Boom!
Everyone felt as if a thunderbolt had struck them from the crown of their heads. Their hearts clenched in an invisible vise, and they forgot to breathe.
Kuki Shinobu's mouth gaped open, but no sound escaped. The air around her seemed to have been half-evacuated.
Unable to believe her eyes, she stumbled forward...
Gush!
Kuki Shinobu spat out a mouthful of blood, all remaining hope vanishing in that instant.
The arm on the altar belonged to Yuna. The clothes still bore the mark of the ones she had sewn for her sister!
Her legs buckled, unable to support her weight, and she began to collapse. Yae Miko swiftly moved forward to steady her.
Yae Miko had witnessed countless life-and-death moments, but this time, her heart ached deeply, as it had when she learned that Kitsune Saiguu would never return.
Tears streaked down Yae Miko's cheeks. She coughed twice, suppressing the surging emotions that threatened to overwhelm her.
Yumemizuki Mizuki frantically helped Kuki Shinobu regain her composure, barely preventing her from breaking down completely. Suddenly, a wild, manic laugh erupted from nearby.
"Hahahahaha!"
Tears streamed down Itto's face, his expression twisted with mad hatred and despair. He had broken down the moment he saw Yuna's severed arm.
He had witnessed everything clearly. There were six altars in total—six!
Yuna, the youngest member of the Arataki Gang, the sister he cherished, their culinary goddess... Had she been slaughtered and offered as a sacrifice?!
Yuna's repeated cries of "Boss" still rang in his ears. How could he not break down?!
Centered around Itto, cracks spiderwebbed across the floating platform as purple Thunderbolts and crimson Ghost Fire intertwined.
Itto's body swelled slightly, his horns emitting a blinding bloody light. Ancient Oni Clan markings surfaced on his skin, and the phantom silhouette of the Oni King flickered behind him.
Chu Xi, shocked, stepped forward and stared at the severed arm.
Just days ago, she had been laughing and chatting with Yuna, who would cook delicious meals for her, tell her jokes to make her laugh, and share her dreams for the future...
Now, Yuna had been murdered by the Abyss, and her remains were being desecrated in this way!
Chu Xi's throat tightened, her lips twitched involuntarily, and they finally began to tremble uncontrollably. Tears gushed from her eyes like a breached dam, streaming down her cheeks in a torrent of despair.
Paimon stood frozen, staring blankly at the severed hand on the altar.
Her eyes darted rapidly between rage and terror before she finally threw herself into Lumine's arms.
Lumine held Paimon with one arm while violently clawing at her own hair with the other, hoping the physical pain would somehow numb the anguish in her heart. But it was no use.
-
Player World
Even though Chen Xiyao had steeled herself for the reveal, she was still shocked by the subtitle that appeared before her eyes.
Why a subtitle?
From the player's perspective, the objects on the altar were blurred out as if covered by an extremely thick mosaic, making them completely unrecognizable.
But the obscurity didn't matter; beneath the image, small text explained: Yuna's left arm.
Chen Xiyao stared at the words, frozen. She didn't click further, and the viewers in her live stream abruptly stopped sending comments.
After an agonizing pause, a single comment finally popped up:
[???]
Like a switch flipped, Chen Xiyao's viewers flooded the chat with their reactions:
[Yuna's arm...]
[Damn it! Is this the ending you set for Little Yuna, Mihoyo? Answer me!]
[If this is just the arm, what else might be...?]
[Drawn and quartered?! Aaaaargh, Mihoyo, you ****!]
[This is really too much! I can accept Yuna's death, but not that she died so horribly!]
[Is Mihoyo having a bad day? Are they taking their frustrations out on society?]
The screen filled with asterisks, every one a censored message flagged for inappropriate content.
The moderators, sweating profusely, immediately activated silent mode.
Chen Xiyao stared blankly for a long moment, then, realizing all her viewers had been muted, she took a deep breath and said:
"It's just a game, just a game! Everyone, calm down! We just lost Yuna... Yuna was just killed by the Abyss... It looks like she was tortured too. Don't be angry, don't... ugh... don't my ass! Mihoyo, you f*ing, *, *****, your mother..."
[The streamer has violated community guidelines and is currently undergoing rectification.]
-
Amakumo Peak.
Kuki Shinobu clung to Yuna's arm, looking at Lumine:
"Traveler, please take me somewhere else to see."
Lumine nodded silently. After everyone entered the Serenitea Pot, she turned to look at the black-robed figure who was still battling Ei.
Ei didn't kill the black-robed figure outright, but instead repeatedly slashed at It, leaving wound after wound.
Lumine's eyes turned completely crimson, her pupils and the whites of her eyes glowing blood-red, making her look terrifying.
She exhaled slowly and used the Teleport Waypoint to travel to another altar.
This altar held Yuna's other arm. As soon as Kuki Shinobu arrived, she rushed over and cradled it in her arms.
"Little Yuna, don't be scared. Big sister is taking you home now..."
Itto stood behind Kuki Shinobu the entire time, his expression cold and his eyes burning with hatred. After this, he probably wouldn't be able to smile again for a long time.
They continued to travel to other locations.
The group found Yuna's left leg, right leg, torso...
Finally, on an altar atop a mountain, they found Yuna's head.
Though long dead, the terror remained frozen on Yuna's small face. Her frozen gaze was filled with pain and despair, as if she had witnessed something unspeakably horrifying and suffered inhuman torture.
Seeing this, the once-silent crowd broke down again.
How much pain must Yuna have endured to make even her usually strong-willed self wear such an expression?
Kuki Shinobu cradled her sister's head, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe before finally collapsing into unconsciousness.
Yae Miko personally pieced Yuna back together, using a special method to fuse the severed limbs back into a whole.
Yet this reconstructed Yuna was nothing like the lively, cheerful girl they all remembered.
Staring at Yuna's motionless body on the ground, Yae Miko felt a lump in her throat, a suffocating mix of anguish and sharp pain.
In the distance, Itto was furiously pounding the ground, unleashing his turbulent emotions.
Chu Xi, already injured, nearly fainted several times under the weight of this fresh shock.
Noticing this, Lumine followed Chu Xi when she staggered toward the cliff's edge, fearing she might fall.
Chu Xi sat by the cliff, blood tears streaming down her face, her right hand clenching a handful of grass.
"Chu Xi, are you okay?" Lumine asked.
Chu Xi didn't answer, so Lumine took a few more steps forward.
Chu Xi staggered to her feet, turning to face Lumine, her eyes swimming with tears.
"Lumine, here, I swear to Yuna—no matter the cost, Teyvat will defeat the Abyss!"
Chu Xi gritted her teeth, her eyes blazing with hatred.