"You arrogant wretch! I will eliminate you—the enemy—for the sake of the Doctor!"
The Thunder Hammer closest to Yilan was the first to succumb to the pressure. Roaring like a beast, he directly activated the power of his Delusion. Thunder and lightning surged across his body as he raised his massive hammer with tremendous force and swung it down toward Yilan's head!
Facing the hammer's terrifying momentum, Yilan remained calm—his focus entirely on the dreamlike ideal he pursued. With a gentle motion, he pressed down on the hilt of his blade.
——The next moment.
Yilan effortlessly dodged the attack, gliding past the Fatui operative mid-swing.
The Thunder Hammer who missed his target barely had time to react before he tried to pivot and pursue. But as he turned, his body suddenly froze. A blood-red line traced itself from his left shoulder to his right waist.
"Don't even think about running away! Look at me—urk!"
A violent spray of blood erupted as the line deepened. The Delusion-enhanced operative vomited blood, the gash widening until he collapsed into a freshly formed pool of crimson. He could no longer give chase.
The other Fatui, watching from a distance, hadn't even seen how Yilan drew, used, or sheathed his blade.
All they saw was a flicker of movement—Yilan sidestepping the hammer's arc and passing by silently.
The blade had never appeared in public view. It was so fast it surpassed the limits of the eye. Panic seized the watching Fatui operatives, and a primal fear of Yilan etched itself deep into their minds.
"Come on, there's nearly a hundred of us! If we all spit on him, we could drown him!"
Unlike in clichéd plays, the Fatui were no fools. Spurred on by one voice, they moved in unison.
A Pyro Agent named Yan Fa drove his staff into the ground, conjuring a protective barrier. He aimed his musket and fired scorching rounds at Yilan. Other operatives—Debt Collectors, Mirror Maidens, and Cryo Cicin Mages—attacked in their own terrifying ways.
From above, it would look like the Fatui had formed a disciplined encirclement, launching coordinated strikes from all sides.
…
"I'm going out there to help him!"
Diluc, hidden in the underbrush, began to rise—but Lisa grabbed his arm and held him back.
"Wait a moment," she said, pouting. "Does he look like he's in trouble?"
Jean had predicted that Yilan wouldn't back down easily. She sent Diluc and Lisa to follow him in secret—not to assist in defeating the Doctor, but to help rescue him if he were in danger.
In other words, Jean didn't believe Yilan could defeat the Harbinger and their forces alone.
Lisa's remark made Diluc frown. Although Yilan didn't look overwhelmed, even for him, the situation seemed nearly impossible to escape.
But Yilan soon answered their doubts with action.
From thin air, he drew another one-handed sword. It was completely white, radiating an aura of divine purity—like a holy relic from the heavens.
He grasped the sword in both hands and plunged it into the earth.
"BOOM!!!"
The ground quaked.
Centered on Yilan, the terrain within a 500-meter radius collapsed, shockwaves radiating outward in every direction.
The land was ravaged. Trees were uprooted, soil exploded, and the ground heaved like a storm-tossed sea.
Buried rocks split and surged upward. Controlled precisely by Geo energy, they spiraled into the sky, forming a dome-shaped storm of devastation.
The elemental tempest tore through the air, shredding flesh and splintering bone. No resistance the Fatui offered could withstand the overwhelming power.
When Yilan finally pulled [Thousand Tribulations to Break Evil] from the ground, the battlefield had become a blood-soaked hellscape—limbs and entrails scattered across what remained.
"This is my first time wielding such immense power. Maybe I went a bit too far… If Rukkhadevata saw me like this, she'd probably be annoyed."
As if oblivious to the horrified stares around him, Yilan calmly stroked his chin and muttered to himself.
Then, as if cleansing the earth, he reached out to the moisture in the atmosphere and summoned water.
——That alone was enough.
After fusing with Rukkhadevata's soul, Yilan's spiritual attributes had reached terrifying heights: Soul 38, Spirit 41, Body 30.
With divine-tier spiritual strength, even a simple invocation of Hydro produced a floodlike torrent.
Swept away by the rushing deluge, the remaining fifty or so Fatui were utterly crushed.
Thunder Hammers, Debt Collectors, Electro Cicin Mages, Mirror Maidens—figures once feared by the common folk—now fled in terror, tripping over one another like frightened sheep as Yilan walked forward.
"Run! This guy's a monster!"
"We can't beat him!"
"Doctor—Doctor, save us!!"
…
"Move aside. We will handle him."
Two guards flanking the Doctor's carriage stepped forward. Among them stood a strange figure swathed in bandages.
They were no ordinary guards—cyborgs enhanced by the Doctor's experiments, injected with remnants of demonic power. When the limiters inside their bodies were lifted, they could surpass human limits for a short time.
"HOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
With deafening roars, the two transformed grotesquely. Their bodies expanded, bones cracking and skin tearing as they morphed into towering monstrosities over ten meters tall.
"Behold it! The power of the gods—glorious, unmatched—agh!"
"You call that divine?"
Yilan tilted his head, half-amused.
He spread his arms wide. The Dendro element stirred in the air like a song returning to the forest.
In seconds, trees erupted from the shattered ground, growing into a dense forest of ancient wood. Life reclaimed what destruction had just consumed.
Striding toward the two monsters now bound by the trees, Yilan stepped onto their heads. His crimson priestly robe fluttered, his expression holy, his eyes marked by the sacred cross glowing with eerie resolve.
Facing their trembling gazes, he calmly asked:
"Tell me—who is God?"
***
"So, what's going on with that guy?"
