Then Came You (Zhongli x Reader)

The Moment of Disaster

Recommended song: "Black Out Days" by Phantogram

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I

(We continue)

Now that you thought about it, you realised you had never actually seen him fight before. You remembered that he had a Geo Vision, but before you could warn him, he charged, a polearm suddenly appearing in his right hand. You watched in vivid shock as he fought the Rock Shield Hilichurls effortlessly, five incessant strikes followed by a kick to his weapon, eliminating each of them.

The two Geo Shieldwall Mitachurls charged towards him but before you could shout "Watch out!", he plunged, breaking the shields in one hit. He shot out his arms, yelling "RISE" and a glowing stone pillar erupted from out of nowhere, whacking them down on the ground.

The Geo Samachurl waved its baton and a shard of rock popped out from the ground, which Zhongli easily dodged. A yellow light pulsated from the pillar and you realised that within the area encased by it, the damage Zhongli inflicted was multiplied.

You stood in disbelief as you watched him spar with incredible velocity, hair flying behind him, his sharp attacks hitting the beasts' fatal spots. The setting sun refracted from his polearm onto his face and your breath hitched as you witnessed his beautiful swordsmanship.

It was like watching a rehearsed performance, each step, each thrust of his weapon timed and calculated. It was magnificent. Within a minute, the husks of the Mitachurls were tossed aside.

"Are you just going to stand there?" he called out to you, attacking the pillar on which the Samachurl was standing. The platform gave way and the creature fell. "I thought you were a warrior," he smirked and struck the Samachurl, assassinating it in one blow.

You leered, impressed at his brazenness and hurtled towards the pillar. Climbing it in one leap, you plunged down, your trusty claymore embedding in the ground and knocking the Hilichurl shooters off their feet.

One of the Pyro grenadiers launched an explosive slime at you but you evaded it skilfully, attacking two of them at the same time; blade crackling with your electro powers. They flew back, falling on top of the third grenadier holding a slime in his hands and due to the impact, the slime blew up, burning them to a crisp.

An arrow grazed your arm and you winced, darting towards the Hilichurl shooter and striking it down. Meanwhile, Zhongli fought the other four shooters, sprinting from one end to the other while delivering lethal blows.

The Lawachurl finally roared. It had waited for its comrades to fall, before taking matters into its own hands.

'The boss opponent.'

The thought of fighting a new, strong enemy was exciting but made your hands shudder as well. You tightened your grip on your claymore as it launched itself in the air, aiming to land right on top of you.

You evaded, but what you weren't aware of was the aftershock it produced: when the Lawachurl landed, it channelled its elemental energy into the ground which resonated with the impact, and blasts of yellow stone emerged one after the other.

The stones hit you with such force that you fell backwards, the damage to your body serious. Zhongli looked at you agitatedly but you held up a hand, motioning to him that you were fine. You didn't have the time to plan a strategy to fight the gigantic brute as it sprang itself into the air again.

This time, you were barely able to dodge its assault. It was fast – too fast. It wasn't giving you any time to think. You continued to play the defence, irritated at your inability to attack. More Hilichurls emerged from the forest at the commotion, making Zhongli unable to come to your aid. He tsked in frustration, working at an even faster pace, striking hard.