To meet this battle, Ayaka had prepared everything.
The potion slid down her throat, its warmth spreading through her limbs, rapidly restoring her stamina.
The battlefield was already a haze of steam—the result of fire clashing with water.
This was exactly the stage Ayaka had crafted.
"Arrogant human!" The Fire Oni King shrieked, her voice shrill with rage. "You think scratching me with that toy means you can win? I am the Fire Oni King! I have ruled this domain for a thousand years! Even Yama gives me face! And you... a little human cultivator... you think splashing some water around will save you?"
"Dream on!"
Before her voice faded, the Fire Oni King split into countless phantoms.
Attacks rained down from all directions. Every shadow was a tangible construct of flame. Only by hitting the true body could the spell be broken.
Ayaka closed her eyes.
Ghostly tricks. Everything the eyes see is false. Only the heart can see the truth.
Observation Haki, fully activated.
Dodge. Dodge again.
Even at a disadvantage, she could not let herself be disturbed. She sank her mind into the depths of a still ocean. Her aura retracted completely.
Sense it. Feel it.
But the attacks were everywhere. There was no killing intent to lock onto, only an omnidirectional wave of heat.
Just as Ayaka was beginning to feel cornered, a voice echoed in the lake of her heart.
"Attacks have emotions."
As long as the opponent is a living being, there will be emotion in their strikes. Grasp that emotion, and you grasp the key to victory.
Before leaving for Liyue, Ayaka had earnestly asked Su Han about the nature of Observation Haki. This was his answer.
A master of Observation has no emotional fluctuations. Their heart is a mirror. But the enemy... the enemy will be disturbed by you.
"There..." Ayaka thought, her mind snapping into focus. "Among all these attacks... only one carries true hatred. I found you!"
She opened her eyes.
Frost bloomed beneath her feet, ice crystals forming intricate snowflakes on the scorched ground.
Tenseiga in her hand erupted with a serene, terrifying light.
She dodged six attacks in a blur of motion, then transformed into a streak of cold light, shooting straight into the sky.
BOOM!
The flame phantoms tried to block her, but they were all severed by the sword light.
"Kamisato Art: Soumetsu — Selfless Slash."
A single cold light flashed, tearing through the sky of phantoms like a meteor.
In the air, the Fire Oni King let out a scream. A terrible cold light erupted from her abdomen. Half of her body was torn apart.
"You... you bastard! You hurt me again!"
The Fire Oni King clutched her wound, her eyes filled with venomous spite.
...
In the Multiverse Mission Group chat.
Everyone was stunned by Ayaka's performance.
No one had expected that such a gentle, refined young woman would be so fierce in battle. So terrifying.
Beidou:I couldn't tell... Ayaka has such a small frame, but her combat power is this strong!
Mona:This must be the result of hard work. I remember she said she was weak before... I didn't expect her to be this strong now.
Yae Miko:I didn't lie to you, did I? She really is strong... And, Ayaka is very competitive. Seeing you all showing off your divine might, she's been silently figuring out how to improve herself. Since joining the group, she's been training for more than ten hours a day.
Su Han:She has comprehended the advanced level of Observation Haki. If nothing unexpected happens, she should win this... But the Fire Oni King is a thousand-year-old monster. Her strength isn't limited to this! There might be changes...
A thousand-year-old Ghost King would definitely have a trump card.
Diluc:Combining Ninjutsu with Swordsmanship! Her strength might not be the highest, but she knows exactly how to combine her powers. If I'm not mistaken, the next ten minutes will determine the outcome.
That chakra-restoring potion could only be used once.
So, if Ayaka wanted to win, she had to end the battle within this timeframe. Otherwise, once she was exhausted again, the Fire Oni King would not give her another chance.
Ningguang:So that was her plan. I couldn't tell... this girl has quite the tactical mind. I hope she wins...
Looking at the pervasive steam, Ningguang had already guessed Ayaka's follow-up plan.
Ganyu:Let's cheer for her... I hope everything goes smoothly... after all, the rewards for this mission are not small...
...
The Fire Oni King clutched her wound, the killing intent in her heart growing stronger. She was on the verge of losing her reason.
