36: Noelle Injured

The illusion of Keqing delivering that thunderous attack had stunned everyone.

Even Saphir's eyes flickered with surprise before narrowing in contemplation.

So that projection of Keqing… was likely a reward granted by Lin Yi's system—his so-called "relationship reward."

But there was no time to dwell on it. The fight wasn't over.

After taking a heavy blow, the Anemo Hypostasis—Beth—reformed its inert cubes around the core. Lin Yi glanced at the system interface:

[Name: Anemo Hypostasis – Beth]

Level: 26

HP: /

Skill: Palm Slam, Unknown

Status: Enraged

Roughly 8,000 damage had been dealt—a significant chunk of its 35,000 HP, but not enough to finish it.

Lin Yi resumed his evasive maneuvering, drawing aggro while keeping Barbara and Noelle safe.

Barbara retreated, her low HP making her too fragile to fight head-on. Noelle stayed firm, shielding herself with Breastplate and readying her Favonius Greatsword.

Suddenly, a loud whoosh filled the air.

Lin Yi's Yanling: Coagulate expired, and Beth shot into the sky.

Its inert outer shell dissipated, and unseen wind elements began to swirl and condense around it.

Outside the battle, Lumine activated her Elemental Sight and immediately sensed the change.

"It's gathering wind energy! Be careful!"

But it was too late.

The Hypostasis's core grew two translucent wings, transforming into a massive wind crystal butterfly.

Then it flapped its wings, generating a swirling vortex directly under Noelle.

Beth had locked onto her.

Noelle was blasted into the air.

Then came two enormous wind blades in a crisscross slash.

Barbara turned pale. Lumine's eyes went red with panic.

She wanted to help—but she was too far, and her wind abilities wouldn't work.

Lin Yi reacted immediately, casting Yanling: Coagulate again—but he was seconds too late.

The wind blades tore through Noelle's shield like paper and struck her head-on.

"Ahh—!"

A pained scream escaped her lips as her body slammed into the ground.

Coughing violently, she lay motionless.

Barbara rushed over, activating her Elemental Skill, coating Noelle in a water ring.

She followed up with Elemental Burst: Shining Miracle, pouring all her healing power into it.

Even if she couldn't heal Noelle completely, she just needed to keep her alive—because if Saphir arrived, she'd take care of the rest.

Noelle had lost consciousness. Her brows furrowed in pain, face pale.

Barbara knelt beside her, sobbing. She kept blaming herself—if only she were stronger.

If she had been faster, better, tougher—then Noelle wouldn't have been hurt.

She couldn't even determine where the injuries were.

"Saphir… where is Saphir?!"

She looked up, and there she was—approaching with her usual calm stride.

"Please, help her! She's hurt badly!"

Gone was any formality. Barbara grabbed Saphir's wrist and pulled her to Noelle's side, tears falling without shame.

Saphir sighed.

The usually composed little priestess had unraveled.

She knelt beside Noelle, who was unconscious but not dead.

Brows furrowed, breathing faint.

Saphir placed a glowing white hand over Noelle's chest.

Holy light enveloped her, soothing her pain.

Almost immediately, Noelle's face eased. Her breathing evened out.

Barbara, Lumine, and even Paimon let out a collective breath.

She was going to be okay.

Lin Yi walked over, but Saphir's expression changed—his body was burning hot, clearly suffering backlash.

"That power takes a toll on you."

She glanced at him.

He simply raised a finger to his lips—shh—and gestured for her to talk in private.

Saphir looked back at the three worried girls and followed him away from earshot.

Though Noelle had taken the hit, Guardian's Blessing had redirected the damage to Saphir.

Lin Yi's system showed she had lost nearly 3,000 HP.

Given that Noelle only had 2,200 HP, it was clear: without Saphir's shield, she would've died instantly.

"I underestimated the Hypostasis," Lin Yi said quietly.

Saphir nodded.

She had felt the full force of the damage.

But what truly caught her attention was the Keqing projection.

"That shadow—was it part of your ability?"

"Yes. Keqing's quite strong. Her image helps a lot."

Saphir squinted at him.

"She loves you. I'm sure of it. Otherwise, your system wouldn't recognize her."

Lin Yi scratched his head awkwardly. But her next words wiped the smile off his face.

"What about you? Do you love her?"

She looked straight at him.

"Or is she just a power source? A reward machine?"

Her crimson eyes glowed with starlight—but Lin Yi felt nothing but pressure.

He stepped back.

"What are you getting at?"

She sneered.

"You heard me. Keqing, Jean, Noelle, Barbara—they all like you. You know that."

Her voice turned colder.

"Even future girls you meet will probably fall for you."

She paused.

"Do you actually care about any of them?"

Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat.

Saphir was different. She wasn't native to Teyvat—she could see through the twisted logic of this world's rules.

Then, she said something—and the words glitched out. Like a censored signal.

Both froze.

They realized instantly: a forbidden concept.

Just like the letter Saphir gave to Rosalyne—some things weren't allowed to be spoken.

"I see… it's taboo," Saphir muttered.

She had tried to push against the boundaries—and the world had erased her thoughts.

Lin Yi took a moment to think before replying.

"Love… I'm not sure. I haven't thought that far ahead."

He exhaled.

"They each have their own feelings. I just… accept them. I respect their choices."

"I won't use them. I won't treat anyone like a tool. I won't favor one over another. To me, they're equal."

Saphir scoffed.

"Sounds like a lot of self-righteous crap."

She turned away.

"You're just a pervert hiding behind big words."

She stormed off.

Lin Yi, acting on instinct, grabbed her hand.

His voice was quiet—but steady.

"So what if I am?"

"You know better than anyone—our fates… were never ours to control."

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