Book 10: Eternal Thunderstorm

by Fir100

The time has come for Team XDR to venture into Inazuma and figure out the reason for the Vision Hunt Decree and the Sakoku Decree. In addition, the fated meeting with the Raiden Shogun will test their resolve, especially for a certain valkyrie. Will our heroes be able to bring peace within the Nation of Eternity?

Book 10: Eternal Thunderstorm

Chapter 1: The Abyss Strikes

---

Zeo's Narration: With the completion of acquiring another Gjallarhorn fragment in the world of Kirby, or rather, its Another Dimension, we returned to the Symphogear world to give Genjuro our report and to store the Gjallarhorn Ridewatch. We also gained new allies in the process; Guinaifen, Tingyun and Sushang from the Amber Universe, a reformed Magolor who somehow survived being controlled by the Master Crown, and last but not least, Raychel Lunamaria who's from Prime Earth like me, Akira and Gaius, becoming the next Kamen Rider Tsukuyomi. We were not expecting her to appear via Dimensional Quake, but it's nice to have another friend of ours to join us.

After giving the report, Akira decided to briefly take Raychel back to Prime Earth to collect her stuff since this multiversal journey will be a very long one, while I took Magolor, Guinaifen, Tingyun and Sushang to Teyvat, the latter three will be staying in Liyue Harbor until we find a way to visit the Amber Universe. Genjuro should be contacting Ningguang for our arrival. As for Magolor, I plan to let Mona in Mondstadt take care of him. He should be able to learn some new stuff from her as time goes by. Oh don't worry, we made sure he changed into his new attire. Gotta give the astrologist a good first impression.

Right then, time to pay the City of Freedom a quick visit.

---

Mondstadt City, Teyvat

Daytime

(Play BGM: Bustling Afternoon in Mondstadt - Genshin Impact OST)

After using S.O.N.G.'s Dimensional Gateway, Zeo, Regina, Magolor, Tingyun, Guinaifen and Sushang arrived inside Mondstadt's XDR Base. Afterwards, they came out of the base to see the amazing sights of the City of Freedom.

Zeo took in the fresh calming air. "Gotta love the smell of freedom everytime I come to this city."

"So this is Mondstadt… It looks mesmerizing…" Magolor remarked as he and the three Xianzhou residents looked around in awe. Magolor's attire is now wearing a green shopkeeper garb with some parts of his old outfit repaired and cleaned up.

"Wait till you see the rest of this region. It gets better." Regina said.

Guinaifen decided to take photos of the city using her Zikan Phone, and also a few selfies. "Remember Guinaifen, the photos you take here are only for personal use. Not for the public." Tingyun reminded.

"Don't worry, I didn't forget. But I'm cherishing these photos as souvenirs." Guinaifen replied. "Now that I think about it, I feel like I'm taking over March 7th's job as a photographer. Only difference is that I'm also a streamer."

"This atmosphere feels different compared to the Xianzhou Loufu." Sushang remarked. "Makes me wonder what Liyue looks like when we go there later?"

"Probably a familiar feeling just like the Xianzhou." Tingyun answered. "Only difference is that Liyue is not technologically advanced. Is that right, Zeo?"

"Mhm." Zeo nodded. "But before we head for Liyue using the Trans Server, we need to look for Mona, so we'll head for her lab."

"Oh, you're coming to see me?"

A familiar voice from the right gained everyone's attention. "Hey Mona! It's been a while." Regina greeted with a wave.

"It sure has." Mona replied before noticing the newcomers. "And it seems you gained some new allies during your journey."

"So you must be this Mona Magistus Zeo and the others mentioned." Magolor approached and shook the astrologist's hand. "My name is Magolor, pleasure to meet you. I recently joined the Rebellion after they helped me."

"My name is Tingyun." The Foxian greeted with a bow. "And these are Guinaifen and Sushang. We're from the Xianzhou Luofu. And before you ask, that location is not from Liyue."

"Is that so?" Mona responded.

"It's a long story." Zeo answered. "But is it okay if Magolor stays with you? He can tell you about our recent mission."

"Don't worry, I'll be nice." Magolor added.

"Well… if he's a member of the Rebellion, then I guess it's okay." Mona replied.

"Great!" Magolor nodded happily. "So where are those travelers, Aether and Lumine?"

"Aether, along with Paimon, Miriam and Galdo, went to Dragonspine to help with Albedo's research under Sucrose's request." Mona answered. "As for Lumine, she went to deal with a commission by the Adventurers' Guild in Liyue. Tsubasa and Yae Sakura joined her after finishing their training here. And for Houki and Mei, they went with Venti for a request."

"Wait, Galdo?!" Zeo exclaimed.

"He finally woke up while we're gone?!" Regina gasped.

"Indeed." Mona confirmed. "After Genjuro and Elfnein gave him food and a quick medical check, he was assigned with Kallen to join the Adventurers' Guild. Though it's a shame he can't use his full potential as a Fairy Fencer without his fairy partner Marissa possessing his Fury weapon."

"Ah. So he gave you the details of his world of Zelwinds, correct?" Zeo guessed, earning a nod from the astrologist.

"Finally woke up? What do you mean by that?" Sushang asked.

"Oh, me and Akira found him at the Sands of Time along with Lumine, Noelle and Sucrose a few months ago, and Galdo was unconscious and in pretty bad shape." Regina recalled. "Thank goodness he's alright. Now all that's left is to find a way to Zelwinds using the Gjallarhorn Ridewatches."

"I wonder if the one we found might be it? Or it could lead us back to the Amber Universe?" Guinaifen pondered.

"We'll think about that after we drop you, Sushang and Tingyun off to Liyue." Zeo replied.

"Anyway, since I'm gonna be staying with Mona…" Magolor took out the Gem Apple sapling from his pocket and gave it to Zeo. "You said Aether and/or Lumine has the Serenitea Pot, right? You know what to do when you find either of them."

"Leave it to me, Magolor." Zeo replied, taking the sapling.

"That sapling…" Mona noticed. "May I have a closer look?"

"Sure." Zeo replied, allowing the astrologist to have a closer look.

Mona moved her hand over to the sapling to check its magic power, and it surprised the astrologist. "Amazing… For such a small sapling, it has a very considerable amount of magic."

"Wait till it grows into a Gem Apple tree. It gets better." Magolor said. "But it's better to plant it in a safe location. Don't want any bad apples to steal or corrupt it."

"No wonder you're planning on planting it inside the Serenitea Pot. Fair enough." Mona noted. "Fortunately, Aether, Miriam and Galdo should be back soon, so I'd suggest waiting for a moment."

"Not me." Regina said. "I'm gonna pay Jean a visit. Maybe she'll give me something to do to pass the time. On that note, see ya!" She waved before leaving for the Knights of Favonius HQ.

"Later, Regina!" Guinaifen waved back.

"Well then Magolor, shall we get going?" Mona asked, earning a nod from the interdimensional traveler.

"Take good care of that sapling! Bye for now!" Magolor waved as he and Mona left for the latter's lab.

Tingyun giggled. "I think those two could work well together."

"So what's Aether, Miriam and Galdo like?" Sushang asked.

"Well Aether and his twin sibling Lunime were dimensional travelers with Paimon as their familiar and guide, Miriam's a Shardbinder and Galdo's a Fairy Fencer." Zeo answered.

"Oh, is that them?" Guinaifen noticed familiar faces coming from the city's main gate, revealing to be Aether, Paimon, Miriam and Galdo.

"Hey guys, over here!" Zeo waved, earning their attention and approached.

"Hey Zeo! It's been a while!" Paimon greeted.

"And it looks like you've gotten a lot stronger since we last met." Miriam added.

"Your sister's not with you this time?" Aether asked.

"She'll come by later. Needed to take care of an errand first." Zeo answered before turning to the Fencer resting his Fury scythe over his shoulder. "Good to see you're feeling better, Galdo."

"Heh, yep! Feeling great after sleeping and having a great meal! Your team sure knows how to be generous!" Galdo grinned before noticing the newcomers. "And these girls are…?"

"Those outfits…" Paimon noticed. "Are you three from Liyue?"

"Not quite." The Foxian answered. "We're from the Xianzhou Luofu. I am Tingyun, and these are Guinaifen and Sushang."

"Another dimension?" Aether guessed.

"Another universe, actually. The Amber Universe." Zeo corrected.

"Seriously?!" Paimon gasped.

"Seriously. But let's save that talk for another time." Zeo nodded before facing the others. "So what kind of research Albedo's looking for?"

"He wanted to see how we use our unique powers." Aether answered.

"He was gonna check on mine but, no Marissa using Fairy Link on my Fury, no wind magic." Galdo shrugged.

"Yeah, kind of a bummer since he also uses a scythe." Paimon added.

"As for me, he did comment on how unique my Shardbinder powers are, and is willing to find a solution to my crystallisation problem." Miriam said.

"Crystallisation problem?" Tingyun repeated. "You're cursed?"

"Correct." Miriam nodded. "It was the result of alchemy in my world. I'll be fully crystallised if I absorb too many shards from defeated monsters or other magical sources."

"That's terrible!" Sushang gasped.

"Not to worry, I can manage." Miriam assured. "I'll still need to use this power to protect the innocent and the defenceless."

"If you say so." Tingyun replied.

"By the way Galdo, what made your condition a mess when Akira and her team found you?" Zeo asked.

"Blame that backstabber Sherman that joined that crazy goddess cult; the Septerion Club." Galdo frowned.

"Backstabber?" Sushang repeated. "What happened?"

"Well… Sherman was one of Fang's allies in our hunt for the Furies to revive the Goddess." Galdo explained. "But things got pretty dicey when the Vile God was revived… until someone else killed it and left. And that guy didn't even use a Fury!"

"Wait. Someone else defeated the Vile God instead of Fang's party?!" Zeo thought in surprise. "At least we know which timeline this Galdo is from; the Evil Goddess route from Advent Dark Force. No wonder he mentioned the Septerion Club."

"After that, stuff happened and a bright light showed up from outta nowhere and separated us. Next thing I knew, I was captured by the Septerion Club at Zelwinds City for my execution. And I didn't even do anything bad yet!"

"Execution?!" Guinaifen gasped.

"Don't worry, Fang, Eryn and Marissa were able to help me escape. Too bad our escape didn't go so well during the trek through the Zawaza Plains. The moment Sherman showed up with that weird glass of wine and asked us to join the Septerion Club, he's officially a traitor."

"A weird glass of wine?" Tingyun repeated.

"We heard Galdo's story during our adventure in Dragonspine earlier. According to what he saw, that wine can make people go crazy, not to mention very expensive." Paimon recalled. "Paimon can't imagine if people drank that wine too much."

"Death. That's the answer." Miriam answered.

"Diluc and Diona would be pissed if they saw that." Aether said.

"So how did you manage to escape Sherman?" Sushang asked.

"Well… I had to hold Sherman off so the others could escape. And I decided to hit him hard with one final surprise; a bomb." Galdo answered.

"A bomb?!" Guinaifen exclaimed. "You became a suicide bomber to stop him?!"

"Heh." Galdo smirked. "Well I do like fireworks, though I never thought I'd become one myself. But eh, that's life."

"I like fireworks too, but not for blowing myself up!" Guinaifen retorted.

"Don't worry, last time I'm doing that stunt." Galdo assured. "And that's all I knew before I woke up inside the Zi-O Liner. Can't believe my coma lasted several months. At least the medication and buffet was worth it. So Zeo, found a way back to Zelwinds yet?"

"We didn't get to use our recent Gjallarhorn Ridewatch yet. Maybe some other time." Zeo replied.

"Fair enough. Though I'm worried about Marissa, Fang and Eryn. Hope they got away safely." Galdo said before frowning. "Sherman and his Septerion Club are gonna pay for that betrayal when I get back to Zelwinds."

"Then I hope you don't mind if we join you." Miriam offered.

"Heh, that's what I'm hoping you'd say!" Galdo grinned. "But we gotta find my pals first before we go after those crazy justice nutjobs."

"Paimon thinks we should also bring along Diluc, Diona and Sucrose to make some kind of antidote for that strange wine." Paimon suggested.

"Not a bad idea." Aether agreed. "That way, we could cure the affected wine victims. Though we need to get that strange wine first."

"If you're gonna do that, don't buy it. Again, those things are freakin' expensive." Galdo warned. "Just steal it from one of the Septerion Club's wine factories before blowing it to hell."

"Then that will be our Zelwinds campaign besides searching for a Gjallarhorn fragment there." Zeo declared. "Galdo, we'll contact you when the portal to Zelwinds is revealed."

"Thanks. I could use the help." Galdo smiled. "Anyway, I gotta go turn in my commission to the guild and get paid so I can eat. Aether, Miriam, Paimon, thanks for the help."

"Anytime, Galdo." Aether replied as he and the others smiled back.

"Tingyun, Guinaifen, Sushang, Zeo, nice meeting you three. See ya!" Galdo waved to the group before leaving.

"So… why are you guys here?" Paimon asked.

"The path to the Amber Universe will take a while to be discovered. Until then, Tingyun, Guinaifen and Sushang will stay in Liyue Harbor." Zeo answered. "But first… are you holding the Serenitea Pot, Aether?"

"I do." Aether replied, pulling out said teapot. "You need to use it right now?"

