What an odd power. A demon-god? How delightfully curious…
Rising from the crater he'd made when he landed, Diluc drew a long breath. He knew he hadn't lost yet, but questions gnawed at him.
That purple honeycomb barrier earlier—some sort of shield, clearly. But—
How did that throw me like a ragdoll?
Did she use Anemo? No—I didn't feel any Anemo signatures.
Never mind. Whatever she used, it doesn't matter. I only need to beat her.
With that resolve, the air around Diluc heated sharply. His claymore flared into vivid flames, then a great blaze burst outward from his form.
The blast hurled away rubble and dust, revealing him standing amid the fire—face stern, claymore raised, its blade roaring in flame.
"Master Diluc! He hasn't fallen!"
"That's his all—he's going full force!"
"Go, Master Diluc!"
"Keep it up!"
Someone in the crowd started the chant and all the rest joined in, cheering as if at a performance. The sight was impressive.
Su Mo watched the inferno with a blank expression and a quiet compliment. He hadn't drawn Diluc's card, but as the saying goes: even if you haven't eaten pork, you can see pigs run.
He'd seen Diluc's burst in streams and co-op videos before, but this was another level—far more spectacular in range and impact. It was a rare visual treat.
"Hereby, I pass judgment!"
With a roar, Diluc's blade birthed a massive phoenix of flame—gathering the surrounding inferno and hurtling straight at Su Mo.
Exerting so much element left Diluc spent; he planted his sword to steady himself. Fatigue showed on his face, along with gravity: this was his all-out strike. Yet Su Mo remained unflustered, almost amused.
Was she going to tank my phoenix with that shield? Or did she have another trick?
Diluc frowned. Watching Su Mo, who still made no move to dodge, his heart sank.
This is going to wreck the place…
Su Mo stood with open arms, bracing for the approaching fire and feeling the heat rise. He sighed inwardly.
Fine. Let's get on with it.
Snap—
Just as the phoenix neared, Su Mo slowly extended a hand and snapped his fingers.
At the snap, the crowd saw something unforgettable.
A circular formation appeared in front of the blaze—a pitch-black center ringed with violet, circuit-like runes. The flame phoenix struck it head-on… and then, incredibly, vanished inside the seal without so much as a ripple. No blast, no shockwave—nothing.
It simply… disappeared.
Diluc stood there stunned. He didn't know how to put the feeling into words; he just stared at Su Mo.
One thing was certain: Mondstadt was in for trouble.
Silence fell. The crowd went mute, exchanging bewildered looks. Where had Diluc's enormous phoenix gone? Had it been consumed?
No one could explain.
"You humans, so this was your full power. How disappointing—you've lost."
Su Mo closed the portal and shook her head, feigning regret.
Hm? Someone coming—good. Let's see what you'll do.
Out of the corner of his eye, Su Mo spied a familiar figure slip through the crowd. A fun idea popped into his head.
"Human—wondering where your phoenix went? Don't worry. It's still around."
Snap—
"Diluc! Behind you! Move!"
Kaeya?
Diluc, distracted, froze for a beat at the familiar voice. Then realization hit—behind him?!
He spun and saw the same strange circular seal behind him. Through it, his phoenix burst out, flying straight at him. The searing heat slammed into his back; with the distance too short, evasion was impossible.
So that was it—clever. A lovely ability.
Bathed in the phoenix's light, Diluc accepted his fate and braced—until a thick wall of ice shot up from the ground and collided with the incoming bird.
The ice held only briefly, but it was enough. Diluc used the opening to roll away to safety. Kaeya's timely intervention had bought him a fraction of a second he desperately needed.
"You alright?" Kaeya called as he reached Diluc and offered a hand.
"I won't die yet," Diluc muttered, pushing himself to his feet without taking the hand.
"Brotherly love, truly," Su Mo quipped, stepping closer and clapping lightly.
If Kaeya hadn't acted, Su Mo would have spared Diluc anyway—he didn't want to truly hurt people; he just needed the system's mission completed. As for the Anemo Archon—Barbatos was proving much lazier than expected. No sign of him yet.
"You all right? Is everyone fine?"
Jean and Lisa had arrived, though strangely, Venti was nowhere to be seen.
"Isn't that Captain Jean? How about we make a deal?" someone shouted.
"A deal? What do you want?"
"Let me be your god."
"Don't be ridiculous. Only Lord Barbatos is our god!"
"In that case—come at me together. I'm in a hurry."
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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