Genshin Impact, I, a mere mortal, cannot accompany you to the very end.

Fushe remembered the number; he would remember it forever, etched it deep into his soul, for it was not just a number, but pairs of eyes, pairs of burning, great eyes... forever watching him.

"They died, their names were forgotten, their bones decayed in the wilderness, their voices were drowned out by the heavy rocks, and no one heard their voices anymore."

"I am the first Thousand Rock Army soldier, I am their Grand Marshal, and I am responsible for remembering their names."

"I want to hear their voices."

"I am responsible for burying their souls."

"If there is a future... if in the future I become someone's marshal, or some kind of general... I will establish this rule."

"The living are responsible for burying the bodies of the dead."

"The living must remember the names of the dead."

"The living must keep going—I want to establish this rule."

A vast army surrounded Fushe. Fushe drew his sword, and amidst the biting wind, he faced the enemy with his lone blade!

"This time."

He laughed, a loud laugh, the laugh of Marshal Fushetai, tinged with helplessness and sorrow, but transcending these emotions was only a carefree and unrestrained spirit, and an arrogant madness.

"The karma I am about to devour, the karma I am about to exorcise, the pain and memories I am about to inherit—that is 439,531."

He opened his arms to his soldiers, embracing the young men, embracing the souls that had lingered for centuries, and paying homage to the martyrs.

“We have won,” he said.

"We won, the war was won, Liyue is at peace, we succeeded."

"Liyue is beautiful now, just as you wished."

"The weather is fine and the people are safe and sound."

"You have fought that glorious battle. I am deeply proud of you."

He said earnestly, his whole body was covered in blood, his soul corroded by karmic burdens, yet he laughed proudly and joyfully:

"Soldiers!"

Fushe shouted towards them.

"439,531 people, not one less!!"

"We must be together, we must be united!"

He said emphatically:

—"Triumphant Return".

The next second, he was overwhelmed by endless karmic obstacles, or rather... embraced by his soldiers.

-

Having decided to descend into the ley lines, we set off.

They climbed down the mouth of the abyss, trekking under the steep rock walls. The closer they got to the earth's core, the higher the temperature became. The air was distorted by the high temperature, forming cloud-like currents that were slightly reddish.

It's just an illusion.

An illusion.

Gan Yu kept telling herself this throughout the journey.

"Maybe it's just fake, but maybe it's real, and I choose to believe it because I hope it's real."

All the way, Xiao's words echoed in Gan Yu's ears. The words were plain and unremarkable, but they lingered in Gan Yu's heart and refused to leave.

What is... 'hope is true'?

She was unaware that her fingernails had inadvertently seeped into her palm, and she bit her lip slightly.

Xiao hopes it's true... Xiao hopes that person is innocent, regardless of the facts, it's just his inner hope.

And what about myself...? What are my own thoughts?

Do I 'hope' that person is innocent...?

She didn't know, and she didn't want to answer the question, because her heart was trembling slightly. She knew what the answer was deep down, but she didn't want to say it, didn't even want to think about it...

She knew the answer deep in her heart, but she wouldn't face it.

Because that answer wasn't very appealing.

Why is this happening...?

Why would she do this...? Why wouldn't she want that?

Never believe what you want to believe.

In her last letter, Yae no Miko also wrote these words.

She knew why she didn't want that, because if it did, then everything would end up wrong... and that would be terrible.

Gan Yu didn't understand. She felt somewhat unfamiliar and even frightened. It seemed as if something was hidden deep within her soul, something that lingered deeply in her heart... Could it be... that the reason that person's personality changed so drastically was also because of... this thing?

She stopped thinking about it.

Yes, this is fake. Unlike Xiao, who resists and suppresses the voice in her heart, Gan Yu relies on those voices and chooses to sink into depravity. Only by listening to those voices can she stop thinking about those things and forget the blood she saw that day, the death of Fu She in front of her, and those eyes that gradually dimmed in the sunset.

