Book 6: Contracts of the Earth

by Fir100

Zeo, Akira, and their team arrives at the nation of Liyue in order for Aether, Lumine and Miriam to gain powers of the Geo Archon along with witnessing the Rite of Descension to meet the Archon. However, many trials lie ahead for our heroes that could change the nation forever. Will our heroes be able to overcome those trials in the land of contracts?

4. A New Star Approaches

Book 6: Contracts of the Earth

Chapter 4: A New Star Approaches

---

Liyue Harbor, Third Round Knockout

Nighttime

As nighttime arrives in Teyvat, Aether, Lumine, Paimon and Rin arrived at the meeting place where they saw Zhongli on his seat, waving at them. They waved back and took a seat with him.

"Ah, you're here. There's no need to order, I've already done so." Zhongli informed. "'Third-Round Knockout' is not for lightweights, like those taverns in Mondstadt. Here, the owner does not take such unorthodox orders as fruit juice."

"I just hope the wine is not too strong here. None of us plan on getting drunk tonight." Aether said.

"I ordered some wine-fermented sweet rice balls for you, if that counts."

"If the taste is not too strong, then we'll take it." Lumine replied.

"Thanks again for treating us, Zhongli, even though they've been with you more than I do." Rin thanked.

"It's my pleasure." Zhongli nodded. "And do no fret, because after we are done with our dinner, you are free to come with us to assist with the next step of the Rite of Parting."

"I won't let you down, sir." Rin nodded back.

"...If it's to your liking, dear customers, I shall continue the tale of Lady Ningguang's Jade Chamber." A male storyteller named Iron Tongue Tian spoke, earning their attention.

"Hey, there's even a storyteller here! Great atmosphere!" Paimon remarked.

"Besides the fine wine, the excellent ambiance is the reason why this place is so well loved." Zhongli said. "But, when I say ambiance, I refer to a different sort from the one the Teyvat Travel Guide uses to judge other establishments."

"As you all know, high above the land of Liyue lies a pavilion in the clouds, a palace in the mist…" Tian continued. "What does it mean to have all-seeing eyes? This, my friends: Lady Ningguang's masterwork that bridges earth and sky. Imagine. The weather is clear, and you gaze down from the deck on the world below… Behold! The glorious sights of Liyue Harbor, stretching out far and wide!"

All eyes were on the storyteller, ready to listen to the tale of Ningguang and the Jade Chamber.

---

"They say that when Lady Ningguang ponders important affairs, she retreats to her Jade Chamber with none but her three closest confidantes in tow. Why brings she these trusted three? To sift through sources, dig through documents, looking for information."

"Piece by piece, facts and figures paint a picture on the walls of the chamber... But well before the wall is filled, Lady Ningguang's mind is made up."

"Having made her call, she has every last document shredded. And fwoosh! She scatters the shavings out her window."

"Ah, look at them! How they billow in the wind like a sudden swirling blizzard! As the fragments fall, traces of text flicker before the eyes of the merchants of Liyue like ink stains in white snow."

"The saying goes, the rarest treasures in the land are the words brought by the paper snow. For the words of the Tianquan have the power to move mountains and all throughout the land know it."

"These are but scraps of paper, and yet they guide Lady Ningguang's hand - such is their value."

"Merely grasping one or two of them will surely gift you a fragment of her wisdom - enough to stay a step or two ahead of your peers."

---

They applauded the storyteller as he finished telling the tale.

"So that's the tale of Ningguang and the Jade Chamber, huh?" Lumine remarked before facing the others. "What do you guys think?"

"It's a pretty amazing tale, no doubt." Aether replied.

"And we were lucky enough to meet her in person!" Paimon added.

"Oh? You were able to meet with the Tianquan?" Zhongli raised his eyebrow.

"Mhm." Rin nodded. "We're able to meet her yesterday. And earlier this morning, she granted us permission to enter the Jade Chamber."

"It was so biiig. And preetty. And expensive. Paimon's never seen such a fancy-schmancy place before!" Paimon added.

"Indeed. It's second to none in all of Liyue." Zhongli replied. "So what did you talk about with her?"

"Well… it's kind of top secret. But we can tell you of what she's like." Lumine replied back.

"She's super rich and so generous. Paimon thinks she's very friendly!" Paimon said.

"We also met Keqing of the Yuheng, though her comment of the adept is a little… different." Aether added.

"Oh? And what did she say?" Zhongli asked.

"'The time of the adepti has long passed. If even the Liyue Qixing don't want to face that truth, then what future is there for Liyue?' That's what she said."

Zhongli chuckled in response. "No respect for the divine, I see. Indeed, contrary to the ever-bold Keqing, Ningguang is more of a businesswoman at heart, though they are both members of the Qixing. Although she's friendly, there's no way of clearly discerning her true intentions."

"True intentions, huh?" Rin noted. "Even if she's highly intelligent and ambitious?"

"Yes." Zhongli nodded. "She has only relied on herself to rise to her current position. No ordinary person could ever achieve that. It's said that she's the one behind the constant expansion of the Jade Chamber. It's the second most important thing to her. Even if she ever gave up the position of the Tianquan, she would never give up the Jade Chamber."

"The Jade Chamber is only second? What's the most important thing to her then? Paimon asked.

"Why, Mora, of course."

"...Oh."

"Makes sense./No surprises there./Yup." Aether, Lumine and Rin agreed.

"Sorry for the wait. Here are your meals." Said the arriving male waiter, placing the dishes and drinks on the table. "Please enjoy." He then bowed before leaving.

"Ohh! These look so good! Paimon can't wait to try them!" Paimon beamed.

"Hey, let us try them too, Paimon." Aether said.

"Now now, there's no need to rush. Take it one step at a time." Zhongli said. "But try not to take too long, we still need to perform the next step of the rite at Dihua Marsh."

"Got it." Lumine nodded as they stared at the dishes. "That being said…"

"Thank you for the food!" The group said before eating their dishes.

---

Liyue, Dihua Marsh

Once they finished their dinner at Third Round Knockout, they began heading for Dihua Marsh. "So the next step for the rite, what are we looking for?" Aether askes as they walked along a path.

"Simple. We will be gathering wild Glaze Lilies." Zhongli replied.

"Glaze Lilies?" Paimon repeated. "But why did we come all the way out here? Doesn't the garden in Yujing Terrace have some?"

"I also heard Qingce Village has Glaze Lilies, too." Rin added.

"There's also Madame Ping tending to those kinds of flowers." Lumine mentioned. "Maybe we can ask her instead."

"No, those lilies have all been gardened by people. They won't do at all." Zhongli replied. "Dihua Marsh used to be full of Glaze Lilies. It is a sort of joyful flower that listens to human song. Before the Archon War, Dihua Marsh was all dry land and fertile soil. But the war caused landslides and the land was flooded, turning it into the marsh you see now. Nearly all the Glaze Lilies were wiped out. Of course, there are some kinds of flowers that have been preserved and gardened by people in the city. But very few people know that Glaze Lilies may still be found in the wild. Wild Glaze Lilies have the strongest fragrance. If we want to follow the true tradition of the Rite of Parting, we must grind up the wild lilies and place the powder in the censer of Everlasting Incense. But I'll need your assistance in gathering these flowers."

"So all we have to do is to pick the flowers?" Aether guessed.

"No. I need you to sing to them. Singing to the flowers will make them more fragrant." Zhongli answered.

"Sing, huh?" Lumine noted.

"Dang it. The one time we didn't bring along our singing idols." Paimon muttered.

"That's okay, I can hold a tune." Lumine assured. "I've gotten some practice with the idols."

"Oh this, Paimon needs to see." Paimon said.

"Best of luck, sis." Aether added with a thumbs up.

---

Moments later, they arrived at Dihua Marsh where they're able to locate the Glaze Lilies next to a pond. Afterwards, Lumine began humming a tune of Beyond the Blue by Joule.

Unfortunately, the flowers popped out of the ground, revealing them to be three Cryo Whopperflowers.

"Whopperflowers?!" Aether exclaimed.

"Uh… Paimon thinks you sang on the wrong flowers, Lumine!" Paimon said.

"...I should've paid more attention to the flower details." Lumine admitted.

"Never mind that!" Rin said as they (except Zhongli and Paimon, choosing to step back) summoned their weapons. "Here they come!"

"Guess we're doing this!" Aether said. "Everyone pick a flower to fight!"

"Right!" Lumine and Rin nodded as the three began attacking their targets.

Rin rushed ahead towards a Whopperflower as it unleashed ice spikes on the ground, traveling in a straight line. Rin jumped to the left while fusing her swords into a double sword and kept running. Once she got close, the flower performed a spin attack, only for Rin to block by spinning her double sword in front of her before countering with a circle slash that sent the flower flying. She followed up by delivering several slashes to the flower and finished it off with an X-slash as it disintegrated to dust, leaving behind its nectars and petals.

Lumine fought another Whopperflower as she dodged its ice spikes. Once she got close, the flower performed a spin attack, only for Lumine to leap above the flower while switching her sword to her bow, took aim and fired Anemo arrows at the flower from above, causing a vacuum field to appear below it which hindered its movements. After landing, she switched back to her sword infused with Geo and delivered a flurry of charged slashes, eliminating the flower as it left behind its nectars and petals afterwards.

Aether battled against the remaining Whopperflower, dodging its ice spikes and retaliating with Geo arrows fired from his bow. After the flower took several hits, it burrowed underground. Aether took caution as he awaited the flower's reappearance. The flower then emerged from the ground and unleashed ice spikes from behind. Luckily, Aether was able to hear the attack coming and rolled to the side. He discovered the flower and fired more Geo arrows, only for the flower to burrow underground again, making him go on the defensive. "Tch… it's going to take forever if I keep doing the same routine. Unless…" He glanced at his hand before clenching it into a fist infused with Geo. "Why wait for it to come out, when I can just force it out instead!" He raised his fist and punched the ground so hard, causing a powerful shockwave along with sprouting stones from below including one that sent the burrowed flower flying out. "There you are!" He noticed the flying Whopperflower, took aim and fired a charged Geo arrow, causing an explosion on impact as its nectars and petals dropped onto the ground.

After the three dispersed their weapons, they retrieved the fallen Whopperflower Nectars and petals and returned to Zhongli and Paimon.

"Fine work, all of you." Zhongli praised.

"Paimon always knew they'd win." Paimon said. "Still, Paimon never expected those Whopperflowers to come out of those Glaze Lilies."

"Hmm… quite unexpected indeed." Zhongli agreed. "Although their petals do look interesting. The Glaze Lilies used as a disguise were buried with the Whopperflower for too long. The result seems to have surprisingly potent medicinal value."

"So… does this count as something useful for the Rite of Parting?" Aether asked while staring at the petals on hand.

"Unfortunately, no."

"Oh, come on!" Paimon complained.

"We'll just give these to Elfnein and Sucrose instead. They'll know how to use them as alchemy materials." Lumine said as she, Aether and Rin stored the materials in their pockets.

"Excuse me. Are you searching for Glaze Lilies?"

A familiar voice earned their attention, revealing to be Ganyu, with Kiana and Miriam tagging along.

"Hey, it's Ganyu! And Kiana and Miriam!" Paimon waved.

"Searching for flowers at this time of night?" Kiana spoke to the travelers.

"We were just following Zhongli's instructions for the Rite of Parting." Aether replied.

"Speaking of the rite, which date will that take place?" Miriam asked.

"That would be tomorrow." Zhongli answered.

"Tomorrow?!" Everyone (minus Zhongli and Ganyu) exclaimed.

"...You didn't know about the date yet?" Ganyu questioned.

"...We forgot to ask." Lumine admitted with a sigh.

"Oh, by the way. Zhongli, this is Kiana Kaslana and Miriam. They're friends of ours." Paimon introduced to them.

"Ah, so you're Zhongli, consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. A pleasure to meet you." Miriam bowed.

"Likewise, Miriam." Zhongli nodded back. But when he looked at Kiana, his eyes slightly widened in surprise. "This girl… it couldn't be… or am I not mistaken…?"

"Hm? Is something wrong, Zhongli?" Kiana noticed his expression, making him snap out of his thoughts and shook his head.

