"Not bad at all. This aura of Cocolia's... phew, she's clearly terrifyingly strong just from the look of it."

In the light screen, Stelle, bat in hand, was already eager to fight. The blood-pumping scene made Tartaglia itch for action as well, rubbing his hands together: "I'd really love to trade blows with this woman."

Unlike the battle-crazed Harbinger beside him whose muscles occupied his brain, Zhongli remained completely calm and unruffled. Taking advantage of Tartaglia's distraction, he even discreetly picked up the plumpest piece of Springvale forest boar meat from the bowl and gently blew away the rising steam.

As the longest-lived and most formidable god of Teyvat, Zhongli was well aware at this moment that the greatest respect one could offer a battle of this caliber was...

"Karin, two more bowls of rice, please."

"Coming right up, Mr. Zhongli!"

Seeing Rex Lapis solely focused on devouring his food, Tartaglia, who was exclusively responsible for footing the bill on this outing, showed a puzzled expression: "Mr. Zhongli, are you not interested in the fight between Stelle and Cocolia?"

"Haha, it is a rare spectacle, so naturally I am interested," Zhongli replied with a smile.

"Then who do you think will win between Stelle and Cocolia?" Tartaglia leaned in slightly, asking curiously.

"Hmm..." Zhongli offered his honest assessment, "Stelle may have a slight edge."

"Then what if I fought Cocolia? Who would win?" Tartaglia grew even more intrigued.

"..." Zhongli's chopsticks paused in midair for a few seconds before he sighed, "...I expect that would be quite a boring battle."

"Is that your take? That really hurts, Mr. Zhongli. Though I admit Cocolia is indeed stronger than me, that's precisely why I want to challenge her... Only by fighting someone powerful enough can my combat skills be honed."

"Take me and my master, for example. In the past, she always fought me with only one hand. But after all these years, I imagine she'd be willing to take things a bit more seriously and use both hands against me."

"So you see, Mr. Zhongli..."

Midway through his sentence, Tartaglia's stomach let out a timely rumble. Finally realizing he was hungry, he picked up his chopsticks to grab some food, only to discover that the plate of forest boar meat on the table was already completely empty.

Looking up, he saw a rare expression of satisfaction on Zhongli's otherwise imperturbable face.

"Oh... what were you about to say? I am listening."

——

【"Let me show you... its power!"】

【The wind and snow wrapped around Cocolia like a white cocoon, with a faint layer of frost visible over her body. But when the blizzard dispersed to reveal her true form within, that appearance—almost entirely divorced from humanity—sent a chill down one's spine.】

【Her composed, elegant bearing had vanished entirely, replaced by a body encased in solid ice. A crown of icicles rested upon her head, four ice lances hovered around her, and what little of her body remained bare was as deep and dark as the starry expanse.】

【Most of all, her face bore no discernible human features whatsoever.】

【The surging power coursing through her made Cocolia's voice tremble slightly with exhilaration: "Listen... this power surges... it sings... The promise granted to me by the Stellaron is the only hope for this world."】

【"Seven hundred years ago, it drove back the Antimatter Legion—today, it will erase your very existence as well!"】

【Stelle, however, had no patience for pointless chatter. Hearing Cocolia ramble on for so long, as if nobody else had a Stellaron of their own.】

【Stelle raised her bat, ready to strike Cocolia right over the head.】

【"Heh... Humans are always weak and foolish, always overestimating their own strength!"】

【Cocolia's sneering laughter rang out in midair, practically bursting with impatient disdain.】

【Sounding simultaneously with that voice was a dense, piercing shriek swiftly rushing in from the horizon. Stelle looked up to see countless translucent icicles flying like a swarm of locusts, gathered by Cocolia through some unseen power and hurled straight toward her.】

【A bone-chilling cold that felt like plunging into an abyss of ice surged wildly around Cocolia.】

"My apologies, Lord Sukuna... my Ice Condensation Cursed Technique cannot compare to hers in the slightest." Beside Sukuna, Uraume bowed slightly, wearing an apologetic look.

"Mm, I know."

The playful smirk that had originally rested on Sukuna's face was now completely gone.

Uraume's strength far surpassed that of a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer—that was something he knew very well.

Normally, Uraume needed only a gentle exhale to conjure a spectacle akin to an iceberg; a technique formula of such power was exceptionally rare even a thousand years ago. Yet right now, it was the first time Sukuna had ever seen Uraume lose confidence in their Ice Condensation Cursed Technique...

With just a slight raise of her hand, she could summon an endless blizzard, wielding a "technique formula" far exceeding the power of the Ice Condensation Cursed Technique without showing the slightest sign of exhaustion... And yet Cocolia was merely a human, one who had lived for a meager few decades. All of her power stemmed from that tiny seed cast down by the Aeon of Destruction...

A Stellaron.

He could recognize that this was merely an insignificant manifestation of an Aeon's power, like the bare tip of an iceberg rising from the ocean depths.

Unlike the sensation from Nanook's first glance of Destruction, this time Sukuna truly felt an insurmountable chasm stretching before him—one that no refined jujutsu could ever bridge, a disparity that could never be overcome even across an entire lifetime.

Sukuna could faintly sense the words hidden beneath that gaze. Raw and bloody... like a sneer of derision.

"—You are merely an ordinary mortal born in a world without Aeons."

【After a brief clash, Cocolia seemed to run out of patience. Bringing her hands together, a lance shot forth, instantly piercing straight through Stelle's chest!】

【Stelle's eyes widened. The moment the lance impaled her, she felt her body grow light and time slow to a crawl, until even Cocolia's sinister grin seemed eerily silent...】

【From the perspective of the countless onlookers, Stelle plunged from high above like a kite with a severed string.】

【...】

【Stelle slowly opened her eyes, only to find that she was no longer on Jarilo-VI. Cocolia and the Automaton Engine had vanished before her, and even Dan Heng and March 7th were nowhere to be found.】

【It was as if she stood within a vortex of stars, where a spiraling galaxy swirled around a gleaming golden core, forming a bizarre spectacle.】

【"Is this... space?" Stelle looked around, gazing out at the flowing galaxy in the distance. The scene was all too familiar.】

【"Wasn't I just fighting Cocolia? Why am I here?" Stelle suddenly recalled that the last time she had ended up in this place, Nanook of Destruction had cast a glance at her.】

【That time, she had also taken a direct hit from the Doomsday Beast's laser, clinging to the edge of death...】