When Luo Qing's vision was restored, his surroundings had transford drastically.
The wooden beams of the ceiling were gone, replaced by a deep crimson sky under a blood-red moon. The wooden floor beneath his feet had beco a stone platform engraved with circular patterns, surrounded by countless shattered torii gates.
Floating in the air before him was a figure identical to the Raiden Shogun. Slowly, she opened her eyes.
"Luo Qing..."
Ei's voice was soft as she rose to her feet.
"Are you... the Shogun?" Luo Qing asked, feigning ignorance.
As always, if he didn't admit to anything, no one could prove that he had used his special item cards.
But before he could continue, Ei's hand moved, and a sword crackling with electricity materialized. She approached him and pressed the blade to his throat.
"Uh..."
Luo Qing was montarily speechless, Why were both of them so quick to draw their swords?
"No bonds or emotions appear out of thin air," Ei said, the blade hovering just centiters from his neck. "I'm curious—how did you plant the seeds of attachnt within my body?"
"Lady Shogun, I—"
Luo Qing began to speak, attempting to use the sa tactics he had with the Raiden Shogun, but Ei cut him off.
"Don't bother pretending. Your eyes betrayed you long ago—you know who I am, don't you?"
"Ah..." Luo Qing sighed.
"Alright, I know who you are... Lady Ei."
Of course, soone who had lived for over a thousand years would be far more perceptive than that emotionless puppet.
"Hmph, I'll give you one more chance to answer."
"There's nothing to explain. What do you want to say?" Luo Qing responded casually.
Even the emotionless Raiden Shogun hadn't managed to draw her sword against him. He didn't believe Ei—who had experienced sisterhood, friendship, and familial love—would truly strike him down.
"You think I won't do it?"
"If I tell you a lie, do you think you'll just let go, Lady Ei?" Luo Qing countered.
Different won required different approaches, and as a forr player, Luo Qing knew one thing:
Ei likes it a bit rough.
"Hmph, interesting."
Without another word, Ei's arm moved, and her blade sliced toward Luo Qing's neck.
"What?!"
Ei, are you really going for it?!
Luo Qing was genuinely taken aback. He hadn't expected Ei to actually attack.
Who still gets slashed when the affection points are over 30?! If it reaches 90, will she commit murder?! These girls are seriously nuts!
Thankfully, Luo Qing was always on high alert. The mont he noticed the shift in Ei's stance, he activated his Ti Zero Field.
In an instant, he dodged her strike, appearing at the edge of the platform, his back pressed against a torii pillar. He was about ten ters away from Ei when he yelled:
"Lady Ei, are you seriously going for it?!"
"Hmph."
Ei didn't waste ti with words. She transford into a bolt of lightning, closing the distance in a flash and swinging her blade at him again.
"Damn it..."
Luo Qing barely had ti to complain before activating his Ti Zero Field once more, evading another lethal slash.
"You're quick, I'll give you that," Ei said calmly, her eyes locked onto him like a predator eyeing prey. "But is running away all you can do?"
Luo Qing could feel her probing gaze, as if she were a hunter toying with her prey. She clearly sensed his sudden bursts of speed. If she exerted her full power, she could probably catch up. But that wasn't her intention—she seed to be testing his limits, not aiming to kill him outright.
"Lady Ei, I'm warning you, don't push ..."
"Oh?"
Another flash of lightning—Ei's blade ford a cage of electricity around Luo Qing, attempting to lock him in.
"Alright, that's it..."
Cornered, Luo Qing had no choice but to activate Ti Zero again, searching for gaps in the electric prison to dodge her strikes. He noticed that her speed was gradually increasing, matching his own adjustnts, as if she were gauging the limits of his abilities.
Is she testing like in the Mont of Wholeness challenge...
After evading another attack, Luo Qing realized that this ga of cat and mouse couldn't continue forever. He needed to counterattack or she would keep pursuing him without end.
With a flick of his thoughts, the Millelith Spear materialized in his hand.
Ti Zero activated once more.
Luo Qing thrust his spear at Ei, but she was ready. Even within his slowed-ti domain, she deflected his thrust with her katana.
"So, you're finally willing to fight back?" Ei asked, her tone neutral.
"Only because I didn't want to embarrass you if you lost too quickly, Lady Ei," Luo Qing retorted.
"Hmph, let's see about that."
Electric shadows flared as lightning surged around the platform. Luo Qing's figure vanished again.
To an observer in normal ti, the platform in the Plane of Euthymia seed empty, save for the intermittent flashes of lightning and the pale yellow glints of a spear in the clash of their battle.
Even at a hundredfold ti dilation, Ei managed to keep up with Luo Qing, leaving him wondering how the Traveler, with the strength displayed during the Osial fight, could ever compete with Ei.
But now wasn't the ti for such questions.
He realized that relying purely on his physical capabilities wasn't enough. Unfortunately, he couldn't harness any elental power in the Plane of Euthymia.
Through their exchanges, he began to understand her strategy. She kept pressuring him, denying him any chance to counter, likely to gauge his abilities rather than kill him outright.
If he wanted to end this duel, he would have to land a decisive blow.
Taking a deep breath, Luo Qing concentrated all his focus. He pushed the ti dilation of Ti Zero to its absolute limit—two hundredfold.
In that mont, Ei's blade, which had been hurtling towards him, froze mid-air. Yet before Luo Qing could launch his counterattack, Ei adjusted to the increased ti dilation and continued her assault.
At two hundredfold, she's still this fast?!
With no other option, Luo Qing summoned a risky move.
[Using 'Learn to ow' Item Card x5]
This card had barely caused a montary distraction for Zhongli, but within the two-hundredfold slowed ti, even a second's hesitation would stretch into an eternity.
As expected, in the slowed domain, Ei's expression shifted—her body wavered for a heartbeat.
Luo Qing seized the opportunity. He lunged forward with his Millelith Spear.
But just before the spear made contact with her face, Luo Qing pulled back. Instead, he reached out with his left hand, which he'd kept hidden, his middle finger bent, and flicked her forehead.
Tap!
A crisp sound echoed through the Plane of Euthymia.
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Thanks for reading! Let know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!
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