xiao has fought worse beings in the past–gods such as the god of crystal, the once peaceful god ravaging the land while consumed with horrific energies. many lesser yakshas perished during this battle, succumbing to injuries one by one, but xiao survived, and was the one to land the finishing blow upon the god. as the god died, mind cleared from the fog of negative energies as regrets spilled from their lips, xiao held them in his arms, drawing out their karmic debt into his own body. it was painful, and he could have succumbed so, so easily, and yet–the god tried to comfort xiao in his last moments, thanking him and telling him that he was doing what was right.
now, xiao manages to drive his spear into the tender flesh of the eye of the beast, causing it to howl in pain and thrash about, knocking into some of its own allies as well. wrenching the spear, the yaksha jerks it out, rending it asunder, before driving it back in deeper. if he couldn’t pierce through the thick hide, he would go through the eye; the most delicate part of the creature, and perhaps, if he drove the spear in deep enough, he could kill the creature.
channeling a burst of anemo energy, xiao finally drives the spear deep into the skull of the beast, horrific sounds of whatever brain it had bursting as if one had placed a small firework into it. wet chunks of brain matter and blood burst out of the wound, xiao closing his eyes as to avoid getting anything into them.
as the beast tumbles to the ground, xiao notices the mortal still close to the battle (a child, a small one, in the zone where the beast would fall), and leaps off of the falling beast, transforming into his half-bird form midway and yanking the child out of harm’s way as the beast finally hits the ground.
he barely pauses to hand the child off to a nearby al-haitham before leaping back into the battle, transforming back to his human form as he does so.
Luckily for him, Al-Haytham Chisel-Light Mirrors served the duplicate function of defense as much as offense, able to create geometric walls that guarded those still racing towards Liyue Harbor, while those monsters that made the misfortune of pursuing them would find themselves blasted by a salvo of Dendro power that expelled like needles from a cactus, scorching and merciless as they incinerated and strafed every Abyssal that careened headlong towards them. While watching Xiao was undoubtedly impressive, Al-Haytham had no time to admire the deadly choreography of the Yaksha's battling. Sundering foes with both of his swords, he allowed one to dissipate as he received the child and hastily escorted them towards the lingering party of refugees that took off once the child was safely delivered.
Relieved that he could finally release the shield wall he'd erected, the trapezoidal scales winked out successively before disappearing entirely, and he stood by Xiao to assess the war-torn general. Though bloodstained and still donning his Nuo mask, he felt like the most grounding sight on the battlefield.
"General Khara and a few other of the Rakshasas should be able to handle the rest of this. General Alatus, it might be wise to destroy what remains here before moving on," Al-Haytham advised the Yaksha despite the close proximity he maintained, the karmic energies scorching his nerves like tongues of flame, but it wasn't so severe that he'd have to totally maintain his distance. Akkadians were built to be stronger than humans, and this was no different.
As if anticipating the lull in their rescue efforts, a massive Aeonblight Drake descended from the smoggy sky, the thick blanket of stormy gray clouds congested with smoke and cinders disguising its approach. The mighty beating of wings created gusty flurries of wind, the tinny roar it uttered reverberating through the air.
Without waiting for Xiao's assent to face it, Al-Haytham created a Particular Field that encompassed the massive automaton, dozens of Chisel-Light Mirrors manifesting to beleaguer it with blasts of Dendro Power. Struck heavily and before it realized what had been wrought, the Aeonblight Drake plummeted to the earth and crashed cacophonously, kicking a burst of dust from the site of impact.
Before it could regain its bearings, without saying a word did Al-Haytham sprint headlong towards it, the smokescreen engulfed him, the wailing roars of other Abyssals sounding murkily through the coming gloom, a haunting dissonance surrounding him.
