People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 498 Young Master: Found it, the puppet... wait? What do you mean I disturbed the King of the North Wind?

Two days later, on Haiji Island, at the Coral Palace.

As the morning light streamed in, the pale purple glass palace, built atop a giant coral reef, reflected a dazzling brilliance.

In front of the palace, behind the torii gate, a stone sculpture inlaid with several large pearls hangs down to the water, making a soothing sound.

"."

Never before had she felt so uneasy; Coral Palace, dressed in its unique attire, was exceptionally nervous.

This counter-offensive against the Shogunate army was a turning point in the subsequent situation; success would prevent the enemy from continuing their offensive for a period of time, while failure would...
"—Reporting, Lord Coral Palace! General Goro is back! It was a great victory!!"

His thoughts were interrupted. The guard at the gate, looking excited, eagerly reported the intelligence relayed by the messenger.
A victory after a series of defeats is especially precious. At this moment, not only he, but also the residents of Haizhi Island along the way are particularly excited and thrilled.

"A resounding victory? Phew, that's great!"

"No, it's nothing. Tell everyone to prepare for the celebration. This victory deserves to be celebrated."

He breathed a sigh of relief, then quickly suppressed the momentary lapse in his expression.

She maintained the image of a modern-day goddess priestess as much as possible.

Nodding to Ruko, who was dressed in a blue and white shrine maiden outfit beside her, Coral Palace Kokoro ordered the distribution of supplies so that the residents could prepare for the army's victory celebration.

"With the help of an unknown force, they shot down the general of the Heavenly Territory and destroyed most of the rear camp."

"We have already had a preliminary meeting with its leader, whose appearance is very similar to the traveler we were originally planning to meet, so it should be the same person."

This group is very powerful and claims to be a rebel army against the shogunate as well.
Although no hostility has been shown so far, for the safety of Haiji Island, should we invite them to the Coral Palace?

???

He analyzed the battle report sent back by the messenger on his own, and also saw the notes that Goro had written.

He paused, completely bewildered as to how his intended "helper" had suddenly become the leader of another resistance group.
Coral Palace Heart Sea slightly opened its mouth, and its brain entered a rare brief state of stagnation.

"Where did this rebel army come from? So, was it because they beat Goro to the punch earlier that he couldn't reach them?"

"To be able to deploy so many relics to guard the enemy's rear camp, and even to shoot down that Kujo Sasara,

How did a team of this caliber suddenly appear? This doesn't make sense.

The disparity in strength between the rebel army and the shogunate army was too great. She had previously tried to unite all forces that could be united, but with little success.

But precisely at this point in time, when she had given up looking for other resistance organizations, a brand-new "resistance army" emerged that could have a decisive impact on the battle.
Completely baffled by where this team came from, Xin Hai even began to doubt whether there was something wrong with the battle report.
"The message bears Goro's elemental mark, and the messenger who delivered it has been verified, so the information shouldn't be wrong. Now, I should consider whether to invite the other party to the Coral Palace."

"The outcome of this night raid was originally in favor of a victory for the Shogunate army. If it had failed, the resistance would most likely have suffered a crushing defeat."
"He could turn the tide in such a crucial battle, and given his position as leader, he is highly credible."

Not long ago, I was still annoyed that I hadn't met that traveler, but I never expected to see that person appear before me so soon, with a completely new identity.

Although letting such a powerful force approach is indeed risky, given Coral Palace's current situation...
"—Pass down the order to welcome this resistance force with the same protocol as the victors. Haizhi Island needs such a steadfast ally now."

"Please invite that traveler to the Coral Palace for a chat, Goro. This may be the most tangible turning point in the current battle."

Without much hesitation, he quickly gave his instructions to the priestess beside him.
Convinced that the conflict between the traveler and the deity was irreconcilable, he struggled to suppress the subtle emotion of having been preempted.

After assessing the risks, Coral Palace Heart Sea made the choice that she believed was best suited to the current situation.

"Phew, we've finally arrived. Is this Haiqi Island? The scenery is so unique!"

"However, although the shogunate army has suffered a considerable blow, Goro, is it really alright for us to come back like this? What if they take advantage of this time to launch a surprise attack?"

Coming back to reality from the stunning scene before me, filled with enormous seashells and corals, and even the grass on the ground displaying a gradient of blue and purple hues, I realized...
Paimon, now the "vice-leader" of the resistance, is deeply concerned about the situation on the front lines.

