The Supreme Archbishop of Fontaine

In the animated short, Childe realized that Rex Lapis wasn't dead and used the power of a forged Sigil of Permission to temporarily break the seal on the ancient god Osial, the Overlord of the Vortex.

"My god, this animated short… miHoYo, why are you making games? Why not go into animation? The Chinese animation industry needs you!"

Watching the technical prowess miHoYo displayed in this short, Big Horse couldn't help but exclaim in disbelief.

And the following storyline was so hype that it made him jump out of his seat.

Unlike the boss fight in Mondstadt, the boss fight in Liyue was on a whole other level.

This wasn't a battle where one person played the hero, nor was it a small group of adventurers fighting a dragon. This was a battle where all of Liyue—humans and Adepti alike—fought together.

In this battle, the Traveler was no longer the main character. Although the perspective still focused on the Traveler, it was clear that they were just one cog in the machine, no different from anyone else.

Everyone worked together to overcome the crisis. No one was indispensable, yet everyone was indispensable—just like the soldiers in Chinese history.

It wasn't that one person was the hero, but that everyone was a hero.

Especially the part where Ningguang sacrificed the Jade Chamber—it left everyone deeply moved.

After all, the previous storylines had emphasized just how important the Jade Chamber was to Ningguang. Zhongli had even said that in Ningguang's heart, Mora came first, and the Jade Chamber came second. For the Jade Chamber, Ningguang would even give up her position as one of the Qixing.

But at this moment, to protect Liyue Harbor, Ningguang made the decision to sacrifice it without hesitation.

And so, with the combined efforts of all the Adepti and humans, Osial was sealed back into the depths of the ocean.

The battle ended here. Under the protection of the Adepti, everyone flew back to Liyue Harbor amidst the explosions.

—And then, the scene suddenly shifted.

Big Horse was surprised to find that the game screen had switched to Astrea. He was now controlling her.

The task was to follow Zhongli.

"This part of the story is so intense, I almost forgot about Astrea. Folks, it seems the Liyue storyline isn't over yet. Something big is about to happen."

「Based on Big Horse's earlier analysis, it's pretty much confirmed that Zhongli is the Geo Archon. Is Themis about to try and steal the Geo Archon's Gnosis?」

「No way, right? The Geo Archon isn't like the Anemo Archon. His power is truly godlike.」

「Also, didn't Zhongli say he wanted to talk to Astrea earlier? Maybe we're about to see what they discussed.」

「Those who've finished the story are saying this part is pure hype.」

「Hype warning.」

「Divine battle incoming.」

Big Horse controlled Astrea as she followed Zhongli.

Zhongli walked slowly, and Astrea couldn't move faster either. Perhaps due to the storyline's design, Astrea could only walk behind Zhongli, unable to overtake him or walk beside him. She could only watch his back and follow his pace.

Zhongli left Liyue Harbor and walked up the mountain path.

As they walked, the background music gradually changed, reflecting Astrea's growing tension and the increasingly oppressive atmosphere.

Finally, when they reached the mountaintop, Astrea couldn't hold back any longer. She stopped and looked at Zhongli's back, timidly asking, "Um… Mr. Zhongli… What exactly did you want to talk about?"

There were no dialogue options. Astrea spoke naturally, and Big Horse could no longer control her to move forward.

As Astrea spoke, Zhongli finally stopped.

He turned to face her, crossing his arms as he spoke calmly and seriously, "Your power is too great, yet you are a foreign envoy. I don't think it's appropriate for you to participate in the upcoming battle."

Under Zhongli's sudden pressure, Astrea looked confused and frightened, instinctively taking a step back. "What… What do you mean?"

Zhongli sighed softly. "From your personality, there's nothing to worry about. But I can sense that your power rivals that of a god. In the upcoming battle, you could even become a decisive force—I'm sorry, but I don't want to see Liyue overcome its crisis with the help of foreign power. That's not the outcome I want."

"Wait, what does this mean? Is Astrea really that strong? Is the Geo Archon himself confirming that Astrea's power rivals that of a god?"

Big Horse paused the auto-play and exclaimed in amazement.

"Or is he actually talking about Themis, who shares a body with Astrea? Does Themis have godlike power? Does that mean the top three Fatui Harbingers are also god-level? That can't be, right? Are gods really that common? Are Fontaine and Snezhnaya that powerful?"

