"Come on, Teppei." Yuuko gestured, inviting Teppei to attack.
He was quite curious what had made Teppei so confident these past few days.
Moreover, there seemed to be some subtle changes in Teppei's body.
Yuuko couldn't tell if it was an illusion, but he felt like Teppei looked slightly older.
At this moment, Teppei gave another wry smile:
"As expected, Mr. Qian is extraordinary. I couldn't tell when we usually talked, but once we faced off, I felt immense pressure."
After speaking, Teppei wiped the sweat from his forehead.
The next moment, he shouted, gripped his spear, and thrust rapidly toward Yuuko.
Yuuko showed no panic, casually retreating a few steps to dodge the thrusts.
This made Teppei blink in surprise: "Mr. Qian has such swift speed..."
But Teppei did not stop because of his surprise.
The brief exchange had completely convinced him that Yuuko possessed immense power.
Teppei narrowed his eyes, took a deep breath, gripped the spear with both hands, and thrust toward Yuuko again.
However, unlike the previous thrust, this time, Teppei's spearhead was covered in a layer of purple lightning!
Moreover, this lightning strike was significantly several times faster than the previous one.
This scene caused Yuuko's pupils to contract slightly.
Even he hadn't expected Teppei, a person without a Vision, to be able to wield Elemental Power!
This was definitely not normal!
Although Yuuko could also use Elemental Power, it depended on the location; in some places, it was more strenuous for him to activate.
It was only convenient to activate in suitable locations.
That was why Yuuko always carried that earthy yellow chess piece with him.
Because as long as he had that chess piece, there were no location restrictions, and he could freely wield Geo Elemental Power.
Now was not the time to think so much.
Watching the lightning spearhead rapidly enlarge in his sight, Yuuko swung his fist even faster, smashing toward the tip.
Clang!
A crisp sound rang out.
The head of the spear in Teppei's hand had been smashed off by Yuuko's punch.
Teppei was also sent staggering back several steps by the resulting shockwave.
He looked at the broken spear in his hand with disbelief, then looked at Yuuko.
After staring blankly for a while, a hint of bitterness appeared in his eyes:
"Mr. Qian... are you a monster..."
He had originally thought his strength had become formidable, but after exchanging blows with Yuuko, he realized it was just wishful thinking... After speaking, Teppei sat down on the ground, panting heavily, looking extremely exhausted.
This appearance greatly concerned Yuuko.
Teppei was a member of the resistance, after all; he shouldn't be exhausted after just a few spear thrusts... Greatly puzzled, Yuuko stepped forward to help Teppei up, and upon closer inspection, he noticed that Teppei had developed quite a bit of white hair... "Teppei, you..."
Teppei laughed heartily:
"Haha, that was embarrassing. I originally thought I could make Mr. Qian take me seriously now, but it seems I still can't..."
Although his face was full of smiles, it was clear that Teppei's eyes revealed extreme unwillingness.
Yuuko still looked worried: "Don't talk about that yet, Teppei. You don't have a Vision, so why can you wield Elemental Power?"
Teppei remained silent for a long time, which was rare for him, before putting on a joking expression again:
"Haha, it's nothing big, but Mr. Qian, you have to keep this a secret for me."
"So you still haven't answered my question..."
Teppei shook his head, brushed the dust off himself, and changed the subject:
"I have something I need to go back for first. Sorry for bothering you, Mr. Qian."
After speaking, Teppei, holding the broken spear, walked away step by step.
Watching Teppei's receding figure, Yuuko fell into contemplation.
He just felt like Teppei was truly drifting away.
"Teppei's condition looks very abnormal, and he refused to answer my question... It seems I need to make a trip to Sangonomiya Shrine to ask what's going on."
Considering that the battle with the Shogunate Army was starting tomorrow, it was also time for Yuuko to show his face at Sangonomiya Shrine.
"No time to lose, I'll set off this afternoon..."
...Watatsumi Island, Sangonomiya Shrine.
At this moment, Sangonomiya Kokomi's expression was somewhat troubled.
The reason was that some minor issues had arisen within the resistance over the past two days.
Recently, an item called Delusion had mysteriously become popular among the soldiers of the resistance.
As long as one possessed a Delusion, they could wield Elemental Power even without a Vision.
But the price... seemed to be the wielder's life... Those who overused the Delusion had already begun showing symptoms of rapid aging.
With the march to Kannazuka Island scheduled for tomorrow, such a mishap clearly had a significant impact on the resistance.
Currently, Sangonomiya Kokomi had already issued an order prohibiting the use of Delusions.
But there were still some people who used them regardless of the prohibition.
Although Delusions could indeed enhance the overall combat power of the resistance, if not stopped, Delusions would also claim the lives of many resistance soldiers.
This was something that absolutely had to be avoided.
Just as Sangonomiya Kokomi was still troubled, the room door suddenly opened.
The one who walked in was a plump figure in pink.
Seeing Yae Miko enter without knocking, Sangonomiya Kokomi rolled her eyes but said nothing.
By now, she was somewhat used to Yae Miko's mischievous behavior.
"Guuji Yae, have you found out who is behind the spread of the Delusions?"
Yae Miko replied with a serious expression: "We caught a few—they were Fatui disguised as merchants."
"Fatui..." Sangonomiya Kokomi fell into contemplation: "What scheme are the Fatui planning by letting Delusions flow into our resistance?"
Yae Miko shook her head:
"I don't know. Those Fatui had vicious prohibitions placed on them, and they died immediately upon being captured."
"Is that so." Sangonomiya Kokomi sighed softly.
Clearly, both were getting headaches because of the Delusion issue.
Just then, a knock suddenly came from outside the room: "May I enter, ladies."
This voice caused both Sangonomiya Kokomi and Yae Miko to pause simultaneously.
Sangonomiya Kokomi immediately showed an expression of delight:
"Mr. Yellow Fox, please come in!"
Yellow Fox was the core of the resistance. No matter what difficulties they faced, as long as Yellow Fox was present, everything would be fine.
After the door opened, Yuuko walked into the room.
He was here to find out what had caused Teppei's condition.
He glanced at Sangonomiya Kokomi and asked plainly:
"Could you tell me what has been happening in the resistance recently?"
Sangonomiya Kokomi opened her mouth in surprise, clearly not expecting Yuuko to ask such a question immediately upon arrival.
But she quickly regained her composure and began slowly recounting the recent situation to Yuuko.
This included the matter of the Delusions.
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