The cheers of thousands echoed across the colossal stone arena known as the Skywave Coliseum.
Its circular walls towered above the bustling harbor city of Valenport, banners fluttering proudly beneath a cloudless sky. Merchants paused their business, sailors abandoned their ships, and nobles leaned over marble balconies. Every eye was fixed upon the center of the arena.
Two figures stood opposite one another.
One possessed long golden hair that danced gently in the wind. Folded behind his back rested an enormous pair of radiant golden wings.
The other wore a crimson warrior's coat decorated with silver armor. His smile radiated excitement rather than hostility.
He looked as though battle itself was the greatest joy life had offered him.
The announcer's voice echoed through magical amplifiers.
"Today... two extraordinary warriors shall determine who deserves the title of Champion of the Crimson Tide Tournament!"
The crowd erupted.
The winged traveler calmly rested one hand upon the hilt of his sword.
Across from him, the crimson warrior laughed.
"So..."
He pointed his blade.
"You accepted my invitation."
Aether nodded.
"I did."
"I wasn't sure you would."
"I don't run from challenges."
The crimson warrior grinned wider.
"Perfect."
He slowly raised his weapon.
"The name is Tartaglia, Eleventh of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers."
"And today..."
"I'll discover whether you're truly worthy of all those stories."
Aether answered quietly.
"My name is Aether."
"I only came because I wanted answers."
Cassian laughed loudly.
"You'll get your answers."
"But first..."
"Survive me."
A deep horn sounded.
BOOOOOOM!
"The duel begins!"
Childe vanished.
The stone beneath his feet exploded.
"So fast!"
Aether's eyes widened.
Before his conscious mind could react—
A calm mechanical voice echoed inside his thoughts.
Combat Analysis Activated...
Target acceleration: 126 km/h
Predicted attack vector: Left shoulder.
Without thinking...
Aether moved.
WHOOSH!
A crimson blade sliced through empty air where his neck had been.
Childe landed behind him.
"Oh?"
"You dodged."
"I like that."
Aether slowly turned.
His golden eyes narrowed.
Inside his vision...
Transparent blue symbols floated across reality.
Enemy heartbeat.
Muscle tension.
Breathing rhythm.
Wind direction.
Distance.
Every variable appeared around Childe like invisible calculations.
Prediction Success Rate
97.4%
"So..."
Childe smiled.
"You've got tricks."
"I was hoping for that."
Water gathered around his weapon.
Thousands of droplets floated into the sky.
Suddenly—
SHIIIIIIIING!!
Hundreds of razor-sharp water arrows launched simultaneously.
The audience screamed.
"So many!"
Trajectory Calculated.
Safe Route Generated.
Aether spread his wings.
BOOOOOOM!
He disappeared.
One arrow.
Two.
Twenty.
A hundred.
Every projectile narrowly missed him.
To the spectators...
He seemed to become a streak of golden light weaving effortlessly through an impossible storm.
Childe laughed louder.
"Excellent!"
"Again!"
The arena floor erupted beneath Aether.
Towering walls of water shot upward.
Instead of retreating—
Aether extended one hand.
Gravity distorted.
The air itself bent.
Every wave suddenly slowed.
The enormous walls of water hung motionless.
The audience collectively gasped.
"...Impossible..."
Aether gently closed his fingers.
The suspended water crashed harmlessly onto the arena floor.
Childe's smile only widened.
"Marvelous."
"Then let's stop playing."
Blue energy disappeared.
Purple lightning exploded around him.
Electric arcs danced across the arena.
The crowd retreated in panic.
Childe now held twin lightning blades.
"I've been waiting to use this."
He vanished again.
This time...
Even faster.
Lightning flashed everywhere.
One strike.
Five.
Ten.
Twenty.
Aren's sword moved continuously.
Steel collided with lightning so rapidly the sound became one continuous metallic roar.
Above the battlefield...
Nobles stood speechless.
One elderly general whispered,
"I've... never witnessed combat like this."
Nearby...
Three cloaked figures silently observed from a distant rooftop.
