Watching Beidou hurry away, the Tsaritsa, Childe, and Rosalyne mounted their dragons and flew directly to the spectator platform.
Rosalyne asked softly, "Your Majesty, when do you think the final battle will begin?"
"The final battle? ...No more than three minutes," the Tsaritsa replied casually with a light laugh.
"Three minutes?" Rosalyne frowned. "But Mondstadt and Liyue just acquired so many resources. Logically, they should stall for a while, digest the resources, and then start the war..."
The Tsaritsa shook her head. "Rosalyne, this is a war. If it were you, would you allow your opponent to reinforce themselves before engaging them in a fair duel?"
Hearing this, Rosalyne fell silent. She understood the Tsaritsa's point.
"Liyue secured the center island resources early on and holds an absolute advantage in both position and materials. To be honest, while the resources of Sumeru and Snezhnaya are useful to them, what Zhongli truly needs is victory."
"Mondstadt just captured Inazuma. They haven't had time to digest those resources yet; they are currently at their most vulnerable. Given Zhongli's wartime strategies, how could he possibly allow them to safely assimilate those resources and then fight a grueling battle? Kicking a man while he's down, in war, that is the most effective tactic."
Rosalyne nodded, her voice low. "I understand. I underestimated Bed Wars. From now on, I will study the art of war carefully and treat Bed Wars as a true life-and-death struggle."
The Tsaritsa smiled and nodded. "There is no need to study the art of war. Study the various brilliant maneuvers of this world instead. For example, Childe's desperate survival just now. Or the fishing rod technique used by Liyue and Mondstadt."
"The wartime strategies currently popular in Teyvat were all developed and summarized by Zhongli when he led his armies during the Archon War. No matter how much you study, you can never surpass him. He has lived too long; the wars he has fought likely eclipse the combined experience of all the other Archons. When it comes to wartime wisdom, no one compares to him. Studying strategy means you are studying the very tactics Zhongli created. How could you possibly beat him that way?"
The Tsaritsa sighed with deep emotion. "The God of Martial Arts... The God of Martial Arts... That title doesn't just mean he possesses the greatest personal strength. His ability to command a war and devise strategies is also unmatched. Otherwise, how could he have established a foothold in the demon-infested lands of Liyue and built such a vast, millennial foundation?"
Rosalyne nodded and spoke softly, "I will study the other items carefully."
"Ha! You should ask me about that!" Childe cheerfully leaned in, looking proud. "I just pulled off a brilliant mid-air recovery and landing. That kind of play definitely belongs in a highlight reel. Just watch my technique from now on!"
"It's a pity Scaramouche was too weak to coordinate with me properly. Otherwise, I had more maneuvers planned that would have let us secure the resources completely unharmed."
Rosalyne's face darkened, her tone annoyed. "Saying it once is enough. Do you really need to keep repeating it?"
"Who told me to have such good skills! Since you didn't pull off any brilliant moves, you can only be jealous of me." Childe grinned at Rosalyne. She simply scoffed, losing all desire to converse.
The Tsaritsa smiled. "Childe isn't wrong. He plays Bed Wars and Parkour frequently and knows many tricks. For future Bed Wars matches..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of bowstrings snapping echoed in the air. The Tsaritsa looked down and smiled. "Look, Liyue has launched their general offensive."
"Your Majesty is brilliant, anticipating the enemy's moves," Childe praised.
"Sigh... Don't say that. If I truly anticipated the enemy's moves, how could Liyue have succeeded in their sneak attack?"
"Your Majesty, that wasn't your fault..."
"Forget it. Let's not talk about it. Let's watch the final battle."
The three landed on the Sky Island observation deck, greeted everyone, and joined the crowd in watching the screens. This was the final clash; missing even a moment could mean missing a spectacular play.
A few minutes earlier.
Mondstadt successfully conquered Inazuma's main island. Unlike Beidou and her team, who won through technique, Mondstadt relied on sheer numbers to overwhelm Inazuma. Jean, Eula, and Venti surrounded Ei, keeping her pinned down, while Diluc faced off against Kujou Sara. The Shogun was unable to return in time, completely eliminating any chance for a comeback.
With a massive army pressing down, Inazuma's Sky Island was forcibly dismantled in minutes. Cloud Retainer, seeing that Mondstadt was about to take the island, retreated early, severing the bridge connecting Inazuma to Mondstadt's main island along the way, and firing off a volley of arrows as a parting gift.
Cloud Retainer arranged for her troops to take over for Xiao, then regrouped with Beidou and Xiao to return to Liyue's main island.
Beidou hurried forward, her voice low. "My Lord, the resources from Sumeru and Snezhnaya are secured. Sumeru had TNT, Inazuma had Obsidian, along with some other materials. We..."
Before she could finish, Zhongli raised a hand to stop her. "Say no more. Cloud Retainer, assemble the Redstone Cannon and fire upon Mondstadt's main island. Beidou, have your men encase the bed in Obsidian. Xiao, stand by. Await my orders and prepare to attack."
Beidou was momentarily stunned. "My Lord, we just acquired so many resources. Shouldn't we take a moment to digest them first?"
"No need." Zhongli shook his head, equipping his Trident and donning a full set of iron armor. "We currently hold a resource advantage over Mondstadt. If we stop to digest our resources, they will do the same. We don't know exactly what they took from Inazuma. Right now, pressing our advantage is the best option. Attack immediately before they can gain a solid footing! How many men do we have left?"
