Chapter 121. Battle Part 11 (6.9k)
Scaramouche had been dealt with. Although he was not dead, he was essentially as good as dead.
Futsu Mitama did not know what judgment Raiden Ei would pass on Scaramouche after he returned to Inazuma.
But one thing was certain: given the things Scaramouche had done, he would definitely suffer greatly when he returned to Inazuma.
However, Futsu Mitama looked curiously at the "corpse" of Shouki No Kami, The Prodigal, not far away. He was considering whether to take it with him.
After all, this thing was quite impressive. Although Futsu Mitama had no use for it, it was still the culmination of the wisdom of the Six Schools of the Akademiya.
Scaramouche had said earlier that, if he had enough time, Shouki No Kami, The Prodigal could definitely defeat Futsu Mitama.
Futsu Mitama did not refute that, because it was not impossible. shouki no kami, the prodigal had not yet been developed to its fullest potential. If the Akademiya or Scaramouche were given enough time
They might truly create an even more powerful shouki no kami, the prodigal. But using the Gnosis as its main power source—
Shouki no Kami, The Prodigal also had limits of its own. Once its power reached a critical point, it would be impossible to improve further.
That was also a limitation of machinery: its power was completely restricted by its materials and energy.
Even so, it was still very strong. Even if he were not on the opposing side, Futsu Mitama would still praise the Akademiya's achievement.
How many beings on the continent of Teyvat could reach the Demon God Realm?
If the Akademiya had not been so eager to abandon Nahida, the recognized successor of Maha Rukkhadevata—
Perhaps things would not have come to this.
Indeed, sometimes a single thought can change many things.
After a brief moment of thought, Futsu Mitama reached out and placed the shouki no kami, the prodigal, which had been split into several pieces, into the group chat.
He also @-mentioned Maha Rukkhadevata and Nahida, asking whether this thing was useful.
Both Maha Rukkhadevata and Nahida said that for the current Sumeru, military force was not essential.
Although this thing was good, it should be sealed away for the time being, perhaps to be taken out and used again only after several centuries.
After both of them said it was temporarily useless, they asked everyone in the group whether anyone needed Shouki no Kami, The Prodigal for research.
Albedo was not very interested. Zhongli was not interested either, and Venti was the same. Raiden Ei said that having the Shogun was enough. Raiden Makoto was interested, but she could not do anything right now.
Then Guizhong frantically said that it was useful, very useful! She was currently making an Azhdaha Mech, and Shouki no Kami, The Prodigal would provide valuable reference material.
Thus, Shouki no Kami, The Prodigal was sent to Guizhong for temporary research use.
The surroundings began to collapse, and countless stones started falling.
Futsu Mitama did not pay attention, because the area above was no longer Sumeru City.
Although the Akademiya's Sages had created an experimental site for the God Creation Project within the Akademiya, for safety reasons or for some other reason—
They had placed the experimental site outside Sumeru City, with the only entrance passing through the Akademiya.
To enter the God Creation Project's experimental site, one had to pass through the heavily guarded Akademiya, and even if one got through the Akademiya's defenses.
The Fatui on the road were not going to joke around. They would resist with everything they had and refuse to let invaders through. After that, one still had to pass through a maze of tunnels and solve many mechanisms to reach the God Creation Project site.
There were no other entrances. Even if one tried to enter from elsewhere, it would inevitably cause a huge commotion.
That was also why, after Nahida infiltrated the area first, she still needed to hold back La Signora, Scaramouche, and Dottore to buy time for Futsu Mitama and the others.
Incidentally, Klee and Albedo, who seemed uninvolved in the matter, were actually waiting above Futsu Mitama and the others at that very moment.
If Scaramouche had broken out, or if La Signora had unexpectedly escaped, then it would have been Albedo or Klee's turn to appear.
The result was satisfying. Albedo did not need to use his hidden methods, and Klee was currently watching the group's live stream while happily blowing up fish.
Hopefully the fish were all right—or rather, hopefully there were no Jumpy Dumpties in the afterlife.
Thinking this, Futsu Mitama grabbed Scaramouche and prepared to rendezvous with Kuki Shinobu, Shenhe, and Sangonomiya Kokomi.
Whoosh—
With a flash of purple light, Futsu Mitama appeared beside Kuki Shinobu and the others, still holding Scaramouche.
"..."
Seeing that the person who had suddenly appeared was Futsu Mitama, Shenhe and Sangonomiya Kokomi quietly breathed a sigh of relief and stopped the attacks they had been about to unleash.
"Aren't you going to support Aila?"
