Hello again!

Exams are over and I can get back to not studying as hard! At-least until the ones at the ends of the year, but that's a month away. Speaking of which, sorry for the very late upload. As always, disclaimer is in the first chapter. Also, I'm not sure I mentioned this before, but I do have an AO3 account. So if you guys have any ship ideas that I am unable to implement in the story, then just PM me and I will try to make a oneshot based on that ship in the context of the fic. Anyhow, enough yapping, let's get to it!

Lumine ran up to the edge of the Jade Chamber with her blade in hand, and looked out over the expanse of stormy ocean between Liyue harbor and Gunyun stone forest with both fear and excitement shining in her eyes. Ganyu had already left to meet up with the others and left Lumine to her own devices. She briefly wondered about Naruto, but pushed the thought aside by telling herself that he was safe on the ground.

"Traveler! You're here!" Lumine turned around at the sound of Keqing's voice, and was met with the familiar faces of the Qixing and the Adepti. "Where's Naruto? Is he ok?"

Lumine nodded. "Yes. He's fine." Keqing let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Ignoring that, what's going on? Why is the ocean so choppy?"

Ningguang sighed. "The Fatui have unsealed Osial, the Overlord of the Vortex."

Paimon flew around Lumine in fear. "Overlord of the Vortex? It sounds like bad news."

Ninggaung nodded. "It is. That god was sealed under Gunyun Stone Forest by Rex Lapis since the Archon war, and now, the Fatui has managed to unseal him using Sigils of Permission. How that Harbinger is doing this, I don't know."

Lumine looked at her confusedly. "Wait… When you say Harbinger, do you mean Childe?" Ningguang nodded, making Lumine even more confused. "But he was with us when the attack happened. He also sounded confused about the plan being activated now."

The Qixing shared an anxious glance with each other while Lumine and the Adepti looked on confusedly. Eventually, Keqing was the one to break the silence. "So that means there's someone in Liyue who has a higher level of authority than a Harbinger?"

Ganyu put a finger on her chin in thought "Maybe another Harbinger? Based on what we've learned, Childe, or Tartaglia, is only the 11th, so there is a chance that another Harbinger who is higher in power managed to void his orders and continue with the backup anyway."

Lumine nodded in understanding. She opened her mouth to speak, but a distant rumbling stopped her short. She turned around as the stormy winds jostled the Jade Chamber on its aerial march to war, taking them towards their fate. Out in the distance, she spied a large whirlpool, dragging in a broken rock beneath the waves. The sea grew choppy and spouts of water rose up into the skies as the Overlord of the Vortex reared its many heads to let out a deafening roar. The sound sent a shiver down her spine, but she tightened the grip on her blade and gritted through it.

"What do we do?" Paimon asked with fear. "Paimon's shaking with fear. Will the power of the Qixing, and the Adepti be able to stop this disaster?"

Ningguang sighed. "We have already discussed this at length, and our answer is; not necessarily. Rex Lapis had to use his full power to seal him away. Who knows what kind of power we need to fully defeat him."

Paimon shrunk back in fear. "What!? But can't you even think of something?"

"One certainly can." Everyone turned around towards the white crane, staring at Osial with hatred in her eyes. "The Qixing once researched the matter of the Guizhong Ballista when it piqued their fancy. As fate has it, One, who crafted the Ballista with One's own hands, is here. No matter how much they may try, a mortal mind could never truly comprehend the intricacies of Adeptal creations. However, it would merely take One but a little tinkering, to turn this Ballista, into an engine of war beyond your wildest thoughts."

Ningguang chuckled. "I suppose we should be thankful for this blessing from the Adepti. 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, while we cover them to the best of our ability. Hand me the blueprints. We haven't a moment to spare. Our battle begins now!"

Going through the blueprints, the Tianquan closed her eyes and made a handsign. Her body glowed with Geo and she teleported above them. She held out a hand, and an intricate pattern emerged in front of her. The energy she emanated was absorbed by her abode as golden sigils appeared around the front, creating a platform with three copies of the Guizhong Ballista, pointed at the Overlord of the Vortex. Cloud Retainer, Mountain Shaper and Mooncarver didn't waste a moment, quickly getting into the mechanism and charging up a shot. In under a minute, the first three shots sailed towards three of Osial's heads and hit him squarely in the eye(s). However, the god only grew them back and charged up a shot against them.

