Chapter 49: Chapter of Water and Sky (Part 9)

As Axue progressed through the dungeon, her excitement for using Themis in combat gradually faded, replaced by a burning rage toward the Doctor.

"Damn it, the Doctor really deserves to die!"

"Now I finally understand why the Supreme Bishop kills the Doctor on sight."

"If it were me, I'd kill him every time I saw him too."

"Will you desecrate his corpse? If not, learn from the Doctor and make sure to desecrate it!"

"Waiting for the Doctor to become a weekly boss!"

The viewers in the livestream were equally furious.

Children imprisoned as test subjects, logs filled with unspeakable crimes, piles of bodies stacked like garbage waiting to be burned...

Axue pursed her lips. "Folks, who said the Fatui might become allies? With the Doctor running rampant like this within the Fatui, it's a crime against heaven itself not to wipe them out!"

Fuming, Axue stormed through the dungeon until she finally encountered the Doctor in the final room.

The game transitioned into an animated cutscene.

"So, you're the Knight of the Sky, Themis, that Rosalyne mentioned?"

Dottore, who had been facing away from the Traveler trio—or rather, duo and emergency food—turned to face them.

His tone was calm. "Destroying my experimental base like this is quite troublesome."

Themis' tone was even calmer, though beneath it surged a storm. "Even someone like you is tolerated. The Tsaritsa must be truly desperate."

Though his expression was hidden behind his mask, Dottore's previously indifferent demeanor visibly darkened. "Are you insulting the Tsaritsa? Even your Supreme Bishop wouldn't dare insult Her Majesty like this."

"Isn't it you who's insulting the Tsaritsa?"

"What a fool. For our ideals, a little sacrifice is nothing. Surely you're not ignorant of our goals?"

"When you act on such thoughts, you forfeit any right to speak of your ideals. And the Tsaritsa, who indulges you, is no better."

"Your Supreme Bishop doesn't seem to share that view."

"The Supreme Bishop has his plans, and I have mine."

Themis spread her wings, floating into the air, her voice cold and detached:

"At the very least, even if we must rely on the Tsaritsa's help, we'll deal with you first."

[Second Knight of the Holy Knights]

"Knight of the Sky" "Themis"

"Hah, you think you can take me on?"

Dottore sneered, stepping forward.

"Then let me see for myself—who's stronger, the so-called Second Knight of the Holy Knights, or the Second Harbinger of the Fatui?"

[Second Harbinger of the Fatui]

"The Doctor" "Dottore"

The two character portraits were displayed in succession.

Then, the animated cutscene ended, and the battle began.

Axue immediately took control, smirking.

Of course, there was no real contest.

Though the Doctor was indeed stronger than Tartaglia, under the combined assault of Astrea and Themis, the Doctor's health bar was instantly depleted, triggering the second phase.

At this point, Axue stopped attacking, letting the Doctor showcase his attack patterns and skills while she chatted with her viewers.

"Folks, have you noticed? Themis is already a complete character at C0!"

"Her C1 increases defense and resistance, improving her survivability during her burst, since she can't gain shields or healing while it's active—but with her HP-focused artifacts, survivability isn't really an issue. Healing can be applied after her burst ends, so this constellation isn't particularly necessary."

"Her C2 increases the crowd-control range of her elemental skill, but this isn't a big deal either, since pairing her with Venti provides even better crowd control."

"Her C4 extends the duration of her burst, making the cooldown match the duration. Combined with the crowd control from her elemental skill, she can essentially chain her burst indefinitely. However, this leaves little room for teammates to contribute, and with proper support, Themis' damage can be even higher. So, this constellation isn't particularly meaningful, though it's convenient for players aiming to solo the Spiral Abyss."

"Her C6 is a decent constellation, allowing Themis to move during her burst, but it doesn't increase her damage."

"In other words, pulling for constellations isn't as important as pulling for her signature weapon. For F2P players, C0 R1 is more than enough. A C0 R1 Themis can match the strength of other 5-star characters at C6 R1, while a C6 R1 Themis offers minimal improvement over C0 R1."

"Unlike other limited 5-star characters, whose strength is primarily boosted by constellations, Themis' power comes from her signature weapon. So, her weapon is a must-pull, and the higher the refinement, the better. Constellations, on the other hand, are optional—pull if you want, skip if you don't."

"This is likely why miHoYo made Slayer of Evil exclusive to Themis. Her damage multipliers are lower than other limited 5-star DPS characters, even compared to their C0 versions, let alone higher constellations."

"In other words, without this restriction, future 5-star sword DPS characters would likely use Themis' weapon as their own, leaving Themis herself in the dust."

"Still, pulling for Themis is definitely worth it."

"Folks, I can assure you, Themis is just as future-proof as Astrea. Even if stronger characters are released in future updates, she'll never fall out of the meta. So, feel free to pull for her with confidence."

"At the very least, you'll absolutely need her for open-world exploration."

As she spoke, Axue finally resumed the fight, instantly depleting the Doctor's health bar again.

The game transitioned back into an animated cutscene.

Themis hovered in the air, looking down at the Doctor with cold eyes. Her right hand gripped Slayer of Evil, while her left hand, adorned with a beautiful ring, pointed at the Doctor.

The Doctor knelt on one knee, his wrists bound by wind circles behind his back. He looked up at Themis, his voice filled with disbelief. "How... How is this possible? Your power isn't from a Vision. What is it?"

Themis replied calmly, "It's a power beyond your reach."

With that, she lowered her left hand and swung her sword with her right.

Slash!!!!!!

"Impossible... I... I actually lost to a brat like you..."

As the Doctor uttered his final words, Themis slowly descended, retracting her wings. Her voice was cold and composed:

"If you want to beat me, gather all your segments first. Then we'll talk."

"Unlike my sister, my power isn't sealed."