A mere graze.
But Barbara had immediately rushed to him, panicked.
She had persisted.
Again and again, despite his protests.
Despite the fact that the wound was insignificant.
She had placed her hands on him, invoking her Hydro power, a soft, bluish light enveloping his body.
The sensation was soothing, almost warm, almost… reassuring.
And Noelle, nearby, watched intently, ready to intervene at the slightest sign of danger.
Even for a simple scratch…
They hadn't hesitated.
They had tended to him as if his life depended on it.
The memory faded.
Aether inhaled lightly.
Yes… Eula needed treatment.
He started to turn around, but…
Tap
A hand landed on his shoulder.
Firmly.
He froze.
Slowly… he turned his head.
And saw her.
Eula, she was standing behind him.
Eula: "No need."
Aether's eyes widened slightly.
Aether: "Eula…"
Behind him, Shenhe's expression changed immediately.
Harsh.
Icy.
His pupils contracted slightly, and a sudden tension coursed through his body.
The veins in his neck were barely visible, a sign of contained pressure.
Shenhe: "Tch."
A simple sound.
A simple sound, but thick with irritation.
Aether, however, only had eyes for Eula.
His attention was entirely focused on her.
Aether: "Huh... Hey, Eula... What about your..."
His voice broke, then his eyes slid down to her shoulder, to the spot where she had been struck.
Where Shenhe's blade had cut, blood was still visible.
A tear marked her clothing.
But the wound... which was supposed to bleed profusely, was completely...
...closed.
As if it had never existed.
Aether: "Wounds..."
A flash of insight crossed his eyes, like a sudden realization.
Eula… was even stronger than he had imagined, and Aether was happy to see that the woman who had confessed her love to him just moments before was in top form and more capable than he had thought:
Not just in combat.
But in her ability to endure, to resist, to rise again.
For a second:
The world seemed to fall silent.
And Shenhe and Eula's eyes met.
Shenhe: "..... "
Eula: ".... "
Face to face.
And
CCRRRRRRrrrrrrrrreeeeeee
The air split open.
Shenhe's Spirit Talisman appeared again, floating in the air, vibrating with a cold and oppressive energy.
The fight wasn't over.
Eula sighed softly.
Then, she spoke.
Eula: "I'm sorry, Aether."
Tap
She took a step forward.
Her gaze remained fixed on Shenhe.
Eula: "I didn't expect she has a shadow clone."
"I'm too careless... but luckily, the attack just now was Cryo."
She raised her arm slightly, as if testing its mobility.
Eula: "So I didn't take much damage."
A faint smile appeared on her lips, but this smile...
was anything but warm.
Eula: "Or maybe she thought she could beat me even though we have the same vision..."
A silence.
Then their gazes hardened.
Eula: "Thinking like that... it made me feel annoyed."
She inhaled slowly.
Then
Eula: "And wanting revenge."
A chill ran through the air.
Aether stepped back slightly.
He knew that tone, that word:
Revenge.
Always revenge.
But this time…
It was different.
Eula raised her hand and, with a sudden movement,
She tore off part of her garment at the shoulder.
The fabric gave way under her strength.
SCRATCH
Revealing her skin, marked by the scars of the fight.
FFFFFFFFfffffffffff
The wind blew.
Her hair rippled, and she raised her arm.
A bright, almost ecstatic smile spread across her face.
Eula: "VENGEANCE WILL BE MINE!!"
Her voice rang out.
She was Strong.
She was Proud.
She was Determined.
And opposite her, Shenhe's gaze grew even colder.
And her Talisman Spirit vibrated.
Ready.
Her body leaned slightly forward into an attack stance.
Her fingers tightened around her spear.
The ground beneath her feet cracked slightly.
Fush
And without warning, she vanished.
A flash of white.
A glacial trail.
She was charging.
Directly toward Eula.
But Eula—
hadn't moved, and at the last moment she pivoted.
Eula: "Nice try."
