"...Rustam?"

"Hmm?"

This sudden turn of events was completely beyond La Signora's expectations.

Originally.

When the Tsaritsa had entrusted her with this mission, she had been quite apprehensive, but after witnessing Venti's combat prowess, she had immediately set her mind at ease, even adopting an attitude of utter contempt toward him.

In her view.

If even the Anemo Archon of Mondstadt could do nothing to her, then who else in all of Mondstadt could possibly defeat her?

That Honorary Knight of Mondstadt?

Two Fatui Pyro Agents were holding him down tight!

And the two Fatui subordinates by her side were also keeping a close watch on the Traveler, making it impossible for him to break free!

Therefore!

After crushing Venti, she had been in a state of complete relaxation.

However!

What she never expected was this.

In that very instant, she had actually experienced a lapse in focus lasting two and a half seconds. By the time she reacted, her palm had already been pierced and bloodied by the Imperanence Chain, and the Electro Gnosis had been snatched away!

The duck that was already in her mouth had actually flown away?

"You're courting death!"

With no time to wonder why she had been stunned earlier, La Signora's eyes turned cold the moment she regained her senses. She raised her finger, and a Winter Ice Crystal formed in an instant, sweeping violently toward Chen Fan.

When controlling elements, one only needed a single thought to manifest power.

In contrast, Spirit Masters on the Douluo Continent needed to release their Martial Souls and display their Spirit Rings first, resulting in significant wind-up and recovery times.

Moreover, there was no damage immunity for Spirit Masters during this process, making it very easy to take a heavy hit while casting in the middle of a battle.

Of course!

High-level Spirit Masters possessed spiritual power that the residents of Teyvat lacked, which could be considered a form of complementarity.

It was precisely because of this that Chen Fan had managed to succeed in his sneak attack.

However.

Even with Chen Fan's Peerless Douluo-level spiritual power, launching a mental shock while La Signora was completely off-guard had only been enough to stun her for two and a half seconds.

"Clang!"

Chen Fan's reaction was not slow; he wove the Impermanence Chain together to form a block.

Yet.

When that Winter Ice Crystal struck the Impermanence Chain, it did not shatter. Instead, the powerful vibration sent him reeling, his body sliding back as he was knocked flying, landing from the entrance of the Favonius Cathedral all the way to the bottom of the steps.

"Hmph!"

La Signora's gaze grew colder as she raised her palm.

The wound on her palm, previously pierced by the Impermanence Chain, had already completely sealed over at some unknown moment.

She waved her hand, and countless ice crystals scattered like falling flower petals.

The ground where the ice crystals passed instantly sprouted Winter Spikes, which surged madly toward Chen Fan.

"Sixth Spirit Ability: Nether Ghost Fire!"

The moment he obtained the Electro Gnosis, Chen Fan had heard the majestic voice of the Teleportation Gate, offering him the option to teleport away at any time.

But.

He still wanted to test the waters and see where the difference in combat power lay.

After all!

Although this was their first meeting, it would certainly not be their last!

If Chen Fan's guess was correct—the Teleportation Gate would surely issue a mission to seize the Electro Gnosis, or perhaps even face the might of the lightning itself!

To know oneself and the enemy is the only way to win every battle!

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Chen Fan's movements did not slow in the slightest. The Impermanence Chain in his hands instantly ignited with blue flames, and with a swing, a blue fireball abruptly condensed and shot forward.

The blue fireball collided with the ice crystals, immediately hissing as white mist rose, and they scattered in all directions.

However, the clash lasted for a full two and a half seconds, and while the blue fireball had dimmed slightly, the ice crystals showed no signs of melting.

Faced with this, Chen Fan remained completely calm. "Seventh Spirit Ability: Impermanence True Form!"

The Impermanence Chain in his hands suddenly combined, transforming into a chain-sword ten meters in length.

At the same time.

Chen Fan leaped into the low air, dodging the Winter Spikes forming on the ground, and swung his sword with a fierce, sweeping motion.

The greatest difference between a chain sword and a longsword is that the moment a chain sword is swung, it unfurls into a chain, granting it an incredibly long reach for area-of-effect attacks.

"Sixth Soul Skill, Nether Ghost Fire!"

In the state of the Avatar of the Martial Soul, the blue flames of this sixth soul skill burned with even greater intensity.

Since this is the world of Teyvat, the theory of elements should also hold true; it's just that my flames were too weak before—

Sure enough!

La Signora narrowed her eyes. "Hm?"

"Your power has increased?"

The thought flashed through her mind, yet her expression remained entirely unchanged. A series of condensed ice swords suddenly rose around her, and with a wave of her hand, they whistled toward Chen Fan like a volley of ten thousand arrows.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Several ice swords rained down. As the scorching fire of the chain sword collided with them, white mist hissed and billowed instantly. Both sides seemed evenly matched, and for a moment, neither could gain the upper hand.

"Hmph, I won't waste any more time with you!"

"It wouldn't be good if the Knights of Favonius were alerted!"

La Signora was slightly surprised, but she quickly lost interest. She raised her finger and swept it downward, and a massive, heavy spear of ice condensed almost instantly, crashing down with a roar!

"Bang!"

The scorching chain sword was knocked away in an instant. Chen Fan felt a violent jolt in his arm, his body stumbled, and he fell to one knee.

At the same time, his palms and knees were covered in scattered, fragmented frost, which seemed to be spreading.

The gap is so wide—

Chen Fan felt as though his limbs were on the verge of freezing stiff. A bone-chilling cold surged straight to his brain, and he couldn't help but shiver uncontrollably.

"Even the god of your Mondstadt City couldn't protect this thing. How dare a mortal like you, who lacks a Vision and possesses only some strange, minor abilities, try to snatch it?"

La Signora chuckled, walking with a cat-like grace that seemed to shrink the distance between them, appearing before Chen Fan in an instant.

Then, she lightly pressed a finger against his chin, forcing him to look up. She was about to say something, but the moment she saw his face, her expression froze and her arm went rigid. "You—"

"—Rustam?"

However!

Before La Signora could recover, Chen Fan was suddenly enveloped in a white light. With a sharp whoosh, he vanished from the spot!

Yet, La Signora remained in her original posture, staring blankly ahead as if turned to stone. Her other hand subconsciously covered her face, her pupils trembling, unable to regain her composure for a long time.

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

La Signora snapped back to reality. "Go!"

"Leave Mondstadt City first!"

"But the Gnosis—"

"Go!"

La Signora let out a cold snort and sped off into the distance.

However, watching her retreating figure, the two Fatui Agents exchanged glances. Why did it feel like the Harbinger's back—

Was trembling all over?

From a distance, it even looked very much like she was fleeing in a panic.

Could she be afraid?

That couldn't be right, could it?

The strange man without a Vision had been completely suppressed and beaten by the Harbinger just moments ago, hadn't he?

How could this—

"Stop thinking about it, let's go!"