"I apologize. I was reminded of someone when I look at your face, but I cannot recall what her name is." Zhongli replied.

"Oh, it's okay." Kiana replied back. "That's weird… That's the same look Venti gave me more than a week ago. If that's the case, then maybe the Seven Archons encountered that Unknown God a long time ago. But… how did this man know? He's not even an archon. Ugh… how mysterious is this world anyway?"

"Kiana, is there something wrong?" Zhongli asked, making her snap out of her thoughts and shook her head.

"Oh, sorry about that. I was daydreaming for some reason." Kiana replied with a small lie.

"...Paimon's getting a déjà vu moment for some reason, but Paimon doesn't know why." Paimon said.

"Déjà vu, huh?" Lumine thought.

"Anyway, what are you three doing here?" Aether asked Ganyu, Kiana and Miriam.

"Ganyu wanted to see the Glaze Lilies here, and we decided to watch over her under Keqing's suggestion since she tends to sleep due to overworking." Kiana answered.

"R-Really, I can go here on my own." Ganyu blushed.

"Keqing's worried about your well-being, that's all. We're only making sure you're safe." Miriam insisted.

"Wait. If you're here to see the Glaze Lilies, why do you choose to come here instead of looking at the ones in the garden?" Rin questioned.

"..." Ganyu looked down with a sad look on her face. "Yujing Terrace is where Rex Lapis parted from this world. If I strolled through those lonely gardens now, I wouldn't be able to bear it. Whenever my duties take me near Yujing Terrace these days, I draw the windows to block my view of the gardens."

"Oh…" Rin noted. "Sorry if I brought up any bad memories of that."

"No, it's quite alright. I just haven't processed my emotions yet." Ganyu assured. "When the Archon War came to its end two thousand years ago, the first iteration of The Seven would gather in Liyue and drink with Rex Lapis. But five of those original seven had already passed before Rex Lapis, it's truly a changing of the guard."

"Passed away?" Aether responded. "Then that means…"

"Yes." Ganyu nodded. "Now that the spirit of Rex Lapis has returned to the heavens, only Barbatos of Mondstadt remains of the first Seven. The other five, including Inazuma's Raiden Shogun, are no longer the same friends from two thousands years ago. Of the current Seven Archons, the youngest is Sumeru's God of Dendro. She is merely five hundred years old, whereas Rex Lapis was more than six thousand years old at the time of his passing. This means that Liyue had been under Rex Lapis' rule from the moment it was first founded 3,700 years ago. The city has never had to bid farewell to its deity…"

"So, what do you think of this 'farewell'?" Zhongli asked.

"Huh?" Ganyu responded in surprise. "This... This is a little sudden, I…" She was silent for a moment before she answered. "As a mortal, I've never dared to imagine a Liyue without Rex Lapis. But as an adeptus... I think I will eventually come to grips with reality. Since Rex Lapis has passed, the time of Liyue's contract with the gods and adepti has now reached its end."

"Oh yeah, you're a half-human half-adeptus hybrid." Paimon recalled.

"Correct." Ganyu nodded. "I fought for Rex Lapis and the city of Liyue during the Archon War. After the war ended, I signed a contract with Rex Lapis and took the position as secretary for the Qixing. I've continued those duties to this very day."

"Wait, you took part in the Archon War years ago?!" Kiana exclaimed.

"That's right." Ganyu nodded again. "But… let's save that conversation for another time."

"So even half-human half-adepti can live for a very long time compared to normal humans." Miriam thought.

"Anyway, I hear you're looking for wild Glaze Lilies?" Ganyu then took out some Glaze Lilies from her pocket. "Here, you can have one of them."

"We dare not refuse it." Zhongli accepted, taking one of the flowers.

"Oh, so did you sing a song before you picked the lily?" Paimon asked.

"Indeed, I did." Ganyu replied. "I know this tradition well. In fact, I sang a local Liyue ballad to it."

"Miriam and I were there to see it, too. And she's got a pretty good singing voice." Kiana added.

"Sounds nice." Lumine smiled. "Wish we could see it in person."

"Maybe next time." Ganyu replied.

"Anyway, thanks again for the flower, Ganyu." Aether thanked.

"No, it is you who I should be thanking." Ganyu insisted. "If not for this chance meeting, I never thought that I would be able to contribute to the upcoming farewell for our ancient lord."

"Alright, if you say so." Rin replied before turning to Zhongli. "So what's the next step?"

"There is no next step. Our preparations for the Rite of Parting are mostly finished." Zhongli answered.

"Alright, we're finally done!" Paimon cheered. "Now we can get some sleep!"

"Actually, we still need to grind up the Glaze Lily into powder and then place said powder into the censer of Everlasting Incense. Then we're done." Lumine reminded.

"Oh, right. Forgot about that part."

"Well, let's all head back to Liyue Harbor and get this done, shall we?" Kiana declared, earning a nod from everyone before they left Dihua Marsh.

---

Liyue Harbor

But when they returned to the city however, they were shocked to find out that the city is in disarray, swarming with the Millelith and the Fatui. And on top of that, it's a stormy weather.

"...What the heck happened while we're gone?!" Paimon exclaimed.

"I dunno, but I don't like this feeling one bit." Aether frowned.

"I have to return to Lady Ningguang. She'll definitely need me for something important." Ganyu said.

"Go on ahead. We'll see you in a bit." Lumine replied, earning a nod from Ganyu before she flew ahead with her Wind Glider.

"This atmosphere is highly abnormal." Zhongli observed the state of the city. "It seems as though something big has happened."

"Let's ask around and find out, just to be safe." Kiana advised.

"My thoughts exactly." Zhongli agreed as they quickly head towards the city.

Once inside the city, Zhongli noticed a Fatui troop named Felix, standing guard. "Let me have a conversation with him."

"Got it. Can't let the Fatui know we're with you." Lumine nodded as they went for a hiding spot while Zhongli approached the Fatui troop.

While Zhongli began his conversation with the Fatui, Kiana's Zikan Phone began to ring, prompting her to answer in audio call. "Kiana here, what's up?"

"Are you, Miriam and Ganyu back in the city now?" Zeo contacted.

"Yeah. Rin, Aether, Lumine and Paimon are with me, too. Though Ganyu already went ahead to see Ningguang."

"Good enough, because we need you guys to meet us at the Jade Chamber. Ningguang and the Qixing, along with the adepti are also there, along with the rest of our members."

"What the heck is going on with this city while we're gone?" Paimon asked. "It's swarming with Millelith and Fatui everywhere."

"Yeah, it's that bad, and in a stormy weather, too. The conflict between them is currently in a stalemate, so it's up to us to break it."

"Alright. We'll be there as soon as we can." Aether replied.

"See you at the Jade Chamber." Zeo replied back and ended the call, prompting Kiana to put away her phone.

Before they could leave, Zhongli approached them. "Things are taking a turn for the worse." He informed. "I'm afraid I must leave now to handle things back at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. I hope that Director Hu Tao has been able to keep things under control for the moment."

"We understand." Miriam replied as she and the others nodded.

"Consider your next course of action carefully. If you're trying to prevent an explosion, it may be wisest to look for the fuse first." Zhongli cautioned before heading back to the funeral parlor.

"Okay. Next stop, the Jade Chamber." Lumine declared as she and the others flew towards the Jade Chamber in their gliders.

---

Jade Chamber

Moments later, they arrived at the location where the rest of Team XDR (minus Noelle and Elfnein), along with Ningguang, Ganyu, Keqing, Yanfei, Xiao and the three adepti are waiting. Even Madame Ping and several Millelith are there.

"Sorry we're late! We had to take care of something for the Rite of Parting." Aether said.

"Luckily that was the last step for the rite, so we're done and ready to help." Lumine added.

"Fine work, youngsters." Madame Ping nodded.

"Madame Ping?!" Paimon gasped. "So you really are an adeptus after all!"

"Not now, Paimon." Akira said.

"So what's going on with the city? It looked like the Millelith and the Fatui are at each other's throats." Kiana asked.

"Ningguang sent the Millelith to deal with the Fatui. But for some reason, it ended in a stalemate." Jean informed.

"No weapons were drawn from either side yet, but that could change at any time." Keqing added.

"Damn them… what are the Fatui planning this time?" Zeo pondered.

"Ugh, and I thought performing Hu Tao's task was a pain in the ass." Chris muttered.

"Are the city and its people going to be okay?" Miku pondered.

"I hope so, Miku." Hibiki replied. "That's why we're all here to save them."

"That's right." Yanfei nodded. "We just need to figure out what they're planning right now?"

"Hmm…" Fu Hua hummed while looking at the stormy weather. "I wonder…" She took out the Sigil of Permission copy and the plain piece of paper. She then turned to the adepti. "Was there a sealed creature hiding within the city a long time ago?"

"And why do you ask such a question?" Cloud Retainer asked back.

"Wait. She might be onto something." Xiao interjected before facing Fu Hua. "Are you talking about That Which Lies in the Deep?"

"That Which Lies in the Deep?" Moon Carver repeated. "Is she talking about Osial?"

"Osial?" Kanade repeated. "Who's that?"

"Not a 'who', mortal. An ancient god and sea monster from the deep." Mountain Shaper answered. "During the Archon War 2,000 years ago, Rex Lapis defeated Osial at Guyun Stone Forest by pinning the sea god to the ocean floor using his stone pillars."

"Hmm… does the stone pillars count as seals?" Fu Hua asked.

"That is one way to explain it. Why?"

Fu Hua finally put the pieces together after everything she's learned so far. "Everyone, I finally figured out the Fatui's plan. They're planning to use the Sigil of Permission talismans to unseal Osial."

"WHAT?!" Everyone exclaimed at the revelation.

"Of course!" Zeo snapped his fingers in realization. "No wonder they were making copies of those talismans in the first place!"

"Those accursed Fatui…! They dare unseal a dangerous creature to drown the entire city to the ocean floor?!" Cloud Retainer exclaimed in anger.

"But I thought we destroyed those talisman copies already!" Akira said.

"The adepti and I also searched for any more talisman copies from several Fatui camps and ravaged them to the ground." Xiao said. "Unless we missed some of them."

"Preposterous!" Mountain Shaper exclaimed. "We adepti have searched high and low in all of Liyue!"

"...Not all of them." Ningguang spoke, earning their attention.

"What do you mean?" Moon Carver asked.

"Rex Lapis' resting place, the Golden House. That's the only place that has not been searched yet."

"But I thought the Millelith were guarding the place from the Fatui! No one would dare trespass on something that sacred!" Ganyu said.

"...Unless it's a Fatui Harbinger." Ningguang deduced.

"Okay, that makes sense considering how strong the harbingers are, dess." Kirika agreed. "Heck, one of them was able to assassinate Rex Lapis, dess!"

"But why would a harbinger go to the Golden House?" Jean questioned. "I thought they've already taken the Geo Gnosis from the Exuvia?"

"Maybe they're looking for something else, or maybe use that place as a hiding spot to use the talismans." Fu Hua assumed, putting away the talisman and paper. "Just to be safe, a small team of four should investigate the Golden House, and I will be a part of that team."

"Mind if Aether and I join you, Fu Hua?" Lumine offered.

"Let me join you too." Kiana added.

"Very well." Fu Hua nodded before facing the group. "Alright, we're heading out immediately."

"Paimon, stay with the others for now. We'll be back soon." Aether said.

"Alright." Paimon nodded. "But remember to come back safely!"

"We will." Aether nodded back.

Kiana punched her open fist in a serious tone. "Okay, let's move out!" Afterwards, she, Fu Hua, Aether and Lumine flew towards the location of the Golden House in their Wind Gliders.

"Let's just hope they can find out what's going on at the Golden House." Rin said.

"But if the worst case scenario happens with Osial being unsealed, we may need to prepare the Guizhong Ballistas." Ningguang said.

"You think the Fatui will stop us from using the ballistas?" Zeo asked.

"Mostly likely." Ningguang replied. "That is why I summoned you all here for assistance."

"Leave it to us, Ningguang." Akira nodded. "We're not gonna let them get away with this."

