Seeing those hands suddenly emerge from beneath the ground, both Aether and Su Yuan widened their eyes in shock…
There was no doubt about it—those hands belonged to Dottore!!!
That madman had actually buried himself underground to hide!
And what's worse, he had struck with complete surprise, eliminating both Ningguang and Qiqi—two powerful combatants who had already been tainted by Eerie power!!!
Enemies meeting face-to-face ignited instant fury.
Su Yuan didn't hesitate for even a second—he immediately tried to summon his Foul Legacy Armament, ready to use Abyssal power to fight Dottore to the death…
But in the very next second, Su Yuan realized something was wrong— he couldn't feel any trace of the Armament being summoned.
It was just like before, back in that scholar Dottore's room inside the Spiral Abyss— no response at all.
Su Yuan couldn't understand it.
Why was this happening?
Just moments ago, he had used the Foul Legacy Armament and Abyssal power to shatter the rockfall traps with no problem.
Yet now, only a short while later, he couldn't summon it again?
Could it be… that summoning the Foul Legacy Armament had some sort of built-in cooldown time?
While Su Yuan was still struggling to make sense of it, Dottore had already pulled his entire body out of the soil.
Looking straight at Su Yuan, he curved his lips into a faint smile and said,
"Su Yuan, when you see your savior, you don't even think to thank him? And not even a friendly greeting?"
"...Savior? When did you ever save my life? I don't recall that at all!"
Su Yuan glared at Dottore with full alertness and seriousness.
Now that he couldn't summon his Foul Legacy Armament or use Abyssal power, neither he nor Aether stood a chance against Dottore…
"Ah, Su Yuan, you hurt me," Dottore said with exaggerated sorrow, his tone mockingly soft.
"Just yesterday, in the Spiral Abyss, that segment of mine nearly killed you, remember?"
He spoke each word deliberately, his voice carrying a twisted sense of pride.
"Do you know how hard it is to create one of my segments? The materials are nearly impossible to obtain, and the process requires intricate, painstaking procedures. Each one is incredibly precious…"
"But yesterday, I destroyed one—just to save you. Doesn't that count as rescuing you?"
"If I hadn't eliminated that segment, you'd have ended up just like that poor little cat— a 'Su Yuan' who is both dead and alive…"
Then his grin widened, his eyes filled with a manic gleam.
"But Su Yuan, I can't help but admire the creativity inside your mind—it's full of delightful possibilities. I understand you, truly. So I hope you'll come to understand me too, and maybe we can become… kindred friends!"
Watching Dottore's deranged expression, Su Yuan knew that breaking free from this situation would likely require one thing—a death rewind.
Then, on the next run, he could choose a different route toward Liyue, avoiding Dottore entirely.
But before doing that, a thought suddenly struck him.
Wasn't today the start of a new day? That meant his Rule Perception ability had refreshed…
So, why not take this chance to examine Dottore's Eerie Rule— perhaps understanding it could help him turn the tide in future hopeless encounters.
Noticing Su Yuan's thoughtful look, Dottore seemed to sense his intention and spoke coldly,
"Su Yuan, I don't know exactly how you did it, but back in the Spiral Abyss, you indeed managed to identify the Eerie condition of that segment of mine and forced it into corruption, planning to use the ensuing chaos to escape."
"However, if you're thinking of using the same trick on me right now," Dottore said confidently, his smile widening,
"you're welcome to try."
"Because the one standing before you now is the original body that segment spoke of— the strongest among all my segments!!!"
"I have completely mastered the Eerie power. Even that inner corruption—the madness born from the deepest depths of my own Eerie condition—can no longer sway my thoughts in the slightest."
"If you can truly discover the rule that governs my Eerie transformation and force me into internal corruption…"
He chuckled darkly, spreading his arms wide.
"Then by all means—do it. That would only grant me an infinite, inexhaustible supply of Eerie power!!!"
Hearing Dottore's words, Su Yuan realized that forcing this Dottore into an internal Eerie state might actually be a terrible idea…
However, that also meant he needed to use Rule Perception even more—to uncover the rule governing Dottore's Eerie transformation, and then find a way to avoid triggering those conditions.
But just as Su Yuan was about to activate Rule Perception on the Dottore before him, something unexpected happened.
Dottore spoke again, and with a single calm sentence, he completely shattered Su Yuan's concentration.
"Su Yuan," he said slowly, "I know the place you most wish to go right now… is Natlan's Kingdom of the Night God, isn't it?"
Dottore looked at Su Yuan, a deep and unreadable smile spreading across his face as he continued:
"But you and the Traveler haven't actually been to Natlan yet, have you? You don't know much about it. So… you must be in desperate need of a guide, right?"
"If you're willing to cooperate with me—if you'll become my true friend—I can take you there. I can lead you straight to the Kingdom of the Night God."
Su Yuan froze on the spot.
How—how did Dottore know that he wanted to go to the Kingdom of the Night God in Natlan?
He had only ever shared that information with his companions.
He trusted them completely—none of them would ever leak it.
And there was no way Dottore had an informant among them.
So how in the world did Dottore know?
But what Dottore said next made Su Yuan's blood run cold.
"Su Yuan, you should already know this—each of my segments possesses its own distinct Eerie Rule. But not every segment carries madness or cruelty that surpasses the Eerie itself…"
He paused, tilting his head slightly, his eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Oh, and one more thing—I'm quite curious. Bennett's dead, and the Wanderer never appeared inside the Spiral Abyss. That means those two obvious routes of escape didn't exist for you. So, you must have used that third hidden plan, the one lurking in the shadows, to lead your companions safely out of the Abyss, correct?"
"So tell me, Su Yuan—what was that hidden plan? I'm dying to know."
At that moment, Su Yuan's mind went completely blank.
Because everything Dottore had just said—every word—was information from the inscription in the palm of his right hand.
Information he had never told anyone.
So how… how could Dottore possibly know it?!