Sword Flight!
This was a scene typically seen only in Xianxia dramas, yet Li Sushang was capable of it.
However, recalling the image of her commanding a thousand swords upon her debut, the people outside the light curtain were not particularly surprised.
After all, in the eyes of the audiences across the infinite multiverse, Li Sushang was no different from the immortal cultivators of Shenzhou legend. In fact, she was a Sword Immortal.
And for a Sword Immortal, isn't Sword Flight a basic skill?
---o---
[Light Curtain Commentary]
Jing Tian: "Whoa, controlling thousands of swords at once! I have a hard time with just one. This Miss Li is truly a Sword Immortal among Sword Immortals, way stronger than those smelly Taoists!"
Future Sword Master: "I can only wield six at once, and the General always said that was genius talent. But now, it seems I'm still far from enough."
All Riejuu Should Explode: "Um… isn't anyone curious where she gets so many swords from?"
Lobster Doctor: "For that, I'd have to explain Honkai Energy to you all. But perhaps not explaining it is fine too. Just think of Honkai Energy as something that can do anything."
Wants to Drink Mei's Sister Juice: "Hey, what kind of explanation is that?!"
Super Alloy Bronya: "For a simpleton like Kiana, isn't this explanation concise enough? Besides, you wouldn't understand the other explanations anyway."
---o---
[On the light curtain, Li Sushang's Sword Flight technique was remarkably convenient. Never mind carrying just Ritsuka; she could have taken everyone present without the slightest effort.]
[As the sky completely darkened, Li Sushang secretly brought Ritsuka and the others up to the top of the fortress wall, infiltrating the stronghold.]
[It was worth mentioning that, to ensure the rescue plan went smoothly, Hassan of the Hundred Personas had taken the lead and did not enter the fortress with the main group.]
[She planned to feign an attack from the outside at the right moment to draw the main enemy fire.]
[After all, Hundred Personas' Noble Phantasm could create dozens, even hundreds, of clones. Such a power was perfectly suited for a diversionary tactic to compensate for their lack of numbers.]
The sun set, and night fell. The operation to rescue Hassan of Serenity and Guinaifen began.
Under the guidance of Hassan of the Cursed Arm's senses, Ritsuka and the others quickly found the entrance leading to the dungeon.
With two of Li Sushang's flying swords, the Purified Knights guarding the dungeon were knocked unconscious, unable to put up any resistance.
"Come to think of it, since Miss Sushang's energy doesn't fall into the category of magical energy, it's hard for typical magical detection to pick it up."
Looking at the few swords circling her, Mash commented with a hint of envy.
This fortress, while not as magnificent as the Holy City, was fully equipped with all necessary facilities, including magical detection devices. Although these temporary detectors might not be as good as Chaldea's, sensing Servants like them who weren't concealing their presence would be all too easy.
To avoid being detected by the fortress's magical sensors, all the Purified Knights along the way were dealt with by Li Sushang and Hassan of the Cursed Arm.
"Hmm… a different power system, you say? Are you referring to the Zhenqi in my body? But in Luosha terms, the Zhenqi I have should also be Honkai Energy," Li Sushang said, stroking her chin thoughtfully.
In the ancient land of Shenzhou, the term "Honkai Energy" did not exist. So, even though Li Sushang and the Seven Swords of Shenzhou all used Honkai Energy, they themselves were unaware of it, simply considering it to be Zhenqi.
"Honkai Energy…!!?"
Upon hearing this term, the others had little reaction, but Dr. Romani, back in Chaldea, seemed to remember something, a look of utter shock on his face.
"Hm? Doctor, do you know what that energy Miss Sushang has is?"
Noticing Dr. Romani's strange reaction, Ritsuka asked.
The Doctor was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "No, I just feel like I've seen that term somewhere before."
The Doctor's tone was a little unnatural, as if he were deliberately hiding something.
Even if an ordinary person heard a familiar term, their first reaction wouldn't be such astonishment. It could only be said that the Doctor was a terrible liar. His tone was so blatantly obvious that it was as if he had "I know what Honkai Energy is" written all over his face. At this point, even the pure-hearted Mash could tell something was off.
