Caught off guard and facing a formidable opponent, Tartaglia still managed to evade the attack thanks to his body's reflexive reaction.
He immediately leaped back, summoning two Hydro Blades into his hands.
Now he could see his attacker clearly: a veiled figure, likely a young woman judging by her build.
Sensing the thick Geo Elemental aura emanating from her, Tartaglia grew increasingly excited.
"Interesting! I didn't expect a formidable opponent to come knocking so soon after the Judgment!"
"Perfect timing. I've been feeling cooped up lately. Let's stretch our muscles together!"
The opponent remained silent, responding to Tartaglia's challenge with a heavy, razor-sharp attack.
Tartaglia crossed his two Hydro Blades to block the claymore's strike, his shoulder dipping slightly under the impact.
Sensing the opponent's terrifying strength, Tartaglia twisted his body to neutralize the remaining force while simultaneously trying to throw the opponent off balance.
But the opponent's stance remained rock-solid, unaffected by Tartaglia's maneuver. They effortlessly intercepted his attack.
Tartaglia grew increasingly exhilarated. The opponent's strength exceeded his expectations. Only by facing such formidable foes could he continue to hone his skills.
"Not bad, not bad. I'll provisionally acknowledge your strength."
"Now, how about this?"
Retreating, Tartaglia merged his two Hydro Blades into a single blade. A Hydro Elemental bow materialized in his hand, the string drawn taut, and a powerful Hydro Elemental Power radiated from his body.
A massive pillar of water, imbued with immense Hydro Elemental Power, descended from the heavens. His opponent braced himself, holding his claymore before him as slabs of bedrock coalesced into a sturdy shield.
A deafening roar echoed through the streets. Tartaglia's grin widened, and with a flicker of movement, he teleported several meters away.
Just then, a Geo Elemental shockwave pierced through the spot where he had stood moments before.
Evading the attack, Tartaglia didn't pause. He leaped high into the air, executing a powerful aerial shot. The Hydro Bow transformed back into twin Hydro Blades, and Tartaglia's figure blurred across the battlefield with lightning speed.
Seizing the opportunity, Tartaglia unleashed the most devastating attack in his current form.
To Tartaglia's utter surprise, his full-force strike was blocked.
The girl braced her hands against the claymore, then shoved forward with overwhelming power, sending Tartaglia staggering backward several paces.
He nearly lost his footing under the terrifying force, but managed to regain his balance by leaping back two steps.
Compared to their initial clash, her strength had surged far beyond his expectations.
Tartaglia could sense her suppressed fury, a burning desire to utterly destroy him.
Though he couldn't fathom the source of this animosity or what grudge she held against him, it didn't matter—they would settle it in battle first!
"This is exhilarating! You possess such formidable strength!"
"Looks like I'll have to get a little serious now."
Tartaglia finally activated the power of his Delusion, unleashing an ominous black aura that enveloped him.
Moments later, he emerged from the darkness, wielding a spear crackling with Electro energy.
"Round two begins now!"
With a thunderous surge of power, Tartaglia charged forward like a lightning strike, his speed far surpassing his earlier strikes. The air exploded with a thunderclap as he lunged at his opponent.
To Tartaglia's surprise, just as his attack was about to strike, an intensely searing aura erupted from his opponent, instantly vaporizing the rain falling from the sky. This was followed by an explosive shockwave that slammed into Tartaglia.
A thunderous explosion reverberated through the street as the Electro and Pyro Elements collided, unleashing devastating power.
Caught completely off guard, Tartaglia was blasted backward, his mind already beginning to shut down before he even hit the ground.
Mastering two Elemental Powers at once? That's cheating!
Tartaglia immediately recalled a certain yellow-haired adversary, whom he had also lost to due to their dual Elemental mastery.
His body crashed heavily into the ground, cracking the pavement upon impact.
History seemed poised to repeat itself, and Tartaglia burst into laughter.
"Magnificent! Absolutely magnificent! You're worthy of my full power!"
"Let's fight to our hearts' content! Just try not to die on me!"
Without hesitation, Tartaglia activated his Foul Legacy transformation. His opponent, however, showed no intention of allowing him an easy transformation. Standing firm, he swung his claymore, sending chunks of molten lava hurtling toward Tartaglia's position.
Dull thuds echoed incessantly, but these alone couldn't interrupt Tartaglia's transformation. Just as Tartaglia was about to enter his Foul Legacy form, a voice suddenly cut through the air.
"That's enough, Monsieur Neuvillette."
"Neuvillette?"
Tartaglia was momentarily stunned by the name, but then he sensed an overwhelmingly familiar, terrifying power erupting nearby.
He barely managed to turn his head before a torrent of water filled his entire field of vision.
Damn it! Couldn't you wait until I finished transforming?!
As this final thought flashed through his mind, a massive column of water slammed into Tartaglia. Unable to react, he was hurled backward, his incomplete Foul Legacy form instantly dispelled.
Finally, Neuvillette withdrew some of his power, allowing the water column to sweep Tartaglia back to the ground.
The overwhelming force pinned Tartaglia to the ground, his mind going momentarily blank.
When he regained consciousness, he found himself surrounded by a crowd of enraged people.
"It's him! There's no mistake—he was the one that night!"
"That voice, those techniques, that appearance—it's all him!"
"Damn it! Did we wrongly accuse Monsieur Grett?!"
Tartaglia was completely baffled by the crowd's accusations.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"Don't play dumb!" a crisp female voice rang out. As it did, the crowd's accusations gradually quieted, and all eyes turned to the approaching figure.
Navia had already removed her veil, her beautiful eyes blazing with fury as she glared at Tartaglia sprawled on the ground.
"Even if you try to deny it now, it's no use!" she declared.