"It'll only take a minute." Zeo moved his hand over the pot and vanished after focusing on it, which surprised the Xianzhou trio.

"W-Where did he go?!" Sushang asked.

"He went inside the Serenitea Pot." Paimon answered. "It's a portable sub-space realm. Looks small on the outside, but huge on the inside."

"Is that so?" Tingyun questioned.

"Yup yup!" Paimon nodded. "Perfect for travelling."

"Mind if I go inside and see?" Guinaifen asked.

"Perhaps another time, Guinaifen." Tingyun answered.

Moments later, Zeo appeared out of the teapot, dusting off his hands. "Okay, the sapling has been planted. Gonna take a long while for it to become a tree."

"Paimon, sis and I will check its progress from time to time. We'll let you know once it's grown into a tree." Aether said.

"Thanks, Traveler." Zeo smiled before clapping his hands once. "Alright, let's go to Liyue using the Trans Server. Follow me."

---

(BGM End)

Liyue Harbor

(Play BGM: Liyue Main Theme - Genshin Impact OST)

After using the Trans Server inside Mondstadt's Team XDR Base, Zeo's team arrived in Liyue's XDR Base. Afterwards, they left the base and made their way to Liyue Harbor which made the Xianzhou trio awe at the sight.

"Welcome to Liyue Harbor!" Paimon said to the Xianzhou trio. "Pretty amazing, isn't it?"

"Wow… the atmosphere feels just like the Xianzhou." Sushang remarked.

"Can't wait to do some street performing here! The people will love it!" Guinaifen smiled.

"I'll let you do that after we meet Lady Ningguang since she's in charge of this city." Zeo said. "She should be at Yujing Terrace."

"Then by all means, please lead the way." Tingyun replied as Zeo's team escorted the Xianzhou trio to Yujing Terrace.

Upon arriving at said location, they saw Fu Hua and Keqing having a conversation. "Fu Hua! Keqing!" Aether shouted and waved, earning their attention and approached them.

"Hello, Traveler, everyone. Good to see you." Keqing greeted.

"Looked like an important conversation when we first saw you." Miriam said.

"It's not that important. Just normal Liyue affairs." Fu Hua replied before noticing the newcomers. "Hm, never seen these three before."

"That's because they're not from Liyue. They're actually from the Xianzhou Luofu." Zeo answered. "This is Tingyun the Foxian, Guiniafen the street performer, and Sushang the Cloud Knight."

"This is Keqing, Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing; and Fu Hua, a member of the Rebellion." Aether introduced.

"On behalf of the Liyue Qixing, welcome to Liyue Harbor." Keqing greeted the Xianzhou trio with a bow.

"Thank you for the greeting, Keqing." Tingyun replied as she, Guinaifen and Sushang bowed back.

Fu Hua however, had a different look when a certain name was mentioned. "Wait… Sushang?" She turned to the Cloud Knight recruit. "Excuse me, do you know about Schicksal?"

"Umm… what?" Sushang blinked.

"Huh?" The others responded in confusion.

"Fu Hua, Sushang is from the Xianzhou Loufu. She doesn't know about that organization." Zeo pointed out… before his eyes widen in realization. "Wait a sec… don't tell me there's a version of Sushang in your world?!"

"...That is correct. I've seen her records, but never met her in person." Fu Hua nodded in confirmation, shocking everyone.

"I-I… have a counterpart?!" Sushang gasped.

"Care to explain about that, Fu Hua?" Tingyun asked.

"The Li Sushang I know from my world is an S-Rank Valkyrie from Schicksal and quite skilled in the Taixuan swordsmanship." Fu Hua explained.

"Okay, was not expecting a news bombshell like that to drop. And I never got that far into Honkai Impact 3rd." Zeo thought while glancing at Sushang.

"Wow…" Sushang spoke in awe. "Was the me in your world strong?"

"Very." Fu Hua confirmed. "Though I wonder what you're like currently."

"I'm just a Cloud Knight recruit and made plenty of mistakes." Sushang answered. "But I did hold my ground against a Cloud Knight lieutenant. I still have a long way to go before I reach a higher rank."

"I see. In that case…" Fu Hua offered a hand. "Since you'll be staying in Liyue for the time being, would you like to become my disciple?"

"A disciple? Umm…" Sushang tried to answer.

"Not a bad idea, Fu Hua." Zeo said. "Sushang can definitely learn a lot from you."

"Go ahead and accept it, Sushang." Aether insisted. "By the time you and the others return to the Xianzhou, you'll be a lot stronger than before."

"General Jing Yuan and Lieutenant Yanqing will be impressed by your growth once you show them." Tingyun added.

"Just go for it, Sushang! You'll do great!" Guinaifen also added.

"Well… if my friends are okay with it…" Sushang said before shaking Fu Hua's hand. "Alright, I'll be your disciple."

"Glad to hear it." Fu Hua smiled. "When do you want to begin training?"

"I just got here, so maybe I should see the sights of Liyue first." Sushang answered.

"Leave that to me." Fu Hua noted. "We'll be heading out now."

"I'll see you guys later!" Sushang waved to the group as she and Fu Hua left.

"Go with them, Guinaifen. Maybe you can find a suitable place to perform your acts along the way." Tingyun suggested.

"Good idea! I'll be going then!" Guinaifen replied before going after the duo. "Wait for me, you guys!"

"See you later!" Paimon waved.

"Now then, is Lady Ningguang in her office right now?" Zeo asked the Yuheng. "She should be getting a message from Genjuro already."

"Yes." Keqing nodded. "Tingyun, please follow me."

"Very well, I'm in your care." Tingyun bowed.

"Zeo, Aether, Paimon, Miriam, one more thing." Keqing spoke. "Ganyu has a commission for you. She'll be waiting at the Adventurers' Guild."

"Gotcha, we'll head there ASAP." Zeo replied with a thumbs up.

"Best of luck with the commission." Tingyun said to the group.

"Same to your meeting with Ningguang. See ya!" Aether replied as the Yuheng escorted the Foxian to Ningguang while everyone else head for the Adventurers' Guild.

---

Moments later, they arrived at their destination where they saw Ganyu, along with Lumine, Tsubasa and Yae Sakura.

"Hey there, Ganyu!" Zeo greeted, earning their attention and approached them.

"Hey, Lumine. Tsubasa. Sakura." Aether also greeted.

"Looks like you're done helping with Albedo's research." Lumine said.

"Yup, all taken care of!" Paimon nodded. "And how did your commission go?"

"It was supposed to be a simple ore and geological logistics commission, but it turned out to be a long and difficult one." Tsubasa answered.

"Did it involve fighting a really strong monster?" Miriam guessed.

"An ancient geo dragon, actually." Sakura answered. "Fortunately, Zhongli was there to assist."

"A geo dragon?!" Aether and Paimon gasped.

"I know, right?" Ganyu said. "I could hardly believe it when they told me about that commission. And they're not lying."

"It's a pretty long story, so we'll explain some other time." Lumine said. "So I'm guessing you're also here for Ganyu's commission?"

"Yep. Keqing told us about it." Zeo nodded. "So what's the sitch, Ganyu?"

"I had a discussion with Lan earlier about the Treasure Hoarders. We were just saying how even the audacious Treasure Hoarders should know better than to mess with the Abyss. it's just too evil."

"The Abyss?!" The group exclaimed.

"Mm." Ganyu nodded. "We recently received intel from the Ministry of Civil Affairs that two big-time Treasure Hoarders in Liyue and Mondstadt are planning some big joint operation."

"Two big-time Treasure Hoarders?" Miriam repeated.

"They're known as Big Sis of the South and Raptor of the North."

"Ahh! Raptor!" Paimon remembered. "Paimon remembers he tried to run away from Amber in Mondstadt. But who is 'Big Sis of the South'?"

"Is she the 'Boss' the Treasure Hoarders refer to?" Aether guessed.

"Correct. The head of Liyue's Treasure Hoarders." Ganyu nodded in confirmation. "Some say that the God of Thieves even bestowed her a gift for her exploits, making her the 'Big Sis of the Gods', but that's probably just a wild rumor. Anyway, the Treasure Hoarders discovered some previously unexplored ruins that the Abyss Order has been secretly guarding in the shadows. Despite how dangerous that makes it, all the Treasure Hoarders can think about is what kinds of treasure could be inside."

"Why am I not surprised?" Sakura deadpanned.

"They have already devised a plan: they will send out a decoy to divert the Abyss Order's forces away from the ruins, then send an expert thief inside to steal the treasure. To this end, Big Sis and Raptor have reportedly recruited a certain 'Grand Thief' from Fontaine."

"A grand thief, huh?" Zeo mused.

"Mhm." Ganyu nodded. "He's an extraordinary person and highly respected in the Treasure Hoarders, in the same way that the adventurers look up to great adventurers."

"So kind of like Alice and Stanley. Two amazing adventurers." Aether thought.

"Despite being relative big-timers in Liyue and Mondstadt, Big Sis and Raptor had to put in a lot of work to convince a thief of his status to come and personally oversee this operation. With the major changes in Liyue recently, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Millelith already have their hands full. They don't have time to investigate rumors about Treasure Hoarder activity. But anything related to the Abyss makes me feel like there is some unknown danger lurking beneath the surface. So, I decided to come to the Adventurers' Guild to post a commission, and then told Keqing about it so you can hear the news."

"And since it involves the Abyss Order, we'll gladly take that commission." Zeo declared.

"Mhm!" Paimon nodded. "Leave the commission to the Rebellion!"

"Thank you, I appreciate the help." Ganyu smiled, taking out her Zikan Phone showing Liyue's map and placing a marker for them to see. "Head to Bishui Plains over here where you'll find the Treasure Hoarders' trail. Best of luck, Xross Drive Rebellion."

"Thanks, Ganyu." Lumine replied. "Alright, let's get going!"

"Right!" The team replied back and left for their destination.

(BGM End)

---

Bishui Plains, Liyue

After changing into their battlesuits, the team used their Wind Gliders to fly to the marker location at Bishui Plains. They soon arrived at their destination where they saw the Treasure Hoarders' trail leading into a cave near the lake.

"This must be where the Treasure Hoarders are heading." Zi-O observed the cave entrance. "Everybody stay close, we don't want to get ambushed." That earned a nod from the group before entering the cave.

Once inside, the cave is full of ruins along with a few crates and a tent with the Treasure Hoarders' crest along with an opened stone door nearby. "Definitely Treasure Hoarder activity here considering there's a tent." Aether noticed the tent.

"And it looks like they went further ahead." Lumine noticed the opened door.

"Let's go deeper inside. Paimon sure hopes Ganyu's information is reliable." Paimon said.

"Don't worry, she's definitely reliable." Miriam replied as they ventured through the opened door.

Eventually, they saw a group of hilichurls resting near a bonfire. "Not much guards here. Never thought those Treasure Hoarders could pull off a plan that successful." Miriam remarked.

"What next?" Tsubasa asked.

"Might as well take advantage of this and take them down before moving on." Zi-O answered. "Tsubasa, Aether, Lumine, giving them raining swords and arrows."

"Roger." The three nodded as Aether and Lumine summoned their bows and took aim above the hilichurls while Tsubasa prepared to throw her Armed Gear above. And in an instant, the hilichurls were eliminated by an arrow storm of Anemo and Geo by the twin Travelers along with falling energy swords from Tsubasa.

Thousand Tears

Once the area is clear, they move on to the next. "More signs that a Treasure Hoarder was here! This should be the right direction, but…" Paimon said as they walked down the hallway while noticing another tent.

"But what?" Miriam asked.

"Why does it feel stranger and stranger the deeper we make it into these ruins?"

"Probably because we're in the Abyss Order's territory." Sakura answered. "Stay close and out of danger, Paimon. Leave the fighting to us."

"Thanks. Paimon will be extra careful."

They soon reach a hallway with a hole at the far end. There's also a purple portal spewing out purple bubbles. "Purple bubbles… That's definitely the Abyss Order's handiwork." Aether observed.

"And our path forward is down there." Lumine noticed the hole in front of the portal.

"Time to start popping bubbles, then." Zi-O pulled out his Zikan Gilade Zyu Mode and X-Baton Blaster, and fired at the bubbles to pop them. "Stay behind me until we reach the hole!"

"Right!" The team nodded as they followed the Rider from behind while moving forward while the Rider kept popping the bubbles at long range. Once they reached the hole, they quickly jumped in with the Rider going last and flew down in their Wind Gilders until they reached solid ground and saw another hallway with jagged rocks on the walls.

They traversed through the hallway and up the stairs where they saw a human thief on his knees next to Barbatos' statue… that's currently upside down. In addition, the crystal orb it's holding is not the usual blue, but a corrupted purple that's absorbing dark energy around the area.

"An upside down Statue of the Seven?!" Aether gasped. "Why is that here?!"

"And that crystal…" Miriam noticed the corrupted crystal. "So much corruption…"

"The Abyss Order must've done something to it." Lumine frowned.

"Wait…" Tsubasa noticed the thief next to the corrupted statue. "Who is that?"

"Based on his attire along with Ganyu's info, I think this must be the Grand Thief." Zi-O assumed as they carefully approached the thief without going close to the corrupted statue. He used his Zikan Phone to check the thief's statues, and responded in shock at the results. "He's… dead…"

"What?!" Everyone gasped in shock.