---

Once Fu Hua's team reached their destination and landed on a high cliff, they were shocked to discover that the Millelith guarding the area were encased in stone.

"Petrification?!" Lumine gasped.

"Are we dealing with a harbinger with Geo powers?" Aether guessed.

"Most likely considering the damage done." Fu Hua replied.

"Hm?" Kiana then noticed someone entering the area. "Hey, who's that?"

Everyone turned to Kiana's direction, and what they saw made Aether and Lumine's eyes widen in shock.

"Childe?!" The twins gasped.

"You know him?" Kiana asked.

"Yeah." Aether nodded. "He helped us with the payments needed to prepare for the Rite of Parting."

"But… why is he here?" Lumine questioned.

Fu Hua took out her Zikan Phone using the Camera Function and zoomed in on Childe. "Wait… that mask…" Her eyes narrowed.

"You know something about that mask?" Aether asked.

"Yeah. That's the mask most Fatui wear during assignments."

"That was a Fatui mask?!" Aether's eyes widened.

"No wonder Paimon mentioned that familiar mask." Lumine recalled before facepalming. "I can't believe we didn't realize it sooner…"

"At least you remember now." Fu Hua replied. "If you see a mask like that during your travels, there's a chance that person might be with the Fatui."

"We'll be sure to remember that." Aether noted before frowning. "So Childe's with the Fatui this whole time…"

"Uh, guys? Childe's going inside the Golden House." Kiana informed, pointing at said person entering the building.

"Let's hurry and follow him, but do not get detected." Fu Hua said, earning a nod from them.

"Oh, one more thing." Kiana used her Zikan Phone to materialize a few Invisibility Cloaks. "Put these Invisibility Cloaks on to prevent being seen. Akira made these with her Pretty Cure powers."

"Thanks." Lumine replied as she and Aether took the cloaks before they head out.

---

Golden House

Meanwhile, Childe entered the building while still feeling surprised at the petrified Millelith he saw earlier. "So someone was here before me, but I never expect the Millelith to be petrified." He remarked while walking ahead. "It can't be those travelers and the Rebellion since they're allied with them, meaning someone else had done it. But I can't remember which Fatui Harbinger has Geo powers. Maybe I'll find my answer once I reach the Exuvia, assuming the one responsible didn't try to snatch the Geo Gnosis from my grasp."

Once he reached the main chamber, not only he saw the Exuvia on the other side of the chamber, but he also saw a hooded man staring at it. "I take it you're the one who petrified those soldiers back there?" Childe called out to the man, earning his attention, revealing to be a general of the Neo Time Jackers, Drei.

"Well, did not expect someone else to follow me from behind. I thought I left no stone unturned." Drei replied. "I take it you're with them?"

"Actually, I despise them. Though it does save me the trouble of disposing them personally." Childe replied back. "Anyway, step away from the Exuvia. There's something I need from it."

"Something? Are you sure?" Drei questioned. "I've already checked that thing myself, but I didn't find anything special inside."

"Are you sure about that?"

"You can do a quick check up on me if you want proof. Just don't touch my phone, or you're gonna get it from me." Drei moved his hands behind his head.

Childe was surprised at Drei's actions, not wanting to start a conflict. "Very well." He then approached the general and checked his clothing for anything suspicious.

Unknown to them however, Kiana, Fu Hua, Aether and Lumine are already observing the scene with their Invisibility Cloaks on and hiding behind a pillar. Kiana also took out her Zikan Phone in Video Camera Mode and began recording the video.

"(Okay, at least we know who's responsible for the petrified soldiers.)" Kiana whispered.

"(But who is that guy? Is he another Fatui Harbinger?)" Lumine asked.

"(I'm not sure, but let's listen in their conversation for a while longer.)" Fu Hua replied.

Eventually, Childe finished his examination. "Well, looks like you're clean. You don't have the Gnosis after all."

"Gnosis?" Drei repeated as he lowered his hands. "Is that what you're looking for? I thought it was a fragment."

"A fragment?"

"Yeah. I came here thinking that a fragment would be hiding inside this dragon over here." Drei stared at the Exuvia. "But it turned out to be a fluke."

"(Wait… Gnosis?)" Aether silently repeated. "(I thought the Fatui had the Geo Gnosis already.)"

"(Either they didn't get the Gnosis yet, or maybe they forgot to tell Childe the news.)" Kiana assumed.

"(What in the world is going on here…?)" Fu Hua questioned.

"Anyway, mind if I check the Exuvia for a while?" Childe asked. "Maybe I might find something you don't."

"Suit yourself." Drei shrugged. "But like I said, I didn't find anything in there."

"I'll be the judge of that." Childe replied, dashing straight at the Exuvia like a lightning bolt and plunged his hand inside its body. And when he pulled his hand out, he found nothing. "What…?"

"Told you." Drei said as Childe jumped away and landed in front of him.

"That can't be. Signora told me that the Gnosis is inside the Exuvia." Childe said.

"A friend of yours?"

"I wouldn't call her a friend, just an associate."

"Oh. Then it's either she got the Gnosis first and never told you, or she led you on a false trail while heading for her real target."

"What…?" Childe's eyes widened in shock. "Are you saying that… she tricked me?"

"That's what I'm guessing anyway." Drei shrugged. "I think you should ask her about it to find out. And honestly, that's a dick move if she tricked you like that. I thought you two are supposed to be allies."

"Signora…" Childe frowned, clenching his fists tightly.

"Yep, he's pissed." Drei thought.

"(...Am I hearing this right? Signora tricked Childe?)" Aether questioned.

"(Loud and clear.)" Fu Hua confirmed.

"(Does this mean the Gnosis was not taken at all, and this Exuvia is just a decoy? Then that means… Rex Lapis is still alive?!)" Kiana pondered. "(If that's the case, then where's the real Rex Lapis and his Gnosis?)"

"(If I were to guess after hearing that conversation, only Signora knows where it is.)" Fu Hua deduced.

"(Still, I never expected her to trick a fellow Fatui. And I thought they were allies.)" Lumine remarked.

"(It seems some of them are not afraid to stab each other in the back.)" Kiana frowned. "(Anyway, can we leave now? I think we have enough information.)"

"(Not yet. We still need to confirm if Childe has the talismans on hand.)" Fu Hua replied.

"Hey. You feeling okay?" Drei asked.

"What do you think I feel? Signora has a lot of explaining to do." Childe frowned before calming down. "Still, I have to do one of her errands before I find her."

"And that is?"

Childe took out the Sigil of Permission talismans. "Using these to draw out the Geo Archon. As much as I hate to draw innocent people into this mess, I'm going to unseal the sea god Osial to attack Liyue Harbor. No doubt he'll take action when something this powerful comes knocking on his nation's doorstep."

"What?!" Aether, Lumine and Kiana mentally exclaimed.

"And there's the confirmation." Fu Hua thought with a frown.

"Anyway, I should be thanking you for being cooperative. You'd make a fine member of the Fatui." Childe thanked.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm already part of a team. Oh, and you can call me Drei, a general for the Neo Time Jackers."

"A general of the Neo Time Jackers?!" Fu Hua and the others mentally exclaimed.

"Neo Time Jackers, huh?" Childe repeated.

"Yep." Drei nodded. "By the way, if the Fatui didn't suit your style of working, you're free to join us if you'd like."

"Thanks, but I'm far too loyal to the Tsaritsa to change sides. There's a reason I'm granted the title of a Fatui Harbinger, and there are things that I wanted to fight for."

"Alright then, whatever floats your boat." Drei shrugged. "But the offer's still there if you change your mind." But then his phone began to ring. "Ah, one second. My comrade is calling me." He turned around and answered his phone. "Drei here."

"Where are you right now?"

"Oh, Eins. I was wondering when you'd call me. I'm inside a place called the Golden House. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find the fragment we're looking for."

"I see. Lucky for us, I managed to find one in this world."

"For real? Where?"

"An underwater cave deep within Guyun Stone Forest. Though I had to retreat back to our main base the moment I pulled out the fragment."

"Why?" Drei asked, only for him and Childe to notice the entire area shaking. "What the?!"

"What is going on?! I haven't even used the talismans yet!" Childe questioned.

"Ah, you must be experiencing the tremors right now. I think I accidentally unsealed something dangerous in the process." Eins explained.

"Seriously?!" Drei exclaimed.

"Seriously. Oh well, accidents happen during our line of work. Anyway, I got a call from Zwei earlier. You need to head back to our base immediately for further orders."

"Alright, I'll be there soon." Drei replied, hung up his phone and turned to Childe. "Sorry buddy, but my comrade somehow beat you to the punch and unsealed something dangerous after he found the fragment, though he admitted it was an accident. It's probably Osial he accidentally unsealed."

"Excuse me?!" Childe exclaimed. "The fragment was at Guyun Stone Forest?!"

"What?!" Fu Hua and the others mentally exclaimed.

"(I think we overstayed our welcome, Fu Hua! We need to go!)" Aether silently stated.

"(Agreed. We leave now!)" Fu Hua replied as she and the others quickly and quietly left the Golden House to avoid detection.

"So… what now?" Drei asked.

"Well… since your comrade unsealed Osial before I do, then I won't be needing these anymore." Childe replied, throwing the talismans into the air and shredded them to pieces with his summoned Hydro blades. "Until then, I'm gonna go to the top of Mt. Tianheng and watch the show while waiting for my scout to arrive and reveal Signora's location."

"Watch the show, huh? So you're gonna watch the destruction unfold?"

"Actually, I'm gonna see how Rex Lapis and Xross Drive Rebellion fare against this disaster. And I'm pretty sure that Kamen Rider will figure things out, too."

"Kamen Rider?!" Drei thought in surprise. "He's here in this world, too? And the name Xross Drive Rebellion… did he assemble a team of his own? Man, wait till the others hear about this."

"What about you?" Childe asked.

"My comrade asked me to return to base for further orders, so I guess this is where we part ways." Drei replied.

"I see. Too bad, I was hoping to spar against one of the Rebellion members, but that'll have to wait for next time."

"I'm sure you'll get that chance eventually." Drei replied, summoning a Dimensional Veil behind him with a finger snap. "Ah, before I go, I never got your name yet."

"It's Tartaglia, but you can call me Childe, Eleventh of the Fatui Harbingers."

"Childe. Got it. Well then, till next time. Ciao!" Drei gave a two finger salute as he entered the veil before it vanished.

"The Neo Time Jackers, huh? Interesting." Childe mused. "Though I have to wonder what kind of fragments they're looking for?" He simply shrugged, dispersing his Hydro blades as he began walking to the exit with a grin. "Oh well, not my concern. Now then, Rex Lapis, Xross Drive Rebellion, let's see how you'll fare against a god that can drown an entire nation. You'd better give me a good show, or I'm going to be very disappointed."

---

Jade Chamber

Once Fu Hua's team returned to the Jade Chamber, they explained to the others what occurred at the Golden House, along with the looming disaster fast approaching.

"Well… shit." Zeo remarked after hearing their report. "Never thought things would go from bad to worse."

"Obviously!" Paimon replied. "No wonder Paimon gets that funny feeling everytime Childe shows up! He's part of the Fatui this whole time!"

"And judging from his attire, he's definitely a high ranking one. Maybe even a harbinger." Fu Hua said.

"Also there's Drei, another general for the Neo Time Jackers." Akira said. "And he got a call from his ally that they found a fragment?"

"No doubt it's a Gjallarhorn Fragment." Chris assumed. "Damn it, they got to it first! We should've searched the entire nation instead!"

"I know, but the incident with Rex Lapis kept us busy for some time." Kiana said. "Heck, we never expected one of the Time Jacker generals to show up."

"Speaking of the fragment, one of them was found in an underground cave deep within Guyun Stone Forest, correct?" Yanfei asked.

"That's what Childe said in exclamation." Lumine confirmed. "And somehow, removing the fragment caused Osial's seal to be broken."

"How powerful is that fragment?" Xiao asked.

"Very powerful if used correctly, which is the sole reason why it must never fall into the wrong hands." Zeo replied.

"Agreed." Jean nodded. "The Neo Time Jackers, the Fatui, and the Abyss Order must not have them."

