Blood instantly seeped out, staining Lumine's sleeve red. The warm liquid trickled down her arm and dripped onto the sea's surface, creating tiny blossoms of blood.
Within just a few exchanges, Lumine was covered in wounds.
Her arm trembled slightly from constantly blocking attacks, and every breath pulled at her injuries, causing cold sweat to bead on her forehead.
Under another fierce assault from Yunqin, Lumine's arm was struck hard by the bow. A sharp crack echoed, as if a bone had fractured.
She could no longer hold Festering Desire. The sword flew from her grasp and, by a cruel twist of fate, landed squarely in Yunqin's hand.
Panic seized Lumine. Ignoring the searing pain, she started to lunge forward to retrieve her sword, but Yunqin pointed the bow at her.
An immense pressure instantly enveloped her, like invisible shackles, freezing her in place. She couldn't even move a finger.
Yunqin's gaze was utterly devoid of warmth, as if to say, "Move an inch, and you die." The sheer resolve in her eyes made Lumine's heart sink.
Yunqin lowered her head, her crimson eyes growing even more intense as she stared at Festering Desire, looking as if they might drip blood.
Sensing the dense Abyssal aura on her, the sword began to writhe violently. Black tentacles extended from the hilt, attempting to wrap around her palm like vines.
A flicker of displeasure crossed Yunqin's face, her brow furrowing slightly.
She had intended to throw the sword back to Lumine.
But now, the point where her palm touched the hilt felt glued fast, impossible to separate.
Immediately after, the sword's blade began to undergo subtle changes.
Countless black tentacles extended wildly, coiling around Yunqin's arm. The suckers on their surfaces clung tightly to her skin, greedily draining the dark energy from her body.
"Ahhh!" Yunqin screamed in agony.
The pain of having her Abyssal aura forcibly drained made her tremble uncontrollably, a flicker of panic flashing in her crimson eyes.
She tried to tear the tentacles off, only to find them as hard as steel. The more she struggled, the more dark energy was drained.
Seeing this, Lumine's heart tightened.
Ignoring the oppressive pressure on her, she started to move forward to help, but a far stronger force blasted her back. She crashed heavily onto the sea's surface, sending up a huge splash.
The icy seawater soaked her wounds, making her gasp in pain. Yet, she still struggled to lift her head, her gaze fixed intently on Yunqin.
Suddenly, Festering Desire began to melt, turning into a pool of pitch-black liquid that writhed constantly in Yunqin's palm, contracting and expanding like a living creature before emitting an eerie red glow.
This crimson-glowing, pitch-black liquid spread up Yunqin's arm, continuously creeping across her body.
Everywhere it passed, her skin turned black, eventually covering her entire body except for her head, solidifying into a suit of black armor that gleamed with a cold light.
The armor still bore traces of the not-yet-fully-solidified liquid, which writhed faintly like scales, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.
Yunqin stared at the armor on her body, her pupils constricting slightly as a vision suddenly flashed through her mind.
Darkness surrounded her, and an Abyss Knight stood before her.
The knight's armor gleamed with a cold light, his voice laced with temptation: "Join us, Yunqin! We can give you a world where you will never be abandoned, and make you a true God!"
"Get lost!" Yunqin instinctively roared, her voice filled with long-suppressed rage and defiance.
The incomplete armor on her body abruptly froze, and the pitch-black liquid began to churn violently, like an enraged beast.
It was then forcefully repelled by an invisible force, landing on the sea's surface and transforming into a pool of writhing black water.
The black water struggled on the sea's surface, trying to re-entangle Yunqin, but it could never get close.
Immediately after, a searing pain erupted in Yunqin's mind.
She clutched her head, screaming in agony, her body trembling uncontrollably from the pain. "So... it was you causing all this!"
Yunqin abruptly looked up, her gaze locking onto the Vision she wore at her waist.
The Vision, faintly tinged with dark energy, now glittered like a corrupted star.
She tore the Vision off and hurled it fiercely in front of Lumine, as if discarding something foul.
The Vision traced an arc through the air, landing precisely in the pool of pitch-black liquid.
The liquid instantly enveloped the Vision and began to writhe violently, as if devouring its power. The Vision melted within it, emitting a dazzling white light.
The white light dispelled the surrounding darkness, casting a warm halo across the sea's surface.
Lumine instinctively closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw a familiar figure slowly materializing within the pool of liquid.
It was Yunqin's original appearance, a stark contrast to the her currently enveloped by the Abyss.
Lumine gazed at the figure, her eyes instantly welling with tears. She reached out, wanting to touch it, but feared it was just another illusion.
The pain wracking her body seemed to vanish in that moment. She completely forgot the out-of-control Festering Desire and the lurking danger behind her, driven only by instinct to rush toward the figure.
"Yunqin!" she cried out, her voice choked with suppressed sobs and trembling uncontrollably as she wrapped her arms tightly around the warm body.
The familiar scent filled her nostrils, and her palms felt the soft fabric and the gentle rise and fall of a chest. The sensation was so real it made her nose sting, and her tears fell even faster.
"You're finally back... I missed you so much..."
The person in her arms was as still as if asleep, her brow slightly furrowed, her long lashes trembling faintly, as if still enduring the lingering pain of the Abyss.
Lumine held her protectively, gently smoothing the frown between her brows with her fingers, terrified that this hard-won "reality" would shatter once more.
Above the deep sea, the fierce battle between Zhongli and Beisht was raging.
The roar of the Stone Spear clashing with the serpent's claws sent ripples across the sea's surface. His black robes, soaked and clinging to his form, did nothing to hinder his steady assault.
When the dazzling white light pierced the darkness, revealing Yunqin's form, Zhongli's spear thrust abruptly halted.
The immense pressure of his Geo element instinctively receded, his grip on the Stone Spear loosened slightly, and a low sigh escaped his throat: "That child... she never truly fell completely."
Meanwhile, Venti was struggling to break free from the Hydra's nine heads.
A suffocating barrier of hurricanes and dark green venom swirled around him. His divine attire was stained with the foul poison, fine beads of sweat dotted his brow, and his eyes were filled with anxiety.
But when he saw the figure in the white light, his eyes flew wide, a flash of disbelief shining in his pupils. A smile of profound relief then curved his lips, and even his voice carried a faint, almost imperceptible tremor: "Wonderful... That girl really didn't let us down!"
His fingertips rapidly plucked the strings, and as they vibrated, an even stronger hurricane suddenly formed, imbued with the power of a thunderstorm, forcefully repelling the lunging Hydra.
Yet before he could escape, the Hydra's heads turned again. Nine streams of venom shot out like a torrential downpour, relentlessly blocking his path and preventing him from immediately reaching Lumine's side.