Chapter 120. Battle Part 10
Although Scaramouche clearly knew that Musou no Hitotachi was the pinnacle of Raiden Ei's martial arts, it did not require much elemental power. On the contrary, the stronger the martial artist, the more powerful that single strike became.
Even so, unleashing Musou no Hitotachi twice in a row—wasn't that far too terrifying?!
At this moment, Scaramouche seemed to understand why Beelzebub had chosen Futsu Mitama as the next Electro Archon.
Why Barbatos had entrusted his Anemo Gnosis to Futsu Mitama for safekeeping.
And why Morax had passed down his inheritance to him.
None of it was without reason.
This man was simply too monstrous. If he were to encounter an existence like that, he would probably hand over his inheritance as well and nurture him well.
Seeing Musou no Hitotachi come straight at him, Scaramouche had no intention of resisting, just as he had expected.
The petrification had caused serious problems for Shouki No Kami, The Prodigal, the worst of which was that energy could no longer be transferred properly to critical areas.
After all, Shouki No Kami, The Prodigal, was a machine. It was not Scaramouche's true body.
If one joint ran into trouble, Scaramouche could not solve it immediately. Only the Electro Gnosis at the core could transmit energy and stabilize the system.
If it had been his true body, he would have simply ignored the damage and kept fighting head-on with Futsu Mitama while simultaneously dealing with the petrification.
But now, he was being suppressed instead.
"Trying to escape? Can you?"
Futsu Mitama watched Scaramouche flee, a faint smile on his lips.
He teleported instantly and appeared in front of Shouki No Kami, The Prodigal.
The next moment, he swung Seven Thunder of Retribution: Narukami straight toward shouki no kami's chest.
"DREAM ON!"
Scaramouche controlled the mech's hands and forcibly blocked Musou no Hitotachi.
His hands, already damaged by the earlier self-detonation, took the full force of the blow and opened into a deep wound.
A trace of heartache flashed through Scaramouche's eyes.
His own body could recover because it had been made from special, rare materials that could heal quickly through energy.
Shouki No Kami, The Prodigal, had similar materials, but its scale was simply too large. Combined with the Electro Gnosis continuously supplying energy, there was still a transmission delay.
With Futsu Mitama pressing the attack nonstop, it was extremely hard to heal the wound.
"You're pretty tough," Futsu Mitama said in surprise. He had not expected Shouki No Kami's hand to remain intact after that strike.
That was unexpected.
But it also showed just how much the Akademiya sages had invested in shouki no kami, the prodigal.
Perhaps Dottore had secretly contributed as well. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to withstand Futsu Mitama's current Musou no Hitotachi.
Still, even if the materials were durable, two more strikes should be enough to break it.
Thinking that, Futsu Mitama was about to continue attacking when Shouki No Kami, The Prodigal, suddenly vanished from where it stood.
A spatial transfer.
Futsu Mitama naturally recognized the technique.
But under the Chakra Desiderata, no spatial transfer could escape his eyes.
He looked into the distance, where Shouki No Kami, The Prodigal, reappeared.
Scaramouche spread his hands and shouted,
"ACCEPT THE JUDGMENT OF THE ARCHONS, FUTSU MITAMA!!!"
As he spoke, one spatial portal after another appeared behind shouki no kami, and countless Electro light bullets poured out, overwhelming Futsu Mitama like a flood.
"Archon's of Judgment???"
Futsu Mitama was left speechless.
He rushed forward immediately, a Jade Shield forming around him.
The weight of stone was reassuring, and combined with Seven Thunder of Retribution: Narukami in his hand, those light bullets could not harm him at all.
Scaramouche also knew this attack could not seriously hurt Futsu Mitama.
He was merely stalling for time and concentrating energy in the core of his chest.
He already knew he was slightly behind Futsu Mitama, in this level even a slight gap meant a world of difference.
So he wanted to decide everything with one move.
He would stake everything on his final technique.
For that, he needed time.
Whether it was the spatial transfer just now or the current Judgment, everything was for buying time.
He needed enough time and energy to unleash that one attack.
He had no retreat.
If he failed, then he would only be able to flee in humiliation.
Futsu Mitama quickly closed in on Scaramouche.
The Electro light bullets in his path were nothing to him; he casually slashed them apart.
