The sea wind, carrying a salty, damp tang, crashed fiercely against the hull of the Opera Epiclese. This flagship of the Fontaine Navy, alongside dozens of transport ships sailing in its wake, cut through the morning mist over Liyue Harbor's waters, gliding slowly toward a port known as Yilong Wharf. Once a thriving small trading harbor along Liyue's coast, Yilong Wharf had now fallen under the occupation of a private army backed by Snezhnaya—the Yuan Xi Forces.
On the deck, Clorinde, Fontaine's Supreme Judge and a member of the Shadow Hunters, stood clad in streamlined combat attire, her silver-grey short hair fluttering gently in the wind. Her sharp eyes swept like a falcon over the gradually clear outline of the port ahead, where flags fluttered faintly and fortifications loomed atop the high ground.
"Your Honor," a steady voice spoke at her side. Navia, President of the Spina di Rosula, now wore a practical Fontaine officer's uniform, her signature twin guns holstered at her waist. "All landing troops are fully prepared. The first assault wave consists of my Spina di Rosula Guards and your Shadow Hunters, tasked with storming the beachhead and clearing coastal obstacles."
Clorinde nodded slightly, her tone cold yet resolute. "Well done. The Yuan Xi Forces number a mere twelve thousand, but intelligence confirms they boast several fierce generals and hold the geographic advantage. Though our three hundred thousand troops have superior numbers, amphibious landings are always perilous—we must not grow complacent." She paused, then added, "Have the Liyue mage reinforcements arrived?"
"They have, Your Honor." Navia stepped aside, gesturing toward a middle-aged man in traditional Liyue robes standing nearby. With a stern face and profound eyes, he gripped a staff inlaid with glazed cor lapis beads, meditating with closed eyes as if communing with the elemental energy all around him. "That is Mr. He Chizhe, a senior Geo elemental mage directly under the Liyue Qixing. He will forge Geo spines to pave our landing path and provide long-range elemental support."
Clorinde regarded He Chizhe and nodded. Liyue's Geo mages were renowned for fortification and terrain manipulation; with his aid, the danger of the landing would undoubtedly be greatly diminished.
As the fleet drew near, the defenders of Yilong Wharf spotted them at last. Wailing alarms pierced the air, and soldiers across the port rushed to their battle stations—arrows nocked, cannons unmasked, all aimed at the approaching Fontaine armada.
"Commence the landing!" Clorinde drew her sword, its blade glinting icy cold in the morning sunlight. "For the glory of Fontaine!"
"For justice!" Navia raised her twin guns, shouting in response.
Fontaine's soldiers roared in unison. Landing craft were lowered from the transport ships, surging toward the beachhead like arrows loosed from a bow.
"Mr. He Chizhe, we rely on you!" Navia called to the mage beside her.
He Chizhe opened his eyes, the cor lapis bead atop his staff blazing with brilliant light. Chanting incantations and weaving elemental seals with his hands, he thrust his staff forward sharply: "Let the earth heed my call!"
In an instant, the shallow seabed before Yilong Wharf rumbled violently. Massive, unyielding Geo spines erupted from the waves, forming an impromptu stone bridge stretching from the fleet's landing zone all the way to the port's sandy shores. The sudden upheaval threw the Yuan Xi Forces into utter chaos.
"Loose arrows! Fire the cannons!" a general roared from the enemy ranks. Burly and ferocious in countenance, this was Gao Gan—the most valiant warrior under Yuan Xi's command.
Arrows rained down, and cannonballs screamed through the air. Yet shielded by the Geo spines, Fontaine's soldiers charged fearlessly forward. Clorinde led the vanguard; with every flash of her blade, dozens of enemy soldiers fell where they stood. Navia's twin guns struck without warning, picking off enemy archers and musketeers to clear a path for the landing party.
Standing on the flagship's deck, He Chizhe channeled unceasing Geo energy. Beyond forging the stone bridge, he raised layered Geo barriers along the beach to shield Fontaine's troops. With a flick of his staff, colossal Geo spears plummeted from the sky, smashing the enemy fortifications into ruins.
"Curse that Liyue mage!" Enraged by his crumbling defenses, Gao Gan seethed. A formidable fighter in his own right, he excelled with long-range weaponry. Unslinging a custom massive bow from his back, he nocked two cursed demon-slaying arrows glowing with ominous crimson—special munitions forged with Snezhnayan technology, lethal against elemental beings and mages alike.
Gao Gan drew a deep breath, his gaze sharp as lightning as he locked onto the spellcasting figure on the distant deck. He knew the Liyue mage was Fontaine's linchpin; slaying him would halt the entire landing advance.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The two crimson arrows streaked like bolts of red lightning, cutting through the battlefield's chaos to strike true at He Chizhe.
Utterly focused on bolstering Fontaine's frontline, He Chizhe sensed the fatal threat too late. The first arrow pierced his heart; the second buried itself in his forehead an instant later.
