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[Genshin Impact] Chapter 461: The Great Lord Rukkhadevata (2-in-1 Chapter)
🕑 Added 2025-05-04 18:39:49 +0000 UTCNahida’s divine power spread out, enveloping Nolan and the others. In the next moment, they instantly vanished from where they stood.
After a brief distortion of space—
When they reappeared, they found themselves standing on a massive tree root in a realm where the sky was a blood-red color.
At the very center of the space stood a giant silver-white tree, its surface emitting a faint, holy glow — as if it were the purest thing in existence.
Faintly, they could hear a whisper carried on the wind:
“The world... has forgotten me.”
"So this is the World Tree? It doesn’t really look corrupted," Paimon said curiously, gazing at the colossal tree ahead.
"Pollution from forbidden knowledge doesn’t always show on the surface — it seeps into places much harder to detect. Let’s get closer and take a look," Nahida said, slightly tilting her head. Her single ponytail bobbed gently with the movement.
"I don’t feel anything unusual either, for now," Lumine added.
At this point, her hair had turned a soft platinum color — she had entered her "Abyssal Princess" state.
Yet she didn’t sense the kind of corrupt forces she'd encountered before, like the Dead Zones or the Withering Sickness.
Maybe they needed to get closer — perhaps direct contact with the World Tree was necessary to perceive it.
Nolan extended his spiritual sense outward for a scan, but after confirming there were no immediate threats, he followed Nahida forward.
The tree roots underfoot were a bit tricky to walk on — winding and uneven.
After a while—
They climbed up a gentle slope, and the immense trunk of the World Tree loomed right in front of them.
But unexpectedly, a small, familiar figure was already standing under the tree, as if waiting for them.
"Huh? I-Is that...?"
Paimon widened her eyes in shock, rubbed them hard in disbelief, and looked back and forth between the distant figure and the Nahida standing right beside her.
No mistake — they looked exactly the same.
Could it be...?
As Paimon tried to guess, the figure under the World Tree slowly turned around to face them.
Just as Paimon had suspected — it was indeed Nahida!
"Why... why are there two Nahidas?!"
Lumine said, a rare look of surprise flashing across her pale face.
"It feels... so familiar," Nahida murmured in astonishment.
Only Nolan understood the truth — the "Nahida" standing beneath the World Tree was none other than the incarnation of the tree itself:
The former Dendro Archon of Sumeru — the Great Lord Rukkhadevata!
"You have finally come, my reincarnation," the figure under the World Tree said, walking toward them, her gaze settling on Nahida.
Although she looked exactly like Nahida, her voice was completely different — deeper and more mature.
"Reincarnation? You’re... the Great Lord Rukkhadevata?" Nahida asked uncertainly.
She didn’t fully understand yet, but logically, the only one who could exist in this realm — apart from her — would be Rukkhadevata.
Among the Seven Archons, only the Dendro Archon bore the duty of guarding the World Tree.
"That’s correct," the Great Lord Rukkhadevata replied, tilting her chin slightly.
"W-Wait... Nahida is Nahida, but this identical person is the Great Lord Rukkhadevata? Paimon's brain’s turning into mush!"
Paimon cried, clutching her head in despair as she floated beside Lumine.
"I am the embodiment of the World Tree itself. She is the purest branch born from the tree,"
the Great Lord Rukkhadevata explained simply.
"Our essence is one and the same. I am Nahida; and she... is my reincarnation."
"So basically, you’re both connected to the World Tree, but... there’s still a slight difference between you, right?"
Paimon said, spreading her hands helplessly.
One was the avatar of the entire World Tree.
The other, merely its purest branch.
Though they shared the same origin, they were not exactly the same individual.
"When a tree withers, its branches can still take root and sprout anew — a different form of continuing life. Is that not what reincarnation is?" the Great Lord Rukkhadevata said softly, shaking her head.
"Right, right... but wait, according to Sumeru’s historical records, didn’t the Great Lord Rukkhadevata already, uh... pass away?"
Paimon asked hesitantly, scratching her head.
Lumine also focused her gaze on the Great Lord. She shared the same curiosity — was there some hidden truth behind Rukkhadevata’s supposed death?
