Genshin Impact: Strength Through Bonds

The middle-aged man removed his hat, patting off imaginary dust as he shook his head with a smile.

"I'm just passing through, hoping to help you all develop this land," he said, his tone mockingly benevolent.

"Once progress picks up, you'll have me to thank."

The village chief stared at him in disbelief, trembling and unable to utter a word for a long time.

Help develop the land? Nonsense. This was outright theft—bandits stealing their lifeline!

The village had considered seeking help from the Tenryou Commission, but this merchant played dirty behind the scenes, leaving no evidence.

He even boasted that if someone died, as a citizen of Snezhnaya, he could simply throw some Mora around and settle it.

"You're full of crap! The village's contamination and our plummeting income—it's all because of your sabotage!"

A young man from the crowd couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward, angrily rebuking him.

But before he could finish, a tall soldier approached menacingly.

The soldier was massive, clad in dark blue, heavy armor. Beneath the plating, a faint whirlwind seemed to stir.

His colossal arm-mounted apparatus glowed faintly with a green light, emanating an aura of intimidating power.

An Anemoboxer Vanguard..

The young man recoiled in terror. "What... what are you going to do?!"

The Anemoboxer smirked coldly, reaching out suddenly.

"Shut up!"

With one hand, he hoisted the young man off the ground, holding him aloft like a mere chick.

The youth's face twisted in pain. "Aren't you afraid of the Tenryou Commission...?"

The soldiers exchanged glances before bursting into raucous laughter.

The Tenryou Commission?

Compared to the Fatui, whose influence spanned all of Teyvat, they were nothing.

If they were so capable, why hadn't they shown up yet?

The middle-aged man looked at the pale-faced villagers with a leisurely expression.

At his signal, the Anemoboxer soldier sneered and began tightening his grip.

"Hel..."

The young man's face drained of color as he was on the verge of losing consciousness.

Whoosh!

At that moment, the sharp sound of something slicing through the air pierced the scene.

The soldier's expression changed as a powerful sense of danger made him release the young man and dodge.

But he was too slow.

A flash of sword light streaked past.

The soldier instinctively raised his armored arms to shield himself.

Clang!

The next moment, an immense force struck, sending sparks flying.

The soldier staggered back several steps, snarling, "Who's there?!"

The crowd fell silent, instinctively parting to create a path.

A handsome young man stepped forward.

"Bullying the common folk outside the city governed by the Shogun?..."

Ren gripped his katana, his gaze icy as he stared down the middle-aged man.

"Who gave you the audacity?"

The middle-aged man felt his blood freeze under the cold glare.

This boy... he wasn't bluffing. He really intended to spill their blood!

"Take him down! Quickly!" he barked.

The Fatui soldiers' expressions darkened as they moved to surround Ren.

Ren sneered, "Heh, is this all you've got?"

Cowards who prey on the weak.

"Careful! He's the Tenryou Commission's rising star!"

The Anemoboxer, who had been forced back earlier, recovered and growled.

That was close!

Had it not been for the toughness of the arm-mounted apparatus, that strike might have killed him.

"...!"

Ren's eyes narrowed slightly.

He didn't need to check to know that his katana had already cracked under the strain.

Damn it. The Tenryou Commission's standard-issue gear was absolute junk.

At a critical moment, it couldn't even cut through an Anemoboxer Vanguard's equipment!

The stark disparity between Snezhnayan and Inazuman military power was evident in details like this.

Moreover...

The Fatui seemed to know about him. Why?

They'd even identified him as a Tenryou Commission recruit.

Ren's mind raced.

Could it be because he had foiled the assassination attempt on Kamisato Ayaka?

Inazuma was in turmoil. Under the Sakoku Decree, hidden currents surged everywhere.

Although there had been some changes, the Vision Hunt Decree had not yet come into effect.

But within the Tenryou Commission and the Kanjou Commission, scheming factions were lying in wait.

Waiting for the perfect opportunity to push the Vision Hunt Decree forward.

When that happened, war would break out, leaving the people displaced and destitute.

And at the root of it all was the Fatui.

"You brat! Attacking a citizen of Snezhnaya? Such actions deserves death!"

The Anemoboxer clashed his fists together, summoning a violent gust of wind.

"Feeble Tenryou Commission samurai, your weapon can't even scratch Fatui equipment."

A cruel smirk curled on his lips as he strode toward Ren.