Suddenly, a dark rift opened up in front of them as familiar Fatui agents walked out of them with their weapons bared. Lumine sighed and spun her sword. 'No rest for the wicked indeed.'

Meanwhile, Naruto, Aether, Dain, Kaeya and Childe were watching the commotion from the safety of a hill, a good distance away. "Well, it seems that Osial has woken up." Childe commented offhandedly. "While I'm interested to see this battle, I'm more concerned about who let out that god in the first place. Did the Fatui really do it, or did someone else?"

Naruto hummed before narrowing his eyes at the Jade chamber. "It was the Fatui alright. Look." He pointed his finger, and sure enough, they could make out the small silhouettes of Fatui Agents, Cicin mages, and even Skirmishers, walking onto the Jade Chamber's platform.

Childe narrowed his eyes. "I did not order that. We were planning to unseal Osial, but this? This is too much. This could easily destroy the standing of Snezhnaya in the eyes of Liyue."

Naruto scoffed as he crouched down on one knee. "Didn't you already do that with Mondstadt? Either way, from how I see it, this was just waiting to happen. Speaking of that…" He narrowed his eyes and they shifted into the familiar purple shade of the Rinnegan. He scanned the harbor for elemental energy with the Dojutsu until he locked onto one specific signature. "Right there."

Aether hummed in curiosity. "What did you find? Anything related to taking out Osial?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. On the other hand, I believe I've found the mastermind behind this." He looked at Childe with a somewhat scary smile. "Our old friend Rosalyne is back; and it looks like she's taken charge in your stead. *haha* Wonder how that'll sit with the Tsaritsa."

Childe scoffed as he crouched down next to Naruto. "I suppose we'll see, though knowing Signora, she'll probably pin this on me."

Naruto hummed before standing up and holding his hand out to Childe. "Oh yeah! We need to get you in the loop." The ginger tilted his head curiously and pulled himself up with Naruto's help. "Now where to start? Oh yeah, let's start with Morax himself…"

Lumine blocked a dagger from a Fatui agent and slashed him in the chest before kicking him In the wound. The agent used a smoke bomb to escape, while the tell-tale buzzing of Cicin and the slight tingle on her skin, alerted her to an attack by an Electro Cicin mage. She quickly dodged a strike and found the offending mage, floating in the air surrounded by what looked like an Electro halo, along with a Hydrogunner Legionnaire lugging his heavy backpack towards one of the ballistae. She smiled. 'Naruto said adding Electro to Hydro will electrocute anyone in the area that's Wet. He also said that Anemo can spread Hydro. Let's hope I can do this right.'

She used Anemo to run towards the Hydrogunner while avoiding the blasts of Electro from the Cicin mage. As she was closing in, the Hydrogunner spotted Lumine and aimed his weapon, but she was faster. She leaped over the weapon and jammed her Dull Blade into the barrel before leaping into the air and throwing her Favonius Sword into the weapon's tank. In the air, she did a quick sweep of the area and locked on to the locations of the other Fatui, before using her Anemo to create a powerful updraft, dragging in any nearby enemies to the area and keeping herself in the air. Once she was happy, she called back her sword, letting the Hydro and Anemo mix, turning the updraft blue. She spun around in the air and threw her sword at the Cicin mage.

Watching from afar, a smile spread across Naruto's face as he watched Lumine's game-plan play out. "Not bad Lumine. Not bad. I suppose it is around that time." He looked at Osial. "Oh?" The others looked at him and he just pointed at Osial. "He's charging up, and we need a cover story, so I'll be taking my leave. Oh yeah, please, let me know what you think of my debut."

With that, he disappeared in a yellow flash, while Aether and Childe smiled as one. "Things are about to get interesting."

The Favonius Sword travelled through the air and hit the floating Cicin Mage's Catalyst, causing the weapon to explode and release Electro energy in a wide radius. The purple came into contact with the light blue updraft and Lumine heard the tell-tale crackles as she braced herself for the pain.

However, before she could feel any pain, she felt something pull her from her hand, dragging her out of the updraft and throwing her towards the floor. She spun midair and landed on her feet and saw a familiar glimpse of blond hair peeking through the vortex. 'Wait, Naruto! Oh no!'

