["Cocolia no longer wished to waste words. With a furious roar, she raised her right hand high. The frigid air condensed above her head, forming sharp, tangible entities that blotted out the sky like an overwhelming rain."]
["In the next instant, the ice crystals erupted, continuous and unrelenting like rapid arrows, shooting toward the group with violent force."]
["'Here it comes!'"]
["Stelle looked up at the sky. The blizzard whipped through her long hair and the flames at the tip of her lance. Raising the blazing spear high, a crimson barrier formed around her, its intense radiance spreading in all directions."]
["Countless transparent icicles fell from the heavens, only to evaporate into snowmelt the moment they approached Stelle."]
["This was her own, unshakable 'Preservation.'"]
["She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth transmitted through the flaming spear. Bronya, Seele, Gepard, Serval, Natasha, Clara… It was as if every one of them stood beside her, gripping the spear together with her."]
["The bonds with everyone, the memories shared with everyone… In this moment, they all seemed to become fuel for the flames."]
["'Flame Lance, charge!'"]
["Like an arrow released from its bow, Stelle swung her lance and charged forward without hesitation. In that instant, the surrounding air itself seemed to be drawn along with her, swirling violently into a fiery dragon that bared its fangs directly at Cocolia!"]
"Dance of the Fire God!"
Tanjirou blurted it out instinctively, but quickly calmed down. "No… the technique is completely different, and so is the weapon, but the sheer intensity far surpasses the Dance of the Fire God."
The Kamado family's "Dance of the Fire God" consisted of twelve forms. As long as the Breathing Technique was executed correctly, the sacred dance could continue indefinitely. The first time Tanjirou saw his father perform the dance was on a night of heavy snowfall.
The surging vitality contained within that dance… was exactly the same as Stelle's.
As for Muzan, although this heaven-scorching, earth-burning spear thrust gave him a slight sense of threat, it wasn't as if Stelle would actually pierce through the Celestial Screen to come after him. So he merely wiped a faint trace of cold sweat from his forehead.
That spear, however, sent the Upper Moon Three, Akaza, into trembling excitement.
Blazing flames, a fiery dragon dancing wildly… It reminded him of that man who refused to yield even in death, who wouldn't back down even after having his lungs pierced.
The only man who had ever forced him to flee before sunrise.
The Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku.
"What a shame you're dead… Otherwise, after seeing this move, your skills would have grown even more refined, wouldn't they?" Akaza lamented with regret.
Over the centuries, he had slain several Flame Breathing Hashira, and Kyojuro's valor had left a deep impression on him… Now, Akaza had gained a certain understanding of Flame Breathing's six forms.
All six sword techniques were fierce, wide-ranging assaults. Though fighting head-on against the Flame Hashira was troublesome for Akaza, humans were ultimately flesh and blood—a demon's regenerative abilities would always give him the upper hand.
But if Kyojuro had lived, if he had gleaned some insight into "Preservation" from Stelle and developed defensive techniques… Then in that battle, even if he couldn't have won, he might have been able to hold out alone until dawn.
["The flames enveloped Cocolia's body, triggering a violent explosion."]
["When the fire dissipated, the woman standing in the ashes was unharmed. She raised her hands, and a sphere resembling a Stellaron began to expand and condense in her grasp. The orb seemed to draw in the surrounding flames, and in an instant, the biting cold wind regained dominance."]
["From the abyssal darkness of Cocolia's face, a sinister grin seemed to emerge."]
["—The power granted to her by the Stellaron was far from limited to this."]
["However…"]
["As if remembering something, Cocolia suddenly halted her movements and looked up sharply!"]
["But it was too late. With the dull roar of machinery, the iron fist of the Engine of Creation came crashing down upon her with the weight of a thousand jun!"]
["A moment later, the raging blizzard abruptly ceased."]
"I kinda… feel a little sorry for Cocolia now?"
Citlali shuddered as she watched that mechanical fist—bigger than her house—come crashing down.
Thanks to the ancient covenant passed down through the Masters of the Night-Wind, she could summon the White Obsidian Shield at any time to protect herself. In her centuries of existence, Citlali had never encountered anything capable of breaking through it.
But if that giant thing hit her head-on… Even ten White Obsidian Shields probably wouldn't save her.
"Traveler, you've been to so many nations and had so many adventures—have you ever fought something that huge before?" Citlali suddenly asked.
"Of course I have." Lumine recalled a certain Anemo-wielding youth in Sumeru who had once been obsessed with piloting a mech.
Come to think of it, the Engine of Creation was probably even bigger than the Shouki no Kami. But the latter was also infused with the Electro power of the Gnosis, so in terms of combat strength, they were likely comparable.
"You must've won, right? How did you do it?" Citlali leaned in eagerly, her eyes practically sparkling with curiosity.
"Uh, well…"
Lumine hesitated. As much as she wanted to boast in front of Citlali, the truth was that she had spent the entire battle running around picking up elemental shards. She'd just kept gathering them until she could toss out a giant energy sphere—and then splat… she'd knocked down that guy who kept shouting "I have attained divinity."
Recalling that battle, Lumine couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
As expected of a god's creation… It was really damn tough.
["'The power of the Stellaron is with me!'"]
["Despite taking a devastating blow from the fist, Cocolia stubbornly climbed back to her feet. Even now, she refused to surrender, raising her hands once more as she summoned another massive surge of Stellaron energy."]
["'You… are nothing but the death throes of a crumbling old world!'"]
["'The glorious new world shall be forged by my hands!'"]
["As soon as she finished speaking, an intense burst of music suddenly erupted from the Celestial Screen—"]
["'We've made a choice'"]
["'Go fight against your fate!!'"]
"???"
Under the Yun-Han Opera Troupe's stage, Yun Jin—who had just finished rehearsing "The Eight Wonders of Peach Blossom Spring"—was about to take a break and ponder the musical arrangement for its climax when the sudden surge of passionate vocals jolted her awake like an electric shock.
"Hold on… Why is there music playing during their fight?" One of the troupe's musicians was stunned.
And the music was weirdly hype, too!
But Yun Jin's eyes lit up, and she immediately instructed the troupe's veteran musicians to transcribe the melody.
"Master Yun, this…" The musicians looked troubled. "This style is completely different from our opera…"
"Oh?" Yun Jin smiled faintly, humming along with the Celestial Screen while tapping out the rhythm with her hand.
"I actually think this tune fits quite well. 'The Eight Wonders of Peach Blossom Spring'… The climax should be thrilling. Even if I don't understand the lyrics, we can adapt them—give it a Liyue flavor, don't you think?"