The rising sun is fragmented by thick smoke, casting pale light over the deathly silent streets. One hundred and eighty thousand civilians are trapped within this tightening cage. Deafening artillery blasts echo across the sea at intervals, each rumble making the wooden buildings tremble violently.

 

"Another batch of fishing boats trying to break through by sea has been sunk," Yae Miko stepped back into the shadows from the broken window. The playful smile that always lingered on her lips was now pressed into a tight, straight line. "Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s fleet has blockaded the harbor completely. Any vessel setting sail will be obliterated by cannon fire within five minutes."

 

In the corner, Yun Jin carefully bandaged the arm of an injured child. The boy had been wounded by Oda forces’ muskets while attempting to cross Mount Tianheng yesterday. A bullet pierced his shoulder, yet he barely managed to flee to safety—unlike his uncle who had accompanied him, left lying forever on the mountain path.

 

"The situation to the northeast is just as dire," Aether murmured quietly. His sword leaned against the wall, and golden eyes blazed with fury in the dim light. "Takeda Shingen’s Red Armor cavalry patrols the mountain foothills. Anyone trying to cross the blockade is cut down by their katana. Over thirty people perished yesterday, including women and the elderly."

 

This abandoned warehouse stood on a remote backstreet of Chihu Rock in Liyue Harbor. After Zhongli had evacuated to Yilong Wharf in Chenyu Vale ahead of time, the three of them found themselves unexpectedly trapped within the besieged city.

 

"I still cannot understand why Lord Zhongli left in advance," Yun Jin said softly. Her opera costume was dust-streaked, yet she still carried the grace of a renowned performer. "This is hardly like him."

 

Yae Miko let out a cold chuckle. "That old rock certainly knows something. But he chose to take the information to the temporary capital rather than stay to protect his beloved Liyue Harbor—truly baffling."

 

Aether walked to the window and peered cautiously through the cracks in the wooden planks. Patrols of foreign soldiers occasionally marched down the streets, clad in exotic armor and wielding weapons utterly alien to Teyvat. No one was prepared when these three armies suddenly descended upon Liyue Harbor three days ago. There was no warning, no declaration of war; they appeared as if out of thin air from another world.

 

"Their forces number no less than fifty thousand," Aether analyzed. "Oda’s musketeers hold the highlands to the northwest, Takeda’s troops guard the mountain paths to the northeast, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s naval fleet boasts at least three hundred warships. We are completely surrounded."

 

A violent explosion boomed from the harbor, followed by the crash of collapsing buildings and faint screams. The three exchanged heavy glances—another district had been struck by artillery fire.

 

"We must do something," Yun Jin stood up, resolve shining in her eyes. "The underground vault of the Northland Bank ought to be sturdy enough to serve as a temporary shelter. Perhaps we can help evacuate some civilians there."

 

Yae Miko shook her head. "It’s far too dangerous. Patrols flood the streets right now. Besides..." Her words were cut short by hurried footsteps.

 

Aether instantly grabbed his sword, gesturing for the two women to hide behind the piled goods. The warehouse door creaked open slightly, and a blood-soaked figure stumbled inside.

 

"Xinyan!" Yun Jin rushed forward in alarm, supporting the rock musician who could barely stand.

 

A severe gash slashed Xinyan’s left shoulder, blood soaking through her signature leather jacket. "The Takeda... Takeda soldiers..." she gasped for breath. "They’re executing anyone who resists at Yujing Terrace... I barely managed to escape..."

 

Aether quickly shut the warehouse door, while Yae Miko retrieved portable healing salve and bandages.

 

"How bad is it outside?" Aether asked urgently as he helped tend to her wound.

 

Xinyan gritted her teeth against the searing pain of disinfection. "It’s catastrophic... Civilians are herded into restricted confinement around Feiyun Slope... The General Affairs Bureau has been seized by Oda Nobunaga as his command post... The Millelith tried to organize a breakout, but it failed... Casualties are staggering..."

 

"What about Ganyu and Keqing?" Yun Jin asked with deep concern.

 

"I don’t know..." Xinyan shook her head, pain flashing across her face. "The last time I saw Ganyu, she was trying to protect a group of children evacuating... Keqing led a unit of Millelith to hold the line at Chihu Rock, but that was yesterday..."

 

A thunderous cannon blast cut their conversation short. The shell landed unnervingly close, shaking the warehouse walls and sending dust and splintered wood pouring down from the ceiling.

 

"They are systematically demolishing the harbor district’s buildings," Yae Miko assessed calmly. "This is not random bombardment—it’s planned destruction. It seems they intend to leave no structure usable as a defensive stronghold."

 

Aether clenched his fists tightly. "We must find a way to contact Zhongli and the Liyue Qixing. Chenyu Vale is not far from here. If we can break through the encirclement..."

 

"How can we break through?" Xinyan asked weakly. "The sea is swarming with warships, mountain paths are sealed off by muskets and samurai, and even the skies are patrolled by strange shikigami. I watched a celestial bird try to fly over the blockade, only to be struck down by their talismans."

