Lucas thought to himself, If I ever write a moir a few decades from now, this experience would definitely make the top three in "My Most Outrageous Near-Death Escapes."
The only comfort was that he had already had Barbara's "first glass of red wine." Otherwise, his current state would've been enough to make him lose his sanity.
"Oh, Daddy, do you need comforting?" Klee tugged lightly at Lucas's sleeve, her little brows knitted with worry. "Klee cares about Daddy a lot!"
"Daddy's fine now," Lucas patted Klee's head with a smile. "And don't bla Barbara; she didn't an it."
"Barbara!" Klee cupped her little hands together and shouted up at Barbara, looking up with a big smile. "Daddy doesn't bla you! And I don't either!"
"Well, thanks a lot, you two..." Barbara responded, her face stricken with helpless embarrassnt. "So... whose turn is it next? Let's get this over with; I don't want to stay like this a second longer than I have to!"
"But I think it's amazing!" To everyone's surprise, Klee looked up at Barbara with envy. "Being able to grow so big is super cool!"
"It's not cool at all..." Barbara murmured with a pout. "That's not the kind of 'growing up' I wanted, and besides..."
Besides, that embarrassing mont had almost broken her!
For a sweet, gentle girl like Barbara, suddenly growing so huge was indeed hard to accept.
"In any case, the faster we get on with the ga, the sooner your size will go back to normal." Without further delay, Lucas picked up the dice and rolled them.
A three and a five—eight steps.
[The player will be teleported to the person who most wants you dead. You will return in three hours; if you die, you will be removed from the ga.]
"The person who most wants Lucas dead?" Jean frowned slightly. "What does that an?"
"Captain Jean, sothing's wrong!" Klee gasped. "Daddy's gone again!"
She glanced suspiciously at the enormous Barbara and, hands on her hips, said, "Did Barbara hide Daddy again?"
"I did not!" Barbara protested, her face—no, her giant face—turning red. "Where would I even hide him?!"
To be honest, there were places she could hide him... and more than one.
Jean looked around, and sure enough, Lucas had completely vanished from where he had been standing a mont ago.
"What happened?" Jean muttered, her face worried. "If he really got teleported to soone who wants to kill him, that could be dangerous."
"N-no way!" Klee shook her head vigorously. "Daddy's a good guy. Why would anyone want to kill him?"
"Good people are often the easiest to hold grudges against," Jean sighed but remained resolute. "But with his skills, I doubt he'd be killed so easily. Don't worry, Klee."
"I'm not worried about Daddy—I'm more worried about Barbara!" Klee said with innocent curiosity, scratching her cheek. "If she has to 'go potty' while she's this big... wouldn't the potty be... really big?"
"Stop thinking about such weird things!" Barbara wailed in embarrassnt.
---
Strange... where is this place?
Lucas opened his eyes, only to realize that he was no longer on the island board but in a confined space.
Beneath him, he felt a gentle swaying.
It's... a sedan chair!
It dawned on him that he was seated inside a palanquin. Drawing back the curtain, he saw that it was nightti, and he was in Liyue, the familiar streets stretching out beyond him.
Strangely, even though this was usually when Liyue's night market would be bustling, the streets were nearly empty, with only a few shops still open.
Just then, the sedan chair halted, and a deferential voice ca from outside:
"Young Master, there's a strange woman blocking the road ahead. Should we shoo her away?"
Young Master?
Lucas was montarily puzzled, but he quickly understood.
In his simulation experiences, he had twice played the role of a young master. Once was with the Lawrence family in Mondstadt, but since he was currently in Liyue, there was only one possibility.
He was now in his first simulation, the one involving a dark version of Keqing.
They say people always rember their first experience most vividly.
Now he understood the aning of being "teleported to the person who most wants you dead."
Indeed, if there were anyone who wanted him dead, she'd undoubtedly be at the top of the list.
"No need to be rude," Lucas replied, lifting the curtain and stepping out of the sedan. "She... is my guest."
Sure enough, at the end of the road stood a purple-haired woman. The moonlight was at her back, obscuring her face, but her violet eyes glowed ominously.