"The historical records aren't wrong. I did indeed perish long ago," the Great Lord Rukkhadevata said calmly, without a hint of fear when speaking about her own death.
"All that remains now... is merely the last fragment of my consciousness."
"I see... so you really..." Nahida’s voice grew slightly sorrowful.
"As expected, just a lingering consciousness," Lumine murmured, unsurprised.
First there was Rukkhadevata, and then Raiden Makoto—beings of the caliber of gods.
Even in death, they were able to leave behind fragments of their consciousness, persisting for hundreds or even thousands of years without truly vanishing.
"Seems like you've encountered cases like mine more than once," the Great Lord Rukkhadevata said, giving Lumine a slightly surprised glance.
"Hehe, that's right! We've met two gods whose lingering consciousnesses survived after death. With our help, they've been slowly recovering!"
Paimon said proudly, patting her chest.
"So even if you’re down to just a sliver of consciousness, it’s fine! We can help you recover too!"
"Really?" Nahida’s eyes lit up a little at Paimon’s words.
The Great Lord Rukkhadevata gave her a natural feeling of intimacy — almost like family. Just being in her presence made Nahida feel as if she had found someone to lean on.
Her entire being relaxed, and deep down, she couldn’t help but hope:
if the Great Lord could truly return and lead Sumeru once more, surely she would bring even greater happiness to the people.
"Although I’m amazed... you were actually able to help even gods who only had remnants of consciousness recover," the Great Lord Rukkhadevata said softly.
"But as I said earlier, the reason I clung to life wasn’t for my own sake — it was for something far more important."
As the former Dendro Archon, she possessed powers similar to Nahida’s — but far stronger.
Even reduced to a mere wisp of consciousness, she could easily tell Paimon wasn’t lying.
Yet... she could not allow herself to indulge in that hope.
"What is this important thing you stayed for? And... why did you have to die?"
Nahida asked urgently, sensing a terrible premonition.
"Hm. Let me explain," the Great Lord Rukkhadevata said, offering a gentle smile toward the worried Nahida, before her gaze grew distant in remembrance.
"The disaster occurred five hundred years ago. On that day, all the other Seven Archons, except me, were summoned to a nation called Khaenri'ah."
"I, however, had an even more crucial task — to protect the World Tree."
Thus, the Great Lord began to recount the events from five hundred years prior.
As the embodiment of the World Tree, her consciousness was directly linked to it.
When the calamity struck, it was accompanied by the invasion of forbidden knowledge.
The moment the World Tree was touched by the corruption, Rukkhadevata instantly sensed it.
Fortunately, a thousand years earlier, she and the Red King — ruler of the desert — had already confronted forbidden knowledge once before.
So when it resurfaced, infecting the World Tree, she had experience handling it.
Forbidden knowledge came from the depths of the Abyss — knowledge no less profound than that of Teyvat itself.
Even Rukkhadevata, the God of Wisdom, could not fully comprehend it.
Teyvat instinctively rejected this knowledge, leading to phenomena like the Withering Zones and the Eleazar disease.
If the forbidden knowledge were allowed to continue corrupting the World Tree, the continent of Teyvat itself would eventually collapse under the growing symptoms of rejection.
However, facing it alone, even with all her experience, the Great Lord could not completely purge it.
Thus, she created a device to unify human wisdom — the system known as the Akasha Terminal.
Through it, she gathered the collective intelligence of all the people of Sumeru, combined it with all her remaining strength, and managed to cleanse most of the forbidden knowledge from the World Tree.
Yet, a small portion still remained.
Because as the World Tree’s embodiment, her consciousness was linked to it — and when the World Tree was corrupted, so too was she.
To completely eliminate the forbidden knowledge, she would have to eliminate herself as well.
She did not fear death.
If her sacrifice could allow the World Tree to fully recover, she was more than willing.
But the problem was this: forbidden knowledge, as a form of knowledge, could persist through memory.
Even if she died, everything about her — including the fragments of forbidden knowledge — would continue to exist in the World Tree’s stored memories.
Thus, forbidden knowledge could never be entirely eradicated.
If she stayed alive, she could actively erase memories and knowledge from the World Tree, preventing the forbidden knowledge from taking root.