Shinobu asked, surprise flickering in her eyes. She had not expected him not to go support Aila and Nahida first.
Instead, he had brought Scaramouche over to them, which was truly unexpected.
In her mind, once Futsu Mitama had dealt with Scaramouche, he would definitely go support Aila and Nahida. That battle was far more important than theirs.
"This place is about to collapse. I'll take you out first, then go support Aila and Nahida,"
Futsu Mitama said casually.
The battle over there was not so urgent that he needed to rush over without pause.
And with Nahida's cooperation, even though Aila had not suppressed Dottore, the battle would not end that quickly.
He possessed the Dendro Archon's inheritance, so even without Nahida's permission, he could enter the Demon God Realm she had opened.
It would only take one or two minutes. Nothing would go wrong.
"Alright."
Shenhe did not refuse. They were all very familiar with each other, so she naturally did not bother with formalities.
Kokomi, on the other hand, thanked Futsu Mitama, saying that although they had a way to get out, it was somewhat cumbersome.
Futsu Mitama only needed one teleportation to take them back to the surface, which was much more efficient than any so-called elevator.
"Follow me."
Futsu Mitama waved the Seven Thunder of Retribution: Narukami, opening a stable spatial portal.
He then threw the heavily sealed Scaramouche inside and followed after him.
Shinobu was the first to go in, Shenhe followed, and Kokomi had her jellyfish mount the frozen La Signora along as she entered too.
Soon, they saw the bright blue sky and vibrant green grass, along with continuous boom, boom, boom explosions coming from not far away.
There were even roars from unknown creatures, though those roars seemed filled with terror, as if they had encountered something horrifying.
"You're here."
Albedo's figure quickly appeared.
Looking at Futsu Mitama and the others, he said, "Klee is blowing up fish not far away."
Futsu Mitama listened to the endless explosions, silently mourned the fish here for a moment, and then threw Scaramouche out.
"This guy is yours to guard," Futsu Mitama said to Albedo. "I've already set up a few seals and completely sealed the energy in his body."
"I'm not sure whether he fainted because I took the Electro Gnosis, or because shouki no kami, later drained a huge amount of energy from him. In any case, he could wake up at any time. To prevent him from using any hidden tricks, the rest of the seals are up to you."
"Time is short. I need to go fight Dottore soon, so I can't waste any more time on him."
Albedo nodded slightly, not refusing. He was skilled in this sort of thing.
"The same goes for us."
Kokomi also dropped the frozen La Signora to the ground and said gently,
"The situation was too rushed just now, so we only applied a few seals. What we can confirm is that La Signora currently cannot perceive the outside world, but as for anything else, we cannot guarantee it."
After all, the layer of ice protecting La Signora had been a defensive measure set up by the Cryo Archon.
Everyone had their own specialties. Neither Shinobu, Kokomi, nor Shenhe was particularly skilled in sealing techniques.
They could use some sealing methods, and those methods were already quite powerful by ordinary standards.
But what they were dealing with now was a method set up by the Cryo Archon. Even if it had been done remotely, the power of an Archon was beyond their imagination.
So it was better to let Albedo, the strongest alchemist in the group, reapply the seals.
"No problem."
Albedo also did not refuse, regarding it as an easy task.
"You all need to be a little more careful from here on," Futsu Mitama said. "Although most of the Fatui have already been dealt with by us—"
"But who knows whether there are still Fatui informants around here? La Signora and Scaramouche are both Fatui Harbingers. Those Fatui will probably go crazy trying to take them back."
The Fatui were fearless. For their Cryo Archon and their Harbingers, they would absolutely launch a death charge.
They would even send information to other Fatui Harbingers, asking them to come rescue La Signora and Scaramouche.
Futsu Mitama was about to go fight Dottore, so naturally La Signora and Scaramouche would be left to Albedo, Shenhe, and the others to guard.
"I've already checked the surroundings. There won't be any trouble for a short while."
Albedo showed a slight smile and said calmly,
"And even if the Fatui come, I can make sure they don't leave. Even if a Fatui Harbinger comes, as long as they haven't stepped into the Demon God Realm, they won't be able to snatch anyone from us."
Albedo was very confident about this, not because he was confident in his own strength, but because he trusted Kokomi and Shenhe.
The two of them were top-tier powerhouses below the Demon Gods, and with the nearby river, Sangonomiya Kokomi's strength would more than double.
Whether it was the Fatui or a Fatui Harbinger, if they dared to come, they would have to be prepared to be left behind.
"Mm."
Futsu Mitama naturally believed in their strength, but he still reminded them to be careful of the Fatui.
