Ying lay on the ground, her body covered in over fifty wounds. Blood stained the earth a deep crimson, pooling thickly beneath her, a shocking sight.
A few steps away, Ei stood calmly, her weapon still in hand, seemingly lost in thought.
"Host? Host?!"
Paimon, having just recovered from the shockwave, frantically searched the surroundings. Spotting Ying's figure, she immediately flew to her side, calling out anxiously.
"How are you? Host?!"
Finding Ying already unconscious, Paimon quickly placed her hand near Ying's nose, sensing a faint breath, as if she could dissipate at any moment.
Paimon grew immensely worried, utterly at a loss.
Just then, a voice echoed through the space, bringing a flicker of hope to Paimon.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... Honestly, you didn't wait for my plan and just charged in alone. Luckily, I found out in time, or you'd truly be dead here."
As the voice faded, a woman with a perfect figure, who instantly conveyed an aura of being not to be triford with, appeared before Ying.
"Yae Miko?! You're here! Please, save the Host!!"
Hearing Paimon's heartfelt plea, Yae Miko first took out a prepared ointment and applied it to Ying's wounds. After finishing, she produced a pill and handed it to Paimon, gently patting her head.
"If you want to save her life, chew this pill and feed it to her later, okay~"
Having said that, Yae Miko looked at the back of her old friend and said with a smile,
"Ei, you lost."
After hearing her words, Ei pondered for a long time, her expression shifting. Finally, a bitter smile touched her lips.
"Yes, from the moment she entered the Plane of Euthymia for the second time, from the moment I began to doubt my own eternity, eternity itself began to crumble."
As Ei's words fell, countless cracks appeared on her weapon, and it eventually shattered, falling to the ground.
Sighing, Ei quickly composed herself, retracted her weapon, which was now just a hilt, and turned her head, saying calmly,
"I lost in the end, but not in the spar. Since it's one win and one loss, I'll give her another chance."
"Coincidentally, you have plans afterward, so I'll leave the decision to you."
After speaking, Ei intended to close her eyes and rest, but after a moment's thought, she added,
"Take her to my previous residence to recuperate. You can ask the Shogunate army for anything you need."
"Heh heh heh... It's been a while since I've seen you so gentle."
Yae Miko teased with a laugh.
Hearing her reply, Ei said nothing more. Two flashes of light streaked across, and in the next instant, Yae Miko and the others had left the Plane of Euthymia.
Knowing her old friend's subtle intentions, Yae Miko shook her head, said nothing further, and turned to Paimon, who had just fed the pill to Ying. She blurted out,
"By the way... have you brushed your teeth? Do you have bad breath?"
"Plop—"
Hearing her question, Paimon froze, then was utterly speechless and collapsed onto the ground. After she awkwardly got up, she glared at Yae Miko.
"Is this the time to ask such a question, hey?!"
After saying that, Paimon covered her mouth and took a breath.
"Hmm... Not smelly~"
Ahem. Led by Yae Miko, the group quickly arrived at the dwelling where Ei had once lived.
After settling Ying in, Paimon stayed by her side, not leaving. Fortunately, the medicine had already taken effect, and she could clearly sense that her host's breathing had become more stable, which brought her a sigh of relief.
"Whoosh..."
"Although we went through a terrible battle, at least the Host won in the end."
Hearing this, Yae Miko teased with a laugh,
"Heh heh heh... Little dummy, you haven't won yet. Or rather, your biggest crisis has probably just begun."
"Huh?! Is there anything more terrifying than that scary woman?" Paimon asked in surprise.
"Not really."
Yae Miko denied it first, then her tone shifted, and she said with some helplessness,
"However... there's only one day left until the plan begins, but we probably don't have the combat power to deal with the Fatui anymore."
"Fatui?"
Paimon blinked in surprise, then immediately reacted.
"Right, I haven't fully recovered my strength, and the Host's sister hasn't recovered hers, let alone the Host. Not only will she not recover in a day, but she might not even wake up."
"Wait... can't you go yourself? Just a Fatui Harbinger, you should be able to defeat them, right?"
Thinking of this, Paimon looked at Yae Miko with anticipation.
However, Yae Miko shook her head helplessly.
"A single Harbinger wouldn't be a problem for me, of course, but..."
"Inazuma is now in a precarious situation."
"Precarious situation?" Paimon expressed her confusion.
"Yes, according to intelligence from the Shogunate army at customs, a large number of monsters are crossing the sea to attack Inazuma. Their target is very clear, and they are heading straight for Inazuma. The first wave will reach Ryujin City at the latest tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Paimon was greatly alarmed.
"Crossing the sea?! Those monsters can swim?!"
Yae Miko nodded.
"It's quite surprising, but it's true."
"Furthermore, the monsters within Inazuma have also begun to stir. Those Nobushi have actually allied with creatures like Hilichurls and are now collectively attacking various Shogunate checkpoints."
"Hah?! They can even form alliances?! They don't even speak the same language?!" Paimon's small mind was dealt a heavy blow.
Yae Miko shrugged.
"I don't know about that, but what's certain is that there's a strange energy emanating from those rebelling humans and monsters, and that energy is very similar to the one that afflicted you."
"Oh?"
Paimon's eyes lit up.
"Could it be that Scaramouche is behind this? But wasn't his production facility destroyed by the Host?"
Yae Miko shrugged again.
"I don't know about that either."
Then, she smiled and rubbed Paimon's head, saying,
"In any case, you should recuperate here. I need to go back and report what just happened and your current situation to our legendary Knight of Mondstadt. Hopefully, she can come up with a good plan~"
Paimon looked at her speechlessly.
"Uh... your relaxed demeanor makes what you just said completely unconvincing..."