Her claymore traced a perfect arc in the air.
Eula: "But not for me."
SHIIIIIIING
The two attacks collided, creating a violent clash.
The ground trembled.
A shockwave swept across the surrounding area.
Aether, for her part, raised an arm to shield herself from the wind.
Their weapons slid against each other.
Their faces met within inches of each other.
And their gazes burned.
Eula forced her way slightly.
Pushes Shenhe back.
Then
She followed up.
A swift, powerful horizontal strike.
Shenhe ducked.
She dodged the blow and immediately countered.
Her spear shot towards Eula's abdomen.
SHIIIIIIING
But Eula took a step back, then two, and spun around, using the momentum to strike again.
Eula: "You fight well for someone who's alone."
Shenhe: "And you strike fast for someone who's injured."
Their weapons clashed.
CLASH
Again.
CLASH
And again.
CLASH CLASH
And again.
CLASH CLASH CLASH CLASH
And again.
Their movements became faster.
More precise.
Every attack was calculated, every defense meticulously planned.
Shenhe's Spirit Talisman swirled around her, sometimes intervening—
CCRRRRRRrrrrrrrrreeeeeeee
to deflect an attack.
Or creating an opening.
But Eula adapted.
She read her opponent's movements.
The fight became a dance.
The fight was violent.
The fight was magnificent.
The fight was deadly.
Aether, standing back, clenched her fists slightly.
Aether: "This is bad…"
They were completely absorbed in their confrontation.
Neither wanted to abandon this battle, not just for the sake of their rivalry and to impress Aether.
Tap
Shenhe leaped back, then raised her hand. The talisman shone brightly.
CCRRRRRRrrrrrrrrreee
The air turned icy.
Ice particles formed around her as she concentrated on her spear and prepared to launch a special attack.
Eula, for her part, lowered her center of gravity slightly.
She stood ready and attentive, a smile on her lips.
Eula: "Hehe"
Silence fell.
For a fraction of a second, the fight had entered a new phase.
By sheer willpower, neither of them backed down.
If a legend existed about this fight, it would surely be called the Cryo War, given that both warriors possessed Cryo Vision.
Their gazes locked, firm, determined, almost burning despite the coldness of the Cryo surrounding them.
CCCCCRRRRRrrrrrrreeee
Eula and Shenhe faced each other, each gripping her weapon.
A steel claymore for Eula.
A sky-blue spear for Shenhe.
Then
WOOSH
They charged.
Eula raised her sword, her movements fluid despite the weapon's imposing weight.
CCCCCRRRRRrrrrrreeeee
The air around her began to vibrate, charged with icy energy.
GLACIAL ILLUMINATION!
BOOM
In a wide, sweeping motion, she concentrated her Cryo energy, the blade glowing with an intense blue light.
The attack was massive, powerful, designed to crush any defense.
But Shenhe did not back down.
On the contrary,
She planted her foot firmly in the ground and raised her spear.
CLASH
The impact shook the earth.
The clash of the two icy energies created a wave that swept across the surrounding area.
The wind suddenly rose, whipping up dust and frost crystals.
Standing back, Aether gritted his teeth.
Aether: "I said enough…"
Her voice tried to cut through the commotion.
Aether: "It's useless to keep fighting because you both have the same vision."
But her words didn't reach their target in the same way.
Eula, on the other hand…
Smiled.
A slight, almost amused smile.
She eased the pressure slightly, then, in an unexpected gesture—
She grabbed Aether's hand with her left hand and before he even understood—
Aether: "…".
She pulled him towards her.
Her other hand went behind his back, holding him in place.
Aether's face flushed slightly, his body stiffening in surprise.
Eula sighed softly, as if annoyed… but playful.
Eula: "Sigh… you've been at Liyue for too long and forgotten something."
She leaned slightly towards him.
Eula: "I will take my revenge on you later."
The moment seemed suspended.
But behind them:
Something changed.
