After being left alone by Merraid and the other two women, Venti certainly didn't stay in the alley any longer. He continued with his plan to go to the Church of Favonius—specifically, the cathedral's front courtyard, one of the places where he busked.
But he didn't know that Eiji wasn't the only one hunting for his Gnosis that day.
*Swosh! Swosh!*
Two Fatui agents—a Cicin Mage and several Skirmishers—suddenly leaped down from the shadows of the cathedral's roof, surrounding Venti in a tight combat formation.
"Huh?"
Venti was shocked, of course.
In a single day, he'd been ambushed twice!
Isn't Mondstadt's security really lax? Where were the knights when one of the citizens was in trouble on the street!
Venti didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He was a hapless Archon.
Before he could say something that sounded like a joke—
"!" The ground beneath his feet froze instantly, trapping him in place.
A tall woman in an opulent white-and-red gown stepped gracefully out of the darkness, radiating an extraordinary Cryo aura. La Signora finally moved to launch her ambush.
Just like in the original work.
"Finding you here all alone really saves me time, little rat." Signora addressed the Archon standing before her with that very epithet. With the arrogance befitting a Harbinger, she looked down on Barbatos, who looked like a sissy.
If this were a game, the protagonist Lumine would have been there to try to protect Venti—even though her efforts would have been in vain, since she was easily defeated by several elite Fatui agents.
In this life, Lumine was busy going on a date with Eiji. Venti was completely alone, with no one to help him.
Without wasting time on discussion, Signora darted forward at high speed. Her right hand, coated in dense ice energy, shot forward, striking Venti's stomach with a powerful blow that produced a loud thud.
*BLAM!*
"Ugh...!" Venti spat out saliva, his body doubled over in excruciating pain until he knelt on the stone floor of the church courtyard.
Signora didn't give him a moment's respite. With a cruel, triumphant grin, she grabbed Venti by the collar of his green robe, lifting the traveling poet's petite body into the air. "Now, give us what our queen desires, Barbatos!"
Signora said before plunging her left hand through Venti's chest to forcibly seize the Anemo Genosis.
Signora's hand penetrated the energy center of Venti's chest. However, the energy ripples she had expected were nowhere to be felt. Her triumphant excitement suddenly evaporated.
Signora pulled her hand back, and her palm was completely empty—no glowing chess piece, no god's core, nothing at all.
Venti, still gasping for breath in her grip, could only offer a faint smile and weakly say, "Ehe… I'm sorry, Rosalyne. But the item you're looking for… has already been taken by someone else. You're too late."
He recognized Signora and knew her real name. He also knew she worked for the Tsaritsa, and if it were her, he wouldn't mind giving his Genosis to her.
Especially since Venti remembered an incident from the past—one caused by his own laziness—that had turned an ordinary young woman from Mondstadt into a cold and vengeful figure after she lost her family in a massive disaster 500 years ago.
That ordinary young woman was Rosalyne—or Signora—who now stood before him. Venti looked at her with guilt in his eyes.
(A/N: Rosalyne turned evil because of her boyfriend's death, but since this is fanfiction, I changed it.)
Hearing Venti's words, Signora's entire body tensed. The cruel smirk on her beautiful face vanished instantly, replaced by a hideous, furious expression.
Her eyes flashed with annoyance at the fact that she had been beaten to it by someone she didn't know.
"W-What did you say?!" Signora raised her voice, her tone trembling with explosive anger. She roughly slammed Venti's body to the ground, causing the ice around them to shatter into pieces. It wasn't just because Venti had dared to mention her real name, but also because— "Who… who dared to seize the Anemo Gnosis before me? Who did this, Barbatos?!"
She demanded harshly of the Archon standing before her.
Venti didn't answer; instead, he scratched his cheek with an awkward expression.
"Answer me or die, Barbatos." Signora said coldly, a murderous intent flashing in her eyes. "With your current power, and without your Gnosis, do you think I'm incapable of killing you?"
She thought Barbatos was truly weak; he was nothing like he used to be. An Anemo Archon who had fallen to such a low level.
That made her look down on him even more. His past negligence also made her hate him so much that she wanted to kill him.
However, Signora didn't know that Barbatos was actually pretending. If he used his power, the surrounding buildings—and even the entire city—would be blown away by the wind.
Barbatos didn't want that to happen.
So, he chose not to fight back and let Rosalyne take out her frustration on him.
"You... You still don't want to answer? Fine! You can die, Barbatos." The Cyro element within Signora surged, and a freezing chill spread throughout the area.
She reached out her hand toward Venti, but before she could unleash her deadly attack, a feminine voice rang out.
"Stop!"
Footsteps approached from behind.
Signora and the other Fatui agents turned around to see Lumine, Barbara, Paimon, Xianyun, and Eiji.
The one who shouted was Lumine.
Eiji gave a faint smile; upon seeing Signora, his eyes lit up.
[Is that Signora? It must be her. Just like Lumine and the other women in Teyvat, she's even more beautiful than she was in the original work.]
Of course, the original versions of those women are more beautiful because the game's graphics and frame rate don't limit their beauty.
