The sea beasts had landed.
Along with them came a few advance troops from the Fatui.
But the warships guarding the harbor didn't pay them any mind — these things weren't worth the effort.
Even the dragons circling overhead didn't bother to glance down at them.
If you hadn't reached the level of a god's favored creature, you didn't even deserve their attention.
Compared to the panic that spread when people first heard of a god's descent, Liyue Harbor now burned with a frenzy of excitement.
The Millelith soldiers knew just how strong they were now — especially with the additional buffs from the beacons.
They had already been itching for a fight. Now that the opportunity was here, they weren't going to wait for orders.
Ningguang didn't even bother issuing a formal battle plan. Why bother?
Everyone would just charge into battle in their own way!
The heavy cavalry rode through the waves — and the moment they clashed with sea beasts, the monsters were sent flying. The warhorses, armored head to toe, effortlessly smashed through countless enemies.
The light infantry charged in right behind them, cheering loudly.
With each swing of their swords and sabers, not a single sea beast could withstand even one hit.
Only the hot-weapon units at the rear didn't join in the chaos right away.
They each found high ground or gathered in teams at the widest parts of the harbor — where the sea beasts were thickest.
But once the enemy appeared…
A hundred rifles opened fire at once, tearing the creatures apart like paper.
No one dared to "steal kills" from the hot-weapon units.
They were just too efficient.
And even with beacon enhancements, nobody wanted to test whether they could survive a bullet.
It wasn't just sea beasts — the weapon bombardment had left that entire section of the harbor riddled with holes.
As for the regular citizens of Liyue, newly empowered with incredible strength — how could they not take advantage of this moment to vent?
But once they actually picked up weapons to fight… they made a surprising discovery.
The supposedly indestructible steel tools… snapped like twigs in their hands.
Twenty-five Liyue citizens looked at each other in stunned silence.
After a few seconds, their gazes drifted around.
Then someone, no one knew who, took the lead — and the next thing anyone knew, the crowd was yelling and charging toward nearby buildings.
Someone uprooted a willow tree and charged forward with its trunk like a battering ram.
Another tore down a giant iron gate and began plowing through enemies with it like a tank.
Yet another dismantled part of a house and began lobbing boulder-sized stones.
Most people couldn't find the right tools in time, so they simply charged in swinging fists.
And with just punches and kicks —
those sea beasts, the monsters everyone used to fear, even the Fatui vanguard…
were punched straight through.
Of course, some people did get injured — but…
Everyone was passively regenerating thanks to the beacon's healing effect.
Even if a sea beast slashed a huge wound across someone's chest, it healed in the blink of an eye.
Bit by bit, the people of Liyue understood.
They were now enhanced with the effects of Strength, Jump Boost, Speed… and Healing.
This realization pushed their ferocity even further.
These weren't trained fighters — but with this much power, technique didn't matter.
"A flurry of wild punches can beat a martial master" — that saying had become real.
Their mindset shifted rapidly:
"You might dodge my hits a few times, and you might land a couple of your own…"
"But you can't kill me."
"And I only need to land one good hit!"
"You can make a hundred mistakes, and be fine — I make one mistake, and you're in pieces!"
With this attitude, the people of Liyue — men, women, even children — charged past the Millelith lines with excitement on their faces, turning the tables and launching their own attack on the monsters.
The Millelith were a little stunned.
They had finally gotten their moment to shine… and now even their own citizens were stealing their kills?
So they gave up on formal strategy and joined in — abandoning all grace and diving into the chaos, matching the civilians in their wild brawling.
The battle raged for over ten minutes.
And in all that time, not a single sea beast made it past the harbor.
But that didn't mean the harbor was undamaged…
It wasn't the monsters that caused the destruction — it was the people of Liyue themselves, who had turned into home-demolishing berserkers.
The foreigners watching all this were dumbfounded.
Still, deep down, they were envious — envious that Liyue had this kind of confidence and strength, this kind of power you usually only saw in Genshin characters.
From a distance, Tartaglia let out a helpless laugh.
"No wonder Ningguang didn't even bother organizing a battle plan…"
"Once those beacons activated, any kind of strategy became meaningless. Letting people fight however they want was the better choice."
Rosalyne stared intently at the blazing light pillars above the Jade Chamber.
"This kind of battlefield-altering treasure… it could be critical for Her Majesty's plans."
"If we formed an alliance… could we get our hands on something like this?"
She seemed to be speaking more to herself, but Tartaglia shook his head.
"Don't get your hopes up. Whether we can even cooperate depends on what they want. And even if we do…"
"I doubt they'll share these kinds of things freely."
"They probably need to ration them for themselves. I don't think we'll see any of it."
Hearing this, Rosalyne sighed in disappointment, and said no more.
At this point, neither of them really cared how this battle played out.
To be honest, now that Liyue had revealed its hidden strength, the entire so-called "war" felt like a joke.
From start to finish, all Ningguang had done was show a few of her cards — and that was it. No detailed strategy, no elaborate deployment.
For an opponent like Osial, who hadn't even fully broken free yet —
calling this an overreaction might be an understatement.
Tartaglia turned to look at the distant sea, where Osial's massive form had finally started to surface.
A bold thought entered his mind.
"If they just wanted to seal Osial again, they could've done it by now."
"So why haven't they acted?"
"Don't tell me… they actually want to kill Osial?"
Tartaglia's eyes widened in shock as he looked toward the sky.
"But if they kill Osial… what about the divine remnants?"
