Chapter 285: It's Your Turn

Sanbing and the Lady are indeed old acquaintances.

Previously, on Eight Brew Island.

When Luo De and the Doctor's clones were fighting fiercely, the Lady dug out the heavily wounded Sanbing, then brought this colleague of hers to a temporarily safe place and hid them, so as not to be affected by them.

When the Thunderbolt General appeared.

They then dared not go out anymore.

Later, Yae Miko blocked the Thunderbolt General's move, finally stopping the battle that had almost completely destroyed Eight Brew Island.

Originally, the Lady planned to leave as soon as everyone had gone.

Moreover, she wasn't leaving Eight Brew Island; she was directly fleeing back to Snezhnaya.

Nothing else.

It was really too scary.

The Lady is not an idiot either.

When the Doctor's clones, which were not in the plan and had not been notified to her beforehand, suddenly appeared on Eight Brew Island and fought Luo De to the death, she knew she was being used as bait by the Doctor.

However, the Lady did not complain.

Mutual scheming like this is no longer news among the Executives.

Not to mention the Doctor.

The Lady herself has done this kind of thing many times.

The relationship among the Executives of the Foolish People is not that harmonious; at most, a couple of Executives have some personal ties, their relations are a bit better, and some Executives, such as the servant of the Fourth Seat, have a very stiff relationship with the Doctor, and they have repeatedly mocked each other at Executive meetings.

So regarding the matter of her being used as bait by the Doctor,

the Lady at most utters a few complaints.

actually she cannot take any action.

after all, everyone has done it.

if she blamed the Doctor, wouldn't that also include herself in the blame?

Since scolding is impossible, just honestly fleeing settles it.

But unfortunately, someone does not want her to escape so easily.

Just as the Lady threw Sanbing into the cave, intending to flee herself, Yae Miko's half-smiling face appeared before her.

This is yet another enemy she cannot match in strength.

The Lady, very experienced in combat, clearly understands.

Furthermore, when Yae Miko announced her name,

knowing she was the Lady marked in the Foolish People's intelligence network as someone not to be provoked, she immediately produced her identity as an envoy of Snezhnaya.

This identity has always been useful wherever she went.

As an envoy of the Ice Queen, this is also her capital for maintaining arrogance.

However, Yae Miko does not buy that.

With one sentence, 'You have shattered Inazuma's tranquility,' she said and without further ado seized the Lady, and also took along the Sanbing she had thrown into the cave as bait.

This departure,

has lasted nearly two months.

During this period, the Lady tried every means.

Including but not limited to flashing her identity to show off, contacting Snezhnaya for rescue, and so on.

But no matter what she did,

the end result was always like a stone sinking into the sea, making it not only hard for her to maintain her original demeanor, but also causing her to faintly worry whether Yae Miko would do something to her.

Although during her house arrest, Inazuma's etiquette toward foreign envoys left nothing to fault.

But the more this was the case,

the less confident the Lady felt inside.

Until today.

The shrine maiden of the Thunder God Grand Shrine came to inform the Lady: 'Someone has issued an imperial audience challenge to you; please prepare yourself; later I will take you to the main keep, and at that time the General will personally be present to observe.'

"An imperial audience duel?"

The Lady's heart gave a jolt.

She finally understood why Yae Miko had her under house arrest.

To know that during her time in Inazuma,

despite stirring up turmoil in the city, first promoting the Eye Hunting Decree, then sparking a civil war that involved half the country, and also establishing the Evil Eye Factory.

but she and Sanbing have always operated behind the scenes, and only a few people know their true identities.

As partners,

those people would never come to stage a life-or-death imperial audience duel.

Moreover, it's not that the Lady looks down on those people.

given the current decline of talent in Inazuma, only Yae Miko is qualified to engage her in an imperial audience duel; others, even the General of the Heavenly Rule Magistracy, Jiutiao Shaluo, are no match for her.

Those old things who would sell out their principles for family interests.

Each of them values their life greatly.

It is impossible for them to initiate an imperial audience duel.

So then who exactly is issuing her an imperial audience duel? The Lady quickly guessed the answer.

Luo De!

It could not be anyone else.

