The clash between the Thunderclap and the longbow produced shattered violet sparks, like sudden lightning blooming in the void.
Childe chuckled lightly.
He knew that if he got entangled with this member of the Liyue Qixing, it would be difficult to claim the Gnosis. Ignoring them, he shattered the Thunderclap and attempted to continue his charge toward the Archon's body.
But Keqing would never allow him to have his way!
The moment her Thunderclap broke, Keqing instantly teleported in front of Childe.
With her Lion's Roar sword, infused with Electro energy from her Vision, she used the momentum of her mid-air spin to slash at him.
Childe hadn't expected such a move—his pupils shrank, and his entire body turned into liquid water, slipping away like a puddle splashing onto the ground.
Seeing this, Keqing, ever sharp, didn't immediately pursue. While still in midair, she summoned another Thunderclap and tossed it back toward Nolan and the others, teleporting back to them.
"He turned into water to evade?" Lumine stared at the puddle in front of them, lifting her hand and forming a fist in the air.
"Starfell Sword!"
A massive rock, created from Geo energy, rose from the ground, attempting to lift the water-based Childe back into view.
But the water merely splashed and dispersed—there was no sign of him.
"Foul Legacy: Devouring Whales!"
Nolan and Lumine aside, Childe knew well that the Yuheng of Liyue Qixing, Keqing, possessed strength comparable to his own.
Thus, he wasted no time with testing moves, unleashing a powerful ultimate attack right from the start.
A massive whale, formed from Hydro energy, leapt from the ground, its colossal body crashing down with the force of the ocean, aiming to crush the three of them.
Even someone as powerful as Keqing would be seriously injured if hit by this attack.
However, Childe's goal wasn't to antagonize Liyue. He just wanted the Gnosis. So while the whale's display of power was overwhelming, he held back some of its force. He believed that this would delay them long enough for him to claim the Gnosis.
"Damn it!"
Nolan was slightly taken aback by Childe's habit of throwing out ultimate moves right away.
"Get back!" Keqing warned.
Naturally, Nolan and Lumine had no intention of blocking the attack head-on.
Even if they could muster a wind elemental shield to withstand the blow, the energy depletion would be too severe to recover quickly.
That would leave Keqing and Lumine alone to face Childe, instantly increasing the pressure on them.
Just before the giant whale slammed down, Nolan and the others quickly retreated to the room's entrance, dodging the attack.
When they looked around for Childe again, they saw that his hand had already reached the body of Rex Lapis' body. Somehow, his hand seemed to be phasing into the Archon's body.
"Damn it!"
Lumine instinctively wanted to stop him, but it was then that she realized they were too far away. By the time their attacks landed, Childe would have already secured the Gnosis and escaped.
"Tch!"
Keqing gritted her teeth, her Lion's Roar sword glowing with Electro energy. Her body flickered with violet light as she dashed toward the Archon's body, moving like a bolt of lightning.
Nolan knew that although Childe had already touched the Archon's body, it seemed like even with increased speed, it might be too late to stop him.
But for Nolan, this wasn't much of a problem.
The moment Childe's hand touched Rex Lapis' body, translucent, tangible mental tendrils emerged from the surrounding space.
First, they wrapped around Childe's feet, then the hand that was about to phase into the Archon's body, and finally, his waist.
Gradually, these translucent threads completely bound Childe like a tightly wrapped zongzi, attempting to squeeze him into unconsciousness.
Seeing that Childe had failed to secure the Gnosis, Keqing let out a sigh of relief.
She stopped, and her flowing ribbons and twin tails finally settled down.
Her violet eyes watched as Childe remained partially visible through the translucent threads.
Though Keqing wished that this troublesome Childe could be so easily subdued by Nolan, logic told her otherwise.
As a Harbinger of the Fatui, his abilities wouldn't end here!
As expected, a few seconds later, visible arcs of violent electricity began surging from within the threads that bound Childe.
"Has he activated his Delusion?" Keqing murmured.
Ordinary people couldn't wield multiple elemental powers like Lumine, who had a unique physique, so when someone displayed such abilities, it was usually due to a Delusion.
And if that person was a member of the Fatui, it was almost certain.
For instance, Nolan's own Pyro Delusion had also come from the Fatui, though he had it modified by Lisa to be used without side effects.
Now that Childe had activated his Delusion, it meant he was getting serious.
The fierce Electro energy surged against the translucent threads, sending a numbing sensation back to Nolan's mind.
As he felt the threads weakening under the electrical onslaught, Nolan decided to act before suffering any backlash.
With a forceful gesture, he flung Childe towards the nearby wall. With a loud bang, Childe crashed into the solid rock like a falling comet, sending up a thick cloud of dust and flickering lightning.
"Very good, very good. It's been a long time since I was last injured like this!"
Childe brushed off the surrounding dust with a wave of his hand. Now, he wore a mask on his face, and instead of his longbow, he was holding a weapon resembling a javelin.
Now he understood.
If he didn't take care of these nuisances first, it would be hard for him to obtain the Gnosis. That was fine—being sent to Liyue for diplomatic work was always a poor fit for a warrior like him.
Childe had been itching for a fight!
"You first!"
Childe's eyes locked onto Nolan, the unassuming young adventurer who had caused him so much trouble. He had already touched Rex Lapis' body, mere moments away from claiming the Gnosis, but this guy had stopped him.
Therefore, this nuisance had to be taught a lesson.
Nolan's golden Eye of Judgement focused on Childe, who had raised his power to level 78 with his Delusion. Sensing the danger, Nolan wisely activated his wind-elemental shield.
"Heh, all defenses are futile before absolute power," Childe sneered.
In a flash of Electro energy, Childe disappeared from sight. When he reappeared, his javelin was already stabbing towards Nolan's wind shield.
However, to Childe's surprise, the shield didn't shatter upon impact. Instead, the wind and Electro elements clashed violently, seemingly at a standstill.
How could this be?
(End of Chapter)
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