After a few brief exchanges, Futsu Mitama opened another portal and left, preparing to confront Dottore.
—
Inside the Shrine of Maya.
At this moment, all the enemies Dottore had teleported there had already been completely eliminated by Aila.
After finishing with them, Aila naturally turned her attention to Dottore at once.
Shadow tentacles and raging lightning attacked the dark Dottore in front of her. Aila gripped a tachi, and water-elemental fluctuations on the blade condensed into a water dragon.
Buzz buzz buzz—!!
The Dendro element attached to the blade transformed into Dendro Cores one after another as the water element circulated.
These Dendro Cores entered the water dragon, turning half of the originally blue dragon green.
Roar—!!
With a dragon's roar, the half-blue, half-green water dragon lunged at Dottore.
"Not bad, not bad. Honestly, you're quite impressive."
Facing the shadow tentacles and raging lightning, Dottore still seemed at ease.
But when he saw the charging water dragon, he knew he could not continue like this. He snapped his fingers.
The seven elements—Anemo, Pyro, Hydro, Electro, Geo, Cryo, and Dendro—immediately converged, then turned white.
In an instant, the white light became blindingly brilliant.
Boom!!!
A terrifying explosion erupted. The white light, formed from the fusion of the seven elements, possessed unimaginable destructive power.
The shadow tentacles, the raging lightning, and the water dragon were all completely destroyed.
Even the Shrine of Maya was briefly blasted open, but with the blessing of the Dendro Gnosis, the opening was quickly sealed again.
As the white light burst, Dottore's figure reappeared. His body was no longer completely dark as before, but had revealed its original appearance.
At this moment, Dottore remained calm, still wearing an intrigued expression, studying Aila as if she were some kind of masterpiece.
"Fourth time." Aila looked at Dottore and said calmly, "You've used that move four times, and each time it was only in a critical situation."
"And each time you use it, this body of yours is exposed. Dottore, how much longer do you think you can keep this up?"
Dottore smiled.
Looking at Aila, he said indifferently, "Do you really think this body is my weakness?"
"Honestly, you are excellent. Your power and authority are wonderful. If given enough time, you really might be able to kill me. But now, you cannot. You still haven't discovered where my true power comes from."
With an air of nonchalance, Dottore remained very calm, showing no panic at all even though his true form had been exposed.
Aila did not rashly attack. She understood very well that the calmer Dottore appeared, the more it meant he was waiting for something.
Nahida had also hidden completely, not showing herself, and could only support Aila from the shadows.
The reason was simple: not long ago, Dottore had suddenly attacked and nearly captured Nahida on the spot. If Aila had not intervened in time, Nahida might have been taken hostage.
Compared with the intense battle between Futsu Mitama and Scaramouche outside, the battle here could be described as unusually strange.
An Archon and a being who had stepped into the Demon God Realm were actually at a disadvantage against Dottore, and the situation remained deadlocked.
From this, one could also see that Dottore's position as the Second of the Fatui Harbingers was truly earned.
Shuta Mitama's earlier idea of killing Dottore had indeed been a little too naive.
"Not going to attack?" Dark matter began to spread from Dottore's body. He said leisurely, "If you don't attack, then it's my turn."
"Honestly, if you don't attack, I'd feel a little disappointed. It would end the battle faster this way."
As soon as he finished speaking, Dottore transformed into a dark humanoid creature again.
Aila's expression turned wary. This was Dottore's third proactive attack, and she had to be careful.
His previous two proactive attacks had already posed a certain threat and caused trouble for her.
Now that he intended to attack again, Aila prepared her defenses. She knew too little about Dottore.
During her time with the Fatui, she had rarely seen Dottore act personally. It was usually his guards who did so.
Dottore himself would avoid acting unless absolutely necessary.
That created an awkward situation: her side knew nothing about Dottore's abilities.
But Dottore's side understood their own abilities and power very well. They were completely crushed in the intelligence war.
"Then—"
Dottore seemed about to say something else, but at that moment he suddenly paused, his expression slightly furrowed.
Do not ask how Aila could see a furrowed expression on his pitch-black face.
But the moment he frowned, Aila immediately realized it was a good opportunity and, without saying another word, unleashed her shadow authority at full force.
One shadow tentacle after another rose from the ground, and the blood-red eyeballs on the tentacles opened.
Sizzle sizzle sizzle—!!!
Beams of Pyro and Cryo elements shot out from the eyeballs.
Aila herself moved too. She did not know why Dottore had frowned at such a critical moment, but it was a good opportunity.
