Chapter 13: Ch 13
With this departure, he might disappear completely from Mondstadt. "Hah!" Eula let out an angry shout, and the Cryo Vision above her blazed brightly, unexpectedly cleaving through Lady's summoned frost.
Lady's expression changed slightly. She felt something familiar in this outburst of defiance. However, she was no longer the girl singing in the square a hundred years ago; she was now the executive of the Fool's Guild, known as Lady.
Takumi turned back to Eula and said, "Don't worry; I'll come back." He then gave Eula a determined look.
"Boss..."
In Lady's eyes, Takumi's words were just a consolation without any real results.
Perhaps Takumi's recent actions had earned him some points with Lady, as he wasn't "specially treated." However, two debt collectors were still following them from behind.
After leaving the shop a certain distance behind, Takumi suddenly stopped. He looked up at the sky and said to Lady, "You've got the Anemo Archon's Heart, right?"
Lady's gaze sharpened. "What do you mean?"
"It belongs to me now."
With those words, Takumi's hand reached directly towards Lady's chest. No one expected that Takumi, without a Vision, would strike so swiftly.
The two debt collectors behind them didn't even react.
Buzz!
In front of Lady, a silvery-white shield suddenly appeared, helping her block the blow. However, in the next moment, Takumi's hand tightened.
The shield shattered instantly.
"Lady!"
The two debt collectors behind rushed to Takumi's aid.
Takumi revealed a cold smile. In an instant, lightning intertwined around him, as if he were clad in a suit of thunderous armor.
In the next moment, these lightning bolts exploded, transforming into the most formidable energy attack.
"Aaaah!!!"
The two debt collectors screamed in agony, collapsing helplessly and losing their breath. The lightning, as if it had a life of its own, gathered again and launched an attack on Lady.
"You've been hiding this kind of power!?" Lady was utterly shocked.
Just moments ago, she had summoned her white divine implement and formed rows of sharp ice shards around her. However, when the lightning came into contact with these ice shards, they shattered like ice flowers.
"Give me the Archon's Heart, or die."
Takumi was now completely emotionless, as cold as ice. He was nothing like the easygoing young boss from the game shop.
Even Lady, as an executive, felt a chill in this moment. The other party wasn't just bluffing; they were carrying genuine intent to kill.
"Tch..."
Under Lady's feet, a white divine implement formed a formation. It was a holy relic bestowed upon her by the Cryo Archon, possessing powerful defense capabilities. It could not only resist elemental powers but also absorb them and convert them into her own strength to retaliate against her opponent.
However, at this moment, she realized that she could only weaken a portion of the damage caused by this lightning, with most of the power still hitting her body, and she couldn't absorb it, which defied logic.
"Damn it, what is this kind of red lightning? Why is the Cryo Archon's relic ineffective against it?" Lady gritted her teeth, enduring the pain brought by the lightning. She utilized the power of the divine relic and turned into a frosty streak soaring into the sky.
She didn't dare to expose herself further and directly unleashed her most powerful Cryo elemental abilities. Above Mondstadt, a white curtain appeared, resembling mist but also frost. The temperature throughout the entire city plummeted at an extremely exaggerated speed. It was as if they had suddenly gone from spring to deep winter.
Within that white frost, weapons of various shapes condensed. Some resembled longswords, while others took the form of throwing blades.
"Can you withstand the abilities of this executive?" Lady challenged.
.....
"Lady... we did our best..." Two Thunder Manifesters collapsed in exhaustion.
Jean sheathed her weapon, showing an unusual hint of anger. Delayed by these two members of the Fool's Guild, she hoped that Takumi would be able to hold on. If something happened to Takumi, it would be a huge loss for Mondstadt and a blow to the Knights of Favonius during Jean's tenure as acting Grand Master.
After all, the gaming industry in Mondstadt was now booming, and Takumi, the game's developer, was a household name throughout the city.
"I hope I can make it in time..." Jean hurried towards the end of the street. However, at this moment, a strong cold current spread out.
Jean couldn't help but stop and look up at the sky. A white curtain appeared over Mondstadt, and various weapons made of ice and snow hung beneath it. The one manipulating all of this was the Fool's Guild executive, Lady.
"Fool's Guild..." Jean clenched her fists, feeling an unprecedented anger. These members of the Fool's Guild were so audacious within Mondstadt, openly provoking and declaring war on the Anemo Archon's realm! After tonight, Mondstadt would no longer have diplomatic relations with Snezhnaya; instead, they would become enemies!
---
Diluc's crimson pupils reflected a pale sky. He had once confronted the executive of the Fool's Guild and knew that these people possessed formidable powers, akin to a ticking time bomb that could threaten their surroundings at any moment. And now, that was precisely the situation.
