But soon, the uninvited guests forced their way in.
The Bubblegum Squad and The Fair Lady exchanged glances. She fixed her gaze on Zhongli alone, trying to figure out what was going on. Zhongli, however, simply stood there, eyes serenely closed.
Huh?
You're the one who sent Snezhnaya's soldiers to die on that battlefield, and now you come here to break the plan yourself? This is the so-called God of Contracts?
Laughable!
All the Archons are this laughable!!
The Fair Lady's ample chest rose and fell with intensity. For the pure and noble ideals of the Tsaritsa, she was suppressing a five-hundred-year-old rage.
"Assist me. That is also part of the contract."
Perhaps anticipating her thoughts, Zhongli didn't open his mouth, yet his voice abruptly echoed within her mind.
"Hmph! And just what do you want?!"
"Shouldn't we be the ones asking that, The Fair Lady? As the Eighth Harbinger of the Fatui, what are you doing here?" Xingqiu raised his guard, revealing the identity of the woman before them to the others.
"The Fair Lady? So, there was a conspiracy!"
"Why are all those Fatui gathering? And what's that array for?"
"A bunch of yellow-haired brats, and they've still got time to worry about that?" Morax remained silent, but the noisy prattle of these little kids was irritating.
The Tsaritsa had repeatedly warned not to make an enemy of Morax, yet here he was, bringing a group of enemies with him, saying something cryptic about cooperating—and nothing else.
So then, if this was self-defense, no one could blame her, right?
Neither her heels nor her voluptuous figure hindered The Fair Lady's speed. In a flash, she replicated the same strike she had used on Venti back then—only this time, her target was the one standing in front: Hu Tao, the Head of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
She figured this was the person closest to Morax present. If she killed her, Morax's reaction would surely be interesting.
Just as The Fair Lady's hand was about to strike Hu Tao's chest—and a smug grin began to creep onto her face—she suddenly felt like her right hand had slammed into a steel plate, sending a jolt of pain through her arm.
"?"
"Unmovable as a mountain."
A voice, slightly delayed behind the combat action, came from Zhongli's mouth. Without anyone noticing, a nearly transparent ocher shield had enveloped the members of the Bubblegum Squad.
"Hmph!"
Sensing the danger, The Fair Lady quickly retreated.
She was inwardly alarmed. Morax's shield had activated faster than her ambush and had completely blocked her strike. She hadn't realized how troublesome it was—until she actually hit it. Maybe… she really couldn't defeat him...
As for Hu Tao, due to her height, all she saw was a pair of weapons suddenly appear in front of her—then vanish just as quickly.
"She's fast!"
"Be careful! The Fatui Harbingers draw power from the Cryo Archon. Without question, they can be considered Archon-Blessed. If not for Mr. Zhongli's shield… we wouldn't stand a chance." Xingqiu cast a serious look at Zhongli, who still stood calmly with his eyes closed, and continued explaining to the others.
"So, this is the power of an Archon-Blessed?" Hu Tao glanced down at her chest, then looked at The Fair Lady.
Her brows furrowed, and her sharp teeth clenched. Her plum blossom-shaped pupils widened from the shock and took on a seductive gleam. The Staff of Homa in her hands flared to life, and more fire butterflies swarmed around her, denser than before. A red mist, similar to Xiao's, began to swirl—she was powering up!
Upon seeing those fire butterflies, The Fair Lady's eyes sharpened.
"Heh… haha! Ridiculous! Playing with fire in front of me? Let me remind you who you're dealing with!"
She extended one arm across her chest and gently raised the other. A specially crafted Cryo Delusion materialized. The temperature on the entire floor plummeted, and within seconds, it rivaled Dragonspine's climate.
"I play with fire too! Guoba—flamethrower!"
Unexpectedly, it was Xiangling who struck first. She grabbed Guoba and hurled him right in front of The Fair Lady.
"What is…?"
Years of battle experience warned The Fair Lady of something unusual, but that was all—it was just a toy.
She kicked at it, but the bear-like figure dodged nimbly and spewed fire in retaliation. An automatic, nearly transparent, thick cryo shield enveloped her, blocking the flames.
"One after another… you can all… just die already!"
The Cryo Delusion pulsed with blinding light. From The Fair Lady's feet, huge, jagged ice spikes burst from the ground, blooming like flowers, rippling outward in waves.
Guoba fled in terror—it wasn't like Baron Bunny; once broken, it couldn't be remade.
But the Bubblegum Squad charged head-on into the frozen wave. Hu Tao and Xiangling led the assault, melting the ice spikes with blazing fire, the others close behind, pressing toward The Fair Lady.
Victor Wang thought to himself, I can't let The Fair Lady die here. If anything changes in Snezhnaya, it'll mess up the entire main storyline…
The rest of the squad, except for him and Zhongli, clearly aimed to take her down.
