Only after the fifteen Millelith soldiers were safely evacuated did Morax finally appear.
Descending slowly from the sky, he landed before Azhdaha, his gaze filled with concern.
"My old friend… what has happened to you?" he asked softly.
Seeing Morax arrive, Azhdaha froze for a moment—as if some distant memory stirred within him. He took two halting steps back, torn between resistance and struggle, as though fighting against something unseen.
Morax's eyes narrowed. He noticed the strange purple patches spreading across Azhdaha's body—marks that had never been there before.
ROAR!!!!!
A thunderous roar burst from Azhdaha's throat as he unleashed an attack on Morax.
Morax could immediately sense that the assault was wild and chaotic, lacking any coherent rhythm. It posed no real threat to him—only confusion and distress.
"Geo Emperor…" Azhdaha's voice rumbled low and heavy as he called out to Morax.
Hearing his voice, Morax hesitated no longer. In an instant, he vanished from where he stood and reappeared beside Azhdaha, pressing a hand to his scales as divine energy poured forth from his body.
He understood now—Azhdaha was not attacking by his own will. Something had taken hold of him.
"There's something inside you, isn't there?" Morax muttered as he infused more divine power. He could feel it—an unfamiliar, sinister aura pulsing within Azhdaha's being.
It was unlike anything he had ever sensed before.
Violent. Corrosive. Chaotic. Deadly.
It radiated a power that seemed born to annihilate all life.
As Morax's divine energy flowed into him, Azhdaha gradually grew still. His breathing steadied, his eyes clearing as sanity began to return.
"That's enough, my lord," Azhdaha said quietly, stepping back. He no longer wished to draw on Morax's power.
"What happened?" Morax asked.
"The Ley Line," Azhdaha replied, his deep voice trembling with unease. "There's a problem with the Ley Line."
"The Ley Line? What happened to it?"
Morax's expression darkened. Any disturbance in the Ley Line was no minor matter—it concerned all of Teyvat itself.
He'd already heard rumors of increasing monster activity across the lands. Could it all be connected?
"The Ley Line was invaded," Azhdaha said grimly. "By something… strange. While I was underground absorbing its power, I accidentally drew that foreign force into my body."
"It took root in me like a virus—spreading, growing, corroding my body from within. No matter what I tried, I couldn't purge it."
"Today, Alatus came to The Chasm. I intended for him to carry word of this to you. But the moment I emerged, that force struck at my mind. It tried to erode my consciousness—seize control of my will."
Morax's brow furrowed even deeper. He knew Azhdaha's strength better than anyone. Even now, Morax couldn't claim he could truly defeat him in battle.
And yet, this being—this proud and ancient dragon—had been corrupted so completely, reduced to a mindless puppet.
If such a force could do this to Azhdaha…
Morax felt a chill run down his spine at the thought.
"Can my divine power suppress it?" he asked.
Azhdaha shook his head slowly. "No. The power you've granted me only keeps my mind intact for now. If I attempt to use the Ley Line's power again, I'll lose control once more. That force is still inside me, still spreading."
"It's still corroding you?" Morax asked, his tone grave.
"Yes," Azhdaha replied. "It continues to devour the Ley Line's power within me. And I fear that once it consumes it all, it may begin to invade the divine power you gave me as well."
Morax's heart sank. If that corruption could reach even divine energy, then this was no ordinary threat.
"I'll see to this myself," he said finally. "For now, I'll strengthen you further—give you more divine power to suppress it."
"The Emperor mustn't," Azhdaha said urgently. "Seal me away—while I still have my senses. If I lose control again, I'll become nothing but a disaster waiting to happen."
He understood what he had done in his frenzy, and the guilt weighed heavily upon him. He had nearly slaughtered the very people he was sworn to protect.
"The Yaksha will watch over you," Morax assured him. "If anything happens, they'll inform me immediately. Don't torment yourself over this. You are not to blame."
As he spoke, he continued to infuse Azhdaha with divine energy.
When most of his power had been transferred, Morax finally turned to leave The Chasm.
The five Yaksha remained behind to guard Azhdaha and offer what comfort they could.
Morax's first destination was Mondstadt. There, he met Barbatos and told him everything. The Anemo Archon's carefree demeanor faded into seriousness as he grasped the gravity of the situation. He joined Morax without hesitation.
Not long after, all Seven Archons once again gathered at The Chasm.
"This power… there's no mistaking it," Zebul said, his expression dark.
The others turned toward him immediately.
"You know something?" one of them asked.
"Not long ago," Zebul began, "strange monsters—creatures I had never seen before—rose from the sea. They attacked ships in large numbers and tried to invade Inazuma. I destroyed them, but their aura… it was nearly identical to Azhdaha's corruption."
"Those things were powerful—almost as strong as a lesser Archon from the time of the Archon War. One of my subordinates, Mikoshi Chiyo, was nearly gravely wounded."
The other gods frowned deeply at this revelation.
A force capable of infecting the Ley Line—and spawning beings with power rivaling that of the old gods?
If left unchecked, this world could once again fall into chaos.
"To think such things could exist…" murmured the Dendro Archon, a rare unease flickering across her features.
"Azhdaha," said the Pyro Archon, leaning forward, "how long ago did you first sense this intrusion?"
"Two months ago," Azhdaha answered. "The Ley Line began to show abnormalities deep underground. But now that force is rising—slowly seeping upward. At this rate, within three months, it will reach the surface completely."
Three months...
A heavy silence fell over the Seven Archons as the implications sank in.
If that strange power was seeping upward from the earth's depths, then the deeper the location, the sooner its effects would appear—just like the depths of the sea.
By that logic, the first place to see such powerful monsters should have been Inazuma.
But they were not isolated there—reports of monsters had surfaced across every nation, even if weaker in other regions.
Piecing together Zebul's account, they arrived at one conclusion:
The closer that corruption was to the surface, the stronger the creatures it produced.
Because the sea floor was so deep, Inazuma had encountered powerful monsters earlier than anywhere else.
Suddenly, Azhdaha's expression shifted. His eyes went wide with panic.
"No…" he gasped.
The gods turned to him, alarmed.
"What is it!?" Morax demanded.
"It's… it's corroding divine power!"
Before his words even faded, every god present stared in horror—eyes wide, their hearts seized by the realization of what that meant.