He summoned his hefty greatsword, and the power of Pyro elemental energy began to condense on the blade. At this moment, he couldn't help but think of his elemental burst ability from the game. Using a similar move, he should be able to bring down the lady from the sky.
However, the worst part of the problem was that they were in Mondstadt. Diluc couldn't guarantee how much impact a clash of this magnitude between fire and ice would have on the city. It might be no less than a dragon calamity.
But at this moment, someone was quicker than him. A streak of red lightning shot into the sky like a sharp arrow, instantly destroying all the frosty creations. Furthermore, that thunderous attack struck the pale curtain and exploded it.
"Boom!" Due to the high temperature of the lightning, all the frost turned into water vapor, forming a large cloud in the sky. At this moment, red lightning continued to emerge from the cloud layer, appearing oppressive and apocalyptic, truly frightening. Diluc's pupils slightly contracted because he had just seen it. That red lightning was actually the owner of the game hall, Takumi. "He actually possesses such immense power..."
....
The commotion outside naturally attracted Eula's attention. She had been helplessly watching her boss being taken away by the Fool's Guild, feeling a deep sense of anger and despair. She had initially thought about seeking help from the Knights of Favonius.
However, right before her eyes, her boss turned into a streak of lightning and shot up into the sky, like a deity, impervious to all attacks. In the sky, red lightning exploded, and thunder roared incessantly. Eula was utterly shocked.
"Boss, are you sure you're just an ordinary game developer?" It was almost god-like! With such power, who could hold him back? Eula had guessed that her boss might be formidable, but she never expected him to be this powerful. "Boss, hang in there!"
....
At the top of Windrise, Venti sat on the railing, witnessing the battle unfolding in front of him. "Is this the power bestowed upon the Fool's Guild's executive by the Cryo Archon? It seems her power has grown even stronger."
"Ah, sorry, Takumi, I can't help you either." But reality quickly educated Venti. Under the pale curtain, red lightning pierced through the sky, annihilating all frosty creations as if they were brittle. Finally, it reached right in front of Lady, one hand gripping her throat. All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Venti was left dumbfounded.
Such a rapid attack and the immense power of the lightning made her wonder if she would be in the same situation as Lady herself. "Takumi, you..." It's a shame you didn't become the God of Thunder in Inazuma.
.....
But the most astonished person had to be Lady herself. Her pupils suddenly contracted. Even when she displayed her most potent Cryo abilities, the other party not only didn't choose to temporarily retreat but instead soared into the sky, arriving in front of her in a crushing manner. For many years, this was the first time Lady felt such shock and oppression.
The other side was just the owner of a game hall! No Vision. Why was he so powerful? The Anemo Archon's Gnosis was already within her reach, and she could have successfully completed the mission. However, everything started to spiral out of control because she wanted to capture this game hall owner.
"Where is the Gnosis?" Takumi asked coldly while increasing the pressure on Lady's neck. This Law of the Thunderbreaker's ability was indeed useful. Everything Lady tried was fragile before him, like paper.
The only drawback was that he didn't have a suitable weapon right now. He had to rely on his own strength for the fight. He couldn't shout "Storm, bring forth my command" and summon a fully-equipped Gallian. Takumi had only inherited the Thunderbreaker's abilities, not everything else.
There were corresponding abilities in the system store. He could consider exchanging for a Gallian in the future. Of course, now was not the time to think about these things. Even with just his own abilities, he was more than enough to deal with Lady.
Suddenly, he felt a searing heat in his hand. Lady's body began to undergo a peculiar transformation, with a pair of giant butterfly wings spreading behind her. Her clothes also turned into a dark red, like a furnace that had burned for countless years.
"Flame Witch Mode?" Lady was using her last trump card. Takumi felt a slight loosening in his grip. Lady's form turned into a flaming storm, surrounding Takumi. "Can you feel it? This is my pain... Eternal flames!"
Takumi looked at his hands. The Thunderbreaker's body was sufficient to withstand most extreme situations, but within this blaze, he only felt mild warmth. "Your temperature doesn't seem high enough."
....
For the people of Mondstadt, tonight was destined to be a sleepless night. Such an extreme phenomenon had long caught the attention of the citizens. Ordinary people could only be amazed by this terrifying weather and had no idea what dreadful events were transpiring. First, the cold wind and frost descended, and then the dark-red lightning and thunder came.
Now in the night sky, a scene reminiscent of burning clouds appeared. The people of Mondstadt were not only frightened but also panicked. Some had already begun to pray to the Anemo Archon. A few Vision holders could barely make out that the phenomenon in the night sky was not natural; it was two people engaged in battle. This, in turn, left them even more astonished. If their battlefield had been within the city, it would have undoubtedly been a disaster for Mondstadt. Who were the two battling? Could it be that the legendary Archon was awakening?
