People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 589 Arecino: The power of the Crimson Moon yearns to get closer, the other party's identity...

The next day, on the plain north of Hanamizaka, the entrance to the secret realm.

Long prepared for this final battle, the soldiers, lined up in neat rows, are densely packed on this former battlefield of the abyss.

At the front lines, Chiyo, who had long been responsible for training the army, sat with a long sword at her waist, ready to take charge of the overall command of this offensive battle.

As a former member of the Abyss Invasion, she naturally knew that the enemies within the secret realm were not there to prevent the people from being resurrected. In essence, it was a test, a final assessment of the Inazuma Army's recent training results.

Having received an immeasurable debt of gratitude, I was finally able to awaken from my darkest nightmare.

Chiyo, thinking of the trust the other party had placed in them, did not want to submit a subpar answer here.

"."

"—The last batch of scouts has returned. Report on all the intelligence they have gathered so far."

He paused his thoughts and turned to look at the adjutant beside him who had just returned with several reports.

Inazuma's current foundation is far too weak. With the gods unable to participate in the battle, Chiyo decides to make all possible preparations before the battle in order to maximize the chances of success.

"Yes, Lord Yuyu."

The armored warrior nodded and began to summarize the internal battlefield environment:
"As we have found in our previous investigations, no new enemies have been discovered inside; only one last formidable foe remains."

"From the current perspective, once this enemy, which looks like a pitch-black sphere, is activated, it will quickly summon a large number of abyssal monsters. The number and strength of these monsters are extremely exaggerated, and the intensity of the frontal battlefield may be no less than that of the previous abyssal war."

They had already made several tentative attempts to challenge them, but just like the opponent's status among the abyssal monsters, it was absolutely impossible to pass with only a small number of people.

It's not like we haven't tried to rush in and attack the main body at top speed.

However, the object was surrounded by a dark purple shield that resembled a light barrier, and even if the soldiers forced their way through, they currently had no way to harm it.

It started with bad news.

After a slight pause,
Upon realizing that the lord of the Imperial Carriage House before him seemed unsurprised by the unfavorable situation, the adjutant felt somewhat relieved and continued his report:
"After our probing, we found that the abyss barrier around the enemy is almost impossible to break through directly. Perhaps the general could, but we do not have that power this time."

"What we know is that killing the summoned monsters can weaken that shield. If we gain the upper hand in the main battle, we should be able to get a chance to face the enemy directly."

"But that monster is far beyond ordinary enemies in both size and the oppressive aura it exudes. Even if we can attack it directly, ordinary soldiers cannot participate in this level of combat."

"Given the soldiers' limited stamina, the longer the delay, the more disadvantageous it will be for the main battlefield. We can only proceed as we previously decided, with elite squads engaging in separate engagements."

These conclusions were drawn after countless trials. In fact, the very fact that the monster can fly eliminates the vast majority of physical attacks.

The evil eyes in the army have been mostly confiscated, with only a very few soldiers being able to retain them because of their high elemental adaptability, which allows them to ignore the side effects.

Even with the addition of these Evil Eye users, in the end, they can probably only find a few hundred elites across the country who can use elemental power to try to concentrate all their firepower on a strong attack on the final enemy.

"That's all the intelligence we have so far. Okay, I understand."

Chiyo nodded, her jewel-like crimson eyes showing little confusion.

Having decided long ago that the main force would weaken the shields while the elite squad would carry out an independent decapitation strike, she decisively gave the order:

"—Pass down the order to have the soldiers prepare for offense and defense on the main battlefield, and advance slowly. The task of eliminating the enemy will be handed over to the special operations team."

"—Many holders of the Eye of God have volunteered to participate in this war, and with the addition of several 'external reinforcements,' the forces we can mobilize are more than enough to handle any situation."

Chiyo had an exceptionally high level of confidence that she had done everything she could to the best of her ability.

No matter how difficult the test, since it's a trial, there's always a glimmer of hope.
Almost all the forces that Inazuma can currently utilize are here. If the conditions are right, the remaining challenge is whether the commander can use these forces in the most appropriate way.