"So… Rex Lapis is alive this whole time. Is that correct?" Mountain Shaper asked Fu Hua's group.

"Considering the Exuvia is nothing but a decoy, then yeah, the real archon is still alive." Lumine confirmed. "And he might still have the Gnosis in his possession."

"Then the Fatui didn't get their hands on the Gnosis yet, dess! We might still have a chance to get it before they do, dess!" Kirika said.

"One problem, we still didn't know what Rex Lapis actually looks like." Chris pointed out. "He could be anyone or anywhere in Liyue."

"Um… I hate to interrupt, but shouldn't we focus on the approaching sea god right now?" Hibiki reminded.

"Hibiki's right. The Gnosis will have to wait, saving Liyue Harbor comes first." Miku said.

"Lady Ningguang, are you sure we're prepared against a sea god?" Rin asked.

"Not to worry, we of the Qixing, with the aid of the adepti and Xross Drive Rebellion, shall face this god with relenting resolve." Ningguang said, until they heard a loud roar coming from the ocean.

"Osial, the Overlord of the Vortex, has awoken once more." Moon Carver said as they saw a massive five headed hydra made of water emerging from the stormy seas.

"So this is Osial…" Miriam said.

Paimon gulped nervously. "Just seeing this Overlord of the Vortex guy puts a pit in Paimon's tummy, even from all the way out here."

"Never thought we'd get a chance to fight a sea god, which happens to take form of a five headed hydra." Kanade said. "Does this mean we need to crush the entire hydra at once considering the heads will regenerate when we cut them off?"

"Most likely." Akira confirmed. "Alright, suit up, team!"

"Roger!" The team complied as they quickly changed into their battlesuits with Zeo and Akira becoming Kamen Rider Zi-O and Cure Starlight respectively. Rin on the other hand only summoned her weapons, which caught the attention of Cloud Retainer.

"Huang Lingyin, one was expecting you to use the full power of Shenlong." Cloud Retainer said.

"I have to get permission from Zi-O first, so I'll only use my weapons for now." Rin replied.

"Rin, change of plans! Go all out with your IS Frame!" Zi-O ordered.

"There is your answer." Cloud Retainer said.

"Thanks, Zi-O!" Rin smiled as she quickly changed into her IS Frame in a flash of light.

"Whoa! You look pretty cool in that battlesuit!" Paimon commented at Rin's IS.

"Thanks, Paimon!" Rin smiled. "So what's the plan? We do have a plan, right?"

"Calm yourself." Cloud Retainer replied. "The Qixing did once research the matter of the Guizhong Ballista when it piqued their fancy. And as fate would have it, one, who did craft the Guizhong Ballista with one's own hands, is here. For what could you mortals ever learn of adepti mechanisms? Yet it would take one but a little tinkering to turn this ballista into an engine of war beyond your wildest thoughts."

"Heh, I suppose this is one blessing from the adepti that we should be thankful for." Ningguang smirked before facing Osial. "So be it. We shall use the upgraded Guizhong Ballista to fight off that god. All the adepti here can lend their strength to man it. We haven't a moment to spare. Our battle begins now!"

With a few hand signals from Ningguang, she teleported above the group. More hand signals was formed before moving her hand forward to form a large amber magic circle. Afterwards, a large blue magic platform appeared in front of the Jade Chamber. After more hand signal movements, three large mechanical magic ballistas appeared on the platform. In response, the three adepti quickly manned the three ballistas with Moon Carver taking the center one while Mountain Shaper and Cloud Retainer took the left and right ones respectively. The adepti transferred their energies to the ballistas, causing them to fire numerous energy blasts at Osial, dealing damage to it in the process.

"So those are what the Guizhong Ballistas can do. Incredible." Jean remarked, until she noticed dark portals appearing on the far end of the magic circle. And what came out of the portals are Fatui Skirmishers, grunts, agents and mages. "The Fatui! They're going after the ballistas!"

"Not if we can help it!" Zi-O replied as they prepared their weapons. "Xross Drive Rebellion, time to go all-out! Let's Ragna-Rock and Roll!"

"Roger!" The team complied as they quickly rush towards the approaching Fatui before they could reach the ballistas.

"The three adepti are manning the Guizhong Ballistas. Do not let the Fatui disturb their work!" A Millelith soldier said.

"All able Millelith, with me!" Keqing ordered as she joined the fight with the Millelith following behind.

"Barbatos… guide us!" Jean said as she performed her Dandelion Breeze skill, boosting her abilities with Anemo before rushing ahead to join the fight.

"Madame Ping, Ganyu, Xiao and I will provide support for the adepti! Don't let the Fatui reach them!" Yanfei said.

"Loud and clear, Yanfei-san!" Miku noted.

"Hey, Hibiki! A little music would be nice right now!" Paimon requested.

"You got it, Paimon-chan!" Hibiki complied as she began to sing.

(Play BGM: All Loves Blazing by Hibiki Tachibana)

As the music played, Hibiki and Fu Hua rushed towards the Pyroslingers as they began firing at them with their rifles. But due to their speed, they was able to evade them with ease. When they got close to them, they delivered powerful punches, kicks and palm strikes, sending the Pyroslingers flying out of the platform. The Geochanters were about to attack Hibiki and Fu Hua with Geo crystals from the sides, only to get blasted out of the platform by Kiana and Miku's lasers.

"Keep going, you two! Miku and I will cover you!" Kiana said.

"Thanks!" Hibiki smiled as they moved onto the next Fatui group.

Miriam began her assault with her Titanium Flail, whipping the grunts out of the platform. But then Electro Cicin flies summoned by a female Electro Cicin Mage began to harass her with electro bolts, causing Miriam to go on the defensive by dodging. Luckily the flies were shredded to pieces by Kanade, unleashing a tornado from her spear.

LAST∞METEOR

Then Kanade followed up by lunging her spear onto the mage and unleashed another tornado, sending her flying out of the platform.

STAB∞METEOR

"Thanks for the assist, Kanade!" Miriam said.

"Heh, anytime!" Kanade grinned. "Now let's go after the next ones!"

"Right behind you!" Miriam nodded as she and Kanade moved onto the next group.

Kirika extended the blades on her shoulder pauldrons into scythe blades and proceeded to stab at the grunts rapidly before they could retaliate.

Sealed Strike: Pinocchio

She then followed up by unleashing a slash-wave with one swing of her scythe, sending the grunts flying.

Grudge Blade: Hamelin

But then Cryogunner and Hydrogunner Legionnaires took aim at the grim reaper and sprayed Cryo and Hydro with their cannons, forcing her to jump back. Unknown to the Fatui gunners however, Rin was right behind them with Shenlong's Ryuhou impact cannons armed. Without hesitation, she fired the cannons at the gunners' elemental carriers on their backs, causing them to explode in Cryo and Hydro, which also caused them to freeze when both elements are mixed together.

"Take it away, Kirika!" Rin shouted.

"Okay, dess!" Kirika complied, retracting her blade pauldrons before spinning rapidly with her scythe like a deadly top and sent the frozen gunners flying with one strike.

Calamity Ring: Tinkerbell

"Good going, Kirika." Rin complimented as she approached her. "You really do fight like a grim reaper, in your own way."

"You and your IS are great too, Rin!" Kirika replied, until they heard several rifles being armed, earning their attention as they saw Fatui Pyroslingers aiming right at them, making Kirika gulp nervously. "Dess…"

"Get behind me!" Rin went in front of Kirika with her double blade ready in a defensive stance.

The Pyroslingers began firing their rifles at the girls, until Lumine appeared in front of them from above and summoned a stone wall to block the oncoming Pyro bullets.

"I got your back, you two!" Lumine said.

"Nice save, dess!" Kirika praised.

Soon enough, the Pyroslingers stopped firing and reloaded their ammo, only for them to be sent flying by meteorites erupting from below their feet, courtesy of Aether.

"Let 'em have it, Chris!" Aether shouted.

"Thought you'd never ask!" Chris grinned, firing her gattling guns and missiles at the airborne Pyroslingers, with the explosions sending them flying out of the platform.

BILLION MAIDEN & MEGA DETH PARTY

"Ah… it feels good to finally unleash my full arsenal onto those gacking Fatui." Chris grinned as the created stones crumbled. "Do you guys know how long I need to wait for that chance?"

"Probably more than a week." Lumine answered.

"For my case though, I didn't know if my IS frame survived the Dimensional Quake or not until Zi-O and Starlight gave me the confirmation once they saw my rings." Rin said. "I owe them big time for that."

"Alright, let's keep going while the adepti deals with Osial!" Aether declared as they continued their assault against the Fatui.

As the battle raged on, the Guizhong Ballistas continued to fire energy blasts at the sea god, making it roar in pain before retaliating with destructive hydro blasts from the five heads.

"Hm?" Zi-O suddenly heard something approaching from above while fighting a Fatui Agent, causing him to look and gasped in shock. "Incoming!" He shouted before jumping away from the blast area. The hydro blast landed, hitting the agent in the process as the impact sent him flying out.

"Tch!" Starlight grunted, noticing another oncoming hydro blast while fighting an Anemoboxer Vanguard. Just the boxer delivered an Anemo-infused right hook, Starlight ducked under it while rotating her PreBrace as her hand glowed, and shoved her hand right onto the boxer's chest, trapping him inside an energy sphere before she jumped away in time as the hydro blast landed, causing it to strike onto the trapped boxer in the process as the impact sent him flying out.

"?!" Keqing also noticed the oncoming hydro blasts while she and the Millelith fought the Fatui grunts. And said blasts are headed straight for… Madame Ping, Ganyu, Yanfei and Xiao?! "Look out!" She shouted, earning her attention as they saw the oncoming water blasts. Xiao briefly ceased his adeptal energy transfer as was about to retaliate against the oncoming hydro blasts… only for the blasts to be cut down by slash-waves from above, surprising the yaksha.

(BGM paused)

"We… were saved?" Xiao spoke.

"Geez… GV and I were only gone for a day and a half, and this is what we saw?"

Paimon gasped. "Paimon knows that voice!"

"Look at the top of this building, guys!"

"Ah!" Hibiki gasped as everyone turned to the top of the Jade Chamber, where they saw Kamen Rider Geiz in his WizardArmor, Gunvolt in his Faust Robe, and Houki Shinonono with her gauntlets and katanas ready and wearing a traditional samurai robe in white, red and black.

"Geiz!" Zi-O and Starlight smiled at their close friend's arrival.

"The Fatui being pain in the asses as usual?" Geiz guessed.

"Yep, pretty much." Zi-O confirmed. "They unsealed a sea god named Osial that's hell bent on drowning Liyue Harbor into the deep sea."

"And now they're trying to destroy the Guizhong Ballistas, our only defense against the sea god." Starlight added. "And the adepti are needed to use those weapons."

"I see." Geiz noted. "In that case, you guys keep up with the defense. I'll use my barrier to block the sea god's hydro blasts." He then used Wizard's power to summon a large magic barrier that covers the entire Jade Chamber while leaving three openings for the ballistas to shoot through.

"GV! You're here!" Hibiki smiled at the Azure Striker's arrival.

"Hope we're not late for the party." Gunvolt said.

"Actually, the party's just begun." Kanade replied with a grin.

"Good." Gunvolt grinned back, punching his open palm, surging in blue electro. "Because I have a bone to pick with those gacking murderers."

"Umm… about the murder…" Miku spoke up. "The Rex Lapis from the Rite of Descension is nothing but a fake."

"Say what?!" Joule exclaimed. "Then what about the Gnosis?"

"It wasn't even inside the fake body in the first place." Miriam answered. "Meaning the real Rex Lapis is still out there with the Gnosis on hand."

"Well… how about that." Gunvolt remarked.

"Oi! Can we save the chat for later?! We got a Fatui infestation to exterminate first?!" Chris reminded while firing homing lasers at the grunts from her revolvers.

HORNET PISTOLS

"...Good point. Fight now, talk later." Joule noted.

"Roger!" Gunvolt complied as he joined the fight.

As for Houki on the other hand, she was in utter shock at the sight of her IS Academy classmate, with Rin reacting the same way.

"Lingyin?!" Houki gasped. "What are you doing here?!"

