Zhongli remained seated, eyes closed in repose, unmoved from the spot at the foot of the stairs leading to this floor.
This journey was not of his own volition, but since Xingqiu suggested coming here, and Hu Tao insisted on seeking "revenge" against "Childe," it seemed impossible to talk them out of it… and he had no reason to stop them from coming either.
Knowing full well that The Fair Lady would show no mercy, he had no choice but to follow… even though his duties had already been fulfilled.
Only this once, unless Liyue itself faced annihilation, he had resolved not to act… That had been his plan.
After all, those gathered at the Northland Bank were originally meant to pressure the Qixing and the Adepti at the Jade Chamber. If they were defeated here, wouldn't that be akin to fighting shoulder to shoulder with the Qixing and the Adepti?
That would never do.
So, when facing the Fatui, he absolutely would not act. But The Fair Lady was never meant to be among the enforcers—so when facing The Fair Lady, he could act.
Yet The Fair Lady was temporarily his ally, and he didn't particularly want to strike.
Thus, he tried guiding the rest of the Bubblegum Squad toward the battlefield near the Jade Chamber. But The Fair Lady's attack came too quickly, and her follow-up too relentless. Neither side showed any intention of backing down.
Sigh.
Now Victor, Xiangling, and Hu Tao were all in danger. What was he supposed to do?
Remove the shield and stop caring, perhaps. After all, if someone is always protected, they'll never grow up.
BOOM—that massive, ice-fanged maw swallowed Hu Tao whole.
"Hu Tao!"
Once again, The Fair Lady was caught off guard. Xiangling had not, as expected, become frozen and pierced by icicles from exhaustion of her elemental energy. That toy bear—no one had noticed where it had gone—now unleashed a surge of flames, melting the ice spikes aimed at her, bringing warmth into the icy mist.
On the other side, Victor Wang did not allow the frost carried by the wind to freeze him. Though he could not wield Pyro, he could still cause diffusion.
'That portable elemental particle generator… it's too susceptible to external interference.' After much effort, the Pyro particles he created finally avoided being wiped out instantly by the ice mist. The fire ignited the wind and, shaped by it, entwined his sword. Thus, a flame-cloaked blade capable of cutting through the ice fog was born.
Victor Wang and Xiangling closed in from left and right toward the massive chunk of ice trapping Hu Tao inside.
"Die!"
The Fair Lady glanced at Zhongli. Seeing no response from him, she snapped her fingers.
Now, every particle composing the ice mist on this floor was her most obedient soldier. Upon receiving her command, they instantly formed countless ice blades that shot toward Victor Wang and Xiangling from the nearest positions.
Victor Wang's flaming sword extended a long tongue of fire that not only deflected the attacks aimed at him but surged through the ice mist, relieving pressure on the struggling Xiangling.
Guoba gave a grateful nod and added more fire to help boost Victor Wang's diffusion.
"Hu Tao!" Xiangling finally reached her.
"What are you yelling for? She's already dead. Don't you get it?"
"You can't even take us down. And you still dream of taking out Hu Tao?" Xiangling twirled her polearm and shot back.
"Hah! Sharp tongue. Finishing you off is only a matter of time. I'll send you to join her—"
Drip. Drip.
The Fair Lady looked uncertainly at the block of ice encasing Hu Tao. She heard water dripping but saw no cracks or leaks.
SPLASH!
Soon, there was no need to search for flaws. Inside the ice block formed by interlocked upper and lower ice spikes, a crimson hue emerged. It quickly melted the block from within. A cocoon formed of fire butterflies became visible.
Then, the fire butterflies burst apart and scattered like foragers, devouring all the ice mist on half the floor. From the cocoon, Hu Tao stepped out, unharmed.
"Seems like Zhongli doesn't want to meddle in this little brawl, so let's finish this quick!"
Exchanging a glance with the still-ready Victor Wang, Hu Tao dashed toward The Fair Lady, dragging her spear behind her.
"Pyre, pyre, pants on fire!"
She shouted as she threw the blazing Staff of Homa forward as a decoy. The Fair Lady blocked it with a thick wall of ice, but the real strike came from a blazing soul summoned from who-knows-where, which slammed into the side of her ice shield, thinning it dramatically.
Victor Wang followed close behind. His left hand held a Pyro-infused Erosion Blast, and though his right hand wasn't yet diffused—he couldn't spare the hand.
"Little Wen, Electro!"
The Wentian Sword rose on its own. From the crossguard, a trembling Electro particle floated out. Upon contact, the Erosion Blast in his right hand turned a deep, rich purple.
The fire-electro infused Erosion Blasts struck The Fair Lady's ice shield one after the other, fiercely wearing it down. But that wasn't all—upon impact, Victor Wang immediately leapt back. To leave her no time to react, he detonated both Erosion Blasts before fully retreating.
The blast of the swords themselves, combined with the explosive Overloaded reaction of Electro and Pyro—along with the melting of ice by fire and the superconductivity of Electro and Cryo—merged into a deafening boom. Then came the sound of something shattering. The Fair Lady's ice shield was broken.