"It's almost time to depart. Let me report on the personnel situation."

"Many of the Eye of God holders participating in this battle are not soldiers, and some even come from other countries. We will focus on reporting the preparation progress of these members."

A moment later, in front of the gate to the secret realm.

Chiyo, who was making final preparations, turned to look at her adjutant beside her, trying to eliminate the last remaining unstable factors.

"—Report! The special operations team is fully assembled!"

"Currently, apart from the holders of the Eye of God and the Eye of Evil within our own country, there are three from Liyue, two from Fontainebleau, and one from Mondstadt. Their information has already been submitted to you for review."

"Furthermore, the scholars from the Command Council have provided us with a 'test machine,' which, according to them, is the only non-engineering type combat machine we've brought on this mission, and possesses the power to change the course of the battle."

"This machine seems to have been assigned to their special envoy, the great hero who previously withstood several blows from the general."

As he said this, a newfound confidence crept into his words.
It wasn't because he knew much about the combat machines of the Order of the Cavalry; he was simply dazzled by the performance of those "engineering machines" recently.

Even non-combat machines can shatter mountains and reshape terrain, so this unique combat machine shouldn't disappoint them.
"."

"Alright, pass down the order: get the formation in order and prepare to depart."

He nodded, then looked back in the direction of the foreign aid players in the distance, clearly aware that many of them were not ordinary people.

Chiyo paused slightly, thinking about the importance of this operation, and felt that this might be a kind of backup plan.

"—Wow! We're finally leaving! Paimon has been waiting for so long!"

"--Hmm, I didn't expect that even Mr. Hu Tao and Mr. Zhong Li would sign up, and even Xiang Ling and Wendy."

Behind the main force was a special operations team tasked with the attack.

Paimon, who was leading the way, circled twice in the air, clearly eager to get started.

Prior to this, Ying was chosen as the commander-in-chief of these non-staff members without any controversy because of her incredibly impressive resume.

But they were surprised to find that, apart from the two from Fontainebleau, almost everyone on the list was a familiar face.
"Lalu~"

The enormous, yellow, unidentified creature hopped around in place, clearly pleased to see Ying and Paimon in front of it.

!!!

"Hey! Guoba, stop jumping around! I know you're happy, but you're too big now, be careful not to bump into anyone!"

A slightly troubled voice came from behind Guoba. Xiangling was particularly distressed by this big guy who had unknowingly grown taller than her. His size hadn't changed in all those years, but ever since last year's Lantern Festival, her companion had grown like the dogs at the Liyue Bridge, and his food intake had increased several times over.
"Long time no see, you two."

"I've heard that the line between life and death is extremely blurred within the secret realm, so I've accompanied my master here to see for myself."

"This victory is of great importance to the country at present. Although my friend and I are not very proficient in combat, we will do our best to contribute."

He pointed to Wendy, who was standing next to him and had insisted on coming along to join the fun after hearing that winning would get you a free victory banquet.

Although Zhongli would have preferred to pretend he didn't know this guy if he had a choice, he ended up introducing himself to Wendy as well.

"."

"Hey friends, why are you looking at me like that? You all know I'm pretty weak, right?"

"Hehe, I'll cheer you on once we're inside!"

He took out his harp and casually plucked a couple of strings. The green-skinned drunkard was clearly not ashamed of "slacking off."

"Well, okay. Last time you seemed to have a pretty good fight with a group of treasure hunters. Paimon will remember to protect you."

Paimon scratched his head, recalling the robbery he'd encountered on his first journey to Mondstadt. With this verifiable record as a reference, Paimon didn't doubt Wendy's words.
"Speaking of which, who are you two?"

"Fontaine must be quite far from Inazuma, right? I never expected to see reinforcements from Fontaine at this time."

He turned to look in the other direction, blinked, and spoke with a look of utter confusion.

The boy who seemed quiet was alright; she didn't find him strange at all.