"I was going to ask you the same thing, Houki!" Rin replied. "I take it that you've been found by one of Zi-O's friends?"

"Yeah." Houki nodded, gesturing her thumb to the red Rider. "Geiz and his team found me during their mission in another world. They also found Cecilia, Charlotte and Laura."

"Oh thank goodness they're alright." Rin sighed with relief. "And Ichika?"

Houki shook her head. "No luck so far. We've already searched the entirety of that world, but nothing. But we're not giving up yet. He's still out there in another world somewhere."

"I hope so, because he has a lot of explaining to do during that night at the beach."

"Actually… it's been a huge misunderstanding." Houki admitted before noticing Shenlong. "Wait, why are you in your IS now? Shouldn't there be a rule where we must never use advanced tech in another world unless it's an emergency?"

"Yeah, Zi-O told me about that rule already once he and his sister found me yesterday." Rin replied. "And considering the situation right now, he gave me permission to fully utilise Shenlong. And since you're here, you'd better do the same with Akatsubaki, because I'm gonna need your help."

"Help with what?"

"Geiz?" Rin asked the red Rider.

"Yes? Also, I heard the entire conversation. Did not expect Zi-O and his team to find you in Liyue of all places. Kind of a coincidence since this city reminds you of your home country, huh?"

"More than I can imagine." Rin answered. "Which is an even bigger reason why this city needs to be protected. That being said, you don't mind if Houki and I distract Osial while the adepti and the Guizhong Ballistas do their job?"

"We're going to take the fight directly to the sea god?!" Houki exclaimed.

Rin shook her head. "No, we're only going to destroy its hydro blasts until the ballistas finish off the sea god."

"Oh. I think we can do that." Houki replied before turning to Geiz.

"Alright." Geiz approved with a nod. "But try not to get shot down."

"We'll be careful." Houki replied as she donned her IS Frame in a flash of light. "We're not planning on dying tonight."

"Good." Rin smiled. "Now let's go protect a nation!" With that, she and Houki took off in their IS Frames and got to work destroying the oncoming hydro blasts.

"Joule-chan, can you sing the next song for us?" Hibiki requested while knocking away a group of grunts with a double spin kick.

"Ask and you shall receive, Hibiki!" Joule complied as she began singing.

(BGM Change: Tsuioku no Pain by Joule)

The moment the song began, auras started flaring up from Team XDR. The song also affected the adepti and the hybrids, causing their auras to flare up as well.

"This power…!" Moon Carver said in surprise.

"One has not felt a power this many in a millenia!" Mountain Shaper added.

"What kind of power is this?" Cloud Retainer asked.

"It's the power of the 'Muse' Septima." Yanfei answered. "Joule's songs grants them an enhancement to their natural abilities to those she deems trustworthy."

"I did hear from Hibiki and Barbara that Joule is a very talented singer, as her songs can revitalize everyone's spirits." Jean mentioned.

"Interesting…" Cloud Retainer mused. "No wonder us adepti felt a surge of power."

"In that case, then this is one advantage that must not be ignored!" Moon Carver stated as the ballistas fired supercharged energy blasts thanks to Joule's Septima, dealing heavy damage to the sea god.

"Keep up the pressure, fellow adepti! Osial is weakening!" Mountain Shaper said as the ballistas continued to fire.

This caused Osial to roar in anger as the five hydra heads fired hydro blasts from their mouths.

"Here comes more!" Rin stated as she fired her impact cannons at the oncoming hydro blasts.

"Blade bits!" Houki purged the back wings of Akatsubaki as they generated pink energy blades and rush towards the oncoming hydro blasts, smashing through them in one strike. She also unleashed slash-waves from her katanas, slicing the hydro blasts in half.

While the IS girls are busy with the hydro blasts, everyone else fought against the appearing Fatui as another wave occurred.

"The Fatui… they're relentless! They just keep coming!" Ganyu said.

"Hmph." Ningguang scoffed. "How daring. Snezhnaya's diplomats will answer for this afterward. Every last one."

"May I join you for that meeting, Ningguang?" Jean requested while sending some grunts flying with her Gale Blade.

"I see nothing wrong with that." Ningguang approved with a smirk.

Meanwhile, Keqing and the Millelith fought bravely against the Fatui grunts, until a Electrohammer Vanguard came into the fray with a shoulder tackle, causing Keqing and her soldiers to evade.

"Focus your attention on the grunts!" Keqing ordered her soldiers before facing the vanguard. "Leave this one to me."

"Yes, ma'am!" The soldiers complied as they resume the attack on the grunts.

"Facing me alone? You are either brave or foolish." The vanguard spoke to the Yuheng.

"Mostly the former. Do I look like someone who's afraid?" Keqing replied confidently with her sword held in reverse grip.

"You will be once I squash you!" The Vanguard complied as he delivered a hammer smash, forcing Keqing to side dodge and countered with a fast electro slash to his legs. This angered the vanguard as he then performed a few hammer swings, prompting Keqing to evade with skillful backflips while throwing a Lightning Stiletto tag onto his chest. She then appeared right in front of the vanguard in a lightning flash and delivered a flurry of electro sword thrusts to the chest followed by a spinning roundhouse to the face, making him stumble a few steps back.

Keqing landed on her feet and flipped her hair back with a confident smirk and pointed her sword forward.

"Grr…! You little…!" The vanguard growled before generating an electro aura on himself, boosting his attack and defense. "No more games!"

The vanguard was about to rush towards Keqing, until multiple chains appeared below his feet and wrapped them around his legs, preventing him from moving. "W-What the…?!"

"Trying to hit a girl with an electro hammer? No shame at all, huh?" Gunvolt, who's responsible for the chains, approached the vanguard from behind. "Also, let me get rid of that little handicap." He touched the vanguard's shoulder and syphoned away his electricity, transferring the energy to Gunvolt until the aura vanished.

"M-my aura!" The vanguard exclaimed as he saw Gunvolt facing him. "Give… it… back…!"

The vanguard performing a hammer smash, only for Gunvolt to easily catch it with one hand which shocked the vanguard. "I don't think so." Gunvolt replied, reeling his other hand clenching into a fist that's generated with the vanguard's syphoned electricity and delivered a supercharged punch to the chest, sending the vanguard flying while his hammer is still on Gunvolt's hand.

Gunvolt took a brief look at the hammer and rested it over his shoulder. "A bit heavy, but I can work with this."

"Syphoning the vanguard's electricity to yours and then using his own energy against him. I must say, I'm impressed." Keqing commented.

"Thanks." Gunvolt replied. "Oh and before you ask, I'm not a Vision Bearer, I'm an adept. You can call me Gunvolt, or GV for short."

"Keqing. A pleasure." The Yuheng nodded back until they noticed a group of grunts approaching. "Could you send them into the air for me? There's something I want to show you. And try not to blink."

"No problem." Gunvolt complied, generating his Septima onto the hammer, leaped into the air and unleashed an electro hammer smash, sending the approaching grunts flying skyward with a shockwave.

"No escape." Keqing then followed up by blending into the shadow of her blade and unleashed a storm of lightning slashes at the airborne grunts in multiple angles at blinding speeds, and then finished with an electro sword swing, sending the grunts flying off while she landed on her feet. "Impressed?" She smirked at the Azure Striker while flicking her hair back.

"Very impressed." Gunvolt smirked back before turning his attention to the Millelith fighting the grunts. "Mind if I give your troops a hand?"

"I'd appreciate that, thank you." Keqing replied as the two rushed to their aid.

Back with Zi-O and Starlight, they're currently in a battle against a Fatui Agent and a Geochanter, with the latter providing a Geo barrier to the former.

"I'd better take care of the Geochanter to stop that barrier." Starlight stated. "Think you can hold off the agent till then?"

"In that case…" Zi-O took out his Gaim Ridewatch and inserted it into the belt. "Let's see if he can handle a fruit samurai with four swords." He then slammed the tilt button and gave the belt a 360 spin as the two rushed towards their targets.

=ARMOR TIME!=

A giant metal orange appeared above Zi-O as it slammed onto him before it unfolded into his GaimArmor with the pink katakana for 'Gaim' glowing on his visor.

=SOIYA! GAIM!=

"A samurai with four swords?!" The agent's eyes widened in surprise before retaliating by launching his three fire daggers spinning around him. However, Zi-O and his swords easily parried the daggers before going on the offensive while the agent tried to block and evade the attacks.

The Geochanter launched numerous Geo crystals at the approaching Cure Starlight who evaded and destroyed them without slowing down. And once she got close, she broke the Geochanter's staff with one swing of her energy sword, followed by a flurry of flying kicks and finished with a spin kick which sent him flying out.

While the agent is fighting Zi-O, he noticed that his Geo barrier vanished, forcing him to go invisible after throwing a smoke bomb below him. However, the Rider was unfazed at his tactic since he can still hear the agent's footsteps even though he was invisible. Zi-O then pushed the button on the Ridewatches, slammed the belt tilt button and gave it a spin.

=FINISH TIME! GAIM!=

He sheathed his Daidaimaru Z blades and took a combat stance, waiting for the right moment to counter. Soon enough, the agent appeared and began a rush attack from behind, only for Zi-O's back sword arms to block the attack. Another agent appeared and began a rush attack from the front, but then…

=SQUASH TIME BREAK!=

Zi-O parried the attack with his blades and then countered with an energized X-slash, only to realize that he slashed a clone instead. His back sword arms also attacked the agent on his back, but it was also a clone. "So the front and back ones are clones, huh? Then that means…" Zi-O thought while keeping his guard up.

The agent then appeared above Zi-O and was about to perform a plunging attack, until he was sent flying out by Cure Starlight's Final Starlight Shoot. "Hope you don't mind if I did that." Starlight said as she approached the Rider.

"Not at all, sis." Zi-O smirked. "Though I was expecting him to attack from above since there's no ground below the magic platform."

"I see." Starlight noted as they observed the battle with the heroes and the Fatui. "I wonder how long we can keep this up?"

"The Fatui can't do this forever. They'll soon order a retreat when either Osial is on its last legs or when they lose too many of their units. They can't continue their operation with the lack of manpower, after all."

Starlight sighed in response. "This is going to be a very long night."

"Actually, the night will be over soon. Call it a hunch." Zi-O assured. "But for now, let's keep going a little more!"

"Just try not to overdo it!" Starlight replied as the two continued their assault on the Fatui.

---

Mt. Tianheng

Meanwhile atop Mt. Tianheng, Childe cannot stop grinning at the battle between the heroes and his Fatui brethren. Even though the heroes are getting the upper hand, he didn't seem to mind in the slightest.

"Hahaha! I knew the Rebellion was strong, but not this strong!" Childe grinned. "Ah… that makes me wanna face them even more now. Still, I think it's time to call in a retreat before we lose too many of our comrades. We might need them for the other operations."

"Master Tartaglia!"

A Fatui Agent appeared behind the harbinger with his knee down, earning his attention. "Sorry for the delay, but I've found Signora's location."

"Where?" Childe asked.

"Outside Northland Bank. And she's currently having a conversation with Mr. Zhongli."

"She's talking with Zhongli?" Childe raised his eyebrow in surprise. "About what?"

"Something involving a contract and a Gnosis."

"...What…?!" Childe thought in complete shock at what the agent informed, and not in a good way. Then he remembered what Drei had told him back at the Golden House.

"It's either she got the Gnosis first and never told you, or she led you on a false trail while heading for her real target. I think you should ask her about it to find out. And honestly, that's a dick move if she tricked you like that. I thought you two are supposed to be allies."

"Oh… it's a dick move, alright. A very dick move." Childe thought with a frown, not enjoying his fellow harbinger's actions.

"Master Tartaglia? Is there something wrong?" The agent asked.

"...It's nothing, but I don't like the idea of being tricked by a fellow harbinger." Childe replied. "Signora has a lot of explaining to do, so it's time for me to pay her a visit."

"Anything else you want me to do?"

"Tell our comrades attacking the ballistas to retreat immediately. We've done enough for tonight and we can't risk losing any more of our manpower."

