Genshin Impact: The Road to Reversal

"Heh... You remember it so clearly, even I forgot." Diablo smiled.

"Of course, we are more than just comrades." Zeta smiled softly, then raised his eyes to look at the endless coastline, "Hey, friend, can I ask you a question?"

Hearing this, Diablo immediately understood. He paused, then looked out to sea and said with a smile, "Don't worry, we are victorious, and this war will soon be over."

"Is that so...? Then I'm relieved... It's a pity that I can't see with my own eyes... that peaceful and prosperous future..."

After he finished speaking, there was a long silence. Diablo looked at the sea and gradually let out a sigh.

The sea breeze whimpered, stirring up tiny waves that slapped against the silent rocks. Diablo stood quietly beside Zeta, watching his gradually fading gaze. The anger and pain that once burned in it eventually turned into a deep regret for an unfulfilled wish, then gradually dimmed until it was completely extinguished.

Zeta's body was no longer tense, and his ferocious, half-wolf form, in the afterglow of the setting sun, revealed a strange tranquility. He left, carrying with him the regret of not having witnessed peace, and fell into the deepest darkness before dawn.

Diablo remained silent for a long time, a complex and unspeakable emotion swirling in his crimson eyes behind his glasses. He slowly raised his hand, as if wanting to pat his comrade's shoulder one last time, but in the end, it just hovered in mid-air before slowly lowering it.

"He... just died like that?" Karen's voice was choked with sobs as she looked at the gradually freezing body in disbelief.

Diablo didn't turn around. His voice was low and hoarse, as if tinged with the salty sea breeze. "Yes. To destroy that final machine, he forced himself to absorb elemental forces he couldn't handle, ultimately collapsing before dawn."

"Quick, look carefully, I can smell it nearby!"

Suddenly, Dracula's voice came from a distance.

Diablo gave a slight gesture, then waved his hand and led the two back to the top of the mountain.

The wind on the top of the mountain seemed to be even more fierce, blowing away the tragic and sad scene just now, leaving only the waves in my heart that were difficult to calm down.

Kailin rubbed her red eyes, her voice still a little hoarse: "You just said that he fell before dawn. Is the war almost over?"

Diablo nodded. "Yes, judging by the time, he should be here by now."

"Him?" The two looked at each other and asked in confusion.

"The maintainer of 'order' is the Holy Lord you all know."

As soon as the words fell, the sky suddenly changed color.

The calm blue sky was covered by a golden light. When the light faded, a human figure slowly emerged from the clouds.

He was wearing a red robe, elemental power surged around him, and when he opened his eyes, his golden pupils flickered slightly.

His eyes swept across the devastated land, finally settling on the last stronghold of the Sangyang people, a huge fortress that sat on the node of the earth vein like a hideous tumor.

No words, no announcement.

The Saint slowly raised his hand, palm facing downward. In an instant, boundless elemental force pressed down like the sky collapsing.

That power is not destruction, but "correction" and "reordering".

The protective barrier the Sangyang people relied on to resist, constructed by drawing energy from the earth's veins, melted and crumbled before this overwhelming force, like ice and snow in the sun. The twisted, life-destroying experimental devices and war machines within the fortress wailed under the weight, shattering and collapsing, transforming into their most primitive particles and returning to the earth's veins.

"Is this the power of 'Order'?" Karin stared at the dust in the distance with her eyes wide open.

Mo Yan looked up at the figure in the sky and fell into deep thought.

"Wait a minute, does he look familiar to you?"

"Ah, is there?" Karen spread her hands.

The next second, the surrounding environment changed again. They were still standing on the mountain, but the scene before them was completely different.

A ghost warrior pointed his sword to the sky and spoke nonsense to the figure in the air.

"Haha, you arrogant false god, you finally can't hold back. For this day, I specially prepared this sharp blade that devours all living things. Today, I will pull you and your ridiculous order down from the altar!"

