A gathering crowd can be seen at the plaza a short walk away from the Marcotte Station, the plaza situated west of the Opera Epiclese if one were to be more specific. The reason for it being the recent reveal of two very special clockwork mekas.

"Come on, Lucian! You gotta see this!" Lyney enthusiastically pulled Lucian along. Lynette and him had caught wind of this interesting news while they were busking at Marcotte Station yesterday and had immediately pulled Lucian and Clorinde along this morning. They have a feeling that they would be interested in this particular clockwork meka, especially so for Clorinde since she had just received her vision.

Lucian simply allowed himself to be pulled along. The twins had been acting a little mysterious and secretive ever since they told him they stumbled upon "something very interesting" and he decided to simply go along with the flow. It's obvious that the twins wanted to give him a surprise and he's not going to reject their kind gesture.

"Please let us through! Let us through, thank you!" Lyney somehow managed to squeeze and part a way for them all through the crowd, allowing the group of four to eventually reach the front and see what had the crowd so hyped.

"Clockwork meka?" Clorinde whispered aloud, not very sure why the twins were so excited about the commonly seen machination that could be seen patrolling the streets of Fontaine.

"It's not just any clockwork meka, you will understand once you see it for yourself. Oh look, there's the next contender!" Lyney excitedly pointed ahead when someone walked up to test their skills against the two clockwork mekas dancing a waltz in the middle of the empty plaza. Spectators dotted the edges of the circular plaza above, each more curious than the last to see if somebody would finally be able to best the two clockwork meka below.

"Those are definitely much more powerful than the usual gardemeks patrolling the streets," Lucian finally understood why the twins were adamant on pulling him and Clorinde here and showed them the existence of the two unique clockwork mekas. The existence of clockwork meka was something new to him when he woke up 500 years into the future since such a thing wasn't present in the past. Research into machinery and alternative power sources were something he knew were in the works back then, but had not yet turned into reality and implemented on a national scale. He recalled that there were only a few testbeds for such ideas in the past.

Things really are different now. The addition of clockwork meka into Fontaine was something he could agree upon with Focalors, because there's no doubt that the city's security and military strength had vastly improved upon this implementation.

"At least thirty over people had attempted to beat those clockwork mekas since its reveal yesterday, among which some of them are vision wielders," Lyney excitedly filled in the missing gaps of knowledge for Lucian and Clorinde while they spectated the fight going on below from above.

"And let me guess, nobody succeeded?"

"It seems that this would be the case," Lynette said just as the previous challenger was swiftly knocked out by the clockwork mekas that were fighting while dancing an elegant waltz. "Do you see the cameraman there? I believe that he's from the Fontaine Research Institute and the one who created the two clockwork mekas. I think the two clockwork mekas are called the Icewind Suite?"

"But if it's you, I think you can do it!" Lyney continued to persuade Lucian to try challenging the Icewind Suite because in his mind there's nobody that Lucian cannot beat in a fight. Lucian eyed the two dancing clockwork meka below and from the fact that he couldn't spot a single scratch on their metallic bodies, it would mean that nobody had ever come close to touching them, much less dreaming about defeating them. The two mekas were able to wield the element of anemo and cryo, which already is a near insurmountable obstacle for most people to overcome unless they too are able to wield the power of the elements.

Truth to be told Lucian was feeling a little curious himself. He had dealt with a few rogue clockwork mekas before by the request of the adventurer guild so he had a vague idea of what to expect, but none of those which he had cleared out were at the level of firepower and combat prowess that the Icewind Suite displayed.

"Do you want to give it a go?" He asked Clorinde and the silent girl shook her head. She could tell at a glance that she's not yet at the level where she can attempt this challenge without the aid of her vision which she just received. She still wouldn't be ready to take on this challenge even if she were to use her newly received vision. She would still need more time to explore the limits of what her vision allows her to do, experiment with it, before getting used to harnessing its power and incorporating it into her fighting style.

"I also heard that the research institute guy will give whoever managed to defeat the two mekas a prize too! Lots and lots of mora!" Lyney added and that instantly sealed the deal for Lucian. He's not ashamed to admit that the former Grand Duelist is currently a little strapped for cash. Trying to raise two children can be a little costly and he now has a student (albeit unofficially since Clorinde was never informed and it was a one-sided decision on his part to take her in as his student) to teach and groom. As Clorinde's teacher he will eventually need to source, purchase, and find a blacksmith to forge a suitable weapon for her and that will require mora too.