Just as the though passed her head, the Electro met the Hydrogunner's tank creating a massive explosion of Electro and Hydro. It drew everyone's attention and they looked in awe as Lumine's Electro-Chaged updraft, slowly turned into a vortex that swept up every single Fatui on the platform before spewing out a figure from the top. The figure spun around and landed next to Lumine in a battle crouch, sliding a few feet back before standing up with a smile. "Hey there! Sorry I was late! The vortex should keep them occupied for a while now."

Keqing chuckled. "You sure know how to make an entrance Naruto. Still, something like that was quite a spectacle, even for you."

Naruto nonchalantly scratched his head. "Ah, it was nothing. She made the updraft and I just burrowed it." He then turned to look at Lumine with the same smile. "Good work on the updraft. Imagine my surprise when I saw one of my techniques on the field on the completely wrong elements."

Lumine tilted her head in confusion and Naruto chuckled. "For an Electro Charged reaction, you use two separate vortexes, one to trap the enemies with Hydro, and the other to charge that vortex with Electro."

Lumine blinked. "And how do you do that?" She instinctively looked behind her to see that Keqing and even Paimon, (who stayed behind) looked very confused.

Naruto opened his mouth to answer, but he was interrupted by the arrival of some more Fatui. Instead of being disappointed, he just smiled. "How about I give you a demonstration? Keqing! Can you shock one of them for me? Thanks!"

Keqing did as asked and Naruto ran off. On the way, he summoned the Kubikiribocho and threw it at another Hydrogunner's tank before calling upon a tornado to trap him. It swept through the collection of enemies before stopping at the Hydrogunner, imbuing itself with Hydro and growing more powerful. There was one Electro Cicin Mage left out of the loop, who breathed a sigh of relief, until one of Keqing's Stilettos pierced her weapon and sent a surge of Electro through her body. Just as she recovered, another tornado wrapped around her as it circled towards the Hydro tornado, before shifting to envelop it. With one last gust of Anemo, he sent the vortex off the platform, sending the Fatui to who knew where. Everyone watched him with some level of awe as he took out a whole Fatui legion by himself. 'So that's why Mondstadt's become a nightmare for the Fatui. Because he's there.' Nigguang though, reflecting on the information her 'children' provided her.

Through all this, Xiao was quiet. 'That's a powerful technique, but why would he use it? Why here; and why now?' He looked at his friend with narrowed eyes. 'You were never one to show off Naruto, so what are you planning?'

Just as they were content, the Adepti fired several more shots at Osial, only for them to be shrugged off like nothing. The god moved his heads as a colossal orb of Hydro energy floated up between them. He aimed it into the air and threw it upwards, much to the disbelief of many. It sailed above the clouds, before dispersing into a volley of Hydro meteors.

"Look out! That's Osial's divine power! Get out of there now!" Ganyu's shout was followed by the impact of the projectiles, as the platform of Geo energy cracked apart and broke into pieces. Ningguang tried her best to hold on until everyone got back on solid ground, but the strength of the ancient god still overpowered her, making the platform give way before everyone was back on solid ground.

Lumine felt the ground break beneath her feet, sending her plummeting towards the sea as Paimon dove in after her with a shout. Before she got any further though, Xiao's gloved hand pulled her towards the Yaksha as he teleported back to the Jade Chamber. "You okay?" She nodded and looked around to see the Adepti carrying Keqing and some Millelith soldiers back to the Jade Chamber.

However, when she looked through the faces, she noticed that one seemed missing. "Where's Naruto?" At her words, Keqing and Xiao both looked around, only to see a disturbing lack of a certain whiskered blond. "Did anyone see him?"

The Adepti shook their heads. "One is sorry Traveler, but there are more pressing matters at hand." Moon Carver spoke firmly. Unfortunately, Lumine had to agree. It was one life compared to the lives of an entire harbor.

Meanwhile, Naruto watched the situation unfold from the top of the Jade Chamber without being seen. He had sent a Shadow clone to take his place and dispel itself in some form of accident to visibly take him out of the picture. 'That way, they won't think of me when they think of Sage.' In this case, the platform breaking provided him with the perfect opportunity to take himself out of the game, and he'd be damned if he didn't take it. He looked up to see Osial charging up another, smaller strike, making him sigh and put on his mask.

