Today, Liyue was cloudless, its azure sky pristine and clear.
The grandstands overflowed with spectators, their cheers and applause echoing across the arena as they rooted for their favored contestants.
Qingxu's parents had been coming every day during this period. Their daughter was participating in such a dangerous competition, and they couldn't help but worry.
In truth, their concerns were unfounded. With Zhongli watching over her, it would be difficult for Qingxu to even get a scratch.
A total of fifty-eight contestants were participating in today's arena battles. Mondstadt's Kaeya and Rosaria were prominent among them. Liyue still had Qingxu, Beidou, and several wandering swordsmen. Inazuma's Kujou Sara was still holding her own, alongside Kazuha and a handful of samurai.
Sumeru's Cyno and Dehya hadn't faced particularly strong opponents yet. Fontaine retained Fidelle and two wild allogenes with Visions. Natlan had only Chasca remaining, while Snezhnaya was represented by Tartaglia, Angie, and several Fatui agents.
Soon, the randomized match pairings were announced, and the first round promised immediate fireworks.
Tartaglia was pitted against Inazuma's Kujou Sara, while Lumine found herself facing Kaeya.
"Lumine, you're up against Kaeya?!"
Lumine sighed in resignation. The very scenario she'd hoped to avoid had come to pass.
At that moment, Lumine was with the Mondstadt team: Kaeya, Rosaria, Amber, Razor, and others were gathered together.
Kaeya chuckled wryly. "Never thought it would come to this. Well then, let's settle this with our blades."
"Alright," Lumine replied.
"Go, Lumine! Go, Kaeya!"
Lumine couldn't help but smile at Paimon. Whose side is this little one on, anyway?
-
Soon, the first wave of competitors had all arrived at their respective arenas.
The atmosphere at Tartaglia and Kujou Sara's arena was noticeably cold.
Kujou Sara's gaze was icy. The Fatui had brought nothing but negative influence to Inazuma, and her humiliating defeat at the hands of La Signora in Tenshukaku had only deepened her animosity toward them.
Having witnessed Tartaglia's battle against Fidelle, Kujou Sara was well aware of her own limitations. She likely couldn't defeat him.
Tartaglia reminded her of La Signora—such formidable strength shouldn't belong to someone ranked last among the Harbingers.
Shaking her head, Kujou Sara banished these thoughts.
With so few competitors from Inazuma participating, if she lost, everything would rest on Kazuha's shoulders.
As the Shogunate General, she couldn't afford to tarnish Inazuma's honor, nor the reputation of the Shogun herself!
Kujou Sara struck first, drawing her longbow to its full draw. A furious surge of Electro Element Energy coalesced into a hissing purple lightning arrow, aimed directly at Tartaglia across the arena.
"Let me experience the prowess of the Shogunate General!" Tartaglia declared, his laughter echoing freely as his twin water-blue blades danced in his hands.
Before his words could fully escape his lips, Kujou Sara's fingers released, and a thunderbolt arrow tore through the air, hurtling toward Tartaglia's face in an instant.
Tartaglia dodged swiftly, his blades intersecting to unleash a rapidly spinning Hydro Blade Vortex that precisely intercepted the thunderbolt arrow.
Boom!
Electro energy exploded, sending water droplets flying.
Kujou Sara retreated rapidly, her bowstring vibrating continuously as multiple homing thunderbolt arrows wove a lightning-laced net, blocking Tartaglia's advance.
Yet Tartaglia charged forward with unrestrained laughter, his blades dancing to form a swirling water barrier that deflected the arrows while surging currents crushed the thunderbolts.
Defying the storm of lightning, he pressed forward relentlessly, closing the distance at an alarming rate!
A fierce glint ignited in Kujou Sara's eyes as Electro Element energy surged around her, coalescing into a single arrow of pure, destructive lightning. The air crackled with power as the arrow materialized, its oppressive aura shaking the arena to its core.
"Not bad!" Tartaglia's eyes burned with battle lust. Just as the thunderbolt arrow left the bowstring, he fused his twin blades into a spear and lunged forward with a savage thrust!