"Understood, I will notify them immediately." The agent nodded before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Childe then took one more look at the Jade Chamber. "Well Xross Drive Rebellion, you've definitely entertained me in a satisfying way, but it looks like I have other plans right now. Try to stay alive until I get the chance to face you personally, okay?" He gave a two-finger salute before walking away.

Unknown to him however, a certain chronicler has eavesdropped the entire conversation from behind a large tree. "Well… now this is an interesting turn of events." Woz mused before gazing at the Jade Chamber. "I'm sure the Rebellion and their allies will be victorious in this battle. As for me though, I think I'll go have a peek inside Northland Bank and see what unfolds behind the scenes." He then walked away and vanished with a warp.

---

Back at the Jade Chamber, Team XDR just finished dealing with another wave of Fatui and are preparing themselves for another wave while the adepti continue to fire the ballistas at Osial along with Geiz keeping the magic barrier active and Houki and Rin destroying the oncoming hydro blasts. However, the team soon realized that the Fatui reinforcements stopped arriving as no more dark portals appeared.

"Did… did the reinforcements stopped coming?" Hibiki pondered.

"I'm not sure. But just to be safe, we better not keep our guard down." Miku replied.

"Miku's right." Fu Hua agreed before turning to the adepti. "Keep attacking! We'll continue to defend until the sea god falls!"

"Your continued assistance is appreciated, Xross Drive Rebellion. Now we may commit ourselves fully!" Moon Carver said as the three ballistas began charging up with adeptal energy due to the combined energy transfer of the adepti and the hybrids.

Geiz noticed the ballistas charging up, making him learn of an idea that could prove useful. "Hey, try this!" He then summoned a magic circle in front. "Shoot your ballistas through here! It'll give you the extra firepower you'll need to deliver the final blow!"

"As you wish!" Mountain Shaper complied as the three fully charged ballistas fired their blasts at the magic circle, causing an even larger and stronger combined beam to be fired on the other side of the circle as the beam delivered a direct hit to Osial as it roared in immense pain.

"Ah! It's working! We just need to keep this up!" Paimon said.

(BGM End)

But then, Ningguang and Keqing felt something amiss as they saw Osial's heads preparing to charge up a far more powerful blast. Everyone else also saw what was happening with dread in their expressions.

Rin gulped. "...I don't think we can block that."

"Then we'd better fall back. We've done enough for now." Houki replied.

"Yeah, good idea." Rin agreed as they flew back to the Jade Chamber.

"Everyone, retreat to the Jade Chamber immediately!" Zi-O shouted as everyone quickly retreated back to the Chamber. Even the adepti chose to disembark from the ballistas and retreated. And just as they retreated, the hydra heads fired a combined hydro blast to the sky, causing a hydro storm blast to rain down from above, and heading straight for the Guizhong Ballistas.

"Starlight, GV, Aether, Lumine, I'm gonna need your help with the barrier! This is gonna hurt a lot!" Geiz ordered.

"Roger!" Starlight and Gunvolt complied, heading to Geiz' position, summoned their respective barriers and combined them with Geiz' barrier to form an even stronger one.

"Everybody brace yourselves!" Kiana shouted before the blast storm struck the combined barrier in rapid succession. Luckily, everyone was able to get off the magic platform in time.

"You guys better not let those ballistas be destroyed! It's our only chance against Osial!" Chris warned.

"We're trying our hardest here!" Gunvolt replied as the combined barrier started to slowly form cracks.

"Don't we have an alternate way to stop the sea god in case the ballistas are lost, dess?! Anything?!" Kirika questioned.

Miriam took a moment to think of an alternate solution with her hand on her chin… until she remembered something important. "Wait. Rex Lapis used his giant stone spears to seal Osial last time, correct?"

"Yes, he did." Ganyu nodded. "Why do you ask?"

"We're not sure when he will show up, so how about we do it ourselves?" Miriam pondered.

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Kanade said, slightly slamming her open hand. "Can you, Aether and Lumine create those large stone spears?"

"I don't think I can, unfortunately." Miriam shook her head. "We just got those powers."

"Yeah. There's no way we can do that kind of technique so soon." Aether added with Lumine nodding.

Ningguang pondered after hearing what Miriam said, until she thought of a solution. "Actually… we already have something like that in our disposal."

"We do?!" Team XDR exclaimed.

"Where is it, Lady Ningguang?" Yanfei asked.

"...We're standing on it." Ningguang answered, shocking the group.

"...The Jade Chamber?!" Rin gasped. "But isn't that your most precious treasure?!"

"I know. But some sacrifices must be made to save the people of Liyue."

"Are you really sure about this, Lady Ningguang? You worked so hard to build the Jade Chamber, and now you're just gonna let it go?"

"Rin, listen to me." Zi-O said, earning her attention. "Which is more important right now? The Jade Chamber, or the people of Liyue?"

"Well…" Rin struggled to answer.

"Honestly if I was in Ningguang's position, I'd also sacrifice the Jade Chamber. And you wanna know why? Because destroyed buildings and landmarks can be repaired and rebuilt, but human lives cannot."

"..." Rin was a bit silent after hearing Zi-O's words while Houki was reminded of an event back in her world.

"This… this is just like what happened during the Silver Gospel incident." Houki thought while looking at Rin. "Ichika chose to protect the people on that ship instead of going after the enemy. If he chose the latter, then those people would die instead."

"Well Huang Lingyin? What is your answer?" Zi-O asked again.

"I…" Rin tried to answer.

"Rin. I think we should sacrifice the Jade Chamber." Houki said.

"Houki… You too?" Rin replied in surprise.

"If Ichika were here, he'd make the same choice as Zi-O. He would rather focus on protecting innocent people instead. And besides…" Houki turned to Ningguang. "The Jade Chamber can be rebuilt, right?"

"It will take a lot of time, but it's not impossible." Ningguang replied. "However, the people of Liyue are a far more important treasure than the Jade Chamber, which is why I am choosing to sacrifice it." She then turned to Rin. "Huang Lingyin, do you support my decision?"

Rin took a moment to ponder at the Tianquan's words before looking at her friends and allies who gave a supporting nod. Eventually, she nodded back and turned to Ningguang. "Alright, I'm with your decision all the way. This nation has been like a second home to me, and I won't forgive myself if anything were to happen to them."

"Rin…" Houki smiled.

"Okay, we have our plan." Zi-O deduced. "What should we do first, Ningguang?"

"Focus the barrier onto the Jade Chamber for a while longer, but remove the protection of the Guizhong Ballistas." Ningguang instructed.

"The ballistas need to go too?" Chris questioned. "Is it possible to build another one though?"

"Do not worry, I should still have what I need to build more."

"If you insist." Geiz noted as he, Gunvolt, Aether and Lumine removed the barrier on the magic platform, allowing the hydro storm blast to destroy it and the ballistas, causing Ningguang to disperse the magic circle and floated back to solid ground.

Luckily, the storm blast began to cease once the ballistas were destroyed, leaving Osial in a weakened state as it tried to regain its strength. "Hey look! Osial's getting tired after unleashing that strong attack, dess!" Kirika noticed.

"Then we must take this chance immediately." Ningguang stated as she used her Geo powers to move the Jade Chamber towards the sea god.

"Geiz, you'd better summon a portal to warp the Millelith back to the city." Yanfei requested.

"Gotcha." Geiz nodded before summoning a magic portal in front of the group. "Alright, head on through."

"Millelith, follow me through the portal!" Keqing ordered as she and the soldiers went through the portal.

"Zi-O, could I make a request for a moment?" Hibiki asked.

"What's up?"

"Give me permission to use the Superb Song."

"What?!" Zi-O and the others exclaimed.

"Okay, what the hell are you planning to do, baka?!" Chris asked.

"Not just me. Chris-chan, Joule-chan, I'll need your help too."

"Wait, you want me to sing the Superb Song with you?!" Joule exclaimed.

"Usually it's me, Tsubasa-san and Chris-chan singing the song for this technique, but since Tsubasa-san is not here, then you'll have to take over instead." Hibiki stated.

"But… I don't know what would happen if I sang that song! Remember what happened to Kanade and Serena when they tried to sing that?"

"Joule, I think things will be different this time." Gunvolt said. "Kanade now has a high compatibility rate with Gungnir while Serena assured she won't make the same mistake as last time. Heck, I even sang that song to wake you up, remember?"

"I'm… still not going to sing that song yet." Kanade said. "But I think I know what Hibiki's talking about. The S2CA Tri-Burst, right?"

"That's the one, Kanade-san." Hibiki nodded. "I guess Tsubasa-san told you about that?"

"Yep. Her and Old Man Genjuro. She and Chris-san transferred their energy to yours while you deliver a powerful attack onto the Noise after combining the Armed Gears together."

"Joule, I think you should trust Hibiki for this, dess. She knows what she's doing." Kirika said.

"Well… if you say so." Joule noted. "So Chris and I will just have to transfer the energy to you, right?"

"Hai." Hibiki nodded.

"Okay, then let's go for it."

"Hibiki, Chris-chan, Joule-chan, make it count, okay?" Miku said to them.

"We will, Miku. Wait for us until then." Hibiki replied as she and Chris nodded.

"Alright, then you have my permission to perform the Superb Song." Zi-O approved.

"Arigato, Zi-O." Hibiki smiled.

"Kirika, Kanade-san, let's get out of here." Miku said before heading through the portal.

"Right behind you, dess!" Kirika replied as she went after her.

Kanade was about to go inside the portal, but then turned back and offered her spear to Hibiki.

"Eh? Kanade-san?" Hibiki blinked.

"Gungnir is supposed to be the god-slaying spear, right? Prove that sea god why it's called that." Kanade winked.

"...Understood." Hibiki replied, taking Kanade's Armed Gear.

"Make it a memorable one, little kouhai!" Kanade said before running into the portal.

"Please save this nation and its people, Hibiki. We're counting on you." Rin said before she and Houki entered the portal.

"Kiana, Zi-O, Miriam, you three better go too. The rest of us will stay and provide power to the Jade Chamber in order to stop Osial." Fu Hua instructed.

"Okay, but please come back safely." Kiana replied.

"We will." Fu Hua nodded before Kiana went through the portal.

"I wish you luck on your success." Miriam said before going after Kiana.

"Good luck, guys! See you back at the city!" Zi-O said to the group as he went after Miriam before the portal closed.

Eventually, the Jade Chamber reached right above Osial who's still recovering its strength. "GV, get your butt over here." Chris said.

"Okay." Gunvolt complied, dispersing his barrier before heading to the area where Hibiki and Chris are, with Fu Hua, Ningguang, Madame Ping, Xiao, the adepti and the hybrids surrounding them.

"Chris-chan, Joule-chan, are you ready?" Hibiki asked as she held Kanade's spear pointing upwards.

"Ready." Chris and Joule replied before they and Hibiki began to sing.

"Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal…

Emustolronzen Finé el balal zizzl…

Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal…

Emustolronzen Finé el zizzl…"

"This song… what is it…?" Moon Carver asked.

"The Superb Song. It unleashes the full power of the Symphogears into a massive attack, but it's a double edged sword as it will leave the users vulnerable for a long while after it's being used." Gunvolt explained. "Those who sang the song incorrectly or did not have a high compatibility rate, will instead die."

"So this is a last resort that can decide the outcome of a battle, correct?" Cloud Retainer guessed.

"That's one way of putting it. But I think Hibiki, Chris and Joule can pull this off without any major injuries."

The massive energy generated from Hibiki, Chris and Gunvolt erupted before their Armed Gears were purged out and combined with Kanade's spear, turning it into a great spear with the colors of Hibiki, Chris and Gunvolt's Armed Gears. "Set! Harmonics!" Hibiki shouted, raising the great spear as it flared up with the combined energy from her, Chris and Gunvolt.

"Aether, Lumine, give Hibiki a hand!" Geiz said.

"But what about you?" Lumine asked.

"Don't worry, I'm planning to disperse the barrier and warp all of us out of here when we're done."

"Okay!" Aether nodded as she and Lumine dispersed their barriers, went to Hibiki and supported her by grabbing the spear together.

"Arigato, Aether-kun, Lumine-chan!" Hibiki smiled.