Sounds of surprise came from the friendly forces. For Diluc and Lisa—whose understanding of battle still revolved around trading weapon strikes, using elemental skills occasionally, and timing Elemental Bursts—the scene before them was utterly incomprehensible.
They even began to doubt whether such a natural-disaster-level attack was truly caused by Yilan. After all, the notion that a human could create a scene resembling the birth of a world-tree with a simple wave of the hand defied everything they knew.
But the forest that had descended upon the battlefield clearly aided Yilan in the fight. Vines and towering trees entangled the fleeing Fatui, rendering them immobile.
"Does he really need our help?"
Diluc turned to Lisa, his voice carrying a question from the depths of his soul.
"..."
Lisa was equally speechless. She even suspected Yilan might be the new Dendro Archon of Sumeru. Otherwise, such a terrifying concentration of Dendro energy would be unthinkable.
But hadn't her good friend in Sumeru sent word not long ago, saying the new Dendro Archon was a little girl?
On the other side, Yilan's slaughter continued.
His sword danced through the air, creating terrifying gales. The silver-white light of Thousand Tribulations to Break Evil and the violet flash of One Heart, Dreaming interwove, mercilessly cutting down life.
Enemies who approached were sliced in an instant; those who tried to keep their distance were pierced by ranged slashes. Not a single enemy could withstand even one of his attacks.
To avoid creating diplomatic problems that would trouble Jean, Yilan knew he had to eliminate everyone here—no witnesses, no survivors. A perfect, silent execution.
"Doctor, why aren't you doing anything?"
"Doctor, please save us!"
"Doctor, I've followed you for two and a half years—are you really just going to watch me die!?"
"..."
The Fatui, driven to desperation by Yilan's overwhelming power, cried out to their only hope. Yilan stopped advancing and shouted toward the ornate carriage at the rear:
"Doctor! Your subordinates are begging for your help! How long are you going to cower there? If you won't come out, I'll come to you."
As soon as the words left his mouth—Boom!
The Doctor's carriage exploded, sending a fireball roaring toward Yilan.
"The Doctor has finally acted!"
The surviving Fatui erupted in desperate cheers.
But in the very next instant, they watched as the Doctor—whom they saw as their savior—transformed into a streak of light and fled the battlefield in embarrassment.
"The Doctor… ran away?"
Jaws dropped. Their faith shattered like glass.
"——"
Yilan casually swung his blade, diverting the incoming fireball. It exploded just behind him with deafening force, sending several Fatui who had failed to flee flying through the air.
"..."
Yilan was momentarily speechless at the Doctor's retreat. He hadn't expected this segment of Dottore to be quite so… honest about cutting his losses and running.
However, once he exited the forest, the Doctor suddenly turned. Behind him, the wheel adorned with seven Delusions began to spin—four of them lit, with the Pyro one shining brightest.
He hurled wave after wave of fire spells into the forest, igniting it completely.
"Trying to use fire to stop my pursuit?"
"No… it's more than that."
Yilan looked down. A formation had appeared beneath his feet.
He stroked his chin and chuckled.
"A Geo-based array laid into the ground… enhanced by the forest's 'binding' attribute as a conceptual cage… and now infused with Pyro to trigger volatile reactions. Hmm."
"Even if this Doctor segment is the weakest among the many, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. Hiding in that carriage so long—he must've spent the whole time constructing this formation. Honestly, it's impressive work under pressure."
"But who exactly are you trying to trap here—me or your subordinates?"
Yilan glanced around.
The screams of the Fatui echoed through the trees.
Had Yilan killed them, it would've been swift. But burned alive by their own leader? That was a death a hundred times more miserable.
Yilan had no intention of saving them. In fact, the Doctor had saved him some effort. Killing weaklings wasn't satisfying.
With the rest dealt with, Yilan turned toward the flames and began walking. He focused his senses to track the Doctor's movements.
...
The forest fire lit up the night sky. Explosions echoed in the distance.
The Doctor was panting heavily, eyes locked ahead. Heatwaves distorted the air, turning the world into a wavering mirage of red and gold.
There shouldn't be any sound beyond screaming.
Theoretically, no one should be able to escape his Geo-based formation fused with Fire and Dendro elements.
Which meant…
"I won!"
"Hahahaha! How could some wild brat from nowhere possibly defeat me, the Second Harbinger of the Fatui?!"
Clearly, this segment was still immature—his mental state far more fragile than the others. At that moment, he stood there laughing like a madman.
"…You said you won?"
A voice like a devil's whisper cut through the crackling flames. His laughter stopped.
"W-What?!"
He looked forward—and saw a figure wrapped in flame striding calmly through the inferno. The air shimmered with heat, yet the figure advanced unscathed.
As if feeding on his fear, the figure grinned.
"I didn't think one of Dottore's segments would be this naive."
"You—You know about the segments? Who are you?!" the Doctor shouted, stepping back, his voice trembling.
"I've already told you. But it seems the Tsaritsa's court doesn't even bother to remember anyone from Mondstadt."
Yilan raised his hand. One Heart, Dreaming unleashed a crescent-shaped slash.
The Doctor tried to dodge—but the attack was too fast. His right arm was severed instantly.
"Go to hell!"
Through sheer agony, the Doctor activated three Delusions at once. Their power converged into a black beam, massive as a python, burning and tearing through space as it shot toward Yilan.
Until it met Yilan's right hand.
He raised it—bare, unarmored—and caught the beam in his palm.
"Impossible!!"
The Doctor stared, stunned.
He wouldn't have been surprised if Yilan had deflected or blocked it.
But to grasp it—to hold a fully powered Delusion attack like a plaything—was beyond comprehension.