However, out of their trust in the Doctor, neither Ritsuka nor Mash pressed the matter further. Da Vinci, on the other hand, who was trailing the group, wore a thoughtful expression.
Dr. Romani was truly a man full of secrets. It wasn't just his true identity, but also the matter of the Fourth Holy Grail War that was missing from Chaldea's records... It seemed there were many secrets hidden within Chaldea that even a genius like her was not privy to.
The internal voice communications among the Chaldea members were naturally not heard by Hassan of the Cursed Arm and the others.
At this moment, Cursed Arm was carefully examining the surroundings, his voice low. "This underground prison seems to have preserved and used things passed down from ancient times... I'm afraid something unpleasant resides here."
As a Hassan in the darkness, he was the most sensitive to such things.
At this point, Li Sushang had not yet realized the gravity of the situation, a look of confusion on her face. "Unpleasant things? What are they?"
Just then, Dr. Romani's image appeared before them as he urgently said, "Hassan is right! I'm detecting necromantic hostile reactions, and in large numbers!"
"They are rapidly approaching us! Be careful, and try to be as quiet as possible during the fight so you don't alert the soldiers in the fortress!"
"What? It's just simple wraiths? With Master Sushang here, that's not a problem at all."
Hearing Dr. Romani's words, Xuanzang sensed the surrounding environment and spoke with utter indifference.
As a Buddhist monk, she could sense the years of resentment accumulated here. In fact, due to her connection to "Buddha," Xuanzang herself was a natural counter to these wraiths. Theoretically, exorcising them was her duty as a monk.
But things were different today. Since Li Sushang was here, she could just focus on slacking off. It was all physical exorcism anyway, so it didn't matter who did it.
However… the moment she heard the word "wraith," Li Sushang's body couldn't help but tremble, and she silently retreated behind the group.
"Eh? Master Sushang, what's wrong?"
Xuanzang had intended to ask the nearby Li Sushang for help, but she found her silently backing away, a look of confusion on her face.
Li Sushang awkwardly turned her head aside and said, "Um, I won't be joining this one. My Zhenqi was depleted just now. If we're a little careful, we probably won't be detected."
Li Sushang's unexpected action not only left the group bewildered but also left the viewers outside the screen a bit confused.
Running out of Zhenqi? Only Li Sushang could come up with an excuse like that. The Zhenqi she displayed while fighting Mordred was tens of thousands of times greater than what she used against the Purified Knights. Now she was saying it was all gone? Who would believe that?
Even Mash, the most naive of the group, wouldn't believe such a simple excuse.
But why would Li Sushang use such a clumsy excuse to avoid the wraiths?
Logically speaking, this was a military fortress of the Holy City's knights. These so-called wraiths shouldn't pose much of a threat, certainly far less than the Purified Knights. And with Li Sushang's strength, dealing with those Purified Knights, whose physical abilities were comparable to unascended Servants, was as easy as chopping melons and vegetables—one-shot, one-kill.
But now, facing wraiths who were leagues weaker than the Purified Knights, she was actually showing signs of retreat.]
---o---
"This… could it be…"
In the Honkai: Star Rail world, on the Xianzhou Luofu, Guinaifen looked at the flustered Sushang on the screen and let out a mischievous laugh.
"It really is like that. It seems even as counterparts, personalities and preferences have some things in common."
As her best friend, Guinaifen knew Sushang's weaknesses very well.
This best friend of hers, don't be fooled by her usually silly demeanor; her strength was nothing to scoff at. Although she couldn't unleash the divine might of the Li Sushang on the screen, she was still among the top ranks of the Cloud Knights of her age.
But even so, Sushang had one fatal weakness… she was afraid of ghosts.
Not just a normal fear, but a crippling one. The kind where she would faint from fright even if she knew it was just an actor in a costume.
"Wh-what's wrong?! What's wrong with being afraid of ghosts?! Last time we went to the haunted house, you weren't any better than me!"
Seeing Guinaifen's smug smile, Sushang's face turned red as she tried to defend herself.
She couldn't help it. When she was little, her mother would scare her with ghost stories every day. Now that she was older, she still had a psychological scar. She just never expected that her counterpart, who was so powerful, would also be afraid of ghosts.
