After shattering Scaramouche's weapon, Lu Chen slowly began to float into the air, gazing down at him from above.
"You..." Scaramouche's pupils contracted. An overwhelming sense of pressure suddenly crashed down on him, beyond anything he could describe.
He tried to step back...
But his legs gave out. His body locked up, completely paralyzed.
Staring into those pitch-black eyes just inches away, Scaramouche saw nothing—no anger, no emotion, just a cold, unreadable void.
Since regaining his strength, Lu Chen had never released such a terrifying aura on anyone. But Scaramouche's actions just now had truly crossed a line.
As Lu Chen moved closer, the ground trembled beneath him.
Elemental energy surged from all directions. In that moment, every blaze burning in the hall was instantly extinguished.
Even La Signora and Lumine, locked in fierce combat, sensed something was off. In the middle of their fight, their instincts drew their attention to what was happening on the other side of the hall.
When she saw Scaramouche being utterly suppressed, La Signora's face twisted into a deep scowl.
Lumine, however, let out a mocking smile. She had already adapted to the flow of battle. Sensing La Signora's momentary distraction, she leapt high into the air, gripping the Traveler's Handy Sword.
A slash.
Blood burst into the air as a deep gash tore across La Signora's chest.
"Aaaaaahhh!"
"Die! Die!"
"You insects! I'll drag every last one of you down with me!"
La Signora's attacks grew even more deranged, her flaming whip flailing with reckless abandon.
But Lumine's eyes remained calm, her movements sharp and precise as she continued looking for an opening in the rampage.
Victory was tipping in her favor.
...
Meanwhile, Scaramouche was exhausting every ounce of strength just to resist the crushing pressure. Electro energy sparked wildly around him.
Then—at last—he regained control of his limbs.
But he didn't dare look back. He just wanted to run.
He thought he'd been through hell. Before becoming a Harbinger, he'd ventured into the Abyss on the Empress's orders, brushing against death time and again.
But never—never—had he felt fear like this. Now, he finally understood what it meant to face a god of death.
"Come. Fight me."
Lu Chen saw Scaramouche attempting to flee and gave a simple wave of his hand. An invisible force snapped through the space and dragged Scaramouche straight back.
All gods possess a domain. And within that domain, elemental energy bends to their will.
Those beneath them? No escape.
"Urgh...!"
In the next instant, Lu Chen had him by the throat.
He stared impassively at the struggling boy. Scaramouche's eyes were filled with both terror and hatred.
"Ei was right. You're far too fragile."
"You...!"
Those words made Scaramouche's eyes bulge with rage, fury exploding in his mind like an inferno.
That was the one phrase he hated more than anything. Everything he had done—all of it—had been to prove her wrong. To prove he wasn't weak.
Lu Chen felt the storm of emotion inside him and let out a quiet chuckle. The divine pressure vanished without warning.
"Come on."
He flung Scaramouche high into the air, then slammed him hard to the ground.
The floor shattered.
Scaramouche clutched his chest, his throat filled with the taste of blood. A second later, he coughed it up.
Driven by pure survival instinct, he immediately looked up—only to find Lu Chen had vanished from sight.
"Where... is he?"
He spun around—and Lu Chen's figure was already behind him, as if it had never left.
"Not enough power, weak body, not durable at all. What kind of warrior are you supposed to be?"
With another flick of his fingers, Lu Chen pulled Scaramouche back once more.
Grabbing his slender wrist, Lu Chen performed a plain and brutal over-the-shoulder throw, slamming him into the floor again.
Even a basic "Hanamizaka Wrestling Throw" with demigod strength behind it wasn't something a normal person could endure.
Scaramouche flew through the air like a ragdoll and crashed down hard again.
The entire ground shook.
This time, he couldn't even lift a hand to resist. The hatred in his violet eyes—so similar to Ei's—was fading fast, replaced by resignation.
"Just... kill me already..."
He slumped forward, trying to push himself up, only to see Lu Chen's legs in front of him again.
He looked up. "Why humiliate me like this... Just finish it!"
"If you don't kill me... If I live... One day..."
"I'll destroy everything you care about. I'll destroy Inazuma. I'll destroy this whole world...!"
"Hmph." Lu Chen snorted, then kicked him up the steps. Another mouthful of blood burst from Scaramouche's lips.
In a flash, Lu Chen appeared before him again.
"You sound like a brat throwing a tantrum. What makes you think you can threaten me?"
He lifted Scaramouche by the collar. The boy's once-proud expression had faded, his head hanging low. He'd passed out.
Lu Chen frowned.
This kid was weaker than expected. He'd thought they could go a few more rounds—really let him learn something.
Didn't think he'd fold so quickly.
"Maybe... I went a little too hard."
"Will Ei be mad at me?"
Lu Chen looked around. Only Lumine and La Signora's battle remained. The two Raiden Shoguns were nowhere to be seen.
No doubt they'd taken the fight to a consciousness space, worried a godly battle might tear the world apart.
"Oh well... guess that's that."
Lu Chen muttered under his breath, his attention starting to slip.
And in that moment, Scaramouche—whose face had been hanging low—suddenly opened his eyes.
Gone was the lifeless stare. His eyes now gleamed with the thrill of success. His lips curled into a faint smirk.
He knew he couldn't beat this man. So he'd saved one last move—one final, venomous strike.
A steel dagger, crackling with violet Electro, materialized in his hand.
But it stopped an inch from Lu Chen's chest.
Scaramouche froze.
Just one more inch.
Just one—
But it wouldn't go any further.
"In battle, the most important thing... is focus."
"Never underestimate your opponent. Especially not one leagues beyond you."
Lu Chen's tone was calm—almost like a teacher delivering a lesson.
Scaramouche struggled to raise his head. He expected anger. Fury.
But Lu Chen was smiling.
A gentle, almost relieved smile.
"Seize every chance to strike back. Use any method to win. Trickery, ambushes—whatever it takes. That's the essence of combat."
"In that sense... you're a lot like me."
He nodded with a faint grin. "I knew you wouldn't give up so easily."
"What... are you even saying?" Scaramouche was completely bewildered.
"Nothing." Lu Chen shook his head. "I take back what I said. You're not weak. Inside, you've got strength. But your power..."
"I—" Scaramouche tried to reply, but couldn't get the words out.
Because the next second, he was airborne again.
He slammed into the ground—and this time, blacked out for real.
In the last flicker before his eyes closed, all he could see was Lu Chen's terrifying face.
Lu Chen hoisted Scaramouche's limp body and slowly walked toward the next battlefield.