Chapter 113. Battle Part 3
Nahida finally understood why Aila and Black Aila dared to stand against Dottore.
Their authorities were simply too effective. Shadow Authority could gather into countless hands to strike, while Electro Authority was direct, violent, and merciless.
"Clang!"
At that moment, Aila drew her tachi. The Hydro Vision hanging from her headdress gave off a faint blue glow.
"Crack! Crack!"
The tachi, personally forged by Futsu Mitama in her early years, now bore the power of three elements at once: Hydro, Cryo, and Electro.
Aila gripped the blade with one hand and was about to rush forward to finish off the remaining enemies, already grievously wounded by the shadowy tentacles.
"Wait a moment." Nahida hurriedly stopped her. "Let me add some power to you."
Aila was about to refuse. She wanted to test whether she could kill Dottore without Nahida's help.
But before she could speak, Nahida raised her hands. Two pure masses of Dendro energy flew out—one merged into Aila's body, and the other into her weapon.
Now the tachi carried four elements: Dendro, Hydro, Cryo, and Electro.
Aila could also clearly feel that the Dendro energy Nahida had given her allowed her to freely draw upon the power of this domain.
In other words, she had become half the master of the Shrine of Maya, able to borrow its strength at will.
And the tachi receiving Dendro energy was a welcome bonus.
At the same time, Black Aila thought to herself,
You go fight Dottore. I'm going to check the Chat Group.
Black Aila had always known the Chat Group existed, but she had never been able to speak in it. Now, through this brief fusion, she could finally view it.
This was a perfect opportunity. In any case, this battle would not end quickly, so she might as well see what the legendary Chat Group was like.
"Okay."
Aila answered calmly, then rushed straight toward the enemies ahead.
More than checking the Chat Group, she wanted to deal with Dottore even more.
"Swish—!!"
Aila plunged into the monsters Dottore had released. It was not a battle. It was a massacre.
Every swing of her tachi triggered reactions—Aggravate, Bloom, Electro-Charged, Hyperbloom. And these were only normal attacks.
She had not even used her Elemental Skill yet.
She was still adapting to her new power, because this was the first time since the fusion that she had fought with Demon Gods-level strength.
What made her slightly wary was this:
Had Dottore deliberately released these enemies so she could practice? Was he that confident he could defeat her? Or was he trying to stall for time?
No matter the reason, Aila decided to accept Dottore's gift first. Training against these elite small fries would help her grasp her power more quickly.
On the other side, Black Aila had already begun chatting in the Chat Group. Unlike last time, when she could only lurk, this fusion seemed more complete, and now she could type as well.
And she saw Nahida's messages.
[Nahida: "I understand now. So-called wisdom should first subdue enemies, and then reason with them. If you cannot subdue enemies, then wisdom cannot gain recognition. The stronger the power, the greater the truth!"]
[Azhdaha: "Well said. Why do you suddenly have these insights?"]
[Raiden Makoto: "Suffered a setback?"]
[Raiden Ei: "It should be. Since the incident five hundred years ago, I've had great doubts about my own martial arts. I could do nothing, so I couldn't save Makoto, and I couldn't save my friends."]
[Raiden Ei: "But why does Nahida suddenly think this way? Could it be that Kunikuzushi and Dottore hit her hard?"]
[Maha Rukkhadevata: "I'm pleased you have such thoughts, but wisdom is also very important."]
[Maha Rukkhadevata: "Whether it is knowledge or martial prowess, you must grasp both. Do not pursue martial prowess to excess, nor wisdom to excess. The two must remain balanced, just like Morax. Or like the Baal and Beelzebub sisters—one focused on martial arts, the other on literature."]
[Nahida: "Understood."]
[Venti: "Ehe~ But Nahida, why do you suddenly have this idea?"]
[Nahida: "Because I saw Aila and Black Aila merge. After they merged, they became so strong."]
[Nahida: "Sigh, they reached the Demon God Realm before even living twenty years, while I spent five hundred years and am still weaker than them."]
[Yae Miko: "Actually—a year ago, she was even weaker."]
