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"You were already right under that woman's feet—how dare you act so brazenly?"
"Heh, isn't it because you refuse to go all out? You kept us waiting so long, yet still failed to bring down those pests completely. And now, at the critical moment, you let him disrupt my plans."
Yasen frowned, replying with a sneer, "You don't think… my power comes without a price, do you? My hair didn't turn white because I got a Geo Vision. If things can't be settled in one attempt, will you pay back my lifespan? Or do you seriously think just the likes of you can stand against the Raiden Shogun and that woman?"
"Hmph!"
Since arriving in this wretched land, a twist of fate had led to contact with the South Wing. At first, they were merely partners. Yet somehow, this white-haired man had seized control, acting as if the entire Battle Technique Hunter organization were under his command.
By his rules, Battle Technique Hunters couldn't stir up chaos in Inazuma. They had endured quietly for days. And yet, while the white-hair played to his heart's content, she had finally found herself a delightful toy—only to have it stolen away by some meddler her supposed ally had failed to eliminate.
The longer she brooded, the angrier she grew. The Demonic Ring simply folded her arms, closed her eyes, and ignored him.
Silence lingered in the cave for about two minutes, until Isshin, The Cursed Blade finally commanded Wilbur Cobb's body to pull itself free from the roots of the Sacred Sakura.
"Lifespan? What is lifespan if not time itself? Once I gain contact with this world's authority over time, restoring your lifespan will be child's play."
Two hundred years ago, these foreign intruders disrupting Teyvat's order had been the South Wing's greatest enemy—despised even more than the Abyss.
But times had changed. The heavens had stayed silent too long. If anything could stir their attention—foreign Battle Technique Hunters, the corrupt Abyss, the traitorous Fatui—any of them were potential allies.
That didn't mean trust. It only meant mutual exploitation.
Restore my lifespan?
Knowing Isshin, The Cursed Blade must have thought the same, Yasen only smiled faintly and gave no reply.
"But that brat… I didn't expect him to make it all the way here. Didn't you say no one would come to interfere?"
See? A sweet word first, and then straight back to accusations.
"I admit this was my oversight. I had some interest in him, so after wiping his memory, I let him go. Didn't expect he'd actually trace us here… But isn't he the one carrying your space mark? Why didn't you sense him earlier?"
Drawn into the conversation, the Demonic Ring snapped her eyes open, meeting Yasen's irritating stare. She held her breath and carefully felt for the mark she had released.
Like Isshin, her powers had been heavily restricted upon entering this world. All four brothers had suffered the same.
But years of persistence had not been wasted. They had discovered a way to unbind the restrictions:
By seeking out the corresponding authorities of this world and meditating upon them, they could reclaim their powers. By imprisoning the spirits of this world's inhabitants, they could make them pay the cost to wield those powers in place of outsiders.
Now, only the eldest brother's time authority remained bound. She and her second and third brothers had all made progress.
The powers available to her were the spatial manipulations she'd displayed in battle—and three unique space marks.
She could sense their locations at all times and teleport instantly to any of them, distance was irrelevant. One was fixed in place, the other two she kept with her for combat.
Confirming her perception, the Demonic Ring gave a derisive snort, seizing the chance to counter: "That mark's sitting motionless in the southwest. Seems it's been discovered, don't you think?"
Yasen's face darkened, brows furrowing as he muttered, "Impossible… Even if he noticed, how could he react so quickly?"
"It won't disrupt the plan, will it?"
"Tch! If you fools hadn't exposed yourselves to the North Wing's eyes, I wouldn't have had to clean up your mess!"
"You—"
"No, forget that. Never mind~"
One moment biting his thumb in fury, the next Yasen clapped his hands with a cheerful smile. "No matter! We've already secured the final root of the Sacred Sakura. I've erased their memories thoroughly once again. There shouldn't be any surprises."
"That's fine, thanks to your help… And the puppet master? Is she prepared?"
"Almost. Not fully ready, but with the North Wing's scavengers getting restless, we've no more time. We have to move fast."
"So then?"
"Tomorrow night we act. And just to be safe, starting now…"
Facing the Grand Narukami Shrine, veins bulged on Yasen's forehead as bloodshot eyes flared. He snarled through his teeth: "Forget it all!"
…
"You okay?"
In that instant, Victor Wang was utterly dazed. His last memory was of teasing Yae Miko before boarding Beidou's ship. Yet now he was ten thousand miles away, on Yashiori, held in… Kamisato Ayato's arms?
He couldn't make sense of it, but clearly something monumental had occurred in between.
"I-I'm fine!" he stammered, quickly wriggling free before asking the equally baffled Kamisato Ayato: "What happened to me? Why… are you holding me?"