In Demon God Realm combat, exposing a weakness to the opponent is the most taboo thing, whether intentional or not.
In any case, Aila could not miss this chance, because Dottore's earlier stance, ready to attack after charging, had not been fake.
And the fact that he had been distracted by something also did not seem fake. Perhaps the fate of Scaramouche and La Signora outside had made him realize how serious the situation was.
"So impatient?"
Dottore's usually calm voice now carried a hint of emotion.
"Your combat talent is still as strong as ever. That tiny opening was enough for you to seize."
"Pierro—sigh, I didn't expect things to escalate this much. La Signora and Scaramouche, those two useless fools, really disappoint me. They couldn't even hold out for that little while."
As soon as he finished speaking, dark matter poured from Dottore's body, and a cursed aura spread outward, forming a barrier that blocked the beams.
That dark energy seemed to be the natural enemy of elemental energy. Even with such massive elemental beams striking it, the barrier did not suffer any damage.
Crack!!!
A thick tentacle rose from the ground and smashed against the dark barrier.
The barrier, which elemental power could not harm at all, was torn apart like fragile paper by the physical strike, revealing Dottore inside.
Aila's bracelet emitted purple lightning. Using its power, she teleported in front of Dottore, gripped her tachi with both hands, and purple lightning flickered in her eyes.
Slash!
Carrying the force of ten million bolts of lightning, Aila swung her blade fiercely, intending to sever Dottore's head.
But a strange red light flashed in Dottore's eyes, and the dark matter on his body transformed into a humanoid creature, which charged directly at Aila, its body expanding without limit.
Dottore himself retreated quickly without the slightest hesitation. This was probably the first time he had withdrawn so abruptly in battle.
He seemed to be avoiding something, or perhaps he had realized that something was about to happen.
Boom—!!
The humanoid creature that had emerged from Dottore was beheaded by Aila in a single strike, but its body still exploded.
An unsettling dark energy converged on Aila.
However, the thunderous authority erupting from Aila's body completely crushed that dark energy.
"You want to escape?"
Nahida emerged from the shadows. She watched as Dottore's hands were plunged into the space in front of him, trying to forcefully tear it open and leave.
Dottore's decisive action surprised Nahida, because Futsu Mitama was already on his way. If Dottore had waited just half a minute longer, he would have faced Futsu Mitama.
And yet he seemed to have sensed something in advance and chose to retreat decisively, which made Nahida feel just how troublesome he was.
What made him troublesome was not only his strength, but his methods.
He was not merely powerful; his ability to control intelligence in every aspect was too precise.
He was bold and meticulous. He could have directly interfered with the Akademiya's experiments, or used the Akademiya's resources to carry out the God Creation Project.
Instead, he manipulated the Great Sage and the others into building Shouki no Kami, The Prodigal themselves, while he represented the Fatui and signed a cooperation agreement with Azar and the others.
By cooperating with the Akademiya to build Shouki no Kami, The Prodigal, the Fatui could completely wash their hands of responsibility no matter what happened to the Akademiya afterward.
La Signora and Scaramouche were nothing. They were not the key figures in this matter.
Dottore was the true core.
So Nahida did not want to let Dottore leave so easily. He had to pay a sufficient price.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I run?"
Dottore readily admitted that he was going to escape, because he had just received news from Pierro that Morax had personally arrived in Snezhnaya.
The authority carried by La Signora and Scaramouche had returned to Her Majesty the Tsaritsa.
This was not good news.
There were three ways for the Tsaritsa's authority to return.
First, Her Majesty the Tsaritsa could remotely recall it.
Second, a Fatui Harbinger could actively detonate it.
Third, the one holding it die.
In any case, whichever possibility it was, Dottore knew he had to leave now. If he didn't, he would very likely be facing three Demon God Realm powerhouses.
Buer was nothing to fear. That God of Wisdom was too weak; he could deal with her easily.
He was also not afraid of Aila. Although she had given him enough surprises, defeating him was basically impossible.
It was not that her strength was insufficient, but that she could not fully unleash it.
Having two consciousnesses squeezed into one body was still a little too crowded. If she only had one consciousness, it would be even more perfect.
Unfortunately, time was short. Dottore really wanted to stay, but he valued his life even more.
Because Futsu Mitama, who was about to arrive, was the top priority: an existence carrying the Electro Archon's legacy, the Geo Archon's legacy, and even the authority of three Archons.
Dottore would not underestimate him. In a one-on-one fight, he was not afraid of him and would even welcome a proper battle.