"....." Lumine, Xianyun, and even Barbara glanced at Eiji without saying a word. By the way, the latter had also been able to hear his inner voice for a while now.
Signora's gaze, too, couldn't help but be drawn to Eiji. Compared to other men, he was the most handsome man she had ever seen.
"What? Why are you all staring at me?" Eiji asked, confusion written all over his face.
He knew he—
[Host, don't be a narcissist.]
Okay, Miss System.
My fault, don't be upset, okay?
"Oh... the Traveler who loves to meddle in other people's business." Signora sneered; she stopped reaching out her hand toward Venti. "And you brought a church servant and a bunch of useless foreigners? Don't get in my way if you still value your life."
"Um, does Paimon count?" Paimon asked curiously.
Signora glared at her.
Paimon was terrified and immediately hid behind Xianyun.
"?" Xianyun was confused. Why was this fairy using her as a shield? If Paimon had to guess, it was because Lumine seemed to be about to fight the villains right in front of them.
So, she could only take cover behind someone else, and among them, she chose Xianyun.
It's because she's an Adeptus—she's at least strong, right?
"This is Monstadt, and you're near the Church of Favonius. People from Fatui like you actually dare to attack a civilian in broad daylight like this!"
It wasn't Lumine who retorted to Signora, but Barbara. She glared at the villainess unfriendly.
"Of all people, you're the ones who even attacked Venti. You're truly pathetic."
Venti was glad that Lumine, Barbara, and a few others seemed to have come to help him.
However, was it just his imagination, or did Barbara think he was even more pathetic than the ordinary citizens living in Mondstadt?
Venti's lips twitched.
He was an Archon, but since he was pretending, he didn't deny that he was truly pathetic.
"Church servant, your tongue is sharper now than it was when you were pleasing the people of this city as an idol. That's a bit surprising."
Signora looked surprised, but immediately gave Barbara a mocking smile.
Barbara was annoyed and scowled. She wanted to retort to Signora's mockery, but an arm was placed on her half-exposed shoulder.
Ahem! It was Eiji, and he said, "Barbara, calm down. In this situation, rather than getting into a verbal fight with the enemy, we should defeat them as quickly as possible."
"Eiji, you're right!"
Barbara calmed herself down, and her expression softened again. She also blushed slightly because, at that moment, a man was touching her skin!
As a church servant, she was, of course, a pure young woman. She often kept her distance from the opposite sex.
So, that sudden physical contact took her by surprise.
[Barbara +3]
[Barbara +2]
[Barbara +3]
Hehehe.
[Ehehehe.]
Miss System: You two, stop laughing!
Eiji: This woman... Is she jealous?
Leme: Is Miss Neighbor jealous? Our King really is extraordinary.
Miss System took a deep breath, trying to ignore what the two of them were saying.
"Eiji?" It wasn't just Signora—Venti also reacted to the name Eiji.
They just realized that the incredibly handsome man with white hair was Eiji!
"That's me, Eiji." The man, Eiji, introduced himself just like Dio in the JoJo series. Of course, none of them knew what JoJo was.
However, cultured people out there should at least know about it or have watched the series!
"So you're Eiji? You're more handsome than I expected." Signora said with a gaze that wasn't quite as cold as before.
She even said, "After I defeat the Traveler and the others, we need to talk."
[Yare-yare. This is...]
Eiji, I'm sure you've got the wrong idea!
Many heroines think that way.
Xianyun didn't know why, but even though she was usually calm and not easily provoked, she was now a little annoyed.
She stared at Signora impassively.
"Your name is Signora? One of the Fatui? You seem to be underestimating this woman too much."
"To be precise, I am La Signora, one of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers. You look pretty old; I doubt you're stronger than me."
"O-Old?" Veins bulged on Xianyun's forehead, her breathing quickened, and her breasts trembled slightly! The sight was clear to Eiji, who secretly recorded and stored the scene in a specific folder in his mind. "Arrogant! This woman is—"
Before Xianyun could reveal her true identity, Eiji also placed his hand on her shoulder. "Xianyun isn't old, and she's just as beautiful as you, Signora!"
"Eiji, what are you saying!?"
Xianyun glared at the man beside her, feeling both pleased and annoyed. That's because not only did he touch her and compliment her, he was also flirting with the woman who was their enemy.
This guy...
He's a bastard.
Even so, Xianyun didn't hate him; she didn't even brush his hand off her shoulder.
Signora widened her eyes and gave an amused look. "You seem to be good at seducing women, Eiji. But seducing me, Signora? If it weren't for your skills, which my organization might need, I would've frozen you to death by now."
Hiss!
Hearing Rosalyne's cruel words, Venti hissed. He felt even more guilty because it seemed he was also the reason that woman would remain single forever.
He had underestimated Eiji.
Instead of being frightened, the handsome, white-haired man chuckled and shook his head.
Signora furrowed her brow.
What did that mean?
Didn't Eiji believe that she could really kill him that easily!?
