Ying gritted her teeth, watching the wind blades fly towards her at lightning speed. She intended to block them with all her might, but the moment the wind blades collided with the Wind Glider Sword she held in front of her, a violent shockwave suddenly erupted.
BOOM!
The imagined fate of being shredded into pieces did not materialize. The immense power of the wind blades forced Ying’s hands to release the Wind Glider Sword, sending her flying backward uncontrollably. After crashing through several thick tree trunks, she finally came to a halt.
A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of Ying’s mouth. Her entire body curled up, unable to withstand the immense impact, and she eventually fainted on the ground.
The explosion that should have engulfed Ying, however, miraculously stopped in its tracks, as if blocked by a solid wall.
Scaramouche frowned. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the Wind Glider Sword, which should have been blown away with Ying by the explosion, was suspended in mid-air without anyone holding it. It seemed to be in a stalemate with the powerful wind blades, resonating in defense.
“Tch… Every time it comes down to a critical moment, a bunch of weird things appear.”
Scaramouche couldn’t help but curse. He immediately channeled his dark purple energy, transforming it into a sword qi that struck at the Wind Glider Sword once more.
The previously evenly matched situation instantly became one-sided with the addition of Scaramouche’s energy. In mere seconds, the Wind Glider Sword, unable to withstand the pressure, shattered into pieces. The remaining shockwaves broke free from their confinement and shot towards Ying at high speed.
Just as the two sword qis were about to strike Ying, two bolts of purple lightning suddenly struck in front of her, blocking the fatal blow.
“Who is it?!”
Scaramouche looked warily towards the source. Although the attack had already been mostly neutralized by the Wind Glider Sword, anyone who could block it so easily was no ordinary opponent.
“Guess~”
Upon seeing the figure slowly emerging from the dust, Scaramouche was momentarily stunned, then couldn’t help but laugh.
“So it’s you, Guuji. What brings you all the way here?”
“Hehehe… I’m truly sorry if I’m interrupting your fun, but this little one might be of some use to me later, so I can’t let you kill her~”
“Oh?”
Scaramouche feigned surprise, then shook his head and replied,
“A mere word from Guuji is hardly fair, don’t you think?”
“Mhm… Don’t be so hasty. Trust your sister, you’ll definitely be interested once you hear the reward I’m willing to offer~”
“Oh? Then by all means, please tell me. I am genuinely curious what reward could be more interesting than avenging a loved one by killing their kin…”
Some time later…
WHOOSH!!
A figure appeared on the battlefield in an instant. The airflow generated merely by their running caused the surrounding trees to sway erratically.
Ying stood still, scanning her surroundings. Although she spotted Scaramouche and the giant automaton beside him, the person she was looking for was nowhere to be seen.
“Ying? Ying, where are you!?”
Ignoring Scaramouche, Ying called out loudly. This caused Scaramouche, who was admiring his newly acquired spoils, to pause slightly.
He put away the treasures he had collected, turned around, and said with a mocking tone,
“Stop shouting. Even if you shout until your throat is hoarse, you’ll never hear your pathetic sister’s voice again…”
Thump-thump…
Ying’s heart pounded violently. She froze in place, Scaramouche’s words echoing endlessly in her mind.
Never… hear again…
“Oh? You didn’t show this kind of expression even after all our previous exchanges. A person’s soft spot is often someone they care about. It seems that bastard Teyvat was right. However…”
“Unfortunately, I happen to enjoy seeing the look on people’s faces after they’ve lost their soft spot~”
Scaramouche looked at Ying, his smile widening. His words were laced with mockery and disdain, as if he were belittling Ying’s current impotent rage and despair.
Ying didn’t say a word. She didn’t even glance at Scaramouche. After an unknown period of time, she slightly raised her head and looked at the large figure beside Scaramouche, her voice chillingly cold.
“Was that the move it just made…”
“Yes, what if… Huh?!”
Scaramouche was about to answer, but then found that Ying had appeared before him in the blink of an eye.
“You’re seeking death!”
Scaramouche’s expression immediately turned grim. Dark purple energy enveloped his dagger, and he thrust it forward rapidly. Seeing Ying’s complete disregard for his presence, a cold sneer played on Scaramouche’s lips.
Had she lost her reason due to excessive stimulation? Hmph, how ridiculous…
Just as the dagger was a millimeter away from Ying, a powerful shockwave suddenly erupted from beneath her feet, forcing Scaramouche back dozens of steps uncontrollably.
*Pfft…*
A mouthful of blood spurted from his lips. Scaramouche looked up at the distant girl with disbelief.
That strike had no prior warning, yet its immense power told him that she had already seen his every move.
“What’s going on… She wasn’t doing anything just now…”
Scaramouche stood up, refusing to believe it. He didn’t attack again but instead gestured to the Automaton Guardian in the distance, signaling it to probe forward.
Upon receiving the order, the Automaton Guardian drew its katana and slowly approached Ying.
Ying stood still, watching it approach. Her eyes were calm, and she didn’t even blink. The automaton before her seemed to have already been reduced to fragments in her eyes.
Upon reaching Ying, the Automaton Guardian raised its katana high and brought it down fiercely towards Ying’s small frame. Its speed was so great that one could hear the wind whistling as it cut through the air.
CLANG!
A metallic clang echoed. The Skyward Blade, appearing out of nowhere above Ying, collided with the Automaton Guardian’s katana, sending sparks flying.
Scaramouche, in the distance, initially thought Ying had instantly drawn a sword to block. However, upon closer inspection, he was shocked to find that the Skyward Blade was not being wielded by anyone.
Not only that, but an increasing number of weapons were appearing out of thin air around Ying. One-handed swords, two-handed swords, all kinds, in such numbers that they obscured the rain falling from the sky, quickly surrounding the Automaton Guardian, which was still locked in combat with the Skyward Blade.
“This… Anemo element… The Doctor? No… She’s doing this herself?!”
Scaramouche quickly grasped the method Ying was using but still looked incredulous.
“How is this possible… How could she wield the Anemo element so proficiently…”