How To Save Yourself From Being Targeted By The Anemo Archon In Genshin Impact? - Chapter 20

The weightlessness and vertigo brought by the shift in surroundings, combined with the lingering suffocation from being choked by Decarabian, left Jiang Yubai unable to steady himself.

Jiang Yubai collapsed forward almost the instant his feet touched the ground. He squeezed his eyes shut and inhaled massive amounts of oxygen into his lungs, only then feeling the pressure in his chest begin to ease. Feeling the damp earth and crushed grass beneath his palms, he finally confirmed that he had survived that sudden, violent hurricane.

After that stone spear had pierced the Demon God’s body, a chaotic riot of energy had erupted at his location without warning. He could feel that powerful force pressing against his face. At such close range, he should have been torn to shreds.

At that moment, the System’s loading had not been finished, and his heart had sunk to rock bottom. He wondered what the point of his actions had been. He was not particularly noble. Without a specific mission, he only cared about the people around him. He had joined the war solely for that young boy.

But now, to save him, Freier had taken an arrow and fallen from the tower. From such a height, even if the Wind Spirit had caught him, he was beyond help in an era without medicine. If he had seen correctly, the arrow had struck the boy in the chest.

And he had nearly faced the same fate.

In that split second between the System’s screaming and his own expectation of death, a thin layer of golden light had suddenly enveloped him. It lasted only a moment, however, before the System’s loading bar finished and he was teleported away.

Judging by that scene, a Demon God’s death caused a violent surge of energy. But what was that golden spear, and what was the barrier that protected him for that brief second?

With a heart full of doubts, Jiang Yubai exhaled and opened his eyes. The moment he did, his entire body stiffened.

“System, can you explain where exactly you have dropped me this time?”

The air was thick with the scent of blood. Beyond that, everything in sight was a jarring, vivid crimson. The blue sky was obscured by a localized, eerie red glow, and black cubic chains connected the heavens to the earth. Even the green grass beneath him looked dark and ominous under the surrounding light.

It was a literal vision of hell. From high above, the sound of thunderous explosions echoed continuously.

“Host, I do not know either. The world a System teleports to after opening an emergency portal is unpredictable.”

The System was also terrified by the apocalyptic scene. None of the actual end times worlds they had visited looked this frightening. What were those black chains flowing slowly through the air as if they were alive?

Boom! Boom! Boom!

More explosions rang out from high above. Jiang Yubai could not help but look up, but all he could see were flashes of multicolored light colliding at extreme speeds. He acknowledged the System’s explanation and asked how much energy was left.

“Let me check. We have enough for two more teleports. Host, you have to be careful. We need to save these.”

Suddenly, a blinding teal light shot down from the sky with a terrifying whistle, crashing into the ground far away. A teal shockwave rippled out from the impact site, followed by a violent gale and the shaking of the earth. Jiang Yubai was flipped over by the aftershock, landing face down with grass in his hair, looking utterly bewildered.

What was that?

His eyes could only catch a fleeting glimpse of white before it vanished. No matter how he looked at it, this was not a place for a human. This was a battlefield for something far greater.

His luck was proving to be abysmal. Before he could take two steps, space cracked open with a dark purple rift. Jiang Yubai watched in disbelief as three emaciated, skeletal looking wolves emerged. Their crimson eyes locked onto him the moment they appeared.

Wait, are those wolves? Why can they fly? This is not scientific.

Jiang Yubai froze. Seeing the flying wolves snarl and lunge at him, he quickly dodged. Black, sharp claws swiped through the air where he had just been. The Rifthounds growled, chasing after their prey as he turned and bolted.

“AHHHHH!”

“Why are you screaming! They cannot touch you! I am the one who should be shouting for help!”

Jiang Yubai ran, clutching his aching chest. The injury from Decarabian had not healed, and he was completely unarmed. Fighting these creatures barehanded was a death wish. Their claws were so sharp they would surely lay his skin open to the bone. These were not normal creatures. The black mist emanating from them suggested that being scratched would have dire consequences.

He scrambled frantically for his life. The three wolves were incredibly fast, and they soon caught up. Or rather, they seemed to teleport, appearing directly in his path.

“Host! Run to the back right!”

Jiang Yubai lunged sideways, breaking out of the encirclement. The wind whistled in his ears. He put every ounce of strength into his legs, accelerating until his lungs felt like they would burst. If he could run this fast in an actual zombie apocalypse, no undead would ever touch him.

Which apocalypse had he stumbled into now?

Since no one in the System’s records had ever used the emergency protocol, there was no data on whether it moved through different worlds or through a single timeline. Jiang Yubai’s throat burned from the dry air as he gasped for breath. His heart was pounding far beyond human limits.