But for some reason, the tall woman with the unique crisscrossing lines in her eyes looked like someone you didn't want to mess with. If you stared at her for too long, it felt like you were being watched by some predator lurking in the shadows.
"Let me introduce myself. I am the head of a non-governmental organization in Fontaine. I am here in Inazuma to discuss some cooperation matters with the Shogunate. You can call me Arecino."

"This is Nimi next to me. I originally brought her here for a vacation, but she just happened to be able to sign up for the exam."

"As you all have said, this campaign is of great significance to Inazuma. As a potential partner, I have some experience in combat and may be able to lend a hand."

His tone was steady, and his expression was neither distant nor friendly.

It was as if they had maintained a perfect distance that wouldn't interfere with each other.

Paimon, who was initially a little nervous, found after hearing the explanation that the other party wasn't as difficult to deal with as he had imagined.

"Hmm, is it a pleasure doing business with you?"

"But why does Paimon feel like we've met somewhere before?"

Paimon vaguely felt that he had heard the name mentioned somewhere before, but before he could think about it carefully, a clear horn sound suddenly came from ahead.

!!!

"—Whoa! It's time to officially set off! Let's keep formation and keep up!"

"There should be a celebration banquet after we win, and then everyone can get to know each other!"

Before it could think any further, the whole white fluffy ball of fur suddenly jolted awake.

Since the challenge dungeon itself didn't offer many rewards, and she was certain that those who came to help wouldn't be bad people, she didn't think too much about it and decided to prioritize this mission.

"."

No longer the focus of attention, Arecino, who had temporarily concealed her identity, looked towards the distant sky.

He vaguely felt the fire between the two worlds within him stop its restlessness, and even felt an urge to merge with this power.

I've had similar feelings before, and those two times were because...
"Would it make the Crimson Moon royal family unconsciously want to submit? A royal lineage with a more noble bloodline? The possessor of the Crimson Moon's power? Or perhaps..."

He was certain that the divine power emanating from this ritual area was of the same origin as the one he had encountered.

Records do indicate that the Crimson Moon does indeed hold the title of ruler of two realms, but it also resurrects the deceased.
Shaking her head, Arecino temporarily set aside her thoughts about the source of the other party's power and true identity, deciding to verify them later.

"The army is setting off. The moment has finally arrived. I imagine you've been waiting for this for a long time."

"Although the outcome of this test was already predetermined, let's see how many points Inazuma can score now."

On a mountaintop near the edge of the secret realm, far from the main group.

Lin Feng, who had been standing there for some time, looked at the purple-haired figure beside him and took the initiative to communicate.

The composition of the personnel participating in this expedition into the secret realm is extremely complex, far more chaotic than it appears.

The native monsters and soldiers of Inazuma, the head of the Hall of Rebirth in Liyue and two gods, the scoundrels of Mondstadt, plus the four seats of the Fatui Enforcers and one Descendant.
If we also consider the "Trillion-Year Elemental Energy Eternal Calamity Dragon Beast Unit 1," which was meticulously crafted by the Mystic Theory faction, which gathered the vast majority of research resources, the battle scenes inside would be extremely complex.

While many of them might be slacking off, it's really too much to expect others to be able to keep up with the Treasure Hoarders. Venti is probably the only one who's completely slacking off.

"."

"I believe they can defeat the enemy before them, and the desire and confidence gathered here are telling me what they are thinking."

"They've already weathered the deepest darkness, so they certainly won't disappoint us now."

There wasn't much worry in their eyes. Most of those who were able to come here were battle-hardened veterans who had experienced countless battles.

It was clear that this was a test of Inazuma's overall planning and command skills, as well as the final trial run for the mixed-unit army.
Although the final enemy might need to be defeated by those few reinforcements, Kage was certain that Chiyo would give him a pleasant surprise based on her performance on the main battlefield.

"I hope so."

"They are ready, and you are ready too."

"After this battle is won, you'll probably need to prepare to set off to confront 'yourself' from five hundred years ago."

He nodded, satisfied with Ying's current state.

After working back and forth for so long, and with the inevitable outcome fast approaching, Lin Feng knew that the time for reaping the rewards was not far off.

(End of this chapter)