BOOOOM!
Two god-level forces collided violently above the waters, and the resulting shockwave sent towering columns of water surging into the sky.
A bottomless crater was blasted open at the center of the explosion, while the surrounding water slowly poured into the enormous pit.
In the distant Liyue Harbor, the people who witnessed the meteor descending from the heavens dropped to their knees in prayer, marveling at the divine might of Rex Lapis.
"Even these old bones are feeling a little tired."
Zhongli gazed thoughtfully in the direction of Mondstadt.
He could sense that the purple wave of energy had already weakened considerably before reaching this place.
Even so, it had still required him to confront it head-on.
For a powerhouse of this caliber to suddenly appear in Mondstadt gave him a faintly ominous feeling about his upcoming retirement plans.
Whoosh!
"Your Majesty!"
A green figure abruptly appeared behind Zhongli, staring in astonishment at the enormous crater that was still smoking.
"Xiao, there is no need for alarm... Though the karmic debt within you appears to be stirring again."
Zhongli turned around and spoke calmly.
"It remains within manageable limits. The remnants of those gods seem to have grown considerably more restless lately."
Xiao gently shook his head.
The killing intent of someone who had just returned from battle still clung to him, while traces of pitch-black karmic debt flickered around his body.
"I am already aware of the matter. There is no need to push yourself so hard in everything you do."
With that, Zhongli clasped his hands behind his back and leisurely walked toward Wangshu Inn.
Xiao didn’t ask what had just happened.
His figure flickered, transforming into a streak of jade-green light before disappearing into the mountains.
...
Back at Starsnatch Cliff, the smoke had yet to fully disperse.
Kamisato Satoru was crouched on the ground, carefully tending to the wounds on Eula’s arm.
"All done."
He neatly tied a knot, wrapping the injury securely beneath clean white bandages.
"About what happened today... I really have you to thank."
Eula spoke softly, her gaze as gentle as a clear spring as she quietly watched Kamisato Satoru.
If this man hadn’t descended from the sky at the critical moment, she might really have died here today.
"...Huh? It was nothing."
Kamisato Satoru had been completely absorbed in admiring the beautiful scenery in front of him.
Caught off guard by her sudden gratitude, he guiltily shifted his gaze away.
"Hmph. You’re still sneaking glances. I’ll remember this grudge."
Eula noticed the intensity of his gaze and felt her cheeks grow warm. She deliberately snorted and turned her head away.
Kamisato Satoru was utterly shameless.
Other people would at least try to hide it when looking at something like this.
But him?
He practically wanted to press his eyes right up against her.
"With such beautiful scenery before me, I can’t help but feel inspired to compose a poem."
Kamisato Satoru sighed with exaggerated profundity.
"You can actually write poetry... Wait! You filthy pervert! Go die already!"
Eula had initially thought he was genuinely about to show off some literary talent.
Then she followed his gaze.
Her entire body immediately trembled with rage.
Her right hand tightly gripped the Song of Broken Pines, while her left covered the torn fabric over her chest. Her large eyes looked ready to spit fire.
She felt as though she had almost no privacy left in front of Kamisato Satoru.
He’d practically seen everything several times over by now.
"You can’t blame me for that. It’s your fault for being so captivating, Eula."
Kamisato Satoru defended himself with a grin, sounding completely justified.
"Hmph. Since you saved my life, I’ll leave this particular grudge out of my little notebook for now."
Eula took a deep breath and put away her heavy greatsword, a hint of haughty embarrassment appearing on her face.
Kamisato Satoru found himself amused.
Eula really was quite entertaining when she acted like this.
At the same time, he brought up the system interface in his mind.
[Host: Kamisato Satoru]
[Current Template: Satoru Gojo (90%); Sesshomaru (Progress: 3.9%); Authority over Life and Death; Saitama (Perfectly Enhanced Version)...]
...
Things had progressed quite smoothly.
Defeating the Golden Wolflord had increased his synchronization progress by five percent.
Not only had this allowed him to master his Domain, but it had also unlocked the Sesshomaru template. The system had even thoughtfully thrown in a Tenseiga, although for now, it was nothing more than an empty decorative shell without any abilities.
Tenseiga couldn’t kill anyone. It could only save lives and heal the dying, unless he eventually managed to unlock the Meidō Zangetsuha.
He could now freely switch over to demonic energy and could even attempt to transform.
However, his outward appearance remained human. He wouldn’t suddenly sprout a tail or sharp claws like Sesshomaru.
In any case, Kamisato Satoru had no interest in transforming into a giant white dog.
What interested him far more were the famous swords he could unlock later.
To make things a little more challenging, he temporarily locked his Satoru Gojo template.
Unless he encountered an opponent he genuinely couldn’t handle, he had no intention of casually using that power.
Once a template reached ninety percent synchronization, he could freely switch it on and off. At one hundred percent, its abilities could be permanently integrated.
Although he now felt considerably weaker than he had moments earlier, he could finally experience physical contact with the outside world like a normal person again.
As for that perfectly enhanced Saitama template...
That was a true dimensionality-reduction strike.
patreon.com/ZoroTL442