...
"Incinerate...everything!" In this state, Lady's emotions became somewhat abnormal. It was as if old wounds had been torn open, and she was reliving the pain and sorrow of those years. She was in an extremely intense emotional state.
She transformed into a storm of flames and launched indiscriminate attacks in the sky. Many fireballs fell towards the city of Mondstadt below. Seeing this scene, Takumi's eyes flashed with a cold light.
"If you can do as you please in front of me, wouldn't that be humiliating for me?" His eyes had red eyeshadow in the corners, and his short hair instantly turned into waist-length hair. Red thunder surged around him.
In his right hand, a dark red energy sphere condensed. At that moment, all surrounding matter and energy disregarded all other rules and were forcibly attracted towards Takumi as the center. Flames, storms, and fiery butterflies all became trapped.
He squeezed tightly, and lightning illuminated the entire night sky, making Mondstadt below as bright as day. In the brilliance, a fiery butterfly trembled and reverted to Lady's form. She covered her chest, her face extremely pale, and clung to her last bit of consciousness.
She looked ahead at the figure. This person was truly terrifying. Before him, neither the abilities of an Archon nor the form of the Flame Witch could have any actual impact on him. Lady had once believed that she was approaching the level of the Seven, but today's battle shattered her self-confidence. Takumi's strength exceeded everyone's expectations. She had to take this information back and let the Cryo Archon know that there was such a formidable enemy in Mondstadt.
At this moment, a black vortex appeared behind Lady. It was the space transmission technology that the Fatui had researched. Although it was not as mature and perfected as the Abyss Order's spatial network, with proper preparation, it could still handle some unexpected situations.
Before activating her Flame Witch form, Lady had secretly communicated the coordinates of the other end. Today's move was indeed a mistake. She had been seriously injured, severed ties with Mondstadt, and her subordinates had either died or been injured. The only silver lining was that she still had the God's Heart in her possession, which Takumi had not taken from her.
With that in mind, Lady immediately entered the vortex, not daring to have any further dealings with Takumi. Her figure disappeared on the spot in the space. The next moment, Takumi appeared in her place, staring at the empty space.
"Space teleportation?" He extended a finger, and red electricity overflowed, seemingly trying to find something. The power of the Thunder Arbitrer was not just about controlling lightning; overall, it was about manipulating electricity and magnetism. In Takumi's view, this kind of teleportation technology seemed to be related to electromagnetism. He used his own power to try to understand this technology.
Soon, Takumi smiled. With a gentle stroke in the air, the previously closed teleportation channel was opened again. Takumi didn't hesitate to enter it. Today, before obtaining the God's Heart, a god blocked a god!
...
"Hehe, quite rare indeed, Rosalyne. Who could have injured you like this?" On the examination table, a man with a black and white mask spoke in a mocking tone, somewhat enjoying the misfortune. The other members of the Fool's Assembly below were silently doing their tasks, not daring to speak. After all, these two were both esteemed Executives, and if they dared to interrupt, it would be like courting death.
The man with the black and white mask was none other than the Fool's Assembly Executive, [Doctor]. This was a secret base he had established outside Mondstadt, which also served as an experimental facility. Just now, Lady had surprisingly used the escape teleportation channel meant for emergencies, which piqued Doctor's interest.
Had something happened in Mondstadt? Did the Anemo Archon intervene against Lady? In Doctor's view, Mondstadt's current military power was weak, and only the returning Anemo Archon could have inflicted such damage on Lady.
"Close the teleportation channel!" Lady ignored Doctor's mockery and immediately gave the order.
"Don't worry, no one can find this place," Doctor appeared composed, leisurely descending from the examination table, "I have medicine that can heal your injuries, but I'm curious, what were you doing in Mondstadt..." Doctor's words were cut off abruptly. His footsteps also came to a halt. The expression beneath the mask revealed an incomprehensible look. "They really tracked us down here!?"
.....
"Sizzle..."
Streams of red electricity seeped out from the cracks, as if invisible hands were forcibly tearing open space.
"Lord Doctor!" The Fool's Assembly researchers looked at Doctor with fearful eyes. He quickly regained his composure after a brief shock.
"Calm down. If they come here, it's a one-way road to death. I wouldn't mind having another excellent specimen for experiments."
Beside Doctor, three Fool's Assembly members held specially crafted weapons and acted as guards. These three individuals were Doctor's most trusted subordinates, providing assistance in experiments and possessing formidable combat abilities.
The red electricity continued to overflow until it reached a critical point, suddenly stopping. Everyone's hearts in the experimental base also skipped a beat.
