A dense stream of lead tore through the air, descending upon the modified Fatui ranks like an unyielding torrent of steel.
Rocket-propelled grenades detonated in rapid succession across the canyon floor, the deafening blasts catching the vanguard completely off guard. Their freshly assembled lines buckled and splintered under the concussive force.
Before the survivors could regroup, the dragons struck from above.
Vibrant streams of multi-elemental breath cascaded across the valley, crossing the distance to engulf the cluster of augmented troops. Within moments, waves of modified soldiers were incinerated into ash.
Sumeru had deployed merely a hundred dragon riders alongside a thousand riflemen. Yet against such advanced firepower, numerical superiority meant nothing. Armies infused with the rule-breaking logic of the block realm could never be countered by conventional forces lacking equivalent artifacts.
This absolute disparity was why Ningguang consistently maintained that even three thousand upgraded Millelith were sufficient to sweep across the entirety of Teyvat.
The military doctrine of Liyue had already surpassed the boundaries of natural law.
Though Sumeru had joined the alliance later than the others, Ryen's affection for Nahida ensured they received substantial support. Both the Dragon Cavalry and the modern firearms divisions possessed mature, expanding supply lines. While still trailing Liyue's total output, their fielded strength represented an absolute dimensional strike against the rest of the world.
Against standard armies, it was pure, unadulterated slaughter.
Lacking higher cognitive reasoning, the remaining modified soldiers ignored the airborne bombardment entirely, pressing forward with single-minded focus toward Arlecchino's detachment.
Arlecchino watched their mindless advance with a darkened gaze. For these husks to remain fixated on her even under heavy fire revealed just how desperate Dottore was to see her destroyed.
She held her soldiers back rather than attempting to strike the collapsing vanguard. Sumeru's artillery and suppressive fire continued without pause, and the heavy dragon breath descending from high altitude obliterated entire clusters with every sweep. Moving in now would only risk friendly fire.
Above the dunes, Candace watched through her spyglass with cool satisfaction. Against such tightly packed, brainless targets, the engagement was little more than live target practice.
The tide of battle turned into a total rout. Within minutes, fewer than a thousand augmented soldiers remained standing.
Candace raised her hand, signaling her divisions to cease fire.
The broken remnants posed no further threat. Arlecchino led her frontline forward, wiping out the remaining host in short order.
Without pausing to tally their casualties, Arlecchino ordered her soldiers to sprint across the border into Sumeru territory.
Across the ridge, Furina's face grew dark with displeasure.
The Sumeru forces had technically remained on their side of the border. Yet standing at the boundary while delivering devastating strikes thousands of meters into Fontaine's sovereign territory defied every standard convention.
How was the court supposed to interpret such an act?
Neuvillette and Clorinde stood beside her, their expressions grim. While the Seven Nations' ancient accords contained no specific clauses regarding long-range cross-border bombardment, letting the matter pass without address struck at the core of Fontaine's legal dignity.
Pressing her lips together, Furina stepped forward, her entourage descending from the heights.
By then, Arlecchino's unit had crossed the boundary stones, linking up with the waiting Sumeru lines.
The moment the tension broke, the sheer physical toll of the endless march took hold. Even with Arlecchino standing before them, the Snezhnayan soldiers collapsed onto the sands, gasping for breath in deep exhaustion.
Arlecchino did not reprimand them, gathering her remaining stamina to approach Candace. On Sumeru soil, their safety was guaranteed. No rogue Fatui cells could operate openly within Nahida's borders.
Attacking on Sumeru territory was an act of war against the nation itself, which meant declaring war against the entire Five-Nation Alliance. Even with Pierro's audacity, he lacked the means to survive such retaliation.
As Candace's mount touched down and she greeted Arlecchino, Furina's retinue crossed the valley floor, stopping just short of the boundary line.
Candace and Arlecchino turned, catching sight of the Hydro Archon.
The atmosphere grew taut as the two parties locked eyes across the national border.
Candace recognized the diplomatic sensitivity of the situation. Though her troops had not stepped onto Fontaine's soil, the bombardment leaned heavily against standard protocol.
Stepping forward, Candace took the initiative. "Our actions today pushed the boundaries of protocol, yet circumstances left us no alternative. Snezhnaya is an active member of the Five-Nation Alliance. The alliance advances and retreats as one, and we bear the duty of ensuring the safe passage of allied forces. Regarding the events of today, the alliance will provide appropriate compensation to Fontaine."
Furina observed Candace in silence before shifting her gaze to Arlecchino, her voice laced with cold authority. "I permitted your forces transit across Fontaine's lands. I do not recall granting permission to turn our territory into an active war zone."
Arlecchino remained silent for a moment. Though the conflict was forced upon her, the damage to the region was undeniable. "My apologies. It was an unavoidable necessity. I will report the full engagement to Her Majesty, and Snezhnaya will offer twofold restitution for all environmental damage within your borders."