"Ugh…" He Chizhe groaned. His staff slipped from his grasp, and his body slumped backward. In his final moments, his profound eyes caught the fading afterimage of those two red arrows in the sky.
With a heavy splash, He Chizhe fell over the ship's rail into the frigid sea, swallowed whole by the raging waves.
"Mr. He!" Navia watched the tragedy unfold, her eyes blazing with grief as she cried out in agony.
Clorinde saw it too. Her pupils narrowed sharply, and a freezing killing intent erupted from her. "Gao Gan!" she hissed the name through gritted teeth, her sword strikes growing swifter and fiercer, each blow fueled by vengeful wrath.
He Chizhe's sacrifice ignited Fontaine's fighting spirit entirely. Roaring, the soldiers surged onto the beach like a tide, tearing gaping holes in the Yuan Xi defenses.
After felling the mage, Gao Gan smirked cruelly. He believed Fontaine's elemental support broken, their army sure to collapse into disarray. Yet he underestimated the courage of Fontaine's soldiers, and the tactical brilliance of Clorinde and Navia.
"Charge! Avenge Mr. He!"
"Forward! Seize Yilong Wharf!"
Fontaine's offensive grew relentless. Clorinde darted across the battlefield like a silver lightning bolt, unstoppable wherever she struck. Her sole target: Gao Gan.
Navia led the Spina di Rosula Guards like a dagger plunged deep into the enemy's core, her twin guns spewing deadly fire to cut down every foe in their path.
Gao Gan drew his blade to meet the charging Fontaine soldiers. A master swordsman, he slew several troops in quick succession—until he realized he was surrounded.
"Gao Gan. Your enemy is me." Clorinde's voice rang cold as ice at his ears.
Gao Gan looked up, freezing at the sight of her murderously sharp eyes. He knew he faced a peerless foe.
The two clashed in an instant. Clorinde's swordplay was swift, precise, and fatal with every strike; Gao Gan's bladework was powerful and unrestrained. The ring of clashing metal echoed across the battlefield, sparks flying with every collision.
After dispatching the surrounding enemies, Navia joined the fray, harrying Gao Gan with constant gunfire to leave him off-balance.
Cornered by two elite warriors, Gao Gan soon faltered. For all his ferocity, gaps opened in his defense with every passing moment.
Stab!
Seizing an opening, Clorinde drove her sword through Gao Gan's left shoulder.
"Argh!" Gao Gan screamed, nearly dropping his blade.
Capitalizing on the moment, Navia fired both guns, her bullets striking his knees true.
Gao Gan crumpled to his knees. He struggled to rise, only for Clorinde to pin him down with a boot to his back.
"You killed Mr. He Chizhe," Clorinde pressed her sword tip to his throat, her voice devoid of all warmth. "Now you pay the price."
"Kill me if you dare!" Gao Gan spat, defiant even in defeat.
A cold glint flashed in Clorinde's eyes. She twisted her wrist.
Slice—
Blood sprayed forth, and Gao Gan's head rolled across the sand.
With their general slain, the already crumbling Yuan Xi defenses collapsed entirely. Their soldiers fled in disarray, broken and leaderless.
"Pursue them! Spare no foes!" Navia commanded loudly.
Fontaine's army chased the retreating enemy, routing the last of the Yuan Xi Forces from Yilong Wharf like autumn wind scattering fallen leaves.
The battle was over.
The setting sun dyed the seas around Yilong Wharf blood-red. The sea wind no longer carried salt and mist—it reeked of iron and blood.
Bodies of soldiers from both sides littered the beach. Though victorious, Fontaine had paid a heavy toll.
Clorinde and Navia stood on the shore, staring at the carnage before them. No joy of triumph marked their faces—only sorrow.
"Tally the casualties," Clorinde said hoarsely.
"At once, Your Honor, President Navia." An aide hurried to obey.
Moments later, the aide returned with the report. "Your Honor, President Navia. Of our three hundred thousand troops, three thousand fell in battle, with over five thousand wounded. The enemy's twelve thousand forces suffered six thousand slain, two thousand captured, and the rest scattered in retreat."
Six thousand enemy dead; eight thousand of our own lost. A bitter, hollow victory.
Navia gazed out at the calm sea, her eyes filled with grief. "Mr. He… we won. But you're gone…"
Clorinde fell silent. She walked to the water's edge, staring out at the waves that had swallowed He Chizhe, her heart heavy with tangled emotion. She knew this victory had been bought with the blood of countless soldiers—and the life of that noble Liyue mage.
"We will remember him," Clorinde whispered, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly. "Yilong Wharf's victory belongs to him. We shall carry his story back to Fontaine, so all may know: a hero from Liyue laid down his life here, for justice and peace."
The sea wind still blew, whispering tales of the battle's cruelty and the lament of a fallen hero. The flag of Yilong Wharf flew high once more above the port—but the cost of this victory was heavy, etched forever into the hearts of all who fought that day.
The battle had ended. Yet new challenges were only just beginning.