The moment Melody Beyond the Strings activated, Lin Qingyue's mind seemed to shatter into countless pale fragments.
I'm doomed!
This damned passive skill again!
A forced transformation in a life-or-death situation, under everyone's watchful eyes? What bizarre outfit and BGM would it be this time?!
The anticipated rousing battle anthem or comical melody never came.
Instead, a simple, ancient, and distant duet of zither and xiao flowed from the upper reaches of the river of time, pouring into everyone's ears.
The melody was solemn, possessing the steadfastness of bedrock. Beneath its restrained surface lay a profound sigh for the vast changes of ages past.
The sound alone was enough to calm the frantic, chaotic minds on the battlefield.
It was, unmistakably, "Rex Incognito"!
The instant the BGM began, a soft yet profound brownish-gold light engulfed Lin Qingyue!
Her priestess robe, stained with slime condensate, dissolved and reformed within the light!
As the light swirled, a magnificent robe—dominated by shades of brown, black, and gold, intricately detailed with ancient elegance and majesty—materialized around her!
The dark patterns on the robe's hem flowed like winding mountains and rivers, with totems of rock and dragon scales faintly visible among them, exuding an aura of supreme nobility and power.
It was none other than the classic attire of Rex Lapis, Zhongli!
However, that fatal sense of dissonance struck again!
This ancient garment, clearly designed for a high-ranking, composed male figure, was now forcibly "adapted" to Lin Qingyue's tall, athletic, and distinctly curvaceous onee-san physique.
The robe remained magnificent, its patterns as majestic as ever.
But on her, it created a jarring clash—a bizarre fusion of "Empress Ascending the Throne" and "Forced Cosplay."
Certain areas, originally meant to be loose and dignified, were now stretched taut, outlining curves far too voluptuous for the garment's intended solemnity. The majesty was tainted with... just a hint of impropriety.
And that face—a blend of an onee-san's features (currently frozen in shock) and a "salted fish" temperament (temporarily overshadowed by the regal aura)—paired with this Archon's attire...
She looked exactly like the "Geo Archon" who had undergone a sudden art style shift and was being forced to work against her will!
[Melody Beyond the Strings triggered! BGM: "Rex Incognito" (Genshin Impact - Zhongli: The Listener). Transformed Character: Zhongli.]
[Acquired bonus effect: Modified Jade Shield (Duration: 60 seconds). During this period, shields you apply have 250% base absorption. While the shield is active, it reduces the All Elemental RES and Physical RES of all enemies within a 20-meter radius by 20%.]
The System notification flashed past.
A power as vast as stone and as steady as a mountain instantly filled Lin Qingyue's entire being.
She could feel her understanding and control over "shields" reaching an unprecedented level!
But at this moment, what surged within her wasn't the joy of gaining power, but an overwhelming impulse to perform a "Planet Befall" on the spot and smash herself, along with the ground beneath her, into the planet's core.
"Why Lord Rex?! System, how do you even adapt body types?! What kind of insane operation is this, forcibly turning this outfit into a women's version?! Couldn't you have just made it one size bigger?! Since when was your Archon so... well-endowed up front?!"
She roared frantically in the depths of her soul.
However, just as the shame was about to breach the dam of her sanity, a figure flashed through her mind: a boy in bright green tights and a beret, chirping in a youthful voice, "Ehe~"
Lin Qingyue's soul-scream abruptly ceased.
She silently assessed the Archon Robe she wore. It was tight, yes, but at least it was solemn and majestic. Then she imagined the bard's outfit—the one that might reveal everything with a gust of wind...
...plus the "Ehe," "Ehe" way of speaking...
...Alright, then.
No comparison, no harm. The ancients truly spoke the truth!
Though both were public executions, at least this one had a bit more dignity!
"Sis... y-y-you again..."
Lin Xiyue, who had just rushed to the breach and was bracing for the explosion, heard the BGM and turned to see her sister's dramatic transformation. She froze, nearly dropping her shield, her eyes wide as saucers.
"What... what is it this time?! An ancient emperor?! That outfit... it's so domineering! But on you, Sis, it feels... weird?!"
Her vocabulary failed her. She couldn't find the right words, only feeling that her sister's style had leaped from "quirky" straight to "completely broken."
The Earth Spirits, however, reacted in a completely different manner.