But Futsu Mitama would not fight him one-on-one.
Even Dottore knew that in this situation, how could he possibly fight one-on-one?
They would definitely have Aila and Buer fighting together.
Even Dottore could not withstand three Demon God Realm powerhouses ganging up on him.
Since there was no chance of victory, why not leave immediately?
"Don't even think about escaping!"
Aila raised her blade once more and charged.
Meanwhile, Nahida fully controlled the Dendro Gnosis, reinforcing the Shrine of Maya to prevent Dottore from escaping.
"Too late."
Dottore's voice carried a hint of amusement, as if he were pleased by Aila and Nahida's resistance.
He tore open space with both hands. The Shrine of Maya began to heal, but Dottore's curse-infused hands prevented it, even with the blessing of the Dendro Gnosis, from rapidly sealing the spatial rift.
"Goodbye. I hope we meet again next time."
Dottore politely bid farewell and stepped into the spatial rift, preparing to leave.
"Oh? Goodbye? Aren't you leaving something behind?"
Just as Dottore stepped into the rift, a voice came from behind him, followed by a chilling golden light.
"!!!!!"
Dottore felt a life-or-death crisis.
"How can Futsu Mitama be here..."
Before he could finish speaking, the golden light engulfed him.
It was Musou Shinsetsu.
Through Aila's Chat Group livestream, Futsu Mitama knew Dottore was about to leave, so instead of entering the Shrine of Maya directly, he waited decisively in the spatial rift near Nahida's domain.
While waiting, Futsu Mitama also prepared a big move, intending to give Dottore a surprise.
If the other party wanted to leave, then there was no way he could stop him by force.
From the livestream, it was clear that Dottore had an unimaginably large number of trump cards.
He was very rational. From the beginning of his fight with Aila, he had always controlled the pace of the battle.
Such an enemy was very troublesome.
In a one-on-one fight, Futsu Mitama was not very confident he could kill him in a short time, so it was better to play a trick.
He wanted Dottore to understand that not everyone would wait for him—especially not the ones who were being sneaky!
In the spatial rift, the explosion of Musou Shinsetsu caught Dottore completely off guard. He was hit head-on before he could even defend himself.
Because of Futsu Mitama's strike, the surrounding space became chaotic again. One by one, the creatures dwelling in the spatial rift quietly opened their eyes and rushed toward them. Even spatial tear are trying to gush out.
But by then, Futsu Mitama had already left.
He arrived inside the Shrine of Maya and said to Nahida, "Can you close this spatial rift entrance?"
"No problem."
Nahida nodded.
After Dottore left, the abyssal power lost its stable source and could no longer interfere with her healing of the rift.
Emerald green light erupted inside the Shrine of Maya, quickly sealing the spatial tear.
"What a pity, I could only cut him once."
Futsu Mitama felt a little regretful at that moment.
Although he had charged the attack for a while, and it had hit Dottore head-on, he had no idea how much damage it had actually caused.
Because the moment Musou Shinsetsu was unleashed, the surrounding space became extremely chaotic, and even Futsu Mitama did not want to remain there for long.
In the original plan, Aila and Nahida were supposed to distract Dottore, and after secretly infiltrating the Shrine of Maya, he would seize the chance to ambush him.
He had not expected Dottore to escape so decisively.
It seemed the Harbingers or Dottore had some kind of special communication system.
Or perhaps Dottore had vaguely sensed danger and chosen to leave in advance.
That was not impossible. No matter what, Dottore had reached the Demon God Realm through his own strength.
He had his own abilities. To reach the Demon God Realm as a human, no matter how disgusting he was, he had at least accomplished something most people could not.
"Enough."
Nahida reassured Futsu Mitama at that moment.
"I can feel that strike caused him enormous damage, and—hmm?"
At that point, Nahida paused.
With a strange expression, she extended her hand, and an emerald green light entered the spatial rift that was about to seal.
A moment later, Dottore's lower half appeared inside the Shrine of Maya.
"As expected of Young Master."
Aila looked at Dottore's lower half and understood that Young Master's attack had directly split Dottore in two.
That was truly amazing. She and Nahida had fought Dottore for so long and had not managed to injure him at all.
Yet Young Master's single strike had cut Dottore in half. There was an element of surprise in it, certainly, but he had done it, and that was what mattered.
Didn't Dottore, La Signora, Scaramouche, and the others often ambush people without any martial ethics?
"Maybe I can use his body to track him in reverse."
Nahida was eager to try. After healing the spatial rift, she extended her hand toward Dottore's lower half.
Buzz—!!