"Enough! I won't let you kill Eiji, and I'll save Barb—Venti!" Lumine snapped with an indifferent expression and cold, golden eyes. However, she almost called Venti by his real name.
In her previous missions, she had learned that Venti was the Anemo Archon, and he had helped her quite a bit.
As a protagonist—or a wanderer who loves to meddle in other people's affairs, as Signora put it—she couldn't ignore Venti, who seemed to be in serious trouble.
Lumine has a hero complex. Otherwise, she wouldn't be the protagonist in Genshin Impact.
Without wasting any more time, Lumine stomped her foot on the ground, triggering a vortex of Anemo energy in her palm to shoot forward, piercing through the ice-covered ground. She intended to break through immediately to save Venti.
However, Signora didn't even budge a millimeter from her position. "Take care of these pesky rats."
She gave the order to her subordinates.
*Swosh! Swosh!*
Two Fatui Cicin Mage agents immediately teleported, emerging from behind the purple mist and blocking Lumine's escape route. At the same time, a pair of burly Fatui Skirmishers—a Pyrogunner and a Cryogunner—stepped forward, creating a thick, elemental-layered defensive wall.
Lumine swung her sword, trying to unleash a wind slash to scatter the Fatui faction. However, the tactical combination of these elite Snezhnaya agents was too solid. Shots of ice and fire crossed in the air, creating a continuous series of Melt reactions that forced Lumine's position back.
[To be honest, I'd forgotten about elemental reactions in Genshin Impact. Can that happen in this world, too?]
You didn't know!?
Xianyun and Barbara were slightly taken aback.
"Kugh..." Lumine growled in frustration, her breathing becoming heavy as she realized she was even having trouble defeating the few elite Fatui agents in front of her.
Her current level still wasn't high enough to defeat them all at once.
While Signora continued to watch from a distance with a condescending gaze. On the other side, Eiji was still holding onto Barbara and Xianyun's shoulders.
The two women wondered when he would let go of them.
And was he just going to stand by and watch?
"Sigh..." Eiji let out a sigh.
He slowly lowered both hands from the shoulders of the two beautiful women beside him. He stepped forward; his relaxed footsteps sounded crisp on the frozen stone floor of the cathedral courtyard.
"Lumine, step back and leave them all to me."
Hearing what Eiji said, Signora immediately shot him a scornful glance. "Oh, so you're not only incredibly handsome and capable of creating advanced technology—you can also fight? But defeat all of us by yourself? How ridiculous."
She looked down on the man.
And she would come to regret it very soon.
To be precise, just a few seconds from now.
Two giant Fatui Skirmisher agents turned away from Lumine, aiming their flamethrowers and ice maces directly at Eiji. However, before they had a chance to pull the triggers on their weapons, Eiji's figure suddenly vanished completely from everyone's sight.
*ZAP!*
Eiji had teleported in a matter of milliseconds, using sheer physical strength. He instantly appeared right in the middle of the Fatui forces' encirclement.
"Renewal Taekwondo: Hoeook."
He muttered, but his voice rang clearly in everyone's ears.
Eiji pivoted on his left foot, then unleashed a super-fast horizontal circular kick with his right leg. That casual movement manipulated the air pressure to an extreme degree, creating a cutting windwave that exploded violently in all directions.
*BOOOOOOMMMM!!!*
With just a single sweep of that air kick, the two giant Skirmishers and the Cicin Mages were immediately hurled into the air. Their thick iron armor shattered into pieces, and all their elemental weapons exploded without a trace. The Fatui elite forces that had been pressing against Lumine now lay lifeless on the stone floor within a full second.
"I-Incredible! With just a single hand kick, Eiji defeated all the Fatui elite agents?!" Paimon exclaimed, her face full of admiration.
The same was true for Barbara, Paimon, and Xianyun.
The smug smirk on Signora's beautiful face vanished instantly. Her pupils contracted in disbelief at what she had just witnessed.
"That kind of speed and physical strength... Eiji, you've really surprised me! I admit that I underestimated you!"
Before Signora could activate her Crimson Witch of Flames form or raise her ice shield, Eiji was already standing right in front of her.
"You realized it too late, beautiful."
They were so close that Signora could feel the chill of Eiji's breath.
She panicked and didn't have time to react to his next move.
"Renewal Taekwondo: Baekdu."
Eiji launched a sharp knee strike straight at Signora's solar plexus, followed by a heel strike that came crashing down from above—all in a single, perfectly synchronized motion.
*BLAAAMRRR!!!*
The impact generated tremendous internal pressure. Signora felt excruciating pain and nearly fainted on the spot.
Eiji held back against the beautiful woman, but that didn't mean he wouldn't inflict pain on her.
Signora's body shot straight down, slamming into the stone floor of the cathedral courtyard, shattering it into pieces and creating a crater two meters deep.
"....." Everyone, including Venti.
Brutal.
That's what they thought of Eiji's fighting style.
This was the first time they'd seen someone use a kick to take down so many people.
Venti shuddered; he'd much rather be attacked with elemental power than with such a powerful physical strike.
Even an Archon like him could still feel the pain!