[Meanwhile, elsewhere, beneath the verdant canopy of Irminsul...]
After Little Bear defeated Boss Phandrea in battle, the expected cutscene didn't play. Instead, the screen went black, followed by a line of text and a loading bar.
Once the loading bar completed, the perspective shifted abruptly, switching from the Trailblazer's viewpoint to another's.
"The Corruption on Irminsul's branches grows ever thicker... It seems the Abyss leader invading Sumeru can no longer contain themselves..."
Beneath the towering Irminsul, a pristine white figure materialized. She reached out to touch the colossal tree, her flawless, serene face betraying no emotion.
"Ah... Compared to the 'Long-Life Ones' spoken of by the Xianzhou people, Abyssal Creatures more closely resemble their so-called 'Abundance Abominations'..."
"Defeated and obliterated time and again, yet resurrected and returned repeatedly, endlessly cycling... Isn't this precisely what the Xianzhou people describe as the 'Abundance Abominations,' forever rising from the ashes?"
Lumina withdrew her hand from the tree, exhaling a weary sigh.
"Hundreds? Or perhaps thousands of years... It's remarkable... But... you're exhausted."
"The Abyss... isn't something you... can withstand... alone..."
"Please... don't... shoulder this burden... alone..."
"Try... relying on... others... for once..."
Suddenly, as Lumina's weary words faded, a faint, ethereal voice—yet strangely weak—reached Lumina's ears and echoed through the screens to every player.
"E-eh-eh, wait, wait, wait, wait, hold on, damn it! This feels a little... not good..."
In the real world, the moment that line echoed through the live stream, Little Bear and the majority of players watching or playing the game felt their hearts skip a beat, as if jolted by some unknown stimulus.
[Crap, if the story keeps developing like this, Lumina will probably sacrifice herself to seal the Abyss. (Bowing her head in thought)]
[This plot feels so familiar... (Covers her face) Doesn't it seem a bit cliché...?]
[No! Even if the ending is happy, I don't want a story where one person sacrifices themselves for the sake of everyone else! (Breaks down crying)]
[Don't worry. Maybe even after Lumina sacrifices herself, this so-called Abyss will still exist. (Smirks) When that happens... let's sacrifice Nahida! (Smiles)]
[Why can't everyone live and just be added to the gacha? Lumina, Phandrea—they're all my wings! I can't fly without them! (Sobbing)]
This knife-edged statement instantly ignited the live stream's heat. Players watching the broadcast flooded the chat with their opinions.
They reasoned that anyone who uttered such a statement would consider an ending where the protagonist merely lost an arm or a leg the most complete and blissful outcome imaginable.
"So you're saying that all the disasters and impacts caused by this Abyss have been handled entirely by Lumina alone all these years?" Little Bear recalled the earlier statement, ignoring the mindless chatter in the Comment Section as he pondered the matter.
[While Lumina's still alive, Lumina doujinshi: 500 yuan each!]
[500 yuan?! Are you robbing people?!]
[LMAO! Robbing's way too slow compared to this!]
[Lady Lumina, please don't die! Lady Lumina! (Crying, throwing a fit, and threatening to hang myself)]
[Hey~ If I just stop progressing the story, Lumina won't get killed, right? (Pondering)]
"Don't overthink it, don't overthink it. How could the official story kill Lumina off when there's still more Lumina content coming?" Little Bear quickly tried to reassure the audience, seeing the negative emotions spreading through the Comment Section.
After all, there's still the Penacony storyline ahead. How could Lumina die in Version 1.7? That's just impossible.
"And the story isn't even finished yet! Can we please not start burning incense at the halfway mark?"
"Even though it feels like the plot is nearing its conclusion, the clues we have to piece it together are still scarce." Little Bear shook his head, muttering, "I don't think a single version, like 1.7, is enough to tell the whole story."
Sumeru's main story could have been handled like Xianzhou's, spread across two or three versions to properly develop the world-building and plot...
But instead, they try to cram it all into a single version? That's just not enough...
It's not like they're just adding a small map to an existing area. One version isn't nearly enough for something this big!
Though Little Bear had strong opinions, he refrained from expressing them too bluntly. After all, drawing premature conclusions before all the dust had settled would make him an easy target for the "Time-Space Police" to arrest...
As a player, all Little Bear could do was trust Mihoyo.
"Am I tired?" In the game, hearing this, Lumina froze for a moment. She placed a hand over her chest, feeling the rhythm of her heartbeat, and a bitter smile spread across her face. "Tired? Perhaps... maybe I really am tired... But what choice do I have?"
Lumina lifted her gaze to the branches of Irminsul, tainted by the Abyssal Aura. A faint glimmer sparked in her jade green eyes, as if recalling past memories.
"No matter the cost, no matter the methods we employ, someday—tomorrow, the day after—the Abyssal Creatures will relentlessly return, again and again..."
"But... you still haven't... given up... have you?"
"Give up? I've never even considered it," Lumina replied with a radiant smile. "If it were the me from the very beginning, I might have entertained the thought... but not anymore."
"But now... after being weathered by millennia, I've long since cast those words behind me. ♪"
Lumina stepped out from beneath the verdant canopy of Irminsul, venturing into the immaculate and beautiful Eternal Garden.
"Just like this Eternal Garden," she said. "I will forever protect the people of Sumeru, and forever resist the Abyss until my final breath."
"..." The voice fell silent, offering no further reply.
"Alright, I should be going now." Lumina smiled and waved goodbye to Irminsul.
"The Abyss's leader has finally shown himself, even if it's just an avatar. That's still good news..."
Lumina gazed in the direction of the Dream Barrier, her smile widening.
"Mm... G-good luck..."
With these final words, the game screen faded to black once more.