Lumine stared blankly at Qiu Bai, who was standing protectively in front of her.
She couldn't understand—just moments ago, Qiu Bai had seemed so weak, so why had he suddenly become this strong?
He and Childe now appeared to be evenly matched. Childe's Thunder and Hydro elements surged wildly, while Qiu Bai's black-and-white aura flared just as intensely. For a moment, it was impossible to tell who held the upper hand!
And at that moment…
"Qiu Bai, I'll help you!"
Lumine, gripping her bladeless sword, summoned a Geo-formed Starshatter and hurled it toward Childe. At the same time, she infused her sword with Anemo energy and lunged forward, aiming straight for him!
Seeing the massive falling Starshatter, Childe swiftly leaped back.
Boom!
The Geo construct crashed into the ground, leaving a deep crater.
His gaze shifted to Lumine, who was still charging toward him. Without hesitation, he unleashed a wave of Thunder and Hydro energy in a slashing motion!
Lumine's figure flickered as she narrowly dodged the attack.
Then, without slowing down, she gripped her sword tightly, its blade swirling with Anemo, and continued her charge!
Childe met her head-on, gripping his polearm with unwavering determination!
Clang!
Sparks erupted as their weapons clashed, followed by a rapid exchange of blows.
"Damn, Lumine, don't steal my mission!"
Qiu Bai, standing behind them, twitched at the scene.
Without wasting another second, he dashed forward, sword in hand, and swung a powerful slash at Childe!
Childe blocked the combined strike from both Qiu Bai and Lumine, his polearm deflecting their blows.
Sparks flew wildly as their weapons clashed. Then, suddenly, Childe jumped back.
A massive surge of Hydro energy condensed around his weapon as he locked eyes with Qiu Bai and Lumine.
"Foul Legacy: Devouring Whale!"
A deep, ethereal voice echoed from the void.
From Childe's weapon, a colossal whale, formed entirely of Hydro energy, emerged and lunged toward them!
Qiu Bai watched the incoming attack and smirked.
Back when he played the game, this whale had wiped him out countless times. But now…
Yin-Yang energy swirled in Qiu Bai's hands, spinning rapidly as he gathered his power.
With a powerful thrust, he sent his energy surging forward! The Yin-Yang energy spun faster and faster in midair—two forces forming four symbols, four symbols birthing eight trigrams—all in an instant!
Qiu Bai's attack transformed into an eight-trigram formation, colliding with Childe's giant Hydro whale.
Dark mist erupted from the eight trigrams as they crashed into the massive water beast!
A powerful shockwave burst from the clash of their attacks!
Lumine, caught near the center, was forced backward several steps by the sheer force.
Even Paimon, floating at a distance, nearly got blown away.
"I never expected this, Mr. Qiu Bai—you actually have such formidable strength!"
"In that case, I won't hold back anymore!"
Childe's eyes burned with battle fervor as he activated the power of his Delusion.
Thunderous Electro energy surged into the whale!
In an instant, the once-blue Hydro whale turned deep purple, its entire form crackling with violent lightning!
Qiu Bai gritted his teeth, bracing himself against the overwhelming force. The stone floor beneath his feet cracked under the pressure, sinking beneath him.
"This Childe… he's way stronger than before."
"Is it because of his sister's authority over lifespan?"
Qiu Bai was puzzled. In the game, Childe had never infused his whale with Electro energy before.
"Qiu Bai, I'll help you!"
Lumine rushed forward, summoning Anemo energy to assist in resisting Childe's attack!
She called out to Qiu Bai, who was rapidly running out of strength.
Qiu Bai's mouth twitched.
"Lumine, do you have any idea…"
"…how hard it is to hold back just enough not to kill someone?"
"With you joining in, I'll have to lower my strength even more."
Qiu Bai sighed inwardly, exasperated but also touched.
"Mr. Qiu Bai!"
"You should just give up—you can't defeat me!"
Childe's voice rang out as his power surged.
"Never… never!"
"I refuse to give up!"
Qiu Bai's face remained locked in an expression of utmost exertion as he continued to clash with Childe.
For five long minutes, the three of them remained locked in a deadlock.
Midway through, Lumine's strength faltered—she dropped to one knee, panting heavily, her hand pressed against the ground for support.
Yet, Qiu Bai was still holding firm, wearing that same strained, almost constipated expression as he struggled against Childe.
Childe, on the other hand, was completely dumbfounded.
"How is his stamina this good?"
"Damn it, my power is almost depleted!"
Frustration threatened to break Childe's composure—he couldn't comprehend why Qiu Bai could keep this up for so long.
Then, just as Qiu Bai desperately braced himself against the attack, a familiar sound echoed in his mind.
Ding!
"Congratulations, Host, you have completed the system task!"
Upon hearing the notification, Qiu Bai, despite his agonized expression, suddenly broke into a relaxed smile.
As if he no longer cared about being struck.
"Now!"
"He's out of power!"
Childe's eyes flashed with delight—he could feel Qiu Bai's resistance weakening significantly.
Seizing the moment, Childe hardened his resolve.
The monstrous whale, infused with violent currents of Electro and Hydro energy, surged forward and shattered Qiu Bai's eight-trigram defense!
Qiu Bai's face paled as the enormous beast came crashing toward him.
His gaze flicked to Lumine, who was still frozen in place, staring at the attack in shock.
In the blink of an eye, he made his decision—he pushed the dazed Lumine backward, sending her soaring several meters into the air.
"Qi—Qiu Bai!!!"
Lumine screamed from midair, reaching out desperately as if she could somehow pull him back.
Her pupils shrank as she watched Qiu Bai take the full force of the devastating attack—
Boom!
The sheer impact sent him hurtling into the second-floor wall of the Golden House, shattering the stone behind him. He tumbled back further, crashing into a solid rock formation with a sickening crunch.
His clothes were in tatters. He clutched his chest, his entire body trembling as he forced himself upright.
Slowly, he staggered forward, step by step, toward Lumine, Childe, and Paimon.
Just as he caught sight of them—
"Pfft—"
A mouthful of blood splattered from his lips.
Lumine and Paimon's expressions twisted with panic as they watched him collapse to his knees.
Qiu Bai forced a weak, reassuring smile in their direction.
Then—
Thud!
His body gave out, crashing lifelessly onto the ground.
Paimon gasped, eyes widening in horror as she covered her mouth.
Then, as if something snapped inside her, she bolted toward him at full speed.
"Qiu Bai!!"
She grabbed his shoulders with both hands, shaking him frantically, but he remained completely still.
"Qiu Bai, wake up! Don't die!"
Tears welled up in her eyes as she pressed a tiny hand against his nose—
No breath.
Her body froze.
"Ah…!"
For the first time, Paimon was at a complete loss, hovering in stunned silence.
Lumine, still kneeling on the ground, stared blankly at Qiu Bai's unmoving form.
Then—
A feeling she couldn't put into words erupted in her chest.
A raw, uncontrollable rage.
She turned sharply toward Childe, eyes burning with fury.
Gripping her bladeless sword, now surging with Anemo energy, she clenched her right hand, summoning a powerful surge of Geo.
With all the strength she had left—
She charged straight at Childe!
…
Childe, breathing heavily, barely had any power left. He hesitated for a split second, caught off guard by Lumine's sudden aggression.
But even with his dwindling strength, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to hold his ground.
Summoning what remained of his Foul Legacy, he prepared to meet her head-on.