Furina devoured the little cake in front of her at lightning speed.
Gulp—gulp—she washed it down with several mouthfuls of water, then patted her chest.
Instantly, her confidence surged.
"Ahh, this is great!"
"I actually got Lord Aerin's approval!"
"No matter what, at least I won't be punished, right?"
"Though I do hope Fontaine's people won't be punished too harshly… that part's already out of my hands."
When she saw her future self pull out the Stigmata Elixir, the stone hanging in her heart finally dropped.
Aerin's attitude toward her was clearly different from everyone else's.
Eula had been beaten to the brink of death.
Sangonomiya Kokomi had knelt and begged for Inazuma's salvation.
Raiden Ei—along with countless others—had knelt until blood spilled, even using the will of Inazuma's people to plead, just to obtain a Stigmata Elixir.
Liyue?
They were tossed a single light sword—and then silence.
As for Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, she earned Aerin's recognition because she truly possessed wisdom.
But me?
From the moment she brought Aerin away and realized his abnormal identity, he never showed her real hostility.
At most, he told her to eat well and drink well—and then ignored her.
"And he even left me a Stigmata Elixir."
"Hehehe… Venti was right. Five hundred years of endurance didn't go unnoticed by Lord Aerin."
[Ningguang]: "Sigh… another moment of envying others."
[Keqing]: "Did Lord Aerin lose interest in Liyue? He hasn't even visited."
[Morax]: "Don't think that way. He believes Liyue's problem lies only in ideology, nothing else."
[Shenhe]: "But the problematic nations all gained benefits."
[Ganyu]: "The Adeptus simply hasn't arrived in Liyue yet—doesn't mean he won't."
[Hu Tao]: "She doesn't even know what that thing is."
[Yae Miko]: "What a waste. Good thing she didn't throw it away."
[Furina]: "H-Hey! That's not very nice!"
[Clorinde]: "Lady Furina seems to be in much better spirits."
[Tartaglia]: "Could someone maybe care about me for once?"
[Arlecchino]: "I truly don't know what to say, Childe."
[Rosalyne]: "With his reckless battle-hungry nature, the moment he sees Lord Aerin sitting on the All-Devouring Narwhal, he'll definitely want to fight."
[Tartaglia]: "Master—save me!"
[Skirk]: "Sigh… everything will follow Master's will."
[Tartaglia]: "This is too sudden! I still have siblings to raise—can I at least live?!"
Tartaglia stared at the light screen in despair.
He never expected that Aerin would say he'd deal with the Narwhal—and then immediately do it.
This was even worse than being locked in Meropide.
"My luck can't be this bad, right…?"
For the first time, Tartaglia's muscle-filled brain actually wobbled.
He started thinking.
"Future me wouldn't really charge in swinging, right?"
"The Tsaritsa's plan is already on hold… surely I'd think twice when seeing him sitting on the Narwhal's head."
"Yes. I'd definitely think."
Sweat poured down his face as he prayed that his future self wouldn't do something stupid at the critical moment.
Primordial Sea — Otherworldly Space
A lone figure sat atop the All-Devouring Narwhal.
Tartaglia, having dismissed his Foul Legacy armor, dashed over to Aerin.
"You…"
He glanced between Aerin and the Narwhal beneath him.
"It's not dead yet. No need for me to fight an animal."
Tartaglia sucked in a sharp breath.
"You defeated it?"
Aerin looked at him calmly and nodded.
Then added casually,
"Judging by your excitement, you seem eager to fight me."
"You're just like your master—drawn to the strong. And your master's master too. Same lineage."
"But I'm not interested in you."
"You were just caught in the spatial shockwave."
Aerin raised a hand.
A swirling portal appeared in the distance.
"Leave through there. You won't be harmed."
Tartaglia stared at the vortex in shock.
"What terrifying control…"
His expression suddenly changed.
"Wait—are you the one from the rumors…?"
This was no longer a secret.
As a Fatui Harbinger, Tartaglia had received intelligence long ago.
The Tsaritsa's stalled plan was clearly obstructed by that god.
And analysis pointed to one name—
"Aerin."
"You're Aerin?!" Tartaglia blurted out.