One wore black armor that concealed every inch of his body.
One possessed elegant white hair and cold crimson eyes.
The third calmly watched with folded arms.
None of them spoke.
Yet every movement of the two duelists reflected in their eyes.
The black-armored warrior finally broke the silence.
"So..."
"He truly exists."
The white-haired woman smiled faintly.
"Our information wasn't exaggerated."
"No."
The armored commander replied.
"It wasn't."
He continued watching the golden-winged swordsman.
"...Interesting."
The deafening clang of steel echoed through the Skywave Coliseum.
Every exchange between Aether and Childe produced a shockwave that rippled across the arena floor. Dust rose into the air while cracks spread beneath their feet like spiderwebs.
Neither warrior had managed to land a decisive blow.
Yet both knew the battle had only just begun.
Childe skidded backward, dragging his twin lightning blades across the stone.
"...You're incredible."
He laughed.
"No wonder everyone keeps talking about you."
Aether lowered his sword.
"I didn't come here for praise."
"I know."
Childe's smile widened.
"You came because you wanted answers."
"And I came because I wanted a worthy fight."
Lightning exploded around his body.
"Let's give each other what we want!"
The Second Phase
Purple lightning wrapped around Cassian like living serpents.
His speed doubled.
He vanished.
Aether's inner voice immediately responded.
Combat Analysis...
Enemy velocity increased by 84%.
Predicting attack pattern...
Thirty-two possible combinations detected.
Most probable sequence generated.
Without hesitation, Aether stepped exactly half a pace to his left.
A lightning spear narrowly missed his chest.
Another slash swept toward his legs.
He jumped.
A third strike came from above.
He twisted in midair using his wings, avoiding it by mere centimeters.
The spectators could barely follow the exchange.
To them, lightning and golden feathers had become nothing more than streaks of color.
Childe pressed relentlessly.
His twin blades carved arcs of electricity through the air.
Aether parried every strike.
Metal screamed.
Sparks rained across the arena.
Then—
Childe suddenly disappeared.
Warning.
Enemy repositioning behind you.
Aether spun instantly.
Their weapons collided once more.
BOOM!
The impact shattered part of the arena wall.
Stone blocks rained into the empty seats as the audience fled farther back.
Childe laughed between breaths.
"This is wonderful!"
He kicked Aether squarely in the ribs.
The impact launched Aether across the arena.
Before he landed—
Childe was already waiting.
Another strike.
Another kick.
Another slash.
A relentless storm.
Aether crossed his arms.
Gravity bent around him.
The final kick slowed just enough for him to catch Childe's ankle.
Childe blinked.
"...What?"
Aether swung.
Using gravity itself as leverage, he hurled Childe through three stone pillars.
The entire coliseum shook.
The crowd erupted.
"Did you see that?!"
"He threw him!"
"Impossible!"
Dust slowly settled.
Childe emerged from the rubble.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Yet...
He was smiling even wider.
"Now that's more like it."
The Final Transformation
Dark energy gathered around Childe.
Water spiraled upward.
Lightning danced through it.
The air became heavy.
The spectators instinctively stepped backward.
The cloaked observers remained motionless.
The armored commander narrowed his eyes.
"So he's using it."
Dark armor slowly formed around Childe's body.
His face compleltely covered.
Water and lightning merged into a single violent aura.
His voice became deeper.
"Aether."
"I hope..."
"...you survive this."
The pressure alone cracked the remaining arena floor.
Aether stared quietly.
His inner voice spoke again.
Warning.
Opponent's combat output exceeds previous estimates.
Recommendation: Full synchronization.
Aether closed his eyes.
"...Do it."
A warm sensation spread throughout his body.
Golden light flowed across his arms.
His wings became brighter.
Every heartbeat sounded perfectly clear.
When he opened his eyes again...
His pupils had transformed into intricate rings of golden light.
Childe charged.
His spear struck like a bolt of lightning.
Aether deflected it.
A wave of compressed air flattened everything nearby.
Childe followed with another strike.
And another.