"Looks like the Abyss Order intercepted the Grand Thief and the Treasure Hoarders, leaving no survivors." Zi-O assumed, putting away his phone. "We gotta get out of here and inform Ganyu about this."

Suddenly, the surge from the corrupted orb caused the ground to shake. "P-Paimon doesn't like the looks of the shaking!" Paimon shuddered. "Where's the exit?!"

They quickly looked around until Sakura saw another hallway to their left leading upwards. "Up there! Hurry!" She shouted and pointed before the team quickly ran towards the hallway.

However, another portal spewing purple bubbles above the exit were in their way. "Here we go again!" Zi-O quickly ran ahead and fired his guns at the bubbles with the others following close behind. In addition, the tiles behind them were starting to crumble.

"Keep moving and don't look back!" Miriam shouted after briefly noticing the crumbling tiles behind her, making the group run faster until they reached the end safely and went up the stairs.

After entering the stone door at the top, they encountered another person wearing a black and dark blue battle robe, blades on his clawed arms, and a full mask with a dark blue crystal on the forehead.

"You cannot spy on the secrets of the Abyss." The person spoke, preparing a combat stance. "You have come here, you have seen our secrets. For this, you must pay the price. As a Herald, I will mete out your punishment."

"Herald… Abyss…" Lumine repeated, before her eyes widen in realization. "Are you an Abyss Herald?!"

"Abyss Herald?!" Aether exclaimed. "The one Dainsleif was after?!"

"Dainsleif?" The Abyss Herald repeated. "I see… I thought you were just mere pests that stumbled in here by mistake. But, you are in league with Dainsleif, that constant annoyance in our affairs. Did he send you here to die? His resistance against the Abyss has gone nowhere for a long time. There is nothing you can do to change the tide. The Abyss... is unstoppable!"

Abyss Herald

"Presager of the Abyss"

"Allow us to prove you wrong." Zi-O answered as the team prepared themselves while Paimon floated to safety. "Tsubasa!"

"Right!" Tsubasa nodded and began singing.

(Play BGM: Gekkō no Tsurugi - Symphogear G)

"Do you think a song would intimidate me?" The Herald unleashed a Hydro slash wave at the Attuned, only for the latter to counter with an Electro slash wave from her Armed Gear which changed into a great blade.

Azure Flash

"This is more than just a song!" Tsubasa answered, unleashing more slash waves, forcing the Herald to evade before rushing towards the Attuned. She changed her weapon back into a katana and clashed with the Herald, blade to blade.

The Herald then performed a Hydro spin slash while Tsubasa retaliated with a handstand spin slash with the blades on her ankles.

Reverse Rakshasa

Unfortunately for the Attuned, it was not enough as the Herald's attack pushed her back, broke her guard, and followed up with a Hydro cross slash wave that sent her crashing to a wall.

=ARMOR TIME!=

=TURN UP! BLADE!=

Zi-O quickly used the Blade Ridewatch to equip the Blade Armor and rushed towards the Herald with his Zikan Gilade Ken Mode and X-Baton, both surged with blue electro. He evaded and slashed through the oncoming Hydro slash waves then jumped over a cross slash wave before performing a rolling electro slash with both weapons. The Herald then performed another Hydro spin slash to counter Zi-O's attack, but the Rider gave more power to his rolling slash once he pulled the trigger on his Zikan Gilade which made it glow brighter, pushing the Herald back and breaking his guard.

This allowed Sakura to perform high speed slashes with her katana in a iaijutsu style to push the Herald back further. Miriam followed up by wrapping the Herald's leg with her chain, pulled him towards the Shardbinder as she delivered rapid Anemo-infused kicks, finishing with a Geo-infused spinning roundhouse kick and released the wrapping. Lumine then materialized a Geo wall for the Herald to crash into, with Aether following up with a Palm Vortex to the chest, smashing the Herald through the chest and breaking the Geo wall, and crashing into a solid wall. Afterwards, Tsubasa followed up with a cross slash-wave with her katana, heavily damaging the Herald before he fell to the floor crackling with electro.

Azure Sword Lightning Punishment

"Damn… you… pests…" The Herald growled, slowly standing up despite taking heavy damage from the assault. "It seems… I've underestimated you…"

"So you still want more, I presume?" Sakura frowned, ready to strike once more.

The Herald turned to the twin Travelers. "You two… Those powers seem familiar…" And then realization sets in. "I see… You two are the ones…!"

"Huh?" All eyes were on the Travelers which were just as confused as they are.

"In that case, I shall stay here no longer." Seeing an opening, the Herald quickly escaped through a dark portal he created before it vanished.

(BGM End)

"Damn it, we looked the other way just a bit and he escaped." Zi-O muttered, reverting back to Base Form.

"No matter. This won't be the last time we'll see him." Sakura stated as they put away their weapons.

"So that was an Abyss Herald." Tsubasa said. "He finally made an appearance."

"But more importantly…" Miriam turned to the Travelers. "It sounds like the Herald knows you two. But why?"

"...Even I don't have an answer to that." Aether replied.

"Neither do I. That completely caught us off guard." Lumine added.

"Anyway…" Paimon regrouped with the team since the fighting stopped. "Paimon thinks we should get out of here. This is giving Paimon the creeps…"

Sakura then noticed a nearby stairway leading to the exit. "Over there, that should be our way out."

"Let's move." Zi-O declared as the team quickly made their way to the exit.

---

The moment they got out of the ruins, they ran into a familiar Bough Keeper, Dainsleif. "So, we meet again."

"Dain!" Paimon responded.

"Dainsleif. Been a while since I last saw you." Zi-O greeted.

"And I see you have allies that I've never recognized." Dainsleif noticed the newcomers.

"So this is Dainsleif. The one who shares the name with the relic for Project Ignite." Tsubasa thought.

"This is Tsubasa, Yae Sakura and Miriam." Aether introduced.

"Girls, this is Dainsleif. He's an adventurer hunting down the Abyss Order." Lumine introduced.

"Where is your sister, Zi-O?" Dainsleif asked.

"Busy at the moment, but she'll come by at a later time." Zi-O answered. "So, what brings you here?"

"I'm searching for the Abyss Herald's trail. I didn't expect to find you here as well."

"About that…" Miriam spoke up. "We encountered him in the ruins we visited earlier. And that's not all…"

---

Moments later…

"An inverted Statue of The Seven... holding Abyssal power in its hands? No, I have never seen such a thing during my time fighting the Abyss... though I have had my suspicions." Dainsleif remarked with his hand on his chin after hearing their explanation. "But good work on holding your ground against the Abyss Herald during your escape."

"Too bad he escaped through a dark portal, and we have no idea where he warped to." Zi-O said. "Should've planted a tracker on him earlier." He thought.

"As expected. Using Abyss portals to avoid being followed."

"So, besides searching for the Herald's trail, what else have you been up to?" Aether asked.

"I did deal with a few Abyss Mages on my way here, and they were digging though abandoned Ruin Guards, looking for something of value." Dainsleif answered.

"Oh, is that so? We kinda like doing that a lot, too. Looking for Chaos Devices, Chaos Circuits... You know, that kinda stuff." Paimon said.

"And then gave them to Einstein for research purposes." Lumine thought.

"Something tells me those mages were looking for something else instead of Chaos parts." Aether also thought with his hand on his chin.

"They wouldn't be searching for such ordinary objects." Dainsleif said. "In fact, I was nearby investigating precisely because Abyss Mages often come out from that ruin to explore. They seem to be searching the remains of Ruin Guards for a certain valuable object to take back to the ruins. However, they look disappointed, so it would seem they haven't found it yet."

"Maybe we should try Geiz's method of interrogating with an Abyss Mage, and it kinda worked." Zi-O suggested.

"I certainly don't mean to be merciful towards these monsters of the Abyss. But I have a feeling that their plan with this object is of major importance to the entire Abyss Order. One can not discover the truth behind it through interrogation. Or rather, these Abyss Mages likely fear something else much more than they do a painful interrogation."

"Something related to what we saw in the ruins earlier?" Miriam guessed.

"Uhh... Paimon is getting goosebumps thinking about all this!" Paimon shuddered.

"Apologies."

"Hm?" Dainsleif then sensed something further ahead.

"You sense something, Dainsleif?" Tsubasa asked.

"More Abyss Mages. We should deal with them quickly." Dainsleif answered before running towards the source.

"O-Oi! Wait for us!" Tsubasa shouted as the team quickly went after him.

---

Upon arrival, they saw a Cryo and Hydro Abyss Mage, a few hilichurls and a Ruin Hunter. "What is that?!" Tsubasa asked when looking at the Hunter.

"That's a Ruin Hunter. Aether, Lumine and I fought this one before." Miriam recalled. "Let the three of us handle this."

"Very well. We'll deal with everything else!" Sakura replied as the team began their assault on the Mages and hilichurls while Miriam, Aether and Lumine fought the Ruin Hunter.

Fortunately, it didn't take too long for the Ruin Hunter to fall due to the trio's previous experience against it. While Miriam was fighting it as a distraction, Aether and Lumine took out its limbs with Anemo and Geo arrows. This allowed Miriam to destroy the glowing core on the center with a Geo-infused kick that permanently disabled the Hunter. By the time it was defeated, the others had already finished dealing with the Abyss Mages and hilichurls.

"To think something so advanced would exist in Teyvat." Zi-O mused as Miriam stored the Hunter's parts inside her Zikan Phone.

"The more we know, I suppose." Tsubasa commented.

"It seems both the Abyss Order and Ruin Guards are quite active around this area." Miriam remarked, putting away her phone.

"Mhm." Paimon nodded. "Wherever we find an Abyss Mage hideout, there's often a bunch of Ruin Guards roaming around too. Is that just a coincidence, or...?"

"There are no coincidences in the world. Everything is the fruit of seeds planted long ago." Dainsleif said before turning to the twin Travelers. "Just like your appearance in that tavern. Time is just waiting for those seeds to sprout."

"...I don't understand." Aether responded.

"But we only heard about you by chance…" Lumine added.

Dainsleif looked away in response. "...Forget it. Just some needless musings."

"Time and seeds, huh…?" Zi-O thought with a frown. "I don't like the sound of that…"

"The connection between the Abyss Order and the Ruin Guards is by no means incidental. Rather, they are both branches that have grown out and up from the same roots below."

"Branches? Roots? Care to elaborate?" Miriam asked.

"Both originate from an ancient nation that was destroyed 500 years ago; Khaenri'ah." Dainsleif revealed.

"Khaenri'ah?!" Paimon exclaimed. "Really!? The Abyss Order and Ruin Guards are left over from after the destruction of that nation!?"

"Khaenri'ah?!" Aether and Lumine thought in complete shock.

"Khaenri'ah? What is that?" Tsubasa asked.

"Oh, right. You guys don't know about it since it's a super ancient name." Paimon said. "As your guide, Paimon should explain a bit here. A long time ago, the nation of Khaenri'ah was…"

"I know about Khaenri'ah." Aether spoke up in a serious tone, gaining their attention.

"Huh?"

"We both do." Lumine revealed in the same tone. "Because we have memories of that fallen nation."

"...EEEH?!" Team XDR exclaimed in shock.

"B-But… that nation was destroyed 500 years ago! How could you two have memories of that place?!" Paimon questioned.

"Aether, Lumine, you both have some explaining to do." Sakura said as the Travelers were silent and looked at each other.

"Well, everyone has their secrets. You did not pry into mine, so I shall not pry into yours." Dainsleif said. "But if you would like to tell us, we will listen. So, the Khaenri'ah you saw, what was it like?"

"(Aether… I think it's time we reveal what happened 500 years ago.)" Lumine whispered.

"(Yeah.)" Aether nodded. "(The truth can't be hidden any longer. Dain and Khaenri'ah... It's worth a shot.)"

"(The sea of flames… and how I woke you up.)" Lumine whispered before the twins turned to the group. "It all started 500 years ago…"

---

Moments later…

"So that's the complete story, huh... Paimon thought that you ran into that Unknown God first. Kiana's gonna flip once she hears this." Paimon remarked after they heard the whole story from the twin Travelers.

"..." Dainsleif was silent, taking in the info one piece at a time.

"Okay. So…" Zi-O spoke up. "Aether's first memory after coming into this world was being awoken by Lumine from within that meteorite. And then Lumine told Aether that the destruction of Khaenri'ah plunged the whole world into chaos and that you two should leave this world called Teyvat? Is that right?"

"Correct." Lumine confirmed with a nod.

"Yeah, that's what my sister told me at the time." Aether also nodded.

"That destruction you both witnessed, that's... history from 500 years ago." Dainsleif spoke to the Travelers. "It seems the first time you awoke in this world was indeed during that period. And shortly after that, you encountered an Unknown God who blocked your path so you couldn't escape."

"Yes. We tried to fight our way out, but she's too powerful." Lumine said.

"And she separated and warped us away in dimensional cubes. I landed in the Mondstadt region while Lumine landed in the Sands of Time." Aether added.

"The Sands of Time?" Dainsleif repeated.

"An endless desert where time stood still." Miriam explained. "Myself and a few of my friends found Lumine there, along with Sucrose, Noelle and a badly injured Galdo."