Some bullets flew toward him directly, but he ignored them completely, and the Jade Shield blocked them anyway.
By now, Futsu Mitama had attained a remarkable balance: for offense, he had the inheritance of the Electro Archon; for defense, he had the inheritance of the Geo Archon. As for the Anemo Gnosis and Anemo Archon authority, those were reserved for escape.
They were not especially useful for offense or defense, but they were extremely convenient for escaping.
So Scaramouche had unfairly judged Futsu Mitama earlier.
He truly had not looked down on his opponent.
If the Anemo Gnosis could have ended the battle faster, he would have used it long ago instead of hiding it.
The problem was that when the Anemo Gnosis was used, it had no support function and could only serve as a pure source of energy.
Using it as raw output was not as effective as Musou no Hitotachi or Starfall.
The former dealt tremendous damage; the latter combined damage with crowd control.
Either one was far more appealing.
As for the Dendro Archon's inheritance, it had very strong support effects, but for Futsu Mitama, its usefulness was limited because he had only begun learning it a few days ago.
With such poor mastery, how could he use it in battle?
Just as Scaramouche began charging and Futsu Mitama closed in, the chat group was naturally not quiet either.
[Kuki Shinobu: "OK, the Lady has been sealed by us."]
[Sangonomiya Kokomi: "[Image] It's about like this. After everything is over, Nahida will send her to Mondstadt."]
[Shenhe: "Futsu Mitama is still fighting. This Scaramouche is indeed very strong."]
[Azhdaha: "So-so. I don't think he's especially strong. If I went, I'd probably handle him easily."]
[Raiden Ei: "Kunikuzushi relies too much on external power. That power doesn't belong to him."]
[Raiden Makoto: "Even so, he is still quite talented. It's a pity he chose the wrong path. Otherwise, if he had been properly nurtured—"]
[Yae Miko: "Four hundred years ago, he still had value to nurture. Now, unless all his memories are erased, there's no real value left."]
[Raiden Makoto: "Memories can't be erased completely. As long as one lives, traces remain. Don't harbor ill intentions. A forced cooperation isn't good]
[Yae Miko: "But it fills, doesn't it~ Inazuma is short on people right now. There are too few talents in every field. How about letting him atone through merit, Makoto?"]
[Raiden Makoto: "Are those your words, or are you speaking for Ei?"]
[Raiden Ei: "..."]
[Nahida: "He's much stronger than me, sigh. I still need to work harder."]
[Maha Rukkhadevata: "You only lack inheritance and experience. Once you fully understand it, strength will come naturally. Also, knowledge is just as important as strength."]
[Nahida: "Mm, I understand."]
[Venti: "OK, thanks everyone. As thanks, I should go to Snezhnaya and get justice for Shenhe, but the old man probably already went. That's fine. My strength is too weak. If I went, I might not get justice and could end up being hunted instead."]
[Guizhong: "How do you know Morax went to Snezhnaya?"]
[Azhdaha: "Oh? Morax went to get justice for Shenhe? Hahahaha, as expected of Morax."]
[Maha Rukkhadevata: "This is normal. If Nahida weren't this weak and I weren't trapped in Irminsul—I would have gone to Snezhnaya myself to demand justice An Archon from another nation acting so recklessly in Sumeru is simply disrespecting the contract made back then."]
[Raiden Makoto: "Perhaps in her eyes, she was merely helping her subordinate and didn't think it would cause trouble."]
[Raiden Ei: "If the Tsaritsa dared to do such a thing in Inazuma, she would not escape the blade in my hand."]
[Nahida: "Stop scolding, stop scolding."]
[Venti: "Ehe, Nahida, don't worry, I'm still at the bottom of the group~"]
[Albedo: "Since the Lady has been captured, I don't need to stay at the top anymore."]
[Klee: "Can Klee blow up fish then?!"]
[Albedo: "Hmm~ go ahead, but don't you want to watch Brother Futsu Mitama dismantle this mech?"]
[Klee: "Klee wants to blow up fish and watch Brother Futsu Mitama dismantle the mech at the same time!!!"]
[Albedo: "Alright."]
[Paimon: "But this big mech is really scary. Futsu Mitama threw so many giant rocks and slashed it several times, but he still couldn't destroy it."]
[Lumine: "Futsu Mitama hasn't used his full strength yet. I think he's waiting for a chance to destroy it in one blow."]
[Guizhong: "That's normal. This thing is a dead object. It can move only because the Gnosis keeps supplying energy. As long as Futsu Mitama retrieves the Electro Gnosis, the mech will collapse without needing another attack."]
[Zhongli: "Indeed. He only needs to seize the opportunity, defeat the enemy in one move, and the battle will end."]
[Maha Rukkhadevata: "That is the weakness of a false Archon who relies on external power. If it loses its core, this mech, which embodies the Akademiya's essence, will become immobile, and Scaramouche will lose his Archon-like power."]
[Nahida: "Then the only enemy left is Dottore. Sigh, Aila is fighting hard over there, and I can't do anything except interfere here. I also have to be careful not to let the other side break through my Domain and escape."]
[Azhdaha: "I can tell you're very idle. Look, Aila and Futsu Mitama don't even have time to chat in the group."]
[Futsu Mitama: "1."]
[Aila: "2."]
[Azhdaha: "?"]
[Venti: "A direct rebuttal. Hahahahaha."]
[Eula: "This doesn't look good—Lord Barbatos."]
[Venti: "It's fine. At worst, I just won't go to Liyue! Ehe!"]
[Azhdaha: "Barbatos!"]
[Aila: "I am Aila. Black Aila is currently fighting."]
[Futsu Mitama: "Scaramouche is too weak. I took a moment to check the group. Hm? Wait, Scaramouche is preparing something. I'll stop chatting for now."]
[Raiden Ei: "It seems this is his final strike."]
[Raiden Makoto: "A single move to decide the winner? That's decisive, but... he was given too little time."]
[Yae Miko: "Hehehe~"]
[Kamisato Ayaka: "Today seems to be a bad day for the Fatui. At least two Harbingers are going to be taken away."]
[Keqing: "For us, that's a good thing. The Fatui, having lost two Harbingers, will surely act more cautiously."]
[Sangonomiya Kokomi: "It seems we don't need to go support them. Going there now would most likely get us taken hostage."]
[Kuki Shinobu: "Actually, I think we need to leave here quickly. The shockwaves from Futsu Mitama and Scaramouche's battle have already reached us If we don't leave soon, we may have to deal with even more terrifying aftershocks."]
[Shenhe: "Take the Lady. Let's leave here first."]
Outside, Futsu Mitama had now come face to face with Scaramouche.
He swung Seven Thunder of Retribution: Narukami, striking at Shouki No Kami, The Prodigal.
Buzz!!
An Electro barrier blocked the blade.
At the same time, Shouki No Kami's chest opened, and the accumulated Electro energy poured out, quickly forming a giant spherical mass.
"THIS IS THE END, FUTSU MITAMA!"
Scaramouche emerged from Shouki No Kami, The Prodigal. He raised both hands and injected energy into the sphere together with the Electro Gnosis.
Purple light flickered in his eyes as he stared at Futsu Mitama and said coldly,
"Let's decide the winner with this move! You have no chance. I have already seen your crushing defeat in the future!"
Futsu Mitama looked at Scaramouche's serious expression and helplessly shook his head.
At that moment, he found himself somewhat admiring him.
No matter what, his mouth was truly stubborn.
Even though he had been at a disadvantage the entire time, he still acted as if he held a huge advantage.
Futsu Mitama could not understand how Scaramouche had learned such absurd confidence.
But no matter how stubborn he was, it would not change the fact that he was about to lose.
Futsu Mitama would not give him a chance to finish charging. He gripped Seven Thunder of Retribution: Narukami with both hands, his expression turning serious.
The Omnipresent God's Wheel behind him slowly began to rotate.
An endless stream of Devotion poured into his body, invisibly strengthening him.
At that moment, Seven Thunder of Retribution: Narukami in his hand radiated terrifying divine pressure, and the blade changed from purple Electro light to golden radiance.
This was the power produced by Devotion.
It was the second time Futsu Mitama had used it after entering the Demon God Realm.
The first time had been against Raiden Shogun, but he had not even been able to break her defense, which had been humiliating.
But now it was different.
After stepping into the Demon God Realm, Futsu Mitama could control Devotion more effectively, and over the past six months in Inazuma—
Raiden Ei had also personally taught him how to use Devotion better.