Seeing that they had just won a battle, instead of taking the opportunity to advance, they even withdrew a significant portion of their troops, showing no sign of being wary of the enemy.
Paimon looked at the "General Goro" who had invited them ahead and asked the question that was on her and Ying's minds the most.

"No, please rest assured, there is no such problem."

"In fact, our battle with the Shogunate army at Nashiina was not about fighting for any specific territory. The main purpose was to deplete the enemy's manpower and demonstrate our threat, so that they would not dare to advance recklessly."

"The terrain on both sides of the Nashii Beach is quite unique. Whether it's the Fusabura Sands on the other side or the Musou-no-Rin-hazama and Hachi-no-Island on our side, they all have extremely treacherous geographical environments and additional influences."

"Let's not talk about the situation at Futsuna. After all, if the malfunctioning Mikage furnace were to explode one day, it might keep the Shogunate army safe for a long time."

"As for Hachiyū Island, putting aside the mysterious 'aquatic monster' that recently appeared in the Musōjin Hazama area..."
Previously, on the advice of a new rebel from Mondstadt, all of the Great God's protective charms had been destroyed.
"Under the corrupting influence of the evil spirit, both we and the enemy could easily go completely insane if we stay on the island for too long."

She sighed softly, her tone complex as she spoke of these situations—it was hard to tell whether she felt fortunate or resigned.

The previous series of defeats had indeed caused unease within the resistance army.
Seeing that the enemy was advancing recklessly, and on the advice of the recruit "Nathan" who was supposedly from Mondstadt, the garrison's actions to destroy the town's structures were far too swift.

Although it did inflict heavy losses on the deep-penetrating shogunate army and greatly hindered their subsequent advance,

However, after the town was destroyed, not only were the rebel army's camps forced to retreat to Tengdouzhai, which is close to the mainland of Haiqi Island, but the original residents of the Bayun Island area also had to relocate one after another.
"Um, the environment in Inazuma seems really harsh. It seems like you don't have many islands suitable for habitation around here."

In that short passage, a number of strange and dangerous words such as "explosion," "madness," and "monster" were accurately summarized, and a ring of thunderstorms even surrounded the distant sea area.
But seeing how the people around him seemed so used to it, as if they had long been accustomed to coexisting with it, Paimon couldn't say whether these people had become so accustomed to hardship that they didn't think it was anything special.
"Well, if I think about it carefully, there really aren't many islands suitable for survival."

"Although I'm not very good at remembering these things, there seems to be another island in the southern sea that's plagued by thunderstorms and another that's shrouded in fog, and neither of them seems to be inhabited."

As they talked, they felt the preciousness of Haizhi Island's environment even more.
Goro shook his head, looking at the two rebel leaders beside him and their accompanying "strategists" and "guards," and decided to take them to Lord Coral Palace as soon as possible to protect this hard-won living environment.

At the same time, on the other side.

Ignoring the changing situation on the battlefield and the impending alliance of the rebels on Haiqi Island, the executive officer, who had just arrived and been brutally beaten, was busy with other matters.

After the previous executive meeting, I reluctantly helped look after the Evil Eye Factory for two days.

However, not long after, having found no one to fight with, the young master decisively chose to run away under the annoyed gaze of one of his colleagues.

With a sliver of respect for the only truly dedicated worker in Inazuma territory today,

Having temporarily decided against interfering on the battlefield, he turned his attention back to his original target: the legendary "First Generation Puppet Sword Demon," who was said to have inherited the techniques and swordsmanship of a swordsman from hundreds of years ago. "."

"It should be around here, right? That 'rival' I've been waiting for."

"According to the investigation, before my nemesis made his current progress, he apparently defeated a large number of boss monsters in Mondstadt and removed a large number of limbs from them."

Such a highly effective exercise method, if I were to emulate it…

At the beginning, I was clearly in control of the opponent, and I wouldn't have lost if I hadn't been careless. But last time, that strange little thing next to the opponent shattered my Demon King's armor with a single shot.

The other person's growth rate felt unreasonable. Despite fighting alone, they were progressing faster than I, who had the support of the Fools.

After thinking about it for a long time, I realized that it must be because my efforts and training were not enough.
After thoroughly investigating everything the other party had done after his release from prison, the young master decided to replicate this "training plan" as much as possible.

