Chapter 115. Battle Part 5
Futsu Mitama and Scaramouche's battle raged so fiercely that even the entire God Creation Project site seemed to tremble under the strain.
A clash between Archons was terrifying by nature.
The Akademiya had clearly poured enormous effort into building this experimental site: it had to remain hidden, and it also had to withstand the destructive power of Shouki no Kami, the Prodigal.
If it had been any ordinary place, Futsu Mitama and Scaramouche would have already torn it apart. Yet here, the structure only looked precarious, which said enough about how absurdly strong its defenses were.
That was also because the two of them were mostly attacking each other directly, each one neutralizing much of the other's force. If either side had started unleashing wide-area attacks, this place would have collapsed long ago.
On the other side, La Signora and Shenhe were fighting just as fiercely.
La Signora, being the old fox she was, seemed to sense the situation turning against her and resisted harder and harder, but her resistance was ultimately useless.
Sangonomiya Kokomi and Kuki Shinobu, who had been waiting for their chance, struck without hesitation and wounded her.
La Signora cried out in indignation, demanding,
"Where's the promised one-on-one?!"
Shenhe calmly replied that she had never said anything of the sort, and that this was all La Signora's own imagination.
That only made La Signora even more furious, but there was nothing she could do. Inside the Fatui, she had always been the one leading others in gang-ups. Now that the tables had turned and no subordinates were beside her, the frustration was unbearable.
Dottore! Where the hell are you?!
La Signora cursed inwardly. Scaramouche was useless and getting suppressed by Futsu Mitama. The only one she could rely on now was Dottore.
But where had he gone? Dealing with that useless Dendro Archon shouldn't take this long, right? Even those two maids were strong, true, but they still had not reached the Demon God Realm. How could they possibly be a match for Dottore now?
Despite her anger, La Signora was helpless. She was already in a desperate situation, or she would never have pinned her hopes on someone else.
—
Inside the Chat Group, everyone was discussing the battle with great excitement.
At the moment, two live streams were active: one from Futsu Mitama, who was locked in a major battle with Scaramouche, and another from Aila's side, or rather Black Aila's live stream.
Perhaps because her fusion with Aila was now perfect, Black Aila could also open a live stream for the group.
Her stream, like Albedo's, was not nearly as good as Futsu Mitama's by any measure. But it was at least watchable, so no one complained. Most people in the group still had a deep impression of Dottore, but very few had actually seen him in action.
Fortunately, the Chat Group could support two live streams at once. Otherwise, everyone would have been stuck trying to decide which one to watch.
[Venti: "Exciting, oh so exciting! This is truly thrilling! It's been a very, very long time since I've seen a battle between Demon God Realms. The last time I saw one was... the last time! Gulp, gulp, gulp! Good wine!!!"]
[Eula: "Is this what a battle between Demon Gods is like? If they fought in Mondstadt City, wouldn't Mondstadt City be—"]
[Albedo: "No need to worry. With the protection of the Anemo Archon, Mondstadt City will surely be safe and sound."]
[Klee: "Yeah, Big Sister Eula, don't worry, Big Brother Anemo Archon is here!"]
[Venti: "Oh, what are you all saying? I'm just a weak and helpless Archon, but if an enemy truly came—"]
[Zhongli: "What?"]
[Raiden Makoto: "How so?"]
[Maha Rukkhadevata: "Oh? I'm a little interested."]
[Azhdaha: "Elaborate!"]
[Guizhong: "I'm interested too, Barbatos. What do you plan to do??"]
[Venti: "I can only ask Futsu Mitama for help. He is the next Anemo Archon! Isn't it normal for the Anemo Archon to handle this matter?"]
[Raiden Ei: "?"]]
[Yae Miko: "No more pretending, huh? It's all out in the open now."]
[Guizhong: "Impossible, absolutely impossible!"]
[Azhdaha: "One of his ancestors were from Liyue. It's perfectly normal for him to return to Liyue and inherit the Geo Archon's position now."]
