Chapter 293: Saving Oneself
Was Collei's Vision truly the result of Bai Luo's interference?
In truth, even Bai Luo wasn't completely certain.
But one thing was undeniable:
He had played a critical role—otherwise, Collei would never have obtained her Vision so early.
And through that single experimental case, Bai Luo had discovered something.
For example… salvation.
But this "salvation" did not refer to Bai Luo saving her.
Because throughout Collei's life, Bai Luo had saved her multiple times.
Yet she never received a Vision.
Every time, that so-called god simply ignored her.
It seemed that such cheat-like external intervention wasn't enough to draw divine attention.
Until, during the final battle in Mondstadt against the missionary.
That fight had indeed been orchestrated by Bai Luo.
Without him, Collei would never have stood a chance against someone empowered by archon-residue.
But one detail mattered:
During that final battle… Bai Luo never once stepped in to help her.
He merely stood aside as a spectator, witnessing her self-redemption.
Even if it meant she might die.
In other words, the requirement for gaining a Vision wasn't necessarily being saved by someone, but possibly saving oneself.
Perhaps, after achieving self-salvation, she had reached some hidden threshold—and even if the Vision was reluctant, it still had no choice but to appear before her.
Through Bai Luo's efforts, Teppei—originally nothing more than a minor side character—had been nurtured into someone with a near-protagonist template.
He had essentially met the conditions for receiving a Vision.
So now, Bai Luo planned to repeat what he had done back in Mondstadt.
Except, unlike gently lifting little Collei up and shoving her in front of the gods, his approach with Teppei was… significantly more violent.
He directly kicked him in front of the gods.
"Well? Are you giving him one or not? If not, I'll kick him again!"
It wasn't favoritism—the kid just grew up crooked.
Bai Luo did have a gentler method prepared.
Still, he had to admit that this was an excellent opportunity.
All that remained was to see whether the god would give him face one more time.
Surrounded by Fatui soldiers, Teppei knew he stood no chance of escaping.
Even so, he didn't give up.
Clutching the Hakuen Michimitsu Amenoma, he prepared for one final struggle.
At the very least… he wanted to be someone who tried.
But Bai Luo had no intention of letting him do that.
Teppei's Amenoma was not a Reverse Blade Sword—if he stabbed someone and they died, then everything would be ruined.
After all the effort Bai Luo had put into crawling up from a commander with zero subordinates, every death on his side hurt his heart.
With a wave of his hand, he ordered the Fatui surrounding Teppei to step back.
Then he slowly walked toward Teppei.
"For the sake of our past relationship, I'll give you one chance. A one-on-one duel. How about it?"
"..."
Teppei was no longer the naive man he once was.
He knew this so-called duel was nothing but humiliation.
After all… Bai Luo hadn't even said what would happen after the fight.
Win or lose, he was likely dead either way.
"I accept."
Teppei glanced once at the Divine Priestess being carried in Sveta's arms, then gritted his teeth and agreed.
No matter what, it was still a chance.
Perhaps, in this duel, he still had a sliver of a chance.
As long as there was even the slightest possibility of victory, he could not allow himself to give up.
Bai Luo smiled faintly. The dagger in his hand had already transformed into the Reverse Blade Sword.
Thanks to the Myriad Manifestation Umbrella, Bai Luo could use any class-exclusive weapon regardless of his current class.
This time, he intended to fight Teppei using Hei while holding the Reverse Blade Sword.
Because when Hei wielded the Reverse Blade Sword, he could not use any of Battousai's skills.
Which meant every strike he made would only be a normal attack.
And with the Reverse Blade Sword's vow of non-lethality, his normal attacks… simply could not kill.
Even without assuming the Battousai class, Bai Luo had long grown familiar with Battousai's abilities thanks to how often he used that identity.
In other words, even now, he was not to be underestimated.
The battlefield for their duel would not be inside Sangonomiya Shrine, which was something Teppei silently appreciated.
To every resident of Watatsumi Island, the Shrine held a special, sacred significance.
If possible, he never wanted to draw his blade within that place.
Bai Luo had already prepared the battleground.
It was the same spot where he had first trained Teppei in swordsmanship.
Standing in that clearing, Teppei said nothing.
He simply held the Hakuen Michimitsu Amenoma tightly, his eyes unfocused, as though lost in old memories.
Speaking of it, the Hakuen Michimitsu Amenoma originated from Mikoshi Michihiro.
After using his original technique, Tengu Sweeper, to cut off a single feather from a tengu girl, their fated connection had reached its end.
Afterward, he commissioned the Tenryou Commission's Amenoma clan to forge this blade.
Iwakura Hikaru, who later gifted the sword to Teppei, once said:
This was a blade capable of severing bonds.
Because he had stolen this sword, Hikaru and his father had severed their bloodline ties.
On the battlefield afterward, when he was gravely wounded and near death, he passed the sword on to Teppei—and in doing so, severed the bond between them as well.
Teppei had originally thought he was just joking.
He never expected that the tragedy of this sword… would one day extend to him too.
It truly was… a sword that could sever entangled destiny.
"Come, Teppei. Let me see how much you've grown during this time."
Clad in pitch-black attire, Bai Luo stood before Teppei without assuming any posture at all.
In Teppei's eyes, he was full of openings.
Yet Teppei would never underestimate him, no matter how conflicted he felt about facing him now.
For this was still the man known as Battousai—the swordsman who once wounded the Electro Archon.
His blade flashed as Teppei drew it, slashing toward Bai Luo without hesitation.
In the army, his greatest growth hadn't been his skill, but his mindset.
At the very least, he no longer swung with mercy like before.
He had learned how to kill.
CLANG!
Using a class other than Battousai to wield the Reverse Blade Sword, Bai Luo finally understood why people always looked stunned when they saw him fight with such a weapon.
The blade-edge faced himself, meaning he couldn't brace the back of the sword with his hand.
He could only grip the handle with both hands to catch Teppei's strike.
If Teppei's strength had been just a little greater, the edge pointing toward Bai Luo would have cut into his own body.
"Not bad, not bad. Plenty of strength."
Feeling Teppei's force, Bai Luo actually praised him for once.
Hakuen Michimitsu Amenoma was a genuine, high-quality blade—which meant all its stats were far superior to ordinary military swords.
If Bai Luo were using a regular katana today, Teppei's strike might very well have cleaved both man and blade in half.
Unfortunately… Bai Luo's Reverse Blade Sword was also a genuine weapon—one crafted by the system, of such high quality that it could even clash head-on with weapons of gods.
Hearing Bai Luo's words, Teppei increased the pressure of his attack even further.
He knew opportunities to suppress Battousai were few.
If he let him slip away even for a moment, he would have no chance at all.
Little did he know—this was exactly what Bai Luo wanted.
With a slight twist of his body, Bai Luo angled the Reverse Blade Sword sideways.
The fully committed Teppei suddenly found his Hakuen Michimitsu Amenoma sliding off toward the ground, following the slanted blade of the Reverse Blade Sword.
At the same moment, Bai Luo pivoted, avoiding the strike—and using the rotational force, he struck Teppei's body with the flat of the Reverse Blade Sword.
. . . . .
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