"Surely the Conqueror of Demons can't handle purging something like that anymore…"
On top of the Jade Chamber,
Ningguang and the others quietly watched the chaos unfolding at the harbor below.
The assault from the sea beasts and the Fatui vanguard squads had already lost momentum.
They probably wouldn't last much longer before being completely wiped out.
The healing potions that had been prepared?
Not a single bottle had been thrown out.
The effects of the beacons had far exceeded everyone's expectations—
especially when used to enhance tens of thousands of people at once.
Now, the true terror of the beacon system was on full display.
At this moment, it wouldn't even be an exaggeration to say that Liyue Harbor housed over ten thousand Genshin-level powerhouses.
The immortals whispered among themselves, each wearing a satisfied expression.
Although they still held reservations about mortal rule in Liyue, they had to admit:
Seeing Liyue become this powerful with their own eyes made them want to drag Zhongli out for a drink just to celebrate.
Liyue today was far stronger than it had ever been during the height of the Archon War.
From what they could see:
The Qianyan Army soldiers, already enhanced by alchemical potions, were now boosted again by beacon effects.
Clad in enchanted armor and wielding enchanted weapons, they had already surpassed the power of top-tier Genshin fighters.
Only a step below the familiars of true gods.
As for the hot weaponry units…
Over a thousand of them, firing together—the immortals weren't even sure they themselves could survive such a barrage.
And more terrifying still:
The real trump cards hadn't even been used.
The dragons flying in formation around the Jade Chamber? Still circling.
The Redstone Cannons? Not fired.
The heavy weaponry unit's true ace cards? Still unrevealed.
Klee stared at the booming hot-weapon region below, clapping her tiny hands with joy.
If Jean hadn't repeatedly told her that this was Liyue's trial and she must not intervene,
Klee probably would've already mounted a dragon and started bombing runs.
"There never was a clear boundary before…"
Keqing looked at the screen, visibly thrilled.
"Now that we've unleashed all our strength—it still far exceeds what I imagined."
"All?"
Ningguang chuckled and shook her head.
"That wasn't all…"
Keqing blinked, then gave a soft laugh, nodding.
"You're right. We're unfathomably strong now. After today, the whole of Teyvat will hear our voice."
Compared to Ningguang and the others—who already knew part of the story—
Beidou, Ayaka, and Kazuha were truly stunned.
To Beidou, it felt like stepping into another world.
Just a few months ago when she left Liyue, nothing had seemed too different.
Sure, it was better at making Mora, but that was about it.
And now?
Liyue could go toe-to-toe with a god?
And the harbor was overflowing with Genshin-level powerhouses?!
Beidou had a thousand questions swirling in her mind,
but didn't even know where to begin.
With how drastically things had changed, she figured just understanding a tiny slice of it might take a whole day.
Was all this the result of just two months of development?
Even in thousands of years, Liyue had never made such a leap.
"Ningguang, aren't you going to suppress Osial before he fully breaks free?"
Keqing frowned slightly, staring at the stormy skies over the seal's location.
Osial was already beginning to show his might—gathering his final strength.
But Ningguang just smiled, her gaze proud as she thought about the surprise gift Ryen had given her last night.
"So what if he breaks free?" she said.
"Let him! I want to see if he can force us to use our full strength!"
Hearing this, Beidou's expression changed.
"Do you know what you're saying? Once Osial escapes, only the Geo Archon himself can seal him again!"
"Seal him?"
Ningguang chuckled, then glanced at Ryen.
"He once told me, 'You don't let someone snore next to your bed.'
I never intended to seal him."
"Once Osial breaks free—I plan to eliminate this ticking time bomb beside Liyue for good."
Mooncarver's expression changed dramatically.
"You want to kill Osial?! Wait! Even setting aside his regeneration from the ocean—
even if you can kill him, his divine ashes will wreak havoc!
That whole part of the sea—Guyun Stone Forest—will be devastated!"
But Ningguang shook her head.
"If I wasn't fully confident, I wouldn't do it. I know the danger of slaying a god."
"But… we still have the Conqueror of Demons."
Nearby, Xiao gave a steady nod.
"If you truly intend to kill Osial, I will take care of the divine ashes.
It is, after all, my duty."
"But the karmic debt…"
Mooncarver began, then suddenly stopped.
After a long silence, he let out a bitter smile.
"…It didn't occur to me—
Purging Osial's ashes would indeed worsen the Conqueror of Demons' karmic burden."
"But since you have a solution, I said too much."
Ningguang gave a light laugh.
"No need to blame yourself, Mooncarver. You haven't truly experienced that place yet—it's natural not to be familiar."
"In short, we must kill Osial.
This is a crucial step in showing Liyue's future as a nation ruled by humans."
Her eyes sharpened, and she declared solemnly:
"By slaying Osial, we show the people of Liyue—and all of Teyvat—
that even under mortal rule, we can still quell any threat."
"Liyue will always be the strongest!"
Keqing's heart trembled at her bold words, but she couldn't help feeling proud.
Mortal rule—this had been her lifelong dream.
Now, it was finally being realized.
Down below, the sound of gunfire had faded.
The sea beasts were all cleared out.
Only the occasional straggler remained—nothing to worry about.
Ningguang stood up, looking toward the distant storm,
where Osial was just a step away from breaking free.
After a brief silence, her smile bloomed.
"I gave you time…
But you didn't make use of it, Osial…."
~~----------------------
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