"And you know my master? And even my master's master?"
"I know of them," Aerin replied flatly.
"I'm waiting for them."
"I plan to wipe out every Abyss-empowered individual in one sweep."
Tartaglia's excitement cooled instantly.
His Foul Legacy forcibly reassembled.
"If you're enemies of my master, then as her disciple, I can't just stand by."
"Even if I can only wear you down a little—"
BOOM.
A violent force detonated beside him.
His vision went black as he was blasted dozens of meters away.
The armor dissipated.
His head tilted—
And he lost consciousness.
"Told you to leave," Aerin muttered.
"Had to take a beating to behave."
Mondstadt
Lumine, Paimon, Lisa, Jean, and the others instantly stood up—
And moved away from Skirk's sofa.
Skirk sat alone, drenched in sweat.
"So that's what I'm really like…" she muttered.
Aerin hadn't been wrong—cold, arrogant, dismissive.
"Master's awful," she laughed awkwardly.
"He deliberately showed me an illusion where I thought I'd seen through his strength."
[Paimon]: "Lumine! We're about to see Master beat Skirk up!"
[Lisa]: "She actually squeals like that? I thought it was 'I am not talkative.'"
Skirk glared at Lisa.
"So this is Valkyrie sisterhood?"
"Thinner than paper."
Otherworldly Space
A silver-haired, crimson-eyed woman stepped out of shattered space.
"The All-Devouring Narwhal?"
Skirk's heart sank.
She sensed it fighting earlier—and rushed over the moment the signal vanished.
Now it lay motionless.
Her gaze shifted to Aerin.
"You defeated it?"
Aerin shook his head and pointed aside.
"With help."
Skirk noticed the unconscious Tartaglia.
"…My disciple."
With a flick of her hand, Tartaglia flew into her grasp.
She relaxed after confirming he was merely unconscious.
"They shouldn't have met this early."
Aerin raised an eyebrow.
"You knew they'd meet?"
Skirk nodded.
"And that they'd fight."
"Earlier than expected."
"Looks like I'll punish him with three million sword swings."
Arrogant.
Confident.
She assessed Aerin's power carefully.
Strong enough to defeat the Narwhal—
But not beyond her expectations.
"You understand the danger of the Narwhal consuming Primordial Seawater."
"Yes," Skirk replied.
"Using a planet's embryonic sea to feed it is… strange."
"Poor compatibility, excessive appetite, requires constant supervision."
"Beyond spectacle, it's worthless."
Aerin's expression darkened.
"You talk a lot."
"Is it arrogance?"
Skirk paused, then replied coolly:
"I simply believe that defeating the Narwhal without external power qualifies you to speak as my equal."
Not talkative—just proud.
The Turn
Skirk reached out to retrieve the Narwhal.
It didn't move.
Her eyes snapped upward.
"Who are you… to block my authority?"
Too late.
Aerin chuckled.
"No wonder the Abyss missed everything I did in Teyvat."
"Arrogance."
"Viserfneir already predicted Fontaine's prophecy, so you stopped observing the present."
"You came only to retrieve the Narwhal—following Surtalogi's old order."
"Pathetic confidence for something weaker than a chick."
The space sealed completely.
Skirk's calm shattered.
As Aerin approached—
One glance.
She fell.
As if drowning in a bottomless abyss.
When breath returned—
She was kneeling, soaked in sweat.
Aerin looked down coldly.
"Stay like this."
"You'll be my chair."
"I'm summoning the entire Abyss here."
"Let them witness the final dance of Khaenri'ah's traitors."
Beyond Teyvat
In the void—
Crimson eyes opened.
Black power surged.
A dragon's silhouette formed.
"I feel… awakened."
Nibelung, the Dragon King who fled beyond the false sky after Phanes' victory—
Returned.
Bearing power rivaling the First Throne.
Though once slain, the will of vengeance endured.
Now—
The Black Dragon King stirred again.
Far away, Bella stepped into a spatial tunnel.
She glanced back, smiling.
"Aerin~ hope you like my return gift."
"I'm off to another world."
"…What was it called again?"
"Oh—right."
"Jarilo."
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