Chapter 281: Battle for Authority

It was beyond Luo De's expectations.

Sanbing and Nüshi seemed to be merely passing by the Snake God's head.

Along the way they hardly spoke; occasionally they exchanged a few words, just bickering, rarely saying anything substantive.

After Luo De obtained the authority, his hearing greatly improved.

Although due to the Archon's resentment, the flow of elemental energy on Eight Brew Island was extremely unsmooth.

But this did not affect Luo De's ability to hear their conversation.

"Strange."

Luo De, who had quietly climbed onto Orobas's skull and hidden there, looked down at the two people walking past, his expression inevitably somewhat puzzled.

They were discussing.

It had always been about the Eye Hunt Order.

Their occasional mutual jabs were all about that mission in Mondstadt where Sanbing was brutally beaten, causing the Lady's mission to fail, and consequently affecting Snezhnaya's influence in Mondstadt as well.

This remark seemed to have touched Sanbing's sore spot.

He directly pointed the blame at the Lady being too inept, unable to handle even minor matters, and ultimately had to rescue the situation himself.

The two kept arguing until they left the vicinity of the Snake God's head, showing no sign of intending to come and claim the authority.

Luo De felt he still understood them fairly well.

If they truly had a mission to seize the Archon's authority, they would certainly have mentioned it.

"Could Nadixa have made a mistake?"

"Did they come to Inazuma solely for the Eye Hunt Order?"

Luo De pondered for a moment, then flashed his figure, closely following behind Sanbing and the Lady, maintaining a distance that was neither far nor near.

With Luo De's current skill,

Sanbing and the Lady still had the ability to detect his position.

The further they went,

the stranger Luo De's expression became.

Until following the two to a concealed cave entrance, he could basically confirm it.

Nadixa really had made a mistake.

These two were definitely not here to mess with any authority.

They were here to run the Evil Eye Factory, taking advantage of this juncture of promoting the Eye Hunt Order to use people from Sea Ritual Island for human experiments with the Evil Eye.

"Holy hell."

"Not them."

"Then who is the one coming to take the Archon's authority?"

After realizing this, Luo De stood at the entrance of the Evil Eye Factory, lost in thought.

"Perhaps."

"Isn't the place where the Doctor wants to obtain the Archon's authority not here?"

Luo De stroked his chin, then lightly shook his head and said: "That shouldn't be; Orobas's remains should be the easiest to find and also the most intact Archon remains currently. Not taking the Archon's authority from here, but instead going to look for those incomplete and hard-to-find Archon remains, is also unreasonable."

After thinking it over,

Luo De still leaned toward the Doctor's purpose being this extremely intact Archon remains on Eight Brew Island, whose resentment even could affect celestial phenomena.

"If that's the case."

Luo De, having formed a plan in his mind, turned to gaze at the massive serpent skull in the distance, muttering to himself: "Indeed, I still need to find a way to destroy this skeleton so you can't take the authority from here."

Saying that is simple.

When Luo De first arrived at Eight Brew Island, he tried to see if he could use the Rock Dragon Crown to seize the authority from the Snake God's remains.

But it was not the same as when he dug up graves in Liyue.

Luo De's attempt to seize the authority failed.

No matter how many times he tried.

In short, it just wouldn't work.

He didn't know whether it was due to incompatible properties or the Electro Archon's seal.

When Luo De, following his usual procedure, used the Rock Dragon Crown to try to resonate with the authority within the Archon's remains, he could clearly feel that the remains contained Archon authority, yet he could not precisely locate it, let alone achieve resonance to extract it.

His connection with Nadixa was also cut off.

It wasn't because of the Archon's resentment on Eight Brew Island.

But because of the thunderstorm surrounding Inazuma.

Don't think that using a document personally crafted by Nadixa imbued with her divine power can easily pass through the thunderstorm region.

The Electro Archon's divine might ultimately surpasses Nadixa's.

It's not just a difference of one order of magnitude.

Relying solely on that bit of the Dendro Archon's divine power, you simply cannot break through the Electro Archon's barrier.

In other words,

Since entering Inazuma, Luo De has been in a state of isolation without aid.

Aside from his own means of self-preservation, no external ally could help him, and there wasn't even anyone to discuss plans with.

But still, that saying.

As long as you don't provoke the Electro Archon, safety is assured.

"Destroying this skeleton, the Electro Archon probably won't get angry, right?"

After casting a deep glance at the Evil Eye Factory, Luo De leapt up, his body turning into a bolt of lightning, and once again returned to the serpent's head of Orobas.

It seemed to have sensed Luo De's killing intent.

Luo De had just drawn the Piercing Rainbow Spear, and before he could even start moving, the Archon resentment that had been suffusing the entire island suddenly retracted and lunged at him ferociously.