"I see." Dainsleif noted before looking at Aether. "When you awoke at that time and hurriedly tried to leave for another world, you didn't know anything about Khaenri'ah. But now, since you have come to gain some understanding of Teyvat, you are able to guess that the war you witnessed all those years ago must be the war that ended Khaenri'ah... Am I right?"

"Mm." Aether nodded in confirmation.

"Ah! If that's the case, you must've been flipping through all sorts of books during our adventure these past few months." Paimon realized. "Before going to Mondstadt, you had just looked at some vague materials. Later, we managed to gather a whole bunch of old books from all around Mondstadt, but you told Paimon they were useless. So the whole time, you were just trying to learn more about Khaenri'ah so you could find Lumine?"

"It's the second most promising lead after looking for The Seven. Despite only having a place name to go on." Aether replied.

"But thanks to working with Xross Drive Rebellion, Aether and I are reunited safely, two months after he woke up in Mondstadt." Lumine continued. "However, we both lost most of our powers thanks to that Unknown God. Our best bet to get them back is to travel to the seven nations of Teyvat and locate the Seven."

"So that's your real reason for traveling around Teyvat." Dainsleif said, earning a nod from the Travelers.

"Do you also know something about Khaenri'ah, Dainsleif?" Tsubasa asked.

"Khaenri'ah was a nation without a god. Not because it had a god that died or abandoned them, but because it never had a god to begin with." Dainsleif explained. "It was a powerful nation, built purely by humans, an unprecedented flourishing and glorious civilization. It was the pride of humankind."

"A nation... without a god...?" Paimon repeated.

Dainsleif turned to the Travelers. "Later events unfolded just as you both remember from 500 years ago, the gods descended upon the world and brought desolation to Khaenri'ah. The 'pride of humankind' was uprooted and crushed, like a weed removed from the garden of the gods."

This reveal shocked the team. "How could that be...? The history books don't say anything about that…" Paimon shuddered.

"How horrible…" Sakura whispered.

"Let's keep moving. I will tell you more of what you want to know as we continue our search." Dainsleif moved on ahead while everyone else looked at the Travelers.

"Aether, Lumine… I didn't know you had that kind of secret…" Zi-O spoke.

"...I'm sorry." The Travelers apologized.

"I wanna talk more about this subject, but let's save that for later. We have a job to do. Is that okay with the both of you?" Zi-O asked the Travelers, sharing looks at each other before nodding in agreement. "Good. Let's catch up to Dain."

---

After a bit of traveling, the group noticed a Pyro and Cryo Abyss Mage examining an inactive Ruin Guard with some hilichurls guarding the mages. The group quickly hid under some bushes and observed them silently.

"More Abyss Mages examining another Ruin Guard." Tsubasa observed.

"Dain was just saying how these ancient machines are from Khaenri'ah." Paimon said. "Did Khaenri'ah have a lot of ruins that needed to be guarded?"

"No. 'Ruin Guard' is the name modern people have given these machines. No one called them that 500 years ago." Dainsleif answered. "These 'Ruin Guards' were known as 'Field Tillers' by the people of Khaenri'ah."

"Field Tillers?" Miriam repeated.

"It was a codename. The people of Khaenri'ah liked to give code names to their weapons. "The land is not to be tilled with farming tools, but rather to be fought for with steel and blood." This is how the 'Field Tiller' came about."

""Fought for with steel and blood"? Well that's an interesting way of understanding "tilling"... Paimon doesn't think it's a very positive interpretation." Paimon remarked.

"You know…" Zi-O looked at the Ruin Guard. "I think this machine can be used besides being a weapon. Einstein can probably think of several ideas for them."

"..." Dainsleif was silent for a moment after hearing Zi-O's comment before speaking. "After the destruction of Khaenri'ah, these masterless 'Field Tillers' went completely out of control. They wandered aimlessly over the centuries, gradually spreading to every corner of Teyvat. Perhaps resonating with the sorrow of other civilizations lost to time, they found their way to various ruins across the land, where they lie dormant."

"And they've been wandering around aimlessly for 500 years…" Sakura said. "Those poor machines…"

"Why am I reminded of those Guardians from Breath of the Wild after hearing Dain talk about the Field Tillers? And I blame Ganon for corrupting those poor machines to kill everything in Hyrule." Zi-O thought while observing the Ruin Guard. "I still think those machines can be used to make lives easier instead of being a weapon of war."

"Once you understand more, those details won't mean much to you." Dainsleif said. "But no matter their past, all that remains of them now is the danger they pose... so destroy them all."

"...Actually, change of plans." Zi-O spoke up. "Destroy the Abyss, while I tear out the machine's core before it wakes up. I'm not letting a machine like this go to waste."

"You have plans for it?" Dainsleif asked.

"No, but Einstein does. I know she'll use it to help people instead of turning it into a weapon." Zi-O answered, pulling out his Kabuto Ridewatch, turned the dial, attached it onto his Ziku Driver and pushed the tilt button. "And no way in hell am I letting those Abyss assholes use it as a weapon of destruction!" He added before giving the belt a spin.

=ARMOR TIME!=

=CHANGE BEETLE! KABUTO!=

"Wait here, Dain. This won't take long." Zi-O said after donning his Kabuto Armor. "Aether, Lumine, Miriam, hold onto me for a sec."

"Why is that?" Miriam asked.

"You'll find out soon enough." Zi-O smirked. Once Miriam and the Travelers touched the Rider's shoulders, he pushed the Kabuto Ridewatch button. "Clock Up."

=CLOCK UP!=

Soon enough, everything heavily slowed down with the exception of Zi-O, Aether, Lumine and Miriam. "Whoa…" Aether remarked. "What did you just do?"

"Clock Up allows movement at hyperspeed. And since you three touched me, you're also moving at hyperspeed while everyone else is heavily slowed down." Zi-O explained.

"Amazing…" Lumine remarked.

"The powers of the Kamen Riders never ceases to amaze me, Zi-O." Miriam added.

"Well we'd better deal with our targets quickly. Clock Up doesn't last for too long." Zi-O stated. "Let's move!"

"Right!" The others complied as they quickly dealt with the Abyss Mages while Zi-O went to the Ruin Guard and tore out the core on its head with his bare hands before storing it into his Zikan Phone. Without a core, the machine cannot awaken. Afterwards, he assisted the others with dealing with the remaining Abyss troops, finishing them with a Rider Kick for good measure. Once the threat is gone, time reverted back to normal.

=CLOCK OVER!=

"Okay, the area's cleared! You can come out now!" Zi-O called out, reverting back to Base Form.

"Wow. You guys took ten seconds to beat the Abyss." Paimon remarked as she, Tsubasa and Dainsleif approached them.

"Kamen Rider Kabuto's power, I presume." Tsubasa said. "No wonder they moved so quickly."

"Just how powerful and versatile are you, Zi-O?" Dainsleif asked.

"Dain, you have no idea." Zi-O smirked.

"Hm?" Miriam then noticed a talisman from a fallen Abyss Mage and took a closer look. "A talisman? Why is he holding this?"

"Let me see." Dainsleif took a closer look at the talisman. "Hmm, this talisman seems connected to the Abyss Herald. Perhaps it contains information about their operation."

"And from the looks of it, it looked like it's from another language. Probably Khaenri'an considering where the Abyss were originally from." Miriam observed. "Can you read it, Dainsleif?"

Dainsleif nodded and read the information before translating for the group. ""...Engulf the faith of the enemy in flame, and bring glory to Our Highnesses, the Prince and Princess… 'Loom of Fate,' initial operation.""

"The Abyss Prince and Princess…" Zi-O frowned.

"Operation…'Loom of Fate'…?" Sakura repeated.

"Sounds like a huge operation is in the works." Tsubasa said. "And it's currently ongoing."

"'Loom of Fate'... Is it literally a... fate-weaving machine?" Paimon pondered.

"The Abyss Mage that came from those ruins…" Aether moved his hand over his chin with Lumine following the same action.

"Is it related to the inverted statue?" Lumine pondered.

"Considering it contained a lot of Abyssal energy? Yes." Zi-O answered. "That's definitely part of the fate-weaving operation."

"Any more info from the talisman?" Miriam asked the Bough Keeper.

Dainsleif examined the talisman again. "Hmm... An ambitious operation, but some parts are difficult to understand."

"How so?" Paimon asked.

"In short, the first phase of the plan is related to Osial, Overlord of the Vortex."

"Osial?!" Paimon gasped. "That giant sea hydra that tried to flood Liyue Harbor?! Though Paimon remembered that it got crushed by the Jade Chamber to defeat it."

"What do they want with Osial though?" Lumine pondered.

"I wonder… Could they plan to corrupt it just like what happened to Dvalin?" Aether guessed.

"I know of your past heroics regarding Dvalin, and I also know of the Abyss Order's role in the Stormterror incident." Dainsleif said to Aether. "Though you may not have been aware of it at the time, you were thwarting an Abyss Order operation similar to this one. As for your answer, no. From the contents of the talisman, this operation goes one step further. They won't just corrupt Osial's mind. They also plan to use the ancient technology behind the 'Field Tillers' to completely transform Osial's body."

"Transform Osial?" Zi-O repeated. "Are they trying to turn it into some kind of cyborg hydra? Is that even possible?"

"Very few people today truly understand the civilization of Khaenri'ah, though of course, the accuracy of that understanding itself is difficult to judge. Only the Abyss Order has consistently sought out the remnants of Khaenri'ah. Despite being far from human, they seek out this lost human civilization quite persistently. The talisman's message states that they will use the 'Defiled Statue' as a base, attaching Osial's limbs to construct a mechanized god. And the new core that shall replace the orb usually held by the Statue of The Seven... is the eye of the very first Field Tiller."

"An eye of the first Field Tiller…" Miriam repeated. "So that eye meant the machine's glowing core. And if they're searching for the very first one, it must be special."

"Not if we find it first." Aether said.

"The Abyss haven't found it yet, so there's still time." Lumine added.

"This whole thing keeps getting more complicated, but basically it all has to do with that eerie Statue of The Seven we saw, right?" Paimon surmised.

"Yes." Dainsleif nodded. "According to the talisman, the eye should be placed in the hands of the Defiled Statue. Thereby imbuing the newly born god with the power to "topple the divine thrones of Celestia.""

"Celestia…/Topple the divine thrones…" Aether and Lumine thought.

"So destroying Celestia is the Abyss Order's goal, huh?" Zi-O also thought. "Guess it makes sense since the Celestials destroyed Khaenri'ah, and now the survivors want revenge by siding with the Abyss. But what did the Khaenri'ans do to piss them off? Another mystery of this world, huh?"

"If their plan endangers innocent people, we can't let them succeed." Tsubasa stated. "I wonder if the Church of Favonius has any info about that missing Barbatos Statue of the Seven?"

"Then let's return to Mondstadt City and pay the church a visit." Sakura said.

"Good idea." Paimon agreed. "Let's get going!"

"The Favonius Cathedral… Hmph." Dainsleif remarked.

"Not a fan of the Church, huh?" Zi-O asked.

"...Nothing. Let's get moving." Dainsleif replied as the group made their way back to Mondstadt City.

---

Mondstadt City

Upon arriving at the City of Freedom, the group made their way towards the Favonius Cathedral by climbing up several stairs.

"A huge statue, a grandiose Cathedral... The people of Mondstadt clearly spent a great deal of resources and energy to construct them." Dainsleif remarked as they reached the huge statue with the Favonius Cathedral behind it. "But how aware of this was the Anemo Archon on receiving this gift, and how much did he give back in return?"

"Faith doesn't ask for anything in return though, does it?" Paimon asked.

"Hmph, as long as the gods have a clear conscience about it all, there's nothing I can say about it." Dainsleif replied as they reached the cathedral entrance.

"I have no comment on that." Zi-O noted. "So Dain, you wanna go in with us or wait outside?"

"The latter." Dainsleif answered. "Having me tag along would only make them suspicious."

"In that case, Paimon, sis and I will go in while everyone else waits with Dain outside." Aether said.

"Fair enough." Zi-O noted as he and the others nodded.

"One other thing." Dainsleif spoke to the twin Travelers. "Don't go mentioning the Defiled Statue inside the Cathedral. The Church of Favonius wouldn't ignore the matter of the statue, but if they rashly tried anything against the Abyss Order, it would only ruin whatever element of surprise we may have. Also, meddling in the affairs of the Abyss usually doesn't end well for anyone."

"Unfortunately for you Dain, some of our Rebellion teammates are from Mondstadt and Liyue, and we'll not hesitate to ask for their aid." Zi-O thought. "And they're not as weak and stupid as you think."

Aether, Lumine and Paimon nodded to Dainsleif before entering the cathedral.

"So I was right about you not being a fan of churches." Zi-O said to the Bough Keeper with his arms crossed.

"Care to ask us why?" Miriam asked.

"I might say something bad about the Church at any time." Dainsleif answered. "When a non-believer steps onto holy ground, the result is never pretty. I have never received the favor of the gods in the past. I don't see any reason I would need it now or in the future, either."

"I see…" Tsubasa noted. "Dainsleif… what happened to you in the past…?"

---

Favonius Cathedral

Upon entering the cathedral, Aether, Lumine and Paimon saw Barbara, Jean's sister, who noticed their arrival. "Oh, Honorary Knight Aether, Lumine and Paimon! Good to see you three!" Barbara greeted with a smile.