"Hold still for a while longer!" Fu Hua said as she, Ningguang, Xiao, Madame Ping, the adepti and the hybrids concentrated their own energies and transferred them onto the great spear as it began to glow in bright rainbow colors.

"Whoa…!" Paimon said with awe. "This will definitely be enough to stop Osial!"

"It'd better be!" Geiz replied.

"Farewell, old friend…" Ningguang whispered with her eyes closed. "...Goodbye for now. Let us meet again in the future."

"Do it now!" Fu Hua shouted.

"Osial…" Hibiki spoke with resolve as she, Aether and Lumine pointed the great spear downwards.

"Go back to sleep!" Aether and Lumine shouted as the great spear was slammed right onto the Jade Chamber, causing it to glow with rainbow energy before it quickly began its descent.

"And we are out of here!" Starlight declared as she and Geiz dispersed the barrier before the latter used his magic to teleport everyone away from the Jade Chamber. And once the massive floating structure crashed into the sea god, it detonated into a large rainbow explosion that shook the waves.

Everyone managed to warp back safely to the city with the others waiting as they watched the explosion from afar. And soon, the stormy weather began to disperse, bringing back the night sky as the atmosphere became calm once more. The heroes cheered in victory and the people of Liyue rejoiced as the Overlord of the Vortex has been defeated at last. This time, without the help of Rex Lapis. Rin noticed the sad look on Ningguang's face due to the loss of the Jade Chamber, but then she assured with a smile and a nod, making Rin reply with the same gesture as they gazed at the calming seas.

---

Northland Bank

Meanwhile inside the bank, Signora and Zhongli are having a conversation after witnessing the outcome of the battle at a distance, until Childe comes barging in with an upsetting tone.

"What's the meaning of this, Signora?!" Childe demanded. "You call this 'cooperation between Harbingers'?! Cooperation involves communication, you know!"

Signora chuckled in response. "Don't take it to heart, Childe. Besides, weren't you happy that you got to skip the formalities and bring chaos to the land? I'm sure you must've enjoyed that."

"Except that I wasn't the one that pulled the trigger. Someone else did."

"Someone else, you say?" Signora raised her eyebrow.

"While I was at the Golden House, I ran into a general from the Neo Time Jackers named Drei. And his comrade somehow awoke Osial after retrieving an unknown fragment."

"A fragment?"

"They're definitely not interested in the Gnosis, that's for sure. Speaking of which, you know where the location of the Geo Gnosis actually is, don't you?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Signora replied before facing Zhongli. "You remember the agreement, Morax. Now, if you would be so kind... The Gnosis, please."

"Morax…?!" Childe's eyes widened in shock. "Zhongli, don't tell me you're actually…!"

"Yes, I am indeed Morax, also known as Rex Lapis." Zhongli confirmed as he pulled out the Geo Gnosis from his chest and gave it to Signora. "The contract is fulfilled. That which thou seeketh is now bestowed unto thee, for my promise is solid as stone."

"Hmph, how sanctimonious." Signora remarked, storing the Gnosis into her pocket.

"Contract? For the Gnosis?" Childe questioned.

"I do not give it for free. I give it as agreed upon in the contract, for it is a matter solely between the Tsaritsa and I." Zhongli stated.

"Explain everything. Now." Childe demanded.

"As you wish." Zhongli nodded. "As you know, I've dwelt upon this world for more than six thousand years. It is now 3,700 years ago that I founded Liyue together with the adepti. Even boulders that can withstand whirlpools will erode with the passing of time. I kept convincing myself that cracks had not begun to form and that the end of my time had not yet come. Until one drizzly day, as I was strolling along the harbor, I heard a merchant tell one of his workers, "You've finished your duties, go ahead and call it a day." I stood motionless among the crowds, asking myself, "Have I already finished my duties?" But as I began to consider relinquishing my divine role, I soon discovered that many reasons still remained to not hastily depart. Was Liyue, the city I had dwelt in for so long, already prepared to enter its next age? I decided that a test was needed in order to reveal the answer."

"A test?" Childe repeated. "Was I part of this test of yours?"

Zhongli nodded. "Yes, along with the adepti and the Liyue Qixing after I feigned my own death, to play their roles together on the stage that was Liyue."

"So that's why…"

"I was satisfied with the finale. The Gnosis I had kept for so many years suddenly seemed to have lost its meaning."

"Then what happens when the plans fall flat?" Childe asked. "You'd step in and use your divine powers to bring Liyue back under control?"

"Of course. And it would have been all too easy for him, too." Signora answered. "Just as a child quickly matures after losing their parents, so has Liyue matured when faced with the death of its deity."

"In the end, the resolution to all that has transpired was even more satisfactory than I could have hoped for." Zhongli continued. "Take the adepti, for instance. Owing to their years of seclusion, they were the least informed. Yet, when faced with a crisis, they, commendably, showed the greatest amount of restraint possible. Not only did they manage to co-operate with the Qixing, but in the end, they even made efforts to understand the hearts of the people. Credit is also due to Signora, the emissary dispatched by the Cryo Archon to fulfill our contract. At my request, she kept everything she knew in strict confidence despite your eavesdropping, Childe."

"Do you think that I wouldn't notice that you'll send one of your scouts to spy on me?" Signora asked her fellow harbinger. "However, I chose to ignore it instead of confronting you myself, just so I can rub it in your face once the contract is fulfilled."

"You little…" Childe muttered in anger.

"This meant I could remain as Zhongli, even having the chance to fulfill the age-old traditions of Liyue in this mortal form." Zhongli continued. "I owe it all to the ones who followed my guidance with the Rite of Parting, though it's a shame they cannot attend to this location currently. Still, all of these things turned out as I had planned. There is only one thing that I had not anticipated... and that was the conduct of the Liyue Qixing. I had expected them to do no more than the adepti, to come to the defense of Liyue. But when all was said and done, they seized the opportunity to supplant Liyue's divine protectors, and used the subsequent power vacuum left by my death to quickly gain complete control of Liyue. And in my honest opinion, it is an excellent conclusion. I had always feared that it was far too soon for them to take over from me, and it was also that which I longed for the most. As such, this is the best parting gift anyone could have given this god of old."

"And what about me? Doesn't anyone feel the least bit of remorse for deceiving me?! You've practically kept me in the dark!" Childe exclaimed.

"Heh, I think that thanks would be more appropriate." Signora smirked. "You certainly played no small part in all of this. Wreaking havoc and turning the city upside down. The Lord of Geo ought to thank you for your performance if anything, even though you didn't pull the trigger at the very end. If you hadn't created the pressure of a battle between mortals, adepti, and a god, the lump of coal resting in the hands of the Geo Archon, Liyue, would never have been able to become a dazzling diamond of a city."

"Just whose side are you on, mocking me like that? Are you itching for a fight?!" Childe exclaimed, nearly tempted to pull out his hydro daggers. "The ones who stopped Osial, which happens to be Xross Drive Rebellion by the way, get to be the heroes, while I on the other hand will forever be proscribed as a disturber of peace?!"

"Exactly." Signora answered. "As for our fight, we'll save that for another time. But for now, with the Geo Gnosis in my possession, we must return to Zapolyarny Palace and seek an audience with Her Majesty, the Tsaritsa." She then walked towards the door. "Come, Childe."

"..." Childe was still furious at Signora's actions which branded him as an enemy of Liyue, but decided to answer anyway. "You go back to Snezhnaya first. I'll just take the next boat because I am not sharing a boat with a backstabber like you."

"Hmph. Do as you wish." Signora replied.

"...Wait." Childe spoke again, stopping Signora and earning her attention.

"What is it now?"

"I'd thread carefully if you're planning to face the Rebellion someday. And considering the strength they've shown at the battle against Osial, they are a force to be reckoned with. I should know, because I saw most of the battle before I find you. Underestimating them is a huge mistake."

"Do I look like I'm scared of them?" Signora frowned. "I'll prove to them to never challenge the Fatui and the harbingers, ever again." Afterwards, she left the bank.

"I sense a hint of overconfidence in her tone." Zhongli commented.

"Yeah. That's definitely going to bite her in the ass someday." Childe replied. "She's trying to fix that blunder with the Anemo Gnosis back in Mondstadt. And even though she has your Gnosis, her ego is still there. I, on the other hand, know how strong Team XDR are, so I think I'd better train more before my next encounter with them, without any backhanded schemes. It'd be really embarrassing if I get left behind when it comes to strength."

"As you wish." Zhongli replied before the harbinger headed for the door.

But before he could open it, he gave one last look at Zhongli. "By the way, I think you'd better find the Rebellion and give them a proper apology. You did trick them, after all." Childe requested before opening the door and left.

"My my… what an interesting conversation this has been…"

"Hm?" Zhongli sensed a nearby voice and turned to his left as a person with short black hair and wearing a grey robe, took off his Invisibility Cloak. "And who are you?"

"You can call me Woz, a humble passing-through chronicler." The chronicler bowed. "And as for how I got here, I followed that harbinger with my Invisibility Cloak on. And I've listened through the entire conversation."

"Hmm… I did not expect another person who is interested with this secret."

"Call it curiocity, Zhongli. Or should I call you Rex Lapis, or perhaps Morax?"

"The name Zhongli will do. Well then, Woz, since you have eavesdropped the entire conversation earlier, do you have any questions you would like to ask?"

"Childe requested that you should apologize to Team XDR for deceiving them, correct?" Woz asked, earning a nod from Zhongli. "Then allow me to take you to them, personally."

"So you know where they are." Zhongli noted before nodding. "Very well then, please lead the way."

---

Liyue, Team XDR Base

Several minutes later, Team XDR and Jean bid farewell to the Qixing, the Millelith, the adepti and Xiao, and then returned to base to get a nice long deserved rest due to the battle against Osial and the invading Fatui, which left them heavily drained of stamina.

As they were resting, Zeo, Akira and Gaius shared the reports of their respective missions while Houki gave a proper explanation about what happened at the beach in the IS world that one night. Although Rin gained questionable looks from the team due to her actions at the IS world.

"Seriously, Rin? You summoned your IS just to punish a guy without giving him an explanation?" Chris questioned.

"Yeah, that's way too much of an overkill." Kanade added.

"That might be a bit worse than Klee throwing her bombs at fish ponds." Jean remarked.

"Hah?!" Houki gawked.

"Yeah… she's not kidding." Lumine sweatdropped.

"And we know how destructive her bombs are since we travelled with her before." Aether added.

"And yet she keeps making the same mistakes despite your absence, Jean." Zeo sighed. "No wonder Theresa felt a bit stressed when sis and I had a video chat with her last night."

"That's what I was afraid of." Jean sighed and bowed to Kiana. "Kiana, I apologize for what happened to your aunt."

"No, it's okay." Kiana waved off. "Auntie Theresa can handle it. And besides, Kallen and Regina are also there to support her."

"Maria too, dess." Kirika added with her finger raised.

"I hope so." Jean noted.

"Anyway…" Fu Hua turned to Rin. "I'm surprised you and your friends were not punished for that dangerous action. What if Ichika were to be killed by your hands? Is that what you want?"

"Not to mention his older sister Chifuyu." Akira added. "How would she feel if he's killed by you or your friends?"

"Well… I… that's…" Rin struggled to answer.

"Rin. If we ever find Ichika, you are giving him a proper apology for that incident." Houki stated. "Cecilia, Charlotte and Laura also promised to apologize. Though to be fair… I also had to apologize to them for not giving them a proper explanation."

"Well… if they did made that promise, then I'd better do the same." Rin noted. "Also Houki, yeah, you should've told us earlier before looking for Ichika to avoid that misunderstanding. Is it because you're still feeling guilty about what the Silver Gospel did to him?"

"...A little." Houki admitted with her head down.

"Seriously…" Rin sighed in response. "Don't make me slap you again."

"Please don't do that. I've already learned my lesson."

"Good, because none of us, even Ichika, want to see you quit as an IS pilot for that one mistake. Just learn from that mistake and move on, got it?"

"Hai." Houki nodded.

"Also, don't be afraid to ask us for help. We're supposed to be friends, remember?" Rin smiled and offered a hand.

Houki stared at Rin's hand for a moment before nodding. "Yes. Friends." And then she shook her hand with a smile.