He is someone Yae Miko forcibly rescued from the Thunderbolt General's hands; there must definitely be some relationship or deal between the two of them.

If that is indeed the case.

"This isn't trying to take my life, is it!"

The lady gritted her teeth and muttered to herself.

She had personally witnessed Luo De's combat power.

That was absolutely not something she could match.

Even Luo De could easily crush her without using his own set of divine artifacts.

According to the rules of the audience duel.

Her situation could be said to be a dead-end.

The lady did not expect Luo De to show mercy.

Because according to the rules.

To show mercy and spare her life would mean his death.

Based on the lady's understanding of Luo De.

That bastard, who practically writes 'cherish life' on his face, will surely strike a killing blow.

"How dare they——"

The lady gritted her teeth and cursed: "I, I am the emissary of Her Majesty the Empress; if you kill me, Her Majesty the Empress, the Foolish, will make your nation"

She hadn't finished speaking those threatening words.

The shrine maiden sent by Yae Miko coldly interrupted her with a sharp tone.

"An audience duel."

"Cannot be refused, cannot be delayed."

"Lady, please follow me."

Having said that.

The shrine maiden then led the way ahead, never looking back.

In the setting of receiving foreign guests.

This is extremely rude behavior.

And this made the lady even angrier, while her heart inexplicably grew more panicked.

Inazuma people.

It seemed they were truly preparing to kill me.

Amidst this complex mix of shock, anger, and panic.

The lady, though utterly unwilling, had to follow the shrine maiden from the detention grounds of Narukami Grand Shrine all the way to the keep where the Thunderbolt General resides.

Here.

She saw her opponent for the first time.

"How come there's another one?"

Luo De appearing here wasn't surprising to her, but the Ying beside Luo De—she knew of her, yet didn't understand her.

Back in Mondstadt, because Luo De had already traded away the Gnosis in advance.

Thus, the lady who was originally destined to clash with the West Wind Knights before her, in fact never actually had a conflict with them.

Therefore the lady knows Ying, who was made an honorary knight by the West Wind Knights, but she has no idea of Ying's strength.

Furthermore, due to lack of samples, the Foolish's intelligence contains no analysis of Ying's combat power; they only know she is the fourth descender, wielding three elemental energies, a special individual like Luo De.

"Rosalyn senior, long time no see~~"

Farewell, lady; Luo De felt no pity or tenderness, but rather a sense that it was meant to be.

In the original timeline.

The lady lost to Ying in the audience duel and was ultimately slain to ashes by the Thunderbolt General.

Originally, when Luo De saw her on Yashiori Island.

He still thought she wouldn't have to suffer such a fate again.

He hadn't expected.

She ultimately could not escape the fate of being chopped into ashes.

"Damn bastard."

"Is my opponent you?"

For some reason, upon first seeing Luo De's expression of 'I don't want you to die, but I can't help it,' the lady inexplicably flew into a rage.

Putting on that hypocritical sympathetic face, who is she trying to disgust?

If it weren't for you.

Would I die here? The more she foresaw her own death, the lady's attitude grew worse, even faintly feeling a sense of heroic sacrifice.

Luo De twitched the corner of his mouth, pointing at Ying and saying: 'No, it's her; my opponent is someone else.'

"Someone else?"

The lady looked left and right, then immediately thought of: 'Scaramouche?'

"Yes, that's him."

Luo De nodded.

"Is it meaningful?"

Upon hearing that Luo De and Ying were actually going to fight two audience duels, and that not only herself but also the wanderer she had rescued was involved, the lady's expression instantly turned strange.

She suddenly couldn't make sense of it.

Or rather.

She never figured it out from the start.

Why did Luo De initiate an audience duel?

Given Luo De's current strength.

Whether it's himself or Sanbing, even if he fights with one hand, the two of them together still can't defeat him.

What's more, he's currently preparing to fight two audience duels with Ying.

Why? "Why?"

The lady frowned and asked, "What exactly do you want to do?"

When she found out her opponent was Ying,

The lady suddenly wasn't so panicked.

Although the Fatui had very fragmentary information about Ying, they hardly had any detailed records of her combat ability.

However, during the battle against Stormterror in Mondstadt,

Ying's combat prowess was obvious to all.

It's somewhat interesting, but that's about it.

