Chapter 168. SHOCK!!!
This was a massive mech, and Scaramouche was somewhere inside it.
To be honest, when Futsu Mitama saw the machine for the first time in his previous live, his pupils contracted slightly. This thing—could something like this really be created on the continent of Teyvat?
The most advanced artificial technology he had ever seen before consisted of Ruin Guards and similar ancient constructs. And now, suddenly, a mech like this had appeared.
Looking at the patterns and metallic texture covering its body…DAMN. Was this really technology native to Teyvat?
It was far more shocking than the cyclopean Ruin Guard he had encountered in Sumeru.
That giant construct had merely been large and intimidating in appearance. Its real combat effectiveness had always been somewhat questionable. But the mech Scaramouche was piloting now was an entirely different matter.
To use a simple analogy, it was like a group of primitives shooting arrows with wooden bows—only for one of them to suddenly pull out an assault rifle.
At the moment, Futsu Mitama was the primitive with the wooden bow.
And Scaramouche was the one holding the assault rifle.
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Seeing Futsu Mitama's expression, Scaramouche burst into loud laughter.
Confidence returned to his voice.
"Dottore's creation is truly extraordinary."
"I can feel power overflowing through my body now. Did you think you were the only one with trump cards? How ridiculous!"
"I told you already. If it weren't for that Adeptus disciple interfering, you would never have pushed me this far!"
"Now—submit before the gods!"
"The current me! Even if I haven't ascended to godhood yet… I already possess power comparable to an Archon!"
His voice echoed loudly across the battlefield.
Inside the mech, Scaramouche raised both hands. A freezing chill gathered in his palms before transforming into a laser that shot toward Futsu Mitama.
Futsu Mitama immediately dodged. He had no intention of confronting that attack head-on. Meeting a strike of that magnitude directly would only result in unnecessary losses. Avoiding it was the wiser choice.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
The icy laser struck the ground nearby.
Instantly, the earth froze solid. Frost spread outward, freezing everything it touched.
Futsu Mitama's expression became solemn.
This mech was terrifying.
He wasn't sure whether the power came from Scaramouche himself or from the mech's inherent design. Even though that attack hadn't struck him directly, the freezing aura it released was enough to injure him.
Previously, although Scaramouche had still possessed the stamina to continue attacking, most of his strikes could simply be ignored. Aside from the final lightning spear he had condensed earlier, the rest had not posed a serious threat.
But now—After entering this mech, even Scaramouche's casual attacks forced Futsu Mitama to remain cautious.
"Phase three—"
Futsu Mitama muttered to himself as he gripped his blades with both hands, his expression growing increasingly serious. The mech only possessed an upper body. At its waist was a spherical structure that supported its movement.
It looked like a half-finished creation. And yet, even in this incomplete state, it allowed Scaramouche to wield such terrifying power.
Which meant only one thing. This machine had been custom-built for Scaramouche.
"Archon?"
Despite the tension, Futsu Mitama looked at the mech and spoke calmly.
"How can an Archon be this weak? At our level, shouldn't you know exactly how powerful an Archon truly is?"
"Tell me—can the current you withstand a single strike from the Raiden Shogun? You should understand that a true Archon can—"
Before he could finish speaking—
Scaramouche raised both hands of the mech. Electro and Cryo lasers fired simultaneously toward Futsu Mitama.
Clearly, he had become irritated. Because he knew very well that even the mech Dottore had specially created would likely be unable to withstand the Raiden Shogun's full-power strike.
No one understood the terror of Beelzebub better than he did. But Scaramouche also understood that Archons were not equal in strength.
After entering this mech, he had indeed gained power comparable to an Archon.
Comparable—but only barely.
Even Tartaglia, the lowest-ranked Harbinger, possessed the strength to fight him.
But what did that actually mean? It meant Tartaglia could exchange a dozen blows before collapsing from exhaustion. Technically, that still counted as "being able to fight."
Beelzebub, however, stood at the very peak among the Archons.
How many of the Seven could truly be considered weak?
