Angie glanced back at Scaramouche. "I'll remember this debt," she declared. "I'll settle the score with you next time." With that, she turned and strode out of the Delusion Factory.
Scaramouche stared after her. "Madwoman..." he muttered. Just like her dim-witted brother—all brawn and no brains!
Shortly after Angie's departure, a Fatui soldier approached Scaramouche.
"Lord Scaramouche, the Resistance has discovered our Delusion operation. They're currently mobilizing to seize all Delusions."
"Why are you telling me this? Ask..."
Scaramouche trailed off mid-sentence, his gaze drifting involuntarily toward the destroyed body of the Doctor.
"Pack up your things. We're leaving."
"Yes, sir!"
-
Player World
[It's her!]
[Wow! Angie's actually this strong? She seems to have the upper hand against Scaramouche, the Sixth Seat!]
[If we'd gotten here sooner, we might have ended up like that "Doctor" guy.]
[Speaking of which, who is this "Doctor"? Is he one of the Harbingers too?]
[His codename implies it, but his seat must be low-ranking. Otherwise, how could he have been insta-killed before we even saw him?]
["Doctor"—just the name screams "research type." For him to join the Fatui and possibly become a Harbinger, he must be some kind of mad scientist. Those guys are notoriously hard to kill. Sure, it looked like he was insta-killed, but he might still be alive somewhere.]
[Ha ha ha! Seeing Scaramouche get his ass kicked makes me so happy! Ha ha ha!]
[Got it! Never call Angie "small," or she'll hold a grudge forever.]
-
Yashiori Island.
Lumine, Paimon, and Yuna finally arrived, hurrying every step of the way.
"Here it is, Lumine! Let's go inside!"
Yuna drew her Claymore and charged in first, followed immediately by Lumine and Paimon.
The Delusion Factory had been largely evacuated, with far fewer Fatui soldiers remaining inside. Still, some remained.
These ordinary Fatui soldiers posed no challenge to Lumine and Yuna.
The pair quickly breached the factory's core.
Upon entering the core, Yuna immediately felt a wave of discomfort, though the sensation faded quickly.
The malice in this area was particularly corrosive to those filled with anger. While Yuna was indeed angry, her rage paled in comparison to Lumine's.
Thinking this, Yuna glanced at Lumine.
Lumine's face was pale and strained, clearly struggling to suppress her physical discomfort.
"I didn't expect you to find your way here. Well done."
Paimon cautiously asked, "You're a Fatui Harbinger, just like Childe and La Signora?"
"La Signora? Childe? Oh... so you've already met our two most unreliable colleagues."
"I am the Fatui Harbinger, Sixth Seat, Scaramouche. Pleased to meet you—"
Scaramouche appeared behind a fence.
Yuna, already on high alert, reacted instantly:
"Eat This!"
Scaramouche's lips twitched as he stared at the colossal Claymore, so large it had shattered the roof.
Why am I running into these types of people today? None of them play by the rules.
What, does starting with a zero-frame attack excite you all so much?
Gathering Electro Element Power in his hand to block Yuna's Claymore, Scaramouche teleported to another location in an instant.
"How rude! Don't you know it's impolite to interrupt someone when they're speaking?"
Though he appeared to have casually deflected the strike, Scaramouche was far from relaxed. He glared at Yuna with resentment. How is she so strong?!
Yuna slammed her Claymore into the ground.
"You're manufacturing Delusions and distributing them to the Resistance..."
"Oh, so that's what this is about. But you've got it wrong. Though I'm standing here, I'm merely carrying out a plan on behalf of someone else."
Scaramouche's tone turned vicious. "The mastermind is someone else entirely. You're so capable, aren't you? Go find them yourself!"
Lumine gritted her teeth, glaring at Scaramouche with burning rage.
"Oh, so you're getting worked up over something so trivial..."
"You dare call this trivial?!" Paimon waved her tiny fists in outrage.
"Isn't it? In this world, humans are as insignificant as blades of grass. Those ordinary people who received Delusions would have died anyway without them. In fact, the Delusions gave them a chance to fulfill their wishes. They should be thanking us."
Scaramouche continued, "Do you truly understand the Vision Hunt Decree? We invested considerable effort in orchestrating it, naturally because it served our purposes.
"But looking back now, it was all worth it. We manufactured conflict, paved the way for the spread of Delusions, and let power naturally attract the weak who sought it..."
Scaramouche was a silver-tongued orator, and his words stoked Lumine's anger further and further.
"You! You're despicable!"
Yuna, equally enraged, shouted, "Lumine, let's take him down together!"
Yuna was about to charge forward when she noticed Lumine's strange expression.
"Lumine, what's wrong?"
Paimon chimed in, "Lumine, calm down!"
Lumine drew her sword and prepared to charge, but her body suddenly froze, her mind clouding over.
Scaramouche seized the moment, a triumphant smile spreading across his face. "Ha ha ha...
"That's it, just like that! Embrace the anger... Embrace it! The wrath of the gods fills this factory, and it feeds on your anger..."
The more Scaramouche taunted her, the angrier Lumine grew, and the more her vision blurred.
"Lumine!"
Yuna watched helplessly as Lumine collapsed. She rushed to catch her.
"Damn it! Paimon, take care of Lumine. I'm going to beat this bastard to a pulp!"
Yuna hefted her Claymore and charged at Scaramouche, using her momentum and coordination to swing the massive blade in a wild, reckless strike aimed at his head.
Scaramouche sneered and swiftly dodged the attack.
With a backhanded strike, he unleashed a bolt of Electro that slammed into Yuna's Claymore, sending her staggering backward. Seizing the opportunity, he climbed the weapon like a pole, leaping onto the blade.
"Hah, overestimating yourself!"
Gathering power in both hands, Scaramouche pressed a violent torrent of Electro downward.
The Electro surged along the Claymore, coiling around Yuna's hands and numbing them with violent shocks.
She gritted her teeth, straining to maintain her grip on the Claymore.
"You haven't won yet!"
Paimon frantically shook Lumine, her eyes darting between the shaking figure and the battlefield where Yuna and Scaramouche clashed.
It was clear that Yuna had been completely suppressed, her survival thus far relying solely on brute strength.
Perhaps Scaramouche wasn't taking the fight seriously enough.
Bang!
Yuna was slammed against the wall, then crashed to the ground, her Claymore clattering from her hands.
The fall seemed to have struck her nose, which now bled profusely. Blood streamed into her mouth and dripped from her chin, painting a pitiful sight.
Damn it! I can't beat this guy!
Yuna struggled to her feet and retrieved the fallen Claymore.
-
Player World.
The players, who had been eagerly anticipating showcasing their skills, were utterly dumbfounded.
[What the hell?!]
[The protagonist just fainted?!]
[Mihoyo, what is this bullshit?!]
[Scaramouche, if you dare hurt Yuna, I swear I'll never forgive you! Aaaaaah!]
[Yuna, run! We can't be trusted to protect you!]