As the doors of the Golden House creaked open, a young man with orange hair, still bearing the air of youthful innocence, strode out leisurely.
It was none other than Tartaglia, "Childe," the Last Seat of the Fatui Harbingers.
Tartaglia was instantly drawn to the intense hostility radiating from Shenhe. His gaze locked onto her, standing at the center of the platform, and he remarked with amusement:
"Ho, just you alone? I expected more in the Golden House. But no matter—more fodder wouldn't make a difference anyway. You, on the other hand, seem to possess decent strength."
"..."
Tartaglia approached Shenhe, smiling faintly. "What's this? Not much for talking? How indifferent."
"I have nothing to say to a dying man."
"Ha! How interesting! Let's see how many of my moves you can withstand, then."
Tartaglia drew his bow and unleashed a barrage of Hydro arrows. Shenhe stood her ground, neither dodging nor flinching, and channeled ice into a Talisman Spirit that charged forward, leaving a trail of frost in its wake.
The Hydro arrows instantly froze upon contact. Shenhe brandished her spear, shattering the ice as she advanced at full speed.
When her form merged with the Talisman Spirit's, the spear's tip erupted in a blinding flash, aiming straight for Tartaglia's chest.
Tartaglia sidestepped the strike and leaped back, firing several more arrows. Seeing they had no effect on Shenhe, he grinned.
"Impressive, but if this is all you've got, you can't stop me—!?"
At that moment, Qin Yu seized the opportunity, emerging from her hiding place amidst the Mora. The pitch-black barrel of her Combat Pistol locked onto Tartaglia's back, and crimson flames flared from the muzzle in rapid succession.
Sensing the danger, Tartaglia instinctively evaded Qin Yu's sneak attack.
But it wasn't over yet.
Four Satellite Components shot out from the Mora, each unleashing lethal beams from different angles.
"So there was an ambush after all! Truly unexpected!" Tartaglia thought with delight, evading Qin Yu's relentless assault.
Qin Yu's true intention wasn't to kill, but to trap.
With his escape paths blocked, Childe found himself unable to evade.
Seizing the opportunity, Shenhe lunged forward, striking fiercely with her spear. Unable to dodge, Tartaglia parried with his bow.
A tremendous force surged from the spearhead, and Tartaglia let out an "Oh?" of surprise. Drawing on his vast combat experience and skill, he used the momentum to leap backward, creating distance between them.
"Impressive strength. And if there's a second person here, you might as well show yourself. Otherwise, I'll have to drag you out myself!"
Tartaglia fired a volley of Hydro arrows upward. They plunged into the Mora-formed sea, exploding into a shower of water and scattering Mora coins.
Amidst the flying coins and droplets, Qin Yu emerged, her figure streaking through the air.
"You're... one of Lady Ningguang's Secretaries, aren't you? I knew you had combat capabilities, but I never imagined you could set such a thrilling trap. Truly remarkable," Tartaglia remarked with genuine admiration.
Huh?
Is this guy crazy? He's talking so much nonsense even during a fight! Qin Yu had no intention of conversing with Tartaglia. Instead, she raised her Combat Pistol.
Sensing Qin Yu's killing intent, Tartaglia laughed heartily. "Ah, that's the feeling I wanted! Alright, two opponents are fine too. Come on, let's have some real fun!"
Qin Yu and Shenhe exchanged glances.
This is annoying, but it seems like we can buy more time.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Yu recalled her Satellite Component, deployed Force Field Shields around Shenhe and herself, and then pulled the trigger, aiming at the effortlessly poised Tartaglia.
Approximately twenty seconds later, Lumine and Paimon arrived at the Golden House.
The ground before the Golden House was littered with unconscious Millelith soldiers. As Lumine thought, Could it be too late?, the sounds of intense combat erupted from within the Golden House.
The distinct explosive sounds mixed in instantly made Paimon realize what was happening.
"That sound... there's no mistaking it! It's Qin Yu's weapon! She must be fighting someone! We need to hurry and help her!" Paimon cried anxiously.
Lumine nodded and immediately headed for the Golden House.
As soon as they entered, they were met with a dazzling spectacle of intense combat.
Shenhe led the charge, with Qin Yu supporting her from behind, relentlessly attacking Tartaglia. Tartaglia alternated between defending with Hydro shields and dodging, but Qin Yu's targeted attacks left him with no room to maneuver.
When defending, she would grab her Semi-Automatic Shotgun, switch positions with Shenhe, and unleash a barrage of bullets. When dodging, she would retreat behind Shenhe, use her Satellite Component to seal off his movement range with light beams, and then Shenhe would pursue.
Whether Shenhe's pursuit succeeded or not, Qin Yu would instantly propel herself to the flank with her Planetary Component and open fire with her assault rifle.
Even if her shots missed, Shenhe would seize the opportunity to strike with devastating force.
Their coordination was seamless. Each of their individual attacks was lethal enough, but combined, they became exponentially more dangerous. Yet Tartaglia's ability to counterattack under this relentless assault was equally formidable.
Paimon exclaimed in awe, "Wow, they're really going at it!"
"But both sides are testing each other's strength."
"Eh? Is that how it is?"
Lumine nodded. Qin Yu hadn't brought out her black box, and Childe hadn't unleashed the full power befitting a Harbinger. Even Shenhe, though striking with deadly intent, seemed to be holding back.
"This isn't the time for observation! Let's attack!" Paimon urged earnestly.
"Mm."
Lumine gripped the Dull Blade and slashed at Childe.
Tartaglia dodged backward, spotting Lumine and Paimon, and said with a hint of resignation, "It's you two. Sigh, your role as guides is already fulfilled. Why come looking for trouble?"
Qin Yu exclaimed in surprise, "Lumine?!"
She hadn't expected Lumine to suddenly appear here.
But thinking about it, it made sense. After all, Lumine had learned from Ningguang that the Exuvia was in the Golden House and understood the Fatui's objectives. Knowing the Adepti had arrived, she would naturally seek out this place.
"An ally?" Shenhe murmured.
"Exactly! We're your allies!" Paimon chimed in with a grin.
Lumine pointed her sword at Tartaglia. "Don't even think about approaching the Exuvia."
"Heh... hahaha! Excellent, excellent! Three formidable opponents, three times the fun! Such an opportunity is rare indeed. Let me savor this moment to the fullest—don't disappoint me!"
Is this guy a battle maniac? The more he fights, the happier he gets?
Ugh, this is terrible.
Tartaglia's battle intent surged even higher. He swiftly moved to the corner of the platform, lowered his stance, and began gathering energy. A faint Hydro glow shimmered beneath his feet.
The big one's coming!
Qin Yu urgently cast a Force Field Shield around Lumine.
Just as the shield materialized, a massive Hydro whale erupted from the water's glow, crashing down upon them.
But Shenhe snapped her fingers and cried out, "Soul Unleash!"
A Talisman Spirit, resembling Shenhe's spectral form, materialized and slashed at the water-formed whale. In an instant, the water froze into ice, then shattered into countless icy shards, revealing Tartaglia's transformed figure.
"A mask?" Paimon exclaimed in surprise.
A mask now adorned Tartaglia's face.
Ugh, a masked man.
Tartaglia took a deep breath. "Hah... Now that I've unleashed the full power of my Elemental Vision, let's see just how far you can go against the might of a Harbinger!"
He has a second phase?!
Qin Yu grew even more anxious. Why hasn't Ningguang persuaded the Adepti yet? she wondered. But it should be soon—just a couple more minutes, probably.
Regaining her composure, Qin Yu summoned her new weapon: Excalibur.
(Spy-From chap 175)
If the enemy was taking this fight seriously, they couldn't afford to hold back any further.
"Another new weapon? Interesting. Come at me!" Tartaglia's delusion crackled with Electro energy. Abandoning his longbow, he now wielded a double-edged sword.
"First, you!"
Tartaglia's figure flashed, closing the distance to Qin Yu in an instant and slashing at her.
So fast!
Her danger instinct kicked in, slowing everything around her to a crawl. Unwilling to engage in close combat, Qin Yu activated the Planetary Component's omnidirectional propulsion system to create distance between them.
At that moment, Shenhe shouted, "Don't even think about it!" and thrust her spear at Tartaglia.
The instant Tartaglia blocked the strike, he clearly felt Shenhe's strength had increased beyond what he had previously observed.
"Could it be that she's your weakness?" Tartaglia mused, intrigued.
Shenhe didn't reply, instead conjuring her Talisman Spirit, which slashed at Tartaglia from the side.
"Ha... Not bad. Again!"
Tartaglia grew even more excited, splitting his double-edged sword into two and unleashing a torrential barrage of strikes with both blades.
When one of his blades grazed Shenhe's side, leaving a shallow wound, Qin Yu's eyes darkened momentarily. Channeling her raw fury, she activated the Planetary Component at full power, propelling herself skyward.
With a second burst of acceleration, she descended like a meteor, delivering a devastating strike from above.
Tartaglia retreated swiftly.
A deafening crash echoed as Excalibur carved a terrifying gash into the earth. Shielding Shenhe with her body, Qin Yu spoke in an icy tone she had never used before:
"You dare harm Shenhe? You won't be spared."
"Eek! How scary!" Paimon trembled.
Tartaglia exclaimed in surprise, "Your sudden shift is terrifying! So that's how it is... you two are each other's weak points? Quite the touching friendship."
"I'm fine," Shenhe insisted.
If I say something's wrong, then it's wrong. Just leave me alone, Qin Yu retorted inwardly, transforming Excalibur into rifle mode. Soaring into the air, she engaged the Satellite Component to assist with long-range sniping.
Tartaglia tried to dodge, but the light orb relentlessly tracked him.
"Intriguing!" he exclaimed.
With a swift strike, he shattered the orb. Shenhe and Lumine closed in immediately.
"Manifest!" Shenhe commanded, unleashing her Talisman Spirit Art.
As Shenhe cast her spell, Lumine channeled Anemo energy with one hand while stomping her foot to unleash Geo power. Tartaglia laughed, responding with crackling Electro.
The four elements clashed violently, erupting in a dazzling explosion.
As the dust settled, Tartaglia had vanished.
"Not bad, not bad. I would have enjoyed continuing this fight, but duty calls."
Unnoticed, Tartaglia had already reached the Exuvia and plunged his hand inside.
Tch, a diversion! Qin Yu raised Excalibur, preparing to fire.
"Hmm?"
Tartaglia sounded puzzled.
"Why isn't the Gnosis here?"
Gnosis? What the hell is that? The god's heart... or something? Qin Yu didn't quite understand, but things clearly weren't going as Childe had planned.
Suddenly, a wave of malevolent energy washed over them.
"So that's it... You've been hiding it all along, haven't you?" Tartaglia's voice seethed with fury.
"Alright, then I'll just take it by force!"
Tartaglia was completely enveloped in water, within which lightning crackled. As Qin Yu sensed danger, Tartaglia's limbs, then his entire body and head, began to transform.
It was as if he were being covered in armor.
Wait, is this a transformation? Qin Yu thought in surprise, recalling one of the pieces of intelligence she had gathered about Tartaglia.
"Foul Legacy Transformation..." she murmured.
He actually transformed? That's so unfair! If only I could transform too... But now's not the time to think about that.
Childe becomes even stronger when using the Foul Legacy Transformation! I can't let my guard down.
"Give me Morax's Gnosis!"
Shenhe assessed, "He's lost some of his rationality, but that doesn't mean his attacks will become erratic. Be careful."
No sooner had she spoken than Childe unleashed two water blade slashes. Lumine hastily dodged them, but she was no match for Childe's two swift follow-up heavy strikes. She barely blocked the first, but the second blow sent her flying.
"Are you okay?!" Qin Yu shouted, quickly firing the Medical Pistol at Lumine.
"Thank you..." Lumine gasped as her injuries began to heal.
No time to hold back now! Qin Yu decided. She wanted to use the Armament Platform. If she switched to rifle mode, she should be able to deal significant damage.
But after observing Childe, she realized he was moving too fast.
Even with the Armament Platform, hitting him was far from guaranteed. A single missed shot would waste her stamina, making it even harder to sustain the fight.
She needed to match his speed.
...I'll use that technique.
Overclock!
In an instant, everything slowed to a crawl. Power surged through her body. Qin Yu knew she couldn't maintain the Armament Platform throughout the sixteen-second acceleration state—it would exhaust her immediately.
But firearms wouldn't work well either. The bullets wouldn't receive the Overclock's speed boost.
A melee weapon, however, would.
She switched Excalibur back to its longsword mode.
Rushing toward Childe, Qin Yu channeled the amplified power of her enhanced leg strength and the thrust from her Planetary Components into a furious flurry of sword strikes. She unleashed slash after slash, the blade flashing continuously as her figure weaved through the air.
The Overclock countdown ticked inexorably toward zero, each second bringing them closer to the irreversible moment.
3 seconds remaining.
Qin Yu blocked Childe's counterattacks with her Armament Platform.
2 seconds remaining.
She inserted the Secret Key into its slot.
1 second remaining.
Transforming the Armament Platform into a rifle, she aimed it at Childe's chest at point-blank range.
0 seconds remaining.
She pulled the trigger.
As time returned to normal speed, the fired bullet erupted from the barrel.
Childe reacted instantly, not dodging but raising his bow-blade to parry. The Hydro shield reshaped itself, enveloping the rapidly spinning bullet. Reversing the water flow, he created a whirlpool to weaken the bullet's force.
Shenhe commanded her Talisman Spirit, "Go!"
The Talisman Spirit shot straight toward the Hydro whirlpool. Childe hurled his bow-blade one-handed to intercept it.
"Not so fast!" Lumine channeled Anemo energy into her legs and unleashed a flying kick, sending the bow-blade hurtling aside.
The Talisman Spirit struck the Hydro whirlpool unimpeded. Instantly, the water froze into solid ice, only to be shattered by the bullet's impact, which continued its trajectory toward Childe's chest.
Though the bullet had lost considerable force during its interception, it still struck Childe with enough force to send him flying backward through the air.
Childe landed abruptly, reverting to his original form.
Qin Yu, trapped in a four-second cooldown and unable to move, felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.
But at least we finally took him down, right?
"Haah... That last move really hurt."
He's still alive?! Qin Yu stared in shock as Tartaglia staggered to his feet.
"The Foul Legacy Transformation takes a heavy toll. It clouded my judgment. Now that I've calmed down, I realize you're merely pawns of the Qixing. How could the Gnosis possibly be in your hands?"
"Did the Qixing take it? Or perhaps—it was never inside to begin with?"
Shenhe paid no attention to Tartaglia's words and lunged at him with her spear.
Tartaglia dodged backward.
"Still eager to fight? I welcome the challenge. As fellow seekers of strength, we're allies, but I have a mission to complete, so I must decline for now."
Allies?! Qin Yu thought with disgust. You're no ally of mine!
Shenhe said coldly, "There is no alliance between us."
Lumine, however, was intrigued. "The Gnosis wasn't inside after all?"
"Exactly. And to take it a step further—could it be that the Geo Archon Morax isn't truly dead?"
Rex Lapis isn't dead?!
The entire incident was bewildering, especially the Geo Archon's supposed death at the beginning... If Rex Lapis hadn't truly died, could this have been a test he set for us?
After all, he's a god. Gods love testing mortals.
"No choice... I'll have to use the 'backup plan'!"
At that moment, a masked youth suddenly materialized behind Tartaglia.
"Your opportunity has passed."
