"Whoosh!"
A green figure streaked past, and a blonde-haired girl hurried after him, Emergency Food in tow.
However.
Just as the two passed by the grounds of Favonius Cathedral, two shadows suddenly appeared. The next instant, they shot toward the green figure.
"Whoosh!"
Lumine reacted quickly, too. She summoned the power of Anemo and knocked the two figures away.
"Hmph!"
The two figures grunted in unison, hit the ground, and slid to a stop. Their dark red-black clothes came into view, and their crimson eyes fixed on Lumine. The next instant, they melted into the ground like a muddy pool.
"Eh?"
Lumine had just run over, ready for a rematch, and was instantly dumbfounded by the sight.
But just then—
With a snap of someone's fingers, a biting wind swept through, and countless shards of ice surged toward them.
Caught off guard, Lumine was sent sliding backward several steps. The floating Emergency Food was frozen solid and sent tumbling through the air.
The green figure in front of her, however, was surrounded by a flash of green light. A breeze swirled around him, blocking the frost.
He tried to move, only to discover that his legs had been frozen in place. He couldn't budge.
"Whoosh!"
Before Lumine could recover from the icy attack, the two figures who had vanished suddenly leaped out of the ground and pinned her down.
"Ah, in the end, I still managed to find the hamster who ran away from home—"
The green bard glanced back at Lumine, pinned helplessly to the ground. Before he could react, a mocking laugh rang out.
Then came the sound of high heels. A figure wearing a black, crown-shaped mask sauntered over to the bard as casually as if strolling through a garden. She lightly lifted his chin. "Gnawing on the woodwork, nibbling at the rice sacks—you've caused Mondstadt so much trouble!"
At that moment, a solemn voice rang in the hearts of all the beings across the Douluo Continent!
[The Fatui's Eleven Harbingers, Eighth Seat, Codename: La Signora!]
The Fatui?
The countless beings across the Douluo Continent were stunned. They immediately remembered what Lumine had asked when Guibao Douluo entered this stage.
"Could the Fatui be a faction in Teyvat?"
"Maybe they're independent of Teyvat's Seven Nations? Otherwise, why would everyone be so wary of them?"
"Come to think of it, what exactly are the Fatui?"
The crowd chattered among themselves, but it did nothing to slow events on Teyvat's side.
"You mean a mouse, not a hamster—"
He hadn't even finished speaking before a heavy slap landed across his face. "This is no time for you to speak, you rude bard!"
Lumine struggled to move, but the two Fatui Agents held her down tight. In another setting, this scene would have been the epitome of Useless Lumine!
"You—"
After that heavy slap, the green bard, whose real name was Venti, seemed to grow angry.
Then—
A powerful surge of Anemo gathered around him, and the ice beneath his feet rapidly cracked and crumbled before their eyes.
But—
Seeing this, the Harbinger gave him a mocking smile. "Heh. You gave up ruling Mondstadt as its god, and this is all the power you have left?"
The words sent a shock through the entire Douluo Continent!
"Whoa! A god who rules Mondstadt? Wait, you mean that guy?"
"My goodness, why are the gods of Teyvat so low-key? Shouldn't gods have their own palaces, with ordinary people forbidden from entering?"
"Exactly! Why does this god look just like an ordinary person?"
"Hold on, did you notice something? This La Signora can pin down Mondstadt's god. Doesn't that mean—"
"Could La Signora be a god, too?"
At the thought, all the beings felt their hearts shudder. Their pupils shook, and their scalps tingled!
La Signora!
The Fatui's Eighth Harbinger!
That meant there were seven more just as powerful ahead of her!
My goodness!
Did that mean there were seven more gods besides the ruling gods of Teyvat's Seven Nations?
At the thought, countless people across the Douluo Continent felt cold sweat break out all over them!
"What the hell kind of world did we get connected to? Why are there so many gods?!"
"Yeah! We've only ever had three gods in the Douluo Continent, but they have fourteen! Good grief!"
A god has already appeared in the fourth stage. What about the ones after this? Could it be—
In the Heaven Dou Empire's camp, the Titled Douluo exchanged glances. Liu Erlong, who had just boldly declared that the three of them could take on their opponent together if need be, had gone deathly pale. Her lips had turned white, too!
She might have a fiery temper, but she wasn't reckless. She knew exactly how much she could handle.
They might have been able to take on a Titled Douluo, but fighting a god—
They might as well find a block of tofu and bash their heads against it!
"My lord, this—"
In the forbidden zone of the Star Dou Great Forest, Di Tian wasn't shocked. After all, he had seen gods before. He was only surprised that Teyvat was home to fourteen of them.
But in that case, wouldn't the human that his lord had brought back be going to his death?
"Don't worry!"
The Silver Dragon King's voice was calm. Hearing it, Di Tian felt as if everything were under her control.
That reassured him. Thinking about it, it made sense. His lord possessed the wisdom of the Dragon God; her vision, intelligence, and breadth of mind were far beyond his.
So—
All he had to do was follow her orders!
The Spirit Hall Empire, on the other hand—
"Your Majesty, Chen Fan is as good as dead!"
Unlike the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Dou Great Forest camps, the Spirit Hall Empire's reaction was very different.
Especially Tianfeng Douluo!
His face was practically written all over with glee. "I told you Chen Fan was just lucky. Now he has to face a god. Isn't that just asking for death?"
Rakshasa God Bibi Dong said nothing, but a cold smile tugged at her lips. She, too, was clearly looking forward to—
"Silver-tongued!"
The people of the Douluo Continent were still reeling, but nothing on Teyvat had paused.
Thoroughly provoked by Venti's words, La Signora reached out and seized his Gnosis!
In an instant!
Venti froze in place. Then he fell to his knees with a thump, one hand braced on the ground and the other clutching his chest, his face twisted in pain.
La Signora paid him no mind. She opened her eyes wide with curiosity and held up the tiny object in her hand. "So this is... the Gnosis?"
However!
Just as she held the Gnosis and examined it curiously—
"Whoosh!"
A pitch-black chain suddenly shot down from above. It moved faster than anyone could imagine, pierced La Signora's black glove in an instant, and latched onto the Gnosis.
With a tug of the chain, the Gnosis floated lightly into Chen Fan's hand. "Something this good should be kept hidden, not flaunted where anyone can snatch it."
"Especially when—"
"It isn't yours!"
Before you continue