Emerald green light entered Dottore's body, and Nahida slowly closed her eyes.
She seemed to be sensing something.
Soon, Nahida heard countless voices and saw many images.
She silently memorized them. She had not forgotten that the main goal now was to find out where Dottore had gone.
If they found his location, then with half his body missing, his strength would definitely be greatly reduced. If they pursued him, they would absolutely be able to kill him.
But the next second, all the sounds and images vanished, and only one voice remained in Nahida's mind.
"ARE YOU SPYING ON ME, GOD OF WISDOM—BUER!"
Along with those words, Nahida was forcibly pushed out, her expression a little unpleasant.
"Did you find his location?"
Aila looked eager to fight.
Now that Young Master was here, as long as Dottore's location could be pinpointed, then the next step would be for master and servant to join forces against Dottore.
Aila was still very much looking forward to that scene.
Nahida shook her head slightly, regretfully.
"No, it was interrupted, and that Dottore's fragments are even more numerous than I imagined. I obtained a lot of secret information from it. Maybe I accidentally entered Dottore's private chat group."
Futsu Mitama and Aila both looked disappointed.
Clearly, Nahida failing to locate Dottore disappointed them.
What a pity. They had finally badly wounded him, but then they had completely lost his trace.
Nahida looked at Futsu Mitama and Aila with a subtle expression and said,
"However, I obtained something very important for your Inazuma. Do you want to hear it?"
"Inazuma?"
Futsu Mitama was somewhat puzzled.
Something important for Inazuma? What could it be?
Was Dottore planning to do something else to Inazuma? Did he still want to seize the Gnosis? If so, then Futsu Mitama would probably have to go to Snezhnaya with Raiden Ei for a while and see whether the Fatui and the Tsaritsa had the guts to try stealing the Electro Gnosis.
"?"
Aila also looked at Nahida in confusion, not understanding what important matter she meant.
Given Dottore's personality, there should not be anything in Inazuma that he would look at again. Even if it was the Gnosis, he probably would not plan to retrieve it.
Because he likely knew that if he returned to Inazuma again, he would probably be directly annihilated by the Raiden Shogun.
He had already accumulated enough hatred in Inazuma. If he kept courting death, he might really die.
But since Nahida had said so, there had to be a reason.
Seeing the confused looks from Aila and Futsu Mitama, Nahida explained, "It's about Scaramouche."
"I learned a lot about him from Dottore's lower half. As for the details, they are hard to explain in a short time. The process is a little complicated, but what is certain is that Dottore is Scaramouche's enemy, and Scaramouche joining the Fatui was deliberately arranged by Dottore."
Futsu Mitama scratched his head.
For a moment, he did not know what to say, because regarding this matter—
He somehow felt it was complicated, because before he transmigrated, there had been information that Scaramouche might enter a gacha banner.
At the time, Futsu Mitama had been indifferent to that, because if Tartaglia could enter a gacha banner, wasn't it normal for Scaramouche to do the same?
No matter what, Mihoyo had to make money. Letting popular characters join the banner would definitely make people pull like crazy—especially that villain groups.
Futsu Mitama even wildly speculated that La Signora might make a comeback in the future, suddenly resurrect through some means, join the banner, and scam a wave of whales.
Now, hearing Nahida's words, Futsu Mitama suddenly felt that Scaramouche joining the banner seemed to have a "reason" behind it after all.
As twisted as this story was, just from Nahida saying that Dottore was Scaramouche's enemy and that Scaramouche joining the Fatui had been arranged by Dottore, it made Futsu Mitama eager to grab some popcorn and watch the drama.
"Let's talk in the Chat Group. We should first meet up with Albedo and the others."
Futsu Mitama said that such important news should be shared with everyone in the group chat.
"No."
Nahida shook her head slightly.
Looking at Aila and Futsu Mitama, she said,
"There are still several of Dottore's fragments hiding in Sumeru. I already know their exact locations. Shall we go together and deal with them? Even if we can't catch Dottore with Demon God Realm strength—"
"Dealing with these fragments should still make him feel pain for a while."
Hearing Nahida's words, Futsu Mitama was a little surprised, but also felt that it made sense.
That was normal.
In this surprise attack on the Fatui and the Akademiya, Dottore and the Great Sage had received no news.
With the help of the former Akademiya Sages, Dottore's fragments must have been thriving in Sumeru.
Even if they learned of the Great Sage's downfall right away, they could not possibly leave the Sumeru region immediately, because Dottore's fragments were also very different from one another.
"Good!"
Aila's eyes shone with a strange light.
