"Is this where Phandrea's Dream resides?"
Following Nahida's lead, the group quickly arrived at their destination.
March 7th looked around at the quiet, empty space, devoid of any signs of human presence. "As I mentioned earlier, Phandrea's physical strength pales in comparison to her soul's power," she said, her voice tinged with confusion.
"Therefore, she spends most of her time in her soul form, residing within the dream realm she created. As the dream expands, she moves slowly with it."
"Unless absolutely necessary, Phandrea would never foolishly abandon her home turf and expose her weaknesses."
Nahida conjured her familiar large book. As its pages flipped rapidly, the air before them rippled like water, reflecting a different scene.
Though the general layout remained similar to their current location, this alternate reality was teeming with pitch-black, malevolent, and ominous Abyssal Creatures. As the ripples subsided, these creatures glared at the group through the barrier, their eyes burning with malice.
"What are you staring at? Come over here if you've got the guts!" March 7th couldn't help but shudder under the hostile gaze of the Abyssal Creatures. But remembering Nahida's earlier words and glancing at the reassuring presence of Sister Lumina beside her, March 7th suddenly felt no fear at all.
Raising her bow, she aimed at the creatures and hurled a taunting challenge:
"Hey, ugly! What's your problem?!"
Hearing this, Stelle, standing nearby, seemed to recall a rather unpleasant memory...
As expected, the moment March 7th's taunt fell, the Abyssal Creatures within the barrier erupted into a chorus of raspy roars and surged forward, their claws extended, eager to tear her apart.
"E-eh?! Wait, why are you actually coming out?!"
March 7th froze in disbelief for a moment. She hadn't expected her casual taunt to actually provoke these creatures into charging out...
Do these Abyssal Creatures even have brains? Why would a single sentence shatter your composure and make you abandon your home turf like that...?
March 7th mentally scoffed, silently cursing these so-called Abyssal Creatures as nothing more than mindless beasts.
Despite her mental grumbling and verbal jabs, March 7th knew better than to stand idly by while these rampaging Abyssal Creatures swarmed her, intent on tearing her to shreds. She couldn't just wait for Nahida or Sister Lumina to intervene.
"Time to get serious for once," she muttered.
"Check out this awesome move~"
March 7th could sense that these Abyssal Creatures were more bark than bite—terrifying in appearance but ultimately weak. She could handle them with ease.
Ignoring the Ultimate charging mechanism, March 7th drew her bow, nocked an arrow, and unleashed her Ultimate immediately.
As the arrow flew from her hand, it transformed into a swarm of icy rabbits that crashed into each Abyssal Creature, freezing them into ice sculptures before shattering into fragments that vanished into the air.
"Hehe, I'm so awesome!"
Watching the entire swarm of Abyssal Creatures annihilated in a single strike, March 7th stowed her bow, planted her hands on her hips, and beamed with pride. She even glanced at Lumina several times, as if expecting something.
"You were amazing, March!"
Lumina understood March 7th's unspoken wish perfectly. Happy to oblige, she reached out and gently patted March 7th's head, rubbing it softly as she praised her.
"Hehe."
With others present and real-world players watching, Lumina only ruffled March 7th's hair briefly before withdrawing her hand.
Even that brief moment left March 7th feeling immensely satisfied.
"Nahida is truly remarkable too," Lumina said, her gaze shifting to Nahida with a gentle smile. "Finding Phandrea's hidden dream realm with such precision must have taken tremendous effort, right?"
"Don't waste time. Let's go in quickly," Nahida replied curtly, ignoring the compliment. "If we wait for Phandrea to expand the Dream Barrier to encompass Sumeru City, we'll have a real problem."
Ignoring Lumina's praise, Nahida strode forward, passing through the rippling, ethereal gate into the Dream Barrier Phandrea had created.
"Hmm... Why do I get the feeling Nahida doesn't really like Sister Lumina?" March 7th murmured, watching Nahida's retreating figure disappear into the barrier.
