T/N: Is it just me or does this chapter felt ai generated? Because a lot of lines felt redundant.
Anyways, the chapters before and after this seems normal.
...
"Brother Shajin, what are you doing here?!" Ningguang's voice trembled with disbelief. She couldn't accept what she was seeing.
Shajin stood tall atop Beisht's head, his figure outlined against the stormy sky. He gave a faint smile.
"I told you—I'd protect myself. Now, I will protect Liyue."
Keqing's grip tightened around her sword, her gaze conflicted.
"You're helping that monster? Do you even understand the kind of catastrophe it could unleash on Liyue?"
"Catastrophe?" Shajin let out a low, bitter laugh. "No. The true catastrophe is Morax's apathy and injustice. All I've done is restore the order Liyue should have had from the start."
Ningguang and Keqing exchanged a tense glance. They could feel it—Shajin's resolve was immovable.
But they also knew: if Beisht was allowed to run rampant, Liyue would be plunged into irreversible devastation.
"Shajin… do you really believe this is the right path?" Ningguang asked softly, trying to reach the man she once knew. "Liyue is your home. Can you really watch it be destroyed?"
Shajin fell silent for a moment before speaking, his voice slow and resolute.
"Ridiculous. Liyue is your home. It never was mine."
"Shajin, you're wrong…"
"No. It's not me who's wrong—it's all of Liyue!"
He turned and looked down at Beisht.
"Beisht. Begin."
"Let those who think themselves untouchable witness the vengeance of those they once cast aside!"
Beisht trembled with anticipation, its three heads swaying in excitement, eager to see the look of regret on Morax's face.
With a thunderous roar, its colossal body surged with elemental power.
The sea churned at its command, rising into countless whirlpools that crashed toward the shores of Liyue Harbor, threatening to engulf it in a tide of destruction.
"Prepare for battle!"
Ningguang and Keqing gave the order in unison. The Millelith and adepti quickly moved into formation.
Beisht writhed atop the waves, hurling mountainous swells toward Liyue's defenses.
The ocean, now a weapon in its grasp, birthed vortex after vortex, devouring anything that dared approach.
High above, Cloud Retainer had already begun charging the Guizhong Ballista, preparing to fire a devastating strike.
The adepti unleashed their techniques in unison, their radiant spells weaving brilliant formations across the sky.
"Hmph. Mortal and immortal alike think they can stop me?" Beisht sneered.
All three of its heads opened wide, unleashing three powerful torrents of water straight at the harbor's defenses.
But just before they could strike, the Guizhong Ballista completed its charge.
"Now!" Cloud Retainer shouted.
The Ballista unleashed a blinding bolt of energy, colliding with the incoming water jets in a thunderous clash.
BOOM! A deafening explosion rocked Liyue Harbor.
The resulting shockwave birthed a massive whirlpool, devouring Beisht's attack in a maelstrom of elemental energy.
Beisht reeled back, feeling pressure unlike anything it had ever faced.
But Shajin's voice rang out again, sharp and unyielding.
"Beisht! Don't back down! Unleash your full strength—let them witness the might of a god!"
ROAR!! Beisht bellowed, its body glowing brighter as the sea around it began to boil.
Its three heads released a second, even more ferocious triple-stream of water, slamming into the Ballista's energy once more.
BOOM! Another blast shook the coast. The clashing forces tore open a monstrous vortex, pulling everything nearby into its depths.
"Everyone, fall back!" Ningguang shouted, directing the Millelith and adepti to retreat from the chaos.
Suddenly, Shajin leapt down from Beisht's head, his body cutting a graceful arc through the air before landing on the harbor dock.
"Brother Shajin, you…" Ningguang's voice was thick with conflicted emotion as she looked at him.
Shajin smiled gently—but his eyes burned with unwavering resolve.
"Ningguang. Keqing. I know you're fighting for Liyue. But there are things that must be done. I won't stand by and let Morax's injustice continue unchecked."
"But Shajin!" Keqing pleaded. "This path will only lead to Liyue's destruction!"
He shook his head.
"Destruction? No. The real destruction comes from centuries of oppression and exploitation by those who rule from above. I seek to end that—to give Liyue's people control over their own destiny."
"You're insane!" Keqing shouted, her voice trembling with fury. "You're playing with fire—you'll burn everything to the ground!"
Shajin said nothing more. He turned back toward Beisht.
"Beisht. Let's show them. Show them what strength really looks like."
He raised both hands, channeling Geo energy into Beisht's scales, reinforcing its body with a thick armor of stone.
ROAR!! Beisht howled, its glow intensifying until the sea itself shimmered in its radiance.
"You really think this will change anything?" Ningguang asked, her voice laced with sorrow as she gazed at the man who had become a stranger.
"Change?" A flicker lit in Shajin's eyes.
"No. I only want to prove that even those abandoned by the gods can rise and fight for what they deserve."
"But at what cost?" Keqing's grip on her sword tightened. "Do you even realize how many innocent lives you're putting at risk?"
"Innocent?" Shajin sneered. "There is no such thing as innocence in this world. Only the strong write the rules. The weak? They're forced to obey. I'm here to shatter that rule—to give everyone the chance to be strong."
"Gods?" He spat the word.
"Morax's cold indifference is proof enough. A god who won't protect his people isn't worthy of worship."
"A true god stands with their people—not above them, blind to their suffering."
"You've lost yourself, Shajin." Keqing raised her sword, the tip gleaming as she pointed it straight at his chest. "You've let power and vengeance blind you. You've forgotten why we fight."
"Why we fight?" His eyes wavered—just for a moment—but then his resolve flared brighter than ever.
"My reason is to bring justice to Liyue. And if that means defying the gods, then I'll be the first to challenge them."
"Then let's settle this with our blades."
Keqing lunged, her sword arcing in a gleam of sword qi.
Shajin dodged in a blur, landing light-footed across the dock as a sleek, gleaming blade appeared in his hand.
The battle erupted.
Above the harbor, thunderclouds roiled and cracked, heralding the arrival of a storm.
Ningguang stood back, her heart heavy. She knew this clash was inevitable. And yet, some part of her still hoped—hoped that Shajin would turn back, that Liyue could be spared.
But the fight had begun.
Steel rang against steel as sword qi met blade, each strike echoing across the water with lethal grace.
Beisht roared from the sea, its body erupting with elemental fury as it matched the Guizhong Ballista's barrage blow for blow.
The sea churned in chaos, birthing vortexes that spun and devoured, pulling everything toward destruction.
The battle raged, relentless.
Shajin's swordsmanship was brutal and precise, each slash laced with righteous fury.
Keqing answered in kind—her strikes swift, measured, unyielding.
Neither side gave an inch.
And neither would stop.
_
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