"Pfft—"
Perhaps due to severe injuries, or perhaps from anger surging through him, Childe, after a moment of stunned silence, directly spat out a mouthful of old blood.
Watching his two colleagues flee left and right, Childe's ears echoed with words the Fatui had said to him earlier:
"Very well, then you shall attract Ember…"
Childe had initially thought the Fatui was joking, but he never expected that woman to be serious. The moment they encountered Ember, she abandoned him and fled without looking back.
"Thud!"
Childe collapsed onto the muddy ground left by the receding seawater, his eyes losing their luster, turning him into a salted fish with no desire to resist.
He only hoped Ember would be gentle when he struck, not beating him too severely.
"Whoosh!"
The dragon's roar dissipated, and the displaced seawater surged back, the sound of rushing water echoing once more along the shore.
However, Childe showed no sign of moving, seemingly having given up the struggle.
"Xiao Lu, drag that kid up for me."
Ember saw Childe's resigned state and became anxious on his behalf. This fellow couldn't die; he was still useful.
"Oh? Oh!" Shikanoin Heizou only snapped back to reality upon hearing this. The Harbingers, who had been so imposing just moments ago, were now scattering like monkeys, which made Shikanoin Heizou somewhat disbelieving.
Are Harbingers really that weak?
Looking at his own fists, Shikanoin Heizou felt a sudden surge of confidence. Could he perhaps try challenging a Harbinger now?
But he quickly shook his head, casting aside the fantasy in his mind. This generation of Harbingers might indeed be weak, but it was more likely that Ember was simply too strong.
With that thought, Shikanoin Heizou dutifully ran into the mud and pulled up the despondent Childe.
"Hey! Wake up!" Ember patted Childe's cheek, somewhat bewildered.
"That's not right, with that kind of force just now, it shouldn't have stunned him. This isn't my fault."
As if to defend himself, Ember explained to Shikanoin Heizou before him.
With the strength he had used, it was impossible to stun Childe. Moreover, Gui Ao'er's roar couldn't stun someone; at most, it would tear them to shreds.
"I'm not stupid!"
Childe saw Shikanoin Heizou and Ember pointing and discussing beside him, making it impossible to pretend to be foolish.
So he simply stood up from the ground.
Standing firm on the ground, Childe's first thought was neither to escape nor to stall for time. He pointed at the fleeing Fatui and Balladeer and urgently said:
"Ember, look at those two! If you don't act now, they'll really get away!"
As Childe said, a Harbinger fighting with full power is an extremely terrifying existence in every aspect.
In just that short time, the silhouettes of the Fatui and Balladeer were reduced to mere black dots.
"Uh…"
"Uh…"
Seeing Childe jumping in agitation, Ember and Shikanoin Heizou both scratched their heads. It seemed the Fatui wasn't as unified as they thought?
Patting Childe's shoulder, signaling him to calm down, Ember then crossed his arms and said with immense confidence, "Don't worry, they won't get away."
He turned to face the right, which was the direction the Fatui had fled.
On the ground of the right-side shore, there was a conspicuous scorched mark. It was clear without a doubt that this was left by the Fatui after she transformed into the Crimson Witch of Flames.
"It seems she gained a lot from that previous experiment. In that case, I'll make you feel it even more deeply!"
After a moment of reflection, Ember cupped his hands over his face.
His fingers twitched within the viewing slit of his helmet, as if something shouldn't be appearing in his eyes.
And indeed it was so; as Ember's fingers twitched, streaks of yellow-red sparks shot out from his viewing slit.
His whole body also twitched involuntarily, looking as if he were having a seizure.
Frenzied Flame — a Prayer from the Three Fingers of Frenzy. It can condense and release yellow Frenzied Flame from the eyes. By charging it, its power can be enhanced and defenses can be broken through.
In the past, those who attempted to wield the Frenzied Flame all ended up in madness at the conclusion of those desperate internal wars, without exception. This Prayer is proof of a slight victory over the Frenzied Flame.
"Hiss—"
A dazzling yellow beam of light shot out from Ember's eyes, traversing an immense distance and accurately striking the Fatui.
"Ah!"
A faint scream came from afar, and a black dot vanished.
"Xiao Lu, bring her to me!" Ember wiped the viewing slit on his helmet. This was the downside of his laser eyes.
He had to wipe his helmet every time he used it.
"Why have I become the corpse-retriever?"
Shikanoin Heizou grumbled, but still used his Anemo element power to rush towards where the Fatui had fallen.
"Good!"
Childe cheered directly upon seeing the Fatui receive her retribution. She had abandoned him as a pawn; now she couldn't escape, could she?
Unbeknownst to him, Childe had already given up hope of escaping.
"But there's still one more over there!" Childe immediately warned, seeing that Balladeer's figure had already disappeared.
He looked exactly like a dog-headed strategist.
"Why are you more anxious than me? Are you an undercover agent from some faction within the Fatui?"
Ember immediately grew suspicious of Childe's background, seeing his impatient demeanor.
If the Fatui could plant spies in other factions, there was no reason other factions couldn't do the same.
Perhaps some spy had even become a Harbinger? Ember felt that Childe currently resembled that spy.
"I'm not, don't talk nonsense! I am loyal to the Tsaritsa!" Childe hurriedly clarified upon hearing Ember's slander.
His actions were purely directed at the Fatui and Balladeer, and had nothing to do with loyalty.
It was just that the Fatui and Balladeer were the most abrasive speakers among the Harbingers, and he had tolerated them for a long time.
"Alright, no need to rush, they won't get away." Ember silently sensed Balladeer's location, then snapped his fingers, much to Childe's bewildered gaze.
"Snap!"
"You're…"
"Boom!"
Childe's latter half of the sentence was drowned out by the explosion in the distance. He felt the heat on his cheek and turned his head.
He saw large gouts of molten lava erupting in the far distance, making it seem like Natlan!
"Why is there so much magma under Inazuma?" Ember was also startled. This was originally intended to prevent any captured Fatui from escaping, but Balladeer had stepped on it first.
This made Ember realize the power of scorching lava in Inazuma. It seemed such things couldn't be used casually in the future.
Seeing Childe stunned by the scene before him, Ember sharply slapped him on the back of the head.
"How long can your Sixth Seat last in lava? Can he last until you finish watching? If you don't want your seat to go up one rank, hurry up and pull him out!"
"Under… understood!" Ember's words brought Childe back to his senses. He nodded belatedly and ran towards the churning lava in the distance.
He didn't actually want Balladeer to die. If he died, the Fatui would lose one of their high-tier combatants, and it wouldn't help him get a promotion at all.
The latter was the real reason he didn't want Balladeer to die.
Harbingers in the Fatui were not promoted; they fought their way up.
With Shikanoin Heizou and Childe both gone to retrieve people, Ember wasn't idle either. He looked at the fallen Fatui lying on the ground and moved them further away from the shore.
Originally, he had intended to turn all these Fatui into organic fertilizer to enrich the barren land of Yashiori Island.
But now, with Harbingers here, and since he was relatively "familiar" with them, he should be able to persuade these people.
Ember looked down at his dark fists and nodded with satisfaction.
It wasn't "should be able to," it was "definitely will be able to!"
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