Boom!
A fiery arrow exploded against the Abyssal Cryo Mage's shield.
White, semi-transparent, the shield was now riddled with cracks—on the verge of shattering.
Now's the time!
Jean knew how crucial timing was in battle. Without pausing to ask questions, she charged forward and unleashed a blade of wind.
The chain reaction ruptured the elemental barrier—what would have been indestructible to most wielders of Cryo Visions—shattering it into shards.
Then, Eula's greatsword came crashing down.
With a single strike, she drove the mage deep into the ground.
Abyssal Mages were notorious for their fragility. Once their elemental shields were down, a high-physical-damage attacker like Eula could send them straight back to the Abyss in one clean blow.
Roar!!—
The Hilichurl Berserker finally realized their leader had fallen. With a furious roar, it lifted its wooden shield and lunged toward the two girls.
Jean evaded gracefully, but Eula, spent from her earlier strike, barely managed to raise her greatsword in time to block.
Thud!
The impact hurled her several meters away, slamming her into a tree trunk.
"I swear by the sword!"
Jean rushed to her side and raised her sword, casting a wide-range healing field.
"Vines, bind them!"
Having dashed over the moment Eula was knocked back, Gong Qu unleashed his Dendro power.
The forest seemed to come alive.
Vines and roots surged forth, crawling up the bodies of the dozens of surrounding monsters, ensnaring them where they stood.
"Such powerful Dendro energy! By the Anemo Archon… could a follower of the Dendro Archon be passing through?"
Jean turned to the newcomer.
She was just about to thank him—then froze.
That heart, steady even in the heat of battle, now trembled uncontrollably.
"Traveler… is that you?"
Jean clasped her hands before her chest in a gesture of delicate awe, her eyes locking onto Gong Qu with such intensity it was as if she wished to etch his face into her soul.
Gong Qu, already somewhat accustomed to this sort of reaction, responded with an easy smile.
"The one and only. But we can talk later—let's clear out these monsters first."
"Right! Thank you for coming to our aid again!"
Amber arrived on the scene just then.
She gave Jean a quick glance, then, like the others, turned to Gong Qu, waiting for his command.
"My Dendro powers aren't suited for direct offense. I'll handle support and healing—just focus on the fight."
And this time, unlike before when he merely grew and controlled plant life through his basic abilities, Gong Qu unleashed a full elemental burst.
This skill was similar to an elemental skill, but on a much broader scale—essentially an amplified group version of his battle technique.
The moment the blessing took hold, Jean, Eula, and Amber felt an overwhelming vitality coursing through them—as though they'd been linked directly to the entire forest.
In game terms, their attack power, elemental damage, crit rate, and crit damage all received buffs. Meanwhile, Dendro energy provided periodic support attacks, and any damage they took was healed based on Gong Qu's absurdly high HP stat—a gift from his Minecraft-esque constitution.
You're buffed—go get 'em!
The three girls exchanged a glance—then surged forward to finish off the monsters who had only just begun to recover.
"There's no escape for you now!"
"Frozen surge, heed my call!"
"Let's end this!"
Under the full suite of buffs, the girls felt as though they were fighting under the Dendro Archon's direct blessing. By the time the monsters had all been defeated, their stamina remained nearly full—only their minds felt the strain.
The way they fought as a four-person team reminded Gong Qu of his days playing Genshin Impact.
Back then, he'd loved running a full-constellation Zhongli—plant a pillar, pop his burst, then sip tea while his teammates demolished enemies.
Once things settle down in Mondstadt, it's off to Liyue. I will get Zhongli, the king of raid bosses.
"Thanks again for your help, Traveler. Kaeya's still fighting on the other side of the forest—we should go assist him."
"Right—let's move."
Led by Eula, the group headed toward the main battalion.
After several kilometers, the two forces reunited.
In the center of a grove filled with collapsed trees, Kaeya was leading the vanguard, trading blows with a Hydro Abyss Herald. Around him, several Vision-wielding knights held their own against elite monsters—Hilichurl Rock-Helm Lords, Abyssal Mages. Meanwhile, standard squad members fought in pairs or trios, engaged in a desperate struggle.
