Player World.
[?!?!?]
[How are we supposed to play if this thing isn't nerfed? It blocked Ei and Zhongli's attacks with just a glare!]
[What the hell is that giant eye?! It looks terrifying!]
[So the Abyss Boss really is some unspeakable horror?]
[Hiss the sheer pressure is making my heart pound like crazy!]
[Ei and the Old Man's attacks were completely ineffective?! This-this-this, this thing shouldn't have appeared yet!]
[It's probably not fully manifested. The black-robed figure's ritual awakened it, like some kind of sacrifice. The sacrifice used was...]
[Damn, is Little Yuna still alive?!]
[A single Pure Soul can summon something this powerful?]
[No, not just one soul. Rola and Qingge's summonings earlier might have used the same sacrificial method.]
-
In the void, Jiang Mumu glared wide-eyed at the Black Fog, desperately trying to appear menacing.
I'm the Abyss's ultimate villain now! I have to maintain my badass image!
As for the black-robed figure... she had no intention of saving it.
With all four Gods now present, if the black-robed figure didn't die now, it would be utterly overpowered, making the Gods seem utterly useless.
There were plenty of villains she could make to use for kills. She had new plans for Fontaine and Natlan.
Though the black-robed figure would die, its death would serve to introduce herself—the true ultimate villain of the Abyss—to both Teyvat and the Player World, making its sacrifice worthwhile.
-
Inazuma.
The colossal eye in the sky coldly glared down at the Four Gods, its invisible pressure forcing them to gasp for breath.
The Four Gods ceased their attacks, their eyes warily fixed on the massive eye overhead. This gave the black-robed figure a brief respite.
The black-robed figure was controlled by a wisp of Jiang Mumu's divine consciousness. Most of the time, Jiang Mumu didn't actively control him, allowing the System AI Hosting to manage him—essentially treating him like an AI-controlled avatar.
Now, however, Jiang Mumu had actively disengaged the AI Hosting and taken direct control.
The black-robed figure hid beneath the colossal eye at the center of the vortex, observing the Four Gods as they deliberated.
Morax crossed his arms, his arrogance undiminished even knowing he faced an invincible foe.
With the Heavenly Principles slumbering and the Four Shades long absent...
Now that a power transcending the world had emerged, if they were still present, they would never stand idly by.
Just as Morax had this thought, the sky near the vortex suddenly turned crimson, bathing the land in a blood-red glow.
A crimson eye, containing a smaller eye within it, snapped open, scarlet lightning flashing at its corners.
Here she comes—one of the Four Shades of the Heavenly Principles, the Ruler of Death, Ronova!
The Abyss's colossal eye shifted its gaze from the Four Gods to the Ruler of Death. The two titanic eyes locked in a tense, silent stare, the air crackling with palpable tension.
Visually, both appeared as massive eyes of roughly equal size.
The difference lay in their nature: the crimson eye was an avatar of the Ruler of Death, while the eye within the vortex was a fragment of the Abyss's ultimate antagonist's corporeal form.
Under their mutual gaze, Ronova's crimson aura gradually dissipated. After maintaining eye contact with the vortex's eye for a dozen seconds, she abruptly withdrew, vanishing as if she had never been there at all.
-
Live Stream:
This was the Ruler of Death's first appearance. What should have been an awe-inspiring entrance was rendered somewhat comical by her sudden retreat after a few ellipses appeared above her head.
[...]
[Just running away like that?]
[Does she think she can't win, or does she just not care?]
[The Abyss went to such great lengths, collecting Pure Souls to summon him. If the Ruler of Death gets taken out so easily, that's ridiculous.]
[Just look at the sheer oppressive aura! The Ruler of Death doesn't even compare to the Abyss.]
Inside Jiang Mumu's personal storage space, she put down her telescope after chasing away the Ruler of Death. But the moment she did, she sensed a probing gaze—Rukkhadevata, the Dendro Archon, who had remained motionless all along.
Jiang Mumu paid it no mind. The Dendro Archon could only see what Jiang Mumu wanted her to see.
However, for the sake of maintaining her Godly Status, Jiang Mumu provided a small amount of Emotional Feedback.
-
Inazuma.
Rukkhadevata spat out a mouthful of blood, her vitality instantly waning.
"Are you alright?" Venti asked anxiously, using a gentle breeze to support her.
Rukkhadevata shook her head weakly, never imagining the Master behind that eye could be so powerful!
In the sky, the vortex slowly began to close, indicating that the Pure Souls collected by the Abyss were insufficient for the Master's full descent.
Seeing this, the black-robed figure below grew frantic. The twin blades in its hands merged once more, attempting to intensify the sacrificial drain.
As the figure moved to strike again, Ei glanced at the slowly closing vortex and drew her blade, slashing toward the figure.
You won't escape this time!
Ei's hatred for the black-robed figure had solidified into a tangible force, and she yearned to carve it into a thousand pieces!
The figure tore through space, daring not to face her blade. But at that critical moment, Barbatos's arrow struck, sending the figure sprawling, and the spatial rift it had created gradually sealed shut.
Ei raised a hand to halt the three Gods. She would personally execute this black-robed figure!
-
At the Teleport Waypoint on Amakumo Peak, everyone clearly heard Yuna's anguished cries as the black-robed figure extracted her soul.
Because they were standing near one of the six altars, the cries were especially distinct.
The sounds emanated from within the black barrier inside the transparent shield—Yuna was trapped inside!
Each heartrending wail sliced through Kuki Shinobu and the others like a razor-sharp blade, stabbing into their hearts, leaving them breathless and on the verge of madness.
Kuki Shinobu remained silent throughout, her breathing heavy, her hands clenched so tightly that her nails drew blood from her palms.
Everyone attacked the transparent shield with all their might, but how could they possibly breach a barrier capable of withstanding the Raiden Shogun's blade?
As Yuna's cries gradually faded, their desperation intensified.
"Retreat," Morax's voice boomed. Lumine hesitated for a moment before guiding everyone into the Pot, and she teleported them away.
Morax conjured six Geo Spears and launched them at the six points of the hexagonal barrier.
Boom—
Small explosions erupted repeatedly. Morax's gaze sharpened as he summoned another six Geo Spears, while Barbatos unleashed six arrows.
Under the combined assault of the two Gods, the transparent barrier finally shattered.
The black barrier within was also breached by the aftershocks.
The Anemo currents carried by Barbatos's arrows transmitted information about the contents of the black barrier. Upon learning what lay within, Barbatos's brow furrowed fiercely, the veins on his forehead throbbing violently.
"The Abyss... damn them!" Barbatos snarled through clenched teeth, each word grating like a blade being sharpened.
Noticing the explosions at Amakumo Peak, Lumine led the group back to the Teleport Waypoint.
After releasing everyone from the Serenitea Pot, the group encountered no further resistance as they arrived at the floating platform on Amakumo Peak, where they saw the altar that had been shrouded by the black dome.
On the altar lay a severed left arm, cut off at the shoulder...