Lightning cracked, illuminating the entire sea.
A vortex appeared in the ocean, and a pale blue sea serpent emerged from it, roaring at the sky.
It had the form of a sea serpent, with two whiskers on its face, what seemed to be a single horn on its head, and a row of fin-like appendages on its back. Pale blue patterns covered its body, giving it a menacing yet somewhat mysterious appearance.
Just seeing its body was enough to realize its immense size. Now that it had fully emerged, the very heavens and earth seemed to change color. Its mountain-like body created the illusion that its head was propping up the sky.
Beidou, having manifested the phantom of Haishan, was already enormous, but before this sea serpent... she seemed as weak as an ant.
"Are we... really supposed to fight this thing?"
The sailor standing next to Kazuha nearly dropped the Debate Club in his hand.
He had stayed behind because he possessed a Vision. He believed he was stronger than ordinary people and thus would have an advantage against this creature.
But now...
He felt nothing but despair.
Seeing the emerged sea serpent, Beidou not only felt no fear, but the lightning surrounding her grew even brighter.
"This is... the power that slayed Haishan!!"
Facing Beidou's attack, the sea serpent responded.
Hydro energy gathered in its mouth, compressed, and then shot out.
A column of water as thick as a river instantly engulfed Beidou and the phantom of Haishan around her.
"Aid the Captain!"
Kazuha rode the wind, gathering the chaotic sea breeze and forming it into a wind blade that slashed towards the sea serpent.
"Right! We've even slain Haishan! Are we afraid of a single snake?"
"Heh! Who knows, maybe after this battle, I'll get a Vision too."
Kazuha's words roused everyone.
The first to act was the sailor with the Debate Club. Watching Beidou confront the sea serpent, his adrenaline surged.
The solid Geo element began to gather on the club in his hand, actually forming the shape of a Geo spear.
He had grown up listening to the stories of Rex Lapis and had always admired the storyteller's "rain of stone lances."
Unfortunately, his family was poor, and he couldn't afford a Black Tassel. All he had was this Debate Club, a gift from the Captain. Even when he had money later, he was reluctant to replace it.
So, he was a spear-wielding sailor who carried a greatsword.
Perhaps he couldn't replicate Rex Lapis's rain of stone lances, but a single Geo spear... was still quite simple!
Following their lead, the others also began to move.
Arrows imbued with flames, sharp wind blades, frigid icicles, someone's slipper, a torn belt...
In short, those with Visions used their Elemental Skills, while those without operated the ship's ballistae and cannons.
Even the cook from the kitchen rushed out with a cleaver and a salted fish, wanting to join in the excitement.
The sea serpent could ignore the crossbow bolts and cannonballs.
But the attacks imbued with elemental power began to have an effect on it.
Beidou, who had been on the verge of being pushed back, was now, with the help of her crew, suppressing it. And with the aid of the sea breeze gathered by Kaedehara Kazuha, she found her footing again and slashed at the sea serpent once more.
But they had all overlooked one thing.
"In a beam struggle, the one on the left always loses, except for that pig Dyna."
[A/N: Those who don't get the reference, see the end of the chapter]
Bai Luo, with his hand on the hilt of his sword, couldn't help but complain as he watched the struggling crew.
But the situation was urgent, and the Crux Fleet really had no other choice.
Besides, this was Teyvat. The rule of the left side losing in a beam struggle probably didn't apply here... right?
Indeed, the three remaining ships had gathered almost all the Vision holders in the entire fleet. Only a small number had remained on the merchant ships under Beidou's orders.
If they didn't make it back... the safety of the merchant ships could still be guaranteed.
Because of this, the sea serpent was actually being beaten back, its water beam on the verge of collapsing.
Just when Bai Luo thought the battle was about to end... the anomaly finally occurred.
"Roar—"
Another roar sounded. Lightning from the black clouds struck the sea, forming three more whirlpools on the water's surface.
Three more sea serpents emerged from the whirlpools. Together with the one confronting Beidou, they completely surrounded the three warships, including the Alcor.
The four sea serpents were indistinguishable from each other in appearance, but their level of danger was the same.
"How is this possible..."
Standing in the crow's nest, Kazuha looked at the four ferocious beasts, a sense of powerlessness filling his entire body.
One sea serpent required the combined efforts of nearly a hundred people from their three ships to barely hold it back. With four... even if the entire Crux Fleet that had already retreated were to return, they probably couldn't stop them.
"Boom—"
Beidou, who had been winning the beam struggle against the sea serpent, finally couldn't hold on after the other three giant serpents appeared.
The lightning-formed phantom of Haishan shattered completely, and she was blasted back by the force of the high-pressure water beam.
If not for Kaedehara Kazuha's timely use of the sea breeze to dissipate some of the impact, she would have likely been blasted straight through the Alcor's hull and into the dangerous depths of the sea.
"What in the world... is this thing?"
With Kazuha's help, Beidou steadied herself. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and subconsciously reached for her wine jug, only to remember that she had already drunk it all and thrown it into the sea before the battle.
"Have you heard of Osial?"
A new wine jug was thrown to her, and Bai Luo's voice came with it.
He was still in his red robe, holding his reverse-blade sword, his eyes occasionally sweeping over the four sea serpents.
"The Overlord of the Vortex?"
Of course, Beidou knew of Osial.
Not just Beidou, ask any random person in Liyue, and they could tell you all about the Overlord of the Vortex.
The great sea demon the storytellers often mentioned was the Overlord of the Vortex, sealed in the sea by the Geo Archon...
"Wait a minute, are you saying... this is the Overlord of the Vortex, Osial?"
Coming to her senses, Beidou frowned and looked at Bai Luo.
If she weren't so outmatched, she would have wanted to teach this fool who was shaking their morale a lesson.
Being surrounded by these four sea serpents had already lowered their morale significantly.
If everyone found out this thing was the Overlord of the Vortex, Osial, then many of them would probably lose the will to fight.
Morax had fought against many demon gods, so why was Osial the only one brought up so often?
Simply because this demon god had left too deep an impression on everyone.
The inhabitants of this land had once faced tidal waves as high as mountains and had been awakened in their beds, in their dreams, by tsunamis that shook the very core of the earth.
These were all the effects of Osial.
But... why would a demon god said to be sealed by Morax appear in these distant waters?
"She is not Osial. She is Beisht, the 'Avenger of Vortex,' the last follower of the Overlord of the Vortex, and also... Osial's wife."
Looking at the information provided by the system, Bai Luo sighed and explained.
"Osial's wife?"
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[A/N: "In a beam struggle, the one on the left always loses" : This is a widely recognized, albeit unwritten, trope in Japanese ACG and Tokusatsu (special effects TV shows and films like Ultraman). It suggests that when two characters engage in an energy beam clash, the character positioned on the left side of the screen is typically depicted as the loser. This cinematic convention is often attributed to directorial choices and audience perception, where the protagonist is often framed on the right for a more comfortable viewing experience.
• "except for that pig Dyna":
"Dyna" : This refers to Ultraman Dyna, a popular hero from the Ultraman franchise.
"that pig" : This is an affectionate, yet somewhat derogatory, nickname given to Ultraman Dyna by fans in the fandom. It stems from his infamous track record in beam struggles. According to fan observations, Ultraman Dyna frequently loses beam struggles, even when he is positioned on the "winning" right side, thus "breaking" the established "left always loses" rule by losing regardless of his position. One source even notes Dyna's "dismal" record of 2 wins, 2 draws, and 4 losses in 8 major beam struggles within his TV series.
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