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A conflict that could have erupted instead subsided, and Lumine and Dainsleif chose to continue working together.
But the Abyss Order had no intention of stopping. A sudden flash of light burst forth from the inverted city, and the four immediately hurried back—only to be blocked by the Abyss Lector responsible for the "mistake" of accidentally teleporting Dainsleif here earlier.
When he noticed the person who had taken the sacred Khaenri'ahn relic—the very individual he had reported—the Abyss Lector froze. Then, recognizing Lumine as well, his heart hammered violently.
Ah… was it still possible to run back and call for reinforcements?
How was he supposed to know this many people would be here?
Gritting his teeth, he tried to shirk responsibility and throw the blame off himself: "Dainsleif! Not only are you relentlessly meddling—you even joined forces once again with His Highness's blood relative! You—"
You despicable… you shameless… you know His Highness's blood relative is his greatest weakness!
But the more he mentally cursed, the more he realized that saying all of that out loud would only make the blame fall squarely on himself. So instead, he adjusted the angle, trying to appear honest and responsible: "Earlier, I failed to properly verify the teleportation network. Transporting you here by mistake was… a fatal error."
Dainsleif was not inclined to let him off: "Hmph. A coward who only knows how to run—who gave you the courage to face me this time?"
It was me, obviously!
Did the blame need to be distributed so precisely?!
If I run now and you chase me away from here, I'll run immediately, all right?!
The Abyss Lector forced himself to retort: "For the sake of carrying out His Highness's will, I will eliminate all interference at any cost."
"You mean your so-called purification?"
"Your revolting contempt… This time, we will completely erase the curse tormenting our people."
"Using that pool? Or the device beneath it?"
"Do not underestimate the technology of the Abyss. That device can multiply the purification ability of the pool tenfold—even a hundredfold."
"Such crude, simplistic methods… I overestimated you. At this rate, the only ones suffering will be the Hilichurls. They have nothing left besides the curse."
"Hmph! What do you know of His Highness's judgment? Come, this time I won't run!"
"That such a laughable conviction is something you'd willingly stake your life on? If you insist, then so be it."
Stake his life to buy time?
Yes—facing Dainsleif alone was already difficult enough. Against three opponents? Impossible. But still…
The Abyss Lector finally snapped: "Do not—call his resolve—laughable!!"
…
"Do Abyss Lectors also carry the curse of immortality?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Dainsleif turned to Victor Wang, surprised. Lumine and Paimon were confused; the topic was beyond their frame of reference.
Stepping across the spot where the Lector's body had just dissolved, Victor Wang sighed. "I've seen an Abyss Lector afflicted with the curse of immortality before."
"I see… It's possible in rare cases. But anyone dispatched to carry out the purification plan would certainly not be someone bearing the curse."
"That makes sense."
Feeling the tranquility from the purification pool beginning to spread outward through the inverted city, Dainsleif urged, "The device is activating—there's no time to talk. We must destroy it immediately."
When they hurried back to the chamber containing the pool, they saw another Electro Abyss Lector holding the rhombus-shaped gem of the purification apparatus, channeling energy into it. A beam of light shot upward into the pool, amplifying its purifying power.
"That device… is it too late?!" Dainsleif suddenly hunched over in agony. Through gritted teeth, interrupted by pain, he said, "Must they… truly force them to die in unbearable torment? We have to… stop it somehow…"
It wasn't just him. Hilichurls and Black Serpent Knights across the entire inverted city—even throughout the entire Chasm—were writhing in pain.
Including Victor Wang.
Pain—searing pain—as though four-sevenths of his body had developed its own consciousness, severed from the remaining three-sevenths. It was burning, tearing, screeching, twisting—as if parts of him were trying to escape his body altogether.
Still… he had already experienced losing pieces of his body several times. This wasn't worse than cleansing Electro.
Although he didn't believe he had higher pain tolerance than Dainsleif, who had endured five centuries of suffering, perhaps their curse intensities simply differed. He still had enough strength left—enough to move—and before Lumine or Paimon had reacted, he had already rushed forward. Even Halfdan lagged behind him.
"If you can live, then live."
He spoke with a complicated heart. Even in this state of pain, the unruly Anemo responded, blasting out to push Halfdan away from the purification device.
"—! (Run!)"
Victor Wang ignored the shout—which happened to be the one Khaenri'ahn phrase he had learned recently—and continued forward. The purification device and the Abyss Lector were ahead. The first priority was to destroy the device. But any technique requiring fine control was impossible under this pain. So he fell back on something primitive—spears of stone erupted forward.
The Abyss Lector snorted and released a burst of plasma, easily shattering the stone spears. The broken plasma dispersed into a rapidly expanding electric grid.
He was still some distance away from the device. [Starshift], [Jade Shield], [Palm Vortex], [Gale Blade], [Erosion Blast]—anything would work, if only he could use them. Since he had deliberately saved this device earlier to win Dainsleif's trust, he had to deliver now.
A crude rock wall rose. Then another. And another. Each one destroyed, each one replaced.
Through sheer grit, the wind gathered at his palm and formed a vortex, bridging the last bit of distance—pulling the core gem free from the purification device. At once, Geo constructs enclosed it, blocking its serene yet deadly radiance.
"Out of my way!"
A furious blast of thunder crashed toward him, but Lumine had already recovered, and Dainsleif regained some stability.
Blocking the device's effects with stone and body, Victor Wang watched the Abyss Lector get overwhelmed, all while thinking.
The Abyss Order's POV:with less than a one-percent chance, they attempt to purify the curse and restore the Hilichurls. Even in failure, the remaining ninety-nine percent would at least grant the Hilichurls true death—breaking the immortality curse, though through unbearable suffering.
Dainsleif's POV:purification is impossible. All it will do is kill them in agony. There is no need to torture them, nor betray Halfdan's wish to protect them.
Lumine's POV:the Hilichurls drawn here were those at the end of their natural lives. They simply wanted a peaceful place to die. Their instinctive, painless end should not be replaced by someone else's forced choice.
Victor Wang's POV:At first, he thought the device might purify all Hilichurls across Teyvat—but that was nonsense. It clearly only affects the Chasm. If it truly had the power to kill every Hilichurl in Teyvat instantly, that might be worth discussing. But as things stand, why bother? Besides… perhaps someday, they really can be restored.
And since they were ultimately going to reach Celestia, they could simply take it one step at a time. After surviving five hundred years already, waiting a few more for him wouldn't make much difference.