"You… seemed to have fallen from a great height. I caught you…" Kamisato Ayato tapped his forehead, straining to recall.
"You don't know what happened either?"
"Wait a moment…"
Naturally, Kamisato Ayato drew a slip of paper covered in keywords from his sleeve. Little Wen gave a couple of deliberate shakes from inside the sword greaves, but Victor Wang dismissed it as fidgeting.
Master, oh Master… it's not that I don't want to help, but could you at least get us somewhere the enemy isn't watching first…
Little Wen shook again, only for Victor Wang to press him firmly still.
"Haa… I see. First, let's head to the Grand Narukami Shrine."
"Huh?"
"Our memories were tampered with. The enemy may still be nearby. The Shrine is safer."
Memory alteration… memory… Those words felt eerily familiar. At the slightest reminder, fragments of his memory resurfaced. And like thin paper ripped open by a storm, the cover collapsed instantly.
"The Demonic Ring! And the Chief Instructor…"
Barely two minutes ago he'd fought the Demonic Ring. They could still be in that root-filled cave behind them—and Yasen had been there too!
"You've been through a lot, it seems. But don't say more here."
"Right!"
The foot of Yashiori Mountain lay in shadow and danger, but atop, the Grand Narukami Shrine shone bright and serene amid drifting cherry blossoms. The contrast was immense—yet it was precisely this place that the enemy's designs targeted.
"From your attire, you must be an outlander. To come through the thunderstorms, to know of Isshin, The Cursed Blade and the Demonic Ring, and to stand against the Hungry Ghost…"
"You guessed right. I'm Victor—codename Kunpeng. I came with Captain Beidou to investigate the disappearances. Because of the unusual circumstances, she revealed to me Robin's true identity."
Studying Victor Wang intently, Kamisato Ayato nodded. "At least in this, your memory seems intact. Then tell me—where is the Alcor now?"
"I… temporarily lost contact with them…"
"Oh?"
"It's a long story."
"In that case, tell it in full before the Guuji. She seems deeply entangled in this affair, and for now, stands as our ally."
Kamisato Ayato, moving as though familiar with the shrine, sought out a shrine maiden—but was turned away.
"Yashiro Commissioner, Lady Guuji has already retired for the night, so…"
"Tell her I must see her urgently. It concerns her greatly."
"Who's there?" A voice came before its owner—Yae Miko herself, wisdom and beauty both incarnate, sauntered forth with grace. "Well, well. Didn't you just leave the mountain? And now you return—with a little one in tow?"
Meeting those fox-like eyes, dripping allure and hidden danger, Victor Wang was more certain than ever: the book-carrying woman on the Alcor had been Yae Miko in disguise. And perhaps, she had approached him because she too had sensed the echoes of the calamity from five hundred years ago.
"On my way down, I happened to encounter… complications. It relates to what we discussed earlier."
"…I see. Let's continue this in the office."
At first, Victor Wang only meant to tell her about the Sacred Sakura. But at Kamisato Ayato's signal, he recounted the entire chain of key events after disembarking.
"Quite the tale. But I wonder… why didn't that shrine maiden from Konda Village come directly to me for help?"
"Huh? I thought she already had?"
Yae Miko fell silent, shaking her head. "Forget it. Once this is over, I'll pay her a visit myself."
Beside them, Kamisato Ayato fished out a pen and another keyword slip. Adding a few notes, he tucked it away, then drew out another—left sleeve, right sleeve, breast pocket, trouser pocket—repeating the process eight or nine times until Victor Wang could only stare.
"Don't mind it. Too many duties, poor communication at home. Over time I've developed this habit of relying on notes. Who'd have thought it would prove effective against our current foes."
"Hehe, by that logic, with my centuries of memory and countless habits, won't Yasen be utterly helpless against me?"
Kamisato Ayato praised, "Indeed, it must be because Lady Guuji is here that they dare not invade the shrine directly."
"But five roots of the Sacred Sakura have already been destroyed. Next, they'll surely come for me~. Such a perilous state, with only two fighters on our side… oh, and this one…"
As Yae Miko's probing gaze fell on him, Victor Wang answered, "I'm Victor."
"You'll help me too, won't you, little one?"
"Ahem. I will."
Fox indeed—every gesture, every glance, brimmed with charm.
"Excellent, the more helpers the better! Any more? Could you summon your comrades? Facing such strong foes alone would be simply too cruel to me~"
"We came to Inazuma precisely for this matter. But they're scattered—I don't know where. If there's some way… to find them, or draw them to us!"
Firecrackers!
They'd agreed on that as a signal too!
Victor Wang turned to Kamisato Ayato. "Do you still have one of those emergency contact tools for the others?"
"Those? I've none left, but I can find someone to make more."