So he was confident he could finish Scaramouche with a single strike.
A terrifying aura rose from Futsu Mitama.
He looked at Scaramouche in front of him, his expression calm and unreadable.
"..."
Scaramouche felt Futsu Mitama's gaze and the ever-growing pressure around him, and he gritted his teeth.
Fear told him to leave immediately.
He would lose.
He would definitely lose.
He had no chance at all.
Or rather, from the beginning of this battle, he had never had a chance.
Was he too weak?
No.
It was not that he was weak. After entering the Demon God Realm, even Buer was no match for him.
So it was not that he was weak. It was that Futsu Mitama was simply too strong, a monster without obvious weaknesses.
Losing to such a monster was normal.
But he refused to lose.
He could lose to anyone.
Anyone.
Except Futsu Mitama.
He could not lose to him.
Because Futsu Mitama was Beelzebub's recognized successor, just like that Shogun.
"I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS!!! SHOUKI NO KAMI'S ADVENT!!!"
As if sensing the end, Scaramouche roared.
He did not want to give Futsu Mitama time to charge, so he activated his final move early.
The purple sphere, carrying destructive power, rushed toward Futsu Mitama.
"This move is useless."
Futsu Mitama looked at the charging sphere and shook his head slightly, almost regretfully.
He understood how terrifying the energy inside it was.
But so what?
If Scaramouche had compressed it for several more minutes, Futsu Mitama might have been a little wary and might have activated an enhanced Jade Shield.
But this sphere was not enough to threaten him.
"This move is called Musou Shinsetsu."
Futsu Mitama swung Seven Thunder of Retribution: Narukami, now glowing with golden light, and looked directly at Scaramouche.
"The meaning of this move is—"
"To abandon all thoughts and desires, and to bear the dreams of the people. In other words, a single strike carrying the wishes of all."
"You cannot resist this strike, because you cannot bear the Devotion of countless people."
With that, he swung the blade.
The dazzling golden light swallowed everything around it.
The purple sphere, filled with terrifying energy, could not even explode before it was completely consumed.
No sound came out.
Scaramouche's carefully prepared attack had no effect at all.
Whether it was because Scaramouche was too weak, or because he had charged for too short a time, the result was the same: once the purple sphere vanished, it was now shouki no kami, the prodigal's turn to fall.
"NO! NO! NO!!!!!!!"
Watching the golden light surge toward him, Scaramouche felt a life-and-death crisis.
He would die.
He would absolutely die.
He desperately tried to force Shouki No Kami, The Prodigal, to retreat, but it was too late.
The golden light had already reached him and swallowed shouki no kami entirely.
Shouki no kami, the prodigal, was indeed tough. Futsu Mitama's earlier Musou no Hitotachi had not even cut off one of its hands, which showed how horrifying its hardness was.
But under the Devotion-infused Musou Shinsetsu, its defenses were still not enough.
Like cutting tofu, the huge body of Shouki No Kami, The Prodigal, was sliced into several pieces, and the chest that Futsu Mitama had targeted was badly damaged, exposing the Electro Gnosis within.
Rumble!!!
The surroundings began to collapse.
Clearly, Musou Shinsetsu was too terrifying.
Futsu Mitama and Scaramouche had fought for a long time before without causing any collapse, but now the entire area had begun to give way.
The Akademiya's carefully built experimental site could not withstand that devastating strike.
Futsu Mitama did not say much.
The collapse had nothing to do with him.
If he wanted, he could teleport at any time and leave the underground chamber for the surface.
But before that, he needed to retrieve what belonged to Inazuma.
Futsu Mitama looked at the Electro Gnosis embedded in Shouki No Kami's chest and reached out to take it.
Whoosh—!
At that moment, Shouki No Kami's palm suddenly fired an Electro beam at him.
But Futsu Mitama did not even glance at it.
The Jade Shield beside him blocked the shot.
Bang bang bang bang—!
Numerous Electro projectiles rained down from above.
Scaramouche's figure also reappeared.
He looked battered, with many tubes sticking out from his back, several of them broken.
Only the thickest tube remained intact. The others had snapped, leaking dark purple fluid.
