"Hey, w-what is that?!"
"Run! Leave everything behind, run!"
"I-it's the end! The God of the Sea is furious!"
"Forgive my sins! Spare us!"
The hoarse screams of Liyue's citizens echoed back and forth in your ears, cutting through the howling wind and the rumbling earth. You rushed to the window.
From the second-floor window, you could see the street below had become a churning sea of humanity—people trampling one another, running in every direction with no goal.
The lanterns that once beautifully lit the streets now lay shattered, some sparking small fires that only fueled the panic. Merchants abandoned their carts; mothers clutched their hysterically crying children. Every face was painted with despair and raw terror.
You tore your gaze from the hopeless ocean of people and slowly lifted your head, forcing your eyes toward the source of all this madness—the open sea.
There, splitting the pitch-black night sky, stood a monster whose size defied reason. A five-headed hydra formed entirely of compacted seawater, towering high enough to blot out the stars. A raging thunderstorm swirled around it.
Yet the most horrifying thing was not its size, but the thick, dark-purple veins of energy pulsing throughout its watery body—like poison coursing through its arteries.
Your breath caught. You couldn't swallow. Your hands gripped the windowsill so hard that splinters of cracked wood pierced your palms, yet you felt no pain.
Then, with jerky movements, you turned your head to look at Ganyu standing beside you.
The girl's lips trembled violently. Her already pale face had gone as white as lifeless porcelain. Her purple eyes reflected the lightning from the storm outside, wide with shock.
"Osial…" she whispered. Her voice sounded like dry leaves crushed underfoot. "That's… the Overlord of the Vortex…"
You stared into Ganyu's trembling eyes and could almost see thousands of years of memories flashing through them—bloody wars, giant stone spears falling from the sky, comrades who might have fallen to subdue this creature in the past.
"But how could this be…" Ganyu lowered her head, hands gripping the windowsill until her knuckles turned white. Her eyes kept shaking as she stared at the wooden floor. "Wasn't he sealed…? The seal Rex Lapis placed… it couldn't possibly break so easily…"
"Sealed?"
You looked at Ganyu in confusion, then immediately turned back toward Osial, who was now raising one of its heads into the air.
"I don't know what happened to him in the past, Ganyu," your voice shook. "But if he's appearing here…"
You looked straight into her eyes. "It means someone deliberately broke the seal."
The words seemed to slap Ganyu back into the present. She jolted. Slowly she turned her head toward you. Her still-trembling eyes now carried a dark spark of understanding.
"You're right," she said softly. "That sacred seal may have weakened… but it couldn't have shattered on its own. There must be outside interference." She swallowed, chest rising and falling rapidly. "Besides… something feels wrong."
She looked back at the distant Osial—at the giant purple veins pulsing inside the ancient sea god's watery body. The purple light emitted an aura that made the air feel heavy and toxic.
"You mean… that nauseating feeling coming from him?" you asked, remembering the suffocating sensation that had suddenly filled the room the moment the monster rose. "It feels like standing next to a pile of rotting corpses…"
Ganyu nodded slowly, jaw tightening. "It seems to be coming from those purple veins." She swallowed again, visibly forcing herself not to look away from the horrifying sight. "For some reason, just seeing that color makes me extremely uncomfortable. That energy… it defies the laws of Teyvat. It feels like an bottomless abyss of curses."
She paused, eyes narrowing. "In the past, during the Archon War, that god was made only of pure seawater and hatred. He didn't have veins like that. That purple energy… I believe it is the power of the Abyss."
Hearing the word "Abyss" and Ganyu's explanation made you instantly put on a deeply thoughtful expression. Your brows knitted.
Purple veins… extremely evil and uncomfortable energy… I feel like I've seen it before…
Your mind spun rapidly, digging through memories from just a few hours ago. The blood-soaked beach. The Hilichurl corpses. And then… your eyes widened.
When the muscular man's face flashed in your mind—his eyes replaced by the exact same purple light, veins bulging and radiating the same corrupt aura—your stomach instantly churned.
Bile surged up your throat. You clapped a hand over your mouth, wanting to vomit for the second time that night.
He… he did this?
