieur Neuvillette of Fontaine about this first. If we send reinforcements in a rush, I'm afraid they will never return."
Hearing Ningguang's explanation, Ganyu nodded.
She still felt a lingering fear from the last incident. Persephone's strength was simply too great. Without thorough preparation, going there would just be a suicide mission.
Although Ganyu was worried about Yae Miko's safety, she would not put others in danger because of it.
"I'll go inform the Adepti."
Ningguang nodded after hearing Ganyu's words, and then Ganyu left in a hurry. Ningguang also contacted Neuvillette through the phone Lumine had left behind.
Upon hearing this news, Neuvillette immediately began arranging various matters to prepare for leaving Fontaine.
Meanwhile, Neuvillette also felt that this was the best opportunity to showcase Fontaine's military power and could as much as possible facilitate a situation of multi-national cooperation, so he ordered the formation of an Expeditionary Force led by Clorinde.
"Please rest assured, Lady Ningguang, I will definitely arrive as soon as possible."
"Before that, I hope you will temporarily hold your ground and wait for us to rendezvous with you."
"Dad!"
"Where are you going? Take Lia with you!"
Suddenly, Otillia's small figure burst into the picture, directly climbing onto Neuvillette's neck. Ningguang immediately saw a hint of helplessness appear on Neuvillette's face.
"Lia, be good. The place I am going to this time is too dangerous, I cannot take you with me."
"No, Lia wants to go together!"
"Mom already doesn't want Lia anymore, now even Dad doesn't want Lia?!"
"Your mother went back to Sumeru for other matters..."
After coaxing Otillia for a good while, there was no sign of the situation improving. Neuvillette felt a bit of a headache, then looked at Ningguang with an apologetic gaze and said.
"Lady Ningguang, it seems I will need to spend a little more time delivering Lia to her mother's side."
Ningguang expressed her understanding. Then, just as she put down her phone, she saw Baiwen hurrying over to report to her.
"Lady Ningguang, this is bad!"
"An extremely powerful being has appeared in the southern area of Liyue Harbor. Now, hundreds of innocent people have been slaughtered by it."
Bad news came one after another. Ningguang took a deep breath and then asked.
"Has the Yuheng been seen?"
"We heard that Lady Keqing is nearby. She should have already engaged the enemy. However, the Millelith who reported it said that the being's power is terrifying, and Lady Keqing could never be its match."
"Has Yelan returned?"
"It seems that a [Heroic Spirit] has also appeared in Chenyu Vale. Lady Yelan went to Chenyu Vale, and it is estimated that it will take another day or two before she returns."
After Baiwen finished speaking, she saw that the expression on Ningguang's face became even more serious.
"Baiwen, go find Madame Ping. I hope she can serve as the final insurance."
"Have Baishi gather all the Millelith with Visions to support the Yuheng."
"Yes, Lady Ningguang!"
Baiwen hurriedly replied.
"I will go find Director Hu Tao."
After saying that, Ningguang stood up and then walked outside.
Before long, Ningguang arrived at the gates of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Due to Hu Tao's further awakening, her flames had a significant effect on souls and [Heroic Spirits].
It could be said that, in the absence of the Adepti, Hu Tao was the best expert in this field.
However, the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had been very busy recently. As its Director, Hu Tao was hardly idle herself, and it wasn't guaranteed that Ningguang would find her waiting around.
"Lady Ningguang?"
The funeral parlor attendant, seeing Ningguang's appearance, wore a surprised expression.
"I have a matter to discuss with Director Hu Tao."
"Very well, Lady Ningguang. I will go inform the Director immediately."
Hearing Ningguang's purpose, the attendant composed himself and turned to leave in a hurry.
Seeing this, Ningguang also breathed a slight sigh of relief. Fortunately, her luck was good this time; all her misfortunes hadn't piled up at once.
Not long after, a fiery red figure rushed out to stand before Ningguang. Looking at her, Hu Tao asked with curiosity.
"What a rare guest indeed!"
"Ningguang, what brings you to see this Director today?"
"Director Hu Tao, there's no time. We'll talk as we walk."
Seeing that Ningguang clearly had a matter to attend to, and that it seemed to be no small one, Hu Tao said no more. She ran back to grab her Staff of Homa and then followed behind Ningguang.
"You can tell me now!"