Scaramouche gritted his teeth and lay across Shouki No Kami's face, watching Futsu Mitama reach for the Gnosis.
"NO... WAIT!! ANYTHING BUT THAT!!! ANYTHING BUT THE GNOSIS!!!"
His voice was no longer arrogant, but pleading.
"THAT BELONGS TO ME! YOU CAN'T TAKE IT! I... I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT GO BACK!"
"NOT BACK TO THAT TIME WHEN I HAD NO HEART!!!!!"
Futsu Mitama looked at his obstruction and shook his head slightly.
"You're too ugly, Scaramouche. Truly too ugly."
"I can understand that you can't accept failure, but you shouldn't be so obsessed with the Gnosis. It isn't actually that great. I'm only taking it back because it belongs to Inazuma."
He was telling the truth.
He did not care about the Gnosis.
If Raiden Ei had not personally gone to Snezhnaya and caused a scene over this matter...
And if Maha Rukkhadevata had not asked him to come to Sumeru and settle the matter...
Futsu Mitama would not even have thought of reclaiming the Gnosis.
The point remained the same: the Gnosis was something the Fatui coveted.
Inazuma was very stable now. Taking it back would likely invite another Fatui attack.
He did not know exactly what the Fatui wanted to do with the Gnosis, but from the tacit attitudes of Venti, Zhongli, and Raiden Ei—
It was obvious that they knew the Fatui's plan and that the Gnosis was required for some larger project.
And that project seemed beneficial to the current Teyvat, otherwise Venti, Zhongli, Raiden Ei, and even Maha Rukkhadevata and Raiden Makoto in the chat group would not have silently agreed.
So the Gnosis brought no real benefit, and it did not even prevent the Fatui from coveting it.
It was simply too troublesome.
Facing Futsu Mitama's contempt, Scaramouche, still lying on Shouki No Kami's face, erupted in anger.
"YOU HAVE EVERYTHING!"
"BEELZEBUB'S FAVOR, MORAX'S AND BARBATOS'S RECOGNITION..."
"YOU EVEN POSSESS THE DEVOTION OF INAZUMA'S PEOPLE! YOU HAVE EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING!!!!! OF COURSE, YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW I FEEL!"
"I WAS CREATED TO HOUSE THE GNOSIS! I WANT TO PROVE TO BEELZEBUB THAT SHE WAS WRONG TO ABANDON ME AND CHOOSE THAT PUPPET!!"
"NOW I'VE FINALLY REACHED THIS POINT!! JUST GIVE ME TIME! I CAN DO EVEN BETTER!!"
"YES, I CAN DO EVEN BETTER! BETTER THAN YOU! BETTER THAN THAT SHOGUN! I WILL PROVE TO BEELZEBUB THAT SHE WAS WRONG!"
His eyes were red with jealousy.
He was jealous of everything Futsu Mitama had.
He was even more jealous of the Shogun who had replaced him.
Why him?
Why not me?
Scaramouche truly did not understand.
If only he had been given more time, he could clearly have done better.
But why did it always end like this?
Beelzebub had not given him time.
Futsu Mitama had not given him enough time either.
Unwillingness, anger, jealousy—these emotions all overwhelmed him.
Futsu Mitama heard him out, but said nothing in response. Instead, he said calmly,
"Keep those feelings and tell Ei about them slowly. There's another battle waiting for me."
With that, Futsu Mitama suddenly applied force and pulled the Electro Gnosis out of shouki no kami's chest.
That simple, crude motion caused shouki no kami, the prodigal, to topple immediately, losing all resistance.
The mech that could contend with Archons—
Stopped the instant it lost its energy source.
Thud.
Scaramouche's pupils shrank.
He watched the Electro Gnosis return to Futsu Mitama's hand and also felt an unimaginable amount of energy being siphoned out of his body and into shouki no kami, the prodigal.
The enormous drain made him roll his eyes.
His body tilted forward, and the last tube finally broke as well.
Scaramouche fell out of shouki no kami, the prodigal, and crashed heavily to the ground.
Futsu Mitama did not catch him.
Instead, he let him fall, then used Geo energy to seal him first and pack him away.
"Well then, next is Dottore."
Futsu Mitama looked upward, planning to join Aila and Nahida in dealing with Dottore and bring this Sumeru journey to a clean end.