The guilt that had begun to fade now slammed into you ten times harder. If your chain of deductions was correct, you weren't just a murderer. You were the trigger of this apocalypse. Your existence, the hand that opened that gacha box, was the reason this ancient god had risen with the power of the Abyss.
Your body began to shake. Cold sweat poured down your back.
But before you could voice that terrible regret—
"Watch out!" Ganyu suddenly cried. Her whole body, her eyes, her voice—everything trembled.
She saw Osial beginning to move!
Out at sea, Osial roared toward the sky. The sonic wave shattered every remaining windowpane along the harbor. It launched an attack from one of its gigantic hydra mouths.
The god was no longer merely standing there intimidating the city. It had begun its assault!
Seawater was sucked upward, forming a massive, dense sphere of water in the air. The orb spun at terrifying speed, crackling with blue and purple lightning. Then, with one powerful thrust, the water sphere was fired high into the sky, piercing the storm clouds.
At its peak, the sphere shattered. It exploded like deadly fireworks.
It did not fall as one mass of water. Instead it scattered into thousands of sharp water projectiles, raining down on Liyue Harbor like a meteor shower.
"Water barrage!" you shouted in panic, watching the thousands of deadly points arc down from the night sky, aimed straight at the fleeing crowds.
Every strike that hit the ground obliterated whatever it touched. House roofs caved in, stone roads cratered, carts shattered into splinters. The water carried the destructive force of cannons.
Below, near the harbor plaza, you saw a group of citizens stumble. An old man fell, and several others piled on top of him. Above them, three water projectiles hurtled down at full speed. Death was less than two seconds away.
They would never dodge in time!
But before death could reach them—TRANG!—the sound of freezing air rang out sharply. The lethal water attack… froze in mid-air. It turned into a gigantic, razor-sharp block of ice, stopping mere inches above the fallen citizens' heads, then shattered into harmless snowflakes.
You jerked, eyes snapping to your side.
Ganyu had frozen the attack from afar!
At some point—her movement so fast your human eyes couldn't catch it—she was already holding a magnificent bow in her hands. The bow was white and blue, radiating a freezing aura that crystallized the moisture inside your inn room.
Ganyu stood in the perfect stance of an elite archer. Her bowstring still vibrated. A cold breath, white frost mist, escaped between her tightly pressed lips.
Moonlight bathed her face, revealing an entirely different expression. Her purple eyes were now sharp, focused, and deadly.
Down below, the citizens who saw Osial's attack freeze right above their heads realized they had just been saved. But it didn't stop the panic—they only grew more frantic, scrambling to their feet and screaming the names of Rex Lapis and the Adepti.
The Millelith on duty looked overwhelmed. They struggled to calm the hysterical sea of people, shouting for them to head to the evacuation points.
Ganyu slowly lowered her bow. Small ice crystals floated in the air around her.
"I'm sorry, but I have to go immediately."
Ganyu turned to face you. Her free left hand grasped your right. Her grip was tight and ice-cold. She looked straight into your terrified eyes.
"You… you can't stay here either," she said, voice slightly shaking. "This inn isn't safe. The window faces the sea directly. Quickly, go to the evacuation area with the others. Follow the Millelith's instructions."
You looked at her hand holding yours, then at her eyes. Your own eyes trembled violently. Your heart felt crushed by an invisible fist.
"What about you?" you asked, voice nearly lost in the wind blowing through the window. You already knew the answer, but you didn't want to hear it.
Ganyu was silent for a moment. Night wind tossed her ice-blue hair, brushing her cheek.
She smiled with her eyes closed—a smile full of heartbreaking acceptance. The smile of someone prepared never to return.
"I need to fulfill my responsibility," she said softly, eyes still closed.
"Responsibility?" Your lips trembled. You glanced at Osial, who was preparing the next wave of attacks. The monster was the embodiment of apocalypse, and Ganyu… Ganyu looked so small before it. "You mean… you're going to hold that monster back?! Alone?!"
Ganyu opened her eyes. She nodded slowly. "It's not that I'll hold it back alone. But…" She looked at her own hand, at her pale skin, then at the sacred bow she gripped.
"As a human, I'm just a secretary who probably works too much," her voice sounded eerily calm amid the chaos outside. "But as a half-qilin…"
Then she looked at Osial. Her entire body trembled faintly—not from fear, but from the surge of elemental energy resonating inside her, responding to the ancient god's threat.
