Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
With "Wangsheng" ("Passing On") written on the signboard, anyone would guess that this place's business was, most likely, related to death.
On top of that, it was broad daylight.
Yet they openly tied someone up and hauled them out of Liyue Harbor.
No one along the way stopped them or even dared ask what was going on.
That alone was enough to show...
Just what kind of status this "Wangsheng Funeral Parlor" held in Liyue Harbor.
'Liyue has to be a criminal organization!', Lumine shouted.
She was tied up on a wagon in the middle of the street, and the people passing by only gave her a quick glance before ignoring her.
Other than everyone here being bad people, she couldn't think of any other explanation.
'Damn it! I should've never come to Liyue!'
Even if she had to take a huge detour, she should've gone around it. Dan Feng, Inazuma, Sumeru, any of them would've been better than getting kidnapped here.
Levi said, "It wouldn't have made much difference wherever you went."
"The Traveler isn't called that for nothing."
"If nothing happens when you go to a new nation, what's the point?"
'...I suddenly feel like you were insulting me.'
"Then you definitely imagined it.", Levi said seriously.
As Le "Gentleman" Vi, he would never do something like insult others.
Even if someone begged him to insult them, he would firmly refuse.
Lumine looked at her own face and blinked.
She really did feel like she'd just been called out.
And the feeling was very strong.
But right now clearly wasn't the time to argue about that.
She glanced at the killers in front of her. Looking at the sharp weapons in their hands, her expression turned serious.
'Are you confident you can get away from this many people without getting hurt?'
Judging by how they looked, they definitely weren't going to let her leave so easily.
Tsk!
Just how much Mora did Paimon spend to hire them?
Looks like she had some hidden savings she never told her about.
"Confidence?" Levi let out a sneer. "How could I not have confidence?"
How could he keep living without that?
'...'
Lumine hesitated before gritting her teeth.
'It's good that you're confident, but... where are you putting your hand?!'
"The clothes underneath shifted. I'm fixing them. Please understand."
'Not a chance!'
Who fixes their clothes without moving even a single finger?
Levi naturally lowered his arm. His expression didn't change at all as he looked toward Hu Tao, who had stepped forward.
She and the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor staff behind her all pointed their weapons at him.
Levi's mouth twitched twice before he let out a cold laugh.
"So you're Liyue's number one assassin organization..."
Hu Tao froze.
'What?'
'Liyue's number one assassin organization?'
'Who is he talking about?'
'Me?'
While her head was full of question marks, Levi spoke again.
"Even so, if you want to kill me, Iron Legs Water Drifter..."
"It won't be that easy!"
He suddenly raised his head. His golden eyes met Hu Tao's plum blossom-shaped pupils as the corners of his mouth curled upward.
He swept one leg upward.
His front foot, buried in the ground, kicked up a huge cloud of dirt, covering everyone's eyes in front of him and blocking their view of Levi.
Only Hu Tao didn't cover her eyes or dodge like everyone else.
She remained where she was.
This much dust wouldn't affect her much. At most, it only blurred her vision for a moment.
Through the blur, she saw Levi making another move.
Just as Hu Tao was about to tie him up again, she suddenly felt the ground shaking and immediately jumped away from where she had been standing.
Looking carefully, the spot she had just left had turned into a huge pit filled with upward-pointing spikes.
If someone fell in without warning, they'd definitely end up with several holes in their body.
"Ah.", Paimon's voice rang out.
She raised her head high, looking confused.
"H-he flew away."
After spending so much time together, she never knew Lumine could fly.
'No!'
The current Lumine wasn't the Lumine she knew.
This was Lumine after being possessed by an evil spirit.
The reason she could fly was probably because of that evil spirit.
After all, if she had always been able to fly, how could Paimon have never seen her do it before?
If she had that ability, there was no way Lumine would've kept it hidden.
Meanwhile, high in the air, Lumine looked just as shocked after realizing she had risen straight into the sky.
'I can fly too?!'
'She can actually fly?!'
'How do I do it?'
"Use the Anemo element."
It was so obvious, yet she still had to ask.
'...'
'Never mind then.'
Lumine closed her mouth.
She had tried flying with Anemo before, but it could usually only lift her a few meters off the ground. If she went any higher, she'd fall because she didn't have enough Anemo power.
'Looks like I'll only be able to do this after I get stronger.'
To sum it up in four words, 'The future looks bright!'
On the ground, Hu Tao followed Paimon's gaze upward. Seeing Levi flying farther and farther away, her eyes narrowed.
"We can't let him get away like this!"
Liyue was enormous. If he decided to hide, even asking the Millelith for help might not be enough to catch him again.
So...
'I have to keep him here!'
Her Vision glowed faintly as flames covered her spear.
Hu Tao closed one eye, aimed at Levi in the sky, and threw the spear with all her strength.
Long-range attacks came first. There was no way she could match someone flying through the air while staying on the ground.
This was her only option. She could only hope to knock him down.
If she succeeded, great. She'd drag him straight to Wuwang Hill and exorcise him.
But if she failed...
Then until she found him again, she probably wouldn't get another good night's sleep.
"Hm?"
Hearing something cut through the air behind him, Levi turned around and looked at the flaming spear flying toward him.
His eyes narrowed as well. He stretched both hands toward the spear.
"A cheap trick... take it back!"
Anemo gathered around his hands.
Twisting his body, he redirected the spear and sent it back along the same path.
And he added another element to it.
The Anemo sped up the spear while also increasing the area affected by the Pyro element.
Hu Tao's pupils shrank.
She hadn't expected him to have a move like that.
She immediately grabbed the weapon from the person beside her, coated it in Pyro again, and threw it into the sky.
The two attacks collided midair and exploded. A wave of blazing heat rushed toward everyone.
Fortunately, the explosion happened in the sky, so no one was hurt.
"The only pity is that he got away."
Looking at the now empty sky where Levi had disappeared, Hu Tao sighed in frustration.
Who would've thought that someone could break free so easily from a rope as thick as a wrist?
That had already been the thickest rope Wangsheng Funeral Parlor could find.
They couldn't exactly stuff him into a box before he was even dead and seal it with talismans.
That would be far too unethical.
"But judging from the result now, Boss, we really should've done that from the start.", One of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor employees, covered in dust, spoke up.
"That was unexpected."
Hu Tao turned to look at the employees under her.
"What do you think? Was that evil spirit just that powerful, or was the woman it possessed that powerful?"
Probably the evil spirit.
After all, it only took four or five strong men to hold Lumine down.
If she had originally been able to break free from ropes as thick as a wrist, how could those four or five men have restrained her in the first place?
"That may be true, but..."
Hu Tao looked toward the place where Levi had been standing. Confusion filled her eyes.
"I've never heard of an evil spirit making the person it possesses stronger."
"..."
[T/N: Before I start, LEAVE A REVIEW, NOW! Ahem! So, this month's review is up in both my p@treon and d!scord. I talk about what will happen to the works going forward and it matters if you don't want your favorite fanfic to get axed. D!scord invite is in my WebNovel profile. Have a great day~]