He suggested, "We should check what that array is for. If it's related to the God of the Vortex, we need to destroy it first!"
"That's a teleportation array. But where it leads, I don't know."
Zhongli finally spoke from the rear. He didn't want the Bubblegum Squad clashing with The Fair Lady more than necessary.
"Xingqiu, Chongyun—you two check it out. Your elements aren't suited for fighting The Fair Lady."
As squad leader, Hu Tao resumed her primary role and gave instructions.
"Got it!"
"Understood!"
Xingqiu and Chongyun nodded. As they pressed through the ice wave, they reached the teleportation array under cover from Hu Tao and Xiangling and stepped into it.
"If there's danger, come right back."
"Will do."
They were teleported away. Across from them, The Fair Lady could only watch helplessly. Then she realized something alarming—her attacks couldn't pierce Morax's shield. Those brats could stand in the middle of the ice waves like it was a bath and still be fine…
Damn it. Damn it!
Morax… just what are you planning?!
She waved her hand. Three massive spinning cryo chakrams flew toward Victor Wang, Hu Tao, and Xiangling. The more they dodged and weaved, the angrier she got. They didn't have to dodge—were they mocking her?
Nine tracking frost stars followed. After being dodged, they landed on the ground, blossoming into ice flowers before exploding, layering the floor in frost that slowed movement...
No matter. She would wear them down with temperature. That was a power that could pierce even shields.
"Fall into the freezing abyss!"
She raised her hands once more. Her Delusion squeezed out three massive spiral cryo lances that hung above, then smashed downward.
Hu Tao's hair nearly turned flame-red from the pyro energy. Unflinching, she raised the Staff of Homa and struck the lance head-on, shattering it. A heavy mist of ice scattered, thickening the cold air.
Xiangling used her flame wheel. Victor Wang barely blocked his with a sword, forced to retreat while the lance exploded on the floor.
After weathering the attack, the trio finally closed the distance to The Fair Lady.
"Hmph! Your efforts are pointless!"
At close range, The Fair Lady suddenly turned into a torrent of cryo energy and rose from the floor, landing swiftly behind Hu Tao. Though once a witch who disdained weapons, facing Morax's shield, she uncharacteristically drew a dense cryo blade and drove it toward Hu Tao's back.
"Ha!"
To her surprise, Hu Tao kept up with her speed. A backward slash from her left shoulder parried the blade. Her spear wasn't ordinary—its blood-red flame nearly melted the cryo blade. The Fair Lady had to pour more cryo energy into it just to keep it stable.
"You're not so special yourself!" Hu Tao taunted, her flame butterflies swirling up her spear and creeping toward the blade, vaporizing everything in their path, trying to breach The Fair Lady's cryo shield.
"You know nothing!"
The Fair Lady flung the cryo blade aside. The gap in her shield resealed itself, blocking the butterflies. "I wield the Tsaritsa's wrath and grace. That authority cannot be defied!"
She raised both hands in reverence. Above and below Hu Tao, ice crystals formed in a mirrored space, shaping into a giant mouth lined with icy fangs, ready to devour her whole.
Hu Tao planted her spear into the ground, trying to vault out of range—but the area was too wide.
"Hu Tao!"
Xiangling cried out, drained from the prolonged fight. Still, she flung her flame wheel toward Hu Tao, though it left her dizzy—the further her elemental energy traveled, the harder it was to control.
Victor Wang wasn't too panicked. After all, they still had Zhongli's shield…
But Zhongli's voice came from the back, right on cue: "My lady, the strain is too much. I can't hold it any longer."
Then, the Jade Shield on all three of them flickered twice—and disappeared.
"..."
Victor Wang quickly raised his hand, conjuring a gust of wind to blow Hu Tao out of danger.
"Vermin never know their place."
The Fair Lady's icy jaw remained poised to strike. Still in her reverent stance, the chill in the air began to rise, converging from floor and sky.
One wave of frost snuffed out Xiangling's flame wheel; another latched onto Victor Wang's wind, freezing it and creeping back toward him.
"Impossible!"
"Ignorant vermin. What do you know of elemental power? Wait… weren't you that one from the Church of Favonius? Never mind. You'll all die here regardless."
The Fair Lady cast a glance at Morax, unsure of his intentions. He had pulled back—was he really letting these brats die?
"So cold… so cold…"
Thick mist born of pure cold filled the room, sucking the warmth from every body within. Victor Wang's limbs began to stiffen.
Xiangling wasn't faring any better. Step by step, they were sinking into a glacial mire.
The Fair Lady gave a soft, unenthusiastic chuckle. Her palms clapped together with a sharp snap, and the icy mouth full of fangs snapped shut around Hu Tao. Meanwhile, the regenerated ice spikes, hidden within the mist, shot toward Victor Wang and Xiangling.