After successfully eliminating Aventurine, Freminet surfaced for air, taking several deep breaths.
"Gasp—!"
The moment he appeared, the other players were startled. Kamisato Ayato happened to be very close to him, and their eyes met instantly.
"D-Don't come over! I've got the Thunder Frost magic—if you come any closer, I'll beat you!"
Hearing this, Freminet stared at him for a moment, then quietly swam away.
"Phew… that was close."
Ayato wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and quickly swam toward open water.
He had already made up his mind. He would hide at the start. Once Freminet dealt with the others, he would step in for a final showdown.
In truth, he had been bluffing. His magic wasn't Thunder Frost at all—it was Weakening Debuff.
As long as only two players remained, it would be a guaranteed kill.
Meanwhile—
Blade scanned his surroundings and locked onto a target—Xingqiu, who was very close.
He suddenly burst forward, leaping out of the water and diving toward Xingqiu.
"I'm coming!"
"What the—how is he that fast?!"
"He can jump out of the water?!"
The audience was stunned.
But the Liyue side was already worried. If Blade pinned Xingqiu down and grabbed his throat, it would be over.
Fortunately, Xingqiu was alert. The moment he saw Blade lunging, he ducked and dove underwater.
Splash!
Blade missed.
He scanned the area again, searching for another target.
But Xingqiu, who had dived beneath him, suddenly grabbed his ankle and yanked hard.
Both of them were pulled underwater.
"Xingqiu, go for it! Beat him!"
"Second Young Master, choke him!"
The Liyue side erupted.
"You dared attack our Xingqiu? Now it's your turn!"
"Blade, don't be scared! Fight back!"
"Choke him back!"
Underwater, the two began exchanging blows.
Punch after punch, their stamina drained rapidly.
But fighting underwater… the force of their strikes was pitiful.
They exhausted themselves without causing any real damage.
At this point, their oxygen was running low.
Xingqiu started to panic. He needed air.
He pushed Blade away and swam toward the surface.
Xingqiu was afraid—but Blade wasn't.
Death? He was well acquainted with it.
He grabbed Xingqiu again and dragged him back down.
"Oh no, this is bad!"
Xingqiu panicked. This guy was insane. He shouldn't have provoked him.
He struggled upward, barely managing to gulp a breath before being dragged back again.
Then—
Blade struck.
A palm slammed into the side of Xingqiu's head.
Xingqiu's vision spun. His ears rang with the roar of water.
Taking advantage of the moment, Blade wrapped his hand around Xingqiu's throat.
By the time Xingqiu regained his senses, his face was already turning red.
"Heh… that's one down."
Blade loved this kind of game. As long as there was a fight, it didn't matter if it was on land or underwater.
At that moment, Xingqiu's eyes suddenly widened. He pointed frantically behind Blade.
"Nice try."
Blade shook his head.
You're not fooling me.
Xingqiu nearly exploded with frustration.
Turn around! There's actually someone behind you!
But with his throat locked, he couldn't do anything.
He kicked desperately against Blade's body, trying to break free, but Blade's strength was overwhelming.
Then—
The person behind them arrived.
Two arms wrapped around both of their necks at once—
And tightened.
"…It's over."
"…Sigh."
"No ranking this time."
The Liyue and Belobog sides sighed in unison.
They had seen how Aventurine was eliminated. Once Freminet locked you in, escape was impossible.
And now, both of them were already low on oxygen.
[Notice: Player Xingqiu has been eliminated.]
[Notice: Player Blade has been eliminated.]
Valerius shook his head.
Blade had gone a bit too far this time—dragging Xingqiu down with him.
Beside him, Bronya was trembling.
She wasn't good in water to begin with. If she were in that situation, she wouldn't even know how she died.
"Don't worry. You didn't participate."
"But… will there be more water games in the future?"
"…Probably."
"Then… what should I do?"
She was panicking.
For the first time, Bronya realized her weakness—water. Not just her, but almost everyone from Belobog shared this flaw.
"Don't worry. After this game, I'll teach you. I'm very good at swimming."
"Really?"
"Of course."
Valerius gave her a reassuring look, then turned back to the battlefield with shining eyes.
Teaching Bronya how to swim… that meant swimsuits.
"gulp."
The more he thought about it, the more excited he got. He almost wanted to end the game early.
Back in the pool—
Eight players had already been reduced to five.
Freminet was clearly becoming the final boss.
After observing for a while, Albedo called out to the others.
"Team up. Eliminate Freminet first."
"Otherwise, we'll all be taken out."
"Agreed."
Maozhe immediately nodded. Freminet was too dangerous.
"Fine."
Asaba Harumasa agreed as well.
The two moved together, forming a pair.
If Freminet came, it would be two against one.
"Ha… you actually dare come?"
"Get ready."
They exchanged a glance with Albedo and Ayato, who were also grouped together.
If Freminet attacked, they would immediately assist.
The two nodded in understanding.
Underwater again—
Freminet grabbed both of their ankles.
"He's here."
"Go!"
This time, Maozhe and Harumasa didn't wait to be dragged. They took a deep breath and dove down themselves.
"Wow… that's dirty! They're teaming up!"
"This is bad—Freminet's in trouble."
The Sumeru and Fontaine sides grew anxious.
Two opponents might be manageable—but four?
That was dangerous.
"Don't worry. They won't stay united."
Nahida spoke calmly.
She had seen through it.
This was a ranking game.
No matter how righteous they sounded, at the critical moment, they would turn on each other.
If Freminet seized that moment—
He could still escape.
And besides—
The other two were from Teyvat as well.
Would they prioritize total victory?
Or personal ranking?
That depended on Albedo and Ayato.
Nahida was confident—
There was a very high chance they would choose not to help.
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