"Good to see you too, Barbara." Aether replied as he, Lumine and Paimon smiled back.

"We're here to ask you about something." Lumine said.

"Oh, sure. I don't mind hearing about it." Barbara replied. "But I should first make it clear that if you want to borrow the Holy Lyre der Himmel again, we cannot oblige."

"It seems she hasn't realized it's just an illusion…" Paimon thought, remembering a certain Tone-Deaf Bard that's holding the real Holy Lyre.

"Don't worry, it's not that." Aether said to Barbara. "Do you know something about the Church losing a Statue of The Seven?"

"Huh?" Barbara responded in surprise. "You're here to ask about that old story? Well, I didn't expect was such a long time ago, barely anyone mentions it nowadays. A long time ago, there was indeed one Statue of The Seven that disappeared one night without a trace. Nearly every member of the Church joined the search for it, but it was never found. In the Church's records, as you might assume, this incident has been called "The Lost Statue of The Seven.""

"I see…" Lumine noted with her hand on her chin. "Any other strange stories besides that?"

"Other strange stories? I'm not sure, let me think about what other unusual incidents are in the Church's records... Oh, "The Tyrant's Final Fury"? No, that's from another time, probably not related…"

""The Tyrant's Final Fury"?" Paimon repeated.

"Oh, this refers to a time of great danger that engulfed Old Mondstadt, the place now known as Stormterror's Lair." Barbara explained. "Many, many years ago, there was a time when balls of fire would rain from the sky when anyone approached Old Mondstadt."

"Balls of fire raining from the sky!?" Paimon gasped. "How terrifying…"

"People at that time believed that it was a curse laid down by the God of Storms, so they referred to it as "The Tyrant's Final Fury." This strange phenomenon continued for about a year. No one was able to solve it, it just gradually ceased on its own."

"Hmm… How bizarre…" Aether commented.

"Right!" Barbara nodded. "Later, the theory of "The Tyrant's Final Fury" became less probable in the eyes of the Church. Common reasoning dictates that the God of Storms wouldn't shoot fireballs. Perhaps it was something else that caused the disaster. Anyway, this incident might not be related to "The Lost Statue of The Seven," but I just can't think of any other strange incidents that might be."

"It's okay. Thanks anyway!" Paimon replied.

"There's that pointless word "thank you" again. I can never get used to hearing it…"

"Ah, Rosaria! It's you." Barbara responded to the woman approaching from behind.

Rosaria

Cryo Element

Spear User

Rosaria is a tall woman with ghostly pale gray skin, pale magenta eyes with narrow white pupils, and choppy wine-colored hair cut short in the back with a shoulder-length fringe and some strands of her bangs colored a darker red.

Her form-fitting nun's outfit consists of a long black coif with red lining, a black undershirt with a white chest, long white gloves, and a long black and red slit skirt that partially reveals her right leg and completely reveals her left. She wears black belts around her left thigh, along with black shorts, black tights, and black high-heeled boots. Her outfit is also adorned with multiple silver and white gold accessories embedded with red gems; including a silver tiara on top of her coif, a silver pendant on her white top, a white gold brooch on her left shoulder and left hip, multiple silver claw rings on her fingers and a small silver censer tied to her right wrist with a long piece of black cloth. Lastly, her Cryo Vision hangs off of her waist on her lower back.

"If you're looking for the Knights of Favonius, they're busy with those monsters again." Rosaria informed.

""Those monsters"?" Barbara repeated.

"Those monsters that tried to attack Mondstadt last time, during the Stormterror incident."

"The Abyss Order?!" Aether gasped.

"Indeed." Rosaria nodded. "They are gathering in Wolvendom, causing great unrest among the wolves. Could it be... that the Abyss Order is targeting the spirit of Lupus Boreas? As for what purpose, I can't say for certain. Master Jean has already headed off to Wolvendom. I must also begin to make a move myself."

"Th—Then I will go as well!" Barbara requested.

"Master Jean said you should stay at the church and continue your work with the clergy." Rosaria stated.

"B—But... you're also a member of the clergy…"

"Don't worry, we'll go over there and help." Aether assured.

"Plus, Zi-O and the others are right outside the cathedral. They'll help, too." Lumine added.

"So Xross Drive Rebellion are also available to assist. That's reassuring, at least." Rosaria noted.

"Then I'm putting my faith in you and the Rebellion." Barbara added. "But please, everyone, be careful. May the Anemo Archon protect you all."

"Thanks, Barbara! Wish us luck, Rosaria!" Paimon replied as she and the Travelers quickly left the cathedral.

---

Once the trio regrouped with the others outside the cathedral, Zi-O spoke to them. "Guys, we got a problem. While you three were inside the cathedral, I got a call from Akira. Earlier, sis and her team were exploring Wolvendom with Razor to find some Wolfhooks, until they saw the Abyss Herald heading for Andrius' domain while his Abyss troops patrolled around Wolvendom."

"And apparently from what Akira's team saw, the Herald is trying to corrupt Andrius' spirit, just like what happened to Dvalin." Miriam added. "They should be intercepting the Herald and fighting the Abyss Order, but we need to head over there and assist them."

"I see." Aether noted. "Rosaria told us about the Abyss Order's appearance in Wolvendom after getting some info from Barbara. Master Jean's already on her way."

"Then we'd better get a move on. Let's go!" Sakura said, earning a nod from the group as they quickly head for Wolvendom.

---

Wolvendom

Upon arriving at Wolvendom, they saw that most of the Abyss Order had been defeated. "I see that your sister and her allies have done their work." Dainsleif observed. "And considering the unique power your sister wields, I shouldn't expect too much."

"Never underestimate a Pretty Cure, Dainsleif." Zi-O stated.

"And her teammates are not to be underestimated either." Tsubasa added. "Now let's hurry to Andrius' aid!"

"...You all go to his aid. I'll stay here and take care of any more hidden Abyss Order troops in the area." Dainsleif said.

"Huh? Why not? Is it because you're afraid of fluffy animals?" Paimon questioned.

"I don't think that's it." The others sweatdropped.

"It has nothing to do with wolves. It's because Boreas, or rather Andrius, was an ancient god, yet he willingly became a servant of The Seven." Dainsleif stated. "I cannot possibly agree with his actions. I don't desire any interaction with him. Besides, you're the ones people like. I'm... less likable."

"You really despise The Seven, huh?" Lumine asked.

"There's nothing special about gods anyway." Dainsleif answered. "It's just my opinion, but a word of advice: Always be on your guard when around gods. You shouldn't place too much trust in them. But at the same time, don't go too far in the opposite direction. Don't go trying to overthrow them, or hunt them down. Even if the god in question is your sworn enemy."

"Don't trust them, and don't hunt them... That's some awkward advice. Does Dain hate The Seven, or is he protecting them?" Paimon questioned.

"Why is your opinion so contradictory, Dainsleif?" Sakura added.

"..." The Bough Keeper was silent for a moment before answering. "Lest I repeat the failings of my forebears. I... will tell you one final fact. The destruction of the nation of Khaenri'ah by the gods... is the reason why the Abyss Order now seeks to destroy the nations watched over by The Seven."

"Dainsleif…" Miriam whispered.

"Try and keep your visit with Boreas brief. Afterward, let's meet at the entrance to Wolvendom." Dainsleif said before heading out.

"So I was right about the Khaenri'an survivors siding with the Abyss to take revenge on Celestia." Zi-O said. "But one thing still irks me; what did the Khaenri'ans do to piss them off?"

"So you're saying someone from Khaenri'ah pulled the trigger on the gods, causing them to deliver divine punishment on the nation?" Tsubasa guessed, earning a nod from the Rider.

"Hmm… now that you pointed that out, it does make sense." Paimon noted. "Someone from Khaenri'ah must've really hated Celestia, but why?"

"I don't know, but we'll find our answers eventually." Zi-O replied. "Now let's hurry and help my sis and her team!"

"Right!" The team replied as they quickly made their way to Andrius' domain.

---

Meanwhile at Andrius' domain, Cure Starlight, Kamen Rider Tsukuyomi and Razor are fighting the Abyss Herald with the spirit of Andrius the Wolf-King watching over them.

"You dare interrupt the ceremony, especially when someone wears a belt similar to the one I saw before?!" The Abyss Herald growled, unleashing Hydro slash waves at the white Rider.

"Any enemy of the Rebellion is an enemy of mine!" Tsukuyomi replied, evading the attacks while rushing towards the Herald with her Luminous Fractor sword. She tried to land a hit on the Herald with several sword thrust, but was unable to do so due to his agility and was countered with an elbow thrust followed by a Hydro spin slash that sent her flying to the ground.

The Herald was about to approach the white Rider, until Cure Starlight in her Martial Adept Form intercepted him with a flying kick to the side, pushing him a few steps back. "I think now would be a good time for you to retreat, dude." She spoke to the Herald. "You've already compromised your position, and my friends are already on their way here. And considering how you got your ass kicked by them before, your Abyss troops won't stop them for too long."

"Silence!" The Herald shouted, performing an aerial Hydro spin slash towards the magical girl who's feeling unfazed and crossed her arms.

But right before the Herald could reach her, he was suddenly slammed to the ground by Razor's electro plunging claymore strike from above. "You…! Not welcome here…!" Razor growled, following up with an electro double axe handle smash, letting out an electro shockwave on impact before jumping away and landing beside Starlight who was rotating her PreBrace several times with her right fist glowing.

When the Herald slowly got back on his feet, he didn't get a chance to retaliate as he got punched in the face by Starlight's Final Starlight Martial Strike which sent him flying.

=FINISH TIME!=

=TIME JACK!=

After Tsukuyomi was back on her feet thanks to Razor and initiated her finisher sequence, she high jumped over Starlight into a front flip, lunged her right leg infused with light crescent moon energy, then delivered a flying kick to the Herald's chest straight into a wall before jumping away.

"Grr…!" The Herald growled in pain as he slowly got back on his feet. "To think… that I'd encounter an even bigger annoyance than that meddling Bough Keeper…!" He was about to attack again, until he heard several footsteps approaching. "...Perhaps I'll heed your warning just this once." He said to the magical girl while creating a dark portal behind him. "However, this is but a small unforeseen variable. Our grand scheme will not be affected." Afterwards, he retreated into the portal before it vanished, prompting the team to stand down.

"Sis, Razor, are you okay?!" Zi-O asked as he and his team arrived.

"Friends… you came." Razor smiled. "I'm fine. Your friends, also fine."

"Wait…" Paimon noticed the white Rider in surprise. "Is that another Kamen Rider?!"

"Yup." Starlight nodded, patting Tsukuyomi's shoulder. "This is Kamen Rider Tsukuyomi."

"Nice to meet you." Tsukuyomi bowed. "Starlight told me about you guys."

"So this is the spirit of the Wolf King Andrius…" Miriam thought, staring at the spirit in awe.

"He looks very majestic…" Tsubasa also thought.

"Andrius, are you hurt from that Abyss Herald?" Aether asked.

"I am unhurt thanks to the arrival of your allies." Andrius replied. "They managed to prevent the trap from happening that may cause harm to my spiritual body. And I thought that Herald was here to partake in the trial."

"Thank goodness for that." Lumine noted.

"But what kind of trial though?" Sakura asked.

"Defeat the Wolf-King in battle. No traps allowed." Razor answered.

"Does that Herald think he can beat you?" Zi-O asked the Wolf-King.

"Hmph. He underestimates my strength. He stood no chance of defeating me." Andrius answered.

"Heh, not surprised since your Cryo can freeze the Herald's Hydro." Zi-O smirked. "That, and you can also use Anemo."

"By the way Wolf-King, Paimon wanted to ask you a question. Do you know anything about the first Field Tiller?" Paimon asked.

"Field Tiller?" Starlight and Tsukuyomi repeated.

"She meant the Ruin Machine golem that spins its upper body and shoots missiles from its back." Lumine described.

"Oh."

"I may not know who the first Field Tiller is, but I do know of the machine golem you spoke of." Andrius answered. "It entered into my proving ground by accident, and I mistook it for a challenger. But it could not think, only fight. It was designed as a pure killing machine from top to bottom. I eventually damaged it greatly with one of my attacks. Before it fell to the ground, it fled the proving ground."

"And where did it flee to?" Aether asked.

"That, I do not know."

"I see." Zi-O noted. "Still, thanks for the info. But you better be careful. The Abyss forces are still in Wolvendom."

"I shall heed your warning, Kamen Rider." Andrius nodded.

"I think I should stay and assist Razor with protecting Wolvendom." Tsubasa said.

"I shall also stay and help them." Sakura added.

"Very well, permission granted." Zi-O nodded.

"Thanks for the help, you two." Aether said.

"Anytime, Traveler." Sakura smiled. "Leave Wolvendom to me, Tsubasa, Razor and the others."

"Best of luck hunting down the Abyss Herald and retrieving the core of the first Field Tiller." Tsubasa added.

"Friends… be careful." Razor also added.

"Right then, let's head back to Wolvendom's entrance and meet up with Dainsleif." Lumine said.

"Wait, you guys were traveling with Dain earlier?!" Starlight gasped.