Only then will she forget those eyes.

This is fake. No matter what she sees next, she will no longer waver.

She gradually became more resolute in her convictions.

They had finally reached the lower level, but there was still a long way to go before reaching the deepest part of the Abyss of Layered Rocks.

Crimson mist covered the red earth, and thick steam rose from the dead lava. The abyss of layered rocks was calm, and the dark dome was empty and deep. There was no sunlight in the depths of the underground, and it was deathly silent.

There will be no more wavering.

That's exactly what I thought.

But the next moment... Gan Yu was stunned.

"This is...?"

The next moment, the deathly still lava stirred up a raging inferno, the sky darkened and the earth churned, the cold war drums beat out the heaviest noise, and in every layer of the giant abyss above, deathly cold crimson eyes appeared, densely packed—all soldiers!

What's this...

Is this also an illusion?

But what illusion could be so vast, so detailed, so terrifying and grotesque, so... sorrowful?

Were those really living soldiers?

That posture was more like that of a mad, departed soul.

Gan Yu's pupils constricted. Among the hundreds of thousands of Thousand Rock soldiers, she saw a familiar figure... a figure she never wanted to see again.

He walked among the vast, departed souls, his broken longsword slicing through armor after armor with clean, decisive strokes, splattering foul blood onto his body. A smile played on his lips, a mad and twisted smile, making him appear like the most brutal and bloodthirsty demon god.

One body after another fell, and Fushe marched forward through the corpses. His steps showed no sign of retreat. He had clearly killed many people; he was clearly committing slaughter.

but.

Each soldier he killed no longer felt pain. On the contrary, their originally ferocious and desperate faces gradually calmed down, and the murderous aura in their eyes slowly faded, restoring clarity and tranquility.

They fell to the ground, their eyes seemingly filled with tears. Their corpses slowly dissipated as they gazed with hot tears at the lone figure floating in the sea of ​​blood, whispering, "...Marshal."

The filth, the madness, the ferocity, dissipated from their departed souls... The curse had been expelled from Nuoyou, their souls were now clear and bright, able to break free from the shackles of the filthy earth veins, step into the border between life and death, and obtain eternal peace.

But those scattered things flowed back into Fushe's body, making Fushe more ferocious, more insane, and more filthy, yet Fushe never retreated.

[Remaining lifespan: three hours]

A thousand people.

Two thousand people.

Three thousand people.

...

kill.

save.

[Remaining lifespan: Two hours]

kill.

save.

Ten thousand people.

20,000 people.

30,000 people...

Whether it was Xiao or Gan Yu... everyone present was deeply shocked by the bloody and grand scene before them, and it was forever etched into their vision.

This was clearly just slaughter, yet it carried a terrifying, almost sacred grandeur. They couldn't comprehend what they were seeing, but despite it, they felt a chill run down their spines.

Qing Nuoyan knew what this was: Nuoyou, the first talent he inherited in his life.

Fushe... His past self was performing the Nuoyou ritual, and the soldiers of the Nuoyou army... Ha, that's crazy, no wonder he died young!

"This..." Gan Yu found her lips were dry, her pupils constricted, and her nails dug into her flesh. "What exactly is this...?"

"have no idea."

Xiao's voice was also a little hoarse as he stared intently at Fushe, "...I don't know."

“This is a massacre.” Gan Yu lowered her eyes, a heavy, crimson-gold gloom filling her pupils. She repeated, “...This is just a massacre. Yes, he is massacring…”

“Perhaps…” Xiao turned around and stared intently into Gan Yu’s eyes, “Perhaps, this is what you called the ‘massacre’.”

“But Fushe.” Xiao gritted his teeth, his voice trembling slightly, “He is slaughtering other things… Perhaps it is slaughter, but perhaps, it is also a blessing.”

This is also a blessing.

Gan Yu was stunned.

She stared intently at the lone figure before the vast army.