Holding the little ninja in his hand, Bai Luo covered his face with a piece of cloth and stepped out of the woods.
Currently, he hadn't found a suitable mask for the "Black Swordsman" persona, so he had to make do like this.
Though, it did somewhat resemble the look of a Treasure Hoarder.
"What's your business?"
Igor didn't focus his attention on Sayu, who had already given up struggling—she didn't seem like much of a threat.
But the masked young man practically had "ill intentions" written all over his face.
"This road was opened by me, these trees were planted by me. If you wish to pass through, leave your money behind."
"..."
Along the way, Igor had encountered fleeing miners before.
But those people, at most, would threaten him with their pickaxes. Someone this... poetic was a first for him.
"Deal with him. We've wasted enough time already."
Putting away his weapon, Igor spoke to his trusted subordinate.
This utterly ordinary-looking young man didn't even have a Vision—no threat at all.
And judging by the way he carried his sword, he was a complete amateur.
With a one-handed sword of that length strapped to his back, drawing it would be a struggle.
Did he think he was a Vision wielder? That he could just whoosh and summon the sword from his back into his hand?
"Ah—!"
But the moment he turned around, his trusted subordinate let out a scream and was sent flying backward—straight through Igor's body—before tumbling across the uneven road and lying motionless.
"Tsk—"
Igor sucked in a sharp breath and frantically patted himself down.
If he hadn't seen wrong, his subordinate had just... phased through him?
What kind of technique was that? He'd never heard of such a thing!
Actually, compared to him, Bai Luo—who had just unleashed Sonic Leap—was even more shocked.
He remembered the skill description only mentioned a chance to phase through targets or obstacles, so how...
Damn it! A bug! This is definitely a bug!
[Ding!]
Right then, the system let out a ding, and a red notification dot popped up.
Under the skill description for Sonic Leap, a new line appeared.
Skill: [Sonic Leap]
Launch a powerful dash at the target, knocking back all enemies in the path a short distance. If the knockback is blocked by an obstacle, deal additional damage and stun the target for 1.25 seconds.
Note (1): This skill has a chance to phase through the target without knocking them back.
Note (2): When knocking a target into an obstacle, the Black Swordsman has a chance to phase through walls.
Note (3): After knocking back a target, the target has a chance to phase through other objects or obstacles.
Note (4): To be added...
The above scenarios are all normal and should not be mistaken for bugs.
Bai Luo: "..."
Fine. Just fine. Not only did you modify the skill description on the spot, but you also left yourself wiggle room.
Bai Luo suddenly realized that ever since he started getting involved with Archon-related matters, his system had been getting... smarter.
Before, it was practically dead—no matter how much Bai Luo called out to it, it never responded. There was even a period when he forgot he had this thing.
But now, not only did it frequently "resurrect," it had also quietly developed some level of intelligence.
Thinking back carefully...
It started around Liyue, didn't it?
Hmm... Maybe after Zhongli retires and Tartaglia gets beaten up by the Traveler, he'll sneak back to Liyue.
Who knows? There might be some surprises waiting.
He hadn't forgotten—Zhongli had told him that the issue with his soul originated from Liyue's exorcist clans.
"Who are you? Why are you robbing a Fatui convoy?"
This time, Igor was on guard. While ordering his men to prepare for battle, he also tried to pressure Bai Luo with his words.
"Why rob a Fatui convoy? Don't you already know?"
"..."
As mentioned before, the Fatui's reputation across Teyvat wasn't exactly stellar—even in Snezhnaya, some citizens didn't approve of them.
Igor had brought up the Fatui's name in hopes of scaring the other party off.
This shipment of Mora was too important. If it were lost, not only would the Instructor come after him, but his direct superior, Pantalone, would also make sure he paid dearly.
The Instructor wasn't so bad—from what he'd heard, the Instructor was quite amiable, always smiling and even giving people fruit.
If he lost the Mora, at worst, he'd lose the Instructor's trust, but it wouldn't cost him his life.
But if Pantaloner found out he'd lost so much Mora... he'd be a dead man.
What he hadn't expected was for the other party to respond like that.
"So... there's no room for negotiation?"
Igor narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of killing intent rising in his heart—though it remained hidden behind his squinted gaze.
Stepping past his subordinates, Igor decided to take action himself.
The way his trusted subordinate had been sent flying through him earlier was just too bizarre.
He didn't trust his men to handle this guy.
This time, he didn't use his main weapon. Instead, he casually drew the secondary weapon always hanging at his waist.
A few quick adjustments removed its disguise—revealing not a katana, but a rifle.
"Let me light you up!"
Pyro energy visibly surged to life, the flame patterns on the weapon almost seeming to engulf Igor himself.
As one of the first Fatui operatives stationed in Inazuma, even if he'd been assigned to the Intelligence Division, he was still part of the Vanguard.
So him having this weapon wasn't too surprising.
As long as his opponent didn't have a Vision and couldn't counter the shield his rifle provided, he'd be invincible—
"Shhk—"
The moment he raised the rifle, the sound of a blade piercing flesh reached his ears.
Followed by an icy chill spreading across his back.
"You—"
"Shhk—"
Before Igor could voice his confusion, several of his other subordinates stepped forward, their knives plunging straight into his vitals.
"Igor, Lieutenant of the Fatui's Third Intelligence Division, for repeatedly leaking classified intel and sabotaging our operations, you are hereby sentenced to death. Execution to be carried out immediately!"
The same colleagues who had been laughing and chatting with him earlier now recited his crimes with expressionless faces.
Every single charge was backed by solid evidence—there was no room for him to argue.
"I... I demand to see The Instructor... and Lord Pantalone."
As a Vanguard lieutenant, Igor's body had been enhanced. Even now, with his heart skewered, if he received treatment in time, he still had a chance to survive.
But then the masked man leisurely strolled over.
"The one who ordered your execution is none other than the Pantalone you're so desperate to see. As for The Instructor... care to guess who I am?"