Travelers cannot rely too heavily on their foresight advantage.
Renjiro had long understood this.
Because he knew that a "story" is still just a story. Even if it branches into multiple endings, it remains finite.
Reality, however, is different.
Even a small deviation could trigger unpredictable changes.
The gods believed that the lower world's countless possibilities were what made the unknown worth anticipating.
But they overlooked—or perhaps simply didn't care—that the unknown also meant danger.
And… unpredictability.
At this very moment…
"Tch~"
Inside Orario, Renjiro instantly became aware of everything happening.
Yet he remained oblivious to the disaster unfolding nearby.
The distance was too great.
Even so…
"Retreat!"
He didn't know the situation in Orario.
But the spot he was focused on? He made the fastest, most correct judgment possible.
There was no time to consider where these mysterious monsters had emerged.
First, survive. Then think.
Following that logic…
Xiao and Mona appeared simultaneously.
Xiao teleported directly to the side of the creature, firing his first shot in the elemental burst state of Nuo Dance of Evil Conquering.
Mona… had no expectation that the young adept could slay this unknown being at this stage. She only needed him to buy a little time.
"Whoosh~"
A water curtain rose, and Mona appeared beside Artemis, immediately activating her Mass Teleport.
Now, it didn't matter where—they only needed to get the Moon Goddess away from the unknown monster…
"Kokok~"
The creature was too fast.
Faster than Lv.7.
Faster than Ottar, whose other four basic attributes—aside from mana—were all rated S+, could even react.
Even Xiao, skilled at rapid strikes, would have struggled.
If it is in his prime, victory would have been easy.
But now, at Genshin-level Lv.40, even with all attributes at their peak, the young adept was still limited by the current maximums.
The unknown scorpion-man monster, in an instant, lunged with its sharp appendages like it had just attacked Barbara.
Truly worthy of being a Yaksha General; even at barely 1% of its original power, it managed to twist the attack trajectory with its limbs.
Even so…
"Puf~"
Xiao's right side took a clawed strike as if a beast had pounced.
Luckily, he was an energy lifeform. A flesh-and-blood being might have had half their body torn apart.
In fact, similar incidents occurred elsewhere.
In Orario, the strongest adventurer—Ottar—lost an arm in an instant.
At the border, casualties had already appeared.
Xiao's HP was nearly depleted.
But he still used his energy-form advantages to counterattack while being struck.
All that mattered was delaying time.
Even if he died, his normal resurrection would take seven days.
Using a resurrection dish? Only 120 seconds.
The cooldown of 120 days per dish applies to non-system lifeforms, but when used on "non-main-body allies," the cooldown is shared—enough for multiple life-for-life tactical maneuvers.
For example…
"Kok~"
The scorpion monster's chitinous limbs twisted, and Xiao managed to stall it another second.
Like Barbara before him, he turned into starlight, flying backward into the air, then vanished.
At the same time, Mona successfully teleported Artemis away with her.
Only the Twin Stars, whose combat awareness was still sharp, remained, deploying their Wind Wings and ascending.
"Silly them—both 'grandpa' and 'grandpa' can fly…"
"Kok?"
The scorpion monster tilted its insectoid head, as if thinking.
Then…
"Kakakaka~"
Disgusting squelching came from its back.
Within seconds, wings sprouted.
Though the new body tissue had just formed, it moved as if it had mastered it already…
"Hng~"
A single beat of its wings sent it hurtling skyward.
Witnessing this…
The Twin Stars both froze in shock.
But something even more surprising followed.
The strange scorpion didn't pay attention to them—it flew straight toward a specific location.
That location…
Was where Mona had teleported Artemis.
"It can sense a god's position?"
Whether on-site or behind the scenes, Renjiro's main body frowned.
Then…
"Mona, prepare for a second teleport."
As the springwater commander, she needed to fulfill her duties.
In urgency, Renjiro drafted a rough plan.
He quickly transmitted it through the mental link to all allies:
"Kite it—use the 'wind-the-kite' tactic to buy time. Don't worry about mana."
"Follow my instructions until I'm ready."
"Got it!"
Mona, having just received the message, glanced at the stunned Moon Goddess, frowning impatiently:
"Don't worry, that cleric is strong. She won't go down so easily. Now, cooperate and don't mess up."
Without waiting for Artemis' response, Mona activated her water curtain again, enveloping herself and the goddess.
Mass teleport activated again.
One human and one god vanished with the water curtain in under three seconds.
"Thrust~"
A piercing sound came from the sky. The unknown scorpion monster had arrived.
It tilted its head, locking on a direction, and leapt with terrifying intent.
At the same time, near the original Ersus ruins…
Aether: "Let's begin."
Lumine: "I wasn't planning to use it."
"It's our last trump card."
As if in sync, they spoke in unison.
Then, they both drew a deep breath…
[Stars, gather here—]
The same incantation as before.
Even without remote summoning, beams of light appeared in the sky.
This time…
There was more to come.
"Hum~"
Earlier, when Barbara was ambushed and killed, Arrow of Orion dropped.
The monster had tried to seize it but was too slow against Paimon, who possessed Time Stop.
Now, Paimon held the Arrow of Orion, hovering between the Twin Stars…
"This time, we really go all out."
At the same time, Renjiro's main body inside Orario grasped the blade by his side.
Its name: Sword of Descension.
The key to opening the world.
Only Renjiro himself could wield it.
Today, it would see its first battle.
Combined with the secret skill he had been saving…
"Hum~"
The main body, who had stayed behind until now, vanished from the room.
In the next moment, using the Trinity effect and temporarily gaining the Statue of the Seven skill, he teleported.
A distance even Mona could not traverse.
The Statue of the Seven's humanoid anchor effect complemented Mona's Mass Teleport.
Finally, the main body, who had long avoided the frontlines, arrived at the most dangerous location…
Beneath them, a Celtic-triangle-shaped magic array appeared.
Renjiro, Aether, Lumine, and Paimon took their positions at the triangle points and center.
The voice in their ears—the Genshin System prompt—sounded more human-like this time.
This was the blessing drawn from the world itself.
To maximize its use…
Immortal Blade
Unification
Can use all abilities and traits of all "components."
Combat power increases stepwise according to the number of satisfied "qualities" (up to 7×).
Duration is based on the durability of the current medium.
========
Note: Some items and characters from Honkai Impact will also appear.