A sharp hiss left my lips as I abruptly pivoted up, diverging away from Morax. He was off to fight Osial, and me being there would just hold him back. And besides, it'd be dragon against dragon—a fitting confrontation between two of the strongest gods currently within this region. Which meant that I would be facing off against Xiumeng.
Just one issue,
A wry smile came onto my lips as I got closer and closer. The demonic god was even larger up close, and I couldn't help but wonder if I'd even be able to bring this guy down. I knew my [Guili Hunting Archery] could pierce through 35% of Xiumeng's Body, allowing me to inflict some serious damage, but would I survive long enough to kill it?
…Well, nothing else to do but face the music!
I flew up and stopped right in Xiumeng's path. The god's eyes narrowed as it saw me, and it shrieked at me. I felt a small prick on my scalp as it went past, but it did little else. "Trying to do something?" I goaded, my voice impossibly clear through the storm.
As we were flying up, I'd asked Morax what Xiumeng's powers were. And he told me that she was a god of dreams, capable of ensnaring mortals and adepti alike in illusions that could erode even the most stubborn.
When I heard that, I internally sighed in relief, knowing that I'd never have to deal with that. The -Stage 1- of my [Freedom Song: Awakening] negated all Negative Status Effects, and so Xiumeng's dark illusions would never take hold of me as long as I had my Talent active.
I grinned as I saw the god's eyes widen in surprise, and I made use of its surprise to notch an Anemo arrow onto my bow. I fired it at one of Xiumeng's wings, and it shrieked as my arrow burrowed into its feathers, exploding into a small tornado that blew away the surrounding rain.
But I pursed my lips as I saw the extent of my damage. My archery's piercing had come into play, but the most it'd done was create minor cuts across a few feathers—it didn't even manage to pierce through Xiumeng's skin. My damage just wasn't high enough to make use of my archery's piercing.
Even without a human face, I could tell Xiumeng was laughing at me as it shrieked. I raised an eyebrow for a moment, until I heard screaming coming from below. My eyes wide, I quickly turned down and saw that there were still a few people at the harbor, and they were all clutching their heads as they screamed.
Gritting my teeth, I quickly fired a few more Anemo arrows, but it did little to halt Xiumeng's advance. The closer the demonic god came, the more people it could affect using its shrieks. And that was not something I could afford!
So I rained down a barrage of Anemo arrows, each exploding into small tornadoes. But even after striking the same spot over a dozen times, the most it did was chip off a few feathers from its wing. Its natural defense was just too high; the shroud of karma surrounding it too thick for even my cleansing winds to cut through.
My frustration mounted. My desperation rose. Xiumeng came closer and closer, and though its flight was slowed due to my constant barrage, it wasn't stopping. In just a few more minutes, it'd be close enough for its shriek to cover all of Liyue Harbor.
I needed damage. I needed more power.
And that was when an idea came into my head.
For a moment, a strange figure appeared in my mind—an archer in red, firing swords from an impossibly large longbow. The thought was followed by a pounding headache, but even that was a relief against my mounting frustration.
It confused me for a moment, until I realized something. I'd been assuming that [Guili Hunting Archery] and [Swords Dance] were two incompatible Talents. After all, they each focused on different types of damage. But when did my System ever mention a restriction such as that?
If I, say, fired a sword from a bow, would the effects from both Talents be combined?
The thought made me strangely excited for some reason, and I quickly pulled out one of the few 2★ swords I'd gotten from the [Equipment Gacha] I'd rolled that one time.
[Silver Sword 2★
A sword forged from fine silver.
Increases Sword damage by 20%]
I notched the sword onto my bowstring, and with a sharp hiss, I commanded powerful winds to surge around the sword, shrouding it in a cocoon of cutting winds. I aimed it at the spot I've been targeting—a small spot in Xiumeng's left wing—and I let the sword fly forward.
My makeshift sword-arrow flew forward as a blur, and a wide grin came onto my lips as I saw the sword stab into Xiumeng's wing. More than that, as my winds expanded, the sword shattered and sent shrapnels of silver deep into Xiumeng's wing. Miasmic blood fell from the injury and joined the falling rain.
"Not so smug now-?" I quickly dove aside as a purple crystal missed my shoulder by inches, and I quickly looked back to see that Xiumeng had stopped flying forward, but there were now dozens of those same crystals floating around it, each larger than an adult man, brimming with intense amounts of karma.
No-, they weren't crystals. My [Hawk Eyes] allowed me to see that they were actually clumps of feathers, condensed and sharpened into crystalline shapes.
Whatever the case, I couldn't let them hit me. Or Liyue Harbor for that matter. They were like meteors—the devastation they would bring would be immense.
I narrowed my eyes as I notched another [Silver Sword] onto my bowstring.
That just meant I had to become Xiumeng's sole focus.
