Collei wasn't a violent person by nature.
But right now, she realized that being a little violent sometimes actually felt… pretty damn good.
For instance—smashing that Doctor segment into the ground with her fists, one punch after another, until he stopped moving.
Yeah. That felt way better than just shooting him with an arrow.
The other two Doctor segments had tried to attack her mid-fight, but she hadn't cared in the slightest—her radiant white Light Shield was so thick, their attacks barely scratched it.
Now, the one beneath her feet wasn't moving at all.
Collei stopped her blood-stained fists, exhaling slowly as her chest rose and fell.
The suffocating rage in her chest finally eased a little.
But only a little.
Not enough.
She stood there, scanning her surroundings.
The other two Doctor segments had already vanished.
Clearly, the moment things turned against them, they'd fled.
"I told you," she murmured, eyes glinting darkly. "You won't escape."
In her vision, two black threads stretched out into the distance, pointing in separate directions.
A tracking spell—one she'd cast secretly when the two had attacked her earlier.
That was the advantage of Dark-type magic: subtle, insidious, nearly impossible to guard against.
Since the mark was in place, there was no need to chase immediately. The spell's duration was long—unless the targets realized and dispelled it, those threads would keep leading her straight to them.
After this battle, she'd learned the truth about the Doctor's many segments. Her anger had cooled into focus.
Besides, she still had the task Lady Nahida had entrusted to her: uncovering the Doctor's collaboration with the Akademiya.
Killing those segments outright would be a waste.
Better to let them return to their secret base—follow the trail, find their nest, and when she'd confirmed everything… destroy the entire Fatui stronghold in one sweep.
That would wound the Doctor far more deeply.
The roles of hunter and prey had switched.
Now he was the mouse.
The dark glow faded from her eyes.
Collei wiped the blood from her hands, then pulled out her phone from her space ring.
A new message blinked on the screen.
[Xia Zhi]: Once you've wrapped things up, give me a call to let me know you're safe.
Mr. Xia.
Seeing the message, warmth spread through her chest.
She'd been about to call him herself to thank him for his help—she hadn't expected him to message first, and with such concern.
In this world… only Mr. Xia—no, she corrected herself—her Lord truly cared for her.
If her Lord hadn't answered her prayer just now, she'd already be back in the Doctor's hands as a living experiment.
Collei quickly opened her contacts, found Xia Zhi's number, and dialed.
As the dial tone rang, her heart beat faster in nervous anticipation.
Then—
"Collei?" Xia Zhi's calm, gentle voice came through the receiver.
She straightened her posture instinctively. "It's me! M—Master."
Xia Zhi chuckled softly. "No need for that. Just call me the same as before—Mr. Xia."
"M-Mr. Xia…"
"Mm. So, is it over?"
"For now, yes."
"For now?" he repeated, lightly. "Tell me what happened. You looked pretty badly hurt earlier."
"I ran into the Doctor—or rather, one of his segments…"
Collei recounted everything that had happened in detail.
Xia Zhi fell silent for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "So… the Doctor's created multiple segments of himself, scattered across Teyvat."
"That's right."
"That'll make your revenge a bit more complicated."
"I won't give up."
"Such determination… not bad." He smiled in his voice. "You said you shot a few segments and beat another to death with your fists, right?"
"…Yes."
Collei's cheeks reddened.
Would Mr. Xia think she was some kind of brute?
"So that one's body didn't turn to ash like before—it's still intact?"
"Yes…"
"Good."
"Huh?"
She blinked, confused.
Was he… interested in the corpse? Did he want to study it?
But before she could ask, Xia Zhi's tone shifted.
"Collei, how are the powers I granted you working out?"
"They're incredible!" she said, clenching her fists unconsciously. The strength still surged within her—divine energy overflowing, the blessings holding strong.
Xia Zhi's smile deepened. "Good. If you run into trouble again, tell me beforehand."
Collei blushed faintly. "I will. Thank you."
"Alright. Besides Granting, there's another ritual I should teach you."
"Another… ritual?"
"It's called Offering."
"Offering?"
"Just like when you prayed to me before. Only this time, you add the item you wish to offer in your prayer—and raise it up to dedicate it to me."
"I understand, Mr. Xia!"
"Good. Try it now."
"But… I don't have anything suitable to offer around me…"
"Oh, you do."
"Eh?"
"You can offer me the Doctor's blood."
"The Doctor's… blood?"
Collei froze, then glanced down at the motionless body at her feet.
"You won't need much," Xia Zhi said lightly. "A single drop will do."
"…Alright."
The call ended.
Collei tucked away her phone and retrieved a small glass vial from her space ring.
As a Forest Ranger, she often used these to collect plant saps for medicine.
In Sumeru's rainforests, many plants contained curative fluids. Her mentor, Tighnari, was a skilled apothecary who frequently brewed such remedies for the village.
Under his guidance, Collei had learned a bit about common medicinal herbs herself—and during her patrols, she'd gather ingredients when she could.
But she'd never imagined she'd one day use one of these vials… to collect blood.
Kneeling down, she brought the bottle to the wound on the Doctor's corpse.
He hadn't been dead long—the blood still flowed freely, filling the vial quickly.
Corking it tight, she cupped it between her hands, holding it close to her chest.
Then she closed her eyes and began her prayer.
"My Lord…"
---
Inazuma, Grand Narukami Shrine
In the quiet room, Xia Zhi sat at his desk, lost in thought after ending the call.
A moment later, the familiar system voice echoed in his mind:
"Prayer detected from a devout follower!"
"Respond?"
A devout follower now, huh?
Well, after saving her twice—first from Eleazar, now from the Doctor—her loyalty made perfect sense.
"Yes."
He accepted the prayer.
The system panel appeared before him—Collei's magical girl avatar, kneeling in a praying pose.
In the top left corner, a small green exclamation mark pulsed faintly.
Similar to the earlier prayer interface.
He tapped it.
No new window appeared this time.
Instead, the system's voice sounded again:
"This follower seeks to offer a sacrifice. Accept?"
"Yes."
A moment later, a small glass vial of crimson blood appeared in his inventory.
----
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