The instant Lin Qingyue's transformation completed, all the Earth Spirits—including the battle-hardened Stonebeard Earth Spirit—jolted violently!
Their rock-like bodies began to uncontrollably emit a faint, humming sound, like the resonance of mountains!
It wasn't fear, but an instinctive thrumming... originating from their very bloodline, from every speck of dust that formed their bodies!
It was the absolute reverence of base Geo elements for the Creator God who commanded all the rocks and contracts of the world!
"This... this is..." For the first time, the Stonebeard Earth Spirit's rocky face displayed an expression akin to "dumbfounded awe." It even instinctively started to kneel on one knee.
"This aura... it's like the ancient earth that bears all things! It's... it's the pulse of the earth, the... the majesty of a Sovereign!"
However, the battlefield waits for no one!
The Large Fire Slimes that had rushed to the breach were already glowing with maximum intensity, about to detonate in a spectacular self-destruction
Lin Qingyue fought back the urge to ascend on the spot. Shame and survival instinct intertwined, culminating in a sharp cry that tried to mimic Zhongli's calm tone but, due to her embarrassment, came out trembling and slightly cracked:
"Gather!"
The moment the words left her lips, Lin Qingyue herself broke out in goosebumps.
So chuuni! So cringe!
But the effect was undeniable!
She instinctively raised her hand, her mind locking onto her sister, Lin Xiyue, and the few endangered Earth Spirits.
Gone was the familiar platinum glow.
Instead, incredibly solid, heavy shields—glowing with the luster of glazed amber—instantly enveloped them! Ancient Geo patterns flowed slowly across their surfaces.
Jade Shield, activate!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Almost at the exact moment the shields formed, the Large Fire Slimes violently exploded! Scorching waves of fire and shockwaves slammed against the amber shields!
Yet, the seemingly fragile glazed shields stood as firm as ancient bedrock, utterly unshaken!
They merely rippled faintly before completely neutralizing the explosive force that would have critically wounded the Earth Spirits!
"What?!"
Lin Xiyue stared wide-eyed, feeling a solidity from the shield that far surpassed any her sister had ever cast before.
The sense of security was so immense, she felt she could go toe-to-toe with a dragon if one charged at them right now
But an even more delightful surprise awaited her!
Within the area covered by this strange shield, the glow of every charging slime visibly dimmed!
Their slithering slowed, and even the elemental fluctuations they emitted grew significantly weaker!
"Their defenses... have been drastically reduced!"
Lin Xiyue immediately noticed the change!
Her Holy Light Strike and Hammer of Justice, which had previously barely scratched the slimes, now inflicted significant damage!
The Holy Light energy seemed to have found a breach, easily tearing through the slimes' protective surfaces and purifying them into viscous puddles!
Hiss—!
The Earth Spirits discovered that their stone hammers could now shatter large chunks of rock from the Rock-Shell Slimes! Attacks that had felt like mere scrapes before now landed with bone-crushing force!
"It's the power of... Her Highness, the Empress!"
The Stonebeard Earth Spirit's eyes blazed with fervent light, his address changing in reverence. "Her words are law! She has weakened these twisted creations!"
"Shamans! Full attack!" the Wallclaw Cave Dweller chieftain shrieked, realizing the opportunity.
The Cave Dweller Shamans, invigorated, found their previously weak stone spikes now easily piercing the slimes' bodies.
The tide of battle had instantly turned
Lin Qingyue gritted her teeth, enduring the agony of social death. While maintaining the unbelievably sturdy and low-mana-cost Jade Shield, she wielded the pink staff—a catastrophically jarring contrast to her Archon Attire—and precisely picked off any slimes that slipped through the cracks.
Under the field-wide Resistance Reduction Aura, her attack efficiency skyrocketed.
Lin Xiyue was like a tiger unleashed upon a flock of sheep. Her Holy Light purified the viscous enemies with unprecedented efficiency as she couldn't help but shout excitedly:
"Sis! This 'King Engine' of yours is insane! How about we call you the Geo Archon from now on?!"
Lin Qingyue: "..."
Just shut up! Don't call me that!
With the powerful support of the "Geo Archon (Social Death Edition)," the once-precarious defensive line not only stabilized but even began to push back.
Under the dual assault of the Jade Shield and the Resistance Reduction, the slime tide melted away like snow in spring, swiftly being cleared.