"Who are you!?"
Seeing that Elliot and Eula had arrived ahead of them, the Adepti grew immediately wary.
They had been beaten to the scene, and judging by the situation, Elliot and Eula had been here for some time. Suspicion quickly spread—was Elliot a member of the Fatui?
"Just a Liyue native long forgotten by the world."
Elliot turned to face the Adepti, speaking slowly and calmly.
"A Liyue native?" Ningguang narrowed her eyes slightly.
She had never seen anyone like him in Liyue.
"I used to be the captain of a mercenary unit from Liyue Harbor. During an escort mission, our convoy was attacked by a horde of monsters. I was the only one who made it out alive."
"Rescued by a healer from the Knights of Favonius, I couldn't bring myself to return to Liyue. To repay that kindness, I joined the Knights."
"Since then, I've built a life in Mondstadt. Of course, you can call me a traitor—I won't mind."
"In any case, rather than worrying about who I am, you should be more concerned about how to deal with that thing."
As he spoke, Elliot turned his gaze back toward the God.
Hearing his words, Ningguang seemed to recall something.
"When I was young, I did hear about a merchant convoy that crossed the continent and was wiped out by monsters. Only one person was never found."
"That was me." Elliot gave a faint smile.
BOOM!
Another deafening roar erupted. Three massive serpentine bodies writhed above the sea, twisting wildly in the void, reveling in their impending freedom.
At this sight, the Adepti no longer cared who Elliot was—their full attention shifted to the threat before them.
"Quick, prepare the Terminal Mechanism!" one of them shouted urgently.
"It's too late. Haven't you noticed how fast its aura is rising?" Elliot said gravely.
Reminded by his words, the Adepti quickly realized what was happening. The aura of the God of the Whirlpool was surging at an absurd rate.
At this pace, it wouldn't be long before he broke free completely and returned to the human realm!
Every Adeptus frowned, and Eula tightened her grip on the bone whistle, her tension rising.
Only Elliot remained composed.
"If you trust me, let me handle it."
While the others were still scrambling to figure out what to do, Elliot spoke up.
Instantly, every eye turned back to him.
"Mortal, do you even understand what you're saying?"
"This isn't a game! The power of an God is beyond what any mortal can comprehend!"
"You should be preparing to evacuate. That thing really is about to return!"
None of the Adepti believed him—except Xiao, who remained silent.
Elliot turned to him.
"And you? Do you believe me?"
When their eyes met, Xiao felt a strange, inexplicable trust rise within him.
Though they had never crossed paths before, something in him believed Elliot's words.
Even though they were ridiculous.
This God—Osial—was among the few who couldn't be slain, only sealed. A high-ranking god even among his kind.
Not even all the Adepti together could bring him down, and yet this mortal spoke as if he could face it alone—and Xiao actually believed him.
The other Adepti, seeing Xiao's hesitation, were stunned.
"Xiao, don't tell me you believe this mortal!"
Their anxiety spiked as they saw the look in his eyes.
"You can't be serious—you believe him!?"
Xiao was torn.
His rational mind told him this was madness. But deep down, something told him Elliot could be trusted.
He looked up. Elliot was still watching him with a calm smile, eyes full of quiet confidence.
Before Xiao could respond, Elliot stepped forward.
"I've already seen your answer in your eyes."
He smiled gently and extended his left hand.
"Xiao, lend me your karma."
Xiao froze. The other Adepti were completely baffled.
They had no idea what Elliot was trying to do—none of it made sense.
BOOM!
Another thunderous crash. A fourth serpent rose from the ocean's depths!
The God of the Whirlpool had reached a terrifying new level of power.
It was growing too quickly—they wouldn't be able to mount a defense in time.
"There's no time to waste! Start evacuating everyone—get them as far away as possible!"
All the Adepti, save for Xiao, scattered in all directions, rushing to evacuate Liyue's citizens. Every life saved mattered.
They didn't stick around to decode Elliot's cryptic words.
"What do you mean?" Xiao asked, wide-eyed in disbelief.
On Elliot's black blade, two streaks of dark violet light slowly appeared—like serpents themselves—flowing from his arm into the sword.
"The power of corruption!?" Xiao's eyes widened. "You can channel the power of corruption!?"
"That's right. But with my own karma alone, it's not enough to harm an God."
"But if I borrow yours—karma you've carried for a thousand years..."
Elliot paused, glancing at the sea where the God of the Whirlpool thrashed ecstatically.
"Even for a god, that might be hard to withstand."
Xiao stared at his outstretched hand, stunned.
He couldn't understand how a mortal could wield corrupted power.
There was no demonic presence in Elliot—he was just an ordinary man.
"It's true," Xiao said slowly. "Even for an God, a thousand years of karma would be hard to bear. But have you thought about the price a mortal would pay for unleashing it?"
"Death," Elliot replied without hesitation.
Eula froze.
She hadn't fully understood what was being said—until that one word.
"No! Teacher, you can't! I haven't gotten my revenge yet!"
She threw her arms around him, refusing to let him go.
"You understand... and still..." Xiao muttered in disbelief at Elliot's calm acceptance.
Elliot gently ruffled Eula's hair.
"Some things... someone has to do."