Genshin Impact: The Road to Reversal

Chapter 511: Chronology (1)

"Ah!" Kailin jerked her foot back, her stomach churning, her face instantly pale. She stumbled backward, bumping into Mo Yan, her fingers trembling as she pointed at the ground.

Mo Yan supported her and looked in the direction she pointed, his pupils suddenly constricting. It wasn't just that one spot; everywhere he looked, amidst the "ashes" covering the ground, more twisted, charred skeletons could be vaguely seen, silently telling of an extremely cruel massacre targeting the most fragile of lives.

"What...what is this place?" Karen's voice was filled with tears and incredible fear.

Diablo stood on a scorched earth, his scarlet eyes reflecting the deadly purgatory. His usual cynicism had completely vanished, leaving only a deep compassion and cold anger.

"This is the homeland of the elves. After landing on the island, the Sanyang people, driven by their ambition, launched a full-scale invasion of all of Linhui. They coveted the elves' talent for communicating with nature and controlling the elements. Therefore, in order to master nature, they carried out an inhumane and shocking massacre. The elves were nearly wiped out in this battle, and Emilina, the tribe's priestess, could not bear the death of her people and fell from protection to disaster."

Just as he finished speaking, there was another loud noise coming from the distance, accompanied by a shrill scream. The three looked in the direction of the sound and saw a figure in a dark purple dress standing among the corpses in the ruins not far away.

Her silver hair hung down, and the power surrounding her was no longer the elves' usual gentleness that was in harmony with nature, but rather carried the hostility that followed a disaster.

The disaster beast Xiaotian protected her behind him. His roar caused the surrounding mountains to collapse and the ground to crack. Rocks swept in like a tsunami, devouring any evil creatures that dared to approach.

Emilia slowly raised her hand, an ominous dark purple light lingering on her fingertips. Wherever she passed, the earth cracked and a hurricane swept through, vowing to strangle all invaders to death.

She walked in rivers of blood, stepping on the corpses of her people, each step tinged with deep hatred and despair. Her once clear eyes now held only cold murderous intent and shattered madness. The roars of the calamity beasts resonated with the calamity surging through her, transforming this land into a truly forbidden place.

"Emilyna..." Kailin's voice trembled.

She had seen Emilina in Sangyang before. She looked like this then, with flowing silver hair, barefoot in a dark purple dress, and accompanied by the four great beasts of disaster. But compared to her charming appearance then, she now showed more anger and heartbreaking despair.

At this moment, Mo Yan looked around again.

The death of her family, the departure of her clansmen, and many other devastating scenes appeared before her eyes. It was no wonder that she hated the Sangyang people so much at that time.

But before they could lament, the scene shifted again, and they were back in town. The sky now resembled a piece of glass about to shatter, riddled with spiderweb-like cracks, emitting an ominous dark red, like the world's bleeding wound. The earth trembled violently, and deep, bottomless fissures, like hideous scars, mercilessly devoured the streets, houses, and those who had no time to escape.

Mo Yan's face turned ashen. The apocalyptic scene before him was far more real and terrifying than any nightmare. He watched as people fled like headless flies, unsure where to go; he watched as parents shielded their children with their bodies, only to be buried by collapsing boulders the next moment; he watched as the once-bustling market was reduced to a sea of ​​fire and ruins.

Diablo stood quietly in the middle of the devastated street, his clothes lifted by the raging wind of disaster, but he seemed completely unaware.

"The Collapse has begun. Because of the massacre of the elves, these beasts finally found out how the elves control the laws of nature. In order to expand their power, they frantically absorbed the elements of the earth veins, causing the world to be damaged and almost destroyed. If it weren't for the eight guardians who risked their lives to protect the earth veins with the power of their own contracts, I'm afraid Teyvat would have perished long ago." He looked up at the sky and said so.

Mo Yan's face darkened. "Has it finally come to this?"

Diablo shook his head. "It was inevitable. As I said, even though I told Yaohui the truth, the course of history won't change easily. Perhaps they made many efforts to prevent what happened today, but at this moment, everything seems in vain."

The scene shifted, and the two followed Diablo into the room. He cast a barrier to conceal himself and the two of them. Through the door, waves of feeble shouting could be heard.

"Is there really no other way?" Yaohui slammed the table and stood up. "The Sangyang people are burning, killing and looting. If we are not here, who can protect the civilians here?"

Tianlang put his arm around his shoulder and said, "Yaohui, I understand how you feel. As guardians, we can't bear to see our territory taken away by others. Brother Crakeos is right. Only by combining the strength of the eight of us guardians can we stabilize the earth veins and prevent the pulse of the continent from continuing to collapse."

Yang nodded. "That's correct. Personally, I believe the civilians have been hiding behind the Guardians for too long and have long forgotten to be vigilant against danger. Blindly shielding them will only make them more vulnerable. Perhaps this disaster... is also a necessary baptism."

There was helplessness and reluctance in her words.

"Necessary baptism?!" Yaohui violently shook off Tianlang's hand, his eyes burning with anger and disbelief. "Do you know what you're talking about? Those are real lives! Not numbers to verify your cold theories!"

The atmosphere in the room was tense, with a clear disagreement among the Guardians. One side believed that stabilizing the leylines was the top priority to prevent the world from collapsing, while the other could not sit idly by and watch the disaster unfold.

Diablo stood within the barrier, watching the scene silently. There was no surprise in his scarlet eyes, only an indifference that seemed to have seen through everything.

"Look," he whispered to Mo Yan and Kailin, his voice seemingly carried across time and space, "even with foresight, differences still exist. With great power comes great responsibility, and with that comes... often more difficult and painful choices."

"Stop arguing!" Li Xueyan suddenly said, "Let's listen to what Rex has to say first."

Everyone's eyes instantly turned to the silent Rex. He sat upright in the shadows of the room, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the tabletop, making a rhythmic, soft sound. His golden eyes were lowered, as if he was weighing some extremely heavy decision.

For a moment, the only sounds in the room were the faint roar of disaster coming from outside the window and the heavy breathing of everyone.

After a long time, Rex slowly raised his head, his eyes sweeping across every face that was anxious, angry, or heavy, and finally stopped at the broken sky outside the window.