"Your strength is undeniable. So that's why Teacher Grett lost to you back then."
"Then you threatened him with something, forcing him to take the blame for you!"
Tartaglia couldn't make sense of Navia's accusations.
"Miss, I have no idea what you're talking about. I believe this is our first meeting?" he countered.
"Besides, I've never even been to Fontaine before, so there's no way I could be the person you're accusing me of being."
"Even in this dire situation, you still refuse to confess, Tartaglia!"
Clorinde emerged from behind Navia, her cold gaze fixed on Tartaglia.
This man released a suppressed god in Liyue, nearly causing Liyue Harbor to be destroyed by the Overlord of the Vortex Osial.
If he's the same madman who wreaked havoc in Fontaine earlier, then this act is perfectly in line with his nature.
"Don't you understand yet? We deliberately set this trap for you to strip away any pretense of justification."
Melus and Silver joined Navia's side, their gazes fixed on Tartaglia with equal fury.
"While you were lost in the thrill of battle, recklessly displaying your power to us, you sealed your own doom!"
"Everyone present here witnessed you that night, some even clashed with you."
"Every person here can testify and accuse you of your crimes."
"Tartaglia, there's no escape!"
Navia leveled her claymore at Tartaglia, her hand trembling with the urge to unleash her fury upon him. Yet, reason ultimately prevailed.
"Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?"
"I swear, this is my first time in Fontaine!"
"What's with you Fontaine people? Are you just out to get me or something?!"
Tartaglia was seething inwardly. Just look at what had happened since he arrived in Fontaine:
He couldn't get his funding and was immediately dragged into a murder case.
Then Arlecchino backstabbed him, nearly getting him killed by Neuvillette.
Pantalone then stabbed him in the back, almost landing him in jail.
All his subordinates had been thrown into prison, and now they were waiting for him to break them out.
And now they'd mistaken him for someone else and surrounded him.
This was his first time in Fontaine! Who had he possibly offended to deserve this?!
"You can disguise your voice and fake your physique, but the power you wield cannot lie."
"We've clashed before, haven't we? Have you already forgotten? I'll never forget that night!"
Navia declared with unwavering certainty. Hearing her words, the crowd nodded in agreement, glaring at Tartaglia with burning hatred.
This was the man who had forced Monsieur Grett to die in disgrace!
This was the man who had taken Monsieur Grett away from them forever!
He must have threatened their lives, forcing Monsieur Grett to take the fall for him!
They couldn't even begin to imagine what thoughts were going through Grett's mind as he generously faced his death in those final moments.
What haunted them most was the realization that many of them had felt betrayed and deceived, their respect and affection for Grett turning into hatred and rage.
Now that the truth had come to light, they felt utterly ashamed.
This tangled web of emotions finally found its outlet in Tartaglia.
They would avenge Monsieur Grett!
"If you have any defense, save it for the Judgment, Monsieur Tartaglia," Navia said coldly, glaring at him.
"Since you're in Fontaine now, you'll face Fontaine's laws."
"This time, I'll personally escort you to hell!"
-
"Monsieur Tartaglia, we meet again."
Still somewhat dazed, Tartaglia shook hands with Attorney Qiang.
"Heh, although I did say I hoped you'd entrust your next case to me right away, I certainly didn't expect it to come so soon!"
The corner of Tartaglia's mouth twitched, and it took him a moment to reply.
"To be honest, I didn't expect it to be so soon either."
"This time, I'm relying on you again, Attorney Qiang. I'm truly innocent!"
Tartaglia looked at Attorney Qiang with pleading eyes. Now that things had come to this, he had no choice but to entrust his fate to this incredibly reliable lawyer.
However, hearing his words, Attorney Qiang spoke with reluctance.
"I'm sorry, Monsieur Tartaglia."
"The evidence against you this time is overwhelming, and there are dozens of witnesses. Even I can't get that many people imprisoned at once."
Tartaglia: "???"
"Ahem, what I mean is, this case is incredibly difficult and leaves no room for doubt. Therefore, I'm not prepared to accept your commission."
Hearing Attorney Qiang's words, Tartaglia's expression darkened.
"Is there really nothing you can do? But I'm innocent!"
"Monsieur Tartaglia, every criminal before you has said the same thing... Please don't take offense, but the evidence against you is overwhelming. However, you can still place your hopes on other avenues."
"For example, the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale. If you're truly innocent, it will deliver the fairest judgment."
"Of course, I strongly advise you to find a way to contact the Fatui. If Snezhnaya intervenes in this case, you might still have a chance to leave this prison alive."
Tartaglia: "..."
Watching Attorney Qiang's retreating figure, Tartaglia felt utterly deflated.
If even a professional believed his chances were slim, how could he possibly struggle against this?
As for placing any faith in Fontaine's Oratrice? He might as well start planning a prison break with his subordinates right now.
The Judgment hadn't even begun, but the audience was already buzzing with excitement and speculation.
"So, the Fatui Harbinger was the mastermind behind all those terrifying incidents in Fontaine!"
"Oh my god, did we wrongly accuse Monsieur Grett?"
"I never expected such a shocking twist! Tomorrow's newspapers will be sensational!"
"The Fatui? That's exactly the kind of thing I'd expect from them."
-
"Silence! Silence!"
Neuvillette's voice cut through the rising clamor, restoring a semblance of order to the courtroom. Once the crowd had gradually quieted, he spoke slowly and deliberately:
"We are now conducting a public trial regarding Monsieur Tartaglia's heinous crimes in Fontaine six months ago, including the serial suicide case and the Crimson Sea incident."
"I declare that Judgment now begins!"
"Court is now in session!"
Neuvillette struck his cane against the floor, instantly transforming the atmosphere into one of solemn gravity.