Compared to other living beings, demon gods were extremely unique.
A single glance was usually enough to determine whether something was a demon god—
because the pressure and aura of divine authority were unmistakable.
Osial could clearly feel that Gu Chen possessed no trace of authority.
This meant Gu Chen was not a demon god at all—
He was human.
And yet—this mere human had grievously wounded one of his heads. Under the dense lattice of sword marks, flesh and blood gaped open, driving Osial into a towering rage.
A mere human dared wound him so?!
"ROOOOAR—!!"
Osial howled in fury.
The rolling black clouds overhead curled backwards under his terrifying power.
Waves surged violently as a vast shadow swam beneath the sea.
The world looked as if doomsday had arrived.
One of Osial's heads rose high. From all directions, seawater surged toward him.
In his maw, a tremendous power gathered—the seawater compressed into a dense mass.
BOOM—
A blue elemental torrent, carrying the force to pierce all creation, blasted toward Gu Chen.
Gu Chen's expression didn't change. He lifted his sword before him—then struck down.
Light warped. Space twisted.
A razor-sharp sword aura erupted from the ground, cutting straight across the world.
The terrifying torrent split vertically down the middle, forcibly divided into two streams—disintegrating bit by bit into nothing but sprays of water that splashed across the land.
[Chat Group]
[Xingqiu]: So this is the power of a human-immortal—no, a sword immortal?! (Paimon: shocked)
[Kaeya]: Isn't this a bit ridiculous? He didn't even go this hard when fighting the stone-man demon god earlier! (Paimon: shocked)
[Heizou]: Judging from that earlier fight, Mr. Gu is insanely strong. Ordinary demon gods definitely can't beat him. The question is—what tier is Osial among demon gods? (thinking)
[Osial]: What's that supposed to mean? You targeting me or what?!
The real-world Osial was furious.
He felt like he was about to split open entirely!
Damn it—he had laughed before at that video where Orobashi attacked Taixuan Sect head-on, calling him brainless.
Now the joke was him.
"Tell me—was my past self mentally ill?!"
"Why in the abyss did I go attack Morax's territory?!"
Osial complained endlessly.
As an outsider he couldn't understand the Osial in the video at all.
Perhaps only being in that situation would make one think that way.
At least, the present Osial absolutely did not agree with his past self.
This wasn't "attacking someone's land."
This was going to someone's doorstep to get beaten!
[Azhdaha]: @Osial What's your evaluation of your video self? (smirk)
Why stab directly into his heart?!
What did Osial ever do to deserve this?!
He felt bitter beyond words.
[Dvalin]: Bro, why so quiet? (Hu Tao: evil grin)
[Childe]: AHH!! Mr. Gu is so cool!! I can't—when I get out of jail I'm gonna cultivate immortality! I'm gonna be a sword immortal!!
[Ningguang]: Keep dreaming.
[Keqing]: @Osial Why aren't you talking?
[Osial]: My evaluation is: idiot! (angry)
[Zhongli]: By common rational judgment, that evaluation is accurate. (nod)
[Raiden Shogun]: (nod)
[Gu Chen]: Even you think you were stupid. Then yes—you were stupid. (nod)
Osial's torrential attack achieved nothing.
Rage consumed him.
He, a demon god—wielder of authority—and one of the more powerful among the demon gods of Teyvat,
was being fought to a standstill by a human?!
Impossible.
"I don't believe this!"
Blinded by fury, he drew upon even more power.
Like a surging river, demon-god power flooded forth. The head Gu Chen had wounded began to recover slightly.
All five heads roared toward the sky. They surrounded a single point where a massive vortex of power formed.
Pure demon-god energy poured into it, compressing further and further—
until a sky-rending elemental torrent shot upward.
"What technique is that?"
Gu Chen looked up at the ascending torrent, frowning slightly.
BOOM!
It exploded in the sky.
Countless smaller torrents rained down toward Gu Chen—
like a meteor shower streaking across the night.
The sight was stunning.
But if they landed, Guili would be completely destroyed.
