Truthfully, I had little need to join Lumine in our battle against the strange blocky construct. Her sealed powers meant little when she could shatter the blocks with her physical strength alone, sending its insides—covered in glowing red veins—sprawling across the dirt as she vented all her built-up anger.
The storm of Hydro, normally strong enough to send people flying high into the sky, sharp enough to tear trees and stone into shreds, did little to Lumine's enhanced physique. She blitzed right through it, as if the Elemental storm was nothing but a slightly windy storm.
It didn't mean that I refused to participate, though. I might be weaker without actively using [Freedom Song: Awakening], but I made do. I struck the blocky construct with my blade, moving around the storm of Hydro in a dance-like fashion—my sword striking forward like a whip.
And whenever I'd strike, a pulse of Anemo would be released, creating an Elemental explosion that used the blocky construct's own Hydro to cause damage. The blow would greatly stagger the construct, and Lumine would happily make use of the chance to tear into the construct with no hesitation.
As some people began arriving due to the commotion, they could only watch in awe as the two travelers joined together in a deadly dance, tearing into the powerful construct with strength and speed that looked far beyond human.
Orobashi and Kitsune Saiguu soon arrived as well, and even they too were shocked when they saw how Lumine and I fought the construct. The god—using his human form—was especially surprised, as he knew that the blocky construct could only belong to Celestia, the same beings who had caused Enkanomiya's drowning.
Yet, as impressive it all looked, I couldn't help but feel…displeased.
Not at Lumine, of course. Her incredible show of strength did all the talking, and I had a feeling that the longer we traveled together, the more of her sealed powers would return to her. Perhaps the very same would happen once we shattered this construct completely.
I, on the other hand…
Well.
I couldn't help but frown as I dodged aside, letting a vertical blade of Hydro energy fly past my cheek. Had I been a second slower, that attack would've substantially damaged my face. I had no fear however, knowing that the dance-like motions of my [Swords Dance] would help me either counter or evade the attack.
I stepped forward, and my sword snaked forward as its edge slammed onto the blocky construct. My blade temporarily glowed green, and a pulse of Anemo slammed into the construct, sending it staggered back and momentarily revealing the core that held the blocks together. I took the chance and sent a slice of Anemo, and it caused the core to chip slightly before my Anemo was seemingly absorbed by it.
Of course, then Lumine came in from above, making use of the moment to slam her sword downwards like an enraged war god. Her amber eyes glowed eerily as she grabbed onto one of the blocks protecting the core and physically yanked it away, before stabbing her sword down. Had the core not quickly blurred to the side, Lumine's sword would've shattered the core completely. Instead, the core was simply damaged on one side, causing it to begin sparking.
Lumine quickly leapt back to my side, just in time for the injured blocky construct to strengthen the Elemental storm around it, causing the Hydro tornado to expand into a typhoon that dragged even the clouds in the sky.
She clicked her tongue. "So persistent." She bit out, before she grit her teeth. "If only that bitch didn't seal my powers…"
"Nay, it is my fault, I believe." I shook my head with a sigh. "Even after my [Swords Dance] has reached its apex, the damage I've done to the thing is paltry at best." I grimaced as I fixed my grip on my sword. "It is clear now how much I have relied on my bow."
"Eh, not your fault." She shrugged. "Unlike me, you're holding back. Ain't surprising that you're not doing as much as you usually can." A feral grin then came to her lips. "Alright, enough talking." And saying that, the ground beneath her shattered as she leapt back in.
I concealed a sigh as I followed her back into the storm of Hydro.
As I danced through the storm though, I felt my statement more strongly than ever. Without my [Freedom Song], I was weak. And without my [Starlight Skybow] the damage I could inflict on others was little. Stripped of both, I couldn't ever hope to contend with the stronger forces that exist in these lands.
Simply put, my 'base Attributes' was weak.
And as I gazed at the storm of Hydro around me, an idea cropped to my mind. A way to grow stronger without relying on my currently god-awful luck with the Gacha.
The [Mirror of Memories].
Emboldened by the idea, I stopped thinking and let my instincts take over. No longer did my dance remain so evasive and impassive. Instead I dove into the same excitement Lumine had, using my sword to literally cut through the storm of hydro instead of simply stepping around it.
This change wasn't free. I had none of the incredible endurance Lumine had, and so cuts began appearing across my clothes and body. Small cuts, no bigger than papercuts, but cuts nonetheless. But the change in tactic meant I now approached the struggling blocky construct at a far faster speed.
As I caught up with Lumine's pace, it wasn't long before we returned to being side-by-side, charging together through the storm of Hydro. She looked surprised as she saw me, cut up and all. It was the first time she'd seen her friend be so injured. "Venti?" She whispered, momentarily too surprised to use my fake name.
I smiled, my lips bleeding. "No worries, friend." I spun and deflected a particularly large blade of Hydro. "But this confrontation has gone on for too long. Left to fester, we would undoubtedly attract attention from Baal. Or perhaps from those even worse."
She pursed her lips, her enraged eagerness faltering slightly. "Yeah." She sighed as she punched through an incoming burst of Hydro. "You're right. So what do we do?"
"Present me a chance." My blade glowed a bright green as I shattered through several blades of Hydro. "And I will strike."
She grinned wide. "Sounds right up my alley." Saying no more, she bent her legs and leapt forward with all her might. She barreled through the typhoon like it was nothing but mere rain, and the air crackled as she slammed into the blocky construct. She jammed her sword into the seams between the blocks, before she gripped a block with each hand. She grit her teeth, and with a powerful roar she ripped the blocks away from the core, sending them flying into the air.
