Chapter 274: The Manifestation of the Abyss
In the very heart of the Holy Fire Arena, the sacred flame—a symbol of Natlan's heritage and will, which had burned day and night without cease for generations—suddenly dimmed without warning. It flickered, sputtered, and died. In its place, a pillar of abyssal-purple light, so dense it seemed solid, erupted into the heavens.
The column of energy tore through the firmament, punching a gaping wound in the sky.
Immediately after, under the horrified gaze of countless onlookers, a colossal vortex of the same sickening purple began to churn where the pillar had struck. Its edges writhed and twisted like something alive and in agony.
The heart of the vortex was a pit of absolute nothingness, a direct conduit to the Abyss where all things decay and end. Countless black cubes, sharp-angled and of varying sizes, drifted around this chilling core. They were not stone or metal, but solidified despair, radiating a silence that was more terrifying than any scream. Its mere presence exuded an indescribable fear, an oppressive weight that bore down on the very soul.
This was not a mere aggregation of energy; it was the physical manifestation of fear and despair, a raw representation of the Abyss and its chaos.
Some of the civilians and warriors with weaker constitutions found that even a subconscious glance was enough to poison them. They felt their souls being tugged away, their minds growing foggy, their spirits threatening to be hollowed out completely.
"Hey! Wake up!"
Terrified cries broke out as those nearby scrambled to help, forcing their friends' heads down and shouting their names, barely managing to pull them back from the brink of being consumed.
"Do not look directly at it! Everyone, do not look at that thing in the sky!" Mavuika's authoritative and urgent voice echoed through the Wind Network, reverberating throughout the entire Holy Fire Arena.
As if on cue, accompanying this ultimate terror, numerous abyss gates ripped open across Natlan. They appeared without warning, even inside the arena itself, and from them poured a fresh tide of monsters.
Fortunately, most of the civilians and warriors had already been successfully relocated to the Holy Fire Arena or its surrounding protected areas. The arena itself was fortified with ample troops and complete defensive structures.
Even more surprisingly, the Fatui Harbinger, Il Capitano, was already present, having led a large contingent of Fatui advance teams, Debt Collectors, and other elite soldiers to the arena's perimeter. His soldiers immediately demonstrated an astonishing level of tactical proficiency. Geo Skirmishers swiftly erected simple elemental fortifications, while Pyro Skirmishers and Electrohammer Vanguards established deadly fields of crossfire. Anemo Boxer Vanguards stood ready, responsible for repelling any stragglers that broke through the firing line.
Though their methods differed greatly from the tribal warriors of Natlan, they cooperated smoothly in this moment. Moving with the brutal efficiency of a well-oiled war machine, they rapidly suppressed and cleared the new wave of monsters, ensuring that the last few groups of civilians could safely reach this final sanctuary.
In other tribal regions, thanks to the support teams stationed by the chat group, these newly appeared monsters posed no threat and were quickly mopped up.
The situation was temporarily stabilized, but the enormous abyssal entity in the sky, constantly pulsing with waves of despair, hung over everyone's hearts like a Sword of Damocles.
Within the chat group, the information feed exploded.
[Honkai: Star Rail · Stelle]: "Whoa! What is that thing in the sky?! It looks so sinister! Why does just looking at it make me feel so uncomfortable and annoyed?!"
[Honkai: Star Rail · Stelle]: "You guys… if I gave it a good whack, could I knock it down?"
[Honkai: Star Rail · Stelle]: [Eager to try.jpg]
She even gave the dark red Star-Shattering Warblade in her hand a speculative heft. Her eyes, fixed on the giant vortex, held a dangerous glint as she seemed to be calculating the perfect angle for her swing.
Dan Heng and March 7th, who knew her personality all too well, felt their expressions freeze almost simultaneously. In a flash, they each grabbed one of her wrists.
"Stelle, calm down!" Dan Heng said quickly.
"Don't be reckless, Stelle!" March 7th added, pulling her back. "That thing clearly isn't something you can just casually poke!"
They knew better than anyone that Stelle was the epitome of "thought and action are one." There was almost no delay between an idea forming in her head and her body executing it. If they hadn't stopped her in time, she might have genuinely strapped on a bamboo dragonfly and charged up there the very next second.
As if sensing Stelle's audacious idea, the two Archons who had remained relatively restrained, focusing on the bigger picture and protecting the world's natural order, spoke up almost simultaneously in the group.
[Genshin Impact · Zhongli]: "Stelle, absolutely not!"
[Genshin Impact · Venti]: "That's a very dangerous thought, stop it quickly!"
It wasn't until Dan Heng and March 7th quickly replied with confirmation that "Stelle has been restrained, she won't act recklessly" that Zhongli and Venti continued their explanation for all group members.
[Genshin Impact · Zhongli]: "The object in the sky is a relatively rare physical manifestation of the abyssal will in this realm. Its essence is not merely an accumulation of energy, but is closer to the descent of a 'concept.' Reckless attacks, especially with powers that are beyond the norm of this world, are highly likely to attract deeper attention from the will of the Abyss."
[Genshin Impact · Venti]: "The old blockhead is right~ The reason he and I have rarely used our full divine power to clear the field in this war is precisely to avoid over-stimulating the Abyss."
[Genshin Impact · Venti]: "If it perceives a resistance that is too strong, or signs of multiple deities fully intervening, it might invest more of its 'gaze' and power into this world. At that point, future battles will only become more difficult, and it might even attract more terrifying existences."
The authoritative words of the two native gods instantly calmed the somewhat restless atmosphere within the group.
Everyone understood. This was not merely a military confrontation; it was a delicate, world-level game of cat and mouse. The key to the final, decisive battle lay in the hands of the people of Natlan themselves.
What these reinforcements from other worlds needed to do was protect the living beings of this land, to win Natlan the opportunity and time it needed to deliver that crucial blow.
The despair-inducing entity in the sky rotated silently, as if mocking the struggles of the world's inhabitants, or perhaps, waiting for something.
Back in the center of the Holy Fire Arena, the sacred flame, originally tainted by the dark purple energy of the Abyss, was now fluctuating violently.
Mavuika stood before it, resolute flames burning in her crimson eyes. She pressed her hands virtually into the leaping fire, the Pyro Gnosis hovering before her chest radiating an unprecedentedly fierce light.
"By the fire of Natlan, be my guide..."
Her deep and majestic chant echoed through the night sky as immense divine power poured madly from the Gnosis into the Holy Fire.
The towering pillar of dark purple light seemed to be forcibly twisted and compressed by an invisible, enormous force. In its place, the Holy Fire itself erupted with an even purer, more incandescent crimson-gold radiance.
"BOOM—!!!"
A visible shockwave, a roiling mixture of crimson-gold and abyssal purple, blasted out from the Holy Fire. It swept across the entire arena and rippled out into the more distant areas.
In the sky, the gigantic abyssal entity seemed to be shaken by this blow, which condensed thousands of years of Natlan's faith and the authority of the Pyro Archon. A silent, soul-shaking roar emanated from it.
Its position was forcibly shoved by the immense repulsive force, shifting it from directly above the Holy Fire Arena towards a desolate, uninhabited rocky gorge to the northeast, a wasteland of rugged, strange stones.
Although she had failed to expel it from Natlan entirely, Mavuika had successfully moved it away from the most densely populated area. This single act had bought them crucial space and time for the actions that were to come.
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me!
Want to read ahead on our official home, or unlock 50 advanced chapters (plus an Ad-Free experience) to feed your addiction? Help keep this shameless translator alive here:
(P.S. Replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
🌐 Official Website: elysianreads[.]com
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters & Ad-Free): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]