[Deep night over Teyvat. The stars glitter across the sky.]
[Liyue — a sealed aristocratic courtyard.]
[Two shadowy figures whisper in hushed tones.]
"Big brother, over here—this whole study is filled with top-grade goods!"
"Sell these in another nation and we'll make a fortune in Mora. We're set for life!"
The masked man stared at the calligraphy scrolls and antique relics on the shelves, saliva nearly dripping from his mouth.
He waved urgently for his companion to come over.
But no response came.
"…Big brother?"
The masked man froze, then turned around abruptly.
His eyes widened in confusion.
"Where did big brother go?"
That was the last sentence he ever spoke.
The moment the words left his mouth, his body vanished on the spot, as if erased from existence.
Outside the courtyard, two figures witnessed everything with chilling clarity.
Venti's brows twitched slightly.
Ever since he had been restored to existence, he had rushed to Liyue to seek out Rex Lapis, only to learn that Aerin had already finished his affairs in Inazuma and Liyue and departed for Sumeru.
After understanding the situation, Venti ordered the Knights of Favonius—who had also been restored—to return to Mondstadt for the time being.
However, on the second day after their revival, something unsettling began to happen.
People started disappearing in full view of others, without warning.
Venti hurried back to Liyue to meet Morax again.
Only then did he realize—
Liyue was experiencing the same phenomenon.
"That lord has already been in Sumeru for several days," Morax said, arms folded.
"In my understanding, the only way to achieve this… is by controlling Irminsul and erasing an individual's information."
"And Aerin happens to be in Sumeru."
The truth was not difficult to deduce.
"How terrifying…" Venti murmured.
"Is he really planning to wipe out all of humanity in Teyvat?"
He shook his head helplessly.
By his rough estimation, Liyue, Inazuma, and Mondstadt had already lost over sixty percent of their populations.
As for Sumeru—
he didn't even dare to investigate.
Meanwhile, Natlan, Snezhnaya, and Fontaine had not yet shown similar abnormalities.
This led to mass panic.
Many people, unable to endure the fear, attempted to migrate to those seemingly unaffected nations.
Yet before they could even finish packing—
They, too, vanished.
Mondstadt
Varka paced back and forth in the office, anxiety written all over his face.
At last, his gaze settled on Jean.
The change in her was striking.
White over-the-knee armored boots.
Her golden ponytail now fell to her hips, the tips shimmering with iridescent hues.
The Jean who once wrapped herself up rigidly now looked unmistakably different.
Of course, this was not her personal fashion choice—
It was the manifestation of her Valkyrie state.
"Jean," Varka asked urgently,
"have you managed to contact Eula?"
Ever since returning to Mondstadt and learning what had happened, he had nearly fainted multiple times.
And yet, the disaster continued unabated.
"Most of Mondstadt's citizens are already gone," Varka sighed heavily.
"Why hasn't it stopped?"
"At this rate, Mondstadt will be completely wiped out."
"Jean… you're a Valkyrie now. For Mondstadt's sake, please help us. I beg you."
Jean raised a hand, signaling him to calm down.
In truth, she was the most awkward one here.
Aerin had acknowledged her will and granted her Stigma Serum.
But after that—
He had never contacted her again.
Jean herself no longer knew whether she was still Mondstadt's Acting Grand Master,
or merely one of Aerin's subordinates.
"I've already sent our request to Eula through the consciousness link," Jean said calmly.
"She should be here shortly."
Then she added softly,
"Grand Master Varka, there's no need to panic."
"You all died at the hands of that terrifying woman."
"The fact that you were restored means that…"
Jean paused, shook her head, and corrected herself.
"You were restored thanks to Lord Aerin's grace."
"Since he chose to bring you back, these disappearances aren't random."
"There must be conditions."
"Just like—"
She almost mentioned the "game" Aerin had once used during Mondstadt's purge.
But she stopped herself.
That memory still cast a shadow in her heart.
At that moment—
The office space suddenly twisted.
A wave of biting cold swept through the room.
The next instant, a faint blue figure stepped out of distorted space.
"Eula!"
Varka and Jean both exclaimed in relief.
Varka couldn't help adding,
"You and Jean really aren't the same anymore."
"No need for that," Eula replied calmly.
"I already know what you want to ask. Jean told me."
"That's good… that's good," Varka said hurriedly.
"If you came personally, you must know something."
Eula nodded and explained what she knew.
This disclosure was permitted by Aerin—
Like a god sending a messenger to the mortal realm.
Yet as she spoke, Jean and Varka grew increasingly pale.