To be heavily injured again and again by a human girl, and one who was prettier than her... the Fire Oni King was furious.
"What are you all watching for?! Kill this human for me!"
She turned and shouted at her subordinates.
The evil ghosts hiding in the palace heard their boss's call and floated out one after another. There were hundreds of them! And each one was not weak.
"I admit you're good... but can you beat so many of us?"
"Get her! Tear this little bitch apart!"
Faced with the Fire Oni King's order, the ghosts pounced.
Instantly, yin winds howled, and evil ghosts swarmed.
Xu Changqing, hiding in the dark, panicked. Not good. Miss Kamisato is going to be besieged. Should I help?
But recalling her words, he forcibly suppressed the impulse.
I absolutely cannot go out! Although the Fire Oni King is heavily injured, defeating her is not simple. I have to continue hiding, waiting for the fatal blow.
Faced with the swarm of ghosts, Ayaka was unhurried. She used her movement techniques to create distance.
Confirming the direction of the ghosts, Tenseiga in her hand lit up with countless icicles.
"Kamisato Art: Soumetsu!"
The explosive move swept up most of the evil ghosts. But there were still some that couldn't be covered.
These ghosts took the opportunity to get behind Ayaka and launched a sneak attack. Terrifying claws pierced Ayaka's back.
Blood sprayed in the air.
The cold, bone-piercing power made Ayaka lose focus for a moment.
"Such delicious blood... hiss..."
"Yes! The power inside makes us excited!"
"Eat her... eat her..."
The ghosts looked crazy, turning into countless yin winds trying to tear Ayaka apart.
However, although she was injured, the Shirasagi Himegimi did not make a sound. Instead, she calmly handled the battle, Tenseiga slashing continuously.
Tearing the evil ghosts to pieces one by one.
Five minutes later.
All the ghosts had been torn apart by Tenseiga.
Ayaka was panting heavily, her back soaked with blood. She had no time to heal, because the Fire Oni King had arrived in front of her.
"Heh... are you still arrogant now? Where is your confidence from just now... was it just big talk?"
"I spit on you... little bitch!"
"Firestorm!"
A huge fireball flew from the Fire Oni King's hand. Before it landed, the sphere began to rotate.
A huge firestorm quickly pressed towards Ayaka. And the water on the ground was evaporated one by one under the firestorm.
Steam and Yin energy surged in this space.
Ayaka looked at the firestorm, dodging continuously, while also avoiding the arrows shot by the Fire Oni King.
For a time, her movements became a bit frantic.
Basically, as soon as she landed, a firestorm would strike, or a powerful crossbow bolt.
However, in her haste, she still found an opportunity to hide in a room. She took out a pill and put it in her mouth.
The healing medicine quickly took effect. Although her stamina didn't recover, her body at least felt a little more comfortable.
The Fire Oni King followed closely, grinning hideously. "You still dare to run here? You really don't know death... let's see how you dodge this!"
Six burning arrows attacked Ayaka from all directions.
She even used another spell. Immolation Curse. A move that, if it hit, would continuously burn the enemy's soul!
At this critical moment, Ayaka suddenly laughed.
"What are you laughing at..."
"Have you ever thought about why I summoned a large amount of water at the beginning... but now I have been attacking with ice..."
"What do you mean?" The Fire Oni King felt something was wrong.
Ayaka smiled. "Water can be evaporated, but... it will also continuously condense into mist! Although it disappears... it exists in another way."
"Your moves are fire. Pure water naturally cannot suppress them. But... what if I can change this place?"
"I used my full strength from the beginning. I summoned all the water I could... just for this moment!"
The rainstorm arrived as expected.
Even in hell.
Water was inherently connected to Yin energy. Not to mention such a large amount of water being evaporated.
Inside the Elysium Hell, a heavy rain poured down.
And in Ayaka's hand, an ice crystal compressed a thousand times over condensed.
The Fire Oni King finally reacted. She looked around and found that it was raining everywhere. Panic filled her heart.
"Kamisato Art: Sometsu — Frost World!"
Countless frosts spread. The temperature of the entire space dropped rapidly.