"Captain Jean is here! She's come to support us!"
Someone among the knights cried out.
All eyes turned their way.
Kaeya too looked up—and when he saw Gong Qu, his pupils narrowed, before relaxing into a smile of relief.
"Talk about timing, Traveler."
Gong Qu nodded back at him.
Then, he cast another elemental burst.
A flash of green light.
Every member of the Knights of Favonius present felt a surge of power sweep through them. It was like being infused with pure adrenaline. Some even rushed forward bare-fisted, roaring as they struck at monsters.
"Mm…"
"What's wrong? Are you alright, Traveler?"
Jean caught Gong Qu as he staggered slightly.
His face had gone pale.
"I'm fine. Just overused my elemental energy. Go help them—I'll be alright."
Supporting over 50 people at once—his recovery rate just couldn't keep up. Was his foundation still too shallow?
Jean gave Amber a glance.
Amber understood immediately, switching to ranged support to both aid the frontline and covertly protect the exhausted Gong Qu.
Truth be told, that enchanted Minecraft bow was a perfect fit for Genshin Impact.
Even on her first try, Amber felt her strength increase by more than fifty percent.
Jean noticed Amber's newfound ferocity and glanced briefly at the unusual wooden bow in her hands, but there was no time to dwell—she charged toward the center of the battlefield, joining Eula and Kaeya in confronting the mastermind behind this Abyssal assault: the Hydro Abyss Herald.
Soon enough—
Thanks to Gong Qu, their Tier-0 support and miracle healer, the Knights of Favonius began to turn the tide.
Monsters that had once taken two or three fighters to bring down were now being fended off by ordinary soldiers wielding standard swords.
They had never felt so powerful before.
One by one, the soldiers turned their eyes to the young man resting against a tree, his eyes closed in meditation.
They all shared the same look: awe and reverence.
Another fifteen minutes passed.
The battle finally ended. The Hydro Abyss Herald—overwhelmed by Anemo, Cryo, and even Geo assaults—was encased in ice, everything but his head frozen solid.
Gong Qu opened his eyes.
"Let's go. I want to know why the Abyss would strike at this moment."
Amber quickly rushed to support him.
Though Gong Qu insisted he didn't need help, she refused to let go.
And whether by accident or design, a certain proud part of her chest pressed tightly against his arm.
It looked far more like a girl holding someone close than offering support.
"It's been a while, Traveler."
"Yes… it has, Kaeya."
Kaeya—ironically the only starting character Gong Qu hadn't maxed out in affection. Still, they'd had enough time together during low-content patches that they weren't strangers.
"I've heard some things from Klee," Kaeya said, glancing at the frozen Abyss Herald.
Seeing the enemy unmoved by interrogation, Gong Qu shared what Klee had discovered—and his own theory.
"Funny thing—the Cryo Mage I fought earlier mentioned the 'Princess of the Abyss.' Sounds like they're ambushing us because we interfered with someone's fall into the Abyss."
Jean recounted her earlier encounter as well.
Gong Qu pieced the details together—then raised his voice, his Dendro energy subtly laced into the words:
"Was it Aether who sent you?"
"His Highness would never—"
The Herald began to speak—then abruptly stopped, realizing he'd fallen for the bait. His mask darkened with fury.
"So it was your own doing," Gong Qu said, smirking. "Makes sense. Aether wouldn't push her to join so soon—not until she finished her journey through the Seven Nations. He wouldn't act prematurely."
The Herald said nothing more—but the dense, oppressive aura around him only confirmed Gong Qu's guess.
"So the Abyss isn't as unified as it seems. You—are you trying to crown a new ruler because Aether doesn't value you? Or are you just a bootlicker hoping this earns his favor?"
The Knights around them looked confused.
But they could sense this conversation touched on something far greater—perhaps even another Traveler. So they stayed silent, waiting.
"You strange god… this time we've lost. But next time, the Abyss will descend upon your land. The world will fall into eternal night. Our sorrow… will one day be fulfilled!"
With that, the Herald's body bubbled into black water—melting away.