"Ice... Age!"
The frost energy atop Su Ming's hands reached its zenith. He slammed them downward with a violent force.
The freezing chill spread rapidly across the ocean's surface, climbing from the bottom up. In an instant, the gargantuan tsunami was frozen solid.
If Osial could have made an expression, he would have looked shocked and furiousand likely more than a little panicked.
Damn it, he thought, where did all these monsters in Liyue come from?
Thousands of years ago, Morax had taken him down with a single spear. Osial hadn't been able to complain then; even if Morax hadn't acted personally, he was backed by a whole crew of enforcers who could have finished the job in minutes.
The only reason Osial had lived this long wasn't because he was particularly powerful, but because Morax feared that killing him would cause too much collateral damage. Thus, Morax had opted to suppress him beneath the seabed instead.
Now, Osial felt a wave of regret. If only he had fled with Orobashi next door back then. He wouldn't have spent thousands of years trapped, only to finally break free and immediately encounter another monster.
The being before him was clearly a human, but his combat power didn't look human in the slightest. What kind of human could display such terrifying might?
Osial felt like he was in serious trouble today.
He had originally intended to fight to the death, but after seeing Su Ming's methods, a thought sprouted in his mind: Should I just crawl back into my hole?
This little monster had been fighting him for so long, yet he showed no signs of fatigue. This proved the human wasn't using some forbidden secret art to trade his life for temporary power; he truly possessed this level of strength.
Osial had already sustained significant injuries from a previous strike. That eerie cold, accompanied by the tearing sensation of the sword qi, was unbearable. Not to mention the unique properties of the Edge of Taixuan, which dealt direct damage to the soul.
This made it even harder for Osial, already plagued by Erosion, to maintain his form. Rather than being cut down on the spot, it seemed better to hide back inside the seal and bide his time. Morax seemed to be dead anyway; he would have plenty of opportunities in the future.
...
"A tsunami? Is Osial driven to desperation?"
Zhongli's expression was solemn, divine power beginning to surge around him. He had seen Su Ming's actions, but he still had to prepare a backup plan.
"Can you stop it, Su Ming?"
Zhongli's heart was heavy with complex emotions. He never expected that the little play he had staged would escalate into a scene of this magnitude.
However, he soon dispersed the gathered divine power. The tension on his face relaxed considerably.
Before him, the tsunami that had closed within ten kilometers of the harbor was now completely frozen! It had transformed into a towering mountain of ice, standing tall upon the sea, a shield before Liyue.
Inside the city, Hu Tao was helping the Millelith evacuate the civilians. She turned around, staring at the massive shadow that had suddenly appeared. Looking up, she saw the sky-blotting tsunami turned into a solid iceberg.
"What... what just happened?"
"Wait, why does the color of that ice look so familiar?"
Elsewhere in the city, the battle was intensifying. The guards at the Millelith prison had been mobilized, and minor offenders were the first to be evacuated. Only the major criminals and those on death row remained, waiting for the next wave of transport.
Amidst the chaos of the evacuation, a few Fatui members had slipped into the ranks of the Millelith. They quietly led Tartaglia out of the dungeon, returning his confiscated Vision and Delusion.
"Whew, it feels good to see the sun again. Wait, why is the sky so dark? Is it going to rain?" Tartaglia asked as he pulled on his cloak, squinting at the dim sky.
His well-informed subordinate spoke up, voice trembling, "Lord 'Childe,' the Fatui might be in big trouble this time. Our personnel at the Guyun Stone Forest were killed by the Abyss Order. Furthermore, Liyue already knows we forged the Sigils of Permission. The Ministry of Civil Affairs just sent a diplomatic note demanding an explanation."
Tartaglia shrugged noncommittally. "So what? Does forging a few Sigils of Permission prove anything? We didn't release the god in the sea."
"...Lord 'Childe,' the god in the sea has already been released!"
Tartaglia froze. "What!? How!?"
"The details are unclear, but it was definitely the work of the Abyss. Regardless, since the Qixing know our goal and have our forged Sigils, the situation is very bad for us. They can pin the disaster on us, and we have no way to refute it."
Tartaglia thought for a moment. "That only matters if Liyue survives the invasion. By the way, what's with that iceberg over there?"
"My Lord... that's not an iceberg. It's the tsunami... Liyue wouldn't have evacuated the city and the prison otherwise."