"So it's not just Mondstadt?" Varka asked hoarsely.
Eula nodded.
"All nations that experienced major wars will undergo this refined screening."
"According to my lord, the criteria are primarily willpower and inner desire."
"The stronger the will, the broader the heart—
the higher the chance of passing."
"In the end, fewer than thirty percent will remain."
Jean and Varka were left speechless.
Less than thirty percent—
Wasn't that the same as annihilation?
But Eula's next words nearly made Varka's eyes pop out.
"My lord is planting a special power within those who remain."
"This power can only be borne by beings whose DNA manifests in a spiral structure."
"The most obvious trait of such beings is… humanity."
"Whether Inazuma's yokai, Liyue's adepti, or even elves like Alice—
as long as they can maintain a human form and physiology, they qualify."
"The goal is to find awakening candidates among the screened population."
"The foundation of that power lies in unyielding will and breadth of heart."
"Unfortunately… it has never succeeded."
She shrugged helplessly.
Varka suddenly understood.
"No wonder the knights who vanished were mostly those who slacked off in training or ignored discipline."
"As knights, their will was lacking."
Eula nodded lightly.
"There's nothing to worry about."
"After the experiment ends, my lord will adjust Irminsul's screening system again."
"Whether the experiment succeeds or fails, the criteria will shift from willpower to moral conduct."
Jean thought for a moment.
"So this harsh screening is only for selecting recipients of that power."
"Once it ends, those with no moral issues will be restored—
and those who fail ethically will sleep in the Ley Lines forever?"
Eula nodded.
Varka finally exhaled in relief.
"Then that's fine. That's fine."
"As for those with bad morals—let them sleep."
Jean ignored his sudden cheer.
She looked at Eula and asked quietly,
"Do you know what this power actually does?"
Eula shook her head.
"I only know its name."
"It's called—"
"Spiral Power."
Just as people were eagerly speculating about this power—
The light screen suddenly went dark.
Then a new scene appeared, making everyone's eyes widen.
[A pitch-black cosmic void.]
[A figure floats limply through the darkness, drifting aimlessly.]
Her body was shrouded in black.
Without starlight reflecting off her form, she would have been impossible to notice.
A mask covered her face, revealing only her eyes and mouth.
"That's Bella!"
The entire audience jolted to their feet.
"Didn't Benelothis erase her along with that mysterious cosmic force?"
"Why is she still alive?!"
Yae Miko's mind went blank.
A terrible premonition surged from the depths of her heart.
[Bella floated motionlessly, as if dead.]
[Suddenly, crimson light flashed.]
[Space itself was torn apart by an unseen force—split open by a black hand.]
[A massive, round head emerged from the rift, peering inside.]
"You can wake up now, little one."
Bella squeezed her eyes shut, then slowly opened them.
She looked around in confusion—
Until her gaze locked onto the enormous head before her.
"…Huh?"
She froze.
She had never seen anything this large.
"This shouldn't be possible," the deep voice rumbled.
"I only appeared within your consciousness. Could it be… you didn't see me?"
Bella shook her head repeatedly.
"I see you. But who are you?"
"And why is your head… this huge?"
The massive head seemed to extend from another universe entirely.
Only its head crossed into this cosmos.
Below it, there must have been a body—limbs—something far beyond comprehension.
A humanoid form.
"That's exactly why I appeared in your consciousness," the head chuckled.
"If I met you in the universe directly—even if I stood right in front of you,
you still wouldn't be able to perceive me."
Bella sneered.
"Bragging."
"You're right in front of me. How could I not see you?"
"Can you turn invisible or something?"
"No, no," the voice corrected gently.
"It's simply that I am… too large."
"How large?"
The head pondered.
"Just this head alone…"
"would need light-years as a unit of measurement."
Bella's pupils shrank violently.
"…What?"
"A head measured in light-years?!"
Skirk shouted in shock, jumping to her feet.
Raiden Ei flinched beside her.
"What are you yelling about?"
Skirk shot her a look.
Teyvat's natives didn't understand what a light-year meant.
But Skirk—who had wandered beyond worlds—did.
A distance light travels in one year.
And this being's head required that unit?
Then its body…
It would dwarf superclusters.
Skirk stood frozen.
Her mind flashed back to the dream Aerin had shown Scaramouche.
From a normal perspective, one truly could not see Aerin's full form.
"…Tengen Toppa…"
She whispered, staring at Aerin's back.
Aerin merely glanced at the screen once, then looked away—utterly indifferent.
Skirk inhaled sharply.
"…Did my lord already know about its existence?"
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