[Stelle asked the arriving robots and learned that Clara had gone to Rivet Town again to collect repair materials. Left with no choice, they had to return to Rivet Town to find her.]
[But shortly after arriving, they discovered Clara cornered by a massive monster. The robots beside her were already shattered to pieces, and the monster was preparing to unleash a fireball!]
["Not good!"]
[Bronya gasped in alarm, instinctively raising her rifle. But before her finger could even touch the trigger, a figure moved faster than her bullet!]
[Seele's nimble figure fluttered like a blue butterfly, dancing gracefully around the Fragmentum monster.]
[Her scythe moved like the wind, leaving behind several blurred afterimages in the air in an instant. It was as if time itself had frozen in that moment… By the time the butterfly's wings began to flutter, countless slashes had already appeared all over the monster's body.]
"This girl… is actually this strong…"
The Mist Hashira, Tokitou Muichirou, carefully observed Seele's every move through the Celestial Screen. It was a shame the screen didn't have a replay function—otherwise, he would've rewatched Seele's technique for slaying the monster at least a hundred times.
When dealing with the vagrants earlier, Muichirou had only thought this girl was somewhat skilled. After all, defeating a few vagrants wasn't anything particularly impressive—even the Tsuguko trained by the Hashira could easily accomplish such a feat without the Hashira needing to intervene.
But annihilating a monster of this size in such a short time—subjectively, it felt like he had barely blinked before the battle was already over.
People from another world, without Breathing Techniques, could push their physical potential to such an extent… Muichirou found it unbelievable.
Mist Breathing, Seventh Form: Obscuring Clouds—this technique relied on agile movements and drastic shifts in tempo to disorient the opponent. When mastered to its peak, it could even create the illusion of afterimages.
He had used this technique against Gyokko, and even after awakening his Demon Slayer Mark, he could only produce one or two afterimages to mislead him. Back then, it was with this move that he successfully decapitated Gyokko.
He hadn't been mistaken—the moment Seele struck, seven or eight afterimages appeared around the monster simultaneously. The slashes were unleashed in an instant, leaving the monster no chance to retaliate before its demise.
"I really want her to join the Demon Slayer Corps…" Muichirou lay flat on the floor, his indigo eyes reflecting the blue fluttering of Seele's skirt like butterfly wings, staring blankly in awe.
He really wanted to know—how did she do it?
…If only she could teach me.
[Saved by the group, Clara expressed her gratitude and said she would inform Mr. Svarog about this incident. She hoped it could help ease tensions between Wildfire and Svarog.]
["Speaking of Svarog, we were actually planning to meet him. Could you take us to him?" Seele said.]
[Clara hesitated: "But… Mr. Svarog doesn't like communicating with others, especially members of [Wildfire]…"]
["I know that, but he's avoided talking for too long. This time, we insist on seeing him."]
["But Mr. Svarog doesn't trust human emotions. He only believes in calculated results."]
[Clara remained firm on this matter. No matter how much Stelle and Bronya tried to persuade her, she refused to take them to Svarog, fearing it would lead to a large-scale conflict and potential injuries.]
[In the end, seeing that she couldn't convince them, Clara made an excuse and ran off.]
[Faced with Clara's stance, the group was at a loss. After a brief discussion, they concluded that they had to convince Clara first—otherwise, even if they bypassed the gate, Svarog would identify them as intruders, making conflict inevitable.]
["Clara repeatedly mentioned Svarog's calculations…" Dan Heng pondered for a moment before speaking: "'The people of the Underworld alone cannot prevent the disaster'—those were her exact words. And that's where the solution lies."]
["Wildfire's strength alone isn't enough to resolve the Stellaron crisis, but his calculations are outdated. The new [variables] haven't been factored into the equation yet…"]
[Stelle suddenly understood: "We are the new [variables]!"]
"A clever child, instantly grasping the key to solving the problem."
In Snezhnaya, Arlecchino glanced disdainfully at the empty seat of the lowest-ranking Harbinger:
"Meanwhile, there's someone who only knows how to solve problems with brute force…"
"Potential is also one of the reasons Her Majesty favors him."
A slow, measured footstep echoed from the depths of the palace, accompanied by a man's cold, deep voice. Dottore's mask emerged from the shadows, his snow-white coat appearing almost holy under the moonlight.
The Second Harbinger—The Doctor.
Arlecchino instinctively frowned.
Had she not become a Harbinger, she might have retained some respect and acknowledgment for the Second Seat. But after learning of his "collaboration" with the previous Knave, she now only wished to personally send him to meet his predecessor.
"What, are you interested in Dan Heng too?" Arlecchino stared coldly at the masked man.
"Unfortunately, Snezhnaya has no children like him."
"Strong, intelligent, composed… He is indeed an exceptional specimen, even rare across all of Teyvat. However, compared to him, I'm far more interested in Stelle."
At the mention of Stelle, Dottore's originally subdued tone grew increasingly excited. He took a deep breath, slightly raising his head. When Stelle's image appeared on the Celestial Screen… the gaze beneath the Doctor's mask was like that of a man admiring a flawless work of art.
"A body capable of containing a Stellaron… Magnificent. A shame… a shame she isn't in Teyvat."
"You seem quite similar to that Ms. Herta," Arlecchino remarked. His intoxicated expression reminded her of the puppet lady from the space station, though in her opinion, Herta's personality was far more tolerable than this colleague of hers.
"No, no, no. Though we both seek answers, that Ms. Herta is clearly lacking."
Dottore raised a hand, lightly tapping the black mask on his face. The crisp sound reverberated through the empty hall.
"In my view, she hasn't fully discarded her humanity—and on the path to seeking answers, clinging to humanity only shackles experimentation."
Arlecchino merely smirked coldly. "Have you ever considered that one day, this might be the death of you?"
"Heh, of course." Dottore turned calmly. "As a scholar, I account for the possibility of 'death' as an outcome."
"However… I'm far more curious about what kind of experiment could lead to such a result."