Hundreds of thousands of lives would be taken by this "meteor shower."
"Not good!"
"If the Sword-Extreme True Lord goes to block it, Osial will ambush him!"
"But if he doesn't block it, Guili will be annihilated!"
"How vicious!"
Cloud-Retainer's brows shot up in fury.
Earlier, when the tidal wave struck, the immortals had already been saving mortals—guiding them to safety.
And Osial's sea beasts, though normally bound to the ocean, could now roam freely over Guili which had turned into a sea.
Blocking them had already drained the immortals greatly.
Guizhong asked anxiously, "Do the immortals still have strength left?"
"No time!"
Without speaking, the immortals acted.
Surging immortal power rose, forming a vast protective barrier overhead.
BOOM! BOOM!
The falling torrents slammed into it. Within moments, cracks spread like spiderwebs.
Meanwhile, countless sea beasts pressed in.
"Hmph!"
Xiao snorted coldly.
The Five Yakshas under the Geo Emperor revealed their divine arts.
They blocked the onslaught of beasts as the other immortals poured power into the barrier to keep it from collapsing.
"Futile!"
Osial sneered.
Gu Chen cut down several meteors, then looked toward Osial, who was rapidly approaching.
Osial was the mastermind. Only killing him would end the disaster.
"Mountain-Cleaver!"
Gu Chen swung.
A kilometer-long sword aura swept across the water, raising a storm.
A massive swath of sea beasts swimming toward Guili were split cleanly in half.
A colossal vortex opened on the sea's surface.
All water was drawn into it, along with the screaming sea beasts.
The sweeping sword aura itself twisted from the vortex's pull, then disappeared within.
BOOM—
A violent explosion erupted at the vortex's base.
The waters stilled. The torn sword aura shredded everything around it.
A draw.
"Human, your strength is impressive. Why serve Morax?
Why not join me?"
Osial was now genuinely impressed.
A human who could fight him head-on was worthy of recruitment.
"No need for words. You are not qualified to have me follow you."
Gu Chen's tone was flat.
"Heh… you don't know good fortune."
"Did you think this is all a demon god can do?"
"You are very wrong."
"Utterly wrong!"
The black clouds overhead spiraled, forming an enormous downward-facing vortex.
It was as if everything—earth and sea—would be swallowed.
Even the raging winds twisted into vortexes of their own.
Shredded sea-beast corpses were sucked in and torn to powder, leaving nothing behind.
[Chat Group]
[Kaeya]: Bro, you're the Demon God of Vortexes—
but your vortex isn't seawater, it's… conceptual vortexes?!
[Venti]: How are you showing off in front of other gods?? (shocked)
[Osial]: Huh? Did anyone really think the "Vortex Demon God" just made a few whirlpools on the sea? No way, right? (sunglasses smug)
[Gu Chen]: Fine, fine. This ability is incredible—for collecting garbage. (mischief)
[Zhongli]: Rationally speaking, if the world accumulated too much trash and a vortex in the sky could vacuum it all away, it would indeed be efficient and cost-saving. (nod)
[Keqing]: Osial is this strong—how did the Emperor defeat him back then?
[Gu Chen]: His vortex sucks things in. So maybe Morax just threw a giant stone spear into it—so huge it jammed the vortex, burst it, and pinned Osial to the seafloor. (mischief)
[Yae Miko]: For your sake, I hope you really mean a literal stone spear and vortex. (evil grin)
[Nilou]: Ahh—I wasn't thinking that, but now—! (shocked Paimon)
[Collei]: So that's how he was defeated?!
[Zhongli]: Stop being ridiculous!!
The swirling vortexes filled the sky, each with a terrifying pull.
Seawater was dragged upward. Grass and trees on distant mountains bent toward them—whole trees ripped from the ground and shredded instantly.
The power of a demon god was overwhelmingly destructive.
Seeing this, the immortals felt powerless.
Only fellow demon gods—Guizhong and Makosh—held on desperately.
Though Guizhong did not excel in combat, she was still a demon god.