He supposed there's no harm in seeing what the Icewind Suite can really do.

"Must you really say that?" Lynette looked at her twin brother in a deadpan after Lucian had jumped down to the plaza below. Her twin brother can be a little manipulative at times, even if it was mostly him doing harmless pranks.

"He wouldn't go and try it out otherwise and besides, he's too good to always be a nameless adventurer at the adventurer guild. He deserves a far bigger stage with his skills and this is the opportunity he needs! Don't you think so too, Clorinde?"

"Huh? Ah, yes," Clorinde quickly agreed after she was unexpectedly cued by Lyney in hopes that she will support his opinion too. It's been a while since she got to know Lucian and the twins but she still couldn't quite figure out some things about Lucian that simply cannot be explained. She's still not too sure if she's thinking too much into things but maybe witnessing his fight with the Icewind Suite would provide some answers.

Lucian landed at the plaza below with barely a sound. He quickly checked that the fake hydro vision he wore on his belt was there so that nobody would be asking questions if he were to seemingly manipulate the elements without a vision. He walked past the previous challenger who was promptly evicted out of the plaza by the mekas within minutes and was still lamenting about his loss. He wasn't alone, a few other individuals that were gathered around him were also doing the same and comparing their experiences. It seemed to him that these people had all attempted this challenge at one point in time only to quickly fail and had now gathered here to wallow in their shared misery.

He wasn't really interested in their conversation but the weapon which the previous challenger wielded did catch his attention.

"Excuse me, may I ask where did you get this sword from?"

"This?" The man unsheathed and held up his sword that he used in the challenge earlier. "I had the Beaumont Workshop forge it for me. I obtained the blueprints of this weapon by chance and well, what happened next is kind of obvious. It's called the Iron Sting."

"It's a good weapon," Lucian cannot help but admire the blade. It's definitely nowhere as good as the Temporal Sword which he once wielded, but his experienced eyes allowed him to pick out the weapon's strength at a glance. This weapon can be classified as a hybrid of a longsword and rapier, although strictly speaking it is closer to that of a rapier than a longsword. Its design meant that it would inevitably sacrifice some of its slashing ability for increased piercing power, but it can still slash and be used as a longsword if needed.

Wouldn't this be the perfect weapon for his new student? He probably would be able to find a better weapon than this if he searched hard enough but that will take an unknown length of time. Furthermore, the Iron Sting is already a very good blade by mortal standards.

"Hah! Ain't that so?" The man seemed proud of his weapon despite his recent loss. "You seemed to be very interested in this sword?"

"I am," Lucian admitted. "What would I need to do to either buy the blade or the weapon blueprint off your hands?"

"I don't need your money, I'm not short of cash," the man snorted before pointing at the dancing mekas ahead. "But I don't mind giving the blueprint to you for free if you are able to complete that challenge. I have some beef with their creator, you see, and it would be nice if I could ruin his mood like how he did for mine."

"You have a deal," Lucian agreed and walked ahead towards where the mekas were. His appearance started to draw the crowd's attention. Some of the spectators had been closely following each and every challenge since the Icewind Suite made its appearance and none of the challengers had walked up with steps as unhurried and calm as Lucian's.

Whispers and words also started to fly around.

"Who is he?"

"I have no idea. I don't think I had seen him before."

"He's cute."

"Isn't he Lucian?"

"Lucian? Who's Lucian?"

"Remember the adventurer I told you about? The incredibly skilled one that never failed a single commission?"

"See? I told you this is the kind of stage that Lucian needs," Lyney said smugly to his twin and Lynette just gave him a side eye stare. She ignored him in favour of what was about to happen below. Lucian had already begun to unsheathe his sword and had walked within range of the two clockwork mekas for them to recognise him as another challenger.

The three children watched as Lucian habitually did the En Garde salute and they observed closely, trying their hardest not to blink so as not to miss anything that would happen next.

Lucian moved faster than the wind and the crowd went into hysterics when they saw how he appeared and reappeared in a blink. Cheers and shouts began to rise in volume when they finally understood that a challenger far more powerful than the ones who had attempted the challenge thus far had appeared.

'Pretty fast,' Lucian cannot help but notice how speedy the mekas were as they skated and danced around him. He thrusted his blade at the female counterpart- Coppelia, if he recalled correctly- only to quickly abort that attack and parry the incoming cryo infused slashes from the male counterpart, Coppelius.

