"Who goes there?!"
"How dare you trespass the Golden House? Seize them!"
"Ah…" xN
Boom—
…
With the arrival of a youth, the guards stationed at the Golden House fell one after another; they stood no chance and collapsed helplessly.
"Golden House, huh. I didn't expect the Seven Stars to hide the Archon's mortal shell here—so convenient. Still, thanks to Zhongli's help; I hope he won't be implicated. Hmm, Seven Stars wouldn't be so careless…."
Having dealt with the guards, the Young Master strode into the Golden House and stopped beneath the suspended mortal shell. There it was—the Divine Heart he had dreamt of. If he just climbed up, he could take it easily.
"Is this what Liyue people call 'life's great ups and downs'? Hahaha, entertaining—Morax's Divine Heart shall be mine…"
"Hmm?"
Just as the Young Master reached out toward the Archon's shell, a sudden rush of wind came from behind. He dodged reflexively and found himself pushed away from the shell's base.
A scythe? Who is she? Sent by the Seven Stars? No…?
Having narrowly avoided the surprise strike, the Young Master drew his weapon and peered ahead. Planted in the ground before him was a blue-white scythe, its edge glinting coldly. A breathtakingly beautiful girl gripped it.
She had shoulder-length ash-gold hair, a soft fringe hiding her left eye, leaving one ruby-bright eye exposed. A peculiar ornament twined through her hair. And yet her face wore an elegant, composed smile—as if she were a well-bred maid awaiting orders rather than an ambusher.
Could she be the mysterious girl the Young Master's scouts reported last night?
Piecing the report together, he suspected their goals aligned. Still, he'd test her: perhaps she sought the same prize.
"If you seek the Divine Heart as I do, I'm curious whether you can actually take it," he said.
"The Divine Heart? Sounds grand, but I have no interest in that."
She shook her head.
Not the Divine Heart?! Dammit—what does she want? Lying to me at this hour? Fine….
Without waiting for more, the Young Master charged. "Sneaking attacks are bad manners—let me see your true strength. Don't disappoint me!"
"Words are unnecessary."
Su Mo yanked the scythe free and smiled as she counter-charged. Perfect—she, too, wanted to finish quickly.
A sweeping strike sent the Young Master flying, but he transformed his weapon mid-flight into a bow and loosed several waves of water-element arrows. They skimmed close to the ground at alarming speed toward Su Mo.
"Ice counters water—freeze!"
Using the Cobalt Knight: Moonspirit's particle dispersion system, Su Mo released crescent particles that siphoned heat from the area in an instant. The incoming waves lost thermal energy and froze solid, halting inches from her.
Water debilitated by cold—yet how did she accomplish that so subtly? The Young Master, landing with a soft thud, stared in surprise. He hadn't even seen the motion that stopped his attack.
"Try this!" he snarled, shifting tactics. A surge of water elements coalesced around him; the sea itself seemed to rise as a massive blue whale form of condensed water leapt toward Su Mo.
"Pointless."
"Awaken, Frost's Sovereign!"
Su Mo drove the scythe into the floor and entered burst mode—she intended to end the fight. The Golden House's temperature plummeted to freezing; the water whale froze mid-air.
Impossible—temperature falling this far…?
Seeing his limbs begin to frost, the Young Master realized the situation was dire. He could no longer hold back. With a roar he unleashed waves of violet thunderlight and fully activated his cursed eye—his transformation into a greatest form.
"Masked Rider? I'm not even in another world—why do they never get interrupted? Do people watch the whole transformation like I do?"
He began to transform theatrically. Su Mo paused mid-move and watched for a moment—would intervening interrupt his transformation, or would she simply be thrown back? She entertained the thought.
"You've stoked my will to fight—everything comes at a cost!"
Transformed, the Young Master rushed again, now wielding a lightning-wracked spear.
"Calling yourself a Rider won't make you beat me," Su Mo retorted, summoning the White Silver Moon in reply. "You have a belt; I have a Stand. Fair enough."
Something materialized behind her—a pale humanoid figure. The Young Master blinked; he didn't know what the apparition was, only that it had appeared at her command. There was no turning back.
Clang, clang—the clash filled the Golden House as electricity and frost collided. Three blurs zipped and braided through the chamber at breakneck speed. The Young Master's attacks swung between electric strikes and surging water forms; element flickered and shifted in his hands. Still, he could not topple Su Mo. His liberated cursed eye form wore down quickly and drained life; exhaustion crept in.
I can't hold out much longer…
Fatigue set into him; whatever advantage he had was slipping. To make matters worse, Su Mo's pale figure kept appearing and vanishing around him—sometimes at her back, sometimes inexplicably behind him. It disturbed his rhythm, and his motions slowed. Frost spread over him beyond what his own magic should cause. He realized this was an effect someone had applied to him—not a side effect of his transformation.
"Looks like the Rider here won't last. Not quite what I expected—disappointing. Still, the mess could use cleaning."
Su Mo frowned at the debris scattered about, more annoyed than triumphant.
The Young Master's desperation grew. She was too composed, too relentless. If she truly wouldn't break, then there was only one option left: release that thing.
—
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