Behold the Dragon—Who Dares Call Himself a Hero?
With a Spear He Parts the Clouds, and the Gods Fall From the West
The Villa
Luo Chen continued calmly,
"Among these gods, some were allies, some neutral, and some enemies."
"Allies included the Stove God Marchosius, the God of Dust Guizhong, and Azhdaha."
"Neutral figures included the Salt God Havria."
"And the rest—
the Whirlpool God Osial, Orobashi, Baqiu, Chi, and the Yaksha Lord—
were all enemies."
"Morax two thousand years ago was nothing like the gentle consultant he is today."
"To his enemies, he showed only one face—
unrestrained slaughter."
"Among them, the Serpent God Orobashi was relatively clever."
"He knew he could not defeat Morax, so he fled Liyue and ran to Inazuma."
"He thought changing locations might give him a chance."
"But instead—he met another monster."
"Beelzebul."
"After weighing their strength, Orobashi realized with despair—
he couldn't win there either."
"So he fled once again, overnight, heading toward the Dark Sea."
"Along the way, he encountered Enkanomiya, and was worshiped by the people there as a god."
"Gods love their people."
"So for the sake of his followers, Orobashi brought them back to the surface—
forming what is now Watatsumi Island."
"As for his final fate…"
"On the surface, he invaded Inazuma and was slain by Beelzebul's Musou no Hitotachi."
"But the truth…"
Luo Chen paused, smiling faintly.
"We'll talk about that another time."
This wasn't a deliberate cliffhanger.
The truth behind it was simply too dangerous.
Luo Chen had no intention of letting the people of Teyvat suffer consequences
just because of a book like Before Sun and Moon.
There was no hatred between him and Teyvat's people.
On the contrary—
they were his primary source of emotional value.
Letting something go wrong would hurt him too.
So—for now—this was enough.
Inazuma — Sangonomiya Shrine
"…So his death wasn't simply because he invaded Inazuma?"
Sangonomiya Kokomi froze.
As a citizen of Watatsumi Island, Orobashi—Orobashi no Mikoto—was a god of absolute faith to them.
When he was slain by the Raiden Shogun
and Watatsumi was forcibly absorbed into Inazuma,
many had harbored deep resentment toward Narukami ever since.
The Resistance hadn't formed solely because of the Sakoku Decree—
this resentment played a part as well.
But now the light screen implied
that Orobashi's true death held another reason.
Kokomi's mind spun.
Beside her, Gorou was just as stunned.
They both wanted answers—
But clearly, the light screen wasn't going to give them today.
Inazuma — Tenshukaku
"Orobashi…"
Ei paused mid-bite, her dango forgotten.
She vaguely remembered the battle.
After all—she had been the one who struck him down.
At the time, she'd believed he truly invaded Inazuma.
To protect her nation, she had acted without hesitation.
But now…
Hearing Luo Chen's words, something felt off.
Yet Ei wasn't great at piecing together such complexities.
She turned to the person she trusted most.
"Yae… do you know what really happened?"
"I wasn't even born yet~"
Yae Miko rolled her eyes.
Ei blinked.
…Right.
That was true.
Yae was only about five hundred years old.
If anyone knew, it would've been Lady Saiguu.
Still—this fox was clever.
Ei leaned closer.
"Yae, analyze it for me."
"If we understand this, maybe Watatsumi will finally calm down."
Pure strength protected a nation—
But strength alone couldn't govern it.
Fontaine's situation with Neuvillette was proof enough.
Watatsumi was the same.
That was why Ei wanted another solution.
Hearing the seriousness in her tone, Yae finally straightened.
"Tell me exactly what happened back then."
Ei thought for a moment.
"I remember Orobashi fought very aggressively."
"He barely defended himself—just attacked relentlessly."
"It felt like he was fighting without regard for his own life."
"But his strength was far below mine."
"Otherwise, he wouldn't have fled to the Dark Sea in the first place."
As she spoke, unease crept into her heart.
Something wasn't adding up.
Yae frowned.
"From what you said—and from the light screen—
Orobashi cherished his life."
"Gods love their people."
"If you had attacked first, such desperation would make sense."
"But instead, he initiated the battle."
"Knowing he couldn't win—yet charging forward anyway…"
"That feels like—"
She stopped.
Her expression changed.
"…like he was seeking death."
"Seeking death!"
Ei slapped her palm.
"That's it—that's exactly it!"
Yae's face darkened.
"In a situation where his people weren't being threatened…"
"What could force a god who values life
to choose death?"
Ei hesitated.
"…What?"
Yae slowly lifted her gaze toward the sky.
"The answer is simple."
"He learned something he should not have known."
Her eyes seemed to pierce through Tenshukaku,
past the clouds—
Toward the floating island above the world.
Celestia.
"If I'm right," Yae said softly,
"Orobashi chose death to protect his people."
"The light screen stopping here… likely for the same reason."
Ei's breath caught.
She had witnessed the catastrophe five hundred years ago.
She knew better than anyone how terrifying that existence was.
That was why she sought Eternity—
So Inazuma would never repeat Khaenri'ah's fate.
To think Orobashi had been entangled in such matters…
Her hands clenched unconsciously.