Guinaifen, however, just glanced at Sushang helplessly and covered her head. "At least I didn't faint."
Honestly, Guinaifen's fear of ghosts was that of an ordinary person. A couple of shouts from a fake ghost was about all it took. But Sushang was different. Real or fake, as long as it was a ghost, it was enough to make her faint.
---o---
[Light Curtain Commentary]
Kurumi Tokisaki: "Ara, ara, I never expected Miss Li Sushang to have this side to her. To be afraid of something as unreal as a ghost, oh how cute~~"
Detective Conan: "Unreal? How can something that's right in front of you be fake? Besides, the existence of things like ghosts is perfectly normal in the Type-Moon world. It's not an ordinary world to begin with."
Otto Apocalypse: "Hahaha, even after hundreds of years, with her Sword Heart fully accomplished, she's still afraid of those things? But it seems she has made a lot of progress. At least she didn't faint right in front of me like she did back then."
Li Sushang: "Luosha person!! Don't talk nonsense! When did I ever faint in front of you because of that? That was clearly… clearly a lack of Zhenqi…"
Gudako: "Looks like Miss Sushang is just like the Doctor, not very good at lying…"
---o---
[On the light curtain, after realizing that this top-tier expert who could thrash Mordred was actually afraid of ghosts, Ritsuka was at a loss for words.]
There's an old saying in Shenzhou: "Every creature has its vanquisher." It seems it can be applied here as well.
But it was because of this that Li Sushang's image in Ritsuka's mind was no longer tinged with the distinct air of an immortal. This ghost-fearing trait stripped away her veneer of power, making her seem more like a girl next door, which was quite endearing. Ritsuka could clearly feel that her relationship with Li Sushang had grown even closer.
"Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, when practicing the profound Prajna Paramita, perceived that the five skandhas are empty, and thus crossed beyond all suffering!"
Boom, boom, boom!
Although Li Sushang refused to fight, as mentioned before, these wraiths were pathetically weak. Even the Purified Knights could defeat them.
Xuanzang was seen with her left hand held before her, her right hand alternating between a palm and a fist. With each strike, she chanted the true sutras, and in no time, she had exorcised the vast majority of the wraiths.
"Come, let me be the one to strike you down! No matter what attachments you have to this world, I will see to it that you all attain Buddhahood!"
With a compassionate look on her face, Xuanzang spoke sorrowfully to the remaining wraiths, who were clearly trembling from the aura of "Buddha."
Before the terrified eyes of the many wraiths, Monk Xuanzang's palms and fists quickly descended upon them, thoroughly exorcising them.
"Amitabha!"
After exorcising the last wraith, Monk Xuanzang chanted, her eyes closed and her palms together.
Ritsuka and the others, who had witnessed the entire event from start to finish, broke out in a cold sweat. No one had expected the previously timid and fearful Monk Xuanzang to be so formidable.
On their way to the fortress, they had encountered plenty of demonic beasts, but Monk Xuanzang would always just cry and cling to Li Sushang's leg.
But the moment she encountered wraiths, Xuanzang became a completely different person. Her body radiated martial virtue, giving those malevolent spirits a deep taste of what it felt like to be physically exorcised.
This couldn't help but make Ritsuka and the others sigh for the wraiths. It was just their bad luck to run into Xuanzang.
After dealing with the malevolent spirits, the group continued forward, but they still hadn't found any trace of Guinaifen or the others.
"The structure is much larger and more complex than imagined… Based on the distance we've walked, we should already be outside the fortress's perimeter…"
Hassan of the Cursed Arm touched the dungeon wall, his voice low. He never imagined the fortress's prison would be so vast. What on earth was it built to hold?
"Hmm, are we already on the third basement level? It seems Guinaifen and Serenity are even deeper underground."
Hearing Cursed Arm's words, Mash was a little surprised. "No way!? There weren't any stairs or ramps at all! How are we already on the third basement level?"
Cursed Arm then explained, "The path has been sloping downwards from the very beginning. It's impossible to notice unless you're accustomed to the darkness."
"In a sense, this can already be called a subterranean labyrinth. It seems things have gotten a bit troublesome."]
---o---