Genshin Impact: I Made the Entire Playerbase Cry

[Here it comes, that scene from the preview!]

[Mu Yang: I'll solo the Vortex God.]

[You'll win, bro.]

[Hang in there, sword-wielding big bro!]

Mu Yang gripped his sword and activated Soaring Cloud, stepping onto the air.

With each step, an ice lotus bloomed beneath his feet.

[Where did this Dou Zong-level powerhouse come from?!]

[Osial: Hehehe, this Mu Yang must not be allowed to live!]

Even Mu Yang was surprised by his current state.

"Holy crap, is this my peak setting?"

"I can only say… utterly terrifying!"

"I wonder if I can go even further beyond if popularity explodes…"

System: "Of course you can."

Osial sensed the threat.

He summoned two whirlpools to block Mu Yang's path.

Mu Yang swung his sword, releasing two sword beams—one left, one right.

The frost-laden sword energy transformed into two ice dragons upon contact, coiling around the whirlpools and freezing them into icy sculptures—works of art devoid of their former crude form.

The lifelike five-clawed ice dragons retained their majesty. If this were on Earth, they'd undoubtedly be museum-worthy pieces.

[Holy dam, and I get to see this for free?!]

[Bald 3D Modeler: Like what you see? Paid for with my hair.]

[Bro's doing art installations on the battlefield?!]

[I always said Mu Yang's a show-off. Bet he's secretly a huge dork.]

[Art students banned from combat! Unless you flunked out.]

Osial couldn't tolerate this humiliation.

Nothing pissed him off more than someone stealing his spotlight.

How dare you look cooler than me?!

So Osial smashed both ice sculptures with his heads.

By then, Mu Yang had already closed the distance.

Osial's five heads fixed their gaze on him.

Then, he lost it.

Thrashing, twisting, roaring…

Mu Yang sighed internally.

"Well, congrats."

"You just knocked me down another spot on the 'Understanding Mu Yang' rankings."

"Though, judging by your reaction, it's not a good impression."

The people aboard the Jade Chamber were assisting Ningguang in accelerating its descent.

From afar, Lumine watched.

Against the colossal form of the ancient god, the young man's silhouette seemed frail—even insignificant.

Yet for some reason, she wasn't worried about Mu Yang.

He had a way of making people feel safe, as if it were innate.

Meanwhile, Mu Yang stood still, waiting for Osial to make the first move.

Osial interpreted this as mockery and provocation.

Already furious from recognizing Mu Yang's aura, he finally snapped.

Energy surged from the depths, channeling into his heads—then unleashed as five consecutive energy blasts.

Mu Yang sidestepped, retreating three paces with ease.

Osial's attacks struck the sea, exploding and sending up a curtain of water that obscured Mu Yang's vision.

Before the water could settle, Osial struck again—this time lunging all five heads at once, aiming to swallow Mu Yang whole.

At the critical moment…

Mu Yang didn't flee. Nor did he counter with his sword.

Instead, he sheathed his blade and closed his eyes.

[Bro, what are you doing?!]

[???! Opening the path? More like opening the grave!]

[Don't tell me he's sacrificing himself?! No way!]

Mu Yang steadied his breath. The world fell silent.

No Jade Chamber. No god. No noise.

As if only he and his sword remained in existence.

Then—

Whirling sand, scurrying creatures…

Rivers converging, flowing endlessly…

Jade palaces, revelry in full swing…

Snow burying a thousand peaks, all life extinguished…

"A meteor's gleam, white feathers unsheathed—

A sword without trace… snow blankets the mountains."

Mu Yang moved.

This strike was the pinnacle of his swordsmanship.

As the blade left its sheath, the sword energy passed—

Leaving only a bone-chilling silence in its wake…

Osial's five heads froze mere inches from Mu Yang.

Motionless.

Six seconds.

"Ding—"

A crisp sound rang out. Mu Yang's newly bought Skyrider Sword shattered.

So did Osial—his five heads above the sea instantly dissolved into foam…

Guinaifen's Livestream

Little Gui gasped. "Hiss—"

"Holy sht! That sword move got me wet."

Turns out, she'd been drinking water when Mu Yang struck.

The sheer intensity of the scene made her drop her cup…

[Now I get why Lumine couldn't use her ult during the training.]

[One slash, five god heads gone! Who else?!]

[AHHHHHHHH HUSBAND, I'M OBSESSED!!!]

[His face just screams 'invincible'.]

[Devs, buff the Guizhong Ballista!]

[Starting to save Primogems, folks. Going all-in for C6.]

The Qixing and the Millelith on the Jade Chamber were stunned speechless.

The god they could barely hold back with the Guizhong Ballista…

The god who nearly destroyed the Jade Chamber with a single beam…

Had just been one-shotted?!

Paimon's eyes bulged. "Mu Yang's way too strong!"

Lumine turned to the adepti. "So… do we still need to drop the Jade Chamber on him?"

Cloud Retainer's expression darkened.

She knew Mu Yang was overexerting himself again.

Did he really need to go this far just to buy time?

She'd have to give him a stern talking-to later.

To the confused onlookers, she explained:

"A god cannot be defeated so easily. Even Rex Lapis could only seal him away."

"The five heads Mu Yang severed were not his true form. His body remains beneath the waves…"

Cloud Retainer was right.

Moments after the heads shattered, Osial reformed a new one from the depths.

He fired a fully charged energy blast straight at Mu Yang.

Mu Yang was still catching his breath. Sword Traverses Mountains and Rivers usually didn't drain him this much.

But this sword was too weak—his true blade wouldn't have this issue.

To show off with a normal sword while decapitating five heads, he'd pushed himself to the limit.

"This sword's trash. No wonder I keep visiting the blacksmith."

"Instant counterattack, huh? Osial came prepared. Bet I've sliced him like this before…"

System: "Still cracking jokes? Don't tell me you can't even defend yourself now. Need help?"

Mu Yang: "Nah. Time for our exit."

Mu Yang stood his ground, taking Osial's full-powered rage blast head-on.

The impact sent him flying like a meteor toward the Jade Chamber.

"Ugh… Ah, damn it!! I'm gonna—cough—feel this in the morning…"

"No one's as dedicated as me…"

System: "You really overdid it this time."

"Cough… You worried?"

"Hmph…"

As Mu Yang braced for the crash into the Jade Chamber…

Someone caught him from behind.

Lumine.

Mu Yang's heart sank.

"Girl, what are you thinking?! I was just making a dramatic exit."

"If you take the hit for me, who's gonna drop the Jade Chamber?!"

He called out to the system: "Protect her. Now!"

System: "Thought you didn't need help? Besides, I'm not omnipotent. Too late now."

System: "Guess you'll be star-crossed lovers in death ╭(╯^╰)╮"

Mu Yang: "I'll split today's popularity points with you!"

System: "Hehe, you know me too well! Fine, I am omnipotent after all."

Under the system's protection, Lumine was unharmed.

But Mu Yang… lay unconscious in her arms.