"That's better." Zeo nodded as the girls released their handshake. "Moving on… I can't believe there's two Gjallarhorn fragments in the Blaster Master world."

"Yeah, I didn't expect that." Gaius admitted. "Even though we got one fragment, Zwei managed to get the other one from under our noses. And he has ice powers to boot."

"A Cryo user?" Noelle gasped. "That doesn't sound good."

"No. It doesn't." Joule confirmed.

"And our luck didn't go our way either since Eins managed to obtain another fragment hidden under Guyun Stone Forest, which happens to house a sealed sea god." Akira said.

"But at least we know that there's a third Neo Time Jacker general named Drei, and he looks like an up-close-and-personal kind of guy." Kiana said. "Don't know his powers yet, but we'll find out eventually."

"And then there's also Childe who's definitely part of the Fatui. He might be a harbinger, too." Aether added.

"And don't forget about the Exuvia from the beginning that was revealed to be nothing but a fake with no Gnosis inside." Lumine also added.

"So if that's the case… then where's the real Rex Lapis?" Miriam pondered. "He has to be somewhere in the Liyue region."

"Isn't Rex Lapis supposed to be a giant dragon or something?" Paimon questioned.

"Or… maybe he has a human form just like Barbatos." Jean assumed.

"That's… actually a pretty close guess, Jean." Zeo noted. "I mean he does know all about Mondstadt and even took a form of Venti the travelling bard."

"So the same rules apply to Rex Lapis since he knows a lot more about Liyue more than anyone." Elfnein stated. "I wonder what his human form looks like?"

Everyone took a moment to ponder about the Geo Archon's human appearance, until a knock on the door garnered everyone's attention.

"Pardon the intrusion, everyone. It's me, Woz. May I come in?"

"I was wondering when you'd show up." Gunvolt responded. "Mona told us that you went to Liyue first, and by the time we show up, you're long gone."

"I apologize for not waiting for your arrival, but I have my reasons. But first, let me come in."

"Go right ahead." Akira nodded, allowing the chronicler to enter the base and closed the door. "It's good to see you again."

"The same to you too, Akira. As does the rest of the Rebellion." Woz greeted back. "So, what were you all having a conversation about?"

"We're trying to figure out what Rex Lapis looks like in his human form. He also has the Gnosis in possession since the body at the Rite of Descension was a fake." Fu Hua explained.

"Well what a coincidence… because I happen to discover his exact location." Woz smiled.

"You know where he is?!" The team exclaimed.

"Correct." Woz nodded. "In fact, I even brought him here myself."

"He's right outside our doorstep?!" Gaius exclaimed.

"Do you want me to send him in?" Woz offered.

"Obviously!" Rin replied. "That way, we won't have to search all over Liyue to find him!"

"As you wish." Woz nodded before facing the door. "Rex Lapis, the Rebellion is ready to meet you now."

"Understood."

"Huh?" Aether, Lumine, Paimon, Kiana, Miriam, Hibiki and Rin blinked upon hearing a familiar voice.

And once the person came inside the base, it was revealed to be none other than…

"...Zhongli?!"

"Greetings, Xross Drive Rebellion. I am Rex Lapis, also known as Morax the Geo Archon." He bowed. "But you may call me Zhongli. It is an honor to finally meet you in person."

"Wait… that Zhongli?! The secretary of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Director Hu Tao mentioned?!" Kanade exclaimed.

"He's the Geo Archon this whole time, dess?!" Kirika also exclaimed.

"Well… holy crap." Chris muttered.

"I deeply apologize for not revealing my true identity for so long due to numerous reasons." Zhongli bowed. "And I will reveal them to you all, here and now."

"Very well. Take a seat and explain everything." Zeo nodded.

"As you wish."

"Noelle, prepare some tea. This is going to be a long conversation." Gaius requested.

"Understood." Noelle bowed before heading to the kitchen.

---

Once the tea has been served, the Geo Archon began to explain everything that's happened in his point of view from beginning to end. From overhearing a conversation between a merchant and a worker; to preparing a test which involves Childe, the Liyue Qixing and the adepti along with forming a 'contract of all contracts' with the Cryo Archon with Signora as her emissary which also included the fake Exuvia body; the careful preparations of the Rite of Parting with some help from Aether, Lumine and a few others; and lastly the successful conclusion of the contract with the Geo Gnosis transferred to Signora with an upset Childe not liking being tricked and kept in the dark.

"...All of this… just to help Liyue mature into an independent and prosperous nation without the need of Rex Lapis?" Zeo remarked as everyone was left speechless after Zhongli's explanation.

"That is correct." Zhongli nodded. "And since the conclusion of the final contract as Rex Lapis is satisfactory, the Gnosis no longer has any meaning, which is why I gave it to the Tsaritsa so I can live my life as a mortal known as Zhongli. As for how she will use it, I will never know."

"So the Geo Gnosis is truly taken away by Signora." Miriam deduced.

"This is a stark contrast compared to how Barbatos did for Mondstadt." Jean remarked. "But at least Barbatos did not try to endanger innocent people in the process."

"We were hoping to get the Gnosis before the Fatui did, but I guess not this time, dess." Kirika said.

"Oh well. We'll be more cautious in the other nations." Akira said.

"Are all of you after the Gnosis as well?" Zhongli asked the group.

"Well, you see…" Gaius began, until he noticed Rin standing up and approaching Zhongli. "Rin?"

"Rin, what are you…" Houki asked as Rin got close to Zhongli.

And then…

*SLAP!*

…she slapped him right across his face?! "You gacking IDIOT! You call yourself an archon?!"

"Rin?!" Aether and Lumine exclaimed in shock with everyone else reacting the same way.

"Well that came outta nowhere!" Paimon remarked.

"Oh my." Woz blinked in surprise.

"Wait, Rin!" Houki was about to stop her, but Fu Hua raised her hand.

"Don't. Let her finish. Trust me." Fu Hua advised.

"Are you sure?" Houki asked, earning a nod from Fu Hua before they watched the scene.

"How could you do that to your own people? What would happen if we, the Qixing and the adepti failed to save them while you just watched?! And even if you chose to stop Osial when things go too out of control, the damage had already been done! Homes destroyed, people dead, all of that for a stupid Gnosis contract?! What the hell were you thinking?!" Rin scolded the archon.

Everyone was silent after Lingyin let out her anger at the Geo Archon, even though they understood why she was angry in the first place. Zhongli rubbed his slapped cheek before looking at Lingyin with guilt. "Huang Lingyin, I apologize if my questionable actions have offended you. But I only wanted to test them to see if Liyue can protect the city without the need of Rex Lapis. And I'm relieved that the Liyue Qixing were able to fulfil their duties with protecting Liyue despite the archon's absence. I promise you that I will not perform such an atrocious action ever again now that I've retired from my duties as an archon with that final contract."

"You said that your Gnosis has lost its meaning once your test is successful. How special is that Gnosis of yours?" Fu Hua asked.

"It has the ability to create Mora when I was Rex Lapis Morax. But without the Gnosis, I can no longer do so." Zhongli explained.

"The ability to create money from the palm of your hand. Amazing…" Miriam mused.

"Hold on." Aether interrupted. "If you can do that while you still have your Gnosis, how come you never do that during the time we had to buy stuff for the Rite of Parting?"

"Since I have chosen to walk this earth as the mortal Zhongli, I should abide by the same rules that mortals do. And since I'm planning to retire as an archon soon, I had to… rehearse a little, for my new life." Zhongli explained.

"Oh, no wonder! Paimon gets it now." Paimon noted. "You didn't even look at the price tags when we were spending because you've never had to. But since you weren't used to not being able to just make some Mora as and when you wanted to, you had to try becoming a parasite to society who lives off of other peoples' credit."

"In which case… it's Childe's money." Lumine deduced.

"Well, we were only spending Fatui money. You don't have to say it like that." Zhongli said.

"I kinda feel bad for him, though." Lumine said. "I know he's our enemy, but he mentioned that he doesn't want to involve innocent people into the mix."

"And yet he has to, under Signora's orders. And she had the nerve to stab him in the back despite being on the same side." Kiana stated before sighing. "Seriously, that bitch…"

"You said it, Kiana." Chris agreed.

"She vows to destroy us completely. However, she has gotten desperate and overconfident despite redeeming herself by obtaining the Geo Gnosis and witnessing the Rebellion's strength, which will lead her to an eventual downfall." Woz stated.

"She's not gonna keep her ego in check at this rate." Joule remarked.

"If that's the case, then we're going to make sure to smash that ego of hers hard the next time we see her." Akira said.

"Now then…" Zhongli turned to Rin. "Have you finally calmed down? Do you accept my apology, Huang Lingyin?"

Rin kept glaring at the archon in silence for a few moments before sighing. "...Do me a favor, and promise me not to pull that crazy stunt ever again. If you do… I will show you no mercy. Understood?"

"You have my word." Zhongli nodded.

"You'd better." Rin replied before going back to her seat.

"Anyway, are you satisfied living as a normal human being, Zhongli?" Jean asked.

"In the city of commerce, we do not merely exchange money or goods. We also exchange knowledge, memories, and foresight, as well as positions, roles, and lives. The archon Morax could never experience life as the true mortal Zhongli could, no matter how many times he descended to be with his people. So to answer your question, yes, I am very satisfied." Zhongli answered before turning to Aether, Lumine and Paimon. "For that, I want to thank you three for making it happen. I will treasure the memories that I made as Zhongli, traveling the streets of Liyue with you."

"You're welcome, Zhongli." Aether smiled.

"It's been an interestingly fine journey." Lumine also smiled.

"That is true." Zhongli agreed with a nod. "But there is no journey that does not end. No meetings without partings."

"Yeah." Zeo agreed. "We make our own stories, and our own destinies. Who knows what we'll find at the end of our journey."

"Well said." Zhongli nodded.

"Umm…" Paimon spoke up. "Before you start asking us with questions about us, there's something Paimon wanted to ask you about."

"And that is?"

"If you don't have your Gnosis anymore, what will happen to all of the Mora in Teyvat? Since Morax is "dead," are they all just gonna disappear? Also, isn't the Golden House the only mint in the entire continent? Will it even continue to work?"

"..." The team was silently shocked when Paimon asked that question.

"The Mora present now will not vanish." Zhongli answered. "But the Golden House will indeed have to cease operations for a lengthy period of time, since creating Mora requires the use of the Geo Archon's power."

"Dess?!" Kirika exclaimed. "That means the entire world will be bankrupt, dess?!"

"Calm down, baka!" Chris scolded. "There's no way a world can be bankrupt! …Right?"

"This is indeed a major issue from a financial standpoint." Zhongli admitted.

"I'm sure the Liyue Qixing will figure this Mora problem out." Jean said.

"By the way, did you ever thought of setting up your own private funds for yourself?" Lumine asked Zhongli.

"A private fund?" Zhongli repeated before pondering. "Hmm, this does seem like a good, logical, common-sense idea."

"Well it's not too late to start one now." Aether insisted.

"Perhaps you are right." Zhongli noted. "Now then, I believe it's time for me to ask you some questions about the Rebellion and why it's formed."

"Considering you revealed your secrets to us, then we'd better do the same with sharing ours." Zeo replied.

"Of course. You have my full undivided attention." Zhongli nodded.

"Very well. It all starts with a dangerously powerful relic known as Gjallarhorn…"

---

Chapter 4: A New Star Approaches

END

---

Author's Note: And with that, the Archon Quest for Liyue has finally ended, although the Rite of Parting will take place a few days later, so this Book is not over yet. But there will be some character quests to take note of to pass the time, which in this case is Childe and Zhongli's.

So despite the Rebellion's actions, Osial still arrives but was unsealed by Eins instead of Childe, the Rebellion now knowing of Childe's true identity along with the appearance of Drei back from Book 3, and Gaius, Gunvolt and Houki coming in to help along with some other stuff that happened after the battle, including Woz eavesdropping on a conversation with the Fatui. And that finisher on Osial was the icing on the cake. Also, Zhongli really deserved that slap considering the reckless actions he did despite being a test for the nation of Liyue.

Until then, stay safe and see you in the next chapter!