"Wait a minute, what's that voice? Could it be him?" Karen asked in surprise.

Diablo nodded. "Hifu Eijiro, the former Sangyang bandit leader. Years after the Sangyang Rebellion, the Saint finally emerged from his seclusion. However, upon witnessing the tragic events that had befallen the continent over the years, he was enraged and came to Sangyang."

In front of him, the Holy Lord was still floating in the air. He did not answer, but just raised his hand gently. In an instant, lightning condensed and quickly formed a spear.

Sang Yangzei Sang didn't waste any words and swung his sword. The bloody blade tore through the sky, carrying with it evil energy that devoured life.

But the Holy Lord was dismissive. When the knife light touched his body, it decomposed into particles in the blink of an eye and quickly dissipated.

At this moment, everyone was shocked, but the Saint did not say a word. He threw the spear made of thunder in his hand forward.

At the same time, the flash of lightning allowed Mo Yan to see his face more clearly.

"I remember now, it's Qi Yong, he looks very similar to Qi Yong!" he shouted.

"Qi Yong? Is he the blacksmith who helped you forge the sword and helped Bai Lang master the elemental power?" Kailin asked in surprise.

The lightning spear, with its blinding electric light, pierced through Hiroo Eijiro's chest. He didn't even have the chance to react before he was frozen in place by the lightning spear.

Diablo spoke again, "You all know what happened next. The Sangyang Rebellion ended with the death of Hirofu Eijiro. Afterwards, the Holy Lord rewarded and blessed all those who performed outstandingly in the war. The most outstanding among them were the Seven Stars and the Six Evil Gods."

"Even so, the Sanyang people never conceded defeat. They brought back Hiroo Eijiro's body and built the infamous Anping Ghost Shrine for these war criminals, offering sacrifices year after year. When the Holy Lord learned of this, he cursed Sanyang, forbidding all Sanyang people from leaving the island for the rest of their lives. He also ordered Emilia to reside permanently on Bi Island. As a result, disasters continued to occur, turning the island into a living hell."

As soon as they finished speaking, the surrounding environment distorted again, but this time, they did not come to a new time point, but returned to the original underground laboratory.

Diablo stood still, the swirling dust of history slowly settling in his eyes behind his glasses, returning to their usual depth and elusiveness. He gently pushed his glasses up, as if the two-hundred-year journey through time and space he had just led them on was just a trivial experimental observation.

"So, do you understand now?" His voice was calm, breaking the silence of the laboratory. "But this is only part of the Sangyang Rebellion. Those guys were far more cruel than you saw. This is why everyone still hates the Sangyang people."

After a long silence, Kailin spoke first: "Yes, history is too heavy... It really makes people breathless..."

Silence fell once more. For a moment, the only sound in the lab was the faint hum of the instruments. The tragic scenes, the desperate cries, and the regret of Zeta's ultimate fall before dawn weighed on his heart like a huge rock.

Diablo looked at them, the usual smile on his face seeming to fade slightly. He broke the silence, his voice still steady. "Oh, I didn't expect you'd say so much this time. But it doesn't matter. At least during this time travel, real time remains static. Look, isn't it still the same time we left?"

He raised his hand, his fingertips tracing the air. A subtle ripple of space and time spread out, as if confirming his words. The clock on the laboratory wall remained exactly where they had left it, exactly where they had left it.

"Alright, let's let the dust of history settle for now." Diablo turned and faced the lab exit, his tone returning to his usual slightly lazy tone. "Aren't you still going to the glacier? I can't see you off, but please take care from now on."

"Oh, and this is for you." He took out a stone that was shining with a strange light from his body.

Mo Yan took the stone and asked doubtfully, "What is this?"

"The Time Stone, the power contained in it should be enough for you to travel through time and space once. Just consider it a gift before we part." Diablo said with a smile.

(Contract Mission, Interlude: Chapter of Time, End)