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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

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Chapter 15: The Cold Spear

P.S. I now have a discord server! Discord .gg/ceBMM2Zz6c

Shenhe had been on a bit of a tense mood for a while now. But when she saw the large threat approaching the harbor, she could tell anything preceding this very moment paled before the idea of dealing with an actual former God.

Osial, the Overlord of the Vortex.

He was one of the many gods mentioned by Cloud Retainer during Shenhe's earliest training.

The tales she listened to were jarring of the difficult battle that carved the Geo Archon's reputation as the Strongest of the Seven. To Shenhe, this was part of many distant legends. She knew those were true but...

Nothing could have prepared her to the sight of a deranged Sea God rushing to Liyue itself.

How was this possible? Could it be part of Morax' plans? Shenhe couldn't believe it, or... maybe, just maybe, it was that Fatui man behind this development.

The way him and Morax interacted, the tense air mixed with the banter - all of that could have been a sign that they had a deal beyond the friendliness. Something that Shenhe couldn't fully stomach but it wasn't the Geo Archon that was currently occupying her mind.

Kratos was staring at the approaching sea monster with greater irritation as he knew he could intervene but couldn't. Shenhe didn't need to ask to know why he was hesitating, the words raised by Zhongli implied a degree of 'preparation' on what was to come but this? This was too much.

Liyue Harbor may have grown and blossomed through the care of mortals' ingenuity, but to say they achieved the means to match a God felt dangerous to even consider.

Even Shenhe, someone that had trained diligently under Cloud Retainer and had made sure to raise to the very top knew through her own mentor's admission that she was nowhere near to face any opponents at the same level as an Archon. In her mind, it was outright impossible to imagine a human being strong enough to match a God and... yet, truth be told, she knew Kratos could do it.

He was a 'proper God' by Zhongli's own word, which meant he was well above an Archon. Still, he had been told to not intervene, a promise already being tested by the sight up ahead.

The Jade Chamber had shifted away from the tops of the Harbor and had moved between the heart of their civilization and the monster trying to destroy them all.

Rushing to the docks and ignoring the panicking citizens going for their homes, the duo ultimately made it to the closest spot to the skirmish, with the Jade Chamber soon shooting blasts that seemed to actually hurt Osial.

How? She couldn't tell at first, but then she felt the energies of her mentor, and other Adepti had joined to assist. The tools used appeared to be the same created by Guizhong, the Goddess that had sparred with Cloud Retainer on the matters of innovation.

"It will not work," Kratos muttered, bringing her attention back to her surroundings as she noticed the grim look on his face. "Their attacks are too slow and too weak. The beast is recovering faster than they are managing to damage it."

These words were unpleasant to hear, but Shenhe had to nod in agreement. As she looked closer on Osial's frame, the damaged bits of its body were healing up due to the natural effect of Hydro. A prolonged fight would only be damaging for those defenders in the Jade Chamber.

If only they could use an elemental advantage on Osial. Something like Electro, or...

Cryo.

She felt her frame tense up as she felt the urge to help. Not only help her mentor, but the people she met in Liyue. Good people, simple people.

"You wish to help."

"Yes."

There was no thought behind her response and she was surprised when Kratos turned to her.

"Not with that blade. It will not cut the beast."

She was aware of this, but her gaze was aimed at the single item Kratos gave her to wear. A ring. One that he gave her in exchange of her spear. She recognized the item, and she wore it immediately as she felt the sudden connection with the weapon it was tied to.

Her eyes widened as she turned to quizzically study the bald man.

"Is... is it truly fine?"

Kratos drew a deep sigh. "Draupnir was given to me by someone that wanted me to use it responsibly and to never harm innocents with it. It's the ideal weapon of a defender against a divine threat so... use it carefully, and you shall return it to me once this is all over."

Shenhe smiled. "I will use it with caution and care..." She turned to Osial, mustering her courage before bolting after it but not before one last word to Kratos. "Father."

If Kratos had shown a reaction to her bold word, Shenhe couldn't hear or see it as she was already darting through the turbulent waves, her steps light and swift in bypassing as much distance as possible between the few rapid frozen spots she made over the water.

She couldn't linger for long, not without expending her power too much and... she needed most of it for her plan to work.

Alone, even with Draupnir, she had no chances against Osial. But she still kept in mind those ballistas used by the Jade Chamber. They appeared to be powered by pure elemental energy, which meant their attacks would boost an elemental combination.

Such as Cryo and Hydro.

She knew that elemental energy could be given to Draupnir as Kratos mentioned testing this out quite recently, so Shenhe intended to coat the lance's copies with her Cryo essence and then use the combination to provide the 'powderkeg' to defeat the beast.

Once she got close enough, the young woman started her operation. The first few copies landed in the intended spots, but their stabbing led to Osial's reaction growing more intense.

It had noticed her approach earlier and sent waves to deter her, but Shenhe had braved the storm and was currently delivering several 'poking' attacks that were further triggering Osial.

The cautious assault could only grow more intense as Osial's found Shenhe's constant prodding enough of an infuriating distraction to start paying primary focus upon her.

Terror gripped her heart as she saw the tendrils moving way faster than she had expected, but the extra dread only pushed her body beyond its usual limit.

Shenhe's legs picked up the pace and she barely jumped over the large tentacles of water, using the momentum to spin around and slam a Cryo-powered lance upon the beast's body.

She resumed her plan's general steps, slamming as many Cryo lances as possible and, once she felt sure she did it, she slammed the dull end of the last Draupnir by the cold floor she created under her feet.

Cryo-boosted explosions ensued, causing for Osial's body to be both outwardly and inwardly coated in pure ice.

Right as she did so, powerful blasts coming from the Jade Chamber rushed to Osial and slammed right onto the frozen spots, causing the whitening spots to spread rapidly all over Osial's limbs and body.

With one last roar, Osial was soon unable to move and was frozen up until... Shenhe launched several Draupnir's copies all over its body and then detonated the frozen frame into broken bits.

Osial was thus decimated by a mortal.

The sight was indeed wonderful as she felt like she had used her powers to do more than just defend her mentor's domain. Innocents had been spared - and she was not a monster.

A smile adorned her delicate lips as she felt quite light... and then realized she had ran out of elemental energy. Her body was stiff as she had used a lot more than usual, and she would have fallen into the still shaken waters if not for an avian entity diving to catch her by her arm.

"T-Teacher," Shenhe stuttered, tired and yet baffled. But where she expected pride from the Adeptus, she was greeted by a most unusual tone.

"Shenhe, I think you, Kratos and I shall have a talk once this is all over."

There was annoyance, anger and... concern. A lot of worry.

How come she felt like she had done something wrong? After all, she just helped saving the Harbor, nothing else.

AN

Kratos:...Did she just call me 'father'?

Still, Xianyun-mama is pissed and next time will see her, Shenhe and Kratos have a bit of a family spat. And yes, she will not be in her birb form in the next chapter.