"…"
Lucky him—he'd found a soft target.
Ye Luo's mouth twitched when he saw who it was. Faruzan.
He leaned close to Lumine and murmured, "She's the mentor of those scholars—the one who started the rumor framing me."
"She hides in the Akademiya and uses her seniority to do whatever she likes," he added, letting the tiniest trace of righteous anger creep into his face—just enough to look convincingly wronged.
"So… Can you stop her for me?"
He put both hands on Lumine's shoulders, looking grave.
A test, Ye Luo told himself. He was really just testing whether he could issue a quest.
For a moment Lumine thought she'd seen a fleeting blue exclamation mark above Ye Luo's head. Instinct answered before thought did.
"All right—I'll help," she said, and her expression sharpened.
Lumine knew Ye Luo's strength in theory, and she could tell this woman in front of them wasn't ordinary. Her guard rose.
"Thanks!" Ye Luo brightened. Good—she agreed. Maybe he could forgive her for giving him a dull sword.
Having accepted the request, Lumine raised the Skyward Blade. Anemo energy churned through her and she leapt forward with blinding speed—so fast that Layla didn't even have time to shout a warning.
This was a misunderstanding! Layla wanted to scream that, but before she could, the two were already clashing.
Faruzan's fine face flickered with surprise. Why would a young girl attack her without knowing the full story? Kids these days are so hot-headed, joining fights without context or respect for elders. Time to teach the brat a lesson.
She moved. The strange power she'd gleaned from ruins not only extended her life but had honed her body and reflexes; she'd practiced during lonely years of study, after all. Theory alone doesn't win fights—practice does.
A faint flare issued from Faruzan's Vision. In an instant the two figures blurred across the square: wind and bowwork danced, and the air hummed.
Lumine readied herself to close distance. Against an archer, close combat was the right play. She shimmered green, lightning-fast, and the Skyward Blade crackled faintly with electro flashes.
She meant to close in and topple Faruzan with one strike. But Faruzan had already sized her up in the earlier skirmish—Lumine's style was direct, blunt, and terrifyingly strong. Faruzan would not let her reach.
With a kick for recoil and a sharp release, Faruzan sent a volley of elemental arrows into the air.
Whip-crack—whip-crack—whip-crack. Wind-born bolts poured from the bow like quicksilver snakes, tearing through space.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Arrows struck where Lumine had been standing and exploded into puffs of white smoke. Paimon screamed.
"He's fine!" Ye Luo waved casually. According to his "smoke-but-no-harm" rule, he was certain Lumine wasn't hurt. Then, clearly entertained, he watched the duel unwind. He loved watching women fight—what a spectacle.
A violent gust opened, revealing a buried star of Geo energy at its center, a dark core pulsing inside. Faruzan's face registered surprise. Lumine had already used three different elements—Anemo, Electro and now Geo—and, more bafflingly, she did so without a Vision. No Vision and still manipulating multiple elements? Add in the blonde-haired Traveler and the white floating companion, and Faruzan's suspicions clicked into place. She knew who she was facing.
There was no need to press further.
Faruzan shot Ye Luo a killing look and prepared to finish the lesson later. This Lumine with combo-tech was impressive—how long could Faruzan hold out? Realistically, this event scene would probably split it fifty-fifty.
Seizing the gap, Layla finally moved. She cast a sleeping-ice shield on herself to avoid collateral damage, then dashed into the fray shouting, "Wait—Faruzan senior, Lumine, this is a misunderstanding!"
Panic.
Ye Luo watched in growing dread. In his ideal scenario the fight would intensify until one side was exhausted or Faruzan got toppled—then they'd have dramatic reconciliation. Now Layla had interrupted, and Ye Luo smelled disaster.
He'd only just learned to use elemental power; how could he possibly withstand these two? He pictured getting boxed by a "friendly facepunch" and—no. He panicked and bolted.
"Huh?"
Lumine blinked. She hadn't finished. Every fight left her wanting more; this one felt cut too short. She saw the situation turn strange and, thinking of Ye Luo's unpredictable streak, shouted—
"Ye Luo!!!"
In the scripted world, Lumine was gentle by nature, but facing this scene, she couldn't help hollering. Faruzan smoothed her hair and smiled like an indulgent elder. "Oh? So you understand now." Staying to watch the show meant she deserved an explanation. Green light flared and polyhedral constructs blinked into being—then shot at Ye Luo.
Ye Luo heard Lumine's yell and panicked, sprinting without looking back. But the polyhedra intercepted him. They wouldn't harm him seriously, but they could hold him long enough. Enough time for Faruzan and Lumine to close in.
He spun around with a dramatic, ridiculous resolve, desperate for dignity: "Even if I die, I will look cool doing it!"
He turned and struck a pose, voice booming:
"In a ruined valley the cold wind blows, youth returns to cicada cries—
Today the sword points to stacked clouds, forging men and heavens alike!"
He clasped his hands behind his back and, with maximum self-seriousness, added: "Simple. I'll just beat you all."
No one took his theatrical rant seriously.
"You can't be framing him again this time!" someone cried.
"Too late to regret now!" another shouted.
"wild star!" the crowd echoed—an exclamation that meant nothing in particular but felt dramatic.
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