[Kuki Shinobu: "Two years ago, Futsu Mitama and Aila could only fight me to a draw."]
[Kamisato Ayaka: "Thank the Kanjou Commission. If they hadn't suddenly made a move, Futsu Mitama would probably have chosen to remain low-key." ]
[Sangonomiya Kokomi: "This matter happened so long ago. It brings back some memories." ]
[Lumine: "Sumeru is so lively... I want to go join the fight too." ]
[Paimon: "Let's explore the areas ahead later~"]
[Futsu Mitama: "?"]
[Paimon: "Ah~ That's what I've been joking about with Lumine recently. Because Lumine was helping Liyue deal with the sludge in The Chasm, she kept saying she wanted to visit Inazuma and Sumeru. After chatting for a while, I told her we could slowly explore and play in those two areas later." ]
[Lumine: "Paimon seemed to get addicted to it afterward. Whenever we encountered an impassable area, she'd say, 'Let's explore the areas ahead later.'" ]
[Aila: "Young Master." ]
[Futsu Mitama: "Aila, how are things on your end?" ]
[Aila: "It's fine. I'm currently fighting the small fries Dottore teleported over. I'm watching your live stream." ]
[Aila: "Oh, and I'm Black Aila." ]
[Futsu Mitama: "Huh? You're Black Aila? Wait... why would you say you're Black Aila?" ]
[Guizhong: "How strange. Don't you dislike the name Black Aila?" ]
[Bosacius: "Perhaps she doesn't want to be mistaken for someone else." ]
[Aila: "Yes, although I am Aila, I am not the Aila you know, but Black Aila." ]
[Albedo: "Oh? You can use the Chat Group now? Why couldn't you last time? Is it not enough fusion? Or is there a bug in the Chat Group?" ]
[Eula: "What does 'bug' mean?" ]
[Kamisato Ayaka: "I haven't seen it in any books." ]
[Klee: "Big Sister Eula, Big Sister Ayaka, Klee knows! A bug means a mistake! Mommy told me and Big Brother Albedo about it after she traveled to other worlds!!" ]
[Lumine: "Hmm, simply put, it's like a windmill in Mondstadt breaking, but still spinning. Or fireworks getting damp, they shouldn't explode, but they still do. It's roughly that meaning." ]
[Paimon: "Wow... Lumine, Klee, and Albedo really know a lot." ]
[Zhongli: "Perhaps, as time passes, the Chat Group has come to recognize Black Aila and Aila as the same person." ]
[Yae Miko: "That's truly astonishing." ]
[Aila: "We are one and the same, Mr. Zhongli." ]
[Zhongli: "Indeed." ]
[Azhdaha: "This is a good thing, a roundabout way of adding a group member. See if you can sign in!" ]
[Yae Miko: "There's such a trick?! But it seems worth a try. If it succeeds, then Aila and Black Aila will have two sign-ins." ]
[Raiden Ei: "Try it, try it. What if a special husk doll appears from the sign-in?" ]
[Kamisato Ayaka: "Yes, yes." ]
[Aila: "I've tried it. I can't sign in. It says I've already signed in today." ]
[Albedo: "As expected, the Chat Group's bug isn't that easy to exploit." ]
[Cyno: "GOOD!!!" ]
[Azhdaha: "Huh? Why the sudden cheer?" ]
[Nahida: "Watch the group live stream! Futsu Mitama has unleashed a killer move!!! He wants to cut down Scaramouche." ]
[Raiden Ei: "...Sigh." ]
[Yae Miko: "Having second thoughts?" ]
[Raiden Ei: "No, it's just a bit complicated. If I had paid a little more attention to Kunikuzushi back then, would the situation be different now?" ]
[Yae Miko: "Hehehe~ Don't you remember what state you were in back then? If you didn't destroy him, he should have been grateful to you. Now he's become a calamity. Although it's not entirely his fault, a chain of later events was still driven by his own will." ]
[Yae Miko: "And that matter back then was rather strange. According to my investigation, a third party interfered. I haven't found out who they were, but the Fatui were the final beneficiaries, so I can guess who was involved." ]
[Kamisato Ayaka: "It's the Fatui again. Why are they everywhere?" ]
[Raiden Makoto: "But it's too late to say all that now. Let's watch the live stream first." ]
Outside the Chat Group, Futsu Mitama was already using Musou no Hitotachi, striking at Scaramouche.