Shenhe's gaze turned dark, and the pupils of her light blue eyes narrowed dangerously.
Her breath grew heavier.
Shenhe: "GGGRRR…"
A raw tension.
Almost animalistic and without warning, she attacked.
Fush
With a leap, she launched herself forward, aiming directly at Eula.
A swift and violent frontal attack.
But just as she was about to connect,
Eula released Aether.
And, with an almost unreal fluidity, she spun him slightly around, as if in an elegant dance, before stepping aside.
A smile on her lips.
Eula: "Well…"
Shenhe was already arriving.
But… at the last moment—
Eula dodged.
A single step, a precise shift.
That seemed almost perfect.
Eula: "I know you're going to jump…"
Then
She shifted slightly again.
And revealed what lay behind her.
Fragments of Cryo crystals.
Prepared.
Placed.
Awaiting this moment.
CCRRRRrrreeeeeee
Eula chuckled softly.
Eula: "Hehe."
The crystals glowed, and a white light erupted.
Violent.
Blinding.
Shenhe was trapped.
Her eyes instinctively closed, but too late—
The light had already struck her.
Her world slowed, and everything became blurry.
Silent.
In that suspended moment, she understood: she had fallen into the trap and she would have to face the consequences.
And facing her—
Eula smiled.
A smile of pride, perhaps even… of amusement.
Eula: "Good."
Her claymore began to shimmer.
Cryo energy swirled around the blade, vibrating in harmony with her Vision.
The cold became denser, purer, as if the very air itself were submitting to her will.
She raised her sword.
Her two hands firmly gripping the hilt.
Her gaze fixed on Shenhe.
Eula: "I have the same vision as her…"
A breath, a tension.
Eula: "But my damage…"
The energy concentrated.
Her muscles tensed.
She focused all her strength into her arms.
And into her weapon.
SHING
She swung her claymore.
Not to slice
But to strike.
With the flat side.
Like a hammer.
Like a sentence.
FOUSH
The blade slammed down.
Eula: "IS... PHYSICAL!!!"
BAMM
At the last instant—
Shenhe raised her spear.
By reflex or instinct, though for an experienced warrior, there wasn't really any difference.
The impact was titanic.
The ground beneath her feet cracked instantly—
Then exploded.
BOOM
A shockwave rippled in all directions, lifting the earth, shattering stones, scattering ice crystals.
The sound echoed in the distance.
For what seemed like a long time.
The explosion caused by the collision of the two weapons had left behind a devastated landscape.
A huge cloud of dust and frost rose into the air, a mixture of shattered earth and icy particles.
FFFFFFFfffffffff
For a few seconds, everything disappeared behind this opaque veil.
Then
The wind blew.
Slowly.
And the curtain dissipated.
In the center of the crater, Eula stood straight.
Her right hand gripped the handle of her claymore firmly, its blade resting on her shoulder.
Eula: ".....".
Her breathing was slightly ragged, betraying the colossal effort she had just made.
Around her, the ground was fractured.
Shattered.
As if the earth itself had buckled under the force of her attack.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
Then she sighed.
Eula: "It's over."
Nearby, Aether remained motionless.
Mouth slightly open.
Unable to look away.
Aether: "..."
Her eyes slowly drifted to the other end of the battlefield.
There—
Shenhe lay on the ground—
Motionless.
Silent.
Eula turned her head slightly toward Aether.
Eula: "Hm, what's wrong?"
Aether didn't answer immediately.
Her gaze remained fixed.
Aether: "..."
Then, finally—
Aether: "What else...?"
"Look at Shenhe."
Eula raised an eyebrow slightly.
Without any real concern.
Eula: "She's just unconscious."
She slightly adjusted the position of her sword.
Eula: "I didn't use the sharp edge to attack her."
But Aether—
He considered this fight unnecessary.
Aether: "THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"
But Eula was already turning away as if she considered the woman on the ground a loser.
As if the subject no longer deserved her attention.
