The massive Geo sword, formed from the power of Geo, dissolved back into elemental energy, vanishing in the blink of an eye. The shattered space around them creaked and groaned, slowly collapsing. From within the collapsing space, a man dressed in luxurious robes stepped forward, retracting his finger. There was no doubt—he was the one who had just blocked Longhua's attack.
Arlecchino finally regained her ability to move. However, she didn't act rashly. Instead, she bowed her head slightly in respect to the man who had saved her.
Longhua continued to gaze downward, her calm eyes meeting his equally composed gaze. Lumine, her body screaming with a sense of danger, gripped her dull blade tightly, staring nervously at the man who had suddenly appeared on the scene. She was also slightly confused.
Her body was warning her of danger—this man was far more threatening than anyone she had ever encountered before. Yet, despite the alarms going off in her body, her mind was filled with confusion.
What was going on? Why was the man from her dreams here? Was that not just a simple dream? Or was she still dreaming?
Her doubts grew, but the warnings from her body only intensified. This was no dream. Unlike the man from her dreams, the overwhelming pressure he exuded was beyond anything Lumine had ever experienced. As a traveler who had journeyed through countless worlds, this was the first time she had felt such terrifying pressure.
Her body trembled instinctively, her soul quivered, and her mind screamed in alarm. The fear that welled up from the depths of her heart slowly consumed her entire being. Lumine wasn't the only one affected—Paimon and Arlecchino were equally overwhelmed.
Only Longhua remained unaffected. She continued to gaze calmly at the man who had suddenly appeared. Her body slowly descended, landing in front of Lumine and Paimon. The man also descended gently, landing in front of Arlecchino.
Their eyes remained locked, silently observing each other. Then, in a calm voice, Longhua spoke first.
"It's you."
The man nodded slightly.
"It's me."
Longhua spoke indifferently, "I've seen you before."
The man replied in the same tone, "I've seen you as well."
"Who are you?"
"Ye, the Supreme Bishop of the Fontaine Cathedral."
"So, you're the Supreme Bishop?"
"If there's only one well-known Supreme Bishop in this world, then I suppose I'm the one you're referring to."
"Why are you doing this?"
"I just wanted to see your 'power.'"
"What's the point?"
"From what I can see now, there's no point." Ye said nonchalantly, "It seems you were just lucky to obtain that power, rather than acquiring it through your own efforts."
"Do you want that power?"
"It was originally my power."
"..."
Longhua fell silent for a moment, then gripped her sword with both hands.
"Take one strike from me. If you can withstand it, you may leave."
Ye's expression remained indifferent. "You're clever, but not everything in this world goes as you wish."
"Are you afraid?"
"There's simply no need. I don't like doing unnecessary things."
As he spoke, he glanced back at Arlecchino.
"Let's go, Arlecchino."
With that, he turned and stepped back into the shattered space.
"Yes, Supreme Bishop."
Arlecchino responded respectfully and followed him.
Longhua pursed her lips, her sharp eyes fixed on the collapsing space... but she remained motionless. The shattered space gradually healed, and just before it completely closed, Longhua finally spoke, her voice cold:
"Supreme Bishop of the Fontaine Cathedral, one day, I will come to settle this debt with you. When that time comes, you won't be able to threaten my people anymore. Instead, it will be me threatening you."
From the other side of the space, a calm voice echoed:
"I've never been one to be threatened. If you want to threaten someone, it will have to be our Lady Furina. If you wish to face the judgment of the God of Justice, Fontaine will always welcome you."
"After all, Lady Furina has been looking forward to judging a god for quite some time."
The space finally healed, and the animated short came to an end.
"My god! I couldn't even breathe!"
Axue let out a long sigh, her face full of awe as she stared at the computer screen.
"Whether it's the Supreme Bishop or the Sect Leader, the sheer pressure they exude is absolutely incredible."
"Why did the Supreme Bishop save a Fatui Harbinger?"
"Why is the Fatui Harbinger so respectful to the Supreme Bishop?"
"Why didn't Longhua attack? Could it be that she can't defeat the Supreme Bishop?"
"The person above has such a poor understanding. It's obvious that Sect Leader Longhua didn't attack because she was afraid of harming the people of Liyue if she fought the Supreme Bishop."
"From this, we can see that the Supreme Bishop's strength is likely on par with the Sect Leader's."
"No, I think the Supreme Bishop is weaker than the Sect Leader. After all, the Sect Leader seemed confident that if the Supreme Bishop dared to take her strike head-on, she could defeat him with a single blow."
"Her confidence is her own business. The Supreme Bishop wasn't afraid of her. The reason he didn't take the strike wasn't because he lacked confidence, but because it was unnecessary."
"The Sect Leader is definitely stronger. She's a god on par with Zhongli. How could the Supreme Bishop compare to Zhongli? If he were that strong, why wouldn't the Hydro Archon make him the ruler?"
"????? Based on the current lore, it seems the Hydro Archon is stronger than both Longhua and Zhongli. Didn't you see how the Supreme Bishop wasn't the least bit afraid of Longhua coming to Fontaine to cause trouble? If it weren't for Furina backing him, the Supreme Bishop probably wouldn't dare to act so boldly."
"Nonsense, how could Furina compare to Zhongli?"
