Vmmm!!
At the instant the light cannon struck, an ice-blue barrier abruptly enveloped all of Snezhnaya.
Judging by the divine power within it, the one who acted was the Tsaritsa, the Cryo Archon.
Then multicolored energies surged from within the barrier to reinforce the shield again.
It was obvious the Fatui Harbingers still in Snezhnaya had begun exerting their power as well.
The two forces deadlocked.
Yet from the way the barrier kept cracking, Rowan Galehart's side clearly held the advantage.
Snezhnaya, on the other hand, seemed unable to hold out.
Snezhnaya Palace.
Seated upon her throne, the Tsaritsa fixed a cold gaze on the distant light cannon, as if she could see Rowan Galehart himself through the direction of the incoming blast.
"Damn Mondstadters!"
The Fatui who had returned from Mondstadt had already brought back the news that Mondstadt had torn the veil of civility with them.
Before they could even discuss whether to seize the moment to move against Mondstadt and, as a matter of course, take the Gnosis from the Anemo Archon—
The enemy came knocking, and without a word, attacked Snezhnaya.
Such overwhelming power—and you tell me you're human?
The Tsaritsa immediately thought of one possibility:
The newly appointed Knight-King of Mondstadt was a Descender.
Only a Descender could wield power to reshape the order of Teyvat.
Once, so did Phanes—Heavenly Principles—and so did the Dragon King Nibelungen.
It was their great battle that set the pattern of today's Teyvat.
No wonder Barbatos let the other side run wild and dared to openly break with us.
Turns out he found himself a helper.
"There is nothing to discuss now. The Mondstadters are already at our door."
"What do you say we do?"
Aside from the Captain far away at the Silent Sea and the Doctor who was, as always, off experimenting, nearly all of the Fatui Harbingers were present.
But judging from the situation outside, even together they could not withstand a single strike from Yakusoku Sareta Shōri no Ken (Sword of Promised Victory).
The Tsaritsa's own combat power was great, yes, but she had already parceled out portions of her strength to her subordinates.
Each Harbinger held a share; as she was now, her combat strength could not reach that of an executive in full.
Meanwhile, over the past month Rowan Galehart's power had surged, becoming the mightiest just beneath the Archons.
And for Heroic Spirits, their own physical might was not the main point—their trump cards were their Hōgu (Noble Phantasms).
With such an immense reserve of mana, a single blast of that "curry stick"—never mind the Cryo Archon—even Zhongli might not dare to take it head-on.
He is the God of War, true—but not a fool.
With such an outrageous Hōgu (Noble Phantasm), who but King Solomon with his ten rings would dare to meet it directly?
Gilgamesh: I have taken it!
Rowan Galehart: And that's why you got shredded!
Gilgamesh: Tch!
"At this point, we can only compromise with Mondstadt."
"The other side doesn't seem to want a total break either; otherwise, with his power, he'd have marched straight into the city."
"We can't stop him!"
Pierro was among those resisting the Sword of Promised Victory. He could clearly feel the restraint in the opponent's strike—it wasn't unleashed in one all-out blow.
Which meant the other party had come to demand an accounting,
Not to raze Snezhnaya for real.
Otherwise, if he struck with full force—forget a Snezhnaya with only two Archons present—
Even with Morax here, we might not withstand it.
"No! Why should Snezhnaya bow to Mondstadt?"
"That bunch of overgrown infants—trash! I'll go out now and wipe them out!"
Rosalyne—the Lady—spat with venom.
None in Snezhnaya hated Mondstadt more than she did.
So she refused to bow, refused even to talk peace. Mondstadt, worthy?
Staring at the Lady, who could not read the room at all, Pierro couldn't help a sigh.
What kind of people are these? The fight is at our gates,
And you're still nursing your grudge? If we stubbornly resist and Snezhnaya is gone—will that make you happy?
Pierro truly couldn't tell if Rosalyne was a mole for the other side, or if she really thought this way.
Wasn't this sabotaging your own team?
Meanwhile—
Across the rest of Teyvat, many had taken note of the standoff on Snezhnaya's border.
Most, however, did not take it to heart.
Natlan was fighting the Abyss and paid no mind to the commotion here.
Other than battling the Abyss, they cared about nothing.
Fontaine, Palais Mermonia.
While handling state affairs, Neuvillette looked up toward Snezhnaya and frowned despite himself.
Who is the Cryo Archon opposing?
Yet Neuvillette had not yet reclaimed the full authority of the sovereign dragon, had not become his complete self.
He could not spare attention for another nation; he merely made note of it and let it pass.
Furina's whereabouts, though—those were worth attention.
Their own Hydro Archon remained ever-fond of trials; she had gone to the Opera to attend another.
Truly…
Sumeru, Sanctuary of Surasthana.
The little Dendro Archon, Nahida—only five hundred years old—also noticed what was happening.
But bound as she was, without even her freedom, she could do nothing about Snezhnaya.
She could only remain quietly within the Sanctuary, awaiting the knight who would open her cage.
Inazuma Tenshukaku.
Breaking meditation, Ei guided the Shogun's body up to the rooftop.
She gazed toward Snezhnaya for a long, silent while.
Power from beyond this world?
Will you be the one to shake "Eternity"?
After a moment's thought, she dissolved into lightning and vanished,
Returning to the Plane of Euthymia to continue her meditation and hold back erosion.
At the Grand Narukami Shrine, however, Yae Miko stared toward Snezhnaya, unable to calm for a long time.
Snezhnaya is under attack?
That "mighty" Snezhnaya—heh—
She truly wanted to know who dared such a thing. If possible, she hoped that person would come to Inazuma,
And knock some sense into that silly shut-in who only hides in the Plane of Euthymia.
Make her open her eyes and look at what Inazuma has become.
Still squatting at home every day, refusing to step outside.
Yae Miko was about to be driven mad by her own "master."
Forget it—why should the attendant be more anxious than the emperor?
Since she, as Electro Archon, isn't anxious, why should a mere attendant be?
"Oh? This power… interesting. Let's go have a look!"
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For 20+ Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!]
[[email protected]/Draumel]
[Thank You For Your Support!]