The custom Cryo Delusion floating by The Fair Lady's side cracked with a clear snap, leaving a prominent fracture.
"You! You've made me! Really mad!"
Cryo energy became visible in the air, but the strange thing was—it wasn't being drawn in by her. It was being expelled from her body.
Soon, the swirling Cryo formed a massive block of ice, enveloping The Fair Lady. A vast energy within was stirring—The Fair Lady was reclaiming her fury.
At that moment, the teleportation circle flickered. Xingqiu finally returned. Still unaware of the situation, he called out, "This portal leads to the Jade Chamber! They're fighting the Vortex Archon and the Fatui there! Let's go help them!"
"And just leave The Fair Lady here?" Xiangling shook her head, unsure what to do.
"The Fair Lady can't beat the Overlord of the Vortex, can she? That thing's out to destroy the entire Liyue Harbor."
Hu Tao couldn't decide either. Who knew what The Fair Lady might do when she emerged from that ice—would she rampage and harm civilians?
"Master, you all go support the battlefield over there. I'll stall The Fair Lady. Shielding all of you takes too much energy, but with just me… I should be able to hold her off."
"…That's a Blessed by the Gods. Can you really handle her alone?"
"No problem. Defense is what I do best."
"Your shield is really something. We'll leave it to you, then."
"Liyue Harbor's in danger. Go now." Zhongli walked over, unhurried.
"If you can't hold out, just run!"
"Mm."
The Bubblegum Squad departed once more, leaving Zhongli alone as they stepped through the teleportation circle.
The Fair Lady, still encased in ice, had heard everything. She was unlocking the rage that had burned inside her for five hundred years—and now she was even angrier. Those pesky insects had run away!
Then you'll do as the target of her wrath, Morax!
The moment had come. The ice shattered. It had been so long since she took this form, but she found herself calmer than expected. She bellowed, "Morax! Is this what your contracts amount to?"
"The sole term of that one-sided contract was that you cooperate fully with me during this period. Though plans changed, this is still within its bounds, is it not?"
Indeed, this wasn't even the contract to hand over the Gnosis—it was the prelude to the contract that would lead to that.
The Fatui in Liyue Harbor had to obey the Geo Archon during this period. Once his business was concluded, the actual contract would take effect—and the price tied to the Gnosis would be paid by the Cryo Archon in the future.
"But you dare treat our soldiers' lives like child's play! You warned them of death, only to mock them like this!"
"Heh. If I weren't here in Liyue, would you have tried this so-called gentle method to obtain the Gnosis? Since I possess this strength, I'm allowed to act this way.
"And you should be thankful. Thanks to these kids causing a stir, your Fatui at least retain a presence in Liyue Harbor."
Recalling how the Fatui had stirred chaos in Mondstadt and how she herself had ripped the Gnosis from the Anemo Archon, The Fair Lady found herself at a loss for words in their defense.
Different sides, yes—but they had committed evil, and the Fatui acknowledged and bore that burden.
Still, she bit back. "Your strength? You mean that famous defense?"
"…Are you provoking me?"
"What if I am?"
"Seems the Fatui have grown arrogant. Time for a lesson—let me show you what true defense is."
Before the words had fully left his lips, Zhongli vanished from The Fair Lady's view. When he reappeared, a massive hand clamped down on her face.
BOOM!
The world spun wildly. Her head and back throbbed with pain. Yesterday's meal and her shattered consciousness and memories seemed to fly out of her body. The moth-like feelers broke, and her mask cracked apart.
The Fair Lady was slammed to the floor by a single strike.
To minimize the noise, the ground had been thoughtfully layered in deep ochre. That's the only reason it wasn't shattered.
A few breaths later, she regained awareness—only to feel overwhelming humiliation.
"Morax!" she howled, struggling to her feet, wiping blood from her mouth, only to see that man still standing calmly, arms crossed, unchanged.
"I don't like hitting women. So, consider this a small lesson."
"Morax!" Flames burst from The Fair Lady, blazing out of control—extreme heat following extreme cold.
But Zhongli merely frowned slightly. Lines of stone spines erupted from the ground, forming a tiny black room that The Fair Lady would spend a lifetime trying to break. "Calm down. Even if she tolerates her subordinates losing control, I'm sure she dislikes it in her heart."
"Morax! You know nothing! One day, Her Majesty's ideals will burn you to ash!"
"I'll be waiting."
No longer bothering with her, Zhongli turned to the teleportation circle, gave it a firm twist underfoot, and broke it.
Just in case someone tried to teleport back… or one of his old friends arrived. That would be too awkward.
On the stairs leading to this level, a few stray Fatui agents arrived. According to the original plan, these infiltrators would have perished in Osial's indiscriminate assault along with the Qixing and the Adepti, granting Liyue Harbor a period of peace.
But… never mind. A sudden eruption of stone pillars knocked all the new arrivals unconscious.