Along with it came.

They were over a hundred warriors clad in purple armor, each holding a longsword.

"Are they puppets controlled by resentment?"

Bearing the impact of the Archon resentment on his spirit, Luo De lifted his gaze to the warriors leaping through the mountains and forests.

The Archon resentment is a mental impact that even an immortal like Xiao cannot withstand.

Among the immortal yakshas, two more were driven by the torment of the Archon resentment to slay each other, both perishing.

Such a terrifying existence.

Mortals naturally cannot resist its bewitching.

Those who cannot withstand the Archon resentment's physical impact will, under the dual torment of spirit and body, go mad and ultimately die a miserable death.

And those who can withstand the Archon resentment's physical impact,

will become these demonized warriors before us: their spirits wholly fallen into servitude to the Archon resentment, their bodies simultaneously assimilated by it, taking on their present form, and they continue to swell and grow stronger by feeding on the Archon's resentment—from the moment they appeared, in just a few seconds, their brutal aura has multiplied severalfold.

"They're still getting stronger."

Luo De half-crouched on the ground, his right hand hovering.

An extremely strong repulsive force squeezed out from the Snake God's Head, trying to flick Luo De's hand away.

Orobas's Archon resentment appears to be a conscious entity.

But this should not be Orobas's consciousness.

Merely a resentment toward Inazuma that spontaneously coalesced after death.

No matter how strong the resentment, it is ultimately a dead thing.

For Luo De, who wears the Rock Dragon Crown, the Archon resentment's resistance poses not the slightest hindrance.

"I say."

"Aren't you just seeking your own death?"

"Where does such great resentment come from?"

Luo De, while searching for the Snake God's Head's weakness, kept chattering to provoke the Archon resentment that was already running rampant.

These words were quite effective.

Especially when Luo De said, 'Inazuma doesn't owe you anything; it's your own people who repaid kindness with betrayal, and yet you now want to slaughter all the Inazumans.'

Orobas's resentment nearly solidified, turning into countless fine magic snakes that fiercely gnawed at the shield enveloping Luo De.

No matter how hard those magic snakes struggled, even sparks flying from their fangs could not tear through what appeared to be only a thin layer of grass elemental shield.

This is the method Nadixa taught Luo De.

A rapidly regenerating shield made by utilizing the endless vitality of grass elemental energy.

It works very well.

When Luo De fights people, unless it's a crushing situation, this shield has basically never been broken by others.

And when the magic snakes frenziedly attack Luo De,

the resentment gathered on the Snake God's Head is also being continuously drawn out.

It didn't take long.

Almost fully exposed on the Archon's skeleton before Luo De's eyes, the nodes where resentment converged were clearly visible.

Lightning flickered.

Luo De, as if teleporting, stepped with his left foot onto the point where the Snake God's Head's resentment converged, raised his Piercing Rainbow Spear high with his right hand, his body tensed like a drawn bow, aiming straight at that most important node.

Under the cold gleam of the Piercing Rainbow Spear,

The magic snakes grew more frenzied, and the distant demonized warriors suddenly accelerated, instantly crossing the distance to Luo De.

"Inhale—"

Ignoring the demonized warriors approaching him, Luo De took a deep breath, and light of grass elemental energy and lightning elemental energy flared on his hand; using the synergistic reaction of lightning on grass elemental energy, he amplified the sharpness of the Piercing Rainbow Spear.

Boom—

Almost at the same instant as those demonized warriors swung their blades.

Gold, green, purple.

Amid the three-colored light, the Piercing Rainbow Spear unleashed a strike capable of tearing the sky—a thunderclap that pierced the Snake God's Head without hindrance, shattering the massive Archon skull into countless fragments that scattered in all directions across Bayun Island.

The demonized warriors that had just assumed fierce poses disintegrated inch by inch with a mournful wail, turning into black mist drifting on the wind; even the sword that had nearly reached Luo De's neck only managed to cleave the fragile outer layer of his shield.

This isn't over yet.

With the explosion of the Snake God's Head,

the entire Bayun Island shook violently; the once‑peaceful ground was torn apart, mountains collapsed, forests flattened, dense black mist erupted from underground, and in the blink of an eye the whole island was engulfed in that black mist.

If there is one change to note,

it is that the erupting black mist dispersed the rain clouds in the sky, and the relentless thunderstorm finally ceased.

As the architect of all this,

Luo De stood in the thick black mist, his eyes clear and unwavering, fixed on a thread of water hue welling up from underground.

"So it was hidden there."

Luo De's eyes narrowed slightly.

Using the World Tree leaf's illusion‑breaking ability, he successfully pinpointed the residual Archon authority within Orobas's remains.