And another.
Each attack carried enough force to destroy buildings.
The arena could no longer withstand the punishment.
With a tremendous roar...
The center collapsed.
Into the Streets
The duel spilled out of the ruined coliseum.
Both warriors landed in the crowded streets of Liyue.
Citizens screamed.
Guards hurried to evacuate civilians.
Shops closed.
Merchants abandoned their stalls.
The battle continued without pause.
Childe launched torrents of water through the streets.
Entire market stands exploded apart.
Aether swept his hand.
Gravity twisted.
The incoming water veered harmlessly upward before crashing into abandoned buildings instead of civilians.
Childe noticed.
"...You're protecting them."
"I won't allow innocent people to suffer."
Childe grinned.
"That's exactly why you'll hesitate."
He launched himself forward.
The duel resumed.
Sword.
Spear.
Punch.
Kick.
Every movement shook the city.
Hours seemed to pass.
Both warriors were breathing heavily.
Childe's armor had shattered.
Blood covered his clothes.
Aether's coat was torn.
Bruises covered his arms.
Even his wings bore cuts from countless exchanges.
Yet neither had fallen.
Childe gathered everything he had left.
"ONE LAST ATTACK!"
Water spiraled around lightning.
The two elements merged into a colossal vortex.
The entire street trembled.
Aether inhaled slowly.
His inner voice calculated.
Single opening detected.
Probability of success: 96.8%.
Execute now.
Aether folded his wings.
Then—
He disappeared.
Not because he had become invisible...
But because he had accelerated beyond what ordinary eyes could follow.
Childe widened his eyes.
"...Impossible..."
Aether slipped beneath the vortex.
Past the spear.
Past the lightning.
Past every defense.
His fist struck Childe squarely in the chest.
The impact created a deafening boom.
Every nearby window shattered.
Childe flew through multiple buildings before crashing into the stone-paved road several hundred meters away.
Silence.
The transformed armor dissolved.
Childe coughed violently.
Blood stained the ground.
He tried to stand...
His legs refused.
"...Heh..."
"So..."
"...I lost."
An Unexpected Arrival
Aether slowly approached.
Sword in hand.
His expression remained calm.
Not triumphant.
Simply resolved.
Childe looked up.
"If you're going to finish it..."
"...then do it."
Aether raised his blade.
Suddenly—
CLANG!
A whitish-black sword intercepted the strike.
The shockwave forced Aether several steps backward.
A towering armored warrior stood between them.
His face was hidden beneath a dark helm.
His mere presence made the surrounding air feel impossibly heavy.
Aether instinctively tightened his grip on his sword.
The armored warrior spoke in a deep, measured voice.
"That is enough."
Behind him, two more cloaked figures emerged from a nearby rooftop.
One was a dignified woman with white hair whose sharp crimson eyes never left Aether.
The other, dressed in elegant black and crimson, observed silently with unreadable composure.
Aether studied the three strangers carefully.
His inner voice
Scanning
Thread level: Exceed beyond Capacity
Recommentation: Retreat
"Who are they?" he wondered.
The armored warrior met his gaze.
"There is no need for this battle to continue."
"You have already won."
Aether remained silent.
After a long pause, he lowered his sword.
"I achieved what I came here for."
The armored warrior gave a slight nod.
"A wise decision."
He lifted the unconscious Childe with surprising ease.
Before leaving, he looked back once.
"Our paths may cross again."
Without another word, the three figures disappeared into the gathering dusk, taking Cgilde with them.
The streets gradually fell silent.
Citizens cautiously emerged from hiding.
Aether stood alone amidst the shattered stone and splintered wood.
His inner voice spoke one last time.
Battle Complete.
Opponent Assessment: Extraordinary.
Further encounters with similarly powerful adversaries are highly probable.
Aether looked toward the darkening horizon.
"...Then I'd better keep getting stronger."
He spread his golden wings.
With a powerful beat, he rose into the evening sky and turned toward Monstadt, leaving the broken streets of Liyue behind as the sun disappeared below the horizon.