Xiao scanned the area and replied softly, "We lost quite a few in the Snezhnaya engagement. We have seventy-eight men remaining."
"Seventy-eight... That is enough. I will lead fifty men to storm Mondstadt's island. They only have about fifty men left as well."
Xiao looked concerned. "My Lord, although they only have around fifty men left, we are launching an amphibious assault. With equal numbers, the attacking side does not have the advantage."
Zhongli shook his head and said calmly, "Do not worry. Leave it to me. Cloud Retainer, Beidou, move out. Time is of the essence."
With that, Zhongli turned to look at the Millelith, who were clearly exhausted from the intense fighting. Despite their fatigue, the fiery passion in their eyes had not dimmed in the slightest. They were about to march into battle alongside the Lord of Geo! Death was an honor, and besides, they wouldn't truly die here.
Zhongli calmly surveyed his troops. A moment later, just as he had during the Archon War, he raised his Trident high.
"For this final battle, Liyue shall be victorious!"
"Victory! Victory! Victory!" the Millelith roared hoarsely, brandishing their Iaito.
Zhongli spun around and stepped onto the bridge leading toward the center island. Xiao watched him leave, then began assigning the remaining twenty-eight men to various defensive positions across the main island. Beidou and Cloud Retainer were both working frantically. Although Xiao hadn't been given a specific task by Zhongli, he wasn't anxious; Zhongli wouldn't forget him.
On Mondstadt's side.
As a close friend, Venti knew exactly what choice Zhongli would make in this situation. After taking the resources from a dark-faced Ei, Venti urged frantically, "Quick, quick, quick! Back to the main island! The old man is about to launch a general offensive!"
With that, he immediately led the way back toward their base.
"So soon? We haven't even digested the resources!" Jean's expression was grim.
Venti replied hurriedly, "The old man won't give us the chance to peacefully digest our resources. Striking when the enemy is vulnerable is his signature wartime style."
Jean felt a complex mix of emotions. That description sounded incredibly strange. But a moment later, she heard the roars coming from Liyue's main island. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Zhongli leading a large force swiftly toward the center island, taking aim at Mondstadt's base with flaming arrows along the way.
Jean turned pale with shock. "Quick! Fall back and defend!"
Picking up the pace, they barely managed to return to Mondstadt's Sky Island just as Zhongli and his forces reached the center island.
With no time to rest, Jean issued rapid orders: "Eula, take some men and build a wall! Diluc, Venti, integrate the resources quickly! Liyue has more men left and a resource advantage. We will play defense and look for counterattacks!"
This was the only plan Jean could formulate in the rush. As for a sneak attack... forget it. Liyue was the progenitor of sneak attacks. The reason Venti had gone on a losing streak in previous Bed Wars was because Liyue would never attack head-on if a sneak attack was an option. They played far too dirty!
A stone wall was quickly erected. Zhongli frowned slightly and contacted Cloud Retainer via communicator. "Is the Redstone Cannon ready?"
"It's built, but there's no way to confirm if it's aimed correctly at Mondstadt. It needs calibration."
Receiving Cloud Retainer's reply, Zhongli gave a slight nod. "No need for calibration. Fire immediately! Blanket Mondstadt's main island!"
"Understood!"
Cloud Retainer placed a lever and pulled it down firmly. Although time constraints meant they could only build a rudimentary Redstone Cannon, it was clearly sufficient. They only had half a stack of TNT; building a massive mountain-leveling cannon would have been a waste.
The ignited TNT shot out with a boom. Fortunately, the shot landed perfectly on Mondstadt's main island. Although the stone wall blocked their view, the resulting commotion suggested it had caught Mondstadt completely off guard, undoubtedly injuring many soldiers.
Sure enough, shortly after, two Mondstadt soldiers with grimaces on their faces jumped off the Sky Island.
"It's effective! Keep firing!" Zhongli's eyes lit up as he commanded, "Seize the moment! Use the artillery cover to storm their island! Cloud Retainer, once we engage in close combat, stop using the TNT. Save five blocks of TNT; I have a major use for them!"
Cloud Retainer didn't reply, but the Redstone Cannon fired more frequently.
Inside Mondstadt's base, the TNT bombardment had thrown everything into chaos. They had expected Zhongli's attack to be swift and fierce, but they absolutely never anticipated a TNT barrage. Caught unprepared, not only was the ground blasted full of craters, but occasionally an unlucky Knight was blown away. In the blink of an eye, they had lost four or five capable fighters.
Fortunately, the TNT explosions were kept at a distance from the bed. Eula raised her shield to block a wave of explosive damage for Jean, but tanking the hit caused her health to drop significantly.
"Thank you," Jean said, lingering fear in her voice.
"Save the thanks for later! Think of something, Jean! If this keeps up, the main island is going to be blown to pieces!" Eula replied anxiously.
Jean took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and mentally inventoried Mondstadt's resources. A moment later, she shouted: "Everyone, pour water! Flood the ground! TNT deals less explosive damage in water; at the very least, it won't destroy the terrain! Take cover! They can't have much TNT left!"
Hearing Jean's command, everyone immediately pulled out water buckets and spread water evenly across the surface of the Sky Island. The destructive power of the explosions was curtailed, but moving through water was incredibly cumbersome. The flowing water could also easily sweep people off the edge.
Left with no other choice, Jean ordered her troops to build stone barriers along the edges of the island to prevent anyone from falling. Only after all this was done did she finally let out a sigh of relief.