She had been holding back her anger just now and wanted nothing more than to kill Dottore.
Since she could not kill Demon God Realm Dottore, why not kill his weaker fragments instead?
As for bullying the weak?
Sorry. Today, she, Aila, was going to bully the weak.
"Then let's go. I'll use the Teleportation Scepter."
Nahida planned to use the Teleportation Scepter to take Futsu Mitama and the others to deal with Dottore's fragments.
But Futsu Mitama shook his head slightly and looked at Nahida.
"Wait. We still need to use the Teleportation Scepter to take us back to Mondstadt and Inazuma later. Tell me Dottore's locations, and I'll teleport you there."
Yes, the Teleportation Scepter in Nahida's hand would still be very useful next.
Venti wanted La Signora, and Raiden Ei wanted Scaramouche. After their matters were settled, they still needed to go to Irminsul to find Maha Rukkhadevata.
Although the Teleportation Scepter still showed no sign of significant energy consumption, it was better to use it sparingly just in case.
Seeing Futsu Mitama say that, Nahida did not refuse. She reached out her hand, and an emerald-green light merged into Futsu Mitama's body.
At that moment, Futsu Mitama learned the locations of Dottore's slices in Sumeru. Besides Sumeru City, there were also slice locations in the desert.
The distances were quite close. Dottore had gained many benefits after entrusting the God Creation Project to the Akademiya scholars.
"Alright, I roughly know the locations now." Futsu Mitama looked at Nahida and praised her, "Your authority is indeed very useful."
Nahida blushed deeply, momentarily unsure what to say.
If this had been before, Nahida might even have said,
"Of course, I am the God of Wisdom."
But now she could not defeat Scaramouche and had almost been taken down by Dottore in one move. Other than doing well in support roles, she could not really do much else.
Although she knew Futsu Mitama was praising her authority, Nahida still felt very shy.
"I'll keep this form for now," Black Aila said, looking at Young Master and Nahida. "I still want to see what's in the Chat Group."
This was Black Aila speaking.
If she separated from Aila now, she would not be able to see the Chat Group's contents.
She planned to separate after finishing with the matters.
Futsu Mitama naturally had no objection.
He took Black Aila's and Nahida's hands and said, "Let's go."
Swish—
With a flash of lightning, the Shrine of Maya disappeared, and Futsu Mitama, Black Aila, and Nahida appeared beside the nearest Dottore slice.
?
That Dottore, who had been hiding in the shadows and gathering intelligence, showed a question mark above his head if he could with the suddenly appearing Futsu Mitama, Black Aila, and Nahida beside him.
He sighed, knowing his end was near.
"Protect the Harbinger!"
The nearby Fatui soldiers, seeing Futsu Mitama, immediately changed expression and rushed to surround him, intending to protect Dottore.
But Dottore stopped them.
"You are no match for them. Retreat. Today is my day to die; do not die in vain."
With that, Dottore took a few steps forward, looking at Black Aila with a hint of fanaticism.
"To witness you in this form, I can die without regrets."
"Die!"
Black Aila's eyes glowed red, and several tentacles shot up from the ground, crushing Dottore into pulp.
Futsu Mitama glanced at the Fatui soldiers. He did not kill them, but instead took Nahida's and Black Aila's hands and vanished from the spot again, heading toward another area.
"Second Harbinger Dottore—!"
The Fatui soldiers looked at Dottore, now turned into pulp, with grief and indignation.
If Dottore had not stepped in to stop them just now, they would have died protecting his safety without hesitation.
Even though they knew it was futile, how could they simply stand by and watch their Harbinger die in front of them?
What followed was a one-sided slaughter.
This day was a nightmare for Dottore's confidants.
They could only watch helplessly as their revered Dottore was tragically killed by Black Aila and Nahida, unable to do anything at all.
That helplessness increased the Fatui soldiers' fear of Futsu Mitama by who knows how many times.
Even Dottore had been beaten and killed by him without any resistance. Could it be that only Her Majesty the Tsaritsa could punish him? Or did all the Harbingers have to gather together to deal with this demon?
If Futsu Mitama knew what these Fatui were thinking, he would definitely complain again.
He was only an emotionless teleportation tool this time.
He had not done anything else. Dottore had been killed by Black Aila and Nahida. What did that have to do with him?
At most, he had shown up on the scene. He had not done anything else. Why had their fear of him increased???
However, as more and more of Dottore's fragments died, the battle with the Fatui was temporarily brought to an end.
On the other side, in the desert area, Dottore, having lost his lower half, lay disheveled in the sand. Looking at his body, he could not help laughing out loud.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA"
Yes, he laughed heartily.
