Chapter 190: An Execution Order
Gripping the small ninja by the scruff of her cloak, Bai Luo stepped out of the forest, a cloth wrapped over the lower half of his face.
He hadn't found a suitable mask yet for his "Black-Clad Swordsman" persona, so for now, this makeshift disguise would have to do. Honestly, he looked more like a member of the Treasure Hoarders than anything else.
"Who the hell are you?"
Igor didn't even bother glancing at the tiny ninja, now dangling limply and clearly no longer resisting. She didn't look remotely threatening.
But the masked young man? Everything about him screamed trouble.
"This road was built by me. This tree was planted by me. So if you want to pass, leave some Mora behind."
"..."
Igor had run into his fair share of refugee miners while traveling this route. Most of them, at worst, would wave pickaxes around and bark half-hearted threats.
But this guy? He was quoting poetry?
"Get rid of him," Igor said dismissively, sheathing his weapon and turning to his most trusted guard. "We've wasted enough time already."
The kid looked totally average from head to toe. No Vision. No threatening aura. No combat stance.
And the way he carried that sword—slung lazily across his back like a clueless amateur—was just laughable.
A sword of that length, worn on the back? Unless you were a Vision wielder who could magically summon it into your hand, there was no way you'd even be able to draw it properly.
Igor's expression said it all: What a clown.
"Ah—!"
But the moment he turned away, his trusted guard was sent flying—screaming in pain as he was launched through the air, smashed straight through Igor's body, and tumbled across the uneven ground until he stopped moving.
"Wha—?!"
Igor gasped, sucking in a sharp breath of air.
Had he just seen that correctly?
His man—his fully grown, well-trained guard—had literally passed through him?
What the hell kind of technique was that?!
He'd never even heard of something like this before!
And truth be told... Bai Luo was just as stunned.
The move he'd used was Sonic Impact—a skill he remembered having a chance to pass through a target or obstacle while launching them back.
But this? This was something else.
"...No way. This is a bug. It has to be a bug!"
Just then, with a crisp ding, a glowing red dot popped up in his interface.
A new tooltip had been added beneath the description for Sonic Impact.
<+>
Skill: Sonic Impact
Launches a powerful charge attack at the target, knocking back all enemies encountered along the way. If a knocked-back enemy collides with an obstacle, they take additional damage and are stunned for a short duration.
Note (1): There is a chance that the charge may pass through the target, failing to knock them back.
Note (2): If the target is knocked into an obstacle, the Black-Clad Swordsman has a certain probability of phasing through walls.
Note (3): Targets knocked back by this skill may, in turn, pass through other enemies or obstacles.
Note (4): More details to be added...
All of the above are intended game mechanics. Please do not mistake them for bugs.
<+>
Bai Luo: "..."
Wow. Just... wow.
Not only was the system updating skill descriptions on the spot, it even had the nerve to leave room for future excuses.
He suddenly realized something unsettling.
Ever since he started getting involved with gods and divine beings... his system had been getting smarter.
Back then, it was like a dead rock—completely unresponsive. He'd even forgotten it existed for a while.
But now?
It was coming back to life... and gaining personality.
Come to think of it...
This all started back in Liyue, didn't it?
Yeah... after Zhongli retired and Childe got smacked around by the Traveler, maybe he should sneak back into Liyue again.
Who knows, maybe there'd be another pleasant surprise waiting for him.
"Who are you?" Igor's tone hardened as he stared at the masked boy. "Why attack a Fatui convoy?"
This time, he was on full alert.
He motioned for his men to prepare for combat while trying to apply verbal pressure.
"Why attack a Fatui convoy?" Bai Luo echoed back with a sneer behind his cloth mask. "You really need me to spell that out for you?"
"..."
Igor had hoped dropping the Fatui's name would make the masked boy back off.
The organization didn't have a great reputation in Teyvat—heck, not even everyone in Snezhnaya supported them.
But the Fatui still carried weight.
And this shipment of Mora was far too important.
If it were stolen—he'd be in deep, deep trouble.
The Ausbilder might forgive him, because from what Igor had heard, the guy was pretty chill. Always smiling. Even liked handing out fruit.
Losing the shipment might cost him his Ausbilder's trust, but not his life.
If the Regrator—Pantalone—found out, though…
He'd be a dead man walking.
So Igor had hoped the bluff would work.
But the boy's answer made things very clear.
There was no negotiation here.
"So… there's nothing to talk about then?"
Igor's eyes narrowed dangerously.
Killing intent rose in his heart, but he kept it hidden behind his smile.
This time, he stepped forward himself, brushing past his henchmen.
What had just happened... His trusted guard being launched through him—
It was too strange.
Too abnormal.
He couldn't leave this to amateurs.
Instead of drawing the sword on his back, Igor reached for another weapon strapped at his waist—
A sheathed blade.
With a twist of his fingers, the disguise peeled off—revealing that the "sword" was actually a flintlock pistol, designed in the shape of a tachi.
"Let's see you burn."
Flames burst to life across the surface of the weapon, flowing in glowing patterns.
It was as if the fire was beginning to wrap around Igor himself.
As one of the earliest Fatui operatives deployed to Inazuma, Igor had been part of the advance infiltration unit.
Even though he'd been assigned to the intelligence division, he was no ordinary grunt.
This weapon—imbued with Pyro and protected by a shield of elemental force—was more than enough to make him nearly invincible…
So long as his opponent didn't have a Vision. And so long as they couldn't shatter the elemental barrier.
But then—
Shhk—
Just as he raised the gun—he heard the sound of something sharp sinking into flesh.
Followed by a cold sensation across his back.
"You—"
Shhk—
Before Igor could even finish his sentence, several more knives plunged into him.
They came from behind—his own comrades.
"Fatui Agent Igor, of the Third Company," a deadpan voice recited from the side, "you have been found guilty of leaking classified information, sabotaging internal operations, and acting in betrayal of our cause."
"Per standard protocol, your sentence is death."
"Effective immediately."
These were the same colleagues he'd shared laughs with moments ago.
Now? Their expressions were as emotionless as statues.
Every charge they read off was clear, detailed—undeniable.
"Wait— I-I want to speak to the Ausbilder... to Lord Pantalone..."
As an officer of the advance team, Igor had undergone body reinforcement.
Even with fatal wounds, if he could just get treatment in time, he might survive.
But then the masked young man walked over, casual as ever.
"You want to know who signed the order to execute you?" he said lazily.
"That would be Pantalone."
"And as for 'Ausbilder'..."
The boy leaned in, voice low—yet somehow chilling.
"Why don't you take a guess who I am?"
. . . . .
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind to pay $5 monthly to read till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon[1]
Current Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 236: So Who Really Lost Out?[2]
Link to the current chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/136292419?collection=174425[3]
https://www.patreon.com/collection/174425?view=condensed[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/174425?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/136292419?collection=174425
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/136292419?collection=174425
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/174425?view=condensed