"I'm starting to regret not killing you when I had the chance."
Xiao recalled the encounter at Wangshu Inn, his tone dripping with killing intent. He had sensed the thing called a Delusion on Scaramouche. Even though Xiao kept to himself, he could guess that the Delusions in the Millelith's hands were connected to him.
Following Xiao's gaze, Scaramouche looked at the Delusion in his own hand and smirked, his tone laced with regret.
"What's wrong, Conqueror of Demons? Do you want to experience the power of a Delusion too? Too bad, if I gave it to you, I probably wouldn't make it out alive."
"So you're the one who spread those things among the Millelith?"
"That's right. It was me. Hahahaha!"
Scaramouche threw his head back and laughed. But as he laughed, something felt off. That last voice sounded like a little girl's. Wasn't he inside the barrier?
Snapping back to reality, Scaramouche looked ahead. There was Xiao, staring at him with a look of pity. And beside Xiao stood a little girl with dragon horns, wearing a furious expression.
What was going on? His barrier was supposed to be impenetrable. No one should have been able to slip in unnoticed. Scaramouche looked around. The barrier appeared intact.
And that look in the Conqueror of Demons' eyes—didn't he realize he was about to die here? Or was this little girl his trump card?
"Hey, weirdo, wondering how I got in?"
"Didn't whoever taught you this trick tell you to layer the ground with the barrier too?"
Azhdaha walked toward Scaramouche. Behind her, a massive hole gaped open in the ground. Scaramouche's face twitched. Damn it, so that was the flaw.
"Heh, may I ask what business you have with me, esteemed adeptus?"
Scaramouche didn't take the little girl seriously—she didn't look like much of a fighter. He was already thinking: if the adepti found out both of them had died near Liyue Harbor, would they come demanding answers?
"Kid, you've been causing trouble this whole time. Looks like I need to teach you a lesson."
"Such big words for someone so small. Looks like I'll be killing two adepti today."
Confident in his abilities, Scaramouche scoffed at Azhdaha's threat. Azhdaha found this amusing. After studying him closely, she didn't think he seemed insane.
"Kid, you seem pretty brave."
"Of course. I'm super brave. Show me what Liyue's adepti can do."
Scaramouche adjusted his hat, striking a pose like a true master, waiting for Azhdaha to make the first move. Xiao, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. He had seen people court death before, but never like this. Letting Azhdaha strike first? He'd be lucky to leave ashes behind.
Azhdaha grinned. This kid had an even bigger mouth than Morax. Even Morax wouldn't dare let her take the first swing without any defense. Looks like this mountain was about to get a little shorter.
Azhdaha took a step forward, and Geo energy began to emanate from her. Scaramouche smirked dismissively. A little girl, even if she was an adeptus, couldn't be that strong. He could crush her with one hand.
Azhdaha took another step, and Cryo energy swirled around her. Scaramouche's expression grew slightly more serious.
Seeing he wasn't afraid, Azhdaha unleashed Pyro. Scaramouche's demeanor shifted. He now considered her a worthy opponent. Still, he had confidence in his own strength.
When Electro and Hydro appeared around Azhdaha, Scaramouche's expression shifted rapidly, finally settling into a smile that looked worse than crying.
"So, uh, esteemed senior, I'm actually pretty close with Su Bai. How about you let me off today?"
"Heh, little one. Now you're scared? Too late. Reflect on your actions in the next life!"
Azhdaha lunged forward, and a storm of elemental reactions erupted on Scaramouche. His body lit up with flashes of every color.
Scaramouche gritted his teeth, planning to tank the blow and escape. But Azhdaha's power was overwhelming. One of his arms broke, and the force of the punch sent him crashing into the barrier, creating massive ripples across its surface.
"Kid, tell me. Where's the factory that makes those things you're carrying?"
"Cough, cough. Senior, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. There are Millelith patrols everywhere in Liyue. I wouldn't be stupid enough to set up a factory in their territory."
"Makes sense. Then I don't care about the rest. Wait... you little brat. Are you playing me?"
Scaramouche grinned, a hint of mockery in his eyes. He had thought this adeptus was troublesome. Turned out she was just another fool.
"Oh no. The little bastard played dirty."
Sensing a shift in the Electro energy on the barrier, Azhdaha quickly shielded Xiao. Just as she suspected, the barrier exploded. The blast flattened the mountaintop.
"Damn it. The mountain did get a bit shorter. Ptooey. Got a mouthful of dirt."
Azhdaha spat out the mud. Sure, she could eat dirt, but after tasting all the delicacies in Liyue Harbor, she had lost her taste for it.
"Haha, farewell, foolish adeptus. Cough, cough."
Scaramouche's mocking voice echoed from above. Azhdaha watched with frustration as he flew away from the dissolving barrier. She couldn't fly.
"Come down here! Fight me one-on-one! I'll show you exactly why flowers are red!"
"I have other matters to attend to today. I'll let you off for now. We'll settle this slowly later."
Though Scaramouche had escaped, Azhdaha's punch had landed solidly. The force, combined with the elemental reactions, was no joke. Even with his abnormal constitution, he would need time to recover.
"Tch. What a coward. If I could fly, you wouldn't have gotten away."
"Xiao, he called you a foolish adeptus too. Aren't you going to chase him down and teach him a lesson? That's disrespect to an adeptus."
"Don't look at me. I'm not an adeptus. This is your job."
Xiao shook his head, his fists clenched in frustration. If he had a few more hours to recover, he could have caught Scaramouche. Unfortunately, he was too slow.
"Hmph. Lucky for him. Let's go, Xiao. We should go see little Su Bai at Cloud Retainer's."
"Don't worry. I sensed Morax nearby when I was near Liyue Harbor. He must have saved the little fox."
"On the way here, I noticed Su Bai seems to have grown an extra tail. Looks like Morax gave him a little gift."