Before crossing over, Renjiro had encountered myths about Orion back on Earth.
According to legend, this young and handsome giant, son of the sea god Poseidon, was born able to walk on water. He possessed immense strength and spent his days hunting through dense forests.
Orion thus became acquainted with the Huntress Goddess Artemis, and their shared love for hunting drew them together romantically.
Then…
The myths went haywire.
Some say Orion tried to force himself on Artemis, only to be slain by a scorpion she released.
Others claim Apollo, unwilling for his sister to love Orion, deceived him and personally shot him while he swam in the sea.
Yet other versions involve Gaia, the Earth Mother, releasing a scorpion, or Hera, the Queen of the Gods, doing so… and so on.
But one fact remains certain:
Orion indeed "died" in the myths, transforming into the Orion Constellation.
And most accounts of his death somehow involve a scorpion.
Hence, whenever Scorpius appears in the sky, Orion dims, as if fearing this natural enemy.
Thinking of this…
"If my priest 'death' counts as a 'myth come to life'…"
Renjiro's voice carried with an almost weighted emphasis, calm but deliberate.
"Then what comes next—your being struck down by me—is also a 'predestined fate (myth).'"
"DIE!!!"
BOOM~
Under the moonlight, in the night sky, a tall girl in sleek combat attire, her long hair tied in a single ponytail, hovered midair, clashing repeatedly with an unknown scorpion creature.
Just now, Mona had completed her task. Using her mass teleportation ability to buy time, she remained at the side of the Moon Goddess, witnessing the battle alongside her.
By now, Renjiro fully understood…
The scorpion monster before him was not Antares.
Too bad he had realized it too late.
As everyone knew, monsters in this world turn to ash upon death.
But the stronger the monster, the slower its ash disperses.
Even creatures like the Sea King Leviathan left behind intact skeletons, later fashioned by the Poseidon familia into the current Leviathan Seal.
…But that's a tangent.
After the Twin Stars and a group of Genshin clones successfully killed Antares' body, including Renjiro directing operations behind the scenes, everyone assumed the corpse's slow ash conversion was merely a feature of its strength.
No one expected that the true body—and the two Scorpius clones—had left a contingency.
They transformed themselves with divine power.
Within them, a core egg was left.
From this egg emerged an even stronger, more terrifying monster.
This newborn creature could no longer be called Antares.
Perhaps it should be called…
"Scorpio."
In Orario, beneath the Guild headquarters, on the underground altar,
The Old God Ouranos still observed the aerial battle with calm attention.
He spoke softly, "Antares possesses three abilities simultaneously: energy absorption, infinite evolution, and self-replication."
"Through absorbing life, it gradually breaks ancient seals."
"Over millennia, Antares not only freed itself but devoured Artemis when she came to investigate."
"Gaining divine power, it transformed itself, accelerating infinite evolution and combining it with self-replication, fundamentally changing its being."
"This gave rise to the current Scorpio."
After this explanation…
"Is there a hero in this age capable of defeating Scorpio?"
A thin figure in black robes asked gravely.
"How does it compare to the One-Eyed Black Dragon?"
Ouranos answered plainly, "Unknown. That is the 'unknown' of the lower world."
"But… if one were to speculate…"
"Perhaps only a truly powerful person could kill the true Antares."
His gaze deepened.
==========
BOOM~
As golden and purple streaks collided again, the tall girl raised her right hand. A massive rifle, shimmering with a deep blue phantom projection, appeared in her grip, held in reverse.
This was a projection embodying the power of Arrow of Orion, one of the basic techniques Renjiro could wield after activating the Immortal Blade skill's Unification effect.
It had limitless reserves, forming instantly with a swing. Each spear could replicate the power of the carrier medium used during transformation.
Since Renjiro had used Arrow of Orion as the transformation medium, each spear was effectively a divine weapon.
In other words: each thrown carried enough power to severely wound Antares' original body.
However…
WHOOSH~
Scorpio, evolved from Antares, was not just stronger by a mere multiple.
This particular body, born from the original Antares and modified with divine power, could not be easily slain like the clones.
It would never foolishly take the spear head-on.
The scorpion monster spun midair, easily evading the projectile.
Its high-speed maneuver, though unrefined in combat technique, epitomized overwhelming speed as a weapon, a threat in itself.
Renjiro, in the Unification state with the Immortal Blade, even borrowing powers from Xiao and Zhongli, with combat-conscious Lumine leading, could only barely keep up.
Undoubtedly, of the "Trinity," Aether's combat awareness was weakest, Renjiro second, and Lumine strongest.
This was likely why Xiao allowed Lumine to lead the transformation.
Now…
"It seems that the basic alone isn't enough to kill this bizarre scorpion monster."
Previously mentioned, after entering the Unification state with Immortal Blade, Renjiro could access all powers of the individual components.
Xiao granted the blonde girl super-speed combat; Zhongli allowed her to fly.
These powers came from the 'stars' descending and merging into the light column.
And the Twin Stars, Genshin clones, and Paimon all had elemental skills, bursts, and unique abilities. Paimon even had control over time and space.
Renjiro?
Simple: he had the World.
Before crossing over, when he encountered Genshin Impact, he heard players speculate that Teyvat might be a "world bubble," sharing the same universe as Honkai.
The speculation wasn't baseless. The Twin Stars' light wings resembled the battle armor of a strong figure in the Honkai world: Bianka Ataegina.
Bianka Ataegina, the true Kiana with amnesia, had Honkai adaptability from the Kaslana and holy blood from the Cecilia, allowing infinite enhancement of her abilities.
With the aid of the sacred sword Durandal, she merged an entire world bubble into herself. At twelve years old, this became the basis for the Dea Anchora.
Later she grows into the strongest Valkyrie, Durandal.
When Ningguang first manifested in the real world, she told him: "You've been using Genshin's power without realizing its essence."
After awakening the Immortal Blade skill and obtaining the Sword of Descension, capable of unlocking the world, he boldly guessed:
"Could it be that the real Teyvat world is already anchored inside me?"
The system confirmed:
"It existed inside you the moment we first met."
Meaning:
"Before coming to this (Earth-wrong) world, had I been to other worlds?"
Yes!
"Otherwise, how could super cute me enter your body… oh, how embarrassing."
…Intriguing.
"Does everyone with a world bubble inside have to experience amnesia as standard?"
Too much.
In short, Renjiro had already experienced all this before coming to the current world. Though he didn't understand the system's essence or recover lost memories, the Teyvat world bubble was indeed anchored inside him.
With Xiao's help, Renjiro could summon World power, the Dea Anchora armor.
Simple.
"If a ready-made template exists, why reinvent it?"
"Just copy it—much easier."
Given the ongoing trouble with the Scorpio in the secret realm, Renjiro was short on time.
So now…
"Use Barbara's self-developed ability and powers."
Midair, after the blonde girl briefly forced Antares back Renjiro—or more precisely, the Lumine-led trinity consciousness—made the decision.
The Dea Anchora's power, like Genshin's constellations, had deep links to zodiacs.
The base attack mode available in the Immortal Blade fusion state.
In this form, Renjiro could wield the Travelers' powers, the Genshin clones' abilities, and the carrier medium Arrow of Orion.
If this still couldn't defeat the scorpion…
These would further enhance the Immortal Blade's activation efficiency, channeling the World's power—the true trump card of Renjiro.
At this moment…
=============
100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
140+ advance chapters available on P@treon(.)com/Veltoria