Chapter 87 – 87: Hiten Mitsurugi Style: Ultimate Technique—Amakakeru-Ryu-No-Hirameki

Dong dong—

In an instant, Zhongli felt two sharp impacts reverberating through his Jade Shield. The two strikes were so close together that they almost seemed like a single blow.

At first, he thought his shield had successfully withstood the attack, but the next moment, a long-lost sensation struck him—pain.

The opponent’s final strike directly launched his immobilized body into the air.

Amakakeru-Ryu-No-Hirameki, the ultimate technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style. If Kuzu-Ryu-Sen sends nine basic slashes along separate trajectories, then Amakakeru-Ryu-No-Hirameki condenses those nine strikes into a single point.

The attack focuses all its power on a single spot, vastly amplifying its destructive force. This is the essence of leveraging power through concentration.

After being forcibly knocked into the air, Zhongli realized that the strange binding force on his body had vanished.

Landing on his feet, he summoned his Vortex Vanquisher with a wave of his hand. However, before he could even adopt a defensive stance, he saw Bai Luo lightly pinch the blade of his reversed-edge sword.

Buzz—

A peculiar energy coursed through Zhongli’s body, jolting him as though he had been doused in icy water. At the same time, his blurred consciousness, a side effect of blood loss, cleared up.

Not only that, but even his still-bleeding wounds began to heal.

This wasn’t because the Reverse Blade Sword had healing properties; rather, it treated the bleeding as a negative status effect and removed it.

Most importantly, the Amakakeru-Ryu-No-Hirameki, which was on cooldown, had been reset and became usable again.

“Hiten Mitsurugi Style: Ultimate Technique—Amakakeru-Ryu-No-Hirameki!”

Zhongli: “???”

Watching Bai Luo charge at him again, Zhongli’s face froze in disbelief.

“Again? Are you kidding me? Where’s your sense of honor?!”

The binding sensation struck him once more. It was the first time Zhongli had encountered someone like Bai Luo and suffered a disadvantage under such bizarre circumstances.

The pain returned. This time, Zhongli couldn’t help but frown slightly.

As the Geo Archon, his defensive capabilities far surpassed those of ordinary gods. Yet Bai Luo’s two ultimate strikes had bypassed his shield and defenses entirely, directly injuring his physical body.

Fortunately, his physical durability was leagues beyond that of mortals. Taking those two blows head-on wasn’t a fatal issue.

One or two strikes weren’t a problem—but what if this guy could keep slashing endlessly?

If each strike bypassed his defenses, even with his superior physique, Zhongli wasn’t sure he could withstand such relentless attacks.

The most troubling aspect wasn’t just the physical damage—it was the strange immobilization and knockback effects.

If his opponent could use this technique continuously, he’d be in serious trouble.

“Two strikes down. Let’s see what’s next.”

Realizing that his Jade Shield was useless, Zhongli dismissed it entirely. He stood his ground, gripping his Vortex Vanquisher tightly and preparing to counterattack.

As soon as Bai Luo’s three-move sequence ended, Zhongli was ready to strike decisively.

And then—

Plop—

Still holding the reversed-edge sword, Bai Luo maintained his slashing stance before collapsing face-first into a puddle. Lying motionless, bubbles occasionally rose to the surface of the water.

“…”

A thousand years! A thousand years!

Zhongli had encountered all kinds of opponents over his millennia—cunning and treacherous foes included. Yet, no matter how devious their schemes, absolute power always reduced them to insignificance.

But Bai Luo?

For the first time, Zhongli experienced the frustration of being unable to respond effectively.

Not hitting him?

Impossible.

After taking two strikes, and such painful ones at that, how could he not hit back and feel satisfied?

Hit him?

He agreed to let Bai Luo have three moves, but he only used two. If he hit him now, it would mean breaking the contract they established earlier.

For Zhongli, the God of Contracts, breaking a contract was no small matter—it could even affect his very essence.

Staring at the still water where Bai Luo had stopped even producing bubbles, Zhongli found himself at a loss. Finally, he rushed over and pulled him out of the water.

“I can’t just let him drown, can I?”

Truthfully, Bai Luo had been pretending to faint at first. When he heard Zhongli mention there was still one more move, he realized that Zhongli hadn’t noticed he had added a Sou-Ryu-Sen before executing his two Amakakeru-Ryu-No-Hirameki strikes.

So, he conveniently collapsed into the water, feigning exhaustion.

What else could he do? Let Morax beat him up? He wasn’t Barbatos, after all. Even if Zhongli held back and didn’t kill him, getting pummeled by the God of War wasn’t something anyone would want to experience.

Besides, after pulling off two consecutive ultimate strikes like that, isn’t it perfectly reasonable for me to be completely drained?

However, as Zhongli stood there hesitating, Bai Luo, who had been soaking in the water, started to feel genuinely lightheaded. If Zhongli didn’t come to help him soon, he’d have no choice but to get up on his own.

“Kid, are you alright?”

Seeing Bai Luo in such a pitiful state, Zhongli instinctively reached out to heal him. But halfway through, he stopped himself.

“No, I can’t. I promised not to act until he’s completed his three moves. What should I do?”

“…”

Barely conscious, Bai Luo almost sat up in frustration. So your shields didn’t count as ‘acting,’ but now when it’s time to heal me, you’re suddenly stingy?!

“Bai Luo, can you hear me?”

Zhongli inspected the wounds Bai Luo had inflicted on himself. Though the gashes were deep and grotesque, even penetrating his body, the situation wasn’t as dire as it seemed—at least his life wasn’t in danger.

“Mhm.”

After a few ragged breaths, Bai Luo forced out a faint grunt.

“Don’t worry. Our contract stands. Since I agreed to a match, I will not go back on my word. Once you recover, we’ll finish your final move. At that time, I’ll fight you with my full strength and ensure you have a truly satisfying duel.”

“…”

Satisfying for who, exactly?!

Clearly, when old men like him get mad, they sulk like little kids. Thankfully, I’ll be heading to Inazuma soon, so there’s no way…

Actually, forget it. Better not jinx myself.

Last time, I said I’d never set foot in Liyue, much less meet Childe. Now look at me, on a journey to Liyue. Who knows what bizarre things will happen when I arrive?

<+>

From there, things proceeded smoothly. With the Geo Archon’s “promise” in hand, Bai Luo was sent back to the Fatui contingent.

Before being returned, however, he switched back to his Hei form. Unfortunately, the transformation only repaired his clothes and not his injuries. Otherwise, he could’ve basically cheated his way to invincibility.

Seeing Bai Luo in such a miserable state, the Ninth Company erupted into a commotion, nearly coming to blows with Zhongli.

Thankfully, Bai Luo intervened in time, preventing a bloodbath.

After bidding farewell to Zhongli, Bai Luo happily climbed onto his Slime Carriage. As Katheryne treated his injuries, he munched on the peanuts she handed him.

The peanuts, bought from Uncle Zhou’s shop, cost one Mora per piece, and a whole bag had cost several hundred Mora. Since he wasn’t the one paying, Bai Luo didn’t feel the pinch.

Meanwhile…

“Zhongli, are you alright?”

A young girl carrying a shovel came huffing and puffing toward him. She had witnessed Bai Luo slash him twice, and even saw blood spray into the air.

“I’m fine, just a minor wound.”

Zhongli smiled faintly, clasping his hands behind his back to show that he was unscathed.

However, the girl failed to notice the faint trickle of blood dripping from his sleeves.

A gruesome scar had already taken root on his shoulder.

<+>

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep