The cryo crystals shot forward at terrifying speed, aimed straight at Lu Chen.
"Watch out!" Lumine shouted instinctively.
But Lu Chen didn't move. With a slight motion of his hand, Pyro energy in the air gathered instantly, and a wave of heat blasted forward.
Before the Cryo projectiles could reach the group, they melted into liquid.
But the heatwave didn't stop there—it surged onward, crashing into the Fatui ranks and sending enemies screaming as they caught fire.
From the shadows, La Signora stepped forward, her eyes narrowing in surprise. She clearly hadn't expected her attack to be so easily neutralized.
"You again?" she said, recognizing Lumine.
Lumine gripped her weapon tightly, clearly on high alert.
"Hmph. Looks like you've brought some decent backup this time," La Signora said, her gaze drifting over the group—lingering especially on Lu Chen and Ei.
"To think you actually managed to rescue those people right under my nose." She sneered as her eyes swept over Gorou. "I guess your Watatsumi Army isn't entirely worthless after all."
"Cut the nonsense!" Gorou growled, glaring at her. "If you want a fight, then bring it!"
La Signora smirked coldly, and the air temperature began to plummet.
"Die."
A bone-deep chill swept over them, freezing the corridor to well below zero in seconds.
"So cold!!" Paimon yelped, shivering as she ducked behind Lumine.
La Signora's Cryo attack spared no one—not even her own forces. The Fatui soldiers in the corridor were now caught between Pyro and Cryo. The temperature kept falling, transforming the entire area into a frozen wasteland.
"That woman!" Gorou muttered through chattering teeth, clutching his arms. "She doesn't even care about her own men!"
From above, a barrage of Cryo rain came pouring down. The walls and corners of the corridor sprouted glistening Cryo spikes, turning the place into a death trap.
It looked deadly—but to Lu Chen, it was nothing.
"Solid as stone—!"
Jade's Shield spread out rapidly, surrounding their group in a protective golden aura. Every incoming Cryo blade shattered harmlessly against it.
"What?" La Signora's eyes widened further. She was stunned. How was this familiar face using both Pyro and Geo?
"Two Visions? No... that's impossible..."
"Could it be a Delusion...?"
She immediately summoned a nearby soldier, who was cowering in pain.
"Was it our Delusion? How are you guarding the Delusion Factory?"
"N-no, Lady La Signora... it's not..."
"No need to answer," Lu Chen cut in, amused. "I've got something more fun."
A storm of Cryo blades—sharper and colder than anything in the environment—suddenly blasted toward her.
La Signora's eyes widened in shock, and she vanished in an instant.
She barely made it around the corridor's corner, escaping death by a hair. Her cloak was shredded, and fresh blood marked her once-pristine skin.
Peeking back toward the corridor, she saw her forces decimated—nothing left but twisted limbs and shattered armor.
It finally hit her—something was very wrong.
"Triple elemental affinities..."
"How do they have someone this powerful on their side?"
"No... impossible...!"
...
"Hmph, and why not?"
A mocking voice drifted out from the shadows—a boy's voice, faint and full of sarcasm.
La Signora turned sharply. No one was there.
"You arrogant woman. When will you learn that there's always someone stronger? Heh... Looks like you just ran into one."
"Scaramouche?" she snapped. "Where are you? Why didn't you step in when I was attacked?"
"Hmph. I don't feel like dying yet. This mess is yours to clean up."
His voice began to fade.
La Signora spun around. "Tell me! Who is he?"
There was no response. Just a faint echo of Scaramouche's final words.
"He's someone neither you nor I can afford to cross..."
"Who is it?!" La Signora racked her memory, going through every potential threat in the Fatui's intelligence records—but came up empty.
Then, that chilling killing intent swept over her again.
Lu Chen appeared right in front of her.
"Hey—who were you talking to just now?"
"You... it's you!" La Signora muttered. That face—so close now—finally sparked her memory.
He was the traveler's old companion. But according to the intel, he was already dead. And even before that, his strength had been nothing noteworthy. She had never spared a thought for someone so insignificant.
Had the intel been wrong? Possibly. But from the way Scaramouche spoke, it was clear he knew exactly who Lu Chen was—and how powerful he'd become.
So then... who was he?
That question flickered through her mind in a flash. Realizing she had no way out, La Signora began activating her trump card.
"You..." Lu Chen saw her eyes turn from blue to a blazing red—like a firestorm about to erupt.
Unlike most Harbingers who wielded Delusions, La Signora's Delusion was sealed within her—a tool meant to contain the consuming fire within her body. The transformation meant she was about to unleash it.
Lu Chen wasn't about to let her.
He raised his Traveler's Handy Sword—but just before he struck, the entire Delusion Factory began to shake violently.
From deep within the darkness, a foul aura surged out.
Resentment and hatred swept over them like a tidal wave. Everyone felt the gaze of some hateful presence lock onto them.
Lu Chen's eyes narrowed.
The remnants of the Archon... were erupting.
The tremors threw everyone off balance. Lumine barely managed to steady herself with her sword.
"What's going on?!"
Ei looked into the darkness. "The remnants of Orobashi."
The sudden surge had even caught La Signora off guard—her transformation halted mid-process.
"A failsafe...?"
As she spoke, twisted black creatures began pouring in from every direction. The dark tide surged toward them, threatening to drown everything.
"Everyone, stay close to me!" Lu Chen shouted as the monsters closed in.
The Primordial Energy Traveler's Handy Sword in his hand glowed with a pure blue light. With a single swing, he repelled dozens of the creatures.
But they kept coming.
Lu Chen focused, searching for a path out.
This surge was far worse than what they had seen in Liyue—it was Orobashi's death site, the most polluted place of all.
"That wicked woman's gone!" Paimon cried, clinging to Lu Chen's back.
Lu Chen glanced back. Where La Signora had stood was now engulfed in darkness—her fate unknown.
"Forget her!" he snapped. The Primordial Energy had a strong purifying effect, and he immediately opened his inventory, tossing out the remaining twenty-plus Traveler's Handy Swords.
While the others held these weapons too, only he could fully harness their power.
Lu Chen directed all the swords to orbit him in a wide ring.
As the monsters charged, they were instantly incinerated by the blue glow.
Lu Chen pushed forward, forcing a path through the black tide. The sword formation around him shifted rapidly, dazzling everyone.
"So cool..." Paimon stared in awe.
And she wasn't the only one. Everyone following him was stunned by the sight.
Lu Chen felt like a sword immortal from some ancient legend, wielding flying blades with a flick of his fingers. His formation twisted and changed as they moved forward, never faltering.
Bathed in blue light, the group was untouched by the filth—though the oppressive aura weighed heavily, not a scratch touched them.
And still, Lu Chen pressed on.
The path they'd come from was long gone—buried in filth. The entire Delusion Factory was drowning in darkness.
Lu Chen looked to Ei.
"Ei! Clear us a path!"
At this point, brute force was the only way out.
"Understood." Ei knew there was no more room for secrets. She dismissed her previous weapon, and violet lightning sparked in her hand.
The Musou Isshin appeared.
As it did, Lumine and Paimon both turned, eyes wide.
"That's...!" Lumine gasped. The weapon was unmistakable.
"It's the one from Tenshukaku—" Paimon was so shocked she couldn't even finish the sentence.
"Musou... no Hitotachi!"
Ei's form vanished into a blur, and her blade fell like a bolt of divine judgment.
The underground Delusion Factory shook violently. The single slash split the rock with terrifying force—carving open a massive rift.
Yashiori Island had already felt the wrath of this blade once before—it had reshaped the land. And now... it was struck again.
From deep underground, sunlight finally pierced through—a single shaft breaking in from above.
Lu Chen shielded them from falling rocks and shouted at the stunned Lumine.
"Don't just stand there—RUN!"