"It's a long story, we'll tell you later!" Paimon answered as the group quickly left the domain while Tsubasa and Sakura stayed with Razor to protect the spirit of the Wolf King.

---

They soon reached Wolvendom's entrance where they saw the Bough Keeper waiting near a tree.

"Hey Dainsleif, it's been a while!" Starlight greeted as they approached him.

"Cure Starlight." Dainsleif greeted before noticing the white Rider. "Another Kamen Rider?"

"Mhm." Zi-O nodded. "This is Kamen Rider Tsukuyomi."

"You must be Dainsleif. Nice to meet you." Tsukuyomi bowed. "I'm friends with Zi-O and Starlight."

"She's a recent addition to the Rebellion, but she's a strong ally. She and I, alongside Razor, manage to hold our ground against the Abyss Herald before you guys show up." Starlight explained.

"If you say so." Dainsleif noted.

"By the way, we managed to get some info from the Wolf King, on top of the info we gained from Barbara of the Favonius Church." Aether said.

---

Moments later…

"I see…" Dainsleif noted after hearing the info gained from the Twin Travelers. Zi-O also explained to Starlight and Tsukuyomi about the Abyss Order's plan.

"So that's the Abyss Order's goal, huh?" Starlight also noted. "Using the first Field Tiller's core and fuse it with the corrupted upside down Statue of the Seven to create a god to destroy Celestia. Man these guys are nuts. And I wasn't expecting the Abyss Order and the Ruin Machines to originate from Khaenri'ah, a nation that got destroyed 500 years ago by Celestia. No wonder the survivors joined the Abyss to take revenge."

"The Abyss Order's plan must not happen, or Teyvat is doomed." Tsukuyomi stated.

"To do that, we need to destroy the corrupted statue and retrieve the first Field Tiller's core before the Abyss do." Miriam said before turning to Dainsleif. "That being said, were you able to figure something out after hearing the Travelers' information?"

"We can more or less figure out where the first Field Tiller ended up." Dainsleif answered.

"Huh? Really? Just from Andrius's story?" Paimon questioned.

"That information combined with a more comprehensive analysis. For example, the old story you told me you heard in the Cathedral…"

"'The Tyrant's Final Fury'!" Aether and Lumine realized.

"Exactly." Dainsleif nodded. The strange story told to you by that young sister, long mistaken to be a curse rained down by a deceased tyrant."

"The fireballs raining from the sky were probably missiles." Aether pointed out.

"And the ancient people of Mondstadt wouldn't have seen the fireballs for what they were." Lumine added.

"Ah, Paimon gets it!" Paimon realized. "So 'The Tyrant's Final Fury' was really just missiles fired from the Field Tiller after it ran from Wolvendom! After it was damaged in the fight with the Wolf of the North, it must have wandered into the ruins of Old Mondstadt and stayed there…Then, whenever anyone got close… PEW, PEW, BOOM! It would fire a ton of missiles at them, until one day, it finally broke down for good, and the fireballs stopped raining from the sky. Back then, the people of Mondstadt hadn't seen many Ruin Guards before, so they came to interpret it as 'The Tyrant's Final Fury'!"

"It looks like we need to make a trip to Stormterror's Lair and comb the entire area." Dainsleif deduced.

"...No need." Aether replied.

"Wait, what?" Zi-O blinked. "What do you mean by that?"

"I remember encountering a disabled Ruin Guard while climbing up Stormterror's tower."

"Oh, that one!" Paimon remembered. "Paimon also remembered that while we're on our way to purify Dvalin from the Abyss' control!"

"You think that could be the first Field Tiller?" Lumine asked.

"Only one way to find out." Aether replied.

"Wait." Starlight raised her hand before everyone left. "I think this will be a perfect time to split up."

"And why is that?" Dainsleif asked.

"You, Aether, Lumine and Paimon will go to Stromterror's Lair to retrieve the core, while the rest of us will head for that corrupted statue you guys mentioned and destroy it. And maybe defeat the Abyss Herald in case he shows up again."

"Hmm… that's not a bad suggestion." Dainsleif remarked. "It does save us plenty of time to complete our tasks."

"Then it's decided." Starlight nodded. "Okay, you better get going. You can join us when you're done."

"We'll get it done as Paimonly as possible!* Paimon said.

"Be careful heading back into the ruins. There might be more Abyss forces lying in wait." Lumine added before the Travelers, Paimon and Dainsleif left for Stormterror's Lair.

"Let's just hope they'll hide the core before they rendezvous with us in the ruins. Can't let the Abyss find out." Zi-O said, creating a wormhole using his Zikan Phone Blaster Mode. "And by the way, there's something else to tell you about Aether and Lumine."

"Something else?" Starlight repeated.

"We'll explain as we head for the corrupted statue." Miriam answered as she and Zi-O entered the wormhole before Starlight and Tsukuyomi went after them.

---

Bishui Plains, Liyue

Zi-O's team soon arrived at the ruins of the corrupted Statue of the Seven, but instead of taking the entrance to go in, they took the exit path since it's the shortest route to the statue. As they made their way to the corrupted statue, Zi-O and Miriam informed Starlight and Tsukuyomi about how Aether and Lumine remembered the fall of Khaenri'ah 500 years ago.

"Mechokku…" Starlight remarked. "So that's what happened to the Travelers before they met that Unknown God."

"Not only that, they also remembered that tragedy 500 years ago." Tsukuyomi added. "Could that mean the Unknown God warped them 500 years into the future?"

"Probably." Zi-O answered. "It's the only logical outcome we can think of. Though that still doesn't answer why that Unknown God did that, not to mention if a Khaenri'an pissed off Celestia which made them retaliate with divine punishment."

"Still, I wasn't expecting Aether and Lumine to have a past like that. Though to be fair, we never asked them about their past yet." Miriam remarked. "That is until Dainsleif spoke about Khaenri'ah, where the Abyss Order and the Ruin Machines originate from."

"Anyway, we'll think about this topic later. We're here to destroy that statue, putting a halt to the Abyss's plan." Zi-O stated.

"Hm?" Miriam sensed the familiar corrupted aura ahead. "We're getting close to the corrupted statue. Let's hurry."

The group quickly ran ahead until they arrived at the corrupted upside down Statue of the Seven. But that's not the only thing they saw.

"Huh?!" The group responded in surprise when they saw someone watching the corrupted statue.

"...Cure Darkmoon?!" Starlight immediately recognized the person she met at Sequin Land months ago, earning her attention.

"Cure Starlight?" Cure Darkmoon responded in surprise. "Well this is unexpected. And I see you brought along your allies."

"Sis, is this the magical girl that recruited Risky Boots to her team?" Zi-O asked.

"That's her, alright." Starlight nodded in confirmation.

"Kamen Rider Zi-O… My father has seen your deeds. And that girl with crystals on her body. I've seen her in Sequin Land before." Darkmoon said. "And… Kamen Rider Tsukuyomi? A successor has been chosen?"

"Just recently, actually." Starlight replied. "And she's a close friend of mine and Zi-O's. But why are you here? A Gjallarhorn fragment is in the ruins?"

"That's what I thought at first, but all I see is the Abyss Order I had to eliminate after I went through the front door." Darkmoon answered before staring at the corrupted statue. "And then there's this. An upside down Statue of the Seven, holding a corrupted orb filled with Abyssal energy. Why is something like this here?"

"There's a reason for that, actually. And it'll bring severe harm to Teyvat." Tsukuyomi answered.

"Explain."

"It all started with a nation called Khaenri'ah, where the Abyss Order and the Ruin Machines originate from…" Zi-O began.

---

Stormterror's Lair

Meanwhile, the twin Travelers, Paimon and Dainsleif, arrived at Stormterror's Lair, staring at the large tower where Dvalin lived. "That tower is where we'll find that first Field Tiller." Aether said.

"Follow Paimon and Aether, you two!" Paimon added as she and Aether escorted Lumine and Dainsleif to the large tower.

After climbing up a few floors, they reached the disabled Field Tiller that sat down and gazed at the scenery. "Is this the one, Aether?" Lumine looked at the machine golem.

"That's the one." Aether confirmed.

"Paimon never thought something like this could be important." Paimon remarked. "But enough of that. Let's see if that Field Tiller has the special core."

The Travelers nodded before approaching the Field Tiller, then used Elemental Sight after moving their right hands towards the golem. After a few seconds, nothing came up which surprised them.

"So what did you see?" Paimon asked the Travelers, shaking their heads in response. "Huh? ...Nothing? But Paimon was so excited… What's going on...? Are you sure you did it right?"

"This requires another method." Dainsleif spoke up. "Using Elemental Sight on a Field Tiller is of no use because it is not powered by the elements. Please step back and let me try something."

The Travelers nodded, taking a few steps back while the Bough Keeper approached the Field Tiller and moved his hand over it, glowing in dark blue flames. The machine then glowed in the same color as Dainsleif as its core appeared before the group. Afterwards, the glow from the machine and Dainsleif vanished.

"That should do it." Dainsleif said, taking the Field Tiller's core.

"Dain, this is…" Aether said.

"The very thing the Abyss Herald has been seeking all along; the eye of the first Field Tiller. Its main core." Dainsleif confirmed. "All of the Ruin Guards today are just replicas of this machine. As the prototype, its combat capability was unrestricted."

"So the first Field Tiller is a prototype…" Lumine mused. "An original model to test on until it's functioning properly so it can be mass-produced later."

"As the Abyss Order has surmised, if this eye is placed in the hands of the Defiled Statue, and if the limbs of Osial, Overlord of the Vortex, are attached to the statue, there you have a mechanized god." Dainsleif said. "And this newly born god will have the power to "topple the divine thrones of Celestia.""

"What an extreme and dangerous operation." Aether remarked.

"The Abyss Order must be stopped." Lumine added.

"So… what are we going to do with the eye?" Paimon asked. "We gotta hide it somewhere where it can never be found."

"Actually, I'll be guarding it myself." Dainsleif answered, hiding the eye into his pocket.

"Huh!? You!? Dain... You won't go and do anything crazy with it, will you?" Paimon questioned.

"You may doubt me if you wish, but I must ensure it does not fall into the wrong hands. No matter where we may hide it, they will find it. And as for the Church of Favonius… well, you know I don't trust them."

"Fair enough." Aether noted. "Anyway, let's hurry back to the Defiled Statue. Zi-O and the others should be there already."

"And probably fighting the Abyss Herald, too." Lumine added.

"Indeed." Dainsleif nodded. "We must not let him escape this time. I'll make sure of it."

"Alright, let's get going!" Paimon declared as they quickly made their way to Zi-O's location.

Unknown to them however, a man in a hooded cloak overheard the whole conversation. "Hmm… so Zi-O and his Rebellion are here in this world." He mused. "The prototype Field Tiller and its core, the Abyss Herald and the Defiled Statue… This needs further investigation…" He added before turning invisible and went after the quartet.

---

Back with Zi-O's team…

"And now you know why we need to destroy the Defiled Statue and retrieve the first Field Tiller's core." Zi-O finished explaining to Darkmoon about the Abyss Order's plan.

"Hmm…" Darkmoon hummed in thought. "To think there's another dangerous organization in this multiverse. They must never find the Gjallarhorn fragments or else they'll use it for their schemes. However, destroying the statue is not an option."

"Huh?!" The team exclaimed.

"But we can't leave something this dangerous here!" Tsukuyomi stated.

"That is true, but look at how much Abyssal energy the Defiled Statue absorbed." Darkmoon stared at the statue. "It's like a full water balloon. If you try to burst it recklessly…"

"The contents inside will spread out?" Miriam guessed.

"Exactly." Darkmoon nodded. "That's why I decided not to destroy it with force, or else its corrupted contents will spread throughout this region. So I decided to try the purification method. Unfortunately, it's not enough to purify it."

"Purification, huh…?" Starlight mused, until an idea came up. "How about you add your powers with mine? Will that work?"

"Hmm…" Darkmoon looked at Starlight before looking at her own hand. "It's worth a shot."

"Alright, then let's…"

"Wait." Miriam interrupted after sensing something else. "Someone's coming, and it's the same aura as the Abyss Herald."

"I was wondering when he'll show up to stop us." Zi-O said. "I'm getting really tired of playing Cat and Mouse with this guy, so we're gonna have to destroy him, here and now."

"Looks like our combined purification will have to wait." Starlight said to Darkmoon.

"That's fine. I also would like to face him." Darkmoon replied.

"You guys up for preparing an ambush?" Zi-O asked, earning a nod from the others.

"I will stay here as bait. You guys go and prepare." Darkmoon said.

"Understood." Tsukuyomi replied as she and the others quickly hid their presence while Darkmoon observed the Defiled Statue.

Soon enough, the Abyss Herald arrived and saw Darkmoon looking at the statue. "Another one who dares seek the secrets of the Abyss?" The Herald spoke, earning her attention.

"I'm guessing you're the one responsible for this corrupted statue." Darkmoon replied. "And honestly, it's disgusting."

"You dare mock the Abyss?!" The Herald growled, until he noticed a familiar item on Darkmoon's arm, her PreBrace. "That artifact… there's another one of that warrior of light?!"

"Ah, so you encountered that Pretty Cure from earlier." Darkmoon noticed scratches and marks on the Herald's attire. "And judging from the look of your attire, you didn't do so well against them."