I fired it at the same spot on Xiumeng's left wing, and it shrieked in pain as the sword gouged even deeper into its flesh. Its eyes flashed red as it sent its crystals at me, and I began weaving around the hail of crystals. The crystals that'd missed me abruptly turned and flew right back, and I had to evade those too.
Occasionally I'd use blasts of wind to knock them away when they came too close. And when there were too many crystals for me to avoid, I would create a powerful burst of wind that knocked everything around me away.
And all the while I had another [Silver Sword] notched onto my bowstrings, already surrounded by cutting winds and ready to be fired. I just had to find the right time to aim and fire.
Which was now!
The sword went flying with a powerful explosion, and Xiumeng cried out in pain as it stabbed deep into its left wing, wind-infused shrapnel tearing through its flesh.
My hand reached out as I grabbed another [Silver Sword], only for nothing to happen. I blinked, and then hurriedly checked through my Inventory. And my eyes widened in horror when I realized that I'd run out of [Silver Swords] to grab. The only sword I had left was my [Sacrificial Sword], and that wasn't something I could use as a throwaway arrow.
My surprise was costly. One crystal managed to sneak up and slam into my back. I cried out as I felt the crystal's edge cut deep into my flesh. I sent a pulse of wind behind me to blast the crystal away, but I was still left with a large wound, festering with karma that was slowly eating through my body.
I stowed my [Hamayumi] into my Inventory as I focused on avoiding the incoming crystals. All while I had a hand pressed onto the wound, constantly using [Sunlight Healing] to mend the wound and purge the seeping corruption.
But despite the pain, I still had a grin on my face. Because I could see that Xiumeng hadn't really moved in a while, hovering in the same place as it attacked me with its crystals. It wasn't hard to realize that I'd damaged the demonic god's wing enough that it could no longer fly confidently. Or maybe it was so angered at me that it wanted me dead more than anything else.
I ran through any idea I had as I continued weaving through the hail of crystals. My Anemo arrows weren't enough to damage Xiumeng, even with the wound I've opened in its left wing. I still had my [Sacrificial Sword] in my Inventory, but did I really want to use that up, considering I had no more swords to use if I did?
Should I roll the [Equipment Gacha] now then? I didn't have enough Primogems, but if I sold a few things in my Inventory I should get enough for a 10-pull. But there was no guarantee that I'd even get a sword from-
I grit my teeth as I quickly weaved between two incoming crystals. All the karma I'd taken had been purged, and my wound was just about healed now, if still a little sore. I spun and kicked an incoming crystal off course, sending it crashing into another crystal and smashing both into pieces. But the fragments fused back together in seconds, and I quickly flew up to avoid them.
Maybe I could shape my Anemo into swords instead of arrows? That-, might work. I gave the idea a try as I continued flying. I created an Anemo arrow, and then began trying to coax it into a different shape—widen its edge and narrow it to a blade instead of a tip.
It was far from easy. My Anemo arrows were more like tiny horizontal cyclones instead of actual arrows, and so trying to force them into an actual shape was giving me a hard time. Even more so now, since my attention was split between trying to shape my unruly winds and trying not to get myself crushed by the incoming crystals.
Yet I knew it was possible. I was sure of it. I kept pushing, and slowly, the Anemo arrow on my bowstring began to morph. The tube-like arrow began flattening into something resembling a sword's blade, its edges sharpening.
But in my focus I'd slowed down, and when I realized what happened, there were dozens of crystals converging towards me. I hissed as powerful winds surrounded me, ready to explode outwards to blow them away.
Before I could do that though-
I saw a group of shooting stars fly past me by the corner of my eye, and the world shook as Xiumeng was engulfed in dozens of large explosions. Xiumeng shrieked in agony, and in its pain, its control faltered. The crystals flying towards me veered off-course, causing them to miss me and plunge into the oceans below instead.
When the smoke finally cleared, I hissed in shock as I saw the state Xiumeng was in. The demon god's feathers were completely singed, and blood fell from various wounds. Some of its feathers were still burning, the bright yellow flame bright even beneath the heavy rain.
I turned back to Liyue Harbor to see what happened, and blinked when I saw an array of dozens of cannons lined across the entire harbor, all pointed up towards the sky. Each cannon was being handled by 3 or 4 Millelith soldiers; I could even see Tianqiu handling one of them!
But what was most surprising was the one standing at the very front of the cannon array, staring up at the sky with manic eyes and a fearless grin.
It was Guizhong!
A befuddled laugh left my lips. So that was the secret project Guizhong had been working on for the last few months? An actual cannon array, forged and blessed by Guizhong's divine artistry. But the results showed; she'd done more damage to Xiumeng in a single attack than I have in many.
But my admiration could wait. It was time to end this.
