In the clearing in front of Wangshu Inn, Childe and Signora stood facing each other. Signora scanned the Fatui agents surrounding them. From their bearing, she could tell they were quite capable.
"What's this, Childe? Realizing you can't win on your own, so you're relying on numbers?"
"Ants are still ants. Even if they all attack together, they'd only be adding to the body count."
Childe had been the one to arrange this meeting, so Signora had brought very few subordinates. Meanwhile, Childe had brought his own elites to move the coffins. After finishing that task, they hadn't left but had rested near the inn, keeping an eye on the coffins so no one would steal them.
Now that their master was about to fight Signora, they immediately surrounded her. They didn't know what had happened, but no one was allowed to lay a hand on their master.
"Enough, all of you stand down. This is between Signora and me."
"Keep your distance so you don't get caught in the crossfire. We're just sparring."
None of the elite Fatui were fools. Besides, they had carried those coffins all the way from Liyue Harbor to Wangshu Inn. Even if they hadn't done anything meritorious, they'd at least put in hard work, hadn't they? Yet here they were, their master and Signora exchanging just a few words before coming to blows? Was this how they were treated?
"Hmph, we carried these coffins all this way for Lady Signora, and she doesn't even appreciate it."
"Exactly. This is just too much."
Hearing the murmurs around her made Signora uncomfortable. Her gaze toward Childe grew increasingly dangerous. So Childe had come prepared, had he? He'd even prepared coffins for her. What did this mean? He was planning to kill her.
Signora was quite certain of her deduction. Yet she didn't believe Childe would actually kill her. At most, he was using the coffins to disgust her. After all, the Harbingers were not allowed to kill each other unless they were prepared to betray the Fatui entirely. And Childe clearly wasn't that type—his family was still in Snezhnaya.
"Signora, I've long heard that you, an old auntie of many years, are quite powerful. Today I finally have the chance to test your skills."
"Don't worry. I'll be careful with that precious face of yours. Just fight me freely."
A look of excited anticipation crossed Childe's face. Signora's expression darkened, her teeth nearly grinding to powder. 'An old auntie of many years?' Didn't this fool know that a woman's age was her most sensitive subject? She gritted her teeth and forced out a reply.
"Childe, if you want a fight, I'll give you one. But be careful. You might die."
Seeing their master's clearly agitated state, Signora's subordinates shrank back, necks tucked in. Signora's terrifying power and cruel temperament were well known. None of them wanted to die.
Childe's men looked at each other in confusion. Had their master managed to enrage Lady Signora? How had they never noticed how sharp his tongue could be?
Before they could figure it out, a terrifying wave of Pyro energy erupted from Signora's body. The scorching flames slightly warped the air around them. As the Pyro spread, the onlooking Fatui agents yelped in pain from the heat.
The smile vanished from Childe's face. He had known Signora was terrifyingly powerful, but he had never imagined she was this strong. This level of Pyro control would rank among the top three in his experience. It seemed he would have to go all out today, or he really might lose face in front of his men.
Signora formed a whip of condensed flames in her hand. The nearly liquefied Pyro flowing along the whip made Childe's heart skip a beat. Signora seemed pleased by his reaction.
"Since Pulcinella never taught you to respect your elders, I'll give you a lesson myself."
"Elders do deserve respect, don't you agree, Signora?"
"You're asking for it!"
With those words, the whip of fire tore through the air straight toward Childe's face. Childe didn't dare be careless. He summoned twin water blades and charged forward.
Sizzle~
The sound of fire and water colliding echoed from the point of impact. Thick steam enveloped both figures, and the outside Fatui couldn't see what was happening inside. Only the occasional sizzle from within indicated their battle was still ongoing.
"Childe, I recall you have a technique called Foul Legacy. Why not use it?"
Inside the steam, Signora could easily locate Childe by sensing heat. Childe wasn't so fortunate. In the steam so thick he couldn't see his own hand, he had lasted this long purely on his superior combat instincts and reaction speed. An ordinary person fighting Signora in these conditions would have been flayed alive by now.
"Hah, I don't need Foul Legacy to deal with you."
Childe tried to close in on Signora's voice, but she sensed him coming. She casually flicked her fire whip and sent him stumbling back.
"Childe, hasn't anyone told you how stubborn your mouth is?"
"When you're on your way to the hospital, your body might go limp, but your mouth will probably still be tough."
Childe curled his lip in frustration. Though Hydro and Pyro countered each other, Signora's Pyro was simply absurd. It seemed age truly brought power. He was still too young.
Inside the steam, Signora was also surprised that Childe kept blocking her fire whip. As expected of someone who became a Harbinger at such a young age, he had real skill. But that was all.
Signora released a burst of Cryo. The surrounding steam instantly froze into ice crystals that drifted to the ground. Looking around, it was quite beautiful—at least, Su Bai thought so from his rooftop perch.
"Brother Xiao, who do you think will win?"
"The woman holds an immense amount of Pyro energy within her. That young man can't stand against it. At least, not yet."
"There are nine more like her in Snezhnaya. Brother Xiao, do you think we should start cultivating some powerful people of our own?"
Xiao glanced at Signora and nodded thoughtfully. Perhaps at the next adepti gathering, he could suggest that the others take on disciples. The disciples of the adepti would be no weaker than these so-called Fatui Harbingers.
Well, except for Xiangling, Madame Ping's disciple. That girl had focused so much on cooking that her combat skills had likely fallen behind. He should remind Madame Ping next time.
Xiao considered the feasibility of this idea while thinking about how to broach the subject with the other adepti. After all, for adepti, taking disciples was a matter of fate. Once word of this spread to the mortal world, Jueyun Karst would never know peace again.