"Wait, what's your basis for saying Furina can't compare to Zhongli? From what we've seen, Furina is clearly stronger. Sure, she's a bit silly, but don't underestimate her strength. Otherwise, with all those traitors around, she would've been betrayed long ago."
"Gasp—Furina getting her heart ripped out by the Supreme Bishop? For some reason, I kind of want to see that."
"Can it be more than just her heart? Maybe a monkey steal the peach too?"
"Hey! Don't ship them like that! Furina... get out of here, the Supreme Bishop is my wife!"
"Your sudden twist just blinded my dog eyes."
"You're the one who should get out! The Supreme Bishop is my husband!"
"You can have the Supreme Bishop, I'll take Furina!"
"Fools, why choose when you can have both?"
"Exactly! What's with the husband and wife talk? Isn't polygamy great?"
"Right! Long live polygamy!"
"Long live polygamy!"
"Long live polygamy!!"
"You guys are really something else!"
Axue looked at the outrageous comments in the livestream chat, not even knowing how to respond to these perverted fans, regardless of gender.
"But no matter how much you argue, it's useless. Furina is my wife, and the Supreme Bishop is my husband!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Axue muted the entire chat for three minutes, then smugly clicked to continue watching the game's storyline.
"Longhua, why did you let them go?"
In the game's dialogue, Paimon asked, clearly puzzled.
Longhua turned to look at Lumine and Paimon, her greatsword transforming back into an oil-paper umbrella, which she opened and rested on her shoulder. Her oversized black-gray coat slipped off her shoulders, hanging on her fair arms. This scene once again sent the players into a frenzy, but we'll leave that aside for now.
Longhua looked at Lumine and Paimon, her eyes returning to their usual calm, and said in a light tone, "If I were to fight him, regardless of the outcome, Liyue would surely suffer heavy casualties. Only those who care about nothing can act without fear. As long as there are things you care about, whether you're a human or a god, you will become vulnerable."
"I see..."
Paimon nodded in understanding, then said discontentedly, "Hmph, after all he's done, he got off too easily."
Lumine then asked, "Why would the Supreme Bishop of Fontaine protect a Fatui Harbinger?"
"That's not important."
Longhua replied indifferently.
"What's important is that this matter isn't over yet."
She turned and gazed into the distance, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"I'm not such a forgiving god."
As the Mountain and Sea Fairy made this icy declaration... another animated short began to play.
"There's more?!"
Axue immediately perked up, eagerly awaiting this new surprise.
On the screen, in a traditional-style execution ground, there was a prisoner who seemed about to commit seppuku, and a beautiful woman holding a pure white katana.
The woman had light purple hair tied into a ponytail, wearing a modified black-and-white kimono that barely reached her hips. On her legs, one long and one short black-and-white stocking revealed the delicate skin of her thighs and the perfect curve of her legs.
In addition, a white bone mask was worn on the left side of her head, adding an eerie touch to her appearance.
The woman held the scabbard in one hand and the hilt in the other, calmly looking down at the prisoner's neck as he prepared to commit seppuku.
The kaishakunin.
A role that exists to ensure that those who commit seppuku do not suffer unnecessarily.
The purpose of the kaishakunin is to swiftly and cleanly decapitate the person committing seppuku.
Therefore, those who serve as kaishakunin are usually master swordsmen.
Clearly, this beautiful woman was a kaishakunin.
And the prisoner was about to commit seppuku.
However...
"No! No! I don't want to! I don't want to die!"
The prisoner, holding a short knife, trembled violently. Then, suddenly, he stood up, his face filled with fear as he raised the knife, intending to stab the woman.
"Sigh..."
The woman let out a soft sigh, her magnetic voice filled with regret as she said, "Wouldn't it be better to die with dignity?"
The prisoner, still holding the knife above his head, froze in place.
"Humans are such fragile creatures."
As she spoke, the woman, as if she had done nothing, simply lowered her right hand from the hilt of her sword and calmly turned to walk toward the room.
A young girl standing nearby stepped forward, handing her a white cloth to wipe her hands.
The prisoner remained motionless, as if he were already dead.
No, that's not quite right—the prisoner was already dead.
Though there were no visible wounds on his body.
His head remained attached, his flesh intact.
But everyone knew he was already dead.
The woman walked toward the room, ready to leave this blood-soaked place where countless executions had taken place.
But at that moment, she suddenly paused, turned around, and looked into the distance.
The young girl following her looked up in confusion. "Lady Sen'emon, what's wrong?"
The woman's expression, once calm and unreadable, now showed a hint of joy as she softly said, "I just had a feeling. In the direction of Liyue, there's a strong opponent worth cutting down."
"Will you go, Lady Sen'emon?"
"One day, I will set sail to claim the title of the strongest in the world. Then, I will go to Celestia to claim the title of the strongest in the heavens, so that my name will be known for millennia, both in the heavens and on earth."
The woman spoke softly but with absolute determination.
Then, she added, "But for now, Inazuma is unstable, and I must remain here to maintain order."
With that, she turned and walked into the room.
Only her soft voice echoed quietly.
"Those traitors who have betrayed the Shogun and show no gratitude—if it weren't for the Shogun's orders, I would have cut them all down."