Ningguang nodded, but her pace did not slow down in the slightest.
"Director Hu Tao, the [Heroic Spirit] that appeared this time is too powerful. I'm afraid we'll need you to help suppress it."
"So that's the matter!"
"Rest assured, this Director will handle this matter."
After hearing this, Hu Tao raised her hand and patted her chest with a loud "thump thump," the force so great that one might worry it would be caved in.
"Director Hu Tao, please do not let your guard down. According to the Millelith messenger, the opponent's strength has reportedly already reached or approached the level of an Adeptus."
"Even an existence of this level has appeared now?"
Hearing these words, Hu Tao was somewhat surprised and then restrained herself a little.
And the question she asked did not need Ningguang to answer. As the distance continuously closed, both of them felt a bone-chillingly cold killing intent that made their bodies shiver.
Moreover, as the distance continuously closed, this killing intent became even more terrifying.
"The person over there seems to be Keqing!"
At this moment, there was a figure ahead guiding the people of Liyue to evacuate elsewhere. After Hu Tao waited to see the figure's appearance clearly, she discovered that the other party was indeed Keqing.
After seeing this scene, Ningguang frowned deeply. When the two of them arrived beside Keqing, she immediately asked.
"Keqing, did you fight that enemy?"
"How is that possible? I could never defeat that monster."
Keqing shook her head and said.
"Besides, if I had won, why would I still be evacuating the people?"
After hearing Keqing's words, Ningguang also noticed that the other party's aura was extremely unstable, seemingly due to having sustained some injuries.
"Then who is fighting right now?"
Just as Keqing was about to say something, a building on the side of the street suddenly exploded with a "boom," and a dark red figure, carrying a suffocating killing intent, smashed through the house and stumbled toward them.
Compared to before, the Millelith Captain was now covered in dense cracks, his skin becoming parched and tinged with a strange dark red.
The clothes on his body were already torn to shreds, revealing several deep wounds on his exposed skin that could be seen down to the bone, but strangely, no blood flowed out.
Why was he wearing the Millelith uniform?
Ningguang frowned, then looked at the dark red Demon Sword in the Millelith Captain's hand.
Could the problem be with that sword?
The Demon Sword in the Millelith Captain's hand was simply too conspicuous, and Ningguang felt a heart-palpitating aura of destruction and bloodthirst from it, even giving her the feeling that it was a living creature.
At this moment, the people who saw this scene directly lost their composure.
"Save me!"
"Monster!"
"Stop him quickly!"
-
"Get back!"
Hu Tao appeared directly in front of everyone, wielding the Staff of Homa. Her expression was serious as she stared at the Millelith Captain, orange-red flames gradually igniting around her body. Spirit Butterflies fluttered in the air around her.
"Rise!"
The flames suddenly surged and spread to the Staff of Homa. Hu Tao's aura now radiated a pressure no less than that of her opponent.
But just then, a striking golden light descended from the sky, aiming straight for the Millelith Captain.
With a deafening metallic clang, the Millelith Captain was slammed directly into the ground, causing a violent tremor to ripple through the earth.
"Ah, this..."
Hu Tao, who had been preparing to strike, froze as her aura stalled upon seeing someone else blast their target away. A helpless look crossed her face, while her eyes curiously scanned the figure enveloped in golden light.
"Her name is Artoria Pendragon. She is a [Heroic Spirit] who unexpectedly arrived in this world."
Keqing finally had the chance to explain the situation to Ningguang and Hu Tao.
"But I still haven't figured out what's going on with that sword."
"Artoria says that sword can seize the wielder's consciousness, and now the body of our Millelith comrade has instead become a weapon under its control."
"I suspect that sword might also be a [Heroic Spirit] level existence."
Hu Tao suddenly spoke up.
"As you know, my eyes have been granted a new ability to clearly see the state of life and death of things. In my eyes, that demon sword has no deathly aura, but instead emits a dense soul glow."
Hu Tao's words were credible. During this period, many [Heroic Spirits] had mixed into the crowd, and Hu Tao had personally identified them all.
"So that's how it is..."
In truth, because this demon sword had appeared out of nowhere, Keqing already had some suspicions. But when the truth was presented to her, she was still somewhat surprised. Other worlds had even given birth to sentient swords.
Just as the group was talking, the Millelith Captain and Artoria clashed again. The resulting shockwave made everyone's hearts pound and their scalps tingle.