"Back then…" Ganyu lowered her head slightly, voice turning sad and quiet. "…I once asked myself. Why was I born with this blood? Why was I born with such great power in my body? In this peaceful Liyue, in an era where humans can lead themselves, does someone like me really need power this immense?"
She turned to you again. Her eyes glistened, yet no tears fell.
"Every day I handle taxes, count rice, schedule festivals. I tried to suppress my power, to be normal. I often thought that my Adeptus blood no longer had a place in this world."
Ganyu lifted her face and stared straight at the gigantic monster in the sea.
"But tonight… seeing him rise again… now I understand. I understand why I'm still alive today. This power… it exists for moments like this."
She turned fully toward the window. The storm wind wildly billowed her clothes.
"This is my power," she declared firmly, as if swearing an oath to herself. "And my responsibility. My contract with Rex Lapis has not yet ended."
She looked at you one last time over her shoulder. She smiled—a sweet smile that for some reason made your chest tighten.
"Don't worry, I won't be reckless. I only need to hold him back until Lady Ningguang and the other Adepti arrive," she said reassuringly.
People who say that are always the ones who end up reckless, your mind screamed. That's the classic line of someone about to sacrifice themselves! Don't say that!
"See you later."
And with that short farewell, Ganyu stepped onto the windowsill. She didn't hesitate for even a second. She bent her knees and leaped from the second-floor window.
"W-wait!"
You screamed until your lungs felt like they would tear. Your hand shot forward, trying to grab the hem of her clothes, trying to pull her back. But your fingers only clutched empty air.
Before you could stop her, before you could beg her to stay with you, she was already gone.
You ran to the window and looked down. You saw a streak of ice-blue light shoot through the night darkness, leaping across rooftops at impossible speed, racing toward death in the form of a giant monster. Leaving a trail of ice crystals in the air that slowly melted.
You stood there, frozen. The storm wind slapped your face mercilessly.
You took a long, trembling, despairing breath. Your red, stinging eyes stared at Osial, who was now rampaging in the sea, creating a gigantic whirlpool ready to swallow everything.
You imagined Ganyu facing that monster alone right now.
You gritted your teeth. Your trembling eyes slowly moved away from the window. You turned, scanning the messy room.
Your gaze stopped on the wooden table in the corner.
There, on the table now dusted with frost, lay two pitch-black boxes with white question marks in the center. The unopened gacha boxes.
Without another moment of hesitation, you dashed to the table. Your still-shaking hands grabbed one of the gacha boxes. You clutched it tightly, as if it were the last lifeline at the edge of a cliff.
I hope whatever comes out is useful for this insane situation…
You turned, kicked aside the remaining ice shards from your room door, and ran out of the inn. Down the stairs, into the streets, toward the storm where your fate waited to be rewritten.
…
You sprinted through the sea of people fleeing in the opposite direction. Their faces were masks of pure terror: eyes bulging, mouths open in unanswered prayers, tears instantly swept away by the storm rain.
The thick, fishy smell of the sea mixed with wet earth and burning wood from fallen lanterns filled your nostrils, turning your stomach.
You had to keep ducking and weaving, avoiding overturned merchant carts and scattered goods.
Far out in the harbor plaza, Osial, the Overlord of the Vortex, continued its rampage. You could see the giant hydra silhouette every time purple and blue lightning struck from the sky.
Occasionally the monster paused its roar and launched attacks. Massive water spheres were fired into the air, shattered, and rained down on the city like artillery shells.
SYUUUUNG! DUAAAR! One giant water projectile smashed into the roof of a building not far from where you ran, pulverizing clay tiles into dust and hurling wooden splinters everywhere.
You reflexively leaped and rolled, breath ragged, chest heaving violently.
When Osial seemed to pause to gather water energy again, you realized this was your only chance.
You reached into your soaked pocket with violently shaking hands and pulled out one of the pitch-black gacha boxes. The white question mark in the center seemed to mock your despair.
Your teeth clenched. Rain dripped from your plastered bangs.
You pressed the center of the box.
Instantly it opened, shattering into blinding digital light particles amid the storm darkness, and a physical object dropped with a soft klik into your cold palm.