I closed my eyes and focused every ounce of energy I had into molding my Anemo sword. Condensed my winds into a single construct. Forged it into a shape with the sole purpose to cut. And then,
[Talent Synchrony with [Hand of Creation 4★] detected!]
My eyes were blown wide open as strings of light extended from my fingertips and wrapped into the half-completed Anemo sword. Winds pulsed from the sword, expanding outwards like waves across a disturbed pond. The rain was blown far away, and the winds even parted the clouds directly above me, casting a ray of sunlight down upon me.
Down below, from the viewpoint of the people of Liyue Harbor, it was as if the heavens themselves had cast their eyes upon me.
A divine painting worth a million words.
When the glow finally went away, the Anemo arrow had completely changed. I now held an actual sword, its blade bright white, engraved with twisting lines of glowing green. A bated breath left me as I stared at it. Because I'd made this; forged a weapon from Elemental energy alone.
[Viridian Skycutter 4★
A mystical sword forged from the hands of the User. Molded from elemental winds, the scent of spring emanates from it. It's said that the skies themselves were cut during this blade's creation.
Increases Sword damage by 75%. Increases Elemental by 50% when held. Further increases Elemental by 50% if the used Element is Anemo]
I marveled at my own creation, before I shook my head. I could admire it later.
I brought out my [Hamayumi], and with a sharp breath I notched my new sword onto the bowstrings. I winced slightly as I struggled to aim it straight at Xiumeng; the powerful winds surging around and from within the [Viridian Skycutter] were stronger than any winds I'd previously controlled.
But I soon managed. I aimed the sword right at the demon god's head while it was still in pain. I grit my teeth as I pulled the bowstrings even further back. I needed to put every ounce of strength I had into this. The strings frayed as the winds grew stronger, and I heard my bow beginning to creak.
And once I pulled the string as far back as I could, I let the sword fly. It turned into a blur of light, before the world seemed to contort as the sword smashed into Xiumeng's beak. My [Hawk Eyes] managed to see how a cone of swirling winds exploded from behind the sword, pushing the sword forward.
Then, I was blown away as the sword shattered Xiumeng's beak, stabbed deep into its body, and exploded from within. The shock caused my flight to fail for a moment, but I grinned wide as I saw Xiumeng begin to fall as well, accompanied by a shower of torn flesh and miasmic blood.
I'd done it! Xiumeng was down! I could hear the people below cheering in victory, and I shut my eyes as I struggled not to tear up.
But before I could enjoy my victory fully,
"VENTI!"
My eyes snapped open as I saw Morax's draconic form descend from the sky, his eyes wide with worry. And sensing something amiss, I turned my head to where Xiumeng's corpse was.
And barely caught sight of a spear of ice, heading straight for my head.
My wings shone white as I regained flight, but I knew it wouldn't be enough. I quickly created a wall of wind to shield me, infusing it with as much Energy as I could. The spear soon crashed into my wall of wind, and tore right through it.
The shield of wind exploded and sent me flying back, and I cried out in pain as the spear shattered my [Hamayumi] and drilled right through my waist. My vision blurred from the pain, but I forced myself to remain awake. I quickly pressed a hand onto my waist and began using [Sunlight Healing] to mend the massive wound.
I was lucky. Had my shield wall not exploded and sent me back, that spear would've drilled through my neck and killed me. Had I been just a second slower, I wouldn't even be conscious enough to use [Sunlight Healing] on myself.
I shivered. That was too close.
Morax quickly stopped right next to me, and he shimmered as he returned to his human form. "Venti." He quickly examined my wound, and his expression darkened. "Curses."
"I-I'm fine." I managed to say, gritting my teeth as I continued healing myself. "I'm alive-, at least." I took a shaky breath. "Too close. Too-, close."
Morax sighed harshly. "I apologize. Osial proved a greater foe than I imagined. His strength outweighs mine at the moment, and it is because-"
Before he could finish his words, I heard a loud roar from below. And as I looked down, I froze as I saw Osial's heads rise from the waters. They wrapped around the barely alive Xiumeng, keeping the demonic god in place. One of the heads then approached, and opening its maw-
Bite!
Osial consumed Xiumeng in one bite. And the moment it did, its already incredible power surged even higher. The oceans below became turbulent, and the rain became so heavy that I had to actively resist being pulled down.
A shaky laugh left my lips. "No wonder there were so few demonic gods lately." I whispered, now knowing why it'd been so peaceful.
Morax laughed along, devoid of amusement. "Indeed." He then turned back to me, and seeing my still-bleeding wound, he grabbed me and began flying down to Liyue Harbor. "Focus on mending your wounds."
"But Osial-!"
"Guizhong and I will find a way." He narrowed his eyes as he flew through the rain. "Rest, Venti."
I stared at Osial's massive figure as we retreated back to Liyue, and I made a small nod as I rested my head on his chest, turning all my focus to healing my large wound.