Her divine power sealed off the space, preventing countless mortals from being dragged away.
Makosh breathed out a sea of flames, burning sea beasts while letting the fire cling to the vortexes to maintain a fragile balance.
"Hahaha—pitiful ants!!"
Osial laughed wildly.
A sharp sound tore through the air—
a sword light scraped across the top of his head.
Though he had no hair, Osial felt his scalp crawl.
Terrifying.
Had he not dodged, that sword would have cleaved his head open.
"Damn you—DIE!"
Driven mad, Osial lashed out.
Water rose hundreds of meters high. Droplets shot like steel pellets.
Gu Chen wove through the air, slashing, thrusting, sweeping—
his movements so fast Osial couldn't even see him.
Every time Osial processed Gu Chen's movement, another wound appeared on one of his heads.
The closer they fought, the more disadvantaged Osial became.
But thanks to his demon god physique, Gu Chen couldn't kill him instantly either.
The battle temporarily reached a deadlock.
Compared to Gu Chen's effortless flow, Osial looked utterly disheveled.
If this continued, he would surely lose.
At that thought, Osial forcibly calmed himself and surveyed the battlefield.
Guizhong and Makosh struggled to balance his vortex authority.
The immortals split between fighting beasts and protecting the people.
Then—he noticed a small figure.
A girl with a bow.
Every arrow she fired struck true, though her strength was too weak to kill in one shot.
The sea beasts noticed her too and rushed toward her.
Wait—
Osial suddenly realized something.
Whenever that little figure was in danger,
Gu Chen's attacks slowed—
as if he was splitting his attention to watch Guili.
A coincidence?
Osial secretly directed several beasts toward the little figure.
Sure enough—
Gu Chen immediately brushed his hand across his sword.
Golden light erupted.
A powerful sword aura fell toward Osial—
and Gu Chen widened the distance to a position where he could advance or retreat at any moment.
"HAHAHA—just as I thought!"
Osial was ecstatic.
"ROOOOAR!!"
He shifted instantly toward Guili.
Gu Chen's brows are knitted. He swung—
the sword light seemed ready to cut everything apart.
Osial barely blocked while rushing closer to Guili.
He opened his great maw, gathering an elemental torrent—
and fired it straight at Ganyu.
The terrifying torrent arrived in the blink of an eye.
Ganyu's eyes widened.
The small vortexes surrounding her made it impossible to move.
She could only watch the torrent approach.
At the final moment, she shut her eyes.
BOOM—
"GANYU!!"
"Damn it!!"
The immortals roared in fury.
But—Ganyu was not dead.
She opened her eyes and saw a figure standing before her.
Immortal power surged in his right hand, blocking the torrent so it dispersed sideways instead of striking her.
"Master!"
Ganyu's joy overflowed.
Frowning, Gu Chen dispelled the vortexes around her with a single sword slash.
"Go. Quickly."
"Mhm!!"
Freed from the vortex's pull, Ganyu ran to safety.
"HAHAHAHA—!!"
Osial's wild laughter echoed.
"So—you have a weakness.
No— a soft spot!"
All five heads focused maliciously on Ganyu.
The demon god's immense pressure made Ganyu's legs weak.
"If I can't kill you for now—
then I'll kill her first!"
Vortexes formed around Ganyu again like invisible ropes.
Gu Chen shattered them instantly, appearing in front of her like a shadow.
"As a demon god… you're truly despicable."
"Victory is all that matters!!" Osial laughed.
"Master… am I dragging you down?" Ganyu lowered her head.
"It doesn't matter."
Gu Chen smiled faintly, then looked at Osial—
his eyes turning cold.
"You're so fond of Guili?"
"Then stay here forever."
"Don't boast!" Osial sneered. "You have a weakness now. How will you fight me?!"
Gu Chen lifted his sword.
His voice was calm—
yet sharp enough to slice mountains.
"Even if I must shield Guili—
even if I must divide my attention to protect Ganyu—
I can still kill you here all the same."
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