So strong. This power was absolutely no weaker than an Adeptus. Every clash felt like two great mountains colliding, and the resulting shockwaves made it hard for her to even open her eyes.
"Keqing, continue evacuating the civilians."
After Ningguang spoke, she stepped forward a few paces and formed a hand seal with both hands. A massive formation extended from beneath her feet, coating the surfaces of surrounding objects in a layer of bright yellow light.
After Ningguang intervened, the ground's shaking visibly subsided. Even the shockwaves erupting in the air were weakened layer by layer, their power far reduced.
Meanwhile, Hu Tao directly charged forward with the Staff of Homa, joining the battle.
After only a few brief exchanges, dense sweat broke out on Hu Tao's forehead, immense pressure weighing down upon her.
She knew her strength was slightly weaker, and could only trade a few blows with the enemy by relying on her spirit-slaying specialization. However, what she had not expected was that when she faced the opponent's attacks head-on, the aura of a vengeful ghost crawling out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood caused the strength in her hands to diminish significantly. Combined with the opponent's terrifying power burst, she almost lost her grip on the Staff of Homa and was sent flying.
Fortunately, Artoria intervened in time to prevent a major incident.
As she gradually adapted to the opponent's aura, Hu Tao was finally able to relieve some of the pressure on Artoria.
At this moment, a Millelith squad composed entirely of Vision holders arrived at the battlefield, bringing with them Liyue's ultimate weapon, the Guizhong Ballista. Ningguang immediately took command.
Ningguang's original plan had been to suppress the enemy with numbers, but after sensing the aura of blood and vitality emanating from the opponent, she abandoned the idea. Under such a terrifying aura, few in this squad had the courage to face it directly.
Ningguang merely selected a few of the most outstanding soldiers to help hold the line. The rest were divided, with some controlling the Guizhong Ballista and others evacuating the civilians in this area.
With the help of her allies, Artoria fully unleashed her terrifying offensive capabilities, dismembering the enemy sword by sword, piece by piece.
Hu Tao felt the time was drawing near and stepped back a short distance. Countless wisps of Pyro Elemental Power condensed around her, eventually even distorting the light surrounding her body.
She had already communicated with Artoria during the battle. Since her abilities specialized in soul-slaying, she would deliver the final blow. Otherwise, this fight would turn into a war of attrition, and who knew how many more buildings would be destroyed in the process.
Artoria's previous battle with the enemy had already destroyed a small portion of the Southern District. If it continued, Liyue Harbor would have to be rebuilt.
Suddenly, two consecutive arrows, each imbued with terrifying power, flew from behind the Millelith Captain and struck him directly.
Yet even so, the arrows failed to pierce his body. The immense force merely knocked him slightly off balance.
Seeing this opportunity, and with the Pyro Elemental Power on her person condensed to its limit, Hu Tao transformed into a giant Spirit Butterfly and flew toward the Millelith Captain.
As if the intervening time had been carved away, the Spirit Butterfly appeared before the Millelith Captain almost instantaneously.
Hu Tao silently apologized in her heart, then gripped the Staff of Homa tightly with both hands and thrust it toward the enemy's chest.
The terrifying Pyro Elemental Power condensed at the tip of the Staff of Homa erupted directly. In the next moment, the enemy's figure was completely enveloped by a pillar of orange-red light, and cyan flames ignited on his body.
Afterward, Hu Tao's figure flashed past, finally coming to a stop behind the Millelith Captain.
A massive hole had appeared in the Millelith Captain's chest.
After completing this attack, Hu Tao's aura had visibly plummeted, but fortunately, it was already over...
Just as Hu Tao thought this, an even more astonishing killing intent suddenly erupted from behind her. A layer of dark red light spread from the enemy's body, and an indescribable fear surged in everyone's hearts.
Hu Tao turned around in shock, only to see the Millelith Captain's mangled flesh peeling away layer by layer, revealing the dark red, armor-like skin beneath. The wound was healing, his body continuously grew taller, and terrifying wings unfurled from his back.
Before long, a demon from Purgatory standing a full three meters tall appeared before everyone. His eyes were crimson, filled with the colors of destruction and madness.
At this moment, he opened his mouth and spoke his first words so far.
"Now, hear the silence of annihilation!"