The All-Devouring Narwhal opened its mouth, and its whale song pulsed across the entirety of Fontaine. Any who heard it immediately fell to their knees and cried out in pain; their origins as creations from Primordial Waters forcing them to kneel before their destined executioner.
No Fontaine citizen was safe from this. Neither Clorinde nor Navia could stand, forced to their knees by a force that exceeded even the will of an Archon. Not even Furina was safe, and she shrieked as she found herself forced down onto her chair, incapable of doing anything but staring at my back.
Only those that originated from beyond Fontaine stood. Aether and Paimon, Childe and Arlecchino, Neuvillette,
And last of all, me. Standing in front of Furina, my sword aimed right at the whale.
I pursed my lips. From a glance I could tell that the whale was fairly strong—easily comparable to the strength of Golden Wolflord or even more.
But with how much I've grown since then, and with all my different Talents, I was confident I could fight the All-Devouring Narwhal and win. In most circumstances, I wouldn't be overly worried about it.
But right now that whale was right in Fontaine's center, and if even a single droplet of Primordial Water touched a Fontainian, they would dissolve. Fighting the whale here would be no different than dissolving Fontaine as a whole, and as callous as I'd acted, I didn't wish for the deaths of thousands.
I needed to somehow isolate the whale. Bring it to a place where it couldn't feasibly touch any Fontainian.
…Hmm. That might work.
I quickly swept my gaze across the ruined judgement hall, surveying the strength of those that remained standing. The Ludex, the Traveler, and two Fatui Harbingers—certainly quite the lineup, but would they be enough?
Well, I suppose there was nothing else to do but try.
I turned to Aether and shouted. "You! Carry any Fontainian you can away from here! Let not a single drop of its water touch them, lest they dissolve back into their primordial form!" It truly was disappointing to see how weak he was compared to Lumine, but I suppose he'd been sealed far worse than she was. Right now, helping others evacuate was the most he could do.
Thankfully, the Traveler didn't seem angered by the clear dismissal, and he nodded as he started carrying as many people as he could.
I then turned the Ludex. "I have many grievances with you, but let us put that aside for now." I spun and slashed apart an approaching jet of water. "We must stop that whale from moving any further into Fontaine!"
Neuvillette frowned for a moment, before he nodded. "You have my compliance." He said, and with a wave of his hand, a giant wall of Hydro formed and crashed onto the whale, temporarily halting its movements.
I finally turned to the Fatui Harbingers. "And you two-"
"LET'S GOOO!" Childe, already transformed into his Foul Legacy form, screamed in barely contained joy as he soared into the air and slammed his Electro spear into the whale's stomach. The whale screeched in pain, surprised at the Abyssal taint the mortal could inflict with its spear alone.
I blinked. "Well, that's convenient." I turned to the other Harbinger, who was currently kneeled next to the three children of the House of the Hearth. "And you." I called out. She turned her eyes to me, calm despite the circumstances. "I cannot force you, but your aid will be invaluable."
"...Very well." The woman stood up, and with a breath, she was consumed by a burst of flames. A blood-red scythe formed in her hands, and a red haze seemed to hang over her shoulders as her gaze returned to me. "I shall join hands with you for the time being."
I nodded. "Appreciated, milady."
I brandished my sword, and with a breath I called forth all my strength. Anemo and Hydro spun around me as if I was the eye of a storm, and with my form glowing a bright prismatic shine, I soared forward. The whale screeched as it saw me approach, and a spinning whirlpool of Primordial Waters formed within its jaw. It snapped its jaw close, and when it opened once more, the whirlpool was fired forward.
My sword met the spinning whirlpool, and the skies were colored blue from the explosive collision.
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"How fascinating." Arlecchino whispered.
That truly was the only thing she had to say as she witnessed the ensuing conflict. A being created wholly of Primordial Waters—the destined executioner for all who originated from Fontaine. The grand Ludex of Fontaine, wielding the very same waters prophesied to end Fontaine. A Harbinger with too much strength and too few intelligence to think of any potential dangers to himself,
And the Anemo Archon himself, fighting with abilities that surpassed anything they had ever witnessed.
Oh, it was far from difficult to realize who the journalist was. They had extensive archives of the different Archons, and this 'Vivianne' matched quite perfectly with the stature and abilities of Barbatos. And that halo and those wings she had—they mirrored the statues laid around the nation of Mondstadt.
Yet, as she too joined the fray, she could not help but wonder.
The strength Barbatos showed far exceeded anything they had ever documented. If he was truly as strong as he showed now, there would have been no chance he would've had his Gnosis taken away by force. And indeed his Gnosis had been taken by force, unlike the negotiations that were done to acquire Liyue's or Sumeru's Gnoses.
Unless Barbatos purposely let his Gnosis be taken, of course.
…She supposed such matters were to be considered later. For now,
She leaned low and swept her scythe forward, dragging a thin, festering wound across the whale's lower half. It screeched before it suddenly lowered to slam into her. Her form blurred in a mass of flaming butterflies, allowing her to escape unscathed as the whale slammed into the ground, causing a powerful earthquake to sweep across Fontaine.
Tartaglia hollered like a fool as he smashed into the whale like a battering ram, causing an explosion of Abyss-tainted Electro. A spear of Hydro swiftly followed his attack, falling from the skies and stabbing through the whale's skin.
A flash of light suddenly appeared, and the whale cried out in agony as a drill-shaped sword suddenly flew forward at incredible speeds, stabbing right into the whale and exploding within the whale's body. Tartaglia, who'd still been standing on the whale then, screamed in surprise as he was blasted away by the sheer force of the explosion.