[Zhongli: "Well said."]
[Raiden Makoto: "What? Futsu Mitama's ancestors were from Liyue, but didn't he move to Inazuma? That means he's an Inazuman. Moreover, Ei has already entrusted the Shogun's position to him."]
[Venti: "He's the next Shogun. Hasn't he inherited it yet? He has my Gnosis, you know."]
[Raiden Ei: "@Venti, how much longer until you come out? There are some things I'd like to discuss with you in person."]
[Venti: "Why don't we talk about Scaramouche? By the way, after Futsu Mitama truly takes him down, what do you plan to do?"]
[Raiden Makoto: "Your attitude changed so quickly."]
[Maha Rukkhadevata: "As expected of Barbatos, still as... well, free?"]
[Azhdaha: "He's scared, isn't he?"]
[Venti: "Do you know what it means to see through something but not say it? Believe it or not, the first thing I'll do after I get out is go to Mt. Hulao and mock you."]
[Azhdaha: "Mock me? How would you mock me?"]
[Venti: "Well~ you'll know when the time comes~ Ehe~"]
[Guizhong: "..."]
[Zhongli: "..."]
[Raiden Ei: "I think I've guessed it."]
[Azhdaha: "Huh?"]
[Maha Rukkhadevata: "It seems the Akademiya has indeed created something extraordinary. From the perspective of humanity, they've done very well. But the burden of this power is beyond what they can imagine. The Akademiya's Sages believe they can control it."]
[Maha Rukkhadevata: "That is their arrogant assumption. Although Scaramouche now possesses Archon power, he lacks that heart."]
[Nahida: "Yes."]
[Zhongli: "Whether human or Archon, on the path of growth, one needs someone to guide the way. In his case, he probably only had the Fatui or Dottore beside him, with no one to truly guide him."]
[Yae Miko: "It's not that no one gave him guidance; rather, someone did, but that person died. Anyway, the process is quite complicated. But if Futsu Mitama can bring him back to Inazuma, that would be a good thing."]
[Raiden Ei: "Let me be the one to pass judgment on him."]
[Raiden Makoto: "Hmm, cleaning up one's own mess—that's also—giving the people of Inazuma an explanation."]
[Raiden Ei: "Yes, Makoto."]
[Azhdaha: "You all wait a moment, @Venti, what did you mean by that just now?! What mocking me?! What is there to mock?"]
[Venti: "Actually, it's just that I was sealed, you were also sealed. Now I'm unsealed, and you're still sealed."]
[Azhdaha: "Do you think I'm an idiot? I was sealed voluntarily, you're different. Spill it! I feel like you're hiding something!"]
[Zhongli: "..."]
[Guizhong: "..."]
[Raiden Makoto: "Cough cough, I guess I was also kind of sealed."]
[Maha Rukkhadevata: "I consider myself self-sealed."]
[Nahida: "I'm still helping with the battle; I'll talk later!"]
[Aila: "I'm about to join the fight; Dottore is personally entering the fray. You all chat amongst yourselves."]
[Raiden Ei: "Dango milk is quite good. @Yae Miko, buy some more, and also get me the latest light novel."]
[Yae Miko: "Alright, alright, no problem. I'll send them to Tenshukaku right away."]
[Venti: "I'm not hiding anything~ I was just teasing you a little, don't overthink it~ And how do you know I wasn't sealed voluntarily?"]
[Azhdaha: "Huh?"]
[Zhongli: "Sealed voluntarily??"]
[Raiden Makoto: "Really?"]
[Maha Rukkhadevata: "Do you swear?"]
[Albedo: "This news is a bit shocking."]
[Raiden Ei: "Voluntarily? Then can you come out?"]
[Venti: "Ah ha ha ha ha~~ No, because when you're in jail, you have to be well-behaved. If I kept thinking about escaping, it might bring disaster to Mondstadt. Besides, there's food and drink here, and I don't have anything to worry about in Mondstadt, so my life is much more fulfilling than a certain fellow under Mt. Hulao."]