The blow was aimed at his head. Scaramouche was a divine puppet, so a fatal wound that would kill an ordinary person would not kill him.
But if he lost his head, then even if he did not die, he would no longer be able to control Shouki no Kami, the Prodigal, from afar.
"!!!"
Scaramouche had not expected Futsu Mitama to be so decisive—so ruthless.
Fear rose in his heart, because in his eyes, Futsu Mitama's figure gradually overlapped with Beelzebub's.
The clothing, the motion of the sword, that indifferent gaze.
She—he—had come to kill him.
From Inazuma to Sumeru, she had come to kill him.
"NEVER!!!! BEELZEBUB!!!"
Scaramouche roared, raising his hand and condensing layer after layer of lightning barriers.
At the same time, a bone-chilling cold aura erupted from him, and an invisible divine pressure spread outward.
Clearly, Scaramouche intended to directly withstand Musou no Hitotachi.
Futsu Mitama's expression remained calm. He had already experienced the power of the Cryo Archon's authority before.
Back then, its authority could still cause him some trouble, but now things were different.
If the Cryo Archon herself appeared, Futsu Mitama would still dare to fight her, let alone the authority granted to a Fatui Harbinger.
"!"
A fierce glint flashed in Scaramouche's eyes.
Futsu Mitama sensed it, and frowned slightly. Seven Thunder of Retribution: Narukami emitted an even more terrifying purple light.
"Boom—!!!"
A deafening explosion erupted, and thick black smoke swallowed both Scaramouche and Futsu Mitama.
The next second, Scaramouche flew backward, missing nearly half his body. In the distance, Shouki no Kami, the Prodigal, now reduced to its upper half, moved swiftly toward him and opened its giant hand to catch him.
"To survive, he actually detonated the Cryo Archon's authority directly."
Futsu Mitama walked out of the smoke, his clothes marked with ice shards.
Just now, Scaramouche had made an extremely decisive choice. To resist Musou no Hitotachi, he detonated the Cryo Archon's authority.
This was no small matter. In a sense, detonating that authority was a one-time measure.
It was like Raiden Ei splitting off a portion of her authority and infusing it into Seven Thunder of Retribution: Narukami.
When Raiden Ei did that, she had two intentions.
First, to make Seven Thunder of Retribution: Narukami sharper.
Second, if Futsu Mitama ever faced a life-threatening danger, he could use it as a final trump card.
If Seven Thunder of Retribution: Narukami were destroyed, the authority within it would erupt on its own, and the enemy would have to face Raiden Ei's full-force strike.
Thinking carefully, if Futsu Mitama were fighting an evenly matched opponent and both were exhausted, then suddenly destroyed Seven Thunder of Retribution: Narukami, the burst of power within would contain Raiden Ei's full strength. Who could withstand that?
Scaramouche had just used the same method to escape Futsu Mitama's fatal blow, but his own condition was terrible. More than half of his body had been destroyed by Musou no Hitotachi.
He had lost his abdomen and left arm. If he had been human, he would already have been beyond dead.
At close range, by detonating the Cryo Archon's authority, he had managed to withstand Musou no Hitotachi.
But now he had no combat ability left. He could only rely on Shouki no Kami, the Prodigal, built for him by the Akademiya.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Scaramouche was thrown back, coughing violently, staring at Futsu Mitama in the distance, who looked back with cold indifference. He was shocked—and furious.
He really had almost died just now. But the other side only had one chance!
Shouki no Kami, the Prodigal, caught Scaramouche. Its speed was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, it was beside him.
"You have no chance."
Once Shouki no Kami arrived, the fear in Scaramouche's heart quietly faded.
He stared at Futsu Mitama, still walking out of the smoke in the distance, and said with grim certainty, "I already know your strength. Next, it's my turn."