'Very coordinated too,' Lucian noted with a grin on his face despite being pushed back several metres with a screeching skid. His body still had not fully recovered and his current strength is far from what he was in his prime. He still could easily dismantle the machinery if he were to tap into his divine powers but he would rather not reveal his identity so carelessly.

Besides, it will be rather challenging and much more fun to defeat the Icewind Suite if he were to restrict his strength to a mortal's standard. He had a feeling that this challenge will be the most fun he will have in a very long while.

He straightened his posture and the look in his eyes changed. Gone are the look in his eyes that simply dismissed the mekas' existence. He had now fully recognised the Icewind Suite as a worthy opponent.

"En Garde."

The explosive power of hydro coalesced at the tip of his sword crashed against Coppelia when he reappeared before her in a blink with the tip of his sword pointed at her, the impact of the blow aimed at her head causing the meka to stagger. Coppelius tapped his cane at the ground and ice shards flew at Lucian who predicted their trajectory using his experience, avoiding them only by a hair's breadth.

"WHOA! Look at him go!" Lyney yelled in excitement and it wasn't just him. The whole crowd is cheering him on. Lucian pressed on with his attack relentlessly in a manner that is all too familiar with Clorinde and she realised that Lucian was using the bladework of a rapier to combat the Icewind Suite. Even in such a challenge he still found an opportunity for her to learn by having her observe from afar how to deal with such an adversary if she were the one in the duelling ring right now.

Coppelia swung her fan and sharp blades of anemo were fired. Lucian parried the blow, his steps never slowing or taking a rest. The footwork he displayed began to amaze the crowd because at this point this seemed more like a dance than a duel with the elegance he displayed. Somebody had managed to dance alongside Coppelia and Coppelius as their equal in this Icewind Suite.

'The first thing you will have to learn after receiving your vision is element infusion. For now, just observe and try to get a feel of the elemental power coursing through. I will teach you the basics of it at a later time.'

Hydro began to coat Lucian's blade in a deep oceanic blue and Clorinde's eyes widened when words of his teaching rang clear in her mind. Lucian is using hydro infusion and arcs of water blades crashed against Coppelia, forcing Coppelius to take action to defend his dance partner. Coppelius swung Coppelia aside to move her out of the way but that split second was the opportunity that Lucian took advantage of to attack Coppelius, who was his intended target all along.

'Hey Lucine, interested in going on a trip?'

'Trip? Where to?'

'Liyue. I will let you in on a secret as well… the other archons will be there too! Wouldn't it be fun?'

Lucian's bladework seamlessly changed the moment Coppelius became his dance partner. Slashes became the dominant rhythm instead of piercing attacks as he fell into the comfortable and familiar tempo of using the bladework of a longsword. Orbs of anemo were fired from afar by Coppelia and Lucian braved through it by conjuring a hydro shield, allowing him to land a slash at Coppelius before being forced away when Coppelia came spinning in like a whirlwind of death.

'Hello everyone! Sorry we were late to the party! Ah, I don't think I have introduced him to everyone before, have I? This is my Grand Duelist, Lucine! Everyone say hi!'

Coppelius held Coppelia's hand before Coppelius spun Coppelia around him, dealing a wide area of effect devastation around the plaza. The attack patterns of the Icewind Suite had changed, these are attack patterns that the mekas had not previously displayed against the previous challengers because nobody had managed to push them this far.

He was there as his archon's bodyguard, he wasn't here to enjoy himself like how his archon was doing at the table ahead with the other archons. Surprisingly, he wasn't alone. The electro archon had also brought along her bodyguard and he had initially mistaken her to be the electro archon herself due to their identical looks. His archon had always praised the electro archon to be an exotic beauty and he finally had the chance to see for himself how true his archon's words were.

This time, it seemed that she wasn't exaggerating things.

Naturally, they gravitated towards each other as the only odd ones out in this place. She's silent, kneeling quietly in an Inazuman seiza while keeping a careful watch on her archon at all times. He stood beside her with his back leaning against the wall, his arms crossed across his chest while keeping a vigilant watch for his archon as well.

"Ei, kagemusha," she replied when he asked for her name and why she was here.

"Lucine Fontinas, Grand Duelist."

