Hydro Qin straightened her posture and walked over with a light step, her skirt sweeping across the water on the ground and leaving shallow traces behind.
Her tone remained cold, yet it carried an unquestionable seriousness.
"With Osial and Beisht, both corrupted by the Abyss, joining forces, even if Morax and Barbatos joined forces, they might not be able to hold out for long. If this continues, Liyue Harbor will truly be gone."
Yunqin gently pushed away from Lumine's embrace. The sudden loss of the warm touch left Lumine's heart feeling strangely empty, and the restlessness caused by the external pressure grew even stronger.
Yunqin slowly walked to the front of the great gate, raising her hand to touch the cold stone. The chill transmitted through her palm instantly cleared her mind.
She took a deep breath, her voice calm yet firm: "Then, of course, I am going to help."
"This whole situation was caused by me in the first place. If I hadn't held onto so many obsessions, if I hadn't wavered because of being misunderstood, a third 'me' would not have been born." Yunqin turned to look at Lumine, the familiar light flickering in her eyes, carrying a trace of a relieved smile. "If my heart had been stronger, more resolute, the Abyss would not have found an opportunity to seize control, and things would not have reached this point."
"No! Yunqin, you just woke up and your body is still very weak. You can't go!" Lumine hurriedly took a step forward, reaching out to grab her arm, her tone full of urgency. "The battlefield is too dangerous. I'll go help Zhongli and the others. You wait here!"
Yunqin raised her hand to interrupt her, a never-before-seen firmness flickering in her eyes as her fingertips gently brushed the Vision at her waist.
The Geo Vision was glowing with a soft golden light, resonating with the adeptal energy within her body.
"My mind is made up! Master and Rex Lapis taught me from a young age to be the bedrock that protects Liyue, to be as resilient as rock, and not to shrink back because of a few setbacks."
"Now that Liyue is in trouble and the people are still waiting, how can I hide in a safe place and let others risk their lives for me?"
Hydro Qin walked to Lumine's side and gently patted her shoulder.
Her palm carried the coolness of the sea, but her tone was unusually soft: "Don't worry. Although that girl is a bit foolishly naive, she is not a brainless idiot."
"When things truly get life-threatening, she will run faster than anyone else." She paused, a defiant curve forming at the corner of her mouth, a pride belonging to a Scion of the Gods flashing in her eyes. "Besides, I will help too."
Lumine stared at Hydro Qin in shock, her eyes wide and round.
She never expected that this "Yunqin," who had always been so hostile toward Liyue, would be willing to lend a hand.
Hydro Qin met her gaze, then calmly looked away toward the door, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible seriousness. "I may not want to be a part of Liyue, and I hate Morax for his 'indifference' back then, and I hate those who once ostracized me."
"But I am no coward like the Abyss, who only takes advantage of others' desperation." Her gaze suddenly turned sharp, like a drawn sword. "Only I can be the one to defeat Morax, and only when Liyue Harbor is delivered into my hands in my own way will I be at ease letting it continue to exist!"
With that, Hydro Qin walked to Yunqin's side.
The two identical young women stood side by side before the Stone Gate, one with a gentle yet firm gaze, the other with a cool and defiant expression.
Their temperaments were starkly different, yet at this moment, they shared a surprising tacit understanding, united by their common goal of "protecting Liyue."
The air fell into a brief silence, broken only by the faint roars of gods and the sounds of battle from outside, reminding them of the urgency of time.
After a long moment, Hydro Qin looked at the identical face before her, seeing the pure desire to protect in her eyes, and smiled faintly.
It was the first smile she had shown since awakening that held no hostility, as moving as the first thaw of spring snow: "Hello, my other self."
Yunqin was momentarily stunned by her smile, then she too broke into a happy grin, the fatigue in her eyes mostly vanishing to reveal a long-lost, youthful brightness: "Hello, my original self."
"Let us together..." Yunqin paused, her gaze fixed on the darkness-shrouded sky outside, her tone filled with resolve.
Hydro Qin seamlessly finished her sentence, her voice clear and carrying an unprecedented firmness, as if making a promise to each other and a vow to Liyue: "Protect the Liyue Harbor that belongs to us!"