She narrowed her eyes as she turned. She could see Barbatos standing on a ruined pillar, a bow held in his hands and swirling winds hovering behind him. His eyes burnt bright blue, reminiscent of clear morning skies. His halo thrummed bright gold, and white wings extended from his back like those of an angel's.
A stature befitting of an Archon.
Arlecchino softly sighed. Truthfully, she was quite glad Barbatos had been so accommodating despite La Signora's actions. Had he truly taken offense, she had no doubt that La Signora would've fallen far earlier than she did, and considering his strength, she was certain he could've injured Snezhnaya severely even from Mondstadt.
"Oh, even regeneration?" She heard Tartaglia whisper with barely contained glee. "Now we're talking!"
Hmm. He was right. Though Barbatos had inflicted a large wound, that wound was now gone, having been refilled by the Primordial Waters that surrounded Fontaine.
"And it would continue regenerating as long as it remained in Fontaine." Barbatos answered as he suddenly appeared next to her. "Its body is made entirely of Primordial Waters, and it is essentially immortal in its presence."
"So we must ferry it out." The Ludex answered as he too landed next to them, droplets of water swirling around him.
Arlecchino frowned. Something felt…off. She had not heard Barbatos approach.
She quickly cast a glance behind her, and her eyes widened slightly as she saw another Barbatos still standing on that ruined pillar. He easily caught her gaze, and after giving her a wink, his form shattered into shards of prismatic light.
Suddenly, it made sense why the Archon La Signora had encountered was so unfathomably weak.
Clones. Barbatos was capable of creating clones.
…This was something she had to report back to her Lady. And that meant she had to return, no matter the cost.
"Not an easy task." She finally added as she cast her gaze back to the whale. It slowly floated back into the air, having healed all the wounds it received from their combined attacks. It glared at them, and unevacuated citizens around them screamed in agony as the whale's pressure slammed into them.
"Oh, you need not worry, milady." Barbatos suddenly said as he stepped forward. "You have done quite well so far. You've bought me more than enough time."
She narrowed her eyes. Time?
Before she could ask however, he stomped his foot down. The pavement cracked beneath his feet, and he took a deep breath as he brought his fingers together. He whispered something, and suddenly the pressure the whale brought down was pushed back by an equally massive force.
A strange melody began playing from seemingly nowhere, echoing across the air as an almost ghostly symphony.
Then, from the ether appeared dozens of ghosts. They initially took the forms of small Oceanids, but after some time, their figures soon morphed into human-like shapes. She could not recognize any of them at a glance, but the Ludex seemed to, what with how wide his eyes went.
"The prophecy, the prophecy, the prophecy."
"Wailing. Screaming. Dreaming."
"Evil whale go, go, go away!"
"We deny this Fate!"
"For Fontaine, and for our Lady."
Dozens of voices overlapped as one, and the world itself screamed. Strange cracks began spreading across the world, and the clear skies above darkened to an almost starry sky. But the stars were…wrong. They shined unlike the stars she was used to, and more than that, they seemed to move.
"Hear my Ode, Fallen Shades of Old." Barbatos whispered as he smiled, wisps of Anemo and Hydro trailing all around him.
"And Bridge the Path To Tomorrow!"
The world shattered, and suddenly they stood upon a still ocean, stretching farther than the eye can see. The air smelled of gentle Springs, and the oceans below perfectly reflected the strange starry skies above.
"This is…!" The Ludex whispered, staring at Barbatos with undisguised shock.
Hmm. How strange.
"A [Simple Domain], I assure you." Barbatos answered easily, as if he hadn't just created another world before their eyes.
"A new battlefield, huh?" Tartaglia whispered, before he laughed. "Oh, yeah! Let's get started already-!"
"I fear that is no longer needed, young one." Barbatos said as he gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
Tartaglia pouted. "But it just started!"
Barbatos smiled wryly. "I'm afraid the circumstances are not favorable. However," He winked. "If you desire it, I will be more than willing to accommodate a spar or two after all of this is over. What do you say?"
Tartaglia's eyes sparkled. "Really!?" Barbatos nodded, and Harbinger cheered. "Awesome!"
Arlecchino held back a sigh. How truly simple.
Barbatos stepped forward and smiled at the Oceanids. "I thank you for your aid, friends." A bow formed in his hand, and great winds spun around him as he notched a drill-arrow onto its bowstrings. "But it is time we end this, is it not?"
The ghostly symphony grew louder, and the Oceanids suddenly merged into one. Then they popped, and out came three other clones of Barbatos, their bowstrings already notched with their own drill-arrow. Each clone radiated with immense power, and together, they brought so much weight that even Arlecchino found herself somewhat struggling to stand.
Together, all the clones spoke as one.
"""Oh wind, Strike down the Stars!"""
Bowstrings snapped, bows shattered, and four drill-swords flew forward like shooting stars. The whale attempted to evade by diving into the water, only to find itself incapable of doing so. Its eyes widened as it saw the hundreds of Oceanids lying within the water, invisible to most eyes.
It realized its mistake too late, and so it could do little but cry out as four falling stars slammed into it. A catastrophic explosion followed, one so powerful that it would've easily destroyed all of Fontaine had Barbatos not created this world to contain it. A massive cloud rose into the starry sky, colored purple by lingering starlight.
Tartaglia panted with glee, practically acting no different than a dog after being shown his treat. The Ludex was as still as stone, and he stared at Barbatos with something akin to fear.
And all the while, Barbatos stared at what he'd caused with nonchalance, as if he hadn't shown power that would've shaken all of Teyvat.
Arlecchino chuckled lightly.
She was truly glad for his patience. Had La Signora's actions angered him, she was sure their plan wouldn't have been as smooth as it is now.
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[The Adventure's Submission has been completed!]