The young Dendro Archon of Sumeru—born recently and then imprisoned by the Akademiya under the pretense of protection. Only such a powerless Archon would dare be bullied by the Fatui.
The Archons of other regions were entirely different.
The Geo Archon of Liyue.
The Electro Archon of Inazuma.
The Hydro Archon of Fontaine.
The Pyro Archon of Natlan.
Even someone like Dottore would never dare confront the Raiden Shogun directly.
As for Liyue—Sending Tartaglia—the lowest-ranked Harbinger—to retrieve the Gnosis had never been about trust.It was merely to let him cause chaos openly.
Meanwhile, the Cryo Archon secretly negotiated a contract with Morax to obtain the Gnosis.
But even so—
Scaramouche was still deeply irritated by Futsu Mitama's words.
He now possessed power comparable to an Archon!
Perhaps he couldn't defeat Beelzebub. Perhaps he couldn't defeat Dottore.
But could he really not defeat this brat in front of him?
"Already getting anxious?"
Futsu Mitama hadn't expected Scaramouche's temper to be this volatile. He had barely spoken two sentences before the other party lost his composure.
And what he had said was the truth.
He knew very well how powerful Archons were. Even Guizhong, the God of Dust—whose combat ability had never been particularly strong—now possessed power comparable to a top Adeptus after her resurrection.
Given enough time, she would gradually return to her peak. When that happened, Guizhong would likely become one of Liyue's most powerful fighters.
An Archon's title alone represented overwhelming strength.
Even the weakest Demon GOd was not someone ordinary mortals could surpass.
Although Scaramouche was a divine puppet created by Raiden Ei and later modified by Dottore, the genius of Sumeru—
He still hadn't truly reached the level of an Archon. With the mech, he might be infinitely close. But close was not the same as equal.
Scaramouche should have known that.
So why had he suddenly become so angry?
Futsu Mitama felt slightly puzzled.
But faced with the incoming attacks, he didn't dare confront them directly. The battlefield had completely reversed now—he needed to reconsider how to seriously injure Scaramouche.
"Die! Die! Die!!!"
Scaramouche roared.
Even if what Futsu Mitama said was true, he didn't want to hear it. Realizing that simple attacks wouldn't defeat his opponent, Scaramouche began moving the massive mech.
In the blink of an eye—
The mech teleported behind Futsu Mitama. Both of its fists clenched, filled with Electro and Cryo elemental energy, and smashed toward Futsu Mitama's back.
"Wind-walk!"
Futsu Mitama activated the Anemo element. Maple leaves swirled around him as he leapt upward, narrowly avoiding the descending fists.
"Hmph." Scaramouche sneered coldly. "How long do you think you can keep running?"
The mech's fists swung repeatedly, targeting every possible landing position.
"Boom! Boom! Boom—!!!"
Each punch seemed to shatter the air itself. Electro and Cryo energy exploded outward in waves.
Even with the Anemo Archon's authority and the assistance of Chakra Desiderata, Futsu Mitama could not evade everything perfectly.
Electro paralysis slowed his reactions.
Cryo frost reduced his mobility.
In a battle at this level, even the smallest delay could prove fatal.
Futsu Mitama was no exception. Although he dodged as quickly as possible, Scaramouche would never ignore such openings.
Blood began to flow from several wounds on Futsu Mitama's body. Yet his expression remained calm, as if the injuries meant nothing.
"Buzz!"
Chakra Desiderata flashed again, allowing him to narrowly evade a sudden ice spike.
"That's right… this suits your position much better."
Scaramouche sounded extremely pleased now that he had gained the upper hand. Watching Futsu Mitama constantly retreat, he laughed loudly.
"Run. Go on—run if you can escape my grasp."
"Of course, that's impossible. You're like a mole now… and I'm the one playing whack-a-mole."
As he spoke, the mech raised its hand again and slammed it toward Futsu Mitama's teleportation point.
But this time—
There was no elemental power involved. It was a pure physical strike.
"Sizzle—!!"
Seeing this, Futsu Mitama finally stopped retreating. He swung the blade Seven Thunders of Retribution: Narukami. Pure Electro energy erupted from the sword as he slashed directly at the mech's descending hand.
