Ishkab leaned against Kinich, her right arm gently circling his neck.
Exhaustion had drained her strength, leaving her barely able to speak. She simply rested her head on her brother's shoulder and closed her eyes.
"Sister!"
Feeling the weight on his shoulder, Kinich startled and called out anxiously.
Ishkab tightened her grip around his neck slightly before closing her eyes again. She had no strength left; she could only rely on her brother and the Traveler.
Mualani approached Kinich and examined Ishkab's injuries.
"Ishkab is severely wounded. There's no medical care here. We need to find Kachina and the others quickly and get out of here!"
Lumine: "Let's move!"
The five-person team pressed onward, Unrelenting Will leading the way.
After walking for a while, just as they began to worry about how to find Kachina and the others in the vast Night Kingdom, a commotion ahead immediately caught their attention.
Paimon: "That sound! Someone's over there!"
Mualani's face lit up with relief. "It's Kachina and the others! Let's hurry!"
The group quickened their pace, and before long, they collided head-on with Kachina, Kaiulani, Chasca, and Iansan, who were sprinting toward them.
The four of them were visibly injured and exhausted.
Upon seeing the group, Iansan and the others initially startled before shouting for everyone to flee.
Kachina: "Mualani! Everyone! Run! That big thing is catching up!"
Paimon: "Big thing?!"
No sooner had she spoken than a massive creature burst around the corner behind Kachina and the others.
"The Golden Wolflord?!" Lumine gasped. Perhaps it shouldn't be called the Golden Wolflord at all, but the Black Gold Wolflord!
Paimon: "Isn't that thing supposed to be on Tsurumi Island in Inazuma? What's it doing here?!"
Lumine: "Paimon, this isn't that one! And back up! Be careful you don't get hurt!"
Drawing her longsword, Lumine surged past Kachina and the others to confront the Black Gold Wolflord head-on. Seeing the Traveler's bold charge, everyone except Paimon, Kinich, and Ishkab on Kinich's back turned to join Lumine in attacking the monstrous beast.
Ajaw, of course, hovered behind Kinich, choosing not to engage in the battle.
Various types of Elemental Energy attacks rained down on the Black Gold Wolflord, but Lumine's golden sword light proved the most lethal.
The Black Gold Wolflord could mostly ignore the attacks from Iansan and the others, but it fared poorly against Lumine's strikes. Its black scales offered no protection against her sword light.
Gashes appeared across the Wolflord's body.
Seizing her opportunity, Lumine charged her energy and unleashed a Cross Slash. The golden sword light, sharp enough to tear through space, cleaved the Wolflord into four pieces.
The severed remains were abruptly sucked into a newly formed black hole.
Lumine executed a flourish with her sword before sheathing it. "This one was much weaker than the last one!"
Her performance was a resounding success, earning her the awed gazes of the entire group.
Chasca, in particular, remembered witnessing Lumine's battle against Angie in Liyue. While the Traveler had been formidable then, she was now on an entirely different level!
A creature their combined forces couldn't even scratch had been sliced into four pieces by the Traveler... This level of improvement...
Kachina had always known her master was strong. She rushed to Kinich's side, anxiously asking, "What's wrong with Sister Ishkab?"
Ajaw hushed her. "Quiet! Don't disturb Sister. She's badly injured. Are you done here? If so, let's leave quickly. Lingering here is making my dragon's mind feel sluggish."
Kinich bent down again, trying to make his sister more comfortable. "Ajaw's right. Let's go!"
Chasca interjected, "Wait! When we first arrived, the Great Spirit sheltered us. Her condition is dire. Now that we've escaped the Abyss's pursuit, we must check on her, no matter what."
Noticing Lumine and Paimon's confusion, Iansan explained, "In the Night Kingdom, there are six main totem poles, each representing the Great Spirit of a tribe. If the main totem pole is the Great Spirit's true form, then these smaller poles are avatars sharing its consciousness."
"It's precisely because of these countless avatars that the Great Spirit's consciousness can blanket the entire Night Kingdom. No matter where a soul wanders, they can always be found."
"But if a fragment becomes severely corrupted, its soul will become lost within the Night Kingdom."
Kinich: "If that's the case, then this can't be the only fragment with problems. Even if we drive out the Abyss Power, it won't solve the underlying issue."
Kachina: "So we should just abandon the Great Spirit? It's been protecting us all this time..."
Finally, Lumine made her decision: "Saving one fragment is still saving something. Let's go."
No one argued after Lumine spoke. With her remarkable strength, she had effectively become the team's de facto leader.
As they journeyed toward the Great Spirit's location, they encountered numerous Abyss monsters. After defeating them as a united group, an Ancient Name slowly drifted down from the sky.
Mualani stepped forward in astonishment. "My Ancient Name is glowing? But I didn't even bring it with me!"
Chasca: "This must be a projection from the material realm. But why would the Ancient Name suddenly appear...?"
Iansan seemed to realize something. "Could it be... you're the one...?!"
At that moment, the Ancient Name began to transform. Something burst out from within, coalescing into a towering humanoid figure.
"What a mad act! Braving all odds to save their friends, they charged into the heart of the Abyss Contamination. But isn't it kind of heroic?"
The figure's voice was deep and resonant, exuding an inexplicable sense of overwhelming pressure.
"Isolated Natlanians stand no chance against the Abyss's power. It took me ages to learn this truth, etched in my scars, after enduring countless unnecessary hardships."
"In the Pyro Archon's grand plan, each of us must play our part, uniting as one—only then can we truly defeat our most formidable enemy."
Mualani: "Y-you're...?"
Tupac: "I am Tupac, a warrior of the People of the Springs from the Abyss Invasion of Natlan five hundred years ago."
Mualani exclaimed excitedly, "I've heard that name! You're the legendary hero who saved Natlan!"
Tupac: "Since my words can awaken from the Ancient Name, it means you have fully grasped the Great Spirit's wishes."
"Please unite all the tribes and save Natlan from its impending destruction."
Mualani: "M-me...?"
Tupac: "Before the blood runs dry, strike the flint against the blade, leaving a small lamp. Thus, the flame shall connect with the gaze of all Natlan."
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Spy-New Fic out. While we suffer from one kind of death here, now we can have another kind of death that puts a smile on our faces. Come Read!