When the figures who had died because of Bella appeared once more on the light screen,
all of Teyvat erupted in an uproar.
Aerin had truly restored every single life that Bella had taken.
Whether this was the completion of a Fate Weaving Device,
or merely the result of his own unfathomable power—
No one knew.
Nor did they need to.
They only needed to understand one thing:
This terrifying being—more terrifying than any ancestor—
could do what even gods could not.
For Aerin, feats that defied divine law were nothing more than casual gestures.
However—
The next revelation sent that fleeting joy plunging straight into despair.
Aerin had not forgotten his original goal.
For that purpose alone, he had already:
Erased seventy percent of Mondstadt's unqualified population
Crushed two of Inazuma's Commissions
Cast a Sword of Light upon Liyue
And all of that had merely been a rough filter.
These war-torn nations had not yet crossed the true threshold.
What awaited them next—
Was Irminsul's refined screening.
Mondstadt
Jean broke out in a cold sweat.
She had not even had time to feel relieved about the Knights of Favonius returning before reality struck her like ice water.
"So… even after Mondstadt lost seventy percent of its population, the screening still isn't over?"
Lisa simply gave up thinking altogether.
"Jean, this isn't something people like us are qualified to worry about anymore."
"Whatever Lord Aerin wants to do, he'll do it."
"This world already belongs to him."
"If he waved his hand and erased all of us, we wouldn't have any way to resist."
It was no different from when Phanes seized the world from the Dragon Sovereigns.
Who could elemental beings argue with?
"What I'm more curious about," Lisa added lazily,
"is what Lord Aerin wanted to say earlier—but stopped."
"It felt like he had plans after Irminsul's screening."
"Even the Valkyries don't know?" Jean asked anxiously.
Lisa shook her head, then paused before speaking again.
"Sometimes… I think Bella wasn't entirely wrong."
"Do you really think Lord Aerin needs Valkyries?"
He hunted Dottore's segments across the world with a sentence.
In a moment of irritation, he could crush Teyvat itself.
"Maybe he just finds them agreeable and rewards them on a whim."
"Not telling them everything isn't strange at all."
Lisa didn't put it as harshly as Bella had.
But the truth was clear—
Their status didn't even compare to Benelothis, the dragon beneath Aerin.
Jean hurriedly nodded.
"Yes, yes, you're right."
"But even so… Valkyries are still beings we can't hope to reach."
Lisa rolled her eyes.
"You're worse than your future self."
"At least she became a Valkyrie."
"You're stuck guarding a backwater like Mondstadt."
Jean fidgeted awkwardly.
"I asked Eula before… she explained the process to me."
"I'm just… shy. And scared I'll mess up."
Her face flushed red.
Eula had described the night she became a Valkyrie as a mandatory rite.
Just hearing it made Jean's heart race.
Actually doing it?
She feared fainting on the spot.
And worse—
offending Aerin.
What Jean didn't know was that this "rite" was entirely Eula's personal interpretation.
Aerin himself had no such requirement.
To him, Stigma Serum was no longer valuable at all.
Compared to conceptual alteration, it was trivial.
Before Irminsul
After a series of calm movements by Aerin—
Irminsul began to glow, its entire form suffused with golden radiance like supreme sword-qi.
Ley Lines across Teyvat lit up in response, stretching golden veins to every corner of the world.
Aerin raised his hand.
White light gathered, condensed—
And slowly took human form.
When the radiance faded, a silver-haired woman stepped barefoot onto the ground.
Elegant. Serene. Transcendent.
"That's the legendary Greater Lord Rukkhadevata of Sumeru…?"
Eula murmured, eyes full of admiration.
"She's beautiful. And dignified."
"Those long ears—like Alice's. Are they elf-kind?"
Aerin thought for a moment.
"She was once Irminsul's avatar."
"Perhaps she chose to be beautiful when she was born."
Their whispered comments reached her mind.
Her eyes slowly opened.
"You are…?"
"Why am I here…?"
Confusion filled her face.
She should have perished during the chaos of the Khaenri'ah catastrophe,
when abyssal corruption spread through Irminsul.
A familiar presence surged behind her.
She turned sharply.
"The World Tree?"
"What did you do to Irminsul?"
"And Nahida—"
"Did she fail to protect it?"
She stared at Aerin and Eula with wary eyes.
She felt no connection to Irminsul at all.
Nahida had been the purest branch she severed before death.
Now the World Tree had changed completely.
Aerin snorted coldly.
"She couldn't even hold Sumeru."
"How could she protect Irminsul?"
Rukkhadevata's expression changed instantly.
Before she could ask more, memories flooded her mind—
Five hundred years of Nahida's past.
Her expression shifted again and again.
Finally, she sighed.
"Nahida was born without guidance."
"Other successor Archons were attendants or confidants of their predecessors."
"She had no such fortune."
"Please… forgive her."
She spoke calmly.
Wisely.
She already understood—
Anyone who could command Irminsul had authority over Teyvat itself.
And the power she sensed within the golden World Tree far exceeded even the Primordial One.
Aerin's strength was several tiers above Celestia.
"You're sharp," Aerin said.
Rukkhadevata smiled gently.
"I'll take that as praise."
"Why have you restored me?"
Aerin tossed her a vial.
"My name is Aerin. A Descender from beyond this world."
"I now hold all authority over Teyvat."
"That power is for you."
"You'll replace Nahida and rule Sumeru again."
"As for Nahida—handle her as you see fit."
Underground Laboratory, Sumeru
Nahida collapsed onto the floor, gasping.
She didn't know how many times she had swung the blade.
Even now, she raised it again—
Until Benelothis yawned.
"He's dead."
"Save your strength."
The blade fell from Nahida's hands.
She sobbed quietly.
"If I'd been stronger…"
"If I hadn't been imprisoned…"
"Maybe none of this would've happened…"
Benelothis didn't respond.
She was waiting for Aerin.
Instead—
A barefoot silver-haired woman approached.
"Are you Benelothis?"
After a brief exchange, realization dawned.
"Greater Lord Rukkhadevata…"
Nahida rushed forward, hugging her tightly.
"I wanted to meet you so badly."
Rukkhadevata gently stroked her head.
"It's alright now."
"Sumeru has returned."
"So have I."
"Stay by my side."
"Learn."
"Perhaps one day, you'll earn Lord Aerin's recognition."
Far away, in the rainforest—
Raiden Ei stared at the screen.
At Rukkhadevata.
At Aerin's back.
Her hand lifted—then fell.
For the first time, her resolve wavered.
"I want Makoto back…"
She whispered.
Scathach turned sharply.
"…What did you just say?"
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