Within seconds, he was fully transformed and he rose up onto his feet as the volley of meteors curved towards the Jade Chamber. He raised his hand with a sigh and a crack of his neck. "Time to go to work."

Lumine watched in horror as the Overlord of the Vortex charged up multiple shots within each of its heads, before firing them all towards the floating pavilion. She heard Keqing ordering people to move away and Ningguang move the Jade Chamber to try and evade the attack, but it was clear that it won't be enough. "Everyone! Brace for impact!" Keging shouted as everyone kneeled on the ground and Ningguang tilted the Jade chamber to try to deflect some of the attack. Everyone closed their eyes, but Lumine looked on.

Suddenly, her eyes widened as thin black rods shot towards the shots, causing them to implode into them as they clattered to the ground. She looked towards the source and her eyes widened even further when she saw a figure balancing on the apex of the Jade Chamber with their hand outstretched. He turned his head towards Lumine and she felt a chill creeping down her spine. Bright gold met ringed purple as she felt another jolt of ice travel through her spine.

The figure broke eye contact and looked towards Osial, who attacked with another volley of Hydro bullets, and disappeared in a black mist. Lumine frantically looked around and saw the figure standing in front of the Jade Chamber, midair, on what looked like a black colored, cracked platform. A snap of the figure's fingers caused Osial's attack to implode back into itself as he turned around. Once he was sure that the god needed some time to recharge, he turned around and walked towards the floating palace.

"Well, well, well. I come for a visit and, an ancient god is raging, while the Fatui are rampaging. ~" Everyone looked up from the ground to see the imposing mask of Sage. "Xiao! It's only been two days, but it feels like years. And you…" He looked at Lumine. "Umm… Xiao, who is she again?"

Xiao sighed and crossed his arms. "Cut the drama Sage. As for her, she's the Traveler."

Sage slumped and with a depressed cloud over his head, but everyone else now looked at him with fear. "Xiao…" Cloud Retainer began slowly. "By the way you address him, is One to believe he's Sage, of the Abyss Order?"

Xiao nodded and everyone drew their weapon on slumped man and Ninggaung summoned her Catalyst. "What are you doing here, monster of the Abyss?" She asked in a commanding voice while subtly gathering Geo energy.

A long, loud sigh came from Sage as he straightened up and cracked his back. "Why am I here?" he asked calmly. "Well, unlike the others, I believe that having connections can be quite helpful, but seeing as no one is willing to make friends with poor old me, I operate on a contract of favors, under equivalent exchange. For those who don't understand, think of it like an eye for an eye or a leg for a leg; if what you offer me is useful, then I'll make sure to give you something with the same value. Nothing higher, and nothing lower."

He started walking around the Jade chamber, ignoring all the weapons pointed at him as his coat swayed with a certain grace. "And right now, with this kind of crisis in Liyue and Morax, why not take the chance to secure a powerful bargaining chip, eh?"

Lumine gripped her sword while Cloud Retainer just scoffed. "You think you can defeat a god that took Rex Lapis to seal away? Hmph. One is amused by your overconfidence."

Sage just laughed and disappeared. "For the one that made the Guizhong Ballista, you aren't very smart, now, are you?" Everyone turned towards the Jade chamber, where Sage was just sitting on the roof. "You just admitted that you don't stand a chance! Besides, look alive! We have incoming!"

Lumine turned, and, sure enough, another volley of Osial's Hydro bullets were flying towards the Jade Chamber. Sage snapped his fingers and a large purple dome surrounded the Jade chamber, eating up all the hits and growing and growing thicker. "That all you got big guy!?" He asked loudly. "In that case, here's something that'll pique your fancy!"

With that, Sage teleported back to the apex of the Jade Chamber and held out his hand. "Let's see if you're really all that they claim you are." The barrier glowed it disintegrated and shifted into a large blue spiral in front of the Jade Chamber. "Brace yourself! Overlord of the Vortex!" A snap of his fingers sent a beam of Hydro straight towards the Overlord, carving a hole in the ocean and disintegrating him completely. Everyone looked on in awe, but Sage teleported in front of them and crossed his arms. "It's not over yet. That was a Hydro attack, and this is a Hydro god."

