The crimson-black beam split in two—one streaking toward Lora, the other shooting straight at Azhdaha.
The beam imbued with Abyssal power cleaved through the currents binding Azhdaha.
Lora frowned slightly and glanced toward the peak of Mt. Hulao in the distance. He still dared to stand there? Did he think that because Azhdaha was tying her down, she had no way to deal with him?
The remaining crimson-black beam tore through space and arrived before Lora.
The Abyssal aura surged toward her. Lora's brow tightened as she swung the "Judgment of the Raging Sea" upward to meet it head-on.
Radiant torrents of water followed her motion, crashing into the Abyssal presence. After five hundred years, pure water and the Abyss collided once more.
Lora's gaze turned cold. A vast surge of Hydro elemental power completely erased the Abyssal aura. To this world, the Abyss was far more terrifying—it had to be utterly annihilated.
Behind her, a massive presence had already closed in. Having broken free of Lora's restraints, Azhdaha immediately launched his attack.
Sensing the danger, Lora turned—endless bedrock filling her vision.
"Steadfast as a Rock!"
A deep, steady voice echoed by her ear. A jade shield manifested around her as Azhdaha's attack slammed into it. The violent impact sent shockwaves rolling outward, sweeping away the surrounding storm clouds in an instant.
Seeing this, Aether spoke without hesitation.
"The Hydro Archon's power has mostly recovered, and the Geo Archon is here as well. We should leave. If we stay any longer, you and I will both die."
Forget the Geo Archon—even in her current state, Lora alone was not someone he could confront head-on.
"Yes, Prince!"
A brilliant star descended beside Lora, blazing like the sun and gathering the radiance of countless stars.
The God of Geo and Contracts, Liyue's "Archon"—Morax.
"How are you? Are you injured?"
Zhongli hovered beside Lora, concern evident in his voice.
"I'm fine. Thank you for the shield," Lora replied, shaking her head as she expressed her gratitude. Azhdaha's earlier strike had truly caught her off guard. Even if she could have blocked it, she would have ended up in a sorry state. Zhongli's arrival had unquestionably been a great help.
"No, it is I who should thank you," Zhongli said, slowly shaking his head. "Had you not delayed it for me, Liyue Harbor would already have been reduced to rubble beneath Azhdaha's feet. It would have committed an unforgivable sin—one neither it nor I could bear to see."
Lora looked toward the summit of Mt. Hulao.
Aether was gone, and with him, all members of the Abyss Order. Noticing her gaze, Zhongli said, "That man has retreated with the Abyss Order. The Abyssal aura has been concealed—its trail is difficult to follow."
Lora's expression cooled slightly. "The next time I meet them, I will make them understand the wrath of the gods."
"The Abyss Order itself has yet to become a true threat, but we must remain wary of the Abyss behind them," Zhongli said calmly, his eyes shifting to Azhdaha ahead.
Faced with the two deities, Azhdaha's violent aura only grew stronger. Its eyes locked onto Zhongli, and Lora could even hear the grinding of its teeth.
"Morax! You've finally come! A thousand years of hatred ends today!!"
As Azhdaha roared in fury, the land itself grew increasingly distorted. Chasms split open, jagged rocks jutted skyward, and countless solitary peaks erupted from the ground, all crisscrossed with deep fractures.
Behind Zhongli, a diamond-shaped halo bloomed. An orange-gold radiance descended from the heavens and poured into the earth. Under the overwhelming might of the Geo Archon, the torn land rapidly fused back together, restoring its former shape.
As Zhongli and Azhdaha's powers pressed against one another, Lora released her own strength as well, aiding Zhongli in suppressing Azhdaha.
"Azhdaha," Zhongli said, gazing at the dragon before him, his voice heavy with emotion and regret. "Have you truly forgotten what happened a thousand years ago?"
For a moment, it was as though the scene from that distant past replayed before his eyes.
Azhdaha writhed in rage. Under the combined suppression of Lora and Zhongli, the two mighty deities, it had no chance to escape. The rock dragon's roar shook heaven and earth.
"Morax! You dare speak of the past? If you hadn't sided with humanity and betrayed me back then, how could I have been sealed here by you for a thousand years!"
A trace of helpless resignation surfaced in Zhongli's eyes, and buried deeper still—grief.
"Do you need my help?"
Lora asked.
Zhongli looked at her. "How far can you go?"
"That depends on how far you need me to go," Lora replied evenly.
Zhongli turned his gaze back to Azhdaha. After a brief silence, he said, "Then… do as you see fit."
Those words embodied Zhongli's complete, unreserved trust in Lora.
With his assent, Lora acted. She invoked her divine power and gathered the surrounding water veins. All the waters of northwestern Liyue surged skyward, converging above her.
Though the flow was unceasing, the droplet she formed did not grow larger. Instead, under her precise control, the Hydro elemental power within it was continuously compressed—
Until it became nearly indistinguishable from the purest water at the very origin of Teyvat.
"Go."
At Lora's gentle whisper, the droplet transformed into a flowing stream and flew toward Azhdaha. It circled the massive form before plunging into its forehead. In an instant, blue holy light burst forth from within, rippling outward in wave after wave.
It was as if a sacred hymn descended from the heavens, filling the air with divine music.
Radiance of stone emerged alongside the flowing water, merging into Azhdaha's body.
"What… what… what is this?" Azhdaha exclaimed in shock.
Zhongli, who understood what Lora was doing, let out a soft sigh. "These are your memories from a thousand years ago, Azhdaha."
"My… memories?" Azhdaha's voice trembled, its consciousness wavering.
Azhdaha and Morax, the Geo Archon, had once been comrades-in-arms and the closest of friends, their lifespans far surpassing those of humans. Yet just as rock is worn down by rain and frost, the "erosion" of Geo elemental life scours away memories, stripping layer after layer from solid stone.
Until erosion caused Azhdaha to forget itself—forget its contract.
Nourished by the most sacred of waters, Azhdaha's memories slowly resurfaced. It recalled everything from a thousand years past, and remembered why it had been sealed here.
It had never been a betrayal by the Geo Archon, Morax—but Zhongli fulfilling the vision of his friend.