This time, the hand failed to fully land.
It was forced backward. A visible crack appeared across its palm.
Futsu Mitama frowned slightly.
Was this thing really that durable?
He had charged that attack for quite some time…yet it only produced a crack.
Should he use Musou no Hitotachi?
But even if he did, destroying the mech in a single strike would still be impossible.
Originally, Futsu Mitama didn't fear a battle of attrition. But now Dottore had already left Watatsumi Island.
If this dragged on any longer, he might end up facing both Dottore and Scaramouche simultaneously.
That would become extremely troublesome.
He needed to decide the outcome with a single decisive strike.
"You actually dare to resist."
Scaramouche seemed angered by the fact that Futsu Mitama had stopped fleeing. It was like a small animal he had been toying with suddenly biting back.
Cold fury flashed through his eyes.
The mech's hands gathered Electro and Cryo energy again as he prepared to force Futsu Mitama into retreat once more.
"Wait a moment."
Suddenly, Futsu Mitama raised a hand.
Scaramouche actually stopped.
Inside the mech, he looked down at him with amusement.
"What's wrong? Finally realized the gap between us and planning to surrender?"
At the moment, the situation was extremely favorable for Scaramouche. Hidden safely inside the mech, he could slowly recover his stamina. The machine itself was perfectly compatible with his body. After all, it had been created by Dottore—one of the Harbingers' trump cards specifically left for him.
Originally, Scaramouche hadn't intended to use it. He believed his own strength was more than enough to deal with Futsu Mitama and Shenhe.
After all, just over a month ago, Futsu Mitama had been easily defeated.
If the Raiden Shogun hadn't intervened, he and Yae Miko would have already been captured.
Scaramouche had seen Adeptus disciples before. They were strong—but only relatively so. Among mortals, they were impressive.
But compared to the Fatui Harbingers?
They were nothing special.
Yet now, Futsu Mitama had grown frighteningly stronger. And that Adeptus disciple was far from simple as well.
Together, they had pushed him to this point.
Now that Shenhe had left, Futsu Mitama alone could no longer oppose him.
The smartest choice now was surrender.
Futsu Mitama stepped back slightly and looked at the mech.
"No," he said calmly. "I just have a few things I want to say. For example… you Fatui—"
Before he could finish—
Scaramouche suddenly attacked again.
Futsu Mitama immediately teleported away, appearing far from his previous position.
The ground shattered beneath the mech's strike. Scaramouche slowly withdrew its hand and spoke coldly.
"I know you're trying to stall for time. Therefore, I won't give you the chance to deliver a long speech. Hand over the Gnosis, and I will spare your life today."
"Otherwise… I'll kill you and take the Gnosis from your corpse."
Scaramouche understood very well that Futsu Mitama possessed an abnormal ability to recover his stamina. Because of that, he had no intention of wasting time on meaningless conversation.
The plan had already succeeded.
Shenhe rushing to Watatsumi Island meant only one thing—Dottore had already obtained the Electro Gnosis from Yae Miko.
Thinking about that, and recalling the next stage of the Fatui's plan—Scaramouche felt excitement rising in his chest.
But along with that excitement came another desire—the "unexpected" Gnosis.
The Anemo Gnosis itself was useless to him personally, but if he handed it over to the Fatui, he would receive even more support.
Once the Gnosis was delivered to them, it would grant him access to greater resources. And with those resources, his plan to ascend to godhood would become absolutely foolproof.
"The Gnosis?"
Futsu Mitama seemed to realize that stalling for time was no longer possible. He casually took the Anemo Gnosis from his chest and began to play with it in his hand.
Seeing this, Scaramouche immediately became cautious. He didn't believe for a second that Futsu Mitama would hand over the Gnosis so easily.
Taking it out now—
Either he wanted to offer it as a bargaining chip. Or he intended to forcibly unleash the power inside it in an attempt to kill him.
The first possibility wasn't impossible.
According to the intelligence gathered by the Fatui, Futsu Mitama had a habit of making deals.