With a sudden "boom," a bolt of lightning cracked across the clear sky, sending a shiver through the sedan-bearers.
"It's... it's the Thunder Rakshasa!"
"Oh no... it's that fiend!"
"Young Master, run! She's a demoness!"
It was Keqing, but in this world, she had another identity—Thunder Rakshasa.
In this simulation, Lucas had played the role of a school bully who liked to tornt his classmates, especially Keqing. His bullying had led to her being ostracized by her peers. After a series of tragic events, Keqing had not only lost her chance to beco the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing but had also chosen to descend into darkness, joining the Abyss Order and becoming the "Thunder Rakshasa."
By this point, Keqing had committed several serious cris in Liyue, and all her victims were forr classmates who had once bullied her. Now, she was here for him, the "mastermind" behind it all.
In the simulation, Lucas had undoubtedly been executed by Keqing, and now, the board's magic had transported him to that fateful mont.
"Well, well... it's been a long ti."
Keqing walked forward, her movents calm and deliberate as she drew her sword from her waist. The blade crackled with lightning.
Unlike the Keqing of reality, "Thunder Rakshasa" looked identical in appearance and build, but her aura and personality had transford completely.
"Yes," Lucas replied, taking a step toward her, his face unafraid and smiling. "It has been a long ti, hasn't it?"
The attendants around him were now completely terrified, shouting, "Young Master! Don't go over there! She's the ruthless Thunder Rakshasa!"
"Hmph... they're not wrong," Keqing sneered. "I am indeed a ruthless killer."
"Oh?" Lucas remarked casually. "Then... don't your eyes get dry?"
Keqing blinked, montarily thrown off guard. She had expected him to be scared out of his wits, yet here he was, making jokes instead.
"Lucas!" she growled, gritting her teeth and gripping her sword, ready to strike, when suddenly Lucas stretched out his arms and pulled her into an embrace.
"Keqing!" Lucas patted her back, his voice thick with emotion. "I missed you so much!"
"You...!" Keqing trembled, shoving him away with fury on her face. "How dare you mock !"
"I'm not trying to mock you," Lucas shook his head, smiling. "Ever since you left, I've missed you dearly."
Keqing was montarily taken aback, but she quickly let out a cold sneer. "Lucas! Do you really think I'm still the naive girl I was ten years ago? Don't think a few soft words will make forgive you. All the pain I've endured up until now was for one purpose alone... to kill you!"
With that, Keqing raised her sword, ready to thrust it at Lucas.
However, Lucas noticed that, perhaps due to his words, Keqing's movents were slightly slower than usual.
By now, Lucas's abilities far exceeded those of the lazy, spoiled young master from his first simulation. Instead of being hit, he dodged like a slippery eel, avoiding her blade with ease. Seizing the mont, he pinched her cheek with a grin. "Your temper's as nasty as ever, but you're even prettier now."
"You...!"
Keqing was both embarrassed and enraged, but more than anything, she was shocked. How had Lucas suddenly beco so powerful?
For this revenge, Keqing had planned ticulously. She had carefully studied each target, knowing full well that Lucas was a useless rich kid who knew nothing but falconry and dogs. Confident in her ability to kill him in the street, she'd never expected his strength to have increased so much.
But she wasn't about to give up on her revenge. Dark lines of energy began to appear across her skin, crackling with purple lightning. The surge of electricity made Lucas's fingers sting, and he quickly pulled his hand back.
This wasn't the power of a Vision. In this world, Keqing hadn't been granted a Vision. Her control over Electro energy was the result of modifications from the Abyss Order.
The dark markings on her skin shimred like lightning, which had earned her the title "Thunder Rakshasa."
"Thunderstorm Surge!"
Keqing's sword unleashed a fierce bolt of lightning that struck toward Lucas's chest. Lucas didn't dodge, instead activating his Diamond Body ability to absorb the first blow.
Although this ability reduced the attack's damage by ninety percent, Lucas still felt a numbing sensation throughout his body. If he had taken the full force, he'd likely be paralyzed.
It was undeniable that this "Thunder Rakshasa" was stronger than the real Keqing—though that power ca at a price.
