The seawater continuously washes over the beach, leaving faint blue spots of light on the sand.
And the closer these spots of light are to Tatarasuna, the more pronounced they become.
By the time one reaches the vicinity of Tatarasuna, those spots have already connected into patches, floating and sinking with the waves, like the vast stardust of the night sky—utterly breathtaking.
Yet beneath this beauty lies endless peril.
These are not formed by bioluminescent plankton but are pollutants that flowed out with the water during the explosion at Tatarasuna.
When the explosion occurred, Bai Luo was not nearby.
According to those who fled Tatarasuna, that night... even the sky was dyed in strange colors.
Aside from the glowing substances on the beach, the things in the seawater were equally striking.
At one point, as if prearranged, dozens of small boats sailed out from Yashiori Island, rowing toward Tatarasuna on the opposite side.
Each boat was packed with fleeing refugees.
Some, unable to squeeze onto the boats, could only swim behind, but many more simply exhausted their strength and ultimately sank into the rolling waves.
Though for them, what lay ahead in Tatarasuna was also an unknown.
Compared to the unknown, however, the life-threatening Tatarigami was far more terrifying.
Bai Luo tightened his grip on his blade and, without another word, strode toward Tatarasuna on the other side of the battlefield.
Only upon truly reaching the heart of the battlefield did Bai Luo understand just how brutal the war had been, as he gazed at the Dendrobium blooms covering the ground.
A gust of wind blew past, carrying not the soothing fragrance of flowers but a chilling stench of blood.
Had Bai Luo not long been accustomed to the scent of blood, walking through these blossoms would have been a burden.
Fortunately, this phenomenon only occurred at the battlefield's center. Beyond that distance, the situation improved significantly.
Even the relentless rain showed signs of stopping.
Stretching out his arm and sensing the rain lightening, Bai Luo closed his oil-paper umbrella, transforming it back into a reverse-bladed sword and hanging it at his waist.
Passing several warships and weaving through the white, tassel-like plants resembling spirit banners, Bai Luo finally caught sight of the massive mining facility in the distance—Tatarasuna.
Yet what greeted Bai Luo was not the soldiers of the Shogunate nor the throngs of refugees, but...
"Join our ranks, and let the thunder of military boots shake the earth."
A cool female voice was followed by a faintly mocking laugh.
"Hahaha! Join you? Would joining you grant the same freedom we have now? More likely, you'd discard us like trash after use, just like the Shogunate—no care at all."
"Those who wish to follow us toward the Polar Star of the White Night will never be abandoned."
The cool female voice spoke again, as if the other's taunts and anger had no effect on her.
She stood there gracefully, every movement and detail impeccable.
Such was the discipline of the special honor guard.
"Enough talk! This woman's dressed so finely—she must have valuables on her. Brothers! Kill her!"
The man's voice rallied a chorus of agreement. With wild cries, they formed ranks like soldiers and charged at the elegant woman, blades raised.
"Those who show no respect shall be punished!"
Her hands, previously folded at her waist, slowly rose as the shapely woman assumed a posture of prayer.
"May Her Majesty's radiance shield me!"
Dreamlike water mirrors materialized around her, blocking all attacks while obscuring her form.
"Whoosh—"
Under her control, the water mirrors rapidly expanded outward. Countless ripples refracted through the mirrors, darting incessantly through the crowd.
Though merely gentle hydro, at such speeds... the water arrows they formed were no less lethal than steel.
"Monster... she's a monster!"
The leader's legs gave way in terror.
Why had they dared provoke her? Simply because she bore no Vision.
Yet even without one, she could still wield hydro to attack.
Wasn't that the definition of a monster?
"Caught you!"
Water splashed beneath the man's feet as several mirrors encircled him in an instant.
He tried to crash through but found the usually gentle water now unyielding as ice. His impact only sent faint ripples across the mirrors.
Hydro energy gathered at his feet, visibly condensing into blossoms of water.
"Boom—"
The blossoms erupted. The compressed water's release unleashed force rivaling a train's impact, scattering the man into a mist of blood.
Flesh and bone rained down like crimson petals, staining the blood-red blooms and making them even more ghastly.
With this done, the woman resumed her poised stance and turned her gaze to Bai Luo opposite her.
Bai Luo hadn't concealed his presence—there was no need, as only their fellow Fatui were nearby.
As he pondered whether to make a move, the woman unexpectedly bowed to him.
"Honored Harbinger, your subordinate Tatyana pays her respects."
"Tatyana?"
Bai Luo thought back. Wasn't the Mirror Maiden who accompanied him to Inazuma named Tatyana?
Sadly, before he could bond with her, she'd been borrowed by Scaramouche for the Delusion Factory—alongside his beloved subordinate, A-Qi.
By protocol, A-Qi could have abandoned his codename and used his real name after leaving the training unit.
But Bai Luo still preferred "A-Qi."
It felt familiar.
"This is no place to talk. Please follow me, Lord Harbinger."
Though blind, the Mirror Maiden's other senses were extraordinary.
She'd already detected that her hydro energy had drawn the attention of the Shogunate's frontline camp.
Staying longer would only invite trouble.
Bai Luo glanced at the distant flames, then nodded at Tatyana and followed her along the shore to Tatarasuna's other end.
"Weren't you assigned to the Delusion Factory? Why are you here?"
Studying the Mirror Maiden before him, Bai Luo couldn't help but marvel again.
So damn tall.
Even among average men, Bai Luo stood above most. Yet beside Tatyana, he seemed childlike.
Most captivating was her flawless back.
The Fatui insignia adorned her shoulders, tracing elegant lines down her spine.
Pale blue veins branched from her arms, climbing upward to her shoulders.
Mirror Maiden.
This must be the secret behind her hydro mastery without a Vision.
Sadly, such technology was top-secret within the Fatui. Aside from the Tsaritsa, only a few Harbingers like The Doctor were privy to its research.
Otherwise, Bai Luo would've gladly learned it too.
But considering the attitudes of the Harbingers, he could see why Her Majesty made that decision.