The elimination hall quickly filled up. In no time, a large number of players had gathered.
"How could you all do this?!"
Seeing the returning players, Cocolia immediately protested. She had thought Bronya's score was already impressive, but now it was clear—these people had completely abandoned all sense of fairness and come up with such a shameless strategy.
"Don't look at us—it was Sumeru who started it."
"Exactly… we didn't lead this."
The players all waved their hands, pushing the blame toward Sumeru.
"…Um…"
Being stared at by so many people, even Nahida felt a bit embarrassed. But what could she do? She was helpless too.
Everyone else had points—Sumeru had none. If they wanted to compete for victory, they had to unite.
"Heh, clever idea. But did you consider that Sumeru doesn't have many players left? Alhaitham might not even win."
Jade stepped forward and directly pointed out the flaw in Nahida's plan.
"Not necessarily."
Nahida smiled, still looking innocent, yet completely confident.
"Oh? You have a way to turn things around?"
"I do."
Her tone remained gentle, but her confidence didn't waver.
[Attention: Player Alhaitham has eliminated Player Keqing.]
[Attention: Player Alhaitham has eliminated Player Ningguang.]
[Attention: Player Alhaitham has eliminated Player…]
Another wave of eliminations appeared—this time, it was Liyue.
"You… you even teamed up with another nation?!"
Everyone was shocked.
"No, not really," Nahida shook her head and explained. "We found Mr. Valerius earlier. He sells missiles. Once we started acting, other players would naturally group together."
At that, everything clicked.
So Sumeru's earlier "self-elimination" strategy was actually bait.
By letting Alhaitham eliminate Sumeru players in bulk, others would realize something was going on.
And how would they counter such a shameless tactic?
Naturally, by choosing a representative and funneling points to them as well.
That created the perfect opportunity for Alhaitham—with a missile in hand.
Originally, he had planned to target the Star Rail group, but Acheron acted too quickly and eliminated most of them first.
So he settled for Liyue instead—the largest remaining group.
One by one, beams of light descended as Liyue players returned to the hall.
"Sigh…"
"We got tricked."
"So shameless."
They covered their faces in frustration. They had still been arguing over who should take the points—only to get wiped out instantly.
[Attention: Player Caesar has eliminated Player Rin.]
[Attention: Player Caesar has eliminated Player Bernice.]
[Attention: Player Caesar has eliminated Player Lyte.]
Now even the Zenless Zone Zero players joined in.
Meanwhile, on Valerius's island, Furina was fuming.
"I'm still deciding what to buy, and you all got eliminated already?!"
Then what was the point of her purchase?!
"Are you still buying?"
"Of course!"
Even if she couldn't win anymore, Furina still wanted to contribute to Teyvat.
"I'll take this missile… two of them!"
"Two?"
Valerius was surprised.
"Of course. Hurry up!"
Furina urged impatiently. Time was running out.
"Alright."
Two massive missiles appeared on the island. Without another word, Furina ran over and activated them.
"Go blow up Acheron and Caesar!"
The missiles roared into the sky, each flying toward a different direction.
"…Impressive."
Valerius could only admire their creativity.
Soon, mushroom clouds rose on the horizon.
[Attention: Player Furina has eliminated Player Acheron.]
[Attention: Player Furina has eliminated Player Caesar.]
The notifications stunned both factions.
Weren't they just confidently aiming for victory? How did they suddenly get wiped out?
Meanwhile, the Teyvat players lit up with excitement.
"That was the Hydro Archon!"
"Nice one!"
"That was brilliant!"
They showered Furina with praise. That move had practically secured victory for Teyvat.
Only Acheron and Caesar stood there, lifeless.
Acheron: "How many points do you have?"
Caesar: "11. You?"
Acheron: "19."
"…Well, at least you still have a chance."
Caesar wanted to cry. Why did he only have 11?
If not for Furina, he would've gotten more.
As more players were eliminated, fewer remained.
Finally—
The last battle arrived.
Klee vs. Albedo.
"Albedo哥哥, how many points do you have? Klee can let you win!"
Her innocent voice warmed Albedo's heart.
But…
He only had 4 points.
He had been calculating the scores the entire time. Alhaitham had 27, Klee had 25, and Acheron had 19.
Even if he took the final 10 points, he still wouldn't make the rankings.
So…
He turned his back.
"Klee, eliminate me. I can't place, but if you defeat me, you'll be first."
"Oh."
Klee wasn't stupid. With that explanation, she immediately understood.
[Attention: Player Klee has eliminated Player Albedo.]
[Klee is the final victor and gains 10 points.]
[Game over. Returning…]
Two beams of light descended as Klee and Valerius appeared.
"Valerius, I protest! They cheated! Aren't you going to do something?!"
Seele rushed forward immediately. She was still upset—not just about being bombed by Bronya, but because Bronya lost her reward afterward.
"Calm down."
Valerius stopped her, then glanced at the Sumeru players.
This mess started with them.
"Ahem." He cleared his throat. "Since the rules weren't clearly defined, this round's results will stand."
Many players showed disappointment.
"However, future games will be adjusted. Any intentional large-scale feeding will result in immediate elimination."
The Sumeru players awkwardly laughed.
…Looks like they had really exploited a massive loophole this time.
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