He had negotiated with Dottore.
He had traded with that brute Tartaglia.
He had even struck a bargain with the cunning and treacherous Signora.
Although one of Dottore's clones had been tricked into its death, Tartaglia had gained considerable benefits, while Signora had nearly been deceived to death.
So Scaramouche believed it was highly likely that Futsu Mitama intended to trade the Gnosis for something.
As for the second possibility—
Scaramouche didn't believe Futsu Mitama still possessed the strength to activate the Gnosis and kill him. As a former vessel of a Gnosis, Scaramouche understood better than anyone how much energy was required to wield its power.
If Futsu Mitama hadn't forced the Gnosis to activate earlier—consuming an enormous amount of stamina—he wouldn't be in this weakened state now, relying on conversation and evasive maneuvers to slowly recover.
Therefore, what truly concerned Scaramouche was what Futsu Mitama intended to say next.
This man was dangerous.
Scaramouche had already heard the story of how Signora had almost been tricked to death by him. He knew exactly how cunning Signora was. Even someone like her had nearly died because of Futsu Mitama's schemes.
Because of that, Scaramouche had already made a decision.
If anything seemed suspicious—He would attack immediately.
"To be honest," Futsu Mitama said slowly, "sometimes I wonder if the Anemo Archon, Venti, foresaw the future when he gave me this."
He glanced briefly at the Chat Group. After seeing Venti's earlier message, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Then he looked back at Scaramouche.
"It feels like he already knew that this Gnosis would become troublesome. And since he hates dealing with trouble the most, he simply handed it to me. Perhaps his real intention was to use my hands to deliver the Gnosis to the Fatui."
"Of course…" Futsu Mitama added casually, "there's another possibility."
"Maybe he wants you to take it from me. And then he can accuse me of losing the Gnosis and force me to become the next Anemo Archon."
Scaramouche frowned.
In his mind, Futsu Mitama's shamelessness had reached a new level.
If the Anemo Archon wanted to abdicate, why would he choose someone from Inazuma instead of Mondstadt?
But hearing those words still made Scaramouche sneer.
"Are you trying to invent a ridiculous excuse to hand me the Gnosis? Or do you intend to give it to me and ask for something in return?"
After a brief pause, he spoke again.
"Well…considering that you plan to give me the Gnosis, I can help you take care of a few minor matters."
"For example… killing Kujou Takayuki. A trivial task like that wouldn't even take much effort."
Scaramouche didn't believe Futsu Mitama's explanation.
Even though his intuition told him the man might actually be telling the truth.
Every sentence sounded absurd.
And yet…none of it sounded false.
But Scaramouche refused to trust that feeling. He simply concluded that his instincts were wrong.
"…"
Futsu Mitama looked at him strangely. Even though he couldn't see Scaramouche's face inside the mech, he still sighed helplessly.
"Honestly, sometimes I can't tell whether you're arrogant—or simply stupid. Do you really think the outcome has already been decided?"
"I haven't used my final move yet. If you can survive that attack…then the Gnosis, or anything else you want, can be yours."
As he spoke, the Anemo Gnosis in his hand began to shine with a brilliant cyan light. At that moment, Futsu Mitama simultaneously activated two authorities within his body—the Electro Authority and the Authority of the Anemo Archon.
Fragments of the two Archons' powers converged together. All of that energy poured into the blade of the Seven Thunders of Retribution: Narukami.
The Gnosis opened.
Pure power surged out of it, flowing into Futsu Mitama's body before being channeled directly into the blade.
In that instant—
The power of the Gnosis and the authorities of two Archons were fused together within a single strike.
"!!!!"
Scaramouche's eyes widened in disbelief. What he was seeing should have been impossible.
How could a human—
How could Futsu Mitama, a mere human—
Use the power of a Gnosis twice?
Unless—
The Fatui's intelligence had been wrong. Perhaps this man wasn't human at all. Perhaps he was some unknown Demon God. After all—
Only beings on the level of Archons could wield the power of a Gnosis so effortlessly.
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