"Burn to ashes!" La Signora's black flames raged, spreading out in all directions. If left unchecked, they would soon engulf the surrounding buildings, causing catastrophic damage to Mondstadt.
"Venti, do you have a way to deal with her?" Lumine asked anxiously. The rising temperature around them had already exceeded what a human body could withstand, and she felt her consciousness beginning to blur.
"Let me think," Venti also realized they couldn't delay any longer. The chaos and destruction caused by La Signora had exceeded his expectations. The Knights of Favonius would arrive soon, and they stood no chance against her. Unnecessary sacrifices had to be avoided.
Sorry, Traveler. Venti suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind Lumine. With a gentle tap on the back of her neck, Lumine fell unconscious.
"I—" Yun Fan almost cursed out loud. Venti, this guy, was truly shameless. How dare he knock out my dear Lumine? Just you wait!
After gently placing Lumine in a safe spot, Venti put away his bow and charged at La Signora with his fists.
"This is so fake," Yun Fan, watching from afar, felt a bit embarrassed. Venti wasn't just holding back—he was practically flooding the battlefield. The entire Golden Apple Archipelago's seawater probably came from him.
"Cough! Cough!" As expected, Venti soon made a "mistake" and gave La Signora an opening. She grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground.
"Barbatos, you look so pathetic!" The Crimson Witch mocked. The god she had hated for 500 years was finally in her grasp. Truly, what goes around comes around!
"This shot is perfect. Gotta capture it," Yun Fan, sitting on the windmill, put down his Fisherman's Toast and snapped a few close-ups of Venti and La Signora with his limited-edition camera. The camera even had a telephoto lens. The ingenuity of Fontaine's people was truly impressive.
"Die, Barbatos!" La Signora channeled the power bestowed by the Tsaritsa into her hand and thrust it into Venti's chest. Venti's face twisted in pain, his brows furrowed.
But…
"How is this possible? Where is it? Where's your Gnosis?" La Signora roared, her eyes filled with madness. She thrust her hand into Venti's chest again, frantically searching, but to no avail. The Gnosis was nowhere to be found.
"Ahhh!!!"
"Is she about to go berserk? Looks like I'll have to step in," Yun Fan, having captured the iconic "heart-ripping" scene, put away his camera and prepared to act.
He could tell that La Signora was on the verge of losing control. If he didn't intervene, the entire Anemo Archon Statue Plaza and possibly more of Mondstadt would be consumed by flames.
"Gepard, let's test your power," Yun Fan murmured. In the next moment, he appeared on the plaza, his right hand glowing with intense Cryo energy, emitting a chilling blue-white light.
"It's you!" La Signora immediately noticed Yun Fan's arrival. This man, who had left her with nightmares. Even after fusing with a defeated god's remnants and gaining power far beyond her previous limits, she still felt a sense of helplessness in his presence.
"In the name of Landau, through snow and frost, I forge this will, unending!" Yun Fan clenched his fist and slammed it into the ground. The compressed Cryo energy exploded, and massive ice walls erupted from the ground. In an instant, the sky froze, and the wind carried frost.
The black flames slowly extinguished upon touching the ice walls.
Ultimate: Eternal Fortress!
Seeing this, La Signora wasn't foolish. Her black flames, born from fusing with a defeated god's power and capable of burning everything, had been effortlessly extinguished by Yun Fan. If she fought him, it would be like hitting a rock with an egg.
Her subordinates had reported that Yun Fan had left Mondstadt this morning. Why was he here now? Was this a trap?
"I won't go down without a fight!" La Signora decided to retreat. Although she was furious about not obtaining the Gnosis, she had no other choice.
"Die!"
La Signora hurled Venti toward Yun Fan with all her might. After doing so, she transformed into thousands of crimson butterflies, scattering in all directions to escape.
"Wahhh! Catch me, Yun Fan!!" Venti screamed dramatically as he flew toward Yun Fan.
"Don't worry, I've got you!" Yun Fan smiled and opened his arms, ready to catch him. However, his smile carried a hint of mischief.
Venti was deeply moved, but just as he was about to be caught, Yun Fan lightly tapped his foot, and an ice wall rose, firmly blocking him.
"Damn it!"
Thud! Venti slammed into the ice wall with a dull thud. Just the sound alone was painful! Yun Fan calmly walked around the wall and snapped a few more photos with his camera. Venti's pose was truly bizarre.
His left hand was raised, index finger pointing at something, while his right hand was lowered, and his right leg slightly bent.
These were precious blackmail materials!
"My poor Lumine," Yun Fan ignored Venti and quickly went to Lumine's side. He gently cradled her in his arms, carrying her in a princess carry.
Just as he was about to leave, Paimon's voice rang out from a distance. It seemed the little guy had gone to fetch reinforcements.
"Acting Grand Master Jean, hurry! The bard and the Traveler are up ahead!" Following the sound, Yun Fan saw Jean leading Kaeya, Lisa, and others, rushing toward them at full speed.
"The efficiency of the Knights of Favonius… well, I won't comment. But…" Among the group, Yun Fan spotted someone who piqued his interest.
The Chalk Prince—Albedo.
"Mr. Yun Fan, what happened here?" Jean asked. She had been handling official business at the Knights of Favonius headquarters when she heard a loud explosion. She immediately led Kaeya, Lisa, and other key members of the Knights to investigate. Along the way, they happened to run into Albedo, who had come to visit Klee in solitary confinement. Intrigued, he joined the Knights' group.
"Nothing much. Just a Fatui Harbinger attacking Venti. I've already driven her off."