"Not at all, March," Lumina reassured her gently. "That's just Nahida's personality. Don't worry about it."
Though March 7th's murmurs were barely audible, Lumina caught them. Her lips parted slightly as she offered an explanation:
"But Sister Lumina and Nahida are meeting for the first time, aren't they?"
"Then why does Sister Lumina know so much about her?"
Hearing this, even the usually clueless March 7th realized something was amiss.
Sister Lumina had claimed not to know Nahida, and Nahida had said the same about Sister Lumina... Yet their interactions and mannerisms suggested otherwise.
"I understand her better than anyone else, and she understands me better than anyone else," Lumina explained to March 7th's questioning gaze.
"Alright, alright, let's not dwell on this any longer."
"Nahida's already inside. We should hurry in too and not keep her waiting."
Lumina, clearly unwilling to discuss her relationship with Nahida further, swiftly changed the subject.
Before March 7th and the others could respond, Lumina strode through the Dream Barrier.
Seeing this, March 7th and the others exchanged glances, their eyes filled with determination.
Once everything settled, March 7th resolved to confront Sister Lumina and demand a clear explanation.
A nagging feeling persisted in March 7th's heart: she was convinced that Sister Lumina and Nahida shared some kind of absolutely inseparable connection.
-
"Oh ho, looks like it's boss time!"
In the real world, Little Bear watched the familiar pre-battle challenge screen appear on the game screen, a wave of relief washing over him.
Though the plot felt rushed and somewhat bland, the absence of any emotional gut-punches was actually a pleasant surprise.
"Ah, Nahida's silhouette is appearing now."
Little Bear clicked "Start Challenge," and the team composition screen materialized before him.
The team consisted of two mandatory characters: Lumina and Nahida, and they couldn't be swapped out.
Nahida's originally pitch-black Character Portrait had been replaced with a brand-new appearance.
"Who in their right mind brings two Abundance characters to a boss fight?" Little Bear couldn't help but grumble.
Both Lumina and Nahida shared the same Path—Abundance—which only exacerbated his annoyance.
Still, grumbling aside, his Lumina had maxed-out Eidelons, making her an even more formidable Main DPS than most Main DPS characters. So it wasn't a huge problem for him.
The real hardship would be for players with E0 Lumina or those who hadn't pulled her at all. While Lumina's strength was slightly overpowered, an E0 Lumina offered little to no damage output.
Combined with a 4-star Nahida, these players would have to slowly chip away at the boss...
Wait a minute—didn't Lumina have some Harmony and Nihility capabilities too? Never mind, then.
Lumina's strength is truly reassuring!
[Why are we fighting the boss so soon? This plot's a mess! I'm going to flame Mihoyo!]
[Too much angst is bad, but not enough is boring. The writers must be tearing their hair out trying to balance it.]
[That's how it goes for writers. Players just need to enjoy the script, while the writers have to worry about everything.]
[How is Nahida, an Emanator, only a 4-star character? Is this for real? Did Mihoyo mess something up?]
[Hey, that's not quite right. Can't a 4-star character become a 5-star? Just wait, they'll release an SP form later. I've even got a name for it: Lumina (laughs).]
"Nahida should have an SP form like Dan Heng too," Little Bear nodded in agreement as he scrolled through the comments.
How can Nahida, an Emanator, be just a 4-star character? That can't be right.
"But come to think of it, if Nahida is already an Emanator, how would she get an SP form later?"
Little Bear's brow furrowed in confusion. Nahida wasn't like Dan Heng. Dan Heng had hidden power from the start, so unlocking it to reveal his SP form made sense.
But Nahida is already an Emanator. What kind of SP form unlock path could there even be?
Little Bear didn't understand, but since the official account seemed determined to go this route, he shrugged it off.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he set up his character team and dove straight into the battle.