"Then… Yae… are we—"
Yae waved her hand lightly.
"We're fine."
"We don't know the secret."
Ei exhaled in relief.
Then it was clear—
Watatsumi would require a different solution.
Across Teyvat, sharp minds reached similar conclusions.
Curiosity stirred—
But no one dared dig deeper.
Celestia had been silent for many years—
But who knew what that truly meant?
Caution was wisdom.
The Villa
Unaware of the storm his words had caused, Luo Chen continued.
"Compared to Orobashi's caution, the other gods chose resistance."
"And thus—the true Archon War erupted."
"First—Osial, the God of the Whirlpool."
"He shattered passing fleets with raging maelstroms,
dragging prey into the abyss."
"But in the end—
Morax pierced him with a spear that crossed the sky,
pinning him to the ocean floor."
"Guyun Stone Forest is the remnant of that battle."
"And even that was only the beginning."
"Ba Qiu."
"A monstrous beast from the deep sea—
unmatched in the abyss."
"When it rose, it summoned waves like mountains."
"Even Morax's stone whales could not defeat it."
"So Morax forged a giant roc from jade and bedrock."
"It soared into the heavens,
shaving away towering peaks—"
"Before striking down like a spear cast by the sun,
impaling Ba Qiu into the lightless trench below."
"Chi."
"Immortal flesh."
"Its blood turned to poisonous stone, corrupting the land."
"So Morax dismembered and sealed it."
"God to the north."
"Bones to the southeast."
"Body to the northwest."
"Soul to the northeast."
"Form beneath the southwest."
"The Yaksha Lord."
"The former master of the Golden-Winged Yaksha—Xiao."
"He enslaved Xiao by exploiting his weakness."
"Forcing him to commit unspeakable acts."
"Even ordering him to devour the dreams of the defeated."
"The torment nearly broke him."
"But then—Morax arrived."
"He defeated the Yaksha Lord, freed the boy,
and granted him a new name—Xiao."
"To repay this mercy, Xiao signed a contract—"
"To guard Liyue."
"To this very day."
Wangshu Inn
Xiao stood atop the balcony.
"Rex Lapis…"
Memories resurfaced.
Pain.
Confusion.
Despair.
Until—
That towering figure appeared.
Everything after that was light.
Hope.
Xiao smiled faintly.
Without Rex Lapis—
There would be no Xiao.
He would fight for the Geo Archon forever.
The Villa
Luo Chen concluded,
"Osial crushed."
"Orobashi driven away."
"Chi sealed."
"Ba Qiu suppressed."
"The Yaksha Lord slain."
"Five gods defeated."
"Countless monsters eradicated."
"Thus—Morax emerged victorious."
"Ascending as the Geo Archon."
"And earning the title—"
"God of War."
"If Barbatos was—
'I leave as quietly as I came,
with a wave of my sleeve, leaving no cloud behind,'"
"Then Morax was—"
'Rex Lapis shakes Liyue;
the dragon gazes—who dares claim heroism?
With spear he parts the clouds,
and the gods fall from the west.'
Ordinary Chat Group
Hanxue:
Punching Osial, kicking Orobashi, sealing Chi, suppressing Ba Qiu, slaying the Yaksha Lord—my blood is boiling! (excited.jpg)
Yi Xuan:
Rex Lapis is invincible! The God of War is invincible! (cheering.jpg)
Having heard the full account, the two finally understood—
How terrifying "Mr. Zhongli" truly was.
And realizing they'd survived provoking him—
They were overwhelmed with gratitude.
Instantly transforming into ultimate Rex Lapis devotees.
Others laughed—
But deep down, they agreed.
Especially the people of Liyue.
Pride filled their hearts.
Iron Tongue Tian:
My storytelling is nowhere near enough to capture the Geo Archon's deeds—still much to learn!
Uncle Tian:
To have such a god—is Liyue's greatest fortune.
Jia Ming:
The steadfast stone stands firm!
Chef Mao:
The steadfast stone stands firm!
Ying'er:
The steadfast stone stands firm!
Zhi Qiong:
The steadfast stone stands firm!
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor
Venti clicked his tongue.
"'Rex Lapis shakes Liyue…'"
"Great verse. Really suits you, old man."
Zhongli smiled faintly.
He liked it too.
After this ended,
he'd write it down and hang it in his room.
Then—
He noticed a curious gaze.
Hu Tao was tilting her head, studying him.
"…Director?"
She blinked.
"Nothing~"
"Just wondering—are you really the Geo Archon?"
"You don't feel anything like that fearsome war god."
"You feel way more normal."
"Venti, though—matches the 'lazy bard' image perfectly!"
Hu Tao chuckled.
Zhongli: "…"
Venti: "…"
Why are you dragging me into this?!
And just then—
A new question popped up, pulling everyone back.
Lumine:
Why did other nations only have three to five gods…
but Liyue had so many? (confused.jpg)
Paimon:
Yeah! That's way more than everyone else combined!
Did Liyue have treasure or something?! (excited.jpg)
Everyone froze.
…That was a good question.
Why was Liyue's Archon War so much more brutal?
Was Liyue special?
Or… was there something hidden beneath the stone?
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