[Mask?]
[Having once been a member of the Fatui, you recognize it immediately. This is a new type of weapon developed in Snezhnaya.]
[Once equipped, combat power increases severalfold.]
[After Childe puts on the Mask, his elemental attribute changes as well.]
[Even his fighting style is completely different.]
[He pulls out a spear and begins launching relentless close-range attacks at you.]
[Only now do you realize that archery was never his true specialty.]
[Compared to the bow, his spear-based melee assault is far more ferocious.]
[His figure blurs into afterimages, darting around you at blinding speed.]
[You can barely keep track of his movements.]
[And without elemental suppression in your favor anymore, you can no longer fight with the same ease as before.]
[When Childe charges straight at you, even though you can't clearly see him, instinct takes over. You rapidly form a shield with your left hand.]
["Clang."]
[The razor-sharp spear tip, crackling with lightning, slams into your ice shield.]
[You block most of the force, but the superconductive reaction triggered between Electro and Cryo still travels through the shield, sending a numbing jolt up your left arm.]
[You immediately realize that engaging Childe in close combat while your element is suppressed is a terrible idea.]
[And you were never a frontline fighter to begin with. Compared to Childe, your combat technique stands no chance.]
[I have to widen the distance!]
[You roll to the side, create some space, then sprint in the opposite direction.]
[Under the influence of the Foul Legacy, Childe has completely entered a berserk state.]
[Seeing his strike miss, the corner of his mouth not covered by the Mask twists into a cruel grin.]
["Not bad."]
[Childe lets out a low scoff as he sees you standing at a distance, fully guarded.]
["But… do you really think that's enough to escape me?"]
[The moment he finishes speaking, his figure vanishes from where he stood, reappearing right in front of you in an instant.]
[!!!]
[Seeing Childe suddenly before your eyes, your pupils shrink violently.]
[So fast!]
[He swings the spear in his hand, thrusting straight for your throat.]
[You dive sideways, barely avoiding the strike in a clumsy roll.]
[The spear tip grazes your face, carving a bloody line across your skin. Fresh blood spills from the wound.]
[Electro-aligned Childe moves as fast as lightning itself.]
[Even if you create distance, he can close it in a single instant.]
[Your gaze sharpens. Frost surges outward from beneath your feet as countless ice spikes erupt from the ground.]
[If that's the case, then I'll have to create obstacles and slow him down!]
[You're keenly aware of your disadvantage, so you don't take the initiative to attack.]
[Instead, you lean into your greatest strength, abundant Elemental Power, continuously using elemental skills to interfere with him.]
[Thanks to the ice spikes, Childe's sprint slows, and several times he even steps on them by accident, piercing the soles of his feet.]
[Blood seeps from his boots, leaving a trail of crimson footprints across the ground.]
[You seize the timing, erecting ice walls around him to trap him, then follow up with elemental attacks.]
[The strategy works well.]
[But Childe's speed is simply too overwhelming.]
[A few times, you fail to evade in time and still get stabbed by his spear.]
[Both of you are wounded now, and the fight sinks into a tense stalemate.]
["Tch."]
[Once again trapped by your ice wall, Childe struggles within the cramped space, narrowly dodging ice spikes thrusting at him from all directions.]
[In this battle, he has already realized something.]
[Your Elemental Power seems endless.]
[He knows that he can't maintain this form for long. If this drags on, he's very likely going to lose.]
["I really didn't expect this, Kael."]
[Childe's voice sounds low from within the ice walls.]
["To think you'd push me this far."]
["But that's exactly what makes it fun!"]
[A blinding purple light bursts from inside the ice wall as massive Electro energy surges outward.]
[You watch as the ice walls shatter piece by piece, crashing to the ground.]
[The trapped Childe rises into the air.]
[The Mask that once covered only half his face now expands, transforming into a full face-covering Mask.]
[At its center is a Delusion, inlaid and pulsing with an eerie violet glow.]
[Here it comes!]
[The second form.]
[Back when you were still with the Fatui, you had come across intelligence regarding Delusions and the Fatui mask.]
[Both are power-enhancing tools developed by the Fatui.]
[A Delusion carries a hunger for life itself, capable of drawing out abyssal power.]
[Childe's Mask uses power of the same origin as a Delusion, but it is even stronger.]
[It is proof of becoming a Harbinger, a symbol bestowed on the day one earns that title, a medal personally granted by the Cryo Archon.]
[Greater power always comes at the cost of greater life consumption.]
[The burden the Fatui mask places on the body is terrifying.]
[If an ordinary person were to wear it, they would likely die the instant it was put on.]
[Only someone with strength on the level of a Harbinger could withstand such consumption.]
[Even so, the strain it puts on the body is immense.]
[Even Childe can't maintain it for long.]
[You see that Childe's transformation has already shifted into its second form.]
[You know exactly what that means.]
[He's nearing his limit and intends to end this fight quickly.]
Kael had fought Childe's boss battle plenty of times while gaming.
He knows that in this second form, Childe can wield both Hydro and Electro at the same time.
In theory, if you can endure this phase, you might be able to exhaust him to the point where he can no longer fight.
But Childe is a master of countless combat techniques.
Can I really hold out until then?
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Next Target 850PS :)