Lucian nimbly dodged the combination attacks of the two mekas. He could feel his sword trembling with every strike he made or parried. His sword is of mediocre quality and while it had served well for him in his adventuring job, he doesn't think it is going to hold for long against opponents of this calibre. The speed which the mekas displayed was also a tricky thing to deal with but he had dealt with somebody much faster before.

Surge

The power of hydro roared to life and Lucian propelled himself, his sword swinging in a wide arc that succeeded in cutting off Coppelius' right arm.

He couldn't quite recall whether it was him or her who requested for a duel. Both of them were interested to see what the other party had to offer as the strongest warriors of their individual regions and they only knew one language that they can use to communicate with each other, one that can transcend all cultural barriers.

A duel.

The archons were similarly interested to witness the duel in the name of good fun. His archon may be the God of Justice but she wouldn't make a fair and impartial judge in this case for obvious reasons. Thus, the Lord of Geo had graciously accepted the role of being the judge that will decide on the start and end of the duel and ultimately its victor. The kagemusha stood before him with her naginata, the Grand Duelist stood across her with the sword bestowed upon him by his archon.

He saluted her with his sword and she returned a similar Inazuman gesture with her weapon of choice.

"Shine down."

"En Garde."

This is a duel that goes beyond their individual victory. They are representing their respective nation and archon and none of them are intending to dishonour their archon that day.

It may have been his imagination but he thought that Coppelius had a dangerous gleam in his mechanical eyes after it registered that it had been severely wounded. Lucine pressed his attack, his bladework changed to one used by a sabre and fired off a few more hydro blades with the swings of his sword, tearing the ground beneath along with it. Coppelia placed herself protectively in front of her partner and spun, the hurricane of anemo dispersing the force of his attacks and protecting her partner from harm.

Lucian grinned. He hadn't had so much fun in centuries. His blood is singing, his heart thrumming in excitement and he could almost feel his still recovering power crying for more.

Her strikes were swift like lightning and heavy like thunder. None of them had tapped into their ability to call upon elemental power yet, both of them were fighting on an unspoken agreement to test each other's capabilities with nothing but pure martial techniques. His sword met her polearm in a metallic clash, extending a figurative hand in permission to invite her for a dance.

She swung her naginata in a horizontal sweep that he parried. She had accepted his offer and took his hand.

Their waltz of steel began.

Lucian easily kept up when the tempo of their dance quickened. Coppelia swung her fan and he slashed with his sword, the speed of their slashes so fast that it appeared as a metallic flurry of blows. He sent the roaring power of the sea barrelling at Coppelia that washed her away, pulling some much needed distance as he frowned at the sword in his hand.

It's about to shatter. He really should have invested in a better sword instead of getting one that was on discount in a clearance sale, but hindsight is always twenty-twenty.

She was the one who initiated a change in their dance when the crackling of electro came to life. Her mastery over that element allowed her to transcend even space and cut at him even when her blade had not yet reached. His blade was imbued with the limitless power of the deep sea that could swallow all in his path and he answered her in kind.

She vanished in a violet lightning and her blade tore through the space his head would be at if he hadn't moved out of the way in time. Countless water blades stabbed down from above like falling rain and would have impaled her like a Sumeru kebab if she hadn't obliterated them in a single blow.

They both looked up and their eyes met. Even without a single exchange of words they knew that the other party had acknowledged their strength.

It would be inappropriate to give anything less than their best.

Coppelius closed the distance and swung his cane with repeated powerful motions of a stabbing attack. Lucian avoided what he could and parried what he couldn't avoid, taking great care not to stress his sword any further lest it break. He stomped his foot down and suddenly lowered his body, swinging his blade horizontally with both hands and fully intending to cut Coppelius at his waist.

Coppelius raised his mechanical leg to kick at Lucian's blade in an attempt to defend himself from the unforeseen attack, the power behind his strike packed to the brim with the power of cryo. The resulting impact sent them both flying away from each other and leaving a crater of glacier behind where they last exchanged blows. Lucian righted himself in the air and landed safely on his feet, skidding back a little to cushion the force of the blow. He scowled when he noticed that the sword in his hand had been reduced to only the handle and its hilt with just a few inches of blade remaining that would serve to do absolutely nothing.

His blade had finally shattered.

He was surprised when she willed her naginata away but that surprise was overtaken when she raised her hand and a sword flew into her grasp from the direction of her archon. The kagemusha had requested for the Musou Isshin from her archon and her request had been granted. It was then he recalled that his opponent is someone who was rumoured to have been the origin of all of Inazuma's sword and polearm techniques. She would have to be equally good with a sword as well.