Sure enough, the god started to slowly regenerate but was quicker. "Hmm. Let's try this, shall we? Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu!" Everyone stared in awe as a yellow eyed dragon made of water rose up out of the water, circling around Osial before crashing into him, dazing the god and trapping him in a whirlpool. "Here's some knowledge for you." Everyone listened closely as Sage walked off the Jade Chamber using the same method Lumine saw before. "The reason Rex Lapis never killed this god, is because of the damage it would cause to Liyue harbor. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I do not have such reservations, so I'll be dealing with him, my way." With that, he disappeared from sight.

Everyone frantically looked around until Lumine pointed right above the god. Sure enough, Sage was hovering over the god with a raised hand. He brought it down and four black rods descended around the god, before being connected by red colored, transparent walls. The god tried to break free, but any attempts were futile as the barrier held strong. "Listen, Overlord of the Vortex! Even though you've been freed from your shackles; the Abyss is after you! Therefore, I'll make you an offer you cannot refuse. Leave no, and no one will chase you. I can provide you with a safe location where you can live. Do you agree?"

Osial paused, thinking it over for a few seconds, before roaring at him. Sage sighed. "Very well." He raised his hand and a small black orb with rings appeared in his hand. "Farewell, Overlord. Dai rasenringan." He dropped the orb from his hand and it lazily fell towards the ground. Just before it hit, Sage teleported back to the Jade Chamber. "Brace yourselves."

The Adepti scoffed, but the next second, a blinding white light came from the barrier, making everyone cover their eyes. Even then, they felt the Jade Chamber moving with the wind caused by the attack. When they felt it stop, the first thing they saw, was a massive tidal wave headed towards Liyue harbor and the absence of Sage.

"Kuchiyose: Sanju Rashomon!" Suddenly, three gates, each with their own demonic faces carved on them, rose out of the ocean, absorbing the impact of the waves before they hit the harbor. On top of the third one, they saw Sage, surveying his work and nodding to himself with a satisfied air about him. He looked back at the Jade Chamber and disappeared, only to reappear behind Ningguang. "Ahem. I have neutralized the threat. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a walk. Also, equivalent exchange. Do not forget it." With that, he walked towards the edge of the Jade Chamber and turned around to face everyone. His eyes lingered on Lumine for a second, and she felt that chill once again. "May we meet again, under better circumstances." He made an exaggerated bow before leaning backwards, falling off the Jade Chamber and disappearing into thin air.

Everyone stared at the location where he disappeared for a good few seconds, before Ningguang gave a heavy sigh and piloted the Jade Chamber back to the ground. Lumine gave herself a once over before doing a quick stretch and getting ready to leave and find Naruto. "Traveler, please wait a moment." Ningguang asked gently. "The negotiations are not over yet." Lumine sighed and decided to stay. Hopefully, Naruto could hold on for a few minutes longer, right? …Right?

Naruto reappeared back on the hill and walked up behind Aether with his mask off. "So, what did you think?" He asked casually. Childe turned to him with somewhat of a downcast expression, making Naruto tilt his head in confusion. "What's wrong Ajax?"

He sighed. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't done this, then maybe you wouldn't have had to reveal yourself."

Naruto nodded to himself before walking up to Childe and slapping him in the face. Childe looked at him in shock while Naruto just shook his hand. "That wasn't you Childe. That was your Delusion talking. If it's already affecting your emotions to that level, that thing could take your life someday. Let it go, and we'll consider ourselves even. Also, forget what I said at that restaurant that day."

Aether nodded. "He's right. Besides, if you ever need a place to crash, our door is open for you, anytime."

Childe smiled and shook hands with Naruto and Aether before disappearing. Once he was gone, Naruto turned to face the others. "So, are we still meeting up tonight?"

Kaeya and Dain nodded. "We're free, and he's always free." Said the latter. Naruto nodded before taking his own leave.

Meanwhile, a certain Adeptus with glowing amber eyes watched from afar. 'Things are definitely getting interesting.'

4k words. Pretty good for a three day rush. Also, incase anyone's wondering, I am a fan of Hellsing Abridged.

Sorry for the late upload. It was a very busy week (much busier than expected) and I rushed to write this this Sunday. Hopefully, it's not too bad, even though I did rush quite a bit. Between this and studying, I also managed to play ZZZ's new quest. Caesar almost died but the real tragedy was Old Man Pompey. Either way, hope you enjoyed, and sorry again for the late upload. Peace out!