"Silence!" The Herald shouted as a dark blue aura flared up in his body, causing his body to glow in Hydro, like a barrier. "If you are allies with them, then you must perish in the name of the Abyss Prince and Princess!"

"I should warn you though…" Darkmoon materialized a Cryo double blade after rotating her PreBrace. "I'm not that easy to kill."

"Fortunately, you're the only one here. No one is here to help you."

"...Is that so?" Darkmoon smirked, snapping her fingers.

=FINISH TIME!=

=TIME BREAK!=

=TIME JACK!=

Darkmoon's signal prompted Zi-O and Tsukuyomi to spring the ambush with a Double Rider Kick. But the Herald pushed them away with a powerful Hydro shockwave, slamming them to the walls. Starlight and Miriam sprang their ambush with light and Geo arrows, but the Herald destroyed them with another shockwave, forcing them to evade.

"Okay, so much for the ambush." Starlight remarked.

"You again?!" The Herald growled. "Why must you be so persistent in getting in the way of the Abyss?! Who are you?!"

"...Just a passing through Rebellion…" Zi-O answered as he and Tsukuyomi got back on their feet. "Remember that. Also, ow…" He slightly winced in pain.

"Two Kamen Riders, two Pretty Cures and one Shardbinder. If you really think you can take us down, well, like what Darkmoon said, we're not that easy to kill." Starlight stated.

"No more running or hiding. You must fall, here and now." Miriam stated as they prepared themselves.

"I will not fall here! Your heads, your devices, I will offer them to the Prince and Princess!" The Herald declared.

"You're welcome to take it and try." Tsukuyomi replied as she inserted the Agito Ridewatch onto her Ziku Driver while Zi-O inserted the Blade Ridewatch onto his. They then slammed the tilt button and gave it a spin.

=ARMOR TIME!=

=TURN UP! BLADE!=

=AGITO!=

(Play BGM: Kakusei - Kamen Rider Blade OST)

Once Zi-O equipped his Blade Armor and Tsukuyomi in her Agito Armor, the team awaited the Herald's next move in their guard stance. And the Herald's first target is the Shardbinder. The Herald began his fierce offensive with his arm blades, forcing Miriam to evade while using Anemo to boost her evasion.

The Herald then found an opening and was about to strike Miriam's chest, until her place was switched by Zi-O who parried the attack with his X-Baton and countered with an electro slash with his Zikan Gilade Ken Mode, pushing the Herald a step back.

This angered the Herald as he performed an aerial Hydro spin slash, prompting Zi-O to dodge roll to the side. He then performed another side dodge roll to avoid another aerial spin slash from the Herald. "Can't dodge roll forever. I gotta try something else." Zi-O thought as the Herald was about to perform another aerial spin slash. "Time to try another angle." The Rider rushed ahead while switching both weapons to ranged mode.

"Do you seek death so quickly?" The Herald questioned before performing another aerial spin slash. But instead of Zi-O dodge rolling, he slid under the attack and countered with charged shots from his guns, breaking the Herald's momentum as he fell to the ground. "You meddling…!" He growled, slowly going back on his feet and unleashed multiple Hydro slash waves at the Rider. In response, Zi-O switched his weapons to close combat mode and slashed through the slash waves one after another.

When the Herald was about to perform a cross slash wave, his arms were caught by Miriam using her Titanium Flail for the left and Starlight with her energy whip for the right.

=FINISH TIME! AGITO!=

=GROUND TIME JACK!=

This allowed Tsukuyomi to prepare her finisher sequence, taking a stance as the appearing Agito symbol below her infused onto her feet. Afterwards, she performed a high jump into a front flip, lunged her right foot forward and delivered a powerful dive kick. That is until the Herald unleashed another shockwave, freeing himself and sending Starlight, Miriam and Tsukuyomi flying to the ground.

Darkmoon twirled her double blade and slowly approached the Herald. In response, the Herald rushed towards Darkmoon, who suddenly stopped moving in a neutral stance instead of taking a guard stance. The Herald plunged his arm blades right into Darkmoon's chest which shocked the others.

"Darkmoon!" Starlight exclaimed.

"You fool! You could've evaded!" The Herald taunted before pulling his arms back… except that he couldn't because of Darkmoon's hands gripping onto his, not giving him a chance to move. "What?!"

"Who's the fool now?" Darkmoon smirked as her whole body froze, revealing herself to be an ice clone. Her trap paid off as she also froze the Herald since his blade arms plunged into her chest.

"Okay, did not expect her to use Sub Zero's skill on him." Starlight admitted.

"She did give us an opening, so we might as well take it!" Zi-O stated as they regrouped. "Sis, Miriam, your move!"

"Let's go, Miriam!" Starlight rotated her PreBrace several times before taking aim at the frozen Herald with her energy bow charging with magical orange and red energy.

"Of course!" Miriam complied and also took aim with her Favonius Warbow, charged with Anemo and Geo.

"Tsukuyomi, the moment they fire, we jump in." Zi-O instructed as he prepared his finisher sequence.

=FINISH TIME! BLADE!=

"Mm." Tsukuyomi nodded, preparing her finisher sequence as well.

=FINISH TIME! AGITO!=

"Pretty Cure, Final Starlight Arrow!" Starlight shouted as she and Miriam fired their charged arrows together, prompting Zi-O and Tsukuyomi to leap above them with a high jump into a front flip, and lunged their right foot forward infused with electro and light respectively.

=LIGHTNING TIME BREAK!=

=GROUND TIME JACK!=

Afterwards, the Riders delivered a Rider Kick onto the arrows for more power before landing a direct hit to the frozen Herald's chest, causing a large explosion that sent him flying to the ground with heavy damage while the Riders landed beside Starlight and Miriam, along with the real Darkmoon who landed near them from above.

"I wonder how much punishment he's taken so far?" Miriam asked.

"Probably a lot for this whole day." Zi-O answered. "This guy has a lot of endurance, that's for sure."

"We still need to make sure he dies." Starlight stated. "He's beyond redemption, only loyal to the Abyss Prince and Princess."

"I'm… not used to killing another person." Tsukuyomi admitted.

"You'll have to get your hands dirty eventually. Not everyone can be redeemed as the multiverse is not perfect." Darkmoon stated.

"...I guess you're right."

"Gh…" The Herald breathed in pain and his aura gone as he slowly stood up. "Damn you….!"

"I'm impressed that you still live, but this is the end of the road for you." Darkmoon said, rushing ahead while rotating her PreBrace several times, causing her double blade to glow in cryo and dark energy.

"Not… yet…!" The Herald immediately summoned a dark portal behind him to escape… until his body was suddenly halted by dark blue magic. "What?!"

"Huh?!" They exclaimed as all eyes were on Darkmoon who briefly stopped when she saw dark magic halting the Herald.

"Did any of you do this? Because that's not my power." Darkmoon asked the others, shaking their heads in response.

"That would be me." A familiar voice coming from the left of the room garnered everyone's attention, revealing to be Dainsleif who used his dark magic to stop the Herald from escaping.

"Dainsleif!" The others exclaimed.

"You…!" The Herald scowled at the Bough Keeper.

"I was wondering when you'd arrive." Miriam said.

"Apologies for the delay." Dainsleif replied. "Hurry and finish him!"

"Right!" Aether and Lumine complied, arriving and rushing past Dainsleif with their swords infused with Anemo and Geo.

Darkmoon also resumed her rush after noticing the Travelers heading for the same target.

"You're finished!" Aether, Lumine and Darkmoon shouted as they were about to deliver the final blow to the Herald…

*CLANG!*

(BGM End)

…Until they were intercepted by a double sword strike coming from the portal that pushed the trio several steps back. A light slash wave was also launched from the portal and towards Dainsleif, forcing him to stop his spell and evade the attack.

"What the?!" Zi-O exclaimed as the ones responsible for the interception came out of the portal. A male and female wearing dark blue and black abyssal robes with their hoods and masks on to hide their identities. They're also wielding gold light swords with the male having a cross sword guard and the female having a curved sword guard like a crescent moon.

"Prince... Princess…" The Herald bowed down to them on one knee after being freed from Dainsleif's magic.

"Prince and Princess?" Starlight repeated as all eyes were on them.

"The Abyss Prince and Princess, huh?" Zi-O whispered. "So they finally revealed themselves."

"These two… the ones leading the Abyss Order…" Miriam also whispered.

"It's too soon for you to die yet." The Abyss Prince spoke to the Herald.

"We need you for our next plan. Withdraw immediately and await further orders." The Abyss Princess added.

"As you command." The Herald nodded and retreated into the portal.

"I guess we can't go after him due to the Abyss leaders blocking his escape." Tsukuyomi thought.

"Wait…" Lumine narrowed her eyes at the sword the Abyss Princess is holding before her eyes widened in shock. "Hey, that's my sword you're holding!"

"Huh?" Aether blinked before noticing the sword the Abyss Prince is holding, making his eyes widened in shock. "That's… that's my sword!"

"For real?!" Zi-O and Starlight exclaimed.

"Yes." Lumine nodded. "Those are our swords we wielded before we were separated by that Unknown God."

"Why do you have our swords?! Give them back!" Aether demanded from the Abyss Prince and Princess.

"No." The Abyss Prince answered. "You both have lost the right to wield them since you sided with the Khaenri'an traitor."

"Isn't that right… Dainsleif?" The Abyss Princess revealed as all eyes were on the Bough Keeper which shocked the heroes.

"Wait… Dain, you're from Khaenri'ah?!" Paimon gasped.

"How long has it been since the three of us traveled together?" The Abyss Prince spoke to Dainsleif who stared at them in silence.

"A warning for you adventurers; Don't try to stop us. Don't try to stop the Abyss." The Abyss Princess warned. "That man, Dainsleif, was the 'Twilight Sword', one of the royal guards of the final dynasty of Khaenri'ah. 500 years ago, he failed to prevent the destruction of Khaenri'ah. A curse of immortality was laid upon him, to forever wander the wilderness... while he watched the people he was supposed to protect turn into monsters of the Abyss."

"500 years?" Tsukuyomi repeated before turning to Dainsleif. "You've been a wanderer for 500 years because of immortality?!"

"And also, the monsters you've mentioned… they're originally Khaenri'an?!" Miriam responded in shock.

"So I was right about the surviving Khaenri'ans joining the Abyss Order for revenge against Celestia, but turning into monsters like hilichurls? That, I did not expect." Zi-O thought.

"The curse of immortality… An ancient race that turned into monsters… How dangerous is this world…?" Darkmoon also thought.

"Listen." Starlight spoke to the Abyss duo. "Your actions are harming Teyvat. Don't drag innocent people into this mess. They didn't do anything wrong."

"And yet the nations of Teyvat were created by the Seven as they're also part of Celestia. Therefore, they must also be destroyed for the sake of rebuilding our home." The Abyss Prince stated. "Until the Abyss has engulfed the celestial thrones, our war with destiny will see no end…"

"Destiny?" The group thought.

"After all…" The Abyss Princess turned to the twin Travelers. "Khaenri'ah is also your home, if I'm not mistaken."

The reveal shocked everyone, especially Aether and Lumine. "Hold on…" Paimon spoke. "Aether, Lumine, you two are also Khaenri'ans?!"

The twin Travelers slightly looked down in silence, which answered the familiar's question.

"No wonder Aether and Lumine knew about the fall of Khaenri'ah, because they're also Khaenri'ans!" Starlight thought.

"We would ask you both to join us, but you have much to learn about this world, as the Princess and I have already done so once." The Abyss Prince said to the Travelers.

"Once you reach the end of your journey as we did, you will know for yourselves the true nature of this world." The Abyss Princess added. "And when that time comes, you'll have to make a choice that will decide the fate of this world."

"We shall meet again." The Abyss Prince said before heading for the dark portal that's still active.

"Though we need not rush, Travelers. We have more than enough time to wait for you." The Abyss Princess added before going after the Prince.

"For we have always... had enough time." The Abyss duo finished as they entered the portal.

"Hey, wait!" The twin Travelers were about to go after the Abyss duo, only for Zi-O to stop in front of them with his hand raised.

"Let them go… for now." Zi-O ordered. "Like they said, we'll see them again someday."

"And whatever plans the Abyss Order are preparing, we will stop them." Starlight added.

Dainsleif on the other hand had other plans as he quickly rushed towards the portal. "Hey, wait! Dain, don't go after them!" Tsukuyomi shouted as she was about to stop him, but it was too late as the Bough Keeper managed to enter the portal right before it vanished.

Everyone was silent as they processed what just happened, about what the Abyss duo revealed to them.

"I was originally planning to search for a Gjallarhorn fragment in these ruins, but this… is something unexpected." Darkmoon remarked as everyone dispersed their weapons.

"Yeah. Really unexpected." Starlight agreed.

"Paimon, did you and the others manage to obtain the eye of the first Field Tiller?" Miriam asked.

"We did, but uhh… about that." Paimon poked her index fingers together. "Dain was the one holding it."

This earned facepalms from Zi-O and Starlight. "Seriously?!" Zi-O questioned. "He just became a bigger target just by holding it!"

"He could've just given it to us since we're better at hiding stuff!" Starlight stated.

"Yeah, Paimon agrees that the Rebellion's a better choice at keeping it safe." Paimon admitted.

