"Looking for them?" Tartaglia froze for a moment before bursting into laughter. "What urgent business could I possibly have?"
"By the way, what are you doing here in the second basement level? This is the Mora Smelting Zone. The temperature is so high—you might get burned if you're not careful."
Yunqin's gaze grew colder.
The man had deliberately avoided the topic of how he'd lured her here, only to question her whereabouts. It was an obvious attempt to deflect her attention.
"Stop pretending! You're not him!" Yunqin's voice was calm, but her eyes remained fixed on his. "What's your real motive for using someone else's appearance to lure me here?"
The smile completely vanished from Tartaglia's face, replaced by a chilling sneer. Yet he still forced out a denial. "What nonsense are you talking about? How could I not be Tartaglia?"
"Are you suffering from heatstroke? It's too hot here. Let me take you back up to find Lumine and the others." As he spoke, he reached out to grab Yunqin's wrist, his movement laced with irresistible force.
Yunqin immediately took a half-step back. Her harp-bow materialized in an instant, its tip aimed directly at his chest. "This charade is getting tedious! Did you really think you could fool me? What is your goal?!"
Tartaglia stopped his movements, the disguise on his face completely shattering.
His form began to blur, becoming ethereal as his tone turned playful: "I didn't expect you to be so sharp."
"But it doesn't matter. Even if you saw through it, it's too late. I never expected to fool you for long just by luring you here."
As he spoke, the mist gradually condensed into a black figure. The Abyss Knight's Cryo Armor glinted coldly in the firelight.
Eyes beneath the dragon-headed helm stared intently at Yunqin, like a predator eyeing its soon-to-be-captured prey.
"What purpose? To take back the thing you promised, of course." The Abyss Knight advanced toward Yunqin step by step, the sound of his footsteps gratingly sharp. "Well? How did it feel to control this little girl's body all this time? Quite amusing, wasn't it?"
Yunqin's pupils constricted sharply. Her heart felt as if gripped by an icy hand, making even breathing difficult.
The words "control the body" pierced her heart like needles.
Looking at her own hands, a wave of unfamiliarity washed over her.
This body was supposed to be hers.
But... this face didn't seem to belong to her at all.
Even the thought of Rex Lapis or Liyue brought up an inexplicable surge of disgust, but the very next second she was drowned by intense guilt.
Who was she?
The moment this thought emerged, she forcibly suppressed it.
The lyre-bow tightened and pointed straight at the other party, her voice trembling slightly with emotion but carrying unquestionable firmness: "I don't know what you're talking about! I am Yunqin!"
"So you really think you're Yunqin, do you?" The sound of Cryo Armor clashing was exceptionally grating amidst the heat wave.
"Do you dare say you don't remember? Forgot who helped you suppress Yunqin's consciousness with the power of the Abyss when your awareness was at its weakest?"
"If it weren't for us, you would still be sealed inside her body, without even the chance to see the light! You think... you really took over this body on your own strength?"
Yunqin's fingertips trembled slightly, and the lyre-bow let out a faint hum from the force she applied.
Countless fragmented images flashed through her mind.
In the thick fog of Mt. Aocang, a strange voice was talking to her...
In the darkness deep within her consciousness, a faint light was struggling...
These images made her heart panic, as if countless ants were gnawing at it.
The Hydro Element instantly turned violent, forming a churning torrent around her that dispelled the surrounding heat waves. "Abyss scum, you spew nothing but lies!"
"Stop weaving these falsehoods to deceive me! I suggest you shut your mouth and go straight to hell!"
The Abyss Knight let out a contemptuous laugh, its voice echoing through the empty forge from within its helmet. "The Fusion Method can make you 'Yunqin,' so naturally, there's a way to bring her back."
"But... so be it. Since you insist on fighting, I won't waste any more words. I've been wanting to see how much power you can truly wield against me now that you've seized control of her body!"
As the words fell, a pitch-black sword condensed in the Abyss Knight's hand. With a chilling killing intent, it thrust the blade fiercely at Yunqin.
Yunqin immediately raised her bow to meet the black sword. The clash sent a shower of elemental shards flying into the air.
The oppressive heat of the forge, thick with the pungent scent of molten metal, made it nearly impossible to breathe. Yet the roar of the elemental collision echoed through the vast chamber, shaking dust from the ceiling.
Yunqin's bow glowed with a faint blue light, its body taut and straight. Each swing cut through the air with a sharp, piercing sound.
Though she wielded a bow, she struck with the lethal precision of a longsword.
Swish! Swish!
Two blades of water slashed through the Abyss Knight's Cryo Armor, carving deep fissures into the black plating. Abyssal Black Miasma surged from the cracks, writhing and twisting like wounded vipers.
The Abyss Knight stumbled back three steps, his back slamming into the scorching wall of the smelting furnace. The collision of his Cryo Armor against the searing stone sent a shower of sparks flying.
He groaned, his breathing growing heavy and ragged.
A bead of sweat rolled down Yunqin's jawline, evaporating into a wisp of white steam the moment it hit the burning floor. Her grip on the bow was as solid as a rock, yet her knuckles were white from the sheer force of her hold.
The Abyss Knight's aura grew increasingly erratic, his sword swings slowing by a fraction of a second. He was clearly at his breaking point.
The previous water blades had not only shattered his defense but had also sent his internal dark energy into a violent churn.
One more strike would end this battle!
"Is this all the Abyss has to offer?" Yunqin's voice was cold as ice, her eyes devoid of any mercy.
She hadn't wanted to drive him to a corner, but every word he spoke denied her very existence, stabbing at her heart like needles and dissipating her last shred of hesitation.
"Don't get ahead of yourself... How long do you think you can control this body? You're nothing but a shadow dwelling in a borrowed shell!" The Abyss Knight threw back his head and let out a raspy laugh.
As he spoke, he suddenly gripped his longsword tight and lunged at Yunqin.
The pitch-black blade, wreathed in lingering dark energy, lunged straight for Yunqin's heart like a venomous snake with its tongue flicking.
Yunqin's eyes narrowed. With a light tap of her foot, she borrowed the Hydro Element's strength to dodge to the side, her movements as swift as a gust of wind.
Before the Abyss Knight could recover his stance, she whipped her wrist around. The lyre-bow, now imbued with the fierce Hydro Element, slammed brutally into his back.
A dull thud echoed. The Abyss Knight crashed to the ground like a puppet with severed strings, the jarring sound of his Cryo Armor colliding with the floor making the ground itself tremble.
As he struggled to rise, Yunqin strode forward and pressed her lyre-bow against the back of his neck. The bow's Hydro Element pulsed with a cold light; another fraction of force would be enough to pierce his Cryo Armor and strike a vital point.
"It's over." Yunqin's fingertips began to coalesce with Elemental Power, pale golden light flowing slowly along the lyre-bow like fragmented starlight.