She adjusted her stance, her sword held in front of her chest in a motion that was about to be unsheathed and her long braided violet hair swayed equally violently with the howling wind. Lightning crackled and thunder rolled, the skies turned stormy and thunderclouds boomed. She wants to decide the outcome of this match in the next exchange of blows

"Here! Catch!"

He didn't have time to see who was the one who threw him a blade from the spectator stands nor did have the time to see just what kind of blade that was thrown at him. He dodged Coppelia's attacks out of reflex and jumped into the air, easily catching the sword by its handle. The familiar weight of a sword held in his hand assured him somewhat because the only other alternative would be to tap into more of his divine power and that might just accidentally reveal his identity, which he wants to avoid if possible.

He landed back on the ground and his relief plummeted just as quick when he realised that the sword that was offered to him was an Inazuman blade, a katana. He couldn't do any of the usual sword thrusts that are typical of Fontaine bladework- the katana is not a well suited blade to use Fontaine bladework to begin with- which already severely limited his options. He wouldn't say he knew next to nothing about Inazuma sword arts, but certainly not enough to keep up with a waltz whose tempo had already reached the boiling point of a fiery tango.

But he understood that beggars can't be choosers so he charged ahead without further delay, the Inazuman sword in his hand glowing a deep blue as he zipped across the plaza even faster than most electro vision wielders could manage. He didn't have many opportunities to duel with Inazuma swordsmen before and the only person from that Land of Eternity who is both strong and worthy enough to be acknowledged as his equal was that kagemusha, who only ever displayed one single sword strike in the first duel they had.

He took a different stance in silent acceptance of her request. Rain began to fall and the skies over Liyue darken, the destructive power they both wield quaking the land and shaking the skies which forced Barbatos to use his power to contain the effects of the collective power that was being spilled to be confined to where the duel was held. Countless stone steles were raised and a domain was constructed in the blink of an eye by Morax who had the same intentions Barbatos had, knowing that the power that was waiting to be unleashed must be contained to avoid a change in Liyue's geography.

He would like to avoid redrawing the map of his nation as much as possible.

The hydro hue on his blade darkened at a rapid rate and the skies began to weep. The sudden downpour did nothing to disperse the onlookers and in fact, more and more people had gathered to watch the waltz that was about to reach its climax. Lucian successively dodged each and every attack dealt by the two mekas in an impressive display of footwork that would prove to be impossible for most, knowing that the Inazuman sword is not well suited to do the usual parry he relies on due to its shape and structure which might very well shatter it. He will have to rely on his footwork to get close and deal that finishing blow.

His eye spotted the muscles in her calf twitched and he immediately moved. The kagemusha and the Grand Duelist closed the distance in the blink of an eye and they suddenly found themselves within arm's length of each other. She unsheathed her blade and swung it at him and he made a slash of equivalent power and destruction.

The pinnacle of Inazuma sword arts met the summit of Fontaine bladework that day. The Musou no Hitotachi clashed against Egeria Bladework and the resulting roar of sea and thunder drowned out all noise until all that remained was silence.

He lowered his body and slided across the floor, allowing the wave of cryo crescent blades to fly past harmlessly above his head before quickly jumping to avoid a kick from Coppelia, vanishing from their view which confused them for a crucial split second. He took the stance in midair he remembered Ei once used against him in their very first duel, holding his sword in that unique sword drawing stance that only she was able to use to devastating effect in the thousands of years that he had lived, as the power of hydro began to rapidly build up into a torrential wave.

Hopefully, she wouldn't be too enraged if she ever learnt that he used such a cheap imitation of her ultimate technique against two measly mechanical robots. He would have to do his best to ensure she would never learn what he's planning to do today.

He kicked off from the air using his manipulation of the hydro element and dove down sharply towards the two mekas below like a falling comet. Sharp blades of cryo and anemo energy were shot at him but he weathered them all using the shield of hydro surrounding him protectively which cracked a little with every hit it took on his behalf. The two mekas finally recognised the threat his next attack would pose and immediately tried to back away but it was too late.

He swung his blade. The power of hydro filled into the blade landed a slash that used to be able to consume even the abyssal depths of the sea itself.

"This duel ends in a draw."