「I don't think so. Didn't Ningguang say earlier that the Seven Archons are the victors of the Archon War? They're clearly on a different level from ordinary gods.」

「Exactly. Even if Themis, the Supreme Bishop, and the Chief Justice all have godlike power, aren't they still subordinates of the Hydro Archon? The same goes for the Fatui. Even if the top three Harbingers are god-level, aren't they still under the Tsaritsa? Clearly, there's a big gap between ordinary gods and the Seven Archons.」

「Wait, if that's the case, does it make sense for Venti to have his Gnosis taken by Signora? How many levels below the Seven Archons is she? Even if Venti is the weakest, weaker than an ordinary god, shouldn't it take at least a top-three Harbinger to beat him?」

「Yeah, Venti is the second-longest-living Archon after Morax.」

「I strongly suspect Venti was holding back.」

「Having finished the story, I think Venti probably made some kind of deal with the Tsaritsa, just like Zhongli.」

"Hey, hey, no spoilers! I'm still playing through the story. Let's analyze this after I finish."

Big Horse clicked to resume auto-play.

Astrea shook her head, confused. "I don't understand what you're saying."

"In short, what I mean is, for the time being, please stay here and don't return to Liyue Harbor."

"Wh-Why? Mr. Zhongli, what exactly do you…"

Before Astrea could finish, the sky suddenly darkened, and the story transitioned into an animated short.

In the animation, Astrea's eyes widened in fear as she turned around.

BOOM!!!!!!!!!!

A colossal god emerged from the sea, shaking the earth and splitting the sky.

"Is that… a god…?! No…!!"

At first, Astrea didn't understand what was happening. But then, her expression changed, and she immediately tried to run toward Liyue.

—But at that moment, a stone spear landed in front of her.

Astrea stopped and looked up at the man standing on the spear, her voice trembling. "M-Mr. Zhongli… What are you doing? Liyue is in danger. We have to stop that god now."

Zhongli stood with his hands behind his back, glancing at Astrea over his shoulder. "If Osial truly threatens Liyue, I will step in and seal him away again. So, there's no need for you to intervene, Knight of Furina."

"…I don't know what your goal is, but there will be many casualties if this continues. In the name of Furina, the God of Justice, I cannot stand by and watch this disaster unfold."

Astrea's expression gradually hardened. Her gentle face now showed the same resolute determination she had during the battle against Dvalin.

The Scales of Justice appeared in front of her, floating and rotating.

Astrea held it with her left hand, her gaze filled with resolve as she stared at Zhongli and said softly:

"Mr. Zhongli, please step aside. Otherwise, no matter what your goal is, I won't hold back… even if you are Morax, the Geo Archon."

"Knowing my identity, do you still think you can stand against me?"

"I know I'm no match for you, but that's no reason for me to obey your arbitrary orders! Liyue… the Liyue you should be protecting is now in grave danger because of your decision. If you've given up on protecting Liyue, then I will protect this city."

"You underestimate Liyue… Though I suppose I have no right to say that, as it's precisely because I can't fully trust the people of Liyue that I made this decision. So, let me ask you something else."

At this moment, Zhongli—no, Morax—looked incredibly serious.

"I know you can act on behalf of Furina. So, let me ask you this: Are you, at this moment, intervening in Liyue's affairs on behalf of Furina? Are you, on behalf of Fontaine, declaring war on me, Morax?"

The pressure increased a hundredfold, but Astrea's face no longer showed any fear.

"If you believe this stance is unfit for protecting Liyue, then… I, Astrea, hereby swear that I will relinquish my title as Furina's Knight-in-Training and my position as the First Knight of the Holy Knights, the Knight of Water. I will act solely in my own name, and I will not stand by and watch this disaster unfold."

"I think I've said something like this before," Zhongli sighed, genuinely envious. "Furina is truly fortunate."

With those words, Astrea, now aware of Zhongli's decision, hesitated no longer. The urgency of the situation left no room for hesitation.

So, Astrea clasped her hands together.

Hundreds of water dragons rose from the ground, surrounding Zhongli and attacking from all sides.

"Holy—! Holy—! Holy—!"

Watching this animated short, Big Horse slammed his thighs in excitement, then held his breath, unable to look away.

Although he had speculated from the second episode of Reporting to Lady Furina that miHoYo might be setting up something big with Astrea, he never expected it to be this huge!!

Who could have imagined that while all of Liyue was fighting the ancient god, another equally intense and explosive battle was happening elsewhere?

Yes, explosive.

Astrea's lines left Big Horse both moved and hyped beyond belief.

