"Truly impressive, Cocolia's aura... Hah, she looks overwhelmingly powerful just at a glance." On the Celestial Screen, Stelle, gripping her baseball bat, was already itching for action. The hot-blooded scene even made Tartaglia unconsciously rub his hands in anticipation: "I really want to fight this woman once."
Unlike the battle-obsessed Harbinger whose muscles seemed to occupy his brain, Zhongli remained utterly calm. Seizing the moment when Tartaglia was distracted, he even subtly picked the most perfectly marbled piece of Qingquan Forest pork from the bowl, gently blowing off the steam.
As the oldest and most combat-capable god in Teyvat, Zhongli knew very well that the greatest respect one could offer toward a battle of this level was...
"Xiangling, two more bowls of rice, please."
"Coming right up, Mr. Zhongli!"
Watching the Geo Archon bury himself in his meal, Tartaglia, who was specifically responsible for paying this time, showed a puzzled expression: "Mr. Zhongli, aren't you interested in the fight between Stelle and Cocolia?"
"Hehe, such a rare spectacle—of course I'm interested," Zhongli replied with a smile.
"Then who do you think will win, Stelle or Cocolia?" Tartaglia leaned forward slightly, curiosity evident.
"Hmm..." Zhongli gave his honest opinion. "Stelle might have a slight edge."
"Then what about if I fought Cocolia—who would win?" Tartaglia grew even more curious.
"..." Zhongli's chopsticks paused mid-air for a few seconds before he sighed. "...That would undoubtedly be a dull fight."
"Is that your view? How disappointing, Mr. Zhongli. Though I admit Cocolia is stronger than me, that's precisely why I'd want to challenge her... Only by fighting those far stronger can my combat skills improve."
"Take my master, for example. In the past, she'd only use one hand against me. But after all these years, I think she might finally get serious and use both hands to deal with me."
"So, Mr. Zhongli—"
Mid-sentence, Tartaglia's stomach let out a timely growl. He finally realized he was a bit hungry. But just as he picked up his chopsticks to grab some food, he found the plate of forest pork completely empty.
Looking up, he saw Zhongli's usually unshakable face wearing a rare expression of satisfaction.
"Oh... What were you saying earlier? I was listening."
——
["Witness its power!"]
[The blizzard wrapped around Cocolia like a white cocoon, her silhouette faintly visible beneath a layer of frost. Yet when the storm dispersed, revealing her true form, the sight of her nearly inhuman appearance sent chills down the spine.]
[Her once composed and elegant demeanor had vanished, replaced by a body encased in unyielding ice. A crown of icicles adorned her head, four frozen spears floated around her, and the few exposed parts of her body were as dark and fathomless as the cosmos.]
[Most strikingly, her face no longer bore any trace of human features.]
[The surging power made Cocolia's voice tremble with excitement: "Listen... to this power flowing... singing... The promise granted by the Stellaron is this world's only hope."]
["Seven hundred years ago, it repelled the Antimatter Legion—today, it will erase your very existence!"]
[However, Stelle had no patience for monologues. After listening to Cocolia ramble for so long, it wasn't like she didn't have a Stellaron of her own.]
[Gripping her bat, Stelle prepared to give Cocolia a good whack right then and there.]
["Heh... Humans—always weak, always foolish, always overestimating themselves!"]
[Cocolia's mocking laughter rang through the air almost eagerly.]
[Simultaneously, a dense, shrieking noise approached from the horizon. Stelle looked up to see countless translucent icicles flying toward her like a swarm of locusts, gathered and directed by Cocolia's power.]
[A bone-chilling cold surged violently around Cocolia.]
"Apologies, Lord Sukuna... My Ice Formation techniques pale in comparison to hers." Beside Sukuna, Uraume bowed slightly, a hint of remorse in their expression.
"Mmm, I see."
The playful smirk on Sukuna's face had completely vanished.
He knew very well that Uraume's abilities far surpassed those of a Grade 1 sorcerer.
Under normal circumstances, Uraume could create iceberg-like phenomena with just a light breath—such power was exceedingly rare even a thousand years ago. Yet now, for the first time, Sukuna saw Uraume lose confidence in their own Ice Formation techniques...
With just a slight raise of her hand, Cocolia summoned an endless blizzard, wielding "techniques" far surpassing Ice Formation without showing any signs of exhaustion... And yet, Cocolia was merely human—a mortal who had lived only a few decades. Her power came entirely from that tiny seed cast by the Destruction Aeon...
The Stellaron.
Sukuna could sense that this was but a minuscule manifestation of an Aeon's power—like the tip of an iceberg peeking from the ocean's depths.
Unlike the fleeting glimpse of Destruction he'd felt before, this time, Sukuna truly perceived an insurmountable chasm before him—one that no refined curse technique could bridge, a gap impossible to close even with a lifetime of effort.
It was as if he could faintly hear the words hidden beneath that gaze. Naked and bloodstained... like a taunt.
["—You are merely a mortal born in a world without Aeons."]
[After a prolonged struggle, Cocolia seemed to have run out of patience. With a clap of her hands, a lance shot forth, piercing straight through Stelle's chest!]
[Stelle's eyes widened. The moment the lance struck, she felt her body growing lighter, time slowing, even Cocolia's grin became eerily silent...]
[From the perspective of countless onlookers, Stelle's body plummeted from the heights like a kite with severed strings.]
[...]
[Stelle slowly opened her eyes, only to find herself no longer on Jarilo-VI. Cocolia and the Engine of Creation had vanished, and even Dan Heng and March 7th were nowhere to be seen.]
[It was as if she were caught in a whirlpool of stars—spiral galaxies swirling around a golden core, forming a bizarre spectacle.]
["Is this... space?" Stelle looked around, gazing at the distant flowing starlight—the scene was all too familiar.]
["Wasn't I just fighting Cocolia? Why am I here?" Suddenly, she remembered—the last time she was here, Nanook the Destruction had glanced at her.]
[That time, she'd also been struck head-on by the Doomsday Beast's laser, teetering on the brink of death...]