 

Silence fell over the warehouse, broken only by the constant distant artillery fire and sporadic musket volleys.

 

Suddenly, Yae Miko lifted her head, her ears twitching slightly. "Someone is coming. Many footsteps."

 

Aether darted to the window and peeked through the gap. His face paled instantly. "It’s Oda’s musketeers... They are searching every house in this block."

 

Yun Jin clutched her clothes nervously. "What are they looking for?"

 

"Survivors? Resistance fighters? Spoils of war?" Aether retreated quickly to the center of the room. "Either way, we must leave at once."

 

Xinyan tried to stand, only to nearly collapse from her injuries. "I... I can’t run... Go on without me..."

 

"Don’t speak nonsense," Yun Jin steadied her firmly. "We will not leave anyone behind."

 

Yae Miko had already made her way to the rear of the warehouse and pushed open a hidden small door. "This way. I know an underground passage leading to Three Bowls Crossing—it should still be passable."

 

Artillery fire boomed again, closer than ever, as if coming from the next street. The wooden planks at the warehouse front creaked under the shock, dust pouring down like rain.

 

"Hurry," Aether whispered. He supported Xinyan’s other shoulder, moving toward the back exit alongside Yun Jin.

 

Just as they were about to step into the secret passage, the warehouse gate was suddenly slammed into violently. The wooden door splintered under the heavy blows; through the cracks, shadowy figures and shouts in an unfamiliar tongue could be seen outside.

 

"Quickly!" Yae Miko urged. She had stepped into the passage first, gathering Electro energy in her palm to cover their retreat if needed.

 

Aether and Yun Jin helped Xinyan squeeze into the narrow tunnel. Right behind them, the warehouse gate crashed to the ground, silhouettes of armed soldiers framed in the harsh sunlight.

 

Without hesitation, Yae Miko unleashed her Electro power. A blinding bolt of lightning temporarily blinded the pursuers. She swiftly closed the hidden tunnel door and dropped the bolt into place.

 

"This won’t hold them off for long," she said coolly. "We must reach safety as soon as possible."

 

The tunnel was pitch-black, illuminated only by the flickering Electro light in Yae Miko’s hand. The air reeked of mildew and dust, while the distant thud of pursuers battering the hidden door echoed faintly.

 

"These foreigners... Where do they come from? Why attack Liyue?" Yun Jin whispered into the darkness, her voice trembling slightly.

 

Aether shook his head, unseen in the gloom. "I do not know. But one thing is certain—they are no force native to Teyvat. Their weapons, tactics, attire... everything differs from any nation we know."

 

Xinyan leaned weakly against the damp stone wall. "I overheard some soldiers talking... through translation talismans... They spoke of ‘Tenka Fubu’... and the ‘Three Arrows Oath’..."

 

"Tenka Fubu..." Yae Miko murmured thoughtfully. "It embodies Oda Nobunaga’s ambition. Yet as far as I know, he should be a figure from centuries ago in my world."

 

Another deafening crash rang out, this time directly above their heads, sending dust showering from the tunnel ceiling. The pursuers had seemingly broken through the hidden door and were now searching the passage for their trail.

 

"We must keep moving," Aether urged, supporting Xinyan once more as they pressed forward along the narrow corridor.

 

After trudging through the darkness for several minutes, a faint glimmer of light appeared ahead. Yae Miko signaled everyone to halt and slipped forward to scout alone.

 

"The exit is clear," she reported shortly after. "It leads to a secluded alleyway—no enemies in sight for now."

 

One by one, they climbed out of the tunnel back into the sunlight. The sight before them took their breath away. Once-thriving Chihu Rock lay in ruins, countless buildings still ablaze, the air thick with acrid smoke. In the distance, cries of civilians and the sharp shouts of soldiers drifted over from Feiyun Slope.

 

"Look over there," Yun Jin gestured toward Yujing Terrace.

 

At Liyue Harbor’s highest vantage point, an unfamiliar banner fluttered in the wind—a red quince crest emblazoned on a pure black field.

 

"That is the Oda clan kamon," Yae Miko confirmed Aether’s suspicion. "Oda Nobunaga has seized Yujing Terrace."

 

Aether was overcome with helplessness. The city he had once sworn to protect, the friends and people he cherished, now endured incomprehensible suffering. He clenched his fists, nails digging deep into his palms.

 

"We will find a way," he murmured, a promise to his companions and to himself. "No matter the cost, we will take back Liyue Harbor."

 

Far out at sea, Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s fleet unleashed another volley of cannon fire, the blasts striking like the drumbeats of death upon every heart. To the northwest and northeast, the tightening Oda and Takeda encirclement closed in like a pair of slow-closing iron pincers.

 

The fate of one hundred and eighty thousand people of Liyue hung by a thread.

In Nanjing, China, in 1937, the Japanese army imposed a full-scale, comprehensive encirclement of the city to block local civilians from fleeing.

Tang Shengzhi, the general in charge of defending Nanjing, fled the city without authorization and even burned the ships prepared for civilian evacuation.

As a result, more than 300,000 ordinary people in Nanjing were trapped and fell victim to the atrocities of the Japanese army.