He was about to become the first Host to run himself to death when he suddenly slammed on the brakes. His pupils constricted as he stared in silence at the massive swarm of mechanical creatures ahead.

The System fell silent as well. The towering machines had glowing red eyes. Sensing a life form nearby, their mechanical arms paused before they all turned in unison to face Jiang Yubai. Trapped between the wolves and the machines, Jiang Yubai felt a surge of genuine fear. Compared to these mechanical giants, he was as small as an ant. A single blow from one of those arms would turn him into meat paste.

Without needing a word from Jiang Yubai, the System immediately began the teleportation countdown. Forget saving energy. Safety was the only priority now. This place was too terrifying. Everywhere was filled with eldritch creatures and blood red skies. They had been sent to hell.

“Host, I am loading! Try to dodge as much as you can!” the System cried.

Jiang Yubai watched the swarm of identical mechanical entities approach. Behind him, the three wolves were closing in, staring at him with hungry eyes. He was exhausted.

Too many wolves, too little meat. There is not enough of me to go around, he thought grimly.

The mechanical creatures suddenly planted their arms into the ground. A bad premonition filled Jiang Yubai’s heart, and it was soon realized. Targeted by countless projectiles, he dodged frantically, only to see the missiles curve in the air to follow him.

Great. They are homing missiles.

He narrowly avoided an explosion, groaning in pain as the shockwave bruised him. There was no time to check his injuries. He rolled across the ground to avoid another round of fire. As the missiles rained down, he scrambled to his feet. How was he supposed to run from this?

At the same time, the three wolves lunged fiercely at the human they had been chasing.

This is it. I am done for.

“System, our journey is ending.”

“Noooo!”

In the next moment, Jiang Yubai was suddenly swept into an embrace. Someone picked him up, moving with practiced, agile speed to dodge the barrage of fire. A longsword parried the Rifthounds’ claws as the newcomer leaped out of the encirclement.

The blonde girl frowned as she set him down. “Jiang Yubai? How are you here?”

Lumine surveyed the battered youth, her brow furrowing in confusion. “No. It has been so many years. Why aren’t you dead?”

“Beautiful lady, I appreciate the rescue, but isn’t it a bit impolite to ask why I am not dead the moment we meet?” Jiang Yubai replied. “And how do you know me?”

Lumine grew even more confused. Looking at his expression, it did not seem like he was faking. He truly did not recognize her. There was no time to delve deeper. She looked coldly toward the sky, then her gaze toward Jiang Yubai became intense.

Jiang Yubai felt uneasy under her gaze and stepped back defensively. Even though she had saved his life, he felt this stranger harbored ulterior motives. “How much longer?” he asked the System.

“Almost ready!”

“Although this is a bit unethical, as an old friend, you will surely help me, right?” As if knowing how he would react, Lumine suddenly appeared behind him and grabbed his arm. “If he sees you, he will definitely”

In the next instant, Lumine’s hand went empty. She froze, looking around wildly. Where did he go?

At almost the exact moment Jiang Yubai vanished, Barbatos, high in the sky, caught a trace of information from the wind. He stiffened and vanished from Morax’s side.

Morax, looking like a god of slaughter drenched in blood and holding the Vortex Vanquisher, watched the flash of excitement on his old friend’s face. He paused his strike, sensing something, and glanced toward the ground.

“No!” Raiden Ei cried out, cradling the dying Raiden Makoto. “Sister!”

“Ei, don’t cry. Leave this place. Inazuma is in your hands,” Makoto reached out to gently brush the tears from Ei’s face before her body dissolved into cherry blossoms. Ei collapsed in despair.

On the other side, Barbatos reached the spot where Lumine stood. He searched the surroundings, but finding no trace of the person he sought, his excitement vanished.

Lumine looked at the blood stained Barbatos and suddenly smiled. “Are you looking for him? Unfortunately, it seems he does not want to see you.”

These words were like a drop of water in a still lake, sending ripples through Barbatos. His face showed a flash of hurt, and his emerald eyes trembled.

Yes. I was rejected.

He had been awakened from his slumber by the call of the Heavenly Principles to join the war. Thinking back to everything that had happened, his mind was in turmoil.

Lumine’s eyes suddenly widened as she looked at the Wind God, who was suddenly being invaded by the Abyss. She forgot about taunting him. Although she was angry that the Seven and the Heavenly Principles had destroyed Khaenri’ah, this was not the time for grudges. She cried out in horror: “Venti, what are you doing! Wake up!”

Her voice reached the heavens. Morax noticed the commotion and his golden eyes, sharp as blades, fell directly on the changing Barbatos.