As for this sky‑filling black mist,

it is the entirety of the Archon resentment released all at once when the Archon's body shattered.

Compared to the Archon's resentment buried underground.

The Archon's resentment that is detonated out like this has a stronger impact on the environment.

But unlike those Archon resentments that can persist endlessly and cause lasting effects,

Such resentful energy, once detonated all at once, if sealed or cleared, can permanently resolve the troubles caused by the Archon's resentment.

This method also applies to Eight Brew Island, where the resident population is either relocated or dies under the erosion of resentment.

If replaced with other regions.

Doing this would directly kill an unknown number of people.

Just as Luo De was preparing to dig underground to seize that trace of Archon authority.

A bolt of lightning came swiftly.

It hasn't stopped yet.

Luo De snorted coldly, took a step forward, using the momentum of the lightning's charge, he sent the tip of the Piercing Rainbow Spear onto the inevitable path.

!!!!

The scouting Sanbing, who came to check the situation, didn't expect that a person would suddenly appear ahead where there was clearly no one; he didn't even have time to dodge, and was instantly pierced through by the Piercing Rainbow Spear.

Before the artifact personally used by the Geo Archon.

Sanbing's God-forged body, made to the Electro Archon's standard, couldn't even last a second; at the moment of contact, Luo De strung him onto the spear tip like candied haws.

Yes! You!!!

Sanbing widened his eyes, his pupils violently trembling.

Luo De left an impression on him that was truly profound.

In the experience of Mondstadt being heavily wounded.

Not only did it let him nurse his injuries for over half a year before he could get out of bed, but it also made him a laughingstock among the officers for a long time.

Besides Luoshalin and Wufengzi Gongzi, who were similarly hindered in their missions.

Almost all the other officers sneered at him for being badly wounded by a nobody.

How could Sanbing, who cares extraordinarily about face, endure this?

Whether day or night.

Whenever he thought of that trip to Mondstadt, Sanbing would grind his teeth.

However, when he finally saw again this mortal enemy he wished to devour alive, he discovered that, although not much time had passed, the gap between himself and Luo De had already widened by countless leagues.

Your relationship with the other officers of the Fatui must be terrible.

Looking at Sanbing, who still refused to concede, Luo De gave a heh heh laugh, swung his arm round, and then fiercely hurled the Piercing Rainbow Spear toward the distant foothills.

Under its tremendous force.

Sanbing's body fell like a purple meteor, even his most precious hat couldn't stay on, he plunged straight into the mountain, shattering over ten peaks in succession before finally coming to a stop, buried alive or dead under the rubble.

You aren't going to check if your comrades are dead?

Luo De lowered his spear and stood, glancing sideways at Luoshalin behind him.

She is much slower than Sanbing.

Although Luoshalin usually looks down on Sanbing's Sixth Seat, earned just by taking hits, she still has to admit that the Sixth Seat still has its own merit.

After the God-forged body was completely unsealed by the Doctor.

Originally designed as the first unit of the Thunderbolt General, Sanbing had already reached the pinnacle in the use of electro energy.

This is not only evident in combat.

In speed, Sanbing also has an advantage that Luoshalin cannot match.

However, when he truly witnessed Luo De instantly killing Sanbing, and doing so in such a clean and decisive manner,

She, who already held Luo De in extremely high regard, suddenly felt a wave of panic for no reason.

Well, well, maybe just forget it.

Luoshalin was no longer arrogant; her voice carried a hint of hesitation.

Oh.

Luo De shrugged, then pointed his spear at Luoshalin, smiling narrowly: 'You wouldn't also want to stop me, would you? Senior sister.'

Luo De heavily emphasized the term 'senior sister' that Luoshalin once used to annoy him.

This made Luoshalin's face stiffen at once, and she could only shake her head bitterly: 'No, I will not stop you.'

No matter how arrogant she usually is.

Faced with someone who could instantly kill her with a casual move, Luoshalin could not remain arrogant.

Then that's good.

Luo De stopped wasting words, gave a cry, and flew toward that authority of Olubasi.

But just as his hand was about to grasp that authority which had turned into a droplet shape,

An accident occurred again.

This time.

It was an ice cone made of ice element.

Luo De didn't even see clearly where it came from.

And the owner of the ice cone also revealed his form from the black mist after launching a sudden cold arrow.

Huh—

Seeing that familiar-looking face, Luo De without hesitation summoned the Thousand Night Floating Dream, holding two divine artifacts, while the Rock Dragon Crown also burst forth with golden light.

It can be said that they had just met for the first time.

Luo De then deployed all equipment that could buff himself, facing the mad-eyed masked person with the most proper attitude.

「Duotuolei。」

Luo De licked his dry lips, and squeezed out from his throat the name he least wanted to hear right now.

(End of chapter)