"Conqueror of Demons, you're the best fighter among the four of us. What's the situation? Is there still a chance Osial can get out?"
Moon Carver transmitted his voice to Xiao. Xiao wasn't sure how to describe the situation to him. They could only wait for Rex Lapis to act. None of them were skilled in talismans, and they couldn't widen the seal to let Osial out themselves. Acting recklessly might cause the seal to fail entirely. If Osial broke free completely, things would get really complicated.
Just as they were about to fall into silence, a familiar streak of Electro energy rapidly approached the Jade Chamber. Xiao glanced at the orb of Electro. Was Su Bai trying to send him a message?
With that thought, Xiao flashed into the air, gathering Anemo in his hand and pressing it against the Electro orb. In an instant, a Swirl reaction erupted midair, accompanied by a chorus of screams. As the Electro faded, two figures plummeted toward the sea.
Inside the orb, Lumine first felt dizzy, then a lightness as the sea wind slapped her face, clearing her foggy mind.
She realized she had fallen out of the huge orb, which had somehow dissipated midair.
Paimon had also shaken off her dizziness. Realizing she was falling fast, she screamed in panic.
"Ahhh! I knew Su Bai's method was unreliable! Using Agnidus Agate combined with Electro to trigger an Overloaded reaction—how could that possibly get us to the Jade Chamber?"
"Forget that for now, Paimon! You can fly, right? Carry me!!!"
"Lumine, you're too heavy! And my head is spinning—I can't fly!"
The two screamed as they fell. If Xiao hadn't reacted quickly and caught one under each arm, Osial might have gotten an exotic snack today.
After setting Lumine down on the Jade Chamber, Zhongli, unnoticed by everyone who was focused on her, quietly widened the seal further. After a thousand years of imprisonment, Osial burst through, his eight heads raised to the sky in a triumphant roar.
"Morax! It's time to settle the score!"
"Damn! That's my line!"
Back at Wangsheng, Azhdaha heard Osial steal her words. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to throw down. Did Osial think she, Azhdaha, was some weak little Geovishap?
"Azhdaha, stay put. Focus on watching."
Zhongli pressed a hand on her head and forced her back into her seat. Azhdaha pouted and let out a defiant huff. When had she, the great Azhdaha, ever been treated like this? And she had just learned how to make Jumpy Dumpties too.
On the Jade Chamber, Lumine stared at the massive monster in the distance, dumbfounded. What had she done to make Su Bai think she could fight something like that? If he told her, she'd stop doing it.
Paimon looked at the tentacles, each big enough to hold a thousand of her. She shrank back behind Lumine. This kind of battle was beyond an emergency food's pay grade. She'd stick to cheering.
"Traveler, we'll be fighting side by side from now on. If we survive this, on behalf of the Liyue Qixing, I can grant you one reasonable request."
"Don't worry, Ningguang. I'll do my best."
Lumine's eyes lit up. That was quite tempting. Paimon had already drifted into a fantasy, likely imagining all sorts of delicious food.
If it were just Osial, Ningguang wouldn't be so generous. But with his release, countless monsters drawn by his power began to swarm Liyue Harbor.
From the Jade Chamber, the monsters looked like locusts surging toward the city. If they didn't deal with Osial quickly, Liyue Harbor would be overwhelmed.
"We need to take Osial down fast. The Millelith won't be able to hold off those frenzied monsters for long, even with their elite troops."
Keqing, who had overseen the deployment of the Millelith's elite forces to defend the harbor, acknowledged their strength. But against endless waves of monsters, she knew the odds weren't good.
"Take him down? We don't have the power for that. Osial, the Vortex God, may be weakened, but a god is still a god. His power is beyond your reach."
"Still, don't worry too much. I've examined the seal. It's only been temporarily broken. We don't need to destroy him—just hold him off long enough for the seal to reassert itself."
Cloud Retainer explained, hoping not to discourage them. Her words made Ningguang wish she could feed the Fatui to Osial. She had thought they were only after Rex Lapis's body. She never expected them to release the Vortex God.
"Fatui. Just wait. This grudge won't end here."
Ningguang's gaze turned ice cold. Paimon suddenly felt like she was seeing a stranger. She had always thought Ningguang was approachable. Apparently, that had been an act. At that moment, Paimon mentally placed Ningguang on her list of people not to cross.
Unlike Ningguang, Keqing simply felt relieved. Holding Osial off was far easier than defeating him. With the Jade Chamber as a barrier, he wouldn't be able to reach shore easily.
"Enough talk. Osial is about to attack. You focus on protecting the Guizhong Ballistas. Leave the rest to us."
With a flash of golden light, Cloud Retainer materialized three Guizhong Ballistas before them. Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver each took a position, channeling adeptal energy to operate them.
Xiao and Ganyu, not well suited to fighting giant enemies, stayed on the Jade Chamber with Lumine and the others to handle any threats trying to sabotage the ballistas.
The Guizhong Ballistas held Osial back, forcing him to halt his advance toward the shore. The Hydro constructs he created were no match for Xiao and the others.
But the group's relief was short-lived. The moment Fatui agents stepped onto the Jade Chamber, the situation changed. They charged recklessly at the ballistas, unafraid of death.
Even with Xiao and Ganyu's support, the battle was a stalemate. Everyone on the Jade Chamber resolved to purge the Fatui from Liyue after this. Ningguang even decided to cut off supplies to the Fatui in The Chasm and leave them to their fate.
...
Meanwhile, on the beach of Liyue Harbor, everyone had taken refuge inside the city. The shore was empty except for Su Bai, who sat cross-legged on the sand, flipping through one ancient text after another.
"That's strange. I remember seeing Osial's seal in a book before. It had instructions on how to draw the seal. Where is it?"