And it wasn't just him. All the viewers in the livestream felt the same.

「I hereby declare that Astrea is the true God of Justice. Who agrees? Who disagrees?」

「Vote yes!」

「Vote yes!」

「Vote yes!」

「I vote yes with my real name!!!」

—As the livestream exploded with excitement, the battle between Astrea and Zhongli in the animated short was equally intense.

Well, not intense—more like wet.

All that could be seen were exploding water droplets.

But somehow, these exploding water droplets, combined with the background music, made the battle feel even more intense and showcased the immense power of both combatants.

"I was completely wrong earlier. Zhongli wasn't talking about Themis—he was talking about Astrea herself. There's no doubt about it. Astrea absolutely has godlike power!"

Big Horse didn't know whether Astrea or Osial was stronger, but one thing was certain: if Astrea had participated in the battle against Osial, it would have been much easier. Ningguang might not have even needed to sacrifice the Jade Chamber—but then, the earlier storyline wouldn't have been as hype, moving, or impactful.

In that sense, as players, we should probably thank Zhongli for stopping Astrea.

But soon, players would have nothing to thank him for.

"Holy—!"

Watching the animated short, Big Horse wanted to curse when he saw the scene after the water droplets dissipated. But considering Zhongli's identity, he held back.

On the screen, Zhongli stood unharmed within a golden barrier covered in cracks, on the verge of collapsing.

Across from him, Astrea had been impaled by a spear, the weapon piercing straight through her body.

Zhongli held the spear with both hands.

Clearly, this was his doing.

Seeing this, Big Horse naturally wanted to curse.

But Zhongli was Liyue's god, and that identity made it hard to curse him.

In fact, seeing Zhongli display such overwhelming power filled Chinese players with a sense of pride.

—That is, as long as Zhongli didn't actually kill Astrea.

If Astrea really died here, Big Horse swore he'd curse Zhongli to death, regardless of his status as Liyue's god.

And he'd curse the game's planners too.

Fortunately, the story planners had some sense, and Zhongli clearly did too.

In fact, this outcome was not what Zhongli wanted.

So, his voice carried a hint of guilt as he said, "I'm sorry. Your power was too great, and I instinctively counterattacked without controlling the strength of my strike."

「What kind of humblebrag is this?」

「This is the Geo Archon? He's too strong!」

「Didn't he say Astrea has godlike power?」

「This is the humblebrag. You have godlike power, but I can still accidentally kill you if I'm not careful, right?」

The Geo Archon of Liyue is also known as the God of War. If the Raiden Shogun of Inazuma is the pinnacle of martial prowess, then the Geo Archon—he is the pinnacle of martial arts itself.

This was an instinctive counterattack.

Because in that moment, Zhongli felt danger.

His defense couldn't completely block Astrea's attack and was on the verge of breaking. If that attack had hit him, even Zhongli wouldn't have escaped unscathed.

So, in the face of such danger, he no longer saw Astrea as a mere human but instinctively treated her as an opponent and counterattacked.

And then, he overdid it.

To have even the slightest chance of victory, Astrea had poured all her strength and focus into her attack, leaving no room for defense or evasion.

So, Zhongli's spear pierced straight through her body.

But…

In response to Zhongli's apology, Astrea's expression didn't change. She raised her right hand, gripping the spear that had impaled her, and raised her left hand, aiming the Scales of Justice at Zhongli.

Zhongli's expression shifted slightly, and in the next moment, he dissipated into Geo energy, disappearing without a trace.

Only his sigh remained in the air.

"Faced with such justice and resolve, if I continue to stop you, I'll only make a fool of myself. Knight of Water, Astrea, this battle is yours to win."

Astrea paused, then gave up on detonating the Scales of Justice. She slowly pulled the spear out of her body and tossed it aside.

Then, she took two steps forward.

And stopped.

"No… I can't make it… Then… here… Since the target is so big… It'll be fine…"

Astrea raised her right hand, aiming the Scales of Justice at the god in the sea.

The waters around the god churned violently—and at that moment, Astrea saw it.

The massive Jade Chamber flew above the god, and a surge of power was injected into it. The chamber plummeted, crushing the god into the sea before exploding.

"So… they really… didn't need me…"

Astrea's bloodied lips curled into a relieved smile.

"That's great…"

THUD—!!

The girl's body collapsed forward, motionless.

A few seconds later, Zhongli's figure reappeared. Looking at the small, pitiful body of the girl, he sighed once more:

"Furina, you are truly fortunate."