"The news about the Kannazuka near Hachiyū Island seems to be outdated. Hopefully, we can find it this time."

？ ！！

"Oh?! Could that be it?"

"Ha, my luck is really good! Let's try dismantling this thing into pieces without using the Demon King's weapon!"

In the distance, I saw a dark blue-green puppet sitting cross-legged on the ground, with a huge demonic face in front of it.

I never expected that I would find my target so early in my search.
Firmly believing in his nemesis's training methods, and feeling fortunate to have finally gotten his chance, the young master charged forward with great confidence.
The plan is to let this swordsman doll, who has inherited the swordsmanship of an ancient antique, witness the combat capabilities of the current Fatui executives.

"."

"Huh? The Puppet Sword Demon has been found? And it's fighting an orange-haired idiot right now?"

"Let me see this orange-haired idiot. 'Young Master'?"

Beside Narukami Island, west of Kujo Jinya, lies Tsutsuna.

Recently, he has been focusing all his efforts on permeating his power into the earth's veins to create a complete pathway connecting with the Divine Cherry Blossom, for the purpose of the "Inazuma Version of the Resurrection Poem" later on.
After confirming that the little blond guy's group was moving in the right direction, Lin Feng stopped paying much attention to the Fools' actions.

It had just completely incorporated the ley lines of Tabai Sand and the surrounding vast sea area into its domain.

After finishing his work, he listened to the information given by the blond-haired guy from the Abyss beside him, and he wasn't so surprised that the orange-haired figure who always had an itchy hand would appear here.

"However, fighting is out of the question. If I heard correctly, it seems someone wants to dismantle this thing?"

"Let's see how long it takes to tear the Sword Demon to pieces without using the Demon King's weapon."

"Hmm, I have an idea. Let me see just how far the Fatui's executors can go."

He waved his hand, interrupting the blond-haired boy's plan to gather a bunch of Abyss Apostles to attack.

I had seen another form of this thing before, and I knew exactly how high its potential was in this unassuming mechanical doll.

We plan to invest a little more in this prospective member of the intrusion team in advance.
Lin Feng flipped through the power he possessed, then paused, deciding to throw something along the earth's veins—something that had little presence but perfectly matched the Sword Demon.

"Ha, a swordsman from five hundred years ago? He's nothing special."

"I'm passable as a sparring partner, but once I make enough progress, Master will definitely..."

!!!

Goosebumps rose on my skin, and my body stiffened.

"boom--!"

The violent impact of the displaced air interrupted the young master's words.
Moving beyond the fantasy of a reunion between master and disciple,
Before he could figure out what was happening, an elemental shockwave, mixed with shards of ice and wind blades, suddenly emanated from the previously harmless mechanism.

"Kacha kacha——"

A faint sound came from beside my ears. Frost covered the ground, the mountain cracked, and the moisture in the air was rapidly condensed, turning into sparkling ice crystals suspended in the air.

"."

As if something was activated when it received this new power, the originally stiff and rigid mechanical doll stopped in place and looked down at its large hands, which were constructed of mechanisms.

"...There's hidden strength? Ha, that's interesting. I knew my luck wouldn't be too bad."

"—The iron thing in front."

"If you can understand, then give it your all. Don't let me down with this so-called level of swordsmanship."

"The Power of the North Wind"

"Oh? It can talk? That's much more interesting than some dumb doll."

The voice that echoed in the young master's mind was somewhat sluggish, as if the mechanism in front of him was still in a state of chaos.

But just as one of the executives, who considered himself lucky, was about to provoke the other party again, a much more resolute voice suddenly appeared in his mind.

"Pitch black. The enemy!"

!!!

"when--!"

The sound of the long sword being drawn, tearing through the air, briefly silenced everything around it.
In the blink of an eye, cyan and blue projections that had somehow appeared on the opponent's body simultaneously slashed from three directions along with the main body.

? ? !

Suddenly, I realized that the power gap between these different stages seemed a bit too outrageous, and it didn't match any of my previous experience at all.

There's no extra time to think; you have to focus your attention to the maximum extent possible.
A chill ran down his spine as he sensed three sword demons attacking from three directions simultaneously.
Feeling a sense of familiarity with this situation where someone is full of confidence one moment and then gets beaten up the next, the young master decided that if he could go back, he would definitely try to get a change of luck at the Inazuma Shrine.
(End of this chapter)