"Has it stopped?" Just as they were beginning to breathe a sigh of relief, the crack was suddenly torn apart, and a ball of red lightning broke through the void.
Doctor's trusted subordinates reacted swiftly, shielding Doctor. The lightning directly sent the first two people flying. When it reached the third person, the lightning transformed into a human figure. At the same time, an arm struck directly at their chest.
"Boom!"
Only a scorched black mark remained on the spot. The trusted subordinate hadn't even had a chance to use any abilities, and they perished instantly.
"——!!??" The surrounding researchers scattered like a sudden ghost had appeared. Who was this person? He was like a terrifying demon, taking a life in an instant.
"Where is Lady?" Takumi stared at the black-and-white-masked man before him and asked coldly.
"Who... are you?" Doctor couldn't help but feel puzzled. According to his intelligence about Mondstadt, there was no record of such a powerful individual. Moreover, the red lightning and lack of features like the Vision were beyond understanding.
This left Doctor with enormous doubts and curiosity. As a scholar, one's greatest enemy was often their own curiosity. This endless thirst for knowledge could drive a person insane.
"Do you have the qualifications to ask me questions?"
"Uh...?" Doctor looked down in disbelief at his own chest.
A streak of red lightning, like a spear, pierced directly through his heart. There was no anticipation beforehand. The other party didn't care about reasoning. Doctor felt he should have more of a performance. At the very least, he shouldn't have been skewered through like a kebab.
On Doctor's body, some dark purple light started to emerge. He had once modified his body, and a lethal injury like this through the heart would have killed an ordinary person ten times over, but he could survive. However, the other party seemed somewhat dissatisfied with his lingering. The spear of lightning turned into destructive electric power, surging through his chest, from inside to outside, annihilating his entire body in the span of a single breath.
Doctor's expression froze in an expression of disbelief. But the next moment, his body shattered into pieces. "Doctor is dead!" This news struck like thunder out of the blue.
All the Fool's Assembly armed members and researchers present were left dumbfounded. They had thought that with two executives overseeing, their safety was assured. Who could have known that Doctor would be killed in the blink of an eye? This made everyone feel an unreal sensation, to the point of forgetting to escape.
Takumi appeared again before a Fool's Assembly member and asked softly, "Where did the lady go?"
In front of a massive circular instrument, the lady performed a series of complex operations. Finally, she activated the conditions to open this massive portal. This door could teleport her directly from Mondstadt back to Winter.
Inside this research base, red alert lights were constantly flashing, only sounding during major accidents. Some mechanisms and circuits were spewing sparks, as if the arrival of that person had caused the entire base's systems to malfunction.
In the prototype device, a ripple like a water surface converged. Success! The lady was about to step through it, but a sudden bolt of lightning struck in front of her. "Did I say you could leave?" The lady covered her chest and looked at Takumi with a puzzled gaze.
"Who are you?!" she asked.
"Hand over the God's Heart," Takumi said with the same indifferent tone.
The lady fell silent for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed. "I think you underestimated the determination of us executives."
"For the ideals of Queen of Winter, even sacrificing oneself means nothing!"
Takumi nodded. "Very well, I'll grant your wish. I'll send you to meet [Doctor]."
The lady's pupils contracted. She didn't expect her premonition to come true. Doctor had directly become a sacrifice. Thinking about that man who constantly plotted conspiracies and died like this, the lady not only didn't feel sad but instead had a sense of irony.
Just then, from the circular device in the rear, a majestic and authoritative voice sounded, full of weight.
"Give her the God's Heart, Rosalyne."
"What!?" The lady looked at the circular device. Although there was no one's figure, she knew who the speaker was.
The original Fool,
The chief executive of the Fool's Assembly.
[Pierro] the Clown.
After a long silence, the lady spoke, "Alright, I understand."
In her hand, the God's Heart of the Anemo Archon appeared. Takumi directly took it from her.
The lady's face darkened, and she didn't say anything more, preparing to step into the teleportation channel.
However, Takumi still grabbed her shoulder. The lady shivered, only to hear him whisper softly in her ear, "We'll meet again soon."
Meet again? What did he mean? Takumi wore a meaningful expression, and the lady felt something eerie.
"When we get to Liyue, I'll need your help to get Zhong Li's Geo God's Heart," Takumi said. The lady still didn't realize that she had been treated as a treasure-seeking rat by Takumi. Naturally, this made her feel uncomfortable.
Entering the teleportation gate, the lady disappeared into it. On the other side should be Liyue. Although doing this had already created a grudge with the Fool's Assembly, Takumi didn't mind. Sooner or later, he would have to obtain the Geo Archon's God's Heart.
Have I Become a Honorary Knight? Takumi felt that he had underestimated the abilities of himself from the beginning.
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