She began to walk.
Tap tap tap
The sound of her footsteps echoed on the cracked earth.
The plain stretched around them, not far from the Wangshu Inn.
A vast, open place… where a fight of this magnitude could easily go unnoticed.
Eula glanced slightly up at the horizon.
Eula: "Well… she must have passed out…"
But
She never finished her sentence.
Something changed.
Instantly.
The air became heavy, thick, oppressive.
An invisible pressure descended upon the area.
An indescribable mixture of emotions—
- Fear.
- Anger.
- Joy.
- And lust
And, dominating everything else—
Death.
Eula slowed down.
Her voice grew lower.
Eula: "…for a while…"
And behind her, Shenhe stood with her face bowed toward the ground.
Then she made a move.
Slow, silent.
Her head slightly lowered, her face hidden in shadow.
Eula reacted immediately, turning around.
Almost instinctively.
And her thoughts collided.
Eula: "Are you kidding me...?"
His gaze fixed on her.
Eula: "How is she still standing?"
A detail struck her.
Shenhe was barely moving.
Eula: "But she doesn't seem to be able to fight..."
A hesitation.
A fraction of a second.
Then—
Eula: "Never mind... now I have to focus..."
SHING
A shadow crossed her field of vision.
Too fast, almost invisible.
And Eula didn't even have time to react.
The blow that passed in front of her shocked her.
A sharp pain.
Her body buckled slightly.
And blood spurted from her side.
Near her abdomen.
Eula: "...?!"
Blood escaped her lips.
She coughed.
A red trickle ran down her chin.
And bits of red rope lay on the ground.
The shadow reappeared behind her.
Shenhe.
Eula staggered slightly.
Eula: "What... that's too fast..."
Her breath caught in her throat.
Eula: "There's no way to dodge that..."
She gritted her teeth.
Eula: "And..."
Her gaze trembled as she stared at the figure in front of her.
Eula: "The atmosphere around her had changed…"
A shiver ran through her.
Eula: "What is this creepy feeling…?"
Before her
stood Shenhe.
But…
This was no longer the woman she had faced, nor the one she had seen the day before.
This was something else.
Something far more dangerous.
Her posture was straight.
Rigid.
Almost inhuman.
Her white hair floated slightly, as if carried by an invisible energy.
But the most disturbing thing was the red marks that had appeared on her body.
They snaked along her skin, starting at her neck and descending to her chest, then rising again to her face like living fissures.
They pulsed faintly across her arms, legs, and—yeah, the rest of her body.
As if something were pulsing beneath her.
But what seemed most disturbing were her eyes.
They had changed.
Her pupils were thinner.
Deeper.
And a reddish glow seemed to dance within them.
Her eyes now had red pupils and irises, while their originally white outlines were now a deep black, comparable to the darkness of the abyss.
And in particular, two marks that flowed down the top of her face, from her eyes along her neck, disappearing beneath her clothes.
Flowed slowly down her face.
But she didn't even seem to notice.
Her expression:
Empty.
Completely empty.
No visible anger.
No rage.
Nothing.
And yet her aura screamed like uncontrollable violence.
A raw, ancient force.
Around her, the air seemed to twist.
As if the world itself rejected her presence.
An oppressive silence fell.
Even the wind seemed to have stopped.
Eula instinctively stepped back slightly to reposition herself in case Shenhe attacked her a second time.
For the first time, Eula hesitated.
A hesitation.
Shenhe: "..."
Nearby, Aether understood.
His eyes widened.
His breath caught in his throat.
Aether: "...No way..."
His gaze fixed on Shenhe, taking in the various red marks along his body, the change in his posture, and then he looked down at the ground to see...
The red cords.
Those invisible talismans that normally kept his emotions in check.
But now they were gone.
Or rather—
They had broken.
Aether gritted his teeth.
Aether: "The red ropes…"
Chapter 18: Eula vs Shenhe Round 1 (Part 2)
The End