Su Yuan knew that no matter how well they prepared this time, it was probably impossible to prevent Navia from being executed by the eerie entity known as "Focalors"...
From what they had experienced so far, the eerie forces were currently unbeatable.
Their power inherently countered the elemental forces of Teyvat...
That meant, logically speaking, there must also be a force capable of countering the eerie.
It simply hadn't been discovered yet...
There could be no such thing as an invincible power in this world—every force had something that countered it.
There must be a balance of mutual reinforcement and restraint between different forces!
Su Yuan only hoped to use this opportunity to gather more information about "Focalors" and uncover what had caused her eerie transformation.
If they couldn't completely defeat the eerie for now, then their only option was to temporarily dispel its influence over her!
"Neither human nor ghost—let me see what the hell you really are!"
Chiori spoke as she drew her twin blades and charged toward "Focalors"!
"Chiori! Be careful! It's dangerous!" Navia shouted.
"Don't be reckless!"
However, Navia's warning came too late... or rather, given Chiori's personality, there was no way she would stop just because of a shout.
"How foolish..."
"Focalors" tilted her head and fixed her gaze on Chiori with a menacing glare...
In that instant, within those bottomless, crimson, and abyss-like eyes, Chiori seemed to catch a glimpse of fragments of her own future...
["Is this what Chiori Atelier produces? I wouldn't even use it as toilet paper—too filthy!"]
["The owner of Chiori Atelier? I heard she's got a terrible temper. She's almost fifty now and still single! Well, no man would want to marry a woman who doesn't know how to care for others, has no empathy, and always wears that damned scowl…"]
["I remember when she was younger, she dreamed of making the Chiori brand famous across all of Teyvat. But now, after twenty or thirty years, Chiori Atelier has long been buried in the river of history. Reality proved that she was just daydreaming!"]
["And I heard she had a serious violent streak. When she was young, she used to beat up her competitors regularly and even had some shady dealings with the Guard Corps—that's why she was never arrested…"]
["Now that Chiori Atelier has fallen into decline, she still refuses to accept reality. If you ask me, she's already gone insane! Selling her clothes at such outrageous prices—who would ever buy them?!"]
["She should just turn Chiori Atelier into a shop for selling rags or toilet paper! If she drops the prices low enough, maybe someone will actually buy her flashy but useless junk!"]
"You think… these false illusions can shake my heart?"
Chiori spoke calmly.
"I… am the one and only Chiori… And Chiori… is unapologetically myself!"
In the next moment, her blades flashed, cutting through the illusory images in a single strike!
However, as she returned to reality, Chiori suddenly found "Focalors'" face pressed tightly against her forehead...
Hot breath poured from "Focalors'" gaping, bloodstained maw, and Chiori was instantly overwhelmed by a thick stench of blood and decay…
"Goodbye."
As "Focalors" spoke, she opened her massive, gore-soaked jaws, ready to bite Chiori's head off!
"Chiori! Duck!"
Both Chevreuse and Navia shouted at the same time.
One of them raised her bayonet rifle, firing a bullet infused with Pyro energy!
The other lifted her parasol gun and launched a Geo-infused projectile!
Chiori ducked just in time, and their attacks struck "Focalors'" face with pinpoint accuracy!
Immediately after, Chiori swiftly retreated back to the main group.
Though her expression remained calm, beads of sweat had already formed on her forehead…
"Do you realize… that you are interfering with the execution of a death sentence?"
As the smoke from the impact cleared, "Focalors'" face remained completely unharmed…
Elemental energy truly had no effect on the Eerie corruption…
"Death… is not merely an outcome. It is the process of life withering away…"
"Focalors" spoke slowly.
"I will make sure… that you all savor this process to the fullest…"
"Of course, except for you, my dear Su Yuan, Neuvillette, and Furina."
"I want the three of you to witness Fontaine's end together with me…"
"Huh? Dear?" Furina stared at Su Yuan in shock.
Why on earth would this Eerie horror call Su Yuan "dear"?!
But the rest of the group had their attention on just four words—"Fontaine's end."
At present, Fontaine's end was foretold in the prophecy: all would dissolve into water, and only the Hydro Archon would remain, weeping upon her throne…
No one was more shocked than Su Yuan himself.
He hadn't expected that even after succumbing to eldritch corruption, "Focalors" was still fixated on Fontaine's fate.
So far, those taken over by the eerie force had all lost their sanity, becoming mindless creatures that killed and devoured indiscriminately.
Either Su Yuan had failed to notice it, or none of them actually had any clear purpose…
But "Focalors" was different.
She executed death sentences with precise rules, had a clear system, and now, she was even plotting Fontaine's end…
Su Yuan suddenly felt like this was getting far more complicated than he had anticipated.
However, in the next moment, "Focalors'" expression suddenly turned anxious.
"Those wretched commoners! How dare they lay a hand on the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale?!"
She lifted her head, her gaze turning ice-cold as she swept it over everyone.
"I don't have time to play with you anymore…"
"I must execute Navia's death sentence immediately!"
"Protect the young lady!" Melus and Silver shouted.
Even though they knew they were no match for her, everyone braced themselves for battle once again.
"Focalors" took a slow step forward.
Though she was barefoot on the grass, it felt as if she were stepping upon a pool of blood.
Everyone could see crimson ripples spreading outward…
And then, an overwhelming pressure fell upon them.
Their bodies froze in place, completely unable to move.
"What is happening? Why can't I move?!" Chiori said anxiously.
She watched helplessly as "Focalors" walked step by step toward Navia, powerless to stop her.
Neuvillette was perhaps in the best condition among them.
He wasn't entirely immobilized, but his movements were so slow—thousands of times slower than normal—that he was unable to do anything.
"Focalors" reached Navia, raising her bloodstained claws, ready to pierce straight through her heart…
Su Yuan could hardly bear to watch.
Had they failed once again? Had they saved no one…?
At the very least, he had gained a bit more information—about "Focalors'" so-called witnessing of Fontaine's end and the sudden disturbance at the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale…
"Farewell, Navia… Execution… begins!"
"Focalors" drove her claws toward Navia's chest.
But even in the face of death, Navia showed no sign of fear, no plea for mercy.
She simply glared at "Focalors," refusing to back down.
However, at that very moment, two figures suddenly dashed in from the side, placing themselves between "Focalors" and Navia—
Her claws pierced straight through their chests—yet stopped just before reaching Navia's heart.
"Focalors" was taken aback.
These were mere mortals, ordinary people without even a Vision—so how had they moved so quickly within her domain?
Navia stared blankly at the scene before her, feeling the warmth of fresh blood splattered across her chest.
Unbidden, tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks…
Melus and Silver slowly turned their heads to look at Navia, their gazes filled with apology.
Blood trickled from the corners of their lips, yet they managed to show her a faint, reassuring smile.
"Young lady… we promised Lord Carlas that we would protect you well…" Melus said with difficulty.
"Now… we should have lived up to his expectations, right…?"
"Young lady…" Silver coughed up a mouthful of blood before forcing out a weak smile.
"Eggs… sugar… almonds… from now on, you'll have to bring them yourself…"
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