The moment "Overtones" triggered, Celeste's brain felt as if it had been shattered into billions of pale fragments.
It's over!
This deadly passive again!
Changing outfits in front of everyone at such a life-or-death moment? What kind of bizarre styling and BGM will it be this time?!
The impassioned battle anthem or comedic melody she expected did not ring out.
A simple and ancient harmony of zither and flute flowed down from the upper reaches of the river of time, pouring into everyone's ears.
The melody was solemn, possessing the steadiness of solid rock; within its restraint lay the unspoken sighs of the changing world.
This sound alone caused all the restless and chaotic minds on the battlefield to calm down involuntarily.
It was none other than, "Vortex of Legends"!
The moment the BGM began, a soft yet heavy brownish-gold light engulfed Celeste!
The priest robe she wore, stained with bits of Slime mucus, dissolved and reshaped within the light!
As the light swirled, a magnificent robe with a color palette of brown, black, and gold, intricate in detail and filled with ancient charm and majesty, was already upon her!
The dark patterns on the hem of the robe were like winding mountains and rivers, with totems of rock and dragon scales flickering within them, manifesting supreme nobility and power.
It was none other than the classic attire of Rex Lapis, Zhongli!
However, a fatal sense of dissonance struck again!
This ancient attire, clearly designed for a high-ranking, steady male, was now forcibly "adapted" onto Celeste's tall, athletic, and curvaceous mature female body.
The robe remained magnificent, and the patterns remained majestic.
But worn on her, it forcibly created a jarring contrast between an "Empress ascending the throne" and a "forced cosplay outfit integration."
Especially in certain areas that were originally loose and proper, they were now stretched slightly tight, outlining overly full curves that added a touch of impropriety to the majesty.
And that face, a fusion of a mature woman's features (stiffened by shock) and a slacker's aura (temporarily covered by majesty), paired with this Rex Lapis getup...
Was the spitting image of a "Geo Archon Princess" whose art style had suddenly shifted and who was forced to work!
[ "Overtones" triggered! BGM: "Vortex of Legends" (Genshin Impact - Zhongli: The Listener). Transformed Character: Zhongli. ]
[ Gained additional buff: Jade Shield · Modified (Duration: 60 seconds). During this period, the shields you apply have 250% of their base absorption, and while the shield is active, all enemies within 20 meters have their all element resistance and physical resistance reduced by 20%. ]
The system's prompts flashed by rapidly.
A sense of power, vast as rock and steady as a mountain, instantly filled every limb and bone of Celeste.
She could feel that her understanding and control of "shields" had reached an unprecedented height!
But at this moment, what rose in her heart was not the joy of gaining power, but an impulse to perform a "Planet Befall" on the spot and smash herself and the ground into the earth's core.
"Why is it Lord of Geo?! System, how did you adapt the body type? What kind of ridiculous operation is forcing this into a female version? Couldn't you have made it a size bigger? Does your Rex Lapis have such a bountiful chest?!"
She roared frantically in the depths of her soul.
However, just as the sense of shame was about to break through the dikes of her reason, a figure wearing green tights, a beret, and saying "Ehe~" in a boyish voice flashed through her mind.
Celeste's soul-shouting came to an abrupt halt.
She silently felt the Rex Lapis robe on her body, which, although tight, was at least solemn and majestic, and then imagined that poet outfit that might expose her in the wind...
Plus the "Ehe", "Ehe" way of speaking...
…Fine.
There is no harm without comparison; the ancients did not deceive me!
Although it is still a public execution, at least this time, the death is more dignified!
"Sister… you, you, you again…" Selene, who had just rushed to the gap and was preparing to withstand the explosion, heard the BGM, turned her head, and saw her sister's drastically changed image.
She froze completely, almost dropping the shield in her hand, her eyes wide open.
"This time… what is this?! An ancient emperor?! This outfit… so domineering! But sister, why does it feel… weird when you wear it?!"
Her vocabulary was poor, and for a moment she couldn't find a suitable adjective; she only felt that her sister's art style had leaped from "bizarre" to "collapsed."
As for the group of Earth Spirits, they showed a completely different reaction.
The moment Celeste's transformation was complete, all the Earth Spirits, including that battle-hardened Shi Xu Earth Spirit, shuddered violently!
