Tartaglia quickly dodged the attacks of the sand waves, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead, his expression growing increasingly solemn.
Yunqin's attack patterns this time were completely different from before!
In his previous duels with Yunqin, she mostly reacted to his moves, focusing more on defense than offense.
Unless he used an overly powerful attack, she wouldn't actively use her Elemental Power; at most, she would use the Geo element to cover herself in a thin layer of armor.
But now, this sky-covering offensive of yellow sand was fierce and ruthless, clearly aiming for his life!
What puzzled him even more was that this sand seemed different from the sand Yunqin had controlled before.
Just now, when he slashed at the Sand Shield, he vaguely felt a hint of dampness.
Was the sand wet?
But right now it was sunny and breezy, there wasn't a single stream nearby, and there was absolutely no sign of rain. Where did the water come from?
Tartaglia couldn't afford to think about it. Gripping his twin blades tightly with both hands, he forcefully channeled all the Hydro Element in his body into his weapons, causing the blades to instantly shimmer with a dazzling blue light.
"A flaw, quick to hide!"
The Hydro blades clashed with the wave of sand, kicking up a sky full of water droplets and dust, scattering all the yellow sand that had surrounded him.
As the dust gradually settled, he looked again toward where "Yunqin" had been, only to find the spot completely empty.
Not good, Tartaglia thought to himself.
A slight tickling sensation came from behind him.
Countless tiny grains of sand slipped down his collar and into his clothes, tightly binding his limbs and rendering him completely immobile.
"Yunqin's" voice came from behind him, so cold it lacked even a trace of warmth: "Sand Binding Pivot."
Tartaglia tried to struggle, but couldn't move an inch.
He forced himself to turn around and look into "Yunqin's" eyes.
Her gaze... was completely different from her usual self!
A cold killing intent, as if she viewed lives as nothing but insignificant ants.
"If you don't fight with the intent to kill me, you will never defeat me."
"Yunqin's" voice was extremely low, gently lingering by Tartaglia's ear so that only the two of them could hear it.
Yet it was this soft, weightless sentence that instantly ignited Tartaglia's will to fight.
"As expected of the partner I hold in high regard, your words are exactly to my liking. Since you feel this way..."
He abruptly clenched his fists, and the terrifying Electro element erupted frantically from his body like an exploding thunderclap.
Light purple lightning crackled, charging the surrounding air with a numbing sensation. The dust and sand that had just been blasted away were instantly scorched into fine powder within the lightning, leaving not a single trace behind.
"It has been a long time since I've enjoyed such an extreme... battle where I can go all out without holding anything back!"
He violently snapped the mask onto his face. The power of the Elemental Vision began to flow around him, instantly increasing his speed several times over and leaving behind afterimages as he moved.
The sand that "Yunqin" had previously controlled could barely keep up with Tartaglia's movements, but as the power of the Elemental Vision was fully unleashed, the flow of the sand gradually failed to keep pace with his figure.
Tartaglia was like a streak of purple lightning. The Electro element condensed into sharp blades in his hands, and every swing was aimed at "Yunqin"'s vitals without the slightest hesitation.
"Yunqin" put away her previous contempt, her gaze turning solemn.
Geo element rapidly condensed around her, and the two clashed fiercely.
The explosive sounds of the Electro element colliding with the Geo element echoed, shaking the leaves until they rustled to the ground.
The surrounding trees were blown askew by the shockwaves, and the ground was covered with cracks of varying depths. Even Lumine and Paimon, watching from afar, could feel the tremors in the air.
Just as Tartaglia gathered an even more dazzling light, the lightning on his blade about to strike "Yunqin" right in the face, a massive wall of water suddenly burst from the ground, intercepting the two of them!
With a loud bang, the Electro element blade slammed into the wall of water and was instantly disintegrated by the Hydro Element, the pale purple lightning splashing countless drops of water against the wall.
At the same time, the sand around "Yunqin" quietly dissipated, and a sword shaped like a violin bow appeared out of thin air in her hand.
The blade shimmered with a pale blue watery glow, as if condensed from the sea, its tip pointing straight at Tartaglia, who had been repelled by the water wall.
"It's time to end this game."
"Yunqin"'s voice held not a single trace of warmth, her eyes filled with impatience as if she were looking at an annoying mosquito.
"Noisy pest, I would gladly listen to your wails."
As her voice fell, she wielded her bow, her figure darting toward Tartaglia like a phantom.
Their moves were dazzlingly fast. The slashes of the bow carried the sharpness of the Hydro Element, while the strikes of the Electro element were wrapped in an aura of destruction.
Every collision kicked up a flurry of elemental debris. Pale blue and pale purple lights intertwined in the forest, forming an eerie band of light.
Lumine and Paimon stood in the distance, barely able to keep up with their movements. They could only see two blurry silhouettes weaving rapidly through the trees, their ears filled with the deafening roar of elemental collisions, their hearts pounding in rhythm.
The exact moment the bow precisely shattered the Electro element blade in Tartaglia's hands, Tartaglia's figure suddenly transformed into a flash of lightning, instantly pulling away from "Yunqin" by tens of meters with a sharp whoosh.
An even more powerful Electro element erupted around his body, dyeing even the Sky purple.
The Foul Legacy began to cover his entire body bit by bit.
The power of the Vision and the Elemental Vision surged simultaneously. The two forces intertwined within his body, making his aura incredibly terrifying.
"Hahahaha, this is it!" Tartaglia roared, his voice carrying a suppressed rage.
He thrust both hands forward, and a massive amount of Hydro Element rapidly gathered in front of him. In just a few seconds, it formed a giant whale with its massive maw wide open as if to devour everything, roaring as it charged toward "Yunqin."
Everywhere it passed was soaked by the Hydro Element, forming small streams as if trying to completely submerge the mountain forest.
"Yunqin"'s expression hardened, a flash of solemnity passing through her eyes.
The Hydro Element began to continuously cover her body, and that violin appeared in her hands once again.
She gently placed the bow against the strings. With a slight pluck of her fingertips, an intoxicating melody instantly echoed across the mountains.
The melody was so beautiful it could make one forget everything.
"Noisy." Her eyes were ice-cold, her tone filled with disdain. "Let this sharp elegy slit your throat and keep you quiet forever."
The wonderful melody carried a fatal killing intent, winding around everyone's ears like invisible threads.
Tartaglia's body suddenly froze, his Foul Legacy rapidly dissipating like a receding tide, and the light of the Electro element gradually dimmed.
He stood stiffly in place, his eyes hollow, as if he had lost his soul, drawn into an illusion by the melody.
All of this occurred in mere milliseconds, too fast for anyone to react.
Lumine watched the scene before her as a familiar wave of dizziness washed over her. Her vision grew increasingly blurry, and the music in her ears faded into the distance.
She subconsciously reached out to steady herself against Zhongli beside her, but her fingertips caught only empty air.
In her daze, a familiar figure appeared before her—it was the brother she had been searching for for so long, the one she yearned for day and night: Aether!