Lucas could see the pain in her eyes, twisted with hatred and suffering.
Seeing that her powerful technique had failed, Keqing gritted her teeth, unleashing a flurry of strikes at Lucas, all aid at his chest. But with his agile movents, Lucas dodged each one with ease.
"Damn it!" Keqing shouted in frustration. "If you're so strong, then fight back! Or are you just here to toy with ?"
"Well, since you asked..."
Lucas slipped behind her, and before she could react, he reached up and plucked a hairpin from her hair. Her violet hair cascaded down, and he twirled the hairpin between his fingers with a smirk.
The hairpin wasn't particularly beautiful and was rather old-fashioned, but it glead from being worn so often.
[Talent Activated: A Knight Never Fights Barehanded.]
[New Weapon Acquired: Thunderstrike Pin]
[Effect: Increases attack speed by 30%, adds Electro damage]
Seeing her hairpin in his hand, Keqing was furious. "Give that back!"
"Oh, you want it?" Lucas continued twirling it with a mischievous grin. "Co and take it."
"Die!"
Keqing's anger flared, her lightning intensifying. The crackling electricity on her blade lit up the night sky.
Sword flashed with lightning, hairpin glinted with silver.
Keqing's strikes were fast and fierce, but Lucas deflected each one effortlessly with the small hairpin. Sparks of electricity flew as their weapons clashed in the dimly lit street, illuminating the scene with a flickering glow.
The few people left on the street fled in fear, leaving only Lucas's servants, who, too worried about their master's safety, stayed close despite their terror.
They could hardly believe what they were witnessing. The usually lazy young master, who never seed to take anything seriously, was now skillfully holding his own against the infamous "Thunder Rakshasa" with just a hairpin.
While Lucas remained calm, Keqing grew increasingly anxious. Killing soone in the middle of the street was dangerous enough, and her plan had been to finish him in two minutes and then flee.
But now, after battling Lucas for so long, she knew it wouldn't be long before the Ministry of Affairs dispatched guards. Not only would her revenge fail, but she herself might be captured.
Realizing this, Keqing frowned and crossed her blades over her chest, summoning even more lightning.
"Secret Sword: Celestial Thunder Parade!"
In a flash, Keqing leapt into the air, splitting into a dozen lightning-ford shadows that encircled Lucas.
This technique, created by combining her family's Cloud Sword Style with Electro power, was her fastest and most lethal move, one so swift it could seemingly strike down stars.
No one had ever escaped her shadow-blade formation unscathed.
However, rather than trying to escape, Lucas closed his eyes as he stood surrounded.
Is he surrendering to his fate?
Keqing smirked, her shadows charging at him from all directions, while her true form waited just behind him, prepared to strike through his chest.
But just as Keqing moved, Lucas abruptly spun around and hurled the hairpin straight at her face. Startled, Keqing reflexively blocked with her sword. At that mont, Lucas slipped under her defenses, grabbed her ankle, and with a powerful twist, slamd her down onto the ground.
Keqing felt a jolt of pain through her entire body, her head spinning from the impact. In the distance, she suddenly heard the sound of disciplined, hurried footsteps.
"Ministry of Affairs! All unrelated individuals, clear the area!"
Hearing this, Keqing's heart filled with despair.
She had endured years of suffering and even descended into the Abyss for power, only for it all to end like this.
She was a wanted criminal with nurous charges, and if the Ministry of Affairs captured her, her fate would be sealed. Furious, she glared at Lucas, "Just... kill !"
"Why would I kill you?" Lucas picked her up, placing her inside his sedan chair. As he closed the curtain, he shot her a aningful smile and said, "We're old classmates, Keqing... our story isn't over yet."
The sedan-bearers and servants, seeing Lucas carry the "Thunder Rakshasa" into the chair, looked at each other in shock. But Lucas cast a cold glance at them, saying, "I'm taking her back for interrogation. Be careful not to let any word of this slip."
The sedan-bearers exchanged nervous glances before nodding.
Although the eldest young master Lucas was usually arrogant and lazy, at this mont, he exuded a powerful aura that made it hard for anyone to breathe.
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