Their rock-constituted bodies uncontrollably emitted a faint humming sound, like the resonance of mountain rock!
That was not fear, but a kind of instinctual tremor originating from their bloodlines, from every speck of dust that made up their bodies!
An absolute adoration of the fundamental Earth element for the Creator God who governs all rocks and contracts in the world!
"This… this is…" On the Shi Xu Earth Spirit's rock-like face, for the first time, an expression similar to "dementia" appeared; it even subconsciously wanted to kneel on one knee.
"This aura… is like the ancient earth itself that bears all things! It is… the pulse of rock, it is… the majesty of a monarch!"
However, the battlefield waits for no one!
The few large Flame Slimes that had rushed to the gap had fire on their bodies so intense it had reached the limit; they would self-destruct magnificently in the next second!
Celeste suppressed the urge to ascend on the spot.
Shame and the desire for survival intertwined, turning into a clear shout that attempted to imitate Zhongli's steady tone, but because of the shame, it carried a tremor and a hint of cracking: "Order guide you!"
The moment the words left her mouth, Celeste got goosebumps first.
It was too chuunibyou! Too shameful!
But the effect was real!
She instinctively raised her hand, her intent locking onto her sister Selene and those few Earth Spirits in precarious situations.
It was no longer the familiar platinum halo.
Thick, incredibly solid shields, shimmering with a glazed amber luster, instantly enveloped them!
On the surface of the shields, ancient rock patterns flowed slowly.
Jade Shield, activate!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Almost the moment the shields formed, several large Flame Slimes exploded violently!
The scorching fire waves and shockwaves slammed hard against the glazed shields!
However, those seemingly thin and brittle glazed shields were like solid rock that had existed since time immemorial, standing unmoved!
Only a few faint ripples appeared, and the explosive power that could have severely damaged the Earth Spirits was completely neutralized!
"What?!" Selene felt the solid sensation coming from the shield, far exceeding any previous shield her sister had ever cast, and widened her eyes in shock.
This sense of security was so thick that she felt even if a dragon rushed over, she would dare to go up and arm-wrestle it!
The changes that surprised her even more were yet to come!
Within the range covered by this strange shield, the light on the surface of all the rushing Slimes visibly dimmed by a fraction!
Their crawling speed slowed down, and even the elemental fluctuations they emitted became much weaker!
"Their defense… has been significantly reduced!" Selene immediately noticed the change!
The "Holy Strike" and "Hammer of justice" that she had previously hit the Slimes with, which felt like nothing, could now cause significant DMG!
The holy light energy seemed to have found a breakthrough, easily tearing through the Slimes' surface protection and purifying them into viscous liquid in droves!
"Hiss—!"
The Earth Spirits discovered that their stone hammers hitting the Rock Shield Slimes could actually knock off large chunks of rubble!
Attacks that were previously like scraping sand were now hitting home with every punch!
"It is the clearance of that… 'Geo Archon Princess'!" The Shi Xu Earth Spirit's eyes burst with fanatical brilliance, and even its form of address changed, "Her words hold power; she has weakened these twisted creations!"
"Shamans! Attack with full force!" The Wall-Claw Troglodyte leader also reacted and shrieked.
The Troglodyte shamans were greatly encouraged, and the stone spikes that were originally weak could now easily pierce through the Slimes' bodies.
The battle situation was reversed in an instant!
Celeste endured the agony of social death, while maintaining the Jade Shield—which consumed extremely low mana and was absurdly sturdy—and waving that pink staff that created a devastating contrast with the Rex Lapis attire, precisely sniping the fish that slipped through the net.
Under the battlefield-wide resistance reduction aura, her attack efficiency also greatly improved.
Selene was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, purifying the viscous enemies with unprecedented efficiency, and couldn't help but shout excitedly: "Sister! This 'Rex Lapis Engine' of yours is too fierce! How about I call you Geo Archon Princess from now on?!"
Celeste: "…" Please shut up! Don't call me that!
Under the powerful support of the "Geo Archon Princess (Social Death Edition)," the originally precarious defense line not only stabilized but even began to push back.
The wave of Slimes, under the dual blow of the Jade Shield and the resistance reduction, melted away like ice and snow, and was quickly cleared.