But if she lived, the corruption within her own mind would also endure — a constant risk.
If she died, she would no longer be able to erase anything — and the forbidden knowledge would become forever embedded in the World Tree’s memory.
In the end, she faced an impossible paradox:
She could not erase herself.
With no other choice, she had broken off the purest branch from the World Tree to create her own reincarnation.
Then, she waited patiently for this new "branch," one sharing her very essence — someone who could also influence the World Tree — to slowly grow.
Once that day came, she would use her powers to erase herself along with the forbidden knowledge, completely purging the World Tree of its corruption.
That was the crucial mission she had spoken of — and the truth behind her death.
"So that's how it is!"
Paimon and Lumine were both stunned by what they heard.
The revelation that Nahida’s very existence was meant to erase the one who had created her — it was simply too cruel to accept.
"W-Wait, no! If you're erased from the World Tree, that’s not right! We can't let that happen!"
Nahida shook her head urgently.
The World Tree contained all knowledge and memory of this world, recording everything from the past to the present.
To erase someone’s existence from the World Tree would be no different from wiping them from reality itself.
No living being would remember the Great Lord Rukkhadevata — as if she had never existed at all.
How could Nahida ever accept that?
"Exactly. You already understand what it means," the Great Lord Rukkhadevata said gently.
"If I had another choice, I wouldn't want to be forgotten either. But this is the only way to save the World Tree."
She stepped forward and pulled Nahida into a comforting embrace, softly patting her back.
"No! There has to be another way!"
Tears welled up in Nahida’s eyes. She violently shook her head and pushed herself free from the Great Lord’s arms.
Then she ran over to Nolan, grabbing the hem of his clothes with her small hands and looking up at him pleadingly.
"You said... you said there’s a way to cleanse the forbidden knowledge, didn’t you? Please help us!
Everyone loves and remembers her so much...
I too wish to become a great god like the Great Lord Rukkhadevata.
How can we just let her be forgotten like this!"
Seeing the tears on Nahida’s small face, Nolan sighed inwardly.
Indeed, just as it had been described in the original story, events were unfolding in the same tragic way.
If he hadn’t come to this world, then even after all the sacrifices she had made, the Great Lord would have still been completely forgotten by Teyvat.
Just like the phrase he had overheard when entering: `The world... has forgotten me.`
Nolan reached out and gently patted Nahida’s head, smiling warmly as he reassured her:
"A god as noble as the Great Lord Rukkhadevata being forgotten — that would be too great a tragedy.
Don’t worry. We’ll do everything we can to help you!"
"That’s right! When it comes to helping others solve their problems, we're total pros!"
Paimon added, clenching her tiny fists with determination.
Lumine nodded firmly beside her, showing her agreement.
"But the forbidden knowledge has already fused with me. It’s become part of my memories and my very being.
Unless you erase me along with it, there is no other way!"
Rukkhadevata said gravely.
Having spent centuries dealing with forbidden knowledge, no one understood it better than she did.
After hundreds of years, her only hope had been placed on Nahida.
Nahida was her reincarnation, sharing the same essence.
With her authority over the World Tree, she could easily erase Rukkhadevata’s existence.
And afterward, she would lead Sumeru into a new era of destiny.
The Great Lord firmly believed Nahida would become an even greater god than herself.
"That’s why... you must erase me.
Let the world forget me.
Only then can the World Tree, Sumeru, and all of Teyvat truly be saved!"
The Great Lord Rukkhadevata reached out her hand to Nahida as she spoke.
"No... it shouldn't be like this..."
Nahida shook her head desperately.
Nolan stepped forward, shielding Nahida behind him. He looked firmly at the Great Lord and said:
"You’ve already waited five hundred years for Nahida, haven’t you?
Since you've waited this long, what’s a little more time?
Let us at least try."
Thanks to experiments, it had already been confirmed that Lumine — in her "Abyssal Princess" form — could manipulate pure abyssal energy, a force capable of interfering with and even simulating phenomena like Withering Zones and Eleazar disease.
However, when it came to the pollution of forbidden knowledge...
They had yet to attempt it.
Even though Nolan had confidence, he still refrained from making absolute promises.
(End of Chapter)
