"Aaaaaah!!!"
Tartaglia was completely enraged; the frustration of being unable to land an attack for so long and the fury of being looked down upon finally crushed his last bit of reason.
He lunged backward, putting ten meters of distance between them, retreating directly onto the shattered street in front of the shop.
"It seems I won't be able to get you to take this seriously unless I bring out my trump card!"
"In that case—"
"Delusion, maximum power release!"
"Millelith Armor State—at full power!!!"
Tartaglia gave a low growl, his hands snapping together in a cross!
Violent Electro Element energy surged without warning, clashing and reacting intensely with the Hydro Element surrounding him!
Crackling purple electric snakes darted frantically, enveloping his entire body!
An even more tyrannical, chaotic, and destructive power rose from within him!
"This again?!"
Paimon screamed in terror.
Lyney's face was pale. "Lord Childe... he's going to use that form!"
Lynette's cat ears were pressed completely flat against his head, his body stiff.
Blinding lightning and water vapor completely swallowed Tartaglia; only a blurry humanoid silhouette could be seen twisting and expanding within the light!
A heart-stopping pressure spread out, far beyond what it had been just moments ago!
But King just watched quietly, making no move to interrupt.
A few seconds later, the light faded slightly.
A brand new "Tartaglia" appeared before everyone.
His stature seemed to have grown taller, and his entire body was covered in purple-black armor condensed from Hydro and Electro, possessing a sinister beauty. Sharp bone spurs extended from his joints, and his face was covered by a hideous mask, revealing only a pair of eyes Burning with chaotic lightning.
Even the Hydro Element twin blades in his hands had transformed into longer, purple-black light blades wreathed in destructive energy.
[Childe]'s final form—the Millelith Armor State form!
"Now..."
Tartaglia's muffled voice came from beneath the mask, accompanied by the hiss of electricity. "Let's begin the second round!"
Swish!
Tartaglia's speed was several times faster than before!
His figure turned into a bolt of purple-black lightning, crossing the street in an instant to reach King. The light blade in his hand carried a momentum that could tear through anything as it slashed down toward his head!
This strike was enough to split the entire street in two!
King watched this awe-inspiring strike.
He still didn't dodge.
Moreover, this time he didn't even use his finger to point.
He simply raised his left hand slightly and then, with the nail of his pinky finger, gave it a gentle flick upward.
"Clang——————!!!"
A massive boom rang out, shattering all the remaining glass on the street into dust!
Tartaglia's full-power slash, capable of splitting mountains and halting rivers, came to a screeching halt.
His purple-black light blade, wreathed in terrifying energy, was snapped by the nail of King's left pinky finger.
Yes, a fingernail.
The nail of his pinky finger!
The violent Electro and Hydro Elements on the light blade crashed frantically against that seemingly fragile nail, yet they couldn't even leave a single white mark!
The lightning in Tartaglia's pupils trembled violently, and the expression beneath his mask was filled with horror!
"Are you done making a scene?"
King finally spoke. His voice was low and devoid of emotion, but at this moment, it sounded even more chilling to Tartaglia's ears than the snow and wind of Snezhnaya!
"Why aren't you attacking?!"
"One-sided attacks aren't a battle at all. I won't acknowledge a fight like this!!"
"Look at me! Look at me seriously!"
"Then—attack me!!!"
Tartaglia let out a beastly roar as his broken light blade slashed horizontally toward King's neck at an even faster speed!
At the same time, the energy of the Millelith Armor State erupted at full power, attempting to suppress King's movements!
King's brow furrowed imperceptibly.
He was getting sick of this battle maniac who had inexplicably stuck to him.
Thus, with a light flick of his left pinky finger, a burst of fierce internal energy shot out.
"Bang!"
An irresistible force surged forward, and Tartaglia was struck as if by lightning. With a muffled groan, he was sent flying upward, his defenses completely wide open!
King's right hand clenched into a fist.
But in Tartaglia's perception, that wasn't a fist!
It was a mountain range crushing down! It was the sky collapsing!
This punch blotted out the sky, filled his vision, and froze time!
This punch was the scythe swung by "Death"!
Unavoidable!
Unstoppable!
Unbearable!
He would die!
He would absolutely die!
If this punch really connected, let alone wearing the Millelith Armor State, even if he had a hundred lives, he would be reduced to ashes in an instant—not even an atom would remain!
Time became incredibly slow in Tartaglia's eyes.
The cold sensation of death filled his soul.
In this moment of despair, countless images flashed uncontrollably before Tartaglia's eyes—
The icy snowfields of Snezhnaya, his small, warm home.
Little Teucer, who followed behind him and looked at him with eyes full of admiration, shouting about wanting to become a great "Toy Seller" just like his big brother.
And Tonia, that well-behaved and sensible younger sister, the little angel who would secretly stuff candies into his bag whenever he left home.
If he died, what would they do?
Would the cold winds of Snezhnaya freeze them?
Would Teucer be bullied by other children? He was still so small... Would Tonia have to take on grueling work to help support the family? She was so frail... And then there were his father and mother—could they handle the blow of losing their son? They were already quite old... Most importantly—
Would those damn beasts within the Fatui move against them once they lost his protection?!!
Fear flooded over Tartaglia like a tide.
Regret.
Tartaglia regretted it so much!
Why did he come here?
Why did he challenge a monster like this, whom he could tell at a glance he was no match for?
Was his love for battle, his arrogance, and his stupidity to be paid for with the tears and pain of his family!!
No... please, no!!!
Teucer... Tonia... Father, Mother... I... I'm sorry... The wind from the punch blew Tartaglia's hair back and also blew away his tears, leaving him filled with regret.
The mask on his face groaned with a "crack, crack" sound as fissures began to appear.
Tartaglia closed his eyes, waiting for death to descend.
"I'm sorry..."
The wind stopped.
That terrifying pressure from the punch, enough to pulverize the stars, disappeared like an illusion.
Tartaglia trembled as he struggled to open his eyes.
Tears blurred his vision, but he could just barely see.
That terrifying fist had stopped right before his eyes.
It was less than a centimeter from the tip of his nose.
He could even feel the terrifying heat radiating from the surface of the fist.
Behind the fist was King's expressionless face.
"Cra... crack..."
A faint sound of cracking rang out.
Several large cracks appeared right in the center of the Millelith Armor State's sturdy mask.
Immediately after, the cracks spread, covering his entire body like a spiderweb.
"Bang!"
With a loud crash, the Millelith Armor State shattered like broken porcelain, turning into points of light that drifted through the air and slowly dissipated, revealing Tartaglia's true self within.
His face was as pale as paper, he was covered in tears, and his pupils were dilated, having lost all focus. He stood there blankly, his short orange hair swept upward by the "wind" from the punch, making him look both ridiculous and pathetic.
[Ding! Detected extreme battle intent, regret, sorrow, and realization from Tartaglia. Emotion Points +10,000]
King slowly withdrew his fist with a casual movement.
He glanced at the dumbfounded Tartaglia; that look seemed to contain too much, yet also nothing at all.
King ignored everyone. Instead, he turned, leaned over, and used the same hand that had nearly killed Tartaglia to gently pick up the still-dazed Paimon.
Then, he set off, treading over the mess and rubble on the ground, passing by the statue-like Tartaglia as he walked unhurriedly towards the Opera Epiclese.
His back looked solitary and lofty.
Not until King's figure disappeared at the end of the street did that suffocating pressure gradually dissipate.
The street was deathly silent.
After a long while.
"Wuwu..."