"Little Sister, how are you?"
"Cough... cough..." Angie coughed up a mouthful of blood, her breathing shallow and weak.
Tartaglia supported her, his heart aching. "Didn't we agree to just do our best? Why push yourself so hard?"
As he spoke, Tartaglia glanced at Fidelle on the other side of the arena. They both fought so fiercely... And that girl was holding back against me earlier?
Meanwhile, Charlotte had rushed onto the stage to support Fidelle.
"Fidelle!"
Fidelle leaned against Charlotte, her breathing slightly labored.
Just then, a surge of pure green energy erupted from the center of the arena, slowly flowing toward Fidelle and Angie.
The moment the divine power touched them, their bodies visibly relaxed, their breathing steadied, and their complexions visibly improved.
This was Rukkhadevata's Divine Power. For healing alone, its effects were extraordinary.
Tartaglia and Charlotte stood guard beside them, silently waiting for Angie and Fidelle to finish receiving treatment.
The healing was remarkably swift. In less than a minute, Angie and Fidelle appeared to have recovered fully.
Simultaneously, the results of their match were announced.
After deliberation by the judges and a comparison of the final condition of both fighters, Angie was declared the victor of this arena match!
-
Charlotte and Fidelle slowly returned to the viewing platform, where everyone's gaze was filled with respect.
"Fidelle, why did you push yourself so hard?" Charlotte asked.
"I came here representing Fontaine, and Lady Furina herself. If I couldn't even secure a good ranking... how could I face Lady Furina upon my return?"
Fidelle sighed.
It's a pity I still lost in the end. She had given it her all, but her opponent's strength was simply too great.
"By the way, Charlotte, cut out the part where I got injured. Don't publish it."
"Huh?"
Charlotte scratched her head, her expression incredulous.
"Tch, whatever. Do as you please."
Fidelle shook her head and settled into her seat.
After this, I'll have to go and appease my God again.But this time, I'm bringing back delicacies from Liyue, so she should be pacified quickly.
With only the final day of the Summit remaining, she decided to stay until everything here was concluded before returning home.
-
Angie and Fidelle's match was the Top Six qualifier, reducing the twelve competitors to six.
Angie and Fidelle's match was the Top Six qualifier, reducing the twelve competitors to six. The remaining five matches were:
Cyno vs. Beidou, Kazuha vs. Lumine, Qingxu vs. Tartaglia, Chasca vs. a Wild Fontaine Primal Construct, and a Fatui Squad Captain vs. Liyue's Wild Geo Vishap.
(Spy- How did mobs make it to top 6 lmao)
Cyno and Beidou, both wielding Electro Visions, delivered a spectacular match. In the end, Cyno secured a narrow victory.
Lumine and Kazuha were old friends, and facing a close friend in such a competition is always the most nerve-wracking.
Kazuha, not one to dwell on awkwardness, proposed a true duel to Lumine, and she accepted.
In the end, Kazuha was defeated, and Lumine claimed victory.
The match between Qingxu and Tartaglia proved particularly intriguing. Tartaglia, seeing Qingxu as just a young, still-underage girl—and the younger sister of Mu Qingge, the previous Kaiyang...
While Tartaglia considered Mu Qingge a friend, he had barely met Mu Qingxu.
For reasons unknown, Tartaglia decided to use only his Hydro Vision during the battle.
He was defeated by Qingxu.
In truth, Tartaglia's defeat shouldn't have been so complete. One of the main reasons for his loss was simply that he was facing Qingxu.
The moment Qingxu used her ultimate, Tartaglia became completely fixated on the figure behind her. Observing from the viewing platform was entirely different from witnessing the scene up close. The oppressive aura emanating from the sister behind Qingxu was palpable, and Tartaglia only snapped back to reality after being sent flying.
"Cough, cough..."
Casually brushing off imaginary dust from his clothes, Tartaglia returned to the viewing platform with a grimace.
"Heh heh."
Angie chuckled twice. Tartaglia shifted his gaze back to the arena.
"The new generation always surpasses the old. This Qingxu is no pushover."
Angie rolled her eyes. As if my sister—the one I personally trained—could be a pushover?
Well, the training Mu Qingge provided her wasn't that different from mine.
In the subsequent matches, Chasca and the Fatui Squad Captain emerged victorious, completing the Top Six lineup.
Angie, Cyno, Lumine, Mu Qingxu, Chasca, and Vanyeliya.
Vanyeliya was an elite Fatui Operative, an Anemo Operative whose primary duties within the organization included espionage, counterintelligence, security, and assassinations. Currently, she led a small squad as a Captain.
Her advancement to the Top Six wasn't solely due to her formidable strength and Anemo Vision; a significant factor was sheer luck.
She had avoided facing opponents who were overwhelmingly powerful.
Had she encountered Lumine or Angie, she wouldn't have lasted this long.
Sometimes, luck is a part of one's strength.
With the Top Six finalists determined, today's matches concluded. Tomorrow would decide the ultimate victor among the remaining six contenders.
Lumine and Paimon were brimming with excitement. The rewards for reaching the Top Six were already substantial, and they wondered what prizes awaited those who advanced further, or even the champion.
"Lumine, do you think you can win the championship?" Paimon asked, her big eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Lumine patted the little one's head. "Among the Top Six, who do you think has the best chance of beating me?"
Without hesitation, Paimon declared, "Angie!"
Lumine nodded. She genuinely wasn't confident against Angie. She had never imagined the girl was so formidable...
No wonder she managed to injure Qingge in the past.
Moreover... both Childe and La Signora possessed Delusions. For Childe, the Delusion amplified his already immense power. For La Signora, it suppressed her original Pyro flames. Scaramouche seemed to have one as well.
Yet Angie's Delusion had remained hidden until now. Was she hiding it too well, or did she not possess one at all? Perhaps she simply disdained using it.
After all, she also possessed a Pure Soul, making it understandable if she scorned using a Delusion.
"Then Lumine, are you confident you can beat Angie?" Paimon still coveted the championship prize.
"Not necessarily," Lumine replied. "We'll have to see tomorrow."
-
That evening in Fontaine,
Furina found herself with a rare moment of leisure and decided to take a stroll. Her personal chef hadn't returned yet, and it was the fifteenth day since she'd last tasted one of her beloved mini cakes.
Having been meticulously sheltered by Fidelle for the past seven years, Furina naively assumed that Fontaine harbored no ill-intentioned people.
While out enjoying the evening air, Furina quickly encountered an adorable kitten with white paws and belly, and a black back and head.
Excited, Furina rushed toward it:
"Oh? You little thing, come here!"
"Meow!"
Startled by Furina's sudden movement, the kitten instinctively darted away.
"How dare you run? Stop right there!"
Furina chased after the cat, completely oblivious to the black-robed figure sitting cross-legged on a chair just ahead, its face hidden beneath a hooded cloak.