For a time, Elliot took on the role of a mentor, guiding the immortals while also teaching Morax the art of Celestial Mechanics.
Meanwhile, Liyue was shrouded in unease. Even with the Geo Emperor and the immortals watching over them, the people felt no relief. Instead, they prepared themselves for the worst at any moment.
Thus, Liyue began forging weapons.
Though they were mere mortals, powerless before gods who wielded elemental might, they understood one truth—gods were not invincible.
If pushed to desperation, they would fight with all their meager strength, even against a god.
With the ports sealed, their mined ore had no way to be traded abroad. Rather than leaving it unused, they poured it into weapon-making.
...
At that moment, the immortals on Tianheng Mountain, along with Elliot, simultaneously sensed the arrival of a god.
"Your Majesty, Emperor, let us go this time. We want to try what we've newly learned from you," Moon Carver said first.
"No. This time I'll go myself." Morax shook his head, rejecting their proposal, his gaze firm as he turned toward the god's direction.
He wanted to prove to Elliot that he had cast aside his weakness—that he could bear this responsibility.
"Very well. But be careful, Your Majesty." Seeing his refusal, they could only agree.
Morax stepped into the air and flew toward the presence of the invading god.
The alarm wards had been set by Cloud Retainer and the others, but both Elliot and Morax had imbued them with traces of divine power. This not only strengthened the immortals' elemental abilities, but also allowed Elliot and Morax to sense whenever the wards were triggered.
Morax soon came face-to-face with the god who had invaded Liyue.
The instant they saw each other, neither spoke. They clashed immediately.
Though the enemy fought with all his might, Morax overwhelmed him with his fluid, unpredictable combat style.
Under Elliot's guidance, he had learned adaptability in battle, never confining himself to a single weapon.
At range, he wielded a bow. When pressed, he switched to a sword or spear. Against foes who favored relentless close combat, he relied on fists and feet, or a dagger in hand.
He had practiced with every weapon. Though not a true master of any, he wielded them all with striking competence.
To face Morax in battle was suffocating—every attack was met and countered.
"Tsk. What a monster," the god muttered darkly, his body riddled with seven or eight wounds.
Still, he forced himself upright, watching as Morax approached in silence, blade in hand.
"Have you come to seize my territory as well?" Morax asked coldly.
The god sneered.
"What else would I be here for? To flirt and banter with you?" His bloodshot eyes burned with rage.
"If—and I mean if—this war had never started, you wouldn't be doing this, would you?" Morax pressed, seeking an answer.
"Enough nonsense. Kill me if you must. The world isn't built on 'ifs.' You're the victor, so of course you have the luxury of pondering them. But you expect me, the defeated, to waste thought on such childish fantasies? Are you mocking me?"
He spoke with irritation, seeing in Morax the image of a pampered ruler asking, "Why not eat meat porridge?"
Hearing this, Morax looked at him strangely, as though he had found his answer.
Clearly, this god had never wanted to fight either. He didn't wish to stake his life in this war.
The true cause of it all lay in that voice from Celestia—
Morax loathed that unreachable island. It had sown the seeds of [War], leaving the land scarred, its people fearful, suffering in misery...
"What's that look? Are you pitying me?"
"You think defeating me gives you the right to look at me with pity?" the god snapped, his fury greater even than his anger at defeat.
"Yes, I have no people, no nation, no land of my own. That is why I fight—why I seize the land and subjects of others. Because I simply want to survive.
"You stand above me because you have power, people, a nation. My loss is my own weakness—I admit that.
"But I challenged you openly and fairly. My defeat is deserved. What I will never accept is being looked upon with your contemptuous pity!"
"You make me sick."
With eyes full of loathing, the god dragged his blade across his own throat, ending his life before Morax's eyes.
Morax froze, his eyes wide with shock.
"...Sigh."
From a distance, Elliot, who had witnessed everything, let out a heavy sigh.