That is the lady's assessment of Ying.

Although Ying hadn't been away from Mondstadt long, even if she were a descendant with extraordinary talent, she shouldn't have been able to reach my level so quickly.

Victory is within reach.

That is the lady's assessment of her current situation.

So, after she thought she had a good chance of not dying, the lady's demeanor relaxed further, and the arrogance that had been crushed by panic returned.

"Nothing."

"I just don't like the two of you."

Luo De curled his lip: "In other countries, it's not easy to kill you guys without risking blame from your empress; but in Inazuma it's different—if we beat you, the Raiden Shogun will take responsibility for killing you, a win‑win."

He said that lightly.

But the killing intent hidden in those words made the lady's expression freeze.

Immediately.

She gave Ying a mocking look and sneered, "Just because of her? A girl whose strength and status are far beneath mine, relying on the audience duel rules to barely reach my level—could she truly be my enemy?"

"You're being looked down upon, huh?"

Luo De burst out laughing.

This Luosalin.

I originally thought that after suffering multiple setbacks in her clashes with me, she would at least restrain herself a bit.

But I didn't expect her to still be the same.

Once she gains the upper hand, she acts like that again.

As for Ying, whom she looks down upon,

After being mocked, she merely pursed her lips, with no intention of arguing with the lady.

Mouth‑skills won't help in matters of life and death.

Seeing Ying ignore her provocation,

Out of concern that Luo De might back out, the lady proactively proposed an audience duel with Ying: "Since you've taken the initiative to challenge me, let me humble myself and dance with you until one of our lives ends."

Heh—

Luo De gave a heh heh laugh, stepped back a few steps, and yielded the dueling ground.

Before Sanbing arrived.

The first audience duel thus began, under the lady's active invitation, with the puppet Raiden Shogun watching.

Ying will surely beat the lady.

That is beyond doubt.

And the ensuing battle went exactly as Luo De knew it would.

Ying, who had undergone anti‑Thunder God special training, far surpassed her initial arrival in Inazuma in the application of three elemental powers—Wind, Rock, and Thunder—elements whose mutual reactions are not particularly intense. In her hands they became both offensive and defensive, with her attack power and speed pushed to their limits. With such offense and defense, she would at times hard‑block the lady's ice shards, at times dart through the blizzard of ice, and given the ferocity of their clash, had the Audience Chamber's duel arena not been fortified with a sturdy barrier, the entire Audience Chamber might already have been shattered by them.

The lady, who wielded Ice Elemental Power, was defeated extremely quickly.

Facing Ying, who defended with Rock Elemental Power and used the swift nature of Wind and Thunder elements to maneuver, the lady suddenly realized she had underestimated Ying. Amid the thunder‑wind gusts, her ice storm couldn't even touch the corner of Ying's clothes; instead, Ying struck her repeatedly, forcing the lady to resort to ice for self‑defense.

As the battle progressed,

The lady gradually set aside her initial arrogance and began to take the fight seriously.

She also knew this well.

If she continued to rely on only a single elemental power, her defeat would be merely a matter of time.

Thus she hesitated no longer, releasing the guardianship granted by the Ice Empress, unleashing a vast amount of Fire Elemental Power, and unleashing her strongest combat form—the Flame Witch's guise.

The sudden surge of pressure.

Made Ying's actions even swifter, and her elemental transitions far more practiced than at the outset.

Amid the sky‑covering flames and fire butterflies,

Ying fought with all her might against the lady, occasionally seeking opportunities to strike.

What began as a siege turned into a war of attrition.

After a full hour of this,

The outcome of this great battle,

was still as the orders had dictated.

The lady was defeated, and in front of the Thunderbolt General who was preparing to carry out the execution, she hysterically insulted Inazuma and the puppet; after the classic line 'I command you,' the Thunderbolt General cut her to ashes.

This scene.

It happened just as San Bing stepped into the Heavenly Guard Tower.

"Hehe."

"Your turn."

Not a moment was spent feeling regret for the lady's downfall; Luo De let out a strange hehe laugh, clenched his fist, and issued a pre‑throne duel invitation to San Bing: "I will make you regret coming to this world, you bastard who killed so many innocents!"

(End of chapter)