You looked down, squinting to focus through the rain.
It was a monocle. Yet it looked nothing like a world-saving relic. It looked like antique junk pulled from a trash bin of history. The lens was cracked into a thousand spider-web fractures that somehow stayed in the frame—thick and extremely blurry. The frame itself was brass heavily oxidized to a deep green. It looked utterly worthless, let alone magical.
However, in your retina, the system interface displayed a line of text in reddish-gold, signifying absolute rarity.
The Monocle of Fatal Focus (SS-TIER)
Description: A monocle with a crystal lens that allows the user to manipulate the mana flow of any target it views. When focus is locked on a single target, this item discards all of the target's defenses and redirects them entirely into offense, increasing the target's Damage Output by 1000% for 10 seconds.
Side Effect: To achieve 10x offensive power, the target loses all forms of protection. For the 10 seconds the effect is active, the target will also take 10x damage from any source. Additionally, the target's body emits an extremely high threat aura. All hostile creatures within a 100-meter radius will instantly target whoever bears this effect. If the user applies this to an enemy, the user risks instant death if that enemy lands even one attack before it falls.
What?!
Your heart seemed to stop for a moment. Your mind raced wildly.
You glanced at the description, reading it again in your head, before reflexively looking toward the open sea. There, Osial once again opened all five mouths, preparing another projectile barrage. The deadly rain of water streaked down at nearly invisible speed.
That attack is so fast?! your mind screamed.
You threw yourself into a muddy puddle, rolling desperately as a water spear stabbed into the exact spot you had stood a second earlier, leaving a two-meter-deep hole in the paving stone.
Damn it. Trying to read a long description in the middle of an apocalypse is impossible, you cursed, wiping mud from your face with a wet sleeve.
You steadied your breathing, pushed fear to the bottom of your stomach, and hid more tightly behind the ruins of a collapsed wall.
You looked again at the worn monocle in your hand. This piece of junk was an SS-Tier item. Power level equal to the demon sword that had only recently nearly driven you insane.
But it seems incredibly useful, right? your mind began tactical analysis, trying to stay cold amid the panic. It's an extreme double-edged sword. A lens of death. Tenfold attack power, but absolute zero defense and becomes public enemy number one.
Then you looked toward the harbor plaza, searching for flashes of ice light.
How can I help Ganyu with this… If you used it on Ganyu, her ice arrows might be strong enough to freeze the entire ocean and stop Osial. But… Osial would immediately focus every hydra head on her. And with zero defense, even one graze of water from the monster would erase Ganyu's body from existence.
You muttered in frustration, carefully squeezing the monocle.
But before your plan could fully form, your eyes widened in horror.
In the middle of the wide open street, about twenty meters away, you saw a small child. A little boy in oversized clothes who had been torn from his parents' grip in the sea of panic. He had fallen face-down in a puddle. His body shook violently; his cries were swallowed by the storm roar. His legs were limp—he couldn't stand, let alone run.
And from the sky above him, one of Osial's giant water projectiles hurtled down like a meteor, aimed directly at the tiny body.
Protect him! you screamed inwardly.
At that moment, the space in the air directly above the child suddenly distorted. ZRRAAAASSH! With an ear-splitting sound of tearing space, a gigantic black shadow manifested from nothingness.
It was The Blade of Insatiable Ego!
The sword had responded to its master's call!
The pitch-black blade spun at insane speed, positioning its massive flat side like a colossal steel shield directly above the boy's head. The red eye on its hilt glowed wildly, as if furious at being used for protection instead of killing, yet the soul contract forced obedience.
BZZZZAAASH! The water projectile slammed into the black sword with fortress-destroying force. Water exploded into steam mist around the blade, sending shockwaves that swept the street dust.
Yet the demon sword did not budge a single centimeter. It perfectly absorbed the impact's momentum, shielding the child beneath it.
You let out the breath you had been holding, legs nearly buckling with relief.
You immediately dashed from cover, ran to the boy, and shouted with all your strength against the storm, "Get out of here! Run toward the mountains!"
The boy looked up, eyes wet with rain and tears. He saw the gigantic black sword hovering protectively above him, then looked at your determined face.