Tartaglia whirled around to retaliate, but Xiao moved even faster. Like a raging tempest, Xiao swept past him, forcefully slamming Tartaglia out of the Golden House.
Looking up, Tartaglia saw three Adepti floating in the air, gazing down upon him.
Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, and Mountain Shaper.
Their eyes burned with fury, silently radiating a terrifying aura.
Having come here at Ningguang's request to investigate, they discovered a villain plotting against the Geo Archon. How could they not be enraged?
As pain shot through him, Tartaglia mused, "So this is the Adepti... I see. What a cunning scheme, Morax! You lured us Fatui out with your supposed death, then set this trap to have the Adepti wipe us out in one fell swoop."
"How absurd," Xiao said coolly. "If the Geo Archon truly intended to eliminate you, why would he resort to such petty tricks?"
Qin Yu, Shenhe, Lumine, and Paimon followed Xiao to the Golden House, where they found Tartaglia surrounded by the Adepti and the Millelith.
Relief washed over Qin Yu, her legs weakening. She barely managed to steady herself against Shenhe, preventing herself from collapsing to the ground. Seeing this, Ningguang and Keqing, standing at the head of the Millelith, exchanged worried glances and moved to approach.
"Are you tired?" Shenhe asked.
"Ahaha, yeah, a little... But now that it's finally over—"
Before she could finish her sentence, the sky suddenly darkened.
"What's happening?" Qin Yu exclaimed in surprise.
Her shock was mirrored by the others.
Tartaglia explained, "That's the power of Osial, the Overlord of the Vortex, an god slumbering beneath Guyun Stone Forest."
"A God..." Xiao murmured, deep in thought.
Hydro began swirling around Tartaglia's form.
"Using the power of a god is boring and goes against my principles. The world belongs to those who strive for strength, not the weak. I normally wouldn't bother with such matters, but I am, after all, a Fatui Harbinger."
"In that case, Rex Lapis won't be able to sit back and watch the show anymore, will he?"
Tartaglia, enveloped in water, soared swiftly into the sky and away.
"Have fun playing."
Cloud Retainer moved to pursue him, but Moon Carver, gazing at the distant waterspout connecting sea and sky, said:
"Pay no heed to such petty thieves. Our focus must remain on the greater threat."
"This Adeptus understands that perfectly well!" Cloud Retainer replied. "But how was the Overlord of the Vortex, Osial, unsealed? It should have been suppressed by the Geo Archon's Geo Spears!"
Ningguang explained briefly, "The Fatui replicated numerous Sigils of Permission."
"So they exploited the power of the Talismans the Geo Archon bestowed upon mortals in the past..." Mountain Shaper mused. "But now that the Geo Archon is absent, how can we suppress it again?"
The Overlord of the Vortex, Osial. Ningguang's suspicions had been correct—the Fatui had indeed tampered with the seal.
How are we supposed to fight an enemy straight out of the final episode of a tokusatsu show? Qin Yu thought, her gaze fixed on the distant spectacle, genuine anxiety and bewilderment creeping into her heart. Her hand, resting on Shenhe's shoulder, tightened involuntarily.
Sensing Qin Yu's distress, Shenhe turned to look at the assembled Adepti.
"Can't the Adepti suppress it?" she asked.
Cloud Retainer shook her head. "It's hard to say."
Keqing declared solemnly, "Regardless, we must not allow that creature to harm the people of Liyue! I propose that the Adepti cooperate with us to fight the enemy."
"I didn't expect you to say that," Ningguang remarked with a smile.
"The greater good comes first," Keqing replied decisively. "When people die, everything is lost. Personal grudges are irrelevant in such a critical moment."
"These are the Qixing's thoughts. What do the Adepti think?" Ningguang asked.
Moon Carver nodded. "Very well."
It feels like there's hope again! Qin Yu felt her spirits lift slightly.
"In any case, let's move to a suitable location to engage the enemy first."
"A suitable location?" Paimon asked, puzzled.
Just then, the Jade Chamber flew overhead. Ningguang smiled. "My Jade Chamber."