Before Ying could question, she heard the system's voice.
"I bought you some time, so you won't have to accept the punishment I just mentioned. Of course, there was a price for that. Well... all the original stones on you will be used as a substitute, and also..."
At this point, the system paused, then a phantom gradually appeared, materializing before Ying and Paimon. The form it took was that of Paimon's first state.
Seeing Ying's stunned expression, the system's lips curved slightly, and it spoke in Paimon's voice.
"This revive token is a one-time use, and there won't be any more after this."
With that, the system was about to move when it suddenly remembered something and added,
"Oh right, before I leave, I'll give you one last gift, my dear host (^_^)"
"Huh?"
Before Ying could even ask, the Paimon-formed system transformed into a ball of light and dissipated before them.
"No more... ever..."
Ying's lips kept repeating these four words. Suddenly, she thought of something and frantically tried to open the Wish pool, only to find that no matter how hard she imagined it, she couldn't summon it.
Ying thought all her possessions would disappear, but then she remembered the gift the system had mentioned before leaving, so she tried again and found that her backpack and map could still be opened.
The thought that the system had sacrificed its existence to secure these for her brought a sting to Ying's nose. Suppressing the tears that were about to fall again, she called out inwardly.
(System, are you still there...)
...
After a long time, just as Ying's spirits began to plummet, a familiar and weak voice reached her ears.
"Host... I feel... my body... it hurts so much..."
This familiar voice became the last straw that broke the camel's back, and Ying could no longer hold back her tears. Choked with sobs, she said,
"Mmm... I... I'm sorry... I'm late... You rest well... rest well, and leave the rest to me."
With that, Ying took a deep breath, stood up, and looked at Paimon, who was still in a daze beside her.
"Paimon, let's go. We're going to defeat that hateful bastard, Scaramouche."
"Huh? But Paimon, she..."
Paimon was about to ask, but Ying gently placed her hand on Paimon's head and stroked it.
"Don't worry, she'll be fine. I promise you..."
As Ying sped along, following Paimon's directions towards where she and Scaramouche had encountered each other, the battle between Lumine and Scaramouche and the other two had also reached its climax.
By this time, Lumine was covered in bloodstains. Although no vital points were hit, prolonged bleeding would lead to unconsciousness.
Watching Lumine struggle desperately filled Scaramouche with immense pleasure, even lessening his resentment towards being forced to attack together by Teyvat. However, even so, he didn't forget to mock Teyvat standing beside him.
"Heh heh... It seems you have little confidence in your own modified mechanisms. Not only did you attack by yourself, but you also dragged me along to attack a weak woman."
"Hmph..."
Teyvat snorted and chose not to argue with him. Instead, he recalled the message that young Teyvat had transmitted to him before his death.
Ying is on her way here... she managed to defeat one of my clones so easily...
Heh heh... Interesting. Since she conveniently helped me eliminate an annoying part of myself, I'll give her a great gift...
With this thought, Teyvat turned to Scaramouche and said,
"I'll leave this automaton and her sister to you. I have more important matters to attend to."
"Huh?"
Scaramouche frowned and was about to question him when Teyvat vanished from his original position.
"Tch... What a strange guy."
Scaramouche didn't say anything further and slowly walked to a spot not far in front of Lumine. Lumine tried to stand up, but the pain in her body prevented her from moving.
"Heh heh heh... Don't bother. This energy was born after I repeatedly extracted it dozens of times, precisely to counter Paimon's terrifying power. You should feel honored that you were able to force me to use this power."
Scaramouche said calmly, looking at Lumine with a mocking gaze, as if she were already a corpse.
You are a kind girl, always putting others' lives first...
I wish you were a lively, healthy, happy, free, and secure little sister living a peaceful life, needing my protection, rather than someone else's hero...
"Pfft..."
Lumine's mind flashed back to the words she had quietly spoken when Ying was asleep, and she couldn't help but let out a laugh.
"To think I said I would... protect you... how ridiculous..."
"Oh? You're already reciting your last words? Good, you're quite self-aware."
Scaramouche chuckled and turned to look at the automaton behind him.
The Puppet Swordsman, receiving the order, drew the samurai sword at its waist again and assumed a charging stance.
In an instant, the automaton erupted with an extremely powerful Anemo energy, its massive body levitating into the air.
A large amount of Anemo energy first gathered on its body and then concentrated onto the giant samurai sword it held aloft. An incredibly terrifying aura emanated from the automaton.
For a moment, the entire world was filled with dense Anemo energy, and even Ying, who was rushing from afar, sensed the anomaly in the sky.
"This... Lumine? No... oh no?!"
Her worry confirmed that the user of this move could not be her. The thought of Lumine about to suffer an attack of this magnitude made sweat break out on Ying's forehead. Without time to worry about Paimon behind her, she pushed her speed to the limit, murmuring as she ran.
"No... don't. I don't want to see anyone get hurt because of me again. I don't want to... I don't want to!"
Looking at the automaton emitting a terrifying aura before her, Lumine swallowed. She wanted to use her elemental power to block it, but then remembered that she couldn't use it at the moment, and she barely had any strength left.
Having no other choice, Lumine raised the Aquila Favonia with both hands in front of her, mentally preparing to withstand the attack head-on.
Memories of her past with Ying continuously surfaced in Lumine's mind, causing her to sigh and say with a touch of sadness,
"I'm sorry, Ying. I might not be able to continue walking. If possible... please say hello to my brother for me..."
As soon as her words fell, the Puppet Swordsman's attack was ready. It swung its sword towards Lumine with all its might. As the sword descended,
A massive Anemo blade, formed from a large amount of Anemo energy, shot towards Lumine at high speed. Its power was so immense that even its aftershock carved a deep trench in the ground it passed over...