Her offer was sincere. The border was largely uninhabited wasteland, and the march had inadvertently cleared several aggressive monster dens along the path.
Furina narrowed her eyes, her tone sharp. "Foreign armies discharging heavy weapons across another sovereign nation's soil violates the foundational covenants of the Seven Nations."
Candace met her gaze evenly. "Sumeru forces never set foot within Fontaine's border."
"So you openly exploit loopholes within the covenant? Are you daring to mock the nation of absolute justice?"
Furina's expression hardened as vast reservoirs of Hydro energy condensed in the sky above, her eyes glowing with vibrant divine light.
"The safety of our alliance partners remains the supreme directive of our coalition," Candace replied steadily, showing no fear before the deity. "We must uphold that duty."
Furina let out a cold laugh. "How intriguing. It seems the pact of your Five-Nation Alliance now presumes to stand above justice itself."
"We will deliver full restitution for any collateral damage," Candace reiterated calmly.
"Transgressions against justice and law are subject to the judgment of Fontaine's court," Clorinde added from behind the Archon, stepping forward to reinforce Furina's stance.
Candace shook her head firmly. "Members of the Five-Nation Alliance answer solely to the laws of the alliance. Any error committed by Sumeru personnel will be tried exclusively within Sumeru."
The divine energy radiating from Furina surged toward the sky, condensing thick vapor into heavy, looming clouds that threatened to crush the valley beneath an ocean of pressurized water.
Candace and her officers tensed. Had they stood on unambiguous moral high ground, they would not feel a trace of hesitation. Yet opening fire across the border into Fontaine, even against augmented Fatui, was an undeniable stretch of the ancient treaties.
Even so, yielding to a foreign tribunal was entirely out of the question. No sovereign citizen of the alliance would ever stand trial in a Fontaine court.
As the standoff neared its breaking point, a spatial portal tore open behind the Sumeru lines.
The Iniquitous Baptist stepped through, stepping aside with a low bow.
A colossal silhouette strode out from the rift.
It was a primordial elemental dragon, shrouded in the resonance of multiple elements and radiating sheer divine authority that instantly swept Furina's gathered hydro pressure from the sky.
The moment it cleared the portal, its frame expanded to the scale of a mountain range. Two golden eyes looked down upon the valley, burning with the brilliance of twin suns.
Behind the colossal beast, several Adepti soared through the rift, taking their positions in the air.
"Lord Azhdaha!" Candace and Arlecchino bowed in deep respect.
Azhdaha gave a low nod, his gaze settling onto Furina across the boundary.
As Ryen's appointed guardian general, Azhdaha split his days between watching the gate at the foot of Mt. Tianheng and guarding the perimeter of Ryen's residential estate. The Baptist had anticipated that summoning Sumeru's military might trigger diplomatic friction, prompting him to seek immediate support from Mt. Tianheng.
With Morax and Ryen occupied, Azhdaha's presence carried more than enough authority. Chronologically, he predated every active Archon in Teyvat, Barbatos included.
The moment Azhdaha set foot on the earth, the primordial authority of the mountains and the deep leylines asserted itself, suppressing every elemental flow in the vicinity. The terrifying weight of an apex deity, honed through centuries of slaughter during the Archon War, pressed down upon the entire valley.
Even with the amplification of the leylines, Furina's baseline strength was far from the realm of top-tier combat deities. Azhdaha was an ancient leyline sovereign; wherever he walked, the earth answered his call. In an open terrestrial battle, even Morax would find him difficult to subdue. In terms of sheer destructive potency, Azhdaha stood as the second strongest combatant in the Five-Nation Alliance.
Furina took an involuntary step back, her expression growing grave. "It appears the effects of erosion have vanished entirely from your mind, Lord of Vishaps."
Azhdaha looked down upon her quietly, the heavy aura of an ancient conqueror sending cold chills down the spines of Neuvillette and Clorinde. Standing before them was a genuine primordial sovereign, far surpassing their own Hydro Archon in raw martial dominance, backed by a full retinue of Adepti.
After a heavy pause, Azhdaha let out a deep, booming laugh that echoed across the peaks.
"Little Focalors, you remain as rigid regarding your legal codes as you were in ancient times. If memory serves, it has been over a millennium since our last meeting, long before you took up the divine seat."
Furina's aura settled, her irritation surfacing as she placed her hands on her hips. "Why bring up ancient history? You elder beings always insist on looking down upon your successors with patronizing seniority! I am the reigning Hydro Archon of Fontaine; show some proper respect!"
Azhdaha paid no mind to her outburst, treating the complaint as nothing more than the petulance of a younger peer.
"Respect is a given, which is why I came personally to treat with you. Rex Lapis and the Tsaritsa are occupied with vital affairs, leaving the matter in my hands."
Azhdaha chuckled, his deep rumble vibrating through the ground. "I trust I possess sufficient standing to negotiate with you, little Focalors? Or should I say, Hydro Archon?"