Thirty seconds earlier.
Alhaitham looked over the remaining forty soldiers of Sumeru. He watched the closing shadows of Inazuma and Snezhnaya, and the encroaching vanguard of Mondstadt.
He let out a long, weary breath. "The heavens have spoken... there is no path back."
A cold, sharp light flickered in his eyes. He raised his voice, a chilling command cutting through the din of battle.
"If Sumeru is to fall, we will not fall alone! All units, abandon defense! Attack! Attack with everything you have! Even if you draw your last breath, ensure you take an enemy with you into the dark!"
Across the battlefield, Dehya and Cyno heard the desperate rally. They knew the end had come. With a shared, grim understanding, they abandoned their guards. Dehya abandoned her post and sprinted toward Cyno's zone.
"Dammit! They're going for a wipe!" Childe's face darkened. He saw Cyno stop blocking entirely, ignoring the blades biting into his armor just to close the distance.
Scaramouche, sensing the madness, stopped his assault and began to backpedal alongside Childe. But the island was a skeleton of its former self. There were more holes than solid ground. In their retreat, they inadvertently backed into a cluster of Sumeru soldiers who had completely lost their minds.
In an instant, both Fatui Harbingers were swarmed. Three soldiers clung to each of them, not attacking, just locking their limbs with the strength of the doomed.
Childe's Delusion flared, lightning arcing violently through the pile of bodies. Several low-health soldiers were charred instantly, but before he could catch his breath, Cyno slammed into him. More soldiers piled on, creating a literal mountain of flesh.
Buried at the bottom, Childe and Scaramouche's faces went pale. It defied logic. Twenty men were sacrificing themselves just to bury two.
"Dehya!" Cyno roared from somewhere inside the pile.
Dehya didn't hesitate. She swung her claymore, the blade wreathed in roaring flames, and slammed it directly into the center of the mass. The impact ignited the wool flooring instantly.
In a shower of sparks and smoke, Cyno and a dozen soldiers dragged Childe and Scaramouche over the edge and into the waiting sea.
Ryen shook his head in the stands. "Never underestimate a cornered opponent. When a man decides his life is worth less than your defeat, no amount of skill can save you entirely. Snezhnaya has just lost its two primary combatants. This is a disaster for the Tsaritsa."
But then, Ryen's eyes widened. "Wait! Childe! He's pulling a miracle! He's still in it!"
Falling through the air, Childe had accepted his fate, until he saw the sheer vertical wall of the island's foundation passing him by. With a roar of effort, he whipped a block of wool from his belt and slammed it against the wall beneath his feet.
He hit the block hard, his vitality plummeting to a single flickering heart, but he stayed on the ledge.
Breathless, Childe looked down. Scaramouche, Cyno, and the others had already vanished into the mists. A moment later, two dragons surged upward, carrying the eliminated players back to the stands. As they passed Childe's narrow perch, Cyno's face was a mask of pure, dark fury. Childe, grinning despite the pain, gave a mock salute as they soared away.
Childe took a moment to steady his shaking hands. He was a one-hit kill now, and his hunger was too low to heal. But he was safe, for now. He pulled out his pickaxe and looked at the ceiling above him.
"A magnificent self-rescue," Ryen noted, though he kept his voice focused on the stadium speakers so the players wouldn't hear. "He's in a perfect position. If he can mine his way up from the bottom, he could potentially take Sumeru's bed right from under the noses of the brawlers."
On the main island, the defense had crumbled. The last of Sumeru's common soldiers were gone. Inazuma and Snezhnaya had turned on each other instantly, fighting over the scraps of the island while trying to fend off Mondstadt's fresh charge.
Diluc led the Knights in a disciplined wedge, but their arrival turned them into a lightning rod for the other two nations. No one wanted a newcomer to steal the prize. The battle for Sumeru's resources became a mindless meat grinder.
Alhaitham and Dehya stood by their bed, watching the three nations tear into each other. The Scribe looked strangely at peace.
"Well... that's that," Alhaitham said softly. "But before we go, we have one final duty."
He pulled out a pickaxe and systematically destroyed the blocks surrounding the bed, leaving it perched over a sheer drop into the ocean. He looked at the charging hordes.
"Sumeru's heart and Sumeru's wealth are here. Come and take them! Our war is over. Yours is just beginning."
With a final nod to Dehya, the two stepped backward into the abyss. As they fell, they saw Childe's head pop through a hole he had just mined in the floor. Alhaitham couldn't help but chuckle as the water rose to meet them.
Sumeru: Eliminated.
The island fell silent for a heartbeat as the "Eliminated" notification flashed. Then, the hunger for the bed took over. The brawl reignited with twice the ferocity.
In the stands, Ryen led a round of applause. "The first team has fallen. But Sumeru's defiance has left the other three nations crippled and bleeding. Let's hear it for the Scribes and the Mercenaries!"
As Alhaitham and Dehya joined the others, Nahida met them with a soft smile. "You did well. We were unprepared, but next time, we will not be the first to fall."
"I've seen enough," Alhaitham said, his eyes already tracing the tactical lines of the other nations. "I have a thesis to write on Bedwars theory. Liyue and Mondstadt have shown me much."
He turned back to the screen. The chaos was absolute. Despite Sumeru being gone, no one could get within five meters of the bed without being tackled.
"Why didn't Liyue strike us?" Alhaitham asked Ryen. "They had every advantage."
Ryen pulled up the Liyue feed. "Zhongli doesn't scramble for scraps. He waits for the moment everyone else is too deep to pull out."
The audience gasped. While the world was watching Sumeru, Liyue had moved.
Cloud Retainer was beneath Mondstadt with thirty men. Beidou was beneath Snezhnaya with thirty. Xiao had ghosted into the center.
Only Inazuma seemed untouched. But then, Zhongli looked into the camera and gave a small, knowing smile. He waved a hand.
"Fire!"
Thrum!
Five arrows, wreathed in violet flame, streaked through the air and landed squarely in Inazuma's wool fortifications. The fire spread in an instant.
Liyue had just declared war on everyone.