Morax's impartial baritone voice broke the silence. Both the kagemusha and the Grand Duelist finally lowered their blades from each other's necks and the other archons cheered at the conclusion of the amazing fight that they had witnessed. He knew that she was reassessing her opinion of him just as he was doing for her from the way she was looking at him.

He also knew that she enjoyed that dance of steel as much as he did.

"Let's do this again someday," he offered and she nodded her head in agreement. He finally spotted some semblance of a smile on her usually expressionless face. This was how they would cross blades with each other in the subsequent gatherings of archons and become each other's greatest rivals. Only they are powerful enough to push the other to continue honing their skills with a sword excluding the archons themselves.

"What do you think goes beyond the pinnacle of all sword arts?" She asked him one day. He mulled over it for a moment but was unable to come up with an answer.

"No idea, but if you ever reach that plane of enlightenment do let me know what you learnt, okay?"

The shattered remains of Coppelius told him what he needed to know. He looked up, spotting Coppelia who had managed to escape unscathed because Coppelius had thrown her away from the impact at the very last moment and was on the verge of firing another of her deadly anemo blades.

Unfortunately, the sword in his hand had shattered once more. The inazuma katana wasn't strong enough to contain the power he imbued into it and he would have to apologise to the kind soul who lent him his weapon later. Coppelia initiated her attack and he no longer had the luxury to mull over his options. He ran towards Coppelia and a blade of water instantly formed in his hand, taking on the form of a longsword.

If a mortal blade couldn't contain his power then he would create his own. After all, the power of water is to take on any shape. He really should have done this from the very start.

He cut through each and every of Coppelia's attacks in his unstoppable charge, allowing more and more of his power to course through his veins. He finally managed to reach within striking distance and took on the final stance to deal his last and finishing blow.

Judgement

The final cleave of his sword split Coppelia into two with a slash that drowned out all noise into neverending silence. Sound finally returned when the two halves of Coppelia dropped against the ground in two cold thuds.

The cheers that followed shook the plaza like an earthquake.

"You were so cool out there! It was like you were there in one instance and suddenly there in another! And your sword! It moved so fast I could barely see anything! And-"

He knew that the kids adored and looked up to him, but he was starting to think that the children were being inflicted by a very worrying case of hero worship after his uncharacteristically flashy showing, especially for Lyney's case. He had let the fun get into his head in the heat of battle and with his victory came all sorts of interactions he didn't really want to entertain. People of all kinds suddenly want to get to know him better and it took him a long while to finally be let out of the plaza.

On the flip side, he earned himself quite a hefty prize from the organiser of the challenge and the promised Iron Sting blueprint from the man whom he made a deal with, so he guessed it was worth the trouble.

They walked past the Fountain of Lucine, a landmark that they have to cross through to reach Marcotte Station. Despite how he just wanted to leave as soon as possible or risk an accidental run-in with the Chief Justice, the children wanted to pray to the fountain since they were already here. He saw no harm in that since it would only take a short minute for them to be done, so he let them be.

He closed his eyes and tried once again to reach out to the waters using his power while he waited for the children. The Fountain of Lucine is a nexus where all water that flowed through Fontaine will eventually converge. There's too many things that had gone on in his absence which he had close to no knowledge of. He rarely passes by the fountain due to the location of their current residence, so since he's here now he might as well use this opportunity to have the fountain aid him in his self-imposed mission. He might be able to search for leads to the two cases which he wanted to prioritise solving, the serial disappearances and the pollution of Fontaine's waters, if he were to enlist the help of the fountain.

He allowed his subconscious to flow into the fountain and reopened his eyes in a sea of endless blue. Whispers began to flood his ears and he was suddenly assaulted by painful screams and hateful cries and his subconscious was brutally tossed back into his own body. Intense pain wrecked his body that sent him buckling to his knees and the screams and cries could not be blocked out no matter how hard he tried to cover his ears.

"-cian? Lucian! Lucian! W-What is- Help! Somebody help! Somebody, anybody! Help!"

The water, something is very wrong with the waters in Fontaine. So much pain, so much hate, so much-

He blacked out.

AN: Wrote the fight scene while listening to Fontaine's battle theme on repeat (the super lit one that is 4 minutes long, that's the only Fontaine battle theme imo) and it felt like I had the power of anime in my hands as I wrote out the fight scene. You might want to try reading the fight scene while listening to the same battle theme, might be fun.