"My father's faction is also capable of hiding important artifacts." Darkmoon said.

"Well said… my daughter."

"Eh? Father?" Darkmoon responded in surprise as she turned to where the Travelers and Paimon arrived from.

Darkmoon's father soon revealed himself to the group with his hood pulled back so they could see his face, having short and slightly spiky gold and black hair, and black eyes with a scar near his left eye. "Xross Drive Rebellion… so we finally meet." He spoke before staring at Zi-O, Tsukuyomi and Starlight. "Especially you, Kamen Rider Zi-O and Cure Starlight. But also Kamen Rider Tsukuyomi? I never expected a successor to be chosen."

"You know about us?" Zi-O asked.

"Of course, including Kamen Rider Geiz, for me and my faction have been observing your growth." Darkmoon's father nodded. "You may refer to me only as Boss to prevent consistency."

"Why are you here though?" Darkmoon asked. "I thought you're exploring Stormterror's Lair to search for a Gjallarhorn fragment?"

"I was unable to find one after much searching." Boss answered before turning to the Travelers. "But I did overhear a conversation about a Defiled Statue, the Abyss Order and the Field Tiller from them, so I followed them."

"Wait, you were nearby?!" Paimon gasped.

"Word of advice; try to keep important conversations private." Boss advised.

Paimon gulped and nodded. "Yes sir. Paimon will remember that."

"How much did you hear after Aether's team showed up?" Tsukuyomi asked.

"After the appearance of the Abyss Prince and Princess." Boss answered, still staring at the Travelers. "And I must say, I never expected Aether, Lumine, Dainsleif and the Abyss Order to be from a nation that fell 500 years ago in this world; Khaenri'ah. Are you both also cursed by immortality?"

"No." Aether answered as he and Lumine shook their heads. "Lumine and I were separated during the fight against that Unknown God while we were escaping the burning nation."

"And now that I think about it…" Zi-O said while looking at the Travelers. "Since you both remember the fall of Khaenri'ah 500 years ago, that would mean that the Unknown God didn't just separate you two with a warp, she warped you 500 years into this timeline. A Time Warp."

"What?!" Aether, Lumine and Paimon exclaimed.

"Odd. I thought you two are aware of that fact." Boss remarked.

"That… never crossed our minds." Aether admitted.

"But… it does make sense in a way." Lumine added.

"Paimon still wonders why that God did that instead of doing the same curse to the Khaenri'ans." Paimon questioned.

"If I were to guess, it seems that Unknown God has plans for the Travelers." Boss assumed. "What that plan is, I do not know."

"Is that so?" Aether replied as he and Lumine pondered with their right hands on their chins.

"There's one other thing I want to ask. About those light swords of yours the Abyss Prince and Princess are currently holding, what do they mean by "lost the right to wield them"? How important are those swords?" Darkmoon asked the Travelers.

Aether and Lumine looked at each other for a moment. "(Should we really reveal that to them?)" Aether whispered.

"(We have to. It's better to do it now than wait for later.)" Lumine replied.

"If that secret is important to you both, we understand and not mention it until you're ready to speak." Boss advised.

"No. We'll tell you here and now." Lumine answered.

"But don't tell Dainsleif about it. It's better if he doesn't know." Aether added.

"You have second thoughts about trusting him despite being a Khaenri'an like you two?" Boss asked the Travelers, answering with a nod. "Any comments?" He asked the others.

"It's their choice on whether to reveal secrets or not. I will accept their choice either way." Zi-O replied with the others nodding.

"The swords we wield from the beginning, they're royal swords. Only those of Khaenri'an royalty can wield them." Aether explained.

"In other words… Aether and I… are Khaenri'an royalty. The Prince and Princess of Khaenri'ah." Lumine revealed.

"..."

"..."

"EEEEH?!" Zi-O, Starlight, Tsukuyomi, Miriam and Paimon exclaimed in shock.

"H-Hold on just one sec! Paimon's been traveling with the Prince and Princess of Khaenri'ah this whole time?!" Paimon gasped.

"Sorry…" Aether and Lumine apologized.

"That secret is ground-breaking, which is understandable for keeping it silent. If too many people knew about it, it could cause a lot of trouble." Boss stated.

"He's right." Lumine agreed. "My brother and I can only share this secret to people we can trust."

"Though I wonder if it's okay if you two should know about this?" Aether asked Boss and Darkmoon.

"You can trust me and my father. We'll never tell anyone about this." Darkmoon assured with her father nodding.

"And you can definitely trust me and the Rebellion." Zi-O added with his teammates nodding.

"Thanks, guys." Lumine said as she and Aether smiled.

"Now then…" Boss turned his attention to the Defiled Statue. "Is this the Defiled Statue you Travelers mentioned?"

"That's the one." Aether confirmed. "We may have failed to secure the first Field Tiller's core to our hands, but we can still destroy this statue to stop the Abyss Order's plan."

"Actually, we're going for the purification method. If we try to destroy it recklessly, the stored Abyss contents will spread throughout the region like a water balloon." Starlight stated.

Paimon's face went pale. "...Well, so much for that idea."

"Purification? Is it possible?" Lumine asked.

"I tried it using my own power, but it's not enough." Darkmoon replied. "But Starlight suggested combining her powers with mine to increase our success rate."

"Hmm… that is a method I can agree with to minimize casualties." Boss remarked. "But before you do that, allow me to do something." He raised his left hand glowing with blue energy and created an energy orb that's the same size as the statue's crystal. "Starlight, Darkmoon, transfer your powers into this orb before using it to absorb the Abyssal energy from the Defiled Statue."

The two Cures nodded and followed his instructions, transferring their magical energy into the energy orb as the colors inside were fused.

"Purifying Abyssal energy…" Lumine thought before looking at Aether.

"What's up?" Aether asked.

"Remember the time you used your purification powers to free Dvalin from the Abyss Order's control?" Lumine asked back, earning a nod from her brother. "Since you and I have the same purification powers, I was wondering if we could add our powers into that orb to make the effect stronger?"

"Oh yeah! That's a good idea!" Paimon agreed. "If that power worked on Dvalin, maybe it'll work for that statue, too!"

"In that case, let's give it a try." Aether decided, earning a nod from her sister before the duo approached the orb and transferred their purification energy onto it, changing its color into a rainbow.

"Oh?" Boss noticed the Travelers' actions. "I did not know you two also have purification powers."

"Paimon found that out when Aether purified Dvalin and its tears from the Abyss Order's control months ago in Mondstadt." Paimon explained.

"Ah, so that's how."

"Okay, I think the orb's ready to be used." Zi-O noticed the rainbow orb fully charged. "Time to purify the Statue of the Seven!"

"Roger!" Starlight, Darkmoon and the Travelers complied, using the orb to absorb the Defiled Statue's Abyssal energy.

"Incredible… it's actually working!" Miriam remarked in awe as everyone saw the Abyssal energy from the corrupted statue and the whole ruins was absorbed into the rainbow purification orb.

Moments later, all of the Abyssal energy was absorbed into the rainbow orb, causing the Statue of the Seven and its crystal orb to shatter into pieces.

"...Oops. Paimon thinks they overdid it with the purification." Paimon remarked. "Sorry about this, Barbatos."

"It was for the best since it was corrupted for a very long time." Boss stated.

"I guess the missing Statue of the Seven will forever be labeled missing in the history of Mondstadt." Tsukuyomi said.

"But at least we're able to stop the Abyss Order's plan." Zi-O stated. "But knowing them, they probably have more plans besides this one."

"And we'll be there to stop them." Miriam added.

"So… what are we gonna do about this orb?" Starlight asked as she, Darkmoon and the Travelers stared at the energy orb that's still a rainbow despite absorbing large amounts of Abyssal energy.

"I'll be in charge of hiding it in a place no one would ever find it." Boss answered, using his glowing blue left hand to float the orb onto his hand. "Any objections?"

"Well, if you're Darkmoon's father, then I guess it's okay for you to take it." Zi-O answered… until everyone felt the entire room shaking. "Oh what now?!"

"I think the Defiled Statue is holding the ruins altogether. But since it's shattered, the ruins will collapse!" Lumine said.

"Guess it's time for us to go!" Aether added.

"Allow me to help you with that." Boss complied with a finger snap, summoning a Dimensional Veil behind him, and another behind Zi-O. "Enter the veil behind Zi-O to warp to safety. My daughter and I will take the other one."

"Until next time, Xross Drive Rebellion." Darkmoon added as she and Boss escaped into the veil.

"Until next time, Boss. Cure Darkmoon." Zi-O said. "Alright everyone, we're leaving!"

"Right!' The team replied as everyone quickly went inside the other veil before both of them vanished as the entire area started collapsing.

---

Eventually, everyone was warped to the entrance of the ruins. They also noticed the entrance collapsing. "Well… that's it for the ruins." Starlight said.

"Mm." Zi-O nodded as he, Starlight and Tsukuyomi reverted back to civilians. "Man, this has been one hell of a day."

"What started as a simple commission, turned out to be something bigger instead." Miriam remarked.

"So you must be the one behind Tsukuyomi." Paimon noticed the unmasked white Rider. "What's your name?"

"Raychel Lunamaria, I'm a close friend of Zeo, Akira and Gaius, from Prime Earth like them."

"She's another Dimensional Quake victim and we found her during our previous mission." Akira explained.

"I gave her some of my Ridewatches for some variety, and she did pretty well during that mission." Zeo added.

"That's good to know." Paimon noted. "Nice to meet you, Raychel!"

"You too, Paimon." Raychel smiled. "Also, feel free to call me Ray."

"Anyway, we should probably return to Liyue Harbor and give Ganyu our report." Miriam said. "After that, we need to take a long break."

"Gotcha." Zeo noted before turning to the Travelers. "You two okay so far? Because… well…"

"Don't worry, Zeo. Sis and I will be just fine." Aether assured.

"And we seriously needed a break because of today." Lumine added.

"Still, if there's anything you need, let us know. Okay?" Akira asked.

"We will." Aether and Lumine replied.

"Alright! The sooner we head back to Liyue Harbor, the sooner we can finally relax!" Paimon declared and flew off. "Race you guys on the way there!"

"O-Oi! Wait for us!" Zeo exclaimed as he and the others flew after the familiar in their Wind Gliders. "Never thought today would be full of bombshell reveals. And it's all because of Dainsleif. But at least we know the Abyss Order's goal, and we're gonna make sure they'll never reach it. As for Boss and Cure Darkmoon, at least we know they're kinda on our side in our fight against the Neo Time Jackers. Still… I'm feeling sorry for Aether and Lumine since they've long lost their home kingdom of Khaenri'ah and its people because of Celestia. However, they gained a new family in the process, and that's us; Xross Drive Rebellion. And we'll always be there to help if they need it."

---

Chapter 1: The Abyss Strikes

End

(Galdo has joined Xross Drive Rebellion)

---

Author's Note: Well… I never expected the chapter I'm writing to be this long. Oh well, the life of a fanfic writer. Anyway, plenty of highlights in this chapter so let's go over them.

First, Galdo's finally awake from his coma, and he's from the Evil Goddess route of Fairy Fencer F Advent Dark Force. Next, Magolor will be staying with Mona Magistus and the Gem Apple sapling is safely planted within the Serenitea Pot. In addition, Houki and Mei were doing Venti's Character Quest; Aether, Miriam and Galdo for Albedo's Character Quest in Dragonspine that's completed; and Lumine, Tsubasa and Yae Sakura for Zhongli's 2nd Character Quest.

In Liyue Harbor, Tingyun will be working with the Liyue Qixing, Guinaifen will do her street performing, and Sushang became Fu Hua's disciple. To be fair, I didn't know about Honkai Impact 3rd's Li Sushang, so this is a surprise. And she's also part of Schicksal.

And then comes the Archon Quest with Dainsleif. They underwent the same events as the canon game, including the reveal of Khaenri'ah, only difference is that both Aether and Lumine are involved instead of just one of them. Cure Starlight and Kamen Rider Tsukuyomi also joined the party after they helped Razor protect Andrius the Wolf King from the Abyss Herald and his forces.

And lastly comes the appearance of the Abyss Prince and Princess, except that their wearing masks and hoods to hide their identities compared to what happened in the canon game with the Abyss sibling reveal. However, the Travelers will figure out their identities eventually. But was revealed instead is Aether and Lumine being the Prince and Princess of Khaenri'ah due to the royal golden blades that's currently in possession of the Abyss Prince and Princess. The reason I went with that idea is because of that event near the end of that Archon Quest with Dainsleif again after the Sumeru arc. Then comes the matter of that Defiled Statue of the Seven that the Traveler left alone instead of destroying it in the canon game. My version however, it was purified with the combined power of Aether, Lumine, Cure Starlight and Cure Darkmoon with Boss setting up the energy orb for use. I'm surprised Aether/Lumine only remembered the purification power during the Natlan arc, which is way too long. This time however, it's reminded much earlier which is why the Travelers can do something about the Abyss corruption. Speaking of Boss, Darkmoon's father and the leader of the Ohma Crusaders finally revealed himself to the Rebellion. His real name will be a mystery until much later.

And that's pretty much it for this chapter. Next one however, Team XDR will finally go to the Nation of Eternity as the Inazuma arc will truly begin. Until then, stay safe and see you next chapter!