"The tsunami!" Tartaglia was stunned. Then, he realized something was wrong. "Wait! I thought it was just the lighting, but that ice is actually black!"
The iconic ink-black ice allowed Tartaglia to react instantly.
"Gather everyone! Except for essential skeleton crew, everyone leaves Liyue territory immediately. We're heading to Mondstadt's Dornman Port to catch a ship to Fontaine! Move, move, move!"
After giving the orders, Tartaglia stared at the iceberg with a sigh. "Ai... Mr. Su Ming, if I knew you were this strong, I would have asked for a duel long ago. It's a pity I caused such a mess and can't stay in Liyue. Otherwise, I really wanted to learn a move or two from you."
But just as Tartaglia turned to leave, he ran into the person he least wanted to see.
"Signora... what are you doing here?"
La Signora smiled coldly, her voice dripping with mockery. "If I didn't come, who would clean up your mess? Your blunder is one thing, but the Tsaritsa's design will not tolerate incompetence!"
Tartaglia's face darkened, but he couldn't argue. He knew she was right. As things stood, stealing the Geo Archon's Gnosis covertly was now essentially impossible.
"So, what do you plan to do?"
"I have my own plans. For now, let us see who emerges victorious from this battle."
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Su Ming panted heavily. The Dragon Factor within his body was spinning at high speed, rapidly replenishing his massive mana reserves.
Furthermore, he activated the Edge of Taixuan. Relying on his powerful physique, he used the technique to sense and absorb the surrounding elemental energy. This energy was captured by the Dragon Factor and converted into mana.
In just a few breaths, his spent energy was nearly restored. Su Ming wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the frozen tsunami, allowing a rare smile to cross his face.
"The consumption was higher than I thought, but it's manageable. Next... it's time for a quick kill. I can't drag this out."
Su Ming looked up at the Jade Chamber. He saw Shenhe staring down at him and gave her a thumbs-up before dashing toward Osial once again.
Aboard the Jade Chamber, the crowd was speechless. The scene before them was simply too breathtaking. Nothing was more shocking than seeing a tsunami frozen into a mountain of ice.
Paimon flew up and cautiously poked the nearby iceberg, her heart still thumping with fear. The tsunami had advanced so fast; even with Su Ming's intervention, it had been a close call. If Shenhe hadn't acted at that critical moment to buy him time, he might not have had the chance to unleash his move.
Whether it was the Adepti, the Qixing, Lumine, Shenhe, or the Millelith soldiers, everyone was stunned into silence.
After a long while, Ningguang was the first to speak. "The Jade Chamber... should retreat for now. We must not become a burden to Mr. Su Ming's battle."
Cloud Retainer nodded. "Indeed. Osial is already heavily injured. The damage from the Guizhong Ballistas on this palace is limited. However, Osial could target us to hinder Su Ming's movements. If we cannot help, we should at least not get in the way."
This time, no one objected. Ningguang continued, "Liyue Harbor must be in total chaos right now. Rather than adding to the confusion here, it is more appropriate to return and manage the situation."
The Jade Chamber flew away from the sea, leaving the battlefield to Su Ming and Osial.
As Su Ming sped through the air, he began to build momentum once more. He drew upon the free-floating elemental energy in the atmosphere, molding it in the void. The frost power within him and the protective radiance of the Golden Light Curse were both fully mobilized.
"The techniques I used before were the sword styles of others. Now... I'll show you my own sword. The Spirit, the ultimate intent..."
"Eminent Care: Sword Sea Dragon!"
This time, Su Ming's strike did not summon a giant sword from the heavens. Instead, thousands of flying swords appeared, dancing through the sky before converging into an ink-black dragon. It looked as if a master had painted a swimming dragon with a brush across the canvas of the world.
The dragon of sword qi opened its massive maw, letting out a silent roar as it lunged toward Osial below.
Osial used the last of his strength to launch an attack, trying to scatter the dragon. But it was futile. The dragon's body seemed endless; though parts were scattered, they instantly reconvened. No matter how Osial attacked, his efforts were in vain.
Once the maw of the sword dragon bit into Osial's body, the remaining part of the dragon's form condensed into a colossal sword and pierced straight down!
"ROARRRRRRRR!"
Osial let out a scream of agony as his aura plummeted.
Zhongli, still observing from the shore, suddenly tensed up. "Not good!"
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