[Azhdaha: "Barbatos!!! Get lost!!!"]
—
In Inazuma, at Yae Publishing House, Yae Miko watched the Chat Group messages while instructing a subordinate to buy dango milk and various sweets, along with the latest popular light novels.
The dango milk and sweets would take some time to buy. The light novels, on the other hand, were right beside her, easy to grab.
Interestingly, the novels currently popular in Inazuma were almost all about Futsu Mitama.
The identity of the next Electro Archon was simply too explosive. Only Inazuma, out of all Teyvat, would dare to produce something like this.
Futsu Mitama had also made frequent public appearances in Inazuma, which led the people to accept the idea that the Shogun would retire and that Futsu Mitama would become the next Electro Archon.
That in turn gave rise to a large number of light novels about him. Of course, the authors did not dare name him directly. They only hinted at him or used him as a background figure.
Only one author had the nerve to make Futsu Mitama the protagonist and write about his cooperation with the Resistance to root out the Tenryou Commission, the tumor of Inazuma.
As expected, that author became famous. And not because he had used Futsu Mitama as a gimmick, but because the Futsu Mitama in his book was wildly affectionate.
For example, in Inazuma City, he was implied to have an ambiguous relationship with Kujou Sara. When he went to the Resistance, he had an ambiguous relationship with Sangonomiya Kokomi.
He had affairs with the Guuji, Yae Miko, with the Kamisato clan's young lady, and even with many noble daughters who all had repeated interactions with him.
He left affection everywhere. Any woman with enough beauty and status inevitably fell hopelessly for him.
What made it even subtler was that the writing was never explicit. It was all just ambiguous enough to leave readers begging for more, crying,
"Write more, it's fine, everyone loves it."
So the book naturally became popular. Later, the author was personally arrested by Kujou Sara and thrown into prison.
By excessively imagining Futsu Mitama's romantic entanglements, the author had effectively committed blasphemy against a deity, and imprisonment was the lightest punishment available.
The original manuscript, however, was still in Yae Miko's hands, and she intended to show it to Raiden Ei.
Soon after the sweets and novels were sorted, Yae Miko picked them up and headed to Tenshukaku.
There, she quickly met Raiden Ei, who was sitting very calmly. When she saw Yae Miko arrive, a light appeared in her eyes.
"Come here, Miko."
Raiden Ei beckoned her over, already eager for sweets.
At the moment, there was nothing in Inazuma she truly needed to worry about. Although Raiden Makoto had always said she wanted Ei to grow, once she was truly present, she still could not resist personally guiding Ei in handling various matters.
Later, Ei handed most tasks over to the Shogun and Yae Miko, while she herself meditated in the Plane of Euthymia, contemplating martial arts.
At other times, she ate sweets and used legendary cookware to prepare dishes.
By now, the kitchen in Tenshukaku had exploded more than a dozen times.
"Alright." Yae Miko smiled. She came beside Ei, handed her the light novel and the dessert, and then casually asked, "How do you plan to deal with that menace?"
Yae Miko had always regarded Kunikuzushi as a menace, but because of Ei, she had never interfered with him.
By the time she wanted to interfere, he had already left Inazuma and thrown himself into the Fatui's embrace.
And when he returned again, Yae Miko was no longer strong enough to stop him.
"…"
Raiden Ei fell silent for a moment, setting down the dessert she had just picked up. Then she sighed and said helplessly,
"I'll probably strip him of all his power and let him sleep eternally while still conscious. This time, I'll set up a barrier so he cannot escape."
"Just like before?"
Yae Miko asked with interest. Scaramouche had once been sealed by Ei in exactly that way.
It had to be said that Ei was still too soft-hearted. If it were her, she would have hardened her heart and destroyed him outright.
After nearly five hundred years of cleaning up Ei's and Inazuma's messes, Yae Miko was not a kind person. She was, in fact, quite decisive and a little vengeful.
If she judged something harmful to Inazuma, she would eliminate it without hesitation, leaving no room for survival.