"Y-yes!" he answered in a trembling voice, regaining slight control of his legs. He struggled to stand, stumbled a little, then straightened. He looked at you with pure gratitude. "Th-thank you, big brother!"
He wiped his tears with a wet sleeve, turned, and ran as fast as his small legs could carry him, following the stream of refugees toward higher ground.
You stood there, watching his tiny back disappear into the crowd. A small warmth bloomed in your freezing chest.
Tonight, amid all the sins you carried, you had managed to save one life.
This demon sword—this killing tool—had just become a shield for life.
With a single mental command, the black sword faded, turned transparent, and floated invisibly around you, humming softly as if demanding blood as compensation for its protection.
You ignored the sword, took cover again, and looked back at the system interface still floating in the corner of your vision. You reread the monocle's description.
No doubt about it—this is an incredibly powerful support item… if used with absolutely perfect timing, you thought, your managerial mind dissecting probabilities. SS-tier really isn't ordinary. Its power could turn even an apocalypse around.
You snorted softly, laughing darkly at the absurdity. I want to brag about my protagonist-level Luck stat, but this is really not the time to get cocky.
Then you nodded firmly, locking away your doubts. You were now certain of the item's ability and its risks.
Looks like I can use this item to help Ganyu maximize her attacks. One ice arrow with ten times the power might freeze one of that hydra's heads or even damage its energy core. But… A chill crawled up your spine.
…it would be catastrophic if she took even a single hit while under the effect. Zero defense and ten times damage intake. Osial would focus every head on her instantly. If it misses… she'll vanish into bloody mist.
You clenched the hand holding the monocle. I don't want to hurt her… I won't let that happen. I have to use this when Osial is off-guard, or make myself the distraction.
Carefully, you slipped the fragile brass-framed monocle into your innermost pocket, making sure it was secure.
Then your left hand reached into another pocket, and you stared at the final gacha box.
Your last hope.
Rain continued pouring down your face. Without wasting time, you pressed the question mark. The same process occurred—glowing light, and an object dropped with a surprisingly heavy thud into your palm. It felt strangely light.
It looked like an anklet, roughly the size of an adult man's ankle. It appeared to be a plain metal ring with zigzag cracks in the middle. Its color was dull gray, dirty, and extremely unattractive.
Yet the most confusing part was how feather-light it felt in your hand, as if it had no mass at all. No magical aura, no shine. It looked like scrap iron.
You stared at it for a moment, brows furrowed in confusion, before your gaze locked onto the system description that appeared in blue light.
You read slowly, line by line.
The Band of Suppressed Divinity (S-TIER)
Description: A heavy anklet made of pitch-black lead. This item has one absolute function: it seals 99% of the wearer's power. When worn, the user's stats drop drastically to the level of an ordinary civilian or level-1 monster. The user will feel their body as heavy as a mountain and their breathing labored at all times.
Side Effect: The sealed 99% power does not disappear; it is compressed and multiplied. For every 1 hour the user survives in this "Weakened" mode, the item stores energy equivalent to 1 minute. When the anklet is removed, all accumulated energy explodes at once. The user gains a 500% power increase from their original stats, plus temporary invulnerability, for the duration of the stored time.
You stared at the text. Read it once. Twice.
Then a dry laugh escaped your throat. You couldn't hold back the dark amusement at the item's description.
Seal 99% of my power? I'm a trinket merchant! If you seal 99% of someone who basically has no power to begin with, what's left?! I'll become an amoeba!
But as understanding dawned, your smile faded. Technically, the item was indeed useful for you… in the long term. If you wore it for a full month, enduring the torment of living as the weakest creature in the world, you would have dozens of minutes where you became an invincible entity with a 500% increase from the SS-Tier sword bound to your soul.
But tonight? Right now? This thing was completely useless to you. You needed power now, not next month!
Am I really destined to be the luckiest person who keeps getting good items at the worst possible time?! you cursed inwardly.
You stared at the dull anklet with deep suspicion. For some reason I'm starting to distrust this system… The god throwing these boxes is mocking me. Luck definitely comes with a very expensive price. What terrible taste in humor.
You put on a deeply thoughtful expression, pressing the back of your thumb to your chin. Your brain refused to accept the item's uselessness.
