"...Rustam?"

"Hm?"

The sudden turn of events had completely exceeded La Signora's expectations.

In the first place.

When the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya had given her this mission, she had been rather apprehensive. But after seeing Venti's combat strength, she had immediately relaxed, and even looked down on him completely.

In her view,

if even Mondstadt's Anemo Archon couldn't do anything to her, who in all of Mondstadt could possibly beat her?

That Honorary Knight of Mondstadt?

The two Fatui Agents had her firmly in their grasp!

And her two Fatui subordinates were keeping an eye on the Traveler beside her. There was no way she could break free!

So!

After defeating Venti, La Signora had been completely at ease.

But!

She had never expected that, in that instant, she would be left dazed for a full two and a half seconds. By the time she came to, her palm had been pierced and bloodied by the Impermanence Chain, and the Gnosis had been stolen!

The duck that was practically in her mouth had flown away?

"You're asking for death!"

La Signora had no time to wonder why she had been dazed earlier. As soon as she came to, her gaze turned icy. She raised a hand, and a shard of ice instantly formed, sweeping fiercely toward Chen Fan.

When controlling the elements, all it took was a thought to summon their power.

By contrast, Spirit Masters on the Douluo Continent had to release their Martial Souls and reveal their Spirit Rings first. Both the wind-up and recovery were lengthy.

And neither side gained any immunity to damage during that time, so if a fight broke out, they could easily take a direct hit.

Of course!

High-ranking Spirit Masters possessed mental power that Teyvat's residents lacked. That helped make up for the difference.

That was why Chen Fan had been able to catch La Signora off guard.

However,

even with the mental power of a Peerless Douluo, Chen Fan could only leave La Signora dazed for two and a half seconds with a surprise mental attack while she was completely off guard.

"Clang!"

Chen Fan reacted quickly, weaving the Impermanence Chain into a shield.

However,

when the Winter Ice Crystal struck the chain, it didn't shatter. Instead, the powerful impact sent him sliding backward, then flung him through the air. He landed at the bottom of the steps, having been knocked all the way from the entrance of Favonius Cathedral.

"Hmph!"

La Signora's gaze turned even colder as she raised her hand.

The palm pierced by the Impermanence Chain had somehow already sealed itself shut.

She swept her hand, sending countless ice crystals flying like a scattering of flowers from the heavens.

The ground beneath them froze over, sprouting Winter Spikes that raced toward Chen Fan.

"Sixth Soul Skill, Nether Ghost Fire!"

The instant he obtained the Gnosis, Chen Fan had heard the Teleportation Gate's solemn voice. He could choose to teleport at any time.

But

he still wanted to test the waters and see where the difference in their strength lay.

After all!

This might be their first meeting, but it definitely wouldn't be their last!

If Chen Fan had guessed right, the next mission from the Teleportation Gate would surely involve taking the Electro Gnosis—and perhaps even facing the full might of the thunder!

Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated!

As the thought flashed through his mind, Chen Fan's hands moved without slowing. The Impermanence Chain in his grasp instantly blazed with blue flames. With a swing, a blue fireball condensed and shot toward his opponent.

The blue fireball collided with the ice crystals. Hissing white vapor billowed up, and they scattered in every direction.

But even after a full two and a half seconds, the blue fireball had dimmed slightly, while the ice crystals showed no sign of melting.

Chen Fan didn't panic at all. "Seventh Soul Skill, Impermanence True Form!"

The Impermanence Chain in his hand snapped together, transforming into a chain sword ten meters long.

At the same time,

Chen Fan leapt into the air, dodging the Winter Spikes that had formed on the ground, then swung the sword fiercely.

The biggest difference between a chain sword and a regular sword was that, with a single swing, the chain sword could unfurl into iron links, giving it a tremendous area of attack.

"Sixth Soul Skill, Nether Ghost Fire!"

In his Martial Soul Avatar state, the blue flames of this Sixth Soul Skill burned even more fiercely.

"Since this is the world of Teyvat, elemental theory should apply too. My flames were simply too weak before—"

Sure enough!

La Signora narrowed her eyes. "Hm?

"Your power has increased?"

The thought flashed through her mind, but her expression didn't change. Ice swords sprang up around her, and with a wave of her hand, they shot toward Chen Fan like ten thousand arrows loosed at once.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

A rain of ice swords came hurtling down. When they collided with the searing flames of the chain sword, sizzling white vapor rose. The two sides seemed evenly matched, and for a time neither could gain the upper hand.

"Hmph, I'm done wasting time with you!"

"If we attract the Knights of Favonius, things will get troublesome!"

La Signora was a little surprised, but quickly lost interest. She raised a finger and swept it downward. A massive ice spear formed in an instant and crashed down!

"Bang!"

The searing chain sword was knocked flying in an instant. Chen Fan felt a violent jolt in his arm, staggered, and dropped to one knee.

At the same time,

his palm and knees were covered in scattered shards of frost, which seemed to be spreading.

The gap was enormous—

Chen Fan felt his limbs beginning to freeze. Bone-deep cold surged straight to his head, and he shivered.

"Even your god couldn't protect what belonged to Mondstadt. How could an ordinary person like you, with no Vision and only some strange abilities, dare to steal it?"

La Signora chuckled as she approached with a catlike gait, yet seemed to cross the distance in a single step, appearing right in front of Chen Fan.

Then,

she lightly pressed a finger beneath his chin, making him look up. She was just about to say something when she saw his face. Her expression froze, and her arm locked in place. "You—"

"—Rustam?"

But!

Before La Signora could recover, a flash of white light enveloped Chen Fan, and with a whoosh, he vanished from the spot!

Yet

La Signora remained frozen in her original pose, staring blankly ahead as though she had turned to stone. She instinctively covered her face with her other hand, her eyes trembling with shock as she stood there, unable to recover.

It wasn't until two and a half minutes later that the two Fatui Agents, who had knocked Lumine unconscious, came hurrying over. "Lady Harbinger, the Knights of Favonius are on their way!"

Only then did La Signora snap back to her senses. "Go!"

"Leave Mondstadt City first!"

"But the Gnosis—"

"Go!"

La Signora gave a cold snort and hurried off into the distance.

But

as the two Fatui Agents watched her back, they exchanged glances. Why did Lady Harbinger's back look—

like her whole body was trembling?

From a distance, she even seemed to be fleeing in panic.

Was she afraid?

That couldn't be right.

That strange man without a Vision had been completely overpowered by Lady Harbinger just now!

So why was she—

"Stop thinking about it. Move!"