In the stands, Fidelle saw her contestant credential glowing faintly in her hand. She stowed it away and rose to her feet.
On the same side of the stands, Charlotte raised her camera and snapped a rapid series of photos. Fidelle turned her head and flashed a wide smile at the camera, her cold and alluring aura fully on display.
Charlotte captured the moment perfectly, admiring the photo on her camera screen before looking up and cheering:
"Go get 'em!"
Fidelle approached the edge of the stands, leaped directly onto Ring No. 4 in the Main Arena, drawing a roar of applause.
Fidelle would turn nineteen in another month, but her demeanor was remarkably mature and aloof, her eyes sharp as lightning. Just looking at her gave one a sense of pressure far beyond her age.
When Jiang Mumu created this avatar, she had modeled it after her own sister—the one who, despite being the younger sibling, was always mistaken for her older sister!
Fidelle's figure was tall and slender, radiating strength.
She wore a modified combat gown featuring metallic shoulder guards and bracers, crafted from advanced tear-resistant synthetic fibers, and adorned with intricate clockwork mechanisms on the bodice.
Her lower attire consisted of a high-slit combat skirt paired with asymmetrical, knee-high combat boots and skintight leggings.
The overall color scheme was violet, accented with golden stripes.
Her long hair was styled with side buns, leaving the central portion flowing loose. The hair color was a deep purple-black, with electric sparks crackling at the tips.
In short, she looked every bit the formidable Electro DPS.
At the same moment, Tartaglia realized it was his turn to enter the arena. Mirroring Fidelle's entrance, he leaped from the Main Observation Deck and landed gracefully on Ring No. 4.
-
In the live stream:
Since the perspective had always been Lumine's, this was the first time players were seeing Fidelle.
[The person from Fontaine is her! Aaaah, she's the Pure Soul of Fontaine!]
[he's the one who appeared after the Magic Siblings in "Travail"! No doubt about it—she's the Pure Soul of Fontaine!]
[Case closed, Chat! Zhongli and the others organized the Kaiyang Martial Summit to find the Pure Soul.]
[They must have figured it out by now, right?]
[You think everyone has our god-tier perspective? In Teyvat, the only way they seem to identify the Pure Soul is by birthday?]
[And Elemental Power, dreams, etc. Didn't Lumine confirm Angie's identity using Nahida's dream earlier?]
[For some reason, knowing that Tartaglia's opponent is her, I have a feeling there's about to be another brutal beatdown.]
[So far, every Pure Soul who looks like they can fight has proven to be a powerhouse. Qingge and Angie... can Tartaglia even stand a chance against either of them?]
[Hiss—poor Childe!]
On the Main Observation Deck, Ailina watched Fidelle exude an imposing aura. Though she knew Childe was also formidable, she couldn't help but feel a pang of worry.
Noticing Angie's unchanging expression beside her, Ailina asked, "Lady Angie, who do you think will win—Childe or that Fidelle?"
Angie stepped to the edge of the deck. "Brother might not be able to beat her," she replied.
In truth, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he likely wouldn't stand a chance.
"Eh?" Ailina hadn't anticipated such an answer. Could Fidelle really be that strong?
Angie smiled faintly, her gaze fixed on the Main Arena. Well, what can you do when your brother has such rotten luck?
But it's alright, there's always the resurrection match. I'm sure he'll fight his way back through that.
Kaeya, Rosaria, Amber, and the rest of the Mondstadt group were also watching intently. The Fatui Harbinger was undeniably powerful, and the Fontaine representative looked equally formidable. This battle promised to be spectacular.
Fischl's eyes sparkled as she watched the girl, feeling a sense of kinship she began hoping she would win. The Fatui had a terrible reputation in Mondstadt.
Meanwhile, Lumine and Paimon watched with rapt attention.
-
Ring No. 4.
Tartaglia: "One of my favorite things in life is sparring with strong opponents. You look quite formidable—I hope you won't disappoint me."
Fidelle: "Tartaglia, the Last-Ranked Fatui Harbinger, known as 'Childe.' I've heard much of your reputation. I hope you won't disappoint me either."
"Ha ha ha! You remind me of someone I know. I hope your strength matches hers too."
Tartaglia drew a longbow—Polar Star—and nocked an arrow, a water arrow rapidly coalescing on the string.
Mirroring Tartaglia's action, Fidelle also drew her bow—Adjudicator - Type Zero. Without flinching, she aimed at Tartaglia, the energy string humming as it charged with heart-stopping Electro power.
Fidelle's gaze was as cold as frost, as sharp as a blade, utterly devoid of warmth, focusing solely on her target with the primal focus of a hunter.
Almost simultaneously, both archers released their arrows—a water arrow against an Electro arrow. The elemental projectiles collided. Tartaglia's water arrow buckled first, shattered by Fidelle's thunderous strike.
The arrow hurtled forward, its force undiminished, aimed straight for Tartaglia's chest.
Tartaglia retracted his longbow, conjuring two Hydro Blades that crossed defensively before him, intercepting the incoming projectile.
After a tense two-second standoff, the arrow's energy was neutralized. Yet Tartaglia dared not relax, for in that brief moment, over twenty more arrows had already been launched, with purple electro streams following behind them.
Tartaglia felt a chill down his spine. Why does it look like a tentacle monster?!
He instantly switched to his Delusion form, surging through the arrow storm with lightning speed.
Fidelle's face lit up with admiration. It seems Tartaglia has indeed improved significantly.
Though Tartaglia emerged from the arrow storm unscathed, appearing effortless, only he knew how close he'd come to his limit.
"Aha! Now this is the kind of opponent I've been waiting for!"
Tartaglia roared with laughter, his fighting spirit growing even stronger.
He swiftly closed the distance to Fidelle. Facing such a formidable archer at long range would be foolish.
-
On the Main Observation Deck, Ningguang's sharp gaze remained fixed on the battlefield below.
Beside her, Keqing watched intently, her eyes unblinking. Childe, wielding his Delusion, also possessed the Electro Attribute, just like Keqing herself.
That move Childe had just executed, charging through the arrow rain, was something she wasn't sure she could have pulled off herself.
One mountain is always higher than another, the saying proved true once again!
Zhongli maintained his usual composed expression. With his keen eyes, he had long foreseen the outcome.
Venti and Rukkhadevata wore similar expressions. They had recognized the stark difference in strength between Childe and Fidelle, but they failed to perceive that Fidelle possessed a Pure Soul.
After all, such a thing didn't actually exist; it was all a fabrication by Jiang Mumu.
To perceive something that never existed in the first place—not even a god could accomplish that!
-
Fidelle naturally wouldn't let Tartaglia close in so easily. She drew back her longbow with all her might and released the string in an instant.
Whizz!
A blinding bolt of Electro tore through the air, hurtling toward Tartaglia with a sharp, piercing shriek. The lightning pierced through the dust in its path, leaving a fleeting trail of ionized particles.
Tartaglia rolled aside, his movements as swift as thunder. The spot where he had stood moments before was struck by the lightning, leaving behind flickering electric serpents.
After all, the Geo Archon's platform wasn't so easily damaged.