What if… your eyes glinted. What if this item can be forced onto another target? Onto Osial? I mean, make that giant monster absorb or wear it, sealing 99% of its power down to level-1 monster status?
The idea was brilliant. Turning an ancient god into something as weak as a Hydro Slime.
But reality slapped you in the face.
But… Osial has no biological physical body, you groaned, realizing the fatal flaw. Its body is entirely compacted seawater. If it had a real physical ankle or arm, this would be insanely useful to weaken it instantly. But putting an anklet on water? Impossible. The anklet would just pass straight through and sink to the ocean floor.
You let out a long sigh, clear disappointment in the exhale. Your plan failed before it even started.
With a quick motion, you stored The Band of Suppressed Divinity in your other pocket, keeping it safe. Maybe someday the stupid thing would save your life—but not tonight.
You left your hiding spot. You gritted your teeth, ignored the fear still clawing at your gut, and hurried closer to the sea, toward the main harbor plaza where the real battle was taking place.
The closer you got to the shore, the more the wind turned into a savage vortex. Waves dozens of meters high slammed against the harbor barriers, spraying salty water that stung like slaps against your skin. Coastal buildings had already been half-destroyed.
And when you arrived, standing behind the ruins of a Millelith watchtower, your rain-stung eyes immediately caught a very familiar silhouette.
In the middle of the cracked stone plaza, surrounded by raging water trying to swallow her, a silhouette moved at a speed impossible for naked eyes to follow.
It was Ganyu!
The girl no longer looked like the shy secretary. She was the avatar of winter. Pale blue light radiated from her body, creating a Cryo domain that held back the tidal waves. Her hair flew wildly, and every footstep on a puddle instantly transformed the water into sturdy lotus flowers of ice.
She held her bow, leaping backward with the grace of a dancer, dodging the gigantic water tentacles Osial slammed toward her. The moment she landed in mid-air, she drew her bowstring, gathered absolute freezing energy, and released an ice arrow that streaked through the rain.
The arrow struck one of Osial's hydra necks. CRAAASSH! A violent explosion of ice flowers bloomed across the watery neck, freezing most of its surface and drastically slowing the monster's movement.
Ganyu alternated attack and defense in perfect rhythm. Leap, shoot, dodge, create ice shields, then shoot again. She was single-handedly holding back the sea god's advance.
But that only seemed to enrage Osial further. The ancient god roared, a sound that made the stones beneath your feet tremble violently.
The purple Abyss veins inside Osial's body glowed even brighter, pumping corruption into its water.
At that moment, Osial changed tactics. If it couldn't hit this agile fly, it would destroy what the fly was protecting!
The god raised three heads high, gathered energy, and hurled another deadly rain of water projectiles toward the city—where refugees who hadn't yet escaped still remained.
Ganyu's eyes widened. She realized the monster's cunning tactic!
Without regard for her own safety, Ganyu turned away from Osial. She shot forward, leaped high into the air with her back to the sea god. She drew her bow at full speed and fired a storm of ice arrows into the sky, trying to freeze the hundreds of water projectiles threatening the lives of Liyue's citizens below.
At that moment, ice crystals collided in the sky, neutralizing the mass threat in a dazzling display of magic.
She succeeded!
But her focus was split. While Ganyu floated in the air, freezing the attack that nearly struck the people in the plaza, one of Osial's main heads had prepared. The previously still head suddenly opened its jaws; ultra-dense water energy mixed with purple Abyss corruption gathered in its throat.
A water cannon of extraordinary pressure, the size of a house, was fired straight at Ganyu's exposed back!
Ganyu, who had just released her final arrow, glanced over her shoulder as she sensed the lethal aura.
Still floating in the air, she had no momentum left to dodge. Instantly, her eyes widened.
…
A/N: It's been a while… sorry for only updating today. This story is getting harder to continue, but thankfully there are only a few chapters left until it ends. Still, I have to admit—it really is difficult. I have to think about Ganyu's character development during these hard times… to make her develop feelings for the protagonist, lol. Even though she already has some interest, it's still only at the level of a human friend. Well, I don't deserve to complain here, so I'll end it at this. See you in the next chapter, then. By the way, if you can't wait for the next one, feel free to check my Patreon—I write much faster there than on this platform!