"Huh?"
"What is… this?"
The "young woman" with fox ears (though white) and dressed in a miko outfit lowered the gohei banner in her hands.
She had just gathered all, and also the last, of her elemental power, preparing to stake her life against the [Golden Wolflord] before her. It was a colossal, Primordial-class [Quantum Beast] with a spine for a body and a golden wolf's head for a skull. With a simple flick of its tail, it could reduce an entire village to rubble.
Facing such a powerful opponent, the woman, having already eliminated a large number of "grunts," was running out of strength. The last thing she could do now was risk her life to take down the strongest enemy boss… she could only hope that a monster of this level wouldn't appear elsewhere in Inazuma.
But!
In the final moment before she was about to strike, a massive ice spear descended from the heavens, like a celestial nail pinning the [Golden Wolflord] firmly to the ground. In less than three seconds, the extreme cold spread, freezing it into an ice sculpture thickly coated in frost.
Then, with a crack, it shattered into ice powder.
As for the other [Quantum Beasts] that had appeared with it, they were all smashed to bits by a rain of ice lances.
"Demon God."
Before she could even react to what had happened, a figure of white and cyan descended from the sky like a queen.
"Are you the 'Archon of the Mortal World' for this land?"
"Huh… huh!?"
The fox-eared woman's mind spun rapidly. From the biting chill that felt as if it could freeze her very soul, she understood that this person had saved her at the last second. One could even say she had saved at least half of Inazuma—in the fox-eared woman's perception, not a single trace of the abyssal monsters' aura remained in the vicinity.
And from the other's words, she could tell that this Demon God, whom she had never met, was not a native of Inazuma… she might not even be from this world.
"No."
Countless thoughts raced through the woman's mind, but just as she was carefully formulating her response…
CRACKLE—
BOOM!!!
---o---
With a clap of thunder, a flash of purple lightning tore across the sky.
A naginata descending from above carved a terrifying ravine in the ground between Ana and the woman. A purple-haired woman with a long, thick braid now stood protectively in front of the fox-eared woman.
"Are you alright, Kitsune Saiguu?"
"…"
Without turning her head, the purple-haired woman pulled her naginata from the earth, her gaze fixed warily on Ana, who had just effortlessly dodged the slash with a simple flash-step.
"It seems…"
"You are the one I was looking for."
Ana's gaze was entirely focused on the newcomer. Her expression remained as calm as ever, but that was a composure inherited from millennia of Schariac family tradition. As one of the oldest families in the Empire, the Schariacs had been honored to witness an "Apostle Council."
The portrait of the "Monarch and the Twenty-Seven Apostles" hanging in the main hall of their ancestral home was the entire family's supreme honor and treasure.
Incidentally, while most members of the Schariac family believed the Monarch's "sun" image was a symbol of "divine right," it was, in fact, a realistic depiction.
Therefore, Ana Schariac had seen the portrait of the [Third Flame-Chaser], Mei. The person before her now was, in terms of appearance, a perfect copy of the Third Apostle.
Observing a "counterpart" in a parallel world on the same branch of the Tree was not uncommon. But the current scene was somewhat peculiar.
"Cross-world" travel on the same branch was very simple for the Empire. It didn't even require His Majesty the Emperor; the Apostles could open a gateway with a bit of effort. However, this world called "Teyvat" had been reached by traversing the Quantum Sea with the [Star-Whale]. Such unusual methods of travel were typically used as shortcuts between the branches of the Tree.
Hmph.
The white mist she exhaled condensed into frost. Ana erased the various thoughts from her mind. It was not her place to meddle in such affairs. She shouldn't, and didn't need to, think too much about it. His Majesty the Emperor and the Apostles would have their own judgments.
"Um…"
Kitsune Saiguu tugged on the purple-haired woman's sleeve.
"Ei."
"She just saved me."
"She isn't from Khaenri'ah, nor is she a Demon God from Sky Island."
Kitsune Saiguu interjected as quickly as she could. Ei was indeed powerful, her martial prowess was unmatched in Inazuma, but the person opposite them… just from the single strike she had displayed, it was doubtful that even Ei at full power could block it.
"Mm."
Hearing Kitsune Saiguu's words, Ei slightly reined in her killing intent.
"Stranger, thank you for your assistance."
The Demon God Beelzebul, also known as Raiden Ei, was the sister and kagemusha (shadow warrior) of Inazuma's deity, Raiden Makoto (the Demon God Baal).
"If you have come with an inquiry, I will surely answer all I know."
"…"
"We hail from beyond the heavens."
Ana stated bluntly.
"With my assistance, do you have the courage to rebel against Sky Island?"
---o---
At the same time—
"Do you dare to defy the command of the 'Heavenly Principles'?"
Location: Liyue.
Chen Tianwu posed the same question to the group before him.
His point of arrival was different from Ana's. As a Legion Commander specializing in the [Authority of Rock], Chen Tianwu's skill in teleportation was a cut above his teammates. Although he had used the Apostles' portal, after some quick and precise modifications, he was able to appear directly in front of his target:
Morax, the Archon of Liyue, also known as the "Rex Lapis," who was preparing to head to Khaenri'ah with a retinue of Adepti… only to find himself with five weapons pointed at him.
"Defy the Heavenly Principles?"
At a signal from Morax, the Five Yakshas loosened their grips on their weapons and slowly stepped back to the sides.
"Although you conceal it, your true power should be no less than my own, honored guest."
"However…"
"I fancy myself to be somewhat self-aware. To rebel against the 'Heavenly Principles' with such strength is, in truth, to court one's own destruction."
"If a contract is to be formed,"
"The balance of the bargaining chips on both sides is a most crucial foundation."
"Rex Lapis?"
The Yakshas were astonished at their lord's words. To speak of rebelling against the Heavenly Principles… such a "conspiracy" was a grave matter to even think about. How could he discuss it so easily with a stranger?
"Bargaining chips, you say…"
Chen Tianwu thought very carefully.
He was notoriously lazy in the Legion; otherwise, with his strength, he wouldn't have been assigned to a semi-retirement post in the Starforging Legion. In Chen Tianwu's own words, for things like thinking, having his wife and sister do it was more than enough.
Incidentally, this well-reasoned argument was passed down from the [First Flame-Chaser] himself… for the ever-loyal Schariac family, there was absolutely no reason to refute it.
However, being lazy didn't mean he couldn't think.
Anyone who could ascend to the position of Legion Commander had fought tooth and nail to get there.