She wasn't done. As I continued my approach, Lumine kept battering away any blocks that tried to return to the core, using her sword almost like a baseball bat. The Hydro typhoon grew stronger and stronger as it expended more energy to send Lumine away, but she held her ground as she continued harassing the construct.
Soon, I made it there. And with the construct's core undefended due to Lumine constantly throwing away any approaching blocks, I had an open shot at ending the thing.
The green glow from my blade grew blinding as I pumped it with as much Anemo as I could, pushing far more Elemental Energy than the sword could ever handle. I reversed my grip on the failing sword, and with a sharp breath, I drove the sword right through the struggling core.
It tried to dodge, and in a way it succeeded as my sword plunged into the earth itself, but that did little.
Because the moment the sword's tip even grazed the earth, the sword shattered, causing an explosion of Anemo so powerful it overwhelmed even the Hydro typhoon the construct had created. Bright green broke through the oppressive blues, and anything that stood in the winds' path was shredded into nothing.
The earth was dug up and sent flying into the sky. The blocks were sent crashing into the dirt. The core that'd evaded the initial strike was torn apart relentlessly, its close proximity to the blast's center ensuring it suffered the most. Even Lumine wasn't excluded, with her having to stab her sword into the earth to hold against the following tornado.
When the winds finally died away, only I remained unaffected. Standing across the beaten hills, the thin layer of salt that sat above the soil blown away, revealing the sparse greenery of grass. The storm had ended, and sunlight fell down upon me as the calm returned.
For a moment, the usually festive wandering bard looked almost divine beneath the sun's rays.
But through it all, even as people began cheering for our victory, only I remained unfulfilled. I stared at my hands, cut up all over due to my reckless charge. "That was all I had…" I whispered sullenly, now truly realizing just how much [Freedom Song] and [Starlight Skybow] bolstered my strength.
In my fight against the Golden Wolflord, I'd blown off an entire mountain's peak with a single attack. In my battle against Durin, I'd created entire chasms in the oceans as I rained down swords from the skies.
Yet here, all I'd managed was to blow away the rain clouds that'd gathered above.
I sighed wearily. I could only hope the [Mirror of Memories] would give me something worth the effort.
"Woo! That was a rush." Lumine was grinning as she walked up to me. Her smile faltered slightly as she saw how battered I was, before her smile returned in full force. "Didn't think fighting a bunch of blocks could ever feel that good."
"I have a feeling I would share the sentiment if I and Celestia ever come to blows." I agreed, staring at the tiny shards that laid next to my feet, colorless and inert. The last remains of that construct's core.
[Detected defeat of Boss Monster, -Hydro Hypostasis-]
[Use the [Mirror of Memories] to gain a random Talent?]
I took a deep breath. My Genshin System waited for my decision. I could refuse and get a Reward like a normal, but the Rewards I've been getting from taking down Boss monsters had been somewhat lackluster as of late.
So without waiting, I accepted the decision.
[Using [Mirror of Memories]. The Item has gone into Cooldown for 4 days! Extracting…]
"Woah…" I heard Lumine whisper, and I blinked just in time to see streaks of blue rise from the ground and surge into my body. They felt reminiscent of the construct we just destroyed, and as more energy flooded my body, I soon understood why.
When I'd shattered the core's construct, its energy had fallen dormant and seeped into the ground. And now my [Mirror of Memories] was dragging it back out, refining it, before letting it absorb into my body.
I smiled wryly. "No worries, friend. This is simply something I've thought about in regards to beings such as this." I closed my eyes as more energy moved into me. "After all, there is no reason to waste this thing Celestia had sent down, is there?"
That wasn't true, of course. It wasn't as if I could just say that I had a System that essentially gave me cheats.
In my focus over the energy I was absorbing, I'd missed the interested look Lumine gave me as she watched me absorb the Hydro Hypostasis' last remnants. "No reason to waste…" She repeated softly, before a vindictive smile came onto her lips. "Ha."
I didn't know how much my words would change things, and how much suffering Celestia would suffer because of it.
After nearly a minute, my Genshin System finally finished its work, and when it did, I felt an incredible well of strength rise inside me as my System spoke.
[Absorption successful! The User has gained the Talent [As Water Seeks Equilibrium 3★]]
For a moment, my mind went blank as I saw an odd sight. A dragon that prowled the seas, holding commandment over the waters. An incredible control over Hydro that surpassed even that of an Archon, an existence so powerful even Celestia dreaded his revival.
The vision ended soon after, and I winced slightly as I struggled to hold onto the strange vision I'd experienced.
Lumine quickly snapped out of her thoughts as she saw me sway, and she caught me before my legs gave out. "You okay?"
I smiled weakly. "I believe so." I sighed. "I am just…a little unused to this new feeling."
She blinked, and then smiled slyly as she hefted me into her arms. I eeped as she held me close to her chest. "Well, guess I should be the better friend then." She winked at me. "You don't mind, do you?"
I chuckled. "Of course not~"
She scoffed, seeing how little I'd reacted.
This wasn't anything special, of course. For us two, this was banter. We'd done more outrageous things during our week-long travels across Liyue—things even I had refrained from writing down in my scrolls.
To the crowd that watched us from afar however,
Well.
It seemed my existence was tailor-made to cause speculation of a certain kind wherever I went.