Before the words even fully fell, Yunqin suddenly reached out and swung open the heavy Stone Gate.
The fierce winds from outside instantly rushed in, bringing with them the salty scent of seawater and the roar of battle, slapping harshly against the three women's faces.
Lumine instinctively squinted her eyes, bringing the scene outside the gate into focus.
The colossal bodies of Osial and Beisht blotted out the sky, their dark purple tentacles and serpentine forms thrashing wildly in mid-air. The massive waves they churned up rose like black city walls, threatening to submerge half the harbor.
Amidst the darkness, Zhongli and Venti's light shone with extraordinary brilliance. The golden Geo element and emerald Anemo element intertwined to form a fragile yet resilient barrier, fighting desperately to protect Liyue behind them, creating a magnificent yet tragic scene akin to the end of the world.
Yunqin and Hydro Qin exchanged a glance and stepped forward in unison, walking toward the battlefield. Their slender figures appeared utterly insignificant against the raging wind, yet they carried the courage to shake heaven and earth.
This disaster that had been set in motion because of "Yunqin" would ultimately be brought to an end by the "Yunqins" themselves.
-
The moment Yunqin's fingertips touched the Stone Gate on screen, and she stood side-by-side with Hydro Qin, the awe and emotion in Lu Nanqing's live stream chat nearly broke through the screen.
"Holy shit, holy shit! The Dual Qins are in the same frame AND they've reached an agreement? What kind of god-tier scene is this!"
"Hydro Qin's 'hard-mouthed, soft-hearted' status is officially confirmed. Isn't the subtext just 'Liyue can only be protected by me, no one else can touch it'!"
"Another me, the original me... Screenwriter, you're too good at this!"
Lu Nanqing herself had long since broken free from her previous emotions, her eyes glued to the screen like magnets, and even her breathing had grown lighter.
When the Dual Qins stepped forward in unison, she slapped the table in excitement. The water bottle on the table wobbled from the impact, its cap falling to the floor with a clatter, but she was completely oblivious.
"Holy shit! This is too hype!"
"Hydro Qin, you really are a hard-mouthed, soft-hearted tsundere! You were so hostile toward Liyue before, but now you want to help more than anyone!"
Lu Nanqing's fingertips were already pressing hard on the fast-forward button.
On screen, Lumine's footsteps lifted lightly as she was about to catch up with the backs of Yunqin and Hydro Qin walking side-by-side. But then, that heavy Stone Gate slammed shut without warning!
The ancient Geo patterns on the door panel glowed with a golden light once more, like a reactivated ancient seal, sealing the path shut without leaving even a sliver of a gap.
"Holy shit?!" Lu Nanqing's voice suddenly shot up an octave.
On screen, the figures of Yunqin and Hydro Qin grew more distant, their golden Geo light and blue Hydro light intertwining.
Comments like "send blades" and "stab the screenwriter" were already flooding the live stream chat. Lu Nanqing took a deep breath, about to join the viewers in complaining, when the screen suddenly went dark.
The game's original HUD instantly vanished, and a melancholic yet heroic background music gradually swelled against the black backdrop.
The noise of the live stream was replaced by a blend of low strings and stirring drumbeats, instantly intensifying the atmosphere as the scene gradually brightened within a soft halo.
The CG cinematic had officially begun!
The complaint Lu Nanqing had been about to utter got stuck in her throat. Her eyes widened, instantly drawn to the screen.
The scene on screen had switched to a high-angle battlefield perspective. The fury of Osial and Beisht still shook heaven and earth, their dark purple tentacles and serpentine bodies thrashing wildly in mid-air.
Each impact caused the Anemo-Geo Barrier to tremble violently, the cracks upon it growing denser and denser, like a spiderweb on the verge of breaking, ready to collapse at any moment.
And Yunqin and Hydro Qin's figures grew clearer in the raging wind. Yunqin's entire body glowed with a soft yet resolute golden light, while a faint blue light entwined in Hydro Qin's hair.
The two elements intertwined and coiled in midair, like a dual-colored lightning bolt slicing through the darkness, charging straight toward the two gods with unstoppable courage. The prologue to the CG cinematic had officially begun.