If it had been La Signora or Scaramouche, they would probably be cursing or looking extremely grim right now.
But Dottore was no ordinary person. He laughed heartily, clearly looking extraordinarily happy.
"Interesting. So interesting. How long has it been since I was injured?"
Dottore looked at his missing lower body, his eyes flashing with a different emotion, and the corners of his mouth curled wildly upward.
"Indeed, Futsu Mitama, you are very unusual. You ambushed me in advance, and that strike just now—almost killed me."
"If it hadn't been for the spatial turbulence sweeping me away, I would probably be dead in a stable space."
Dottore felt very fortunate. Futsu Mitama's move was terrifying, and he truly felt a life-or-death crisis.
At such close range, even with countless methods, they would be useless if he could not use them.
Losing only his lower body was already the extreme of extremes. He had been very lucky.
Futsu Mitama's attack was so strong that it directly threw the originally stable space into chaos, and the dangerous spatial turbulence swallowed Dottore.
Saying this, Dottore's body was covered by dark matter. He slowly stood up, brushed the sand off himself, and looked toward the Akademiya.
"But—the experiment failed," Dottore murmured to himself with a slight sigh. "This time the losses were heavy. La Signora and Scaramouche were both taken away."
"Moreover, this operation also led to Morax personally visiting Snezhnaya, which is not a good thing. It seems new Harbingers should be selected. Is this the end for Scaramouche? It's a pity about La Signora. She should not have died here."
Dottore's attitude toward La Signora was completely different from his attitude toward Scaramouche.
Scaramouche—whether he lived or died, Dottore did not care, because he had already squeezed out all of his potential.
Whether it was the puppet technology on him or the combination of the Gnosis and Shouki no Kami, The Prodigal, Dottore had given him many things to test.
He only wanted to see how far the other party could go. Now it seemed the other party was truly too useless.
With so many things, he had not even lasted half an hour.
Futsu Mitama's arrival had already determined how miserable Scaramouche's ending would be. The worst outcome for him was being killed on the spot, and the best was being sealed.
In any case, no matter which it was, Dottore was glad he had received Pierro's warning and left in time.
If he had not left early, he might have died there too. After all, in that domain, facing such a powerful Futsu Mitama, along with Aila and Buer—
Although he possessed Demon God-level strength, he was not as strong as Her Majesty the Tsaritsa, Beelzebub, Morax, or Barbatos.
He knew that very well, which was why he had laughed so happily earlier. What could be happier than escaping death?
As for La Signora, or La Signora's death, Dottore felt it was quite regrettable.
Aside from her lack of combat ability, she was excellent in other aspects.
What a useful chess piece. To have died like this was truly a pity.
After giving the Akademiya one last look, Dottore left without hesitation.
He was leaving.
There was nothing left for him in Sumeru.
Although there were still many unsolved mysteries, such as how Buer had escaped, why Futsu Mitama's group had been able to gather the Akademiya scholars so quickly, and what the true purpose of Futsu Mitama's group in Sumeru had been—
Dottore no longer had the means to investigate those answers.
He needed to leave quickly and repair his body first.
In the desert, Dottore muttered to himself as if talking to someone.
"Did you stop Buer from prying? It seems they are still trying to find me."
"Hehehe, it's normal for plans to fail. You all should be careful."
"Buer seems to have found you. If you stay in Sumeru, I'm afraid you'll die a very miserable death."
"I know, stop arguing in my head."
"Hehehe, it seems people are already dying. Flee. Just like me, escape Sumeru quickly."
"What's the use of cursing me? If it were you, you would probably already be dead under Futsu Mitama's blade."
He believed that the failure of this plan would force him to keep a low profile for a long time, because this operation had cost the Fatui not only the Gnosis but also two Harbingers.
But what could be done? Plans could not always go smoothly, and Her Majesty the Tsaritsa had already prepared for failure.
It was just that—if Futsu Mitama became a Harbinger, wouldn't that mean the Anemo and Electro Gnoses would be obtained all at once?
Dottore was confident that Futsu Mitama would join the Fatui one day. As long as the other party learned the truth of Teyvat, he would not be able to stand by and do nothing.
Even if he did not join the Fatui, he would tacitly approve of their actions, just like the other Archons.
"I'm really looking forward to that day."
After saying that, Dottore disappeared into the desert. He had left.
As for what the Akademiya would encounter next, and what reforms Sumeru would undergo, none of that concerned him.
Because it truly had nothing to do with him. He had already done what he needed to do.