A condensed, high-speed spiraling water spear shot forth, piercing straight into the bow's frame.
Boom—!!!
Electro and Hydro clashed violently!
Tartaglia's water spear, infused with piercing spiral force, tore a path through the raging Thunderbolts.
Splat! The spear struck the bow's center with brutal force.
Snap—!
The bowstring snapped with a sharp, ear-splitting crack.
The immense force coursed through the bow and into Kujou's nine arms, searing pain tearing through her limbs. She stifled a groan and staggered backward, the longbow slipping from her grasp, faint arcs of residual electricity crackling weakly.
Tartaglia retracted his Hydro Blade, his smile softening slightly as he observed Kujou Sara, her spine ramrod straight despite the agony.
"Combat truly brings the greatest pleasure, General Kujou," he remarked, clasping his hands behind his back. The lingering sting of Electro Element energy in his fingertips silently testified to his opponent's exceptional skill.
Kujou Sara gritted her teeth, retrieved the broken bow, and retreated from the arena.
She had anticipated defeat, but never imagined it would be so utterly crushing...
Truly, I've disgraced Inazuma and the Shogun!
-
Angie clicked her tongue on the viewing platform. She couldn't understand why her brother always chattered incessantly during fights—she much preferred to let her actions speak for themselves.
To Angie, Tartaglia's victory over Kujou Sara was entirely predictable.
While Kujou Sara possessed formidable overall abilities, her individual combat prowess wasn't particularly outstanding. This was evident in the Inazuma main storyline, where La Signora effortlessly defeated her.
As one match concluded, another raged on. Lumine and Kaeya were locked in a fierce duel.
On the arena floor, Kaeya moved with eerie grace, elegantly sidestepping and gliding across the ice. His Cryo sword traced fluid arcs before him, precisely parrying each of Lumine's slashing attacks.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The crisp, metallic clashes echoed through the arena in rapid succession.
Kaeya wasn't merely defensive; his Cryo sword occasionally darted out like a viper's tongue, striking with piercing accuracy and bone-chilling cold.
The battle unfolded at breakneck speed, their figures weaving in and out of each other across the arena.
Lumine's attacks grew increasingly relentless, her sword strokes broad and sweeping, relying on brute force to overcome finesse.
After parrying a swift thrust, Lumine instantly shifted her stance, sweeping her blade horizontally in a wide arc that whipped up a powerful gust of Anemo!
Kaeya, a descendant of Khaenri'ah's survivors, possessed formidable strength. But as before, even his might couldn't match Lumine's fury, fueled by the deaths of her many friends.
To grow stronger, Lumine had constantly sought out sparring partners during her travels. She now wielded four elements and had spent a considerable number of Primogems, significantly restoring her power.
The Lumine of the present was far stronger than the Traveler depicted in the original storyline. This time, she had come specifically to claim the championship, making Kaeya no match for her.
Sensing the moment was right, Lumine stomped her foot, and a barrage of Geo Crystals erupted from the ground, converging on Kaeya from four directions.
Kaeya leaped into the air, but Lumine channeled Electro Element Energy, sending Thunderbolts crashing down. Trapped mid-air with no leverage, Kaeya resorted to offense as his only defense, clashing his concentrated Cryo against the domineering Electro Element Energy.
Using the recoil from the clash, Kaeya vaulted out of the Geo Crystal's range and landed gracefully.
His ice sword didn't point at Lumine. Instead, with a crisp snap of his fingers, the blade shattered into stardust and vanished.
Lumine's attack froze mid-swing, her sword tip hovering in the air as she regarded him with puzzlement.
Kaeya spread his hands, his smile remaining composed:
"If we continue, I'm afraid my newly tailored uniform will be ruined."
During his struggle against the Thunderbolts, Lumine had merely watched. Had she pressed her attack then, he would likely have been forced to make a humiliating retreat.
"To think you've grown this strong in just over a year, Traveler..."
Lumine: "I've merely reclaimed some of the power that was originally mine. Besides, this is still far from enough..."