Childe x Zhongli "A Servant to the King"

Chapter 17 ||A Weapon against the King||

The rain continued to pour, drenching everyone outside. The harbinger reached for his ear and unclipped the earring Zhongli gave him. The item was crushed beneath the eleventh's feet as he slowly approached the pair. Despite the heavy rain, the god noticed the sound of footsteps advancing towards them. He turned around, his face was met by the blade of a hydro sword hurtling towards him. He tilted his head to the side, allowing the blade to hit the wall behind. Any closer it would have taken half of Morax's face.

However, the danger had not ceased.

The harbinger leaped into the air, plunging his spear directly at Zhongli. Only missing his target by a few centimetres, he broke the earth beneath him leaving shattered rock and soil floating in the air. Locking eyes with the god once more, Childe swung his weapon aiming for his throat. The attack was deflected by a shield made from geo, knocking Tartaglia back from the impact. He dropped his spear, allowing it to evaporate as it hit the ground. He adjusted his mask as it was revealing too much of his face.

"Head inside now" Zhongli commanded Guizhong, his voice was stern.

"But-"

"I can handle this, go" Morax interrupted her. Knowing that Rex Lapis was serious, Guizhong escaped quickly. She ran into the palace frantically searching for Lord Barbatos and any of the adepti.

The god of geo had not dared to use his weapon, his goal wasn't to injure the eleventh. He just wanted to understand what was going on in Childe's mind. What caused him to attack Guizhong? Why was he so upset? Morax couldn't understand these trivial questions. He lost his train of thought when an arrow almost pierced through his liver, barely missing. Multiple arrows rained down, they would've blended in if they weren't infused with hydro. The palms of Rex Lapis's hands glowed as he created a geo construct. Emerging from the ground, large hands sheltered the god from the vicious assault. After no longer hearing the sound of arrows, the hands crumbled. Zhongli emerged unscathed, the vortex vanquisher in his hand.

It seemed the god was no longer playing passive.

The harbinger created a dome of water around him, a spark of purple lighting lit up the environment as he emerged. His attire was different, and so was his presence. Electro daggers materialized into his hands as he ran towards the god. The Eleventh was a lot faster now, he was in front of Morax in a matter of seconds. His stance was low as he began to attack. His slashes may have been swift, but Morax was able to parry him with ease.

The harbinger's temper grew worse by the second,

"Fight back and hit me already!" The Eleventh yelled. This was the first time he had ever raised his voice at Zhongli.

Finding an opening in his opponent's attack, Zhongli was able to knock the harbinger down. He quickly held the eleventh down by his wrists.

"I apologize for any mistake I made Ajax" Rex Lapis spoke softly leaning closer to Tartaglia. He noticed the redness in the harbinger's eyes. It looked as if he was crying a moment ago. Using one hand to hold the harbinger down, Morax lifted the ginger's mask. Before he was able to see his face fully, he felt something inside of him. He looked down to see a dagger lodged deep in him, he jumped away causing the blade to rip even more flesh and organs. A gold substance leaked out of Morax. His face was neutral as if he didn't care about the injury he just received. To the harbinger's dismay, the wound had already healed. Gods could not be killed easily like mortals.

"My deepest apologies," Morax said as the clouds above parts, revealing a giant meteor heading for the eleventh. Tartaglia jumped away, nearly avoiding being crushed by the object as it crashed into the ground, creating a crater. Turning around he was met by golden eyes, caught by surprise he tried to summon his blades. He quickly created a barrier between him and Morax. Unfortunately, that would not stop the lord of geo. The god's knee collided with Tartaglia's abdomen, sending him tumbling into the ground. He laid on his side, frantically gasping for air. His ribcage was completely shattered from the blow, if he dares to move the shards could pierce into any of his vital organs. As Rex Lapis towered over the harbinger did the mortal realized the difference in strength between him and Rex Lapis.

"Run...I need to escape... I must run away or I will be killed." a voice in his head told him. He closed his eyes. Childe saw the same white void as before but this time he saw the other him. The weapon grabbed Childe by his collar

"Get up now. Or else he'll kill you" The harbinger shouted at Childe

"I don't want to fight anymore... I'm tired" Childe said as his vision began blurry. The world around him slowly fell apart and then he saw nothing.

"Zhongli!" A voice exclaimed. The brunette turned around and saw the familiar face of his fellow God, Barbatos.

"I've brought the milieth, they will seize-"

"There is no need for that," Zhongli's words were slow. Venti could tell he was tired, perhaps not physically but the lord of geo was mentally exhausted. It pained the bard to see his friend in such a condition.

"Do not arrest Childe, however, please bring him to the infirmary. " Morax requested, leaving the area.