"Why... why is the Statue of The Seven inverted like this?"
"And I remember, the statue was supposed to be holding an Orb, right?"
The inverted Statue of The Seven was indeed cradling an Orb radiating a deep purple-black aura of the Abyss. Moreover, Venti's expression on the statue looked... unsettlingly distorted.
"This is suffocating! I have a terrible feeling about this!" Paimon exclaimed.
Paimon glanced at the figure kneeling before the statue. "And the Grand Thief is completely still too... D-do you think he's already...?"
Summoning her courage, Paimon approached and called out, "Hey, are you okay?"
There was no response, not even the sound of breathing.
Mustering her courage, Paimon peered at the Grand Thief's face, only to recoil in horror at the sight of blood streaming from his orifices, transforming him into a ghastly specter. With a yelp, she darted back to Lumine's side.
"H-he's dead!"
Paimon's small face turned ashen. "Lumine, we need to get out of here now! I feel so uneasy, like something terrible is about to happen."
The oppressive feeling in Lumine's heart grew stronger. Without hesitation, she resolved to leave immediately.
"Paimon, let's go! Get out of here!"
-
Live Stream:
[Terrifying...]
[Bone-chilling! Are we seriously not playing some kind of horror game?]
[Perfect! This is the kind of plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Thrilling moments amidst the ordinary!]
[Honestly, it's not that scary. The atmosphere and music are just a bit creepy. We haven't even seen the Grand Thief's face yet.]
[The Anemo Archon's statue being hung upside down like this, with that eerie expression... The hidden truths behind this are truly unsettling when you think about it.]
[Am I the only one who finds this inverted statue of the Anemo Archon... kinda... provocative?]
[You're absolutely crazy, my friend.]
-
Domain:
Just as Lumine and Paimon were about to leave, the entire platform seemed to come alive. Massive amounts of Abyss Power surged from the ground, and the pearl in Venti's hand began to release a tremendous surge of Abyss Power.
Lumine felt nauseous, like she was about to vomit. She forced herself to endure the discomfort and fled the Ruins at top speed.
Paimon followed closely behind Lumine, glancing back at the Orb radiating Abyss Power before speeding up even more.
After Lumine and Paimon had left, the kneeling Grand Thief before Venti's statue suddenly underwent a grotesque transformation. His body twisted and warped until he became a towering, 2.5-meter-tall monster.
This was Jiang Mumu's newly designed malevolent avatar—a mere tool, so she simply called it "Malice."
Malice resembled an Abyss Herald but with distinct differences. Most of its body was covered in Abyssal Substance, and its face was contorted into a ferocious, violent expression.
Anyone even remotely familiar with the Abyss would immediately recognize this creature as having emerged from its depths.
Revealing its true form, Malice extended its right hand toward the Orb held by the Inverted Statue. Vast streams of Abyss Power began pouring from the statue into Malice's body.
The scene was utterly bizarre.
Lumine and Paimon naturally couldn't see this, but the game's perspective offered players a partial view.
On Chen Xiyao's game screen:
After Lumine and Paimon left the platform, the camera remained fixed on the platform itself.
When the Grand Thief twisted and transformed into a monstrous creature, her eyes widened in shock:
"What the hell is that? The mastermind behind all this?"
The camera couldn't capture the malice radiating from the front; only its massive back was visible. Yet even this rear view sent shivers down the players' spines.
[An Abyss Herald? Is this the one Dain was chasing?]
[He's absorbing energy from the Orb. I feel like something big is about to happen.]
The scene flashed back to Lumine, but that brief glimpse ignited a frenzy of discussion in the live stream chat.
-
After absorbing the Orb's energy, Malice grew even larger, now towering over three meters tall.
From this angle, he looked truly terrifying.
Suddenly, Malice clenched his hand around the Orb with crushing force.
With a resounding crack, the Orb atop the Statue of The Seven shattered instantly.
Simultaneously, beneath the ancient tree at Windrise, Venti—who had been casually drinking while watching Rola train with her Elemental Power—sensed something amiss. His usual carefree expression vanished as he glanced in a specific direction.
Rola, sharp as ever, noticed Venti's sudden shift and couldn't help but feel a twinge of surprise.
How could he sense that?
Beneath the tree, Venti pondered briefly before dismissing it. The sensation was incredibly faint—perhaps he was imagining things.
Yet his expression had lost its earlier ease.
-
Unlike the wailing groundhog in a certain live stream, Lumine moved with exceptional skill within the Domain. She swiftly led Paimon to escape the Ruins' depths.
Just as they neared the exit, a figure appeared, blocking their path.
It was the Abyss Herald.
After a brief exchange, Lumine and the Abyss Herald clashed, while Paimon scurried to hide.
In the end, the Abyss Herald was defeated. Recognizing Lumine's identity through her Abyss Power, he ceased his obstruction and retreated.
Seeing the Abyss Herald depart, Paimon flew back:
"Are you alright, Lumine?"
"Such a formidable foe... I didn't realize the Abyss Order harbored monsters of this caliber."
Lumine remained silent, her gaze fixed on the direction they had come from—the Ruins' depths.
"Paimon, did you feel it?"
"Feel what?"
"Over there... it felt like something was watching us the whole time."
Paimon followed Lumine's gaze into the pitch-black depths below, where nothing was visible.
Recalling their recent ordeal, Paimon's small face turned deathly pale:
"Uwaa! What is it? Paimon didn't feel anything! Don't scare me like that, Lumine!"
Lumine withdrew her gaze:
"Let's go, let's get out of here first."
"Mm-hmm, hurry, hurry! Paimon doesn't want to stay here for even a second longer!"
-
Deep within the Ruins.
Sensing the change in the area, the Abyss Herald didn't retreat but instead descended further.
"This place..."
Upon seeing the Statue of The Seven stripped of its Abyss Power, he flew into a rage.
Suddenly, he detected an aura rapidly approaching and whirled around. "Who's there?!"
"Urgh~"
A massive hand seized the Abyss Herald by the neck. He struggled violently, but his efforts were futile. Held in this grip, he found himself utterly unable to summon his inner power.
"Damn you... who are you?!"
Malice pressed his face close to the Abyss Herald's. Seeming to recognize a familiar aura, he released his grip.
Regaining his freedom, the Abyss Herald immediately retaliated.
But he was no match for Malice, and with his Abyss Power inexplicably suppressed, he was soon slammed into the wall with a single blow.
Malice slowly approached the Abyss Herald, who frantically tried to open the door to escape. To his horror, the door, which usually opened effortlessly, now remained unresponsive.
Just as he resigned himself to death, Malice merely glanced down at him before dissolving into a cloud of gray mist and vanishing.
After waiting for a while without seeing Malice, the Abyss Herald realized his Abyss Power had returned. He immediately activated the portal.
"That creature... was he also from the Abyss?"
"I must report this to His Highness the Prince at once!"