Chapter 89: Mountains, Seas, and Stars (Part 10)

Words : 1094 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

「Holy crap! Holy crap! This is insane!」「Amazing, amazing.」「666666」 Players were treated to an incredibly smooth animated fight scene. The battle between Lumine and the Fatui Harbinger Arlecchino left everyone exclaiming in awe. The animation studio, often overshadowed by its gaming side, truly lived up to its reputation. The movements were fluid, the martial arts choreography was flawless, and combined with the bamboo forest setting and the wuxia-style background music, it felt like watching a martial arts film. This fight sequence was absolutely perfect. Even Longhua's stunning entrance paled slightly in comparison. Of course, despite this, players were still eagerly anticipating what came next. Could this be the first time a Fatui Harbinger was about to be permanently taken off the board? After all, no matter how you looked at it, Arlecchino stood no chance against Longhua. And in the PV, it was clearly shown that Longhua would take action, exuding an overwhelming sense of intimidation. If it were one of the top three Harbingers, maybe. But as the fourth, Arlecchino's chances of surviving against Longhua seemed slim to none. Thus, players were eagerly looking forward to the next part of the story. And... the girls at miHoYo were equally excited. Because the upcoming scene was something they had meticulously crafted. Everything up to this point had been building toward this moment. After all, judging from the preview PV, once Arlecchino made her official appearance, most players could already guess how the story would unfold. That preview PV was practically a spoiler, especially as the task's progression aligned perfectly with players' expectations, leaving no room for surprises. This undoubtedly diminished the excitement players felt while playing through the story quests. —That's why the upcoming scene was designed to deliver the biggest surprise. Lowering players' expectations was also a form of emotional buildup, all leading to the climax of this storyline. So, naturally, the girls wanted to see how this scene would be received. As for the players' earlier excitement over the fight choreography, that was irrelevant. Fu Hua's work was always top-notch; it would be strange if it didn't receive praise. But the upcoming story design was Kiana's handiwork, and that was cause for concern. Though Kiana had never disappointed before, well... yeah, it was still worrying. —But Kiana proved that such worries were unnecessary. When it came to making games, she was a professional. Longhua stepped forward, her gaze fixed on Arlecchino. Arlecchino, on the other hand, remained calm, her eyes slightly narrowed as she spoke softly: "As expected of the legendary Mountain and Sea Fairy. Though not an Archon, such majesty is truly awe-inspiring." Longhua looked at her but frowned slightly. "It's not you." Arlecchino asked, "What do you mean?" "You're not the one who wanted to steal the Vision. Who sent you?" Hearing this, Paimon, who had rushed to Longhua's side with Lumine, quickly interjected: "Longhua, she's a Fatui Harbinger, a subordinate of the Cryo Archon of Snezhnaya." "The Cryo Archon of Snezhnaya? Has she also obtained the power of a Path?" Longhua reached out and retrieved the Vision from Lumine, placing it back on her garter. Her eyes remained fixed on Arlecchino as she spoke in a calm, clear voice: "Never mind. The reason doesn't matter. If you've done something you shouldn't have, you must face the consequences." As she spoke, Longhua's body slowly began to rise into the air. Arlecchino's expression grew more serious, and she took a step back. It was instinct. An unimaginable pressure bore down on her body and soul, forcing her to retreat, to put distance between herself and the deity floating in the sky. But it was pointless. A sense of impending doom screamed in her mind. Arlecchino could clearly feel that she had been locked onto. She would die. No doubt about it. She would die. Without question. She would die. No way to resist. She would die. Arlecchino's body suddenly froze. She couldn't move. Just like Lumine earlier, Arlecchino's body was completely immobilized under the overwhelming pressure. She couldn't move a muscle. Not even her eyelids could blink. All she could do was look up at the sky, at the deity floating above, and wait in despair for her impending death. The petite girl floated in the sky, the dazzling golden sun behind her forming a radiant halo that enhanced her divine majesty. Her right hand raised high, the oil-paper umbrella in her hand transformed into a magnificent, glowing greatsword, shimmering with iridescent light. Longhua gripped the sword with her delicate, perfect hand, her gaze cold as she looked down at Arlecchino. In a voice colder than ever before, she slowly said: "Outsider, pay the price you owe!" And so, the light of death descended from the heavens. Longhua gently swung the greatsword toward Arlecchino. In the next instant, a massive Geo sword, hundreds of meters long, descended from the sky, capable of splitting heaven and earth. The person targeted by this sword seemed so small and insignificant in comparison. She was dead. No one thought Arlecchino could survive this. Not even Arlecchino herself believed she had any chance of living. She even felt a strange sense of honor, as if she were experiencing what the deities crushed by Morax's stone spears had felt. However, Arlecchino's heart remained calm. Because, at the moment of her impending death, she suddenly recalled a conversation. And this conversation, accompanied by the slow descent of the massive Geo sword in the animated short, echoed in the ears of all players. "I don't want to die." The animated short only showed the massive Geo sword slowly descending, with no flashback scenes inserted. But from the voice, it was clear who was speaking. It was Arlecchino. "Facing a deity on par with Morax, isn't this just asking for death?" "You won't die." The reply came from an unfamiliar girl's voice. "He said that this time, when your life is in danger, he will save you." Who was "he"? —Just as this question appeared in the minds of all players. Space suddenly shattered. Right above Arlecchino's body, in the path of the descending Geo sword, the entire space fragmented. The cause was a hand reaching out from the void. A slender, perfect, mesmerizing hand slowly emerged from the shattered space. Then, with a single finger, it tapped the Geo sword. In the next instant, the sword disintegrated.

Chapter 89: Mountains, Seas, and Stars (Part 10)

Comments (0)