Entering the Dream Barrier created by Phandrea's Dream Authority, he controlled his character to the mission marker, triggering a cutscene.
"Heh, is that all the Lord of Wisdom is capable of?" Phandrea taunted in the CG.
In the cutscene, Phandrea and Nahida were already engaged in combat. As the embodiment of wisdom, Nahida's ability to hold her own against Phandrea in the latter's Dream domain was a testament to her formidable power.
"How long have you been suffering from verbal diarrhea? I know a little Medical Arts. Should I treat you?" Nahida asked calmly, unfazed by Phandrea's taunts.
"Last time, I underestimated you and let you escape. This time, you'll obediently await your death."
Nahida said nothing more. Her Great Book flipped through pages endlessly, and she immediately unleashed a Superposition Magic spell.
Countless magic circle-like formations materialized around Phandrea, completely encircling her.
Tch... Could Nahida be the wretched woman's sister? How can she be such a pervert too? Feeling the aura emanating from the surrounding magic circles, Phandrea outwardly remained composed, but inwardly cursed furiously.
How can I fight someone with hacks?!
If Phandrea hadn't already witnessed Zephyro and Celenova, both Emanators of Destruction like herself, she might have started doubting whether she was truly an Emanator at all, and not just a Pathstrider with slightly more power...
Still, it wasn't all bad. Against Nahida, if she went all out, she could at least hold her own... If she retrieved the Ambrosial Arbor-constructed body she had used on the Luofu, defeating or even killing Nahida wouldn't be too difficult.
But that wretched woman... Phandrea genuinely couldn't find any way to counter her. Even with the combined blessings of Abundance and Destruction, she still felt as insignificant as an ant in that woman's hands...
It was like comparing a firefly to the full moon. At first glance, the difference didn't seem so vast, but once you truly experienced it, you understood why the moon's radiance could blanket the entire earth...
Abandoning further thought, Phandrea's expression turned grave as she observed the surrounding magic circles.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In the next instant, countless magic circles erupted with emerald beams of light, mercilessly converging on Phandrea from every direction, leaving her no escape.
"It's over. You're too late," Nahida said calmly, stepping forward after sensing Phandrea's aura vanish completely.
"Just like that?" March 7th gulped, having witnessed Nahida's earlier attack.
Though the attack lacked flashy special effects or an overwhelming aura, March 7th couldn't shake the feeling that even a single emerald beam would be enough to send her straight to the afterlife...
"What else would it be?" Nahida waved her hand dismissively, as if stating the obvious. "I told you before—if Lady Lumina had arrived even a moment later in that Dream, Phandrea would have died by my hand then and there."
"Mm-hmm, you're amazing," Lumina said sincerely with a warm smile.
Hearing this praise, Nahida's matter-of-fact expression instantly vanished. She glanced at Lumina briefly, saying nothing.
"Ugh..."
March 7th glanced at Nahida, then back at her beloved Sister Lumina, her mind suddenly filled with confusion.
When in doubt, ask, March 7th always adhered to this principle. After a moment's hesitation, she ventured, "Um, Nahida, Sister Lumina... did you two have some kind of misunderstanding?"
March 7th recalled some trending short dramas she had scrolled through on her video app. Combined with the way Sister Lumina and Nahida were interacting, she suddenly understood.
Sister Lumina and Nahida must have known each other, and even been friends for a while...
But one day, a sudden event shattered their friendship. They broke up, blocked each other, and deleted all traces of their connection—all in one swift move...
That's why, even though they clearly knew each other well, they both claimed not to recognize the other.
"Hmm... March 7th, while I don't know what you're imagining, it's not what you think," Nahida said, a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth as she watched March 7th's expression.
That silly child is letting her imagination run wild again...
"I'm not imagining things! I think—"
"Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha!"
March 7th was about to retort to Nahida when a wild, maniacal laughter echoed through the Dream Barrier, interrupting their conversation.