"You dare attack a Tenryou Commission samurai!"

At that moment, a young woman rushed out from the crowd, her voice quivering with indignation as she pointed at the Anemoboxer.

Ren's face darkened. "Why did you come out? Get back now!"

Though he was surprised by her courage, this wasn't the time.

There was no reasoning with these Fatui—oppressors of the weak and scourges of the innocent.

The Fatui soldiers exchanged looks and burst into laughter.

"Really? Inazuma's samurai need a woman to defend them now?"

"A snot-nosed brat like you—how strong could you even be?"

"Go back to your mother's arms and drink your milk!"

The young woman, face flushed with anger, trembled violently. "Shameless scum!"

Gentle by nature, she could never tolerate insults aimed at Ren.

As the Fatui soldiers moved to encircle Ren again, she yelled, "Afedyev!"

The Snezhnayan merchant's expression shifted. "How do you know my name?"

She took a deep breath. "I've seen your records in the Kanjou Commission's archives."

"And I know your factory application hasn't been approved yet."

"By trading land like this, you've violated the Shogun's laws!"

"Do you want your name on Inazuma's blacklist?"

Her words immediately stunned the Fatui.

Who was this woman?

Ren was astonished. He had never expected someone so timid to step forward and deliver such a rebuke, silencing even the merchant.

"Wait... this woman... she's the Kanjou Commission's young lady!"

Afedyev broke into a cold sweat.

If the Kanjou Commission blacklisted him, it would be over.

Snezhnaya was full of competitive merchants eager to push him out of Inazuma entirely.

The young woman's heart pounded wildly.

Her family's disdain flashed in her mind.

And so did Ren's words.

"The weaker you are, the more emboldened the wicked become."

"When faced with injustice, you must learn to fight back!"

Summoning her courage, she drove the point home.

"And Ren is a Tenryou Commission Doushin. He has every right to deal with you!"

The Fatui soldiers faltered for a moment.

Him? A Doushin?

Impossible! Since when?!

Their informants could report assassination results from the streets but not internal promotions within the Commission.

The Anemoboxer's expression flickered as he lowered his massive arm slightly, sensing the tides turning.

Then his gaze landed on the Fatui Pyroslinger nearby, the true leader of their squad.

The Pyroslinger's eyes glinted, a cold smile forming.

A rising star like this...

He had to be eliminated.

Afedyev, sensing the tension, stammered, "This... this is all a misunderstanding!"

Ren felt a flicker of relief. It seemed the situation might avoid escalating into violence—

Until a sudden surge of danger struck him.

Whizz!

Without thinking, Ren tilted his head.

A flaming projectile roared past, grazing his cheek with searing heat.

If he had hesitated for even a moment, it would have been a fatal shot.

"Someone's been shot! Help!"

The villagers, unaccustomed to the sight of elemental power, panicked and fled.

The Pyroslinger, still aiming at Ren with a rifle crackling with fire elemental energy, sneered.

"Can you dodge the next one?"

He had already noticed the cracks on Ren's blade.

Without a weapon, what chance did he have?

Fatui military equipment was unrivaled across Teyvat.

Afedyev, now in shock, cried out, "What are you doing?! I told you to stop!"

Smack!

A soldier slapped him hard across the face.

"You think a mere merchant gives orders here? Know your place."

The Anemoboxer roared and charged toward Ren like a raging storm.

Ren's gaze sharpened, his aura fierce.

"Heh. Looks like you've decided to settle this the hard way."

His battered katana had already been sheathed. A standard-issue blade like this was utterly unsuited for fighting Fatui armor.

Perhaps there was only one option left...

"High-temperature disinfection!"

Blinding flames erupted as the Pyroslinger fired again.

Ren moved to dodge, but his motion slowed.

"You won't escape this time!"

The Anemoboxer unleashed a burst of Anemo energy, dragging Ren's movements to a halt.

Boom!

The flaming bullet tore through Ren's body, igniting him.

Fire surged, fanned by Anemo, spreading rapidly.

The Anemoboxer grinned savagely as he closed in on Ren.

A straight punch hurtled forward!

"No! Ren!"

The young woman sprinted toward him, intending to shield him with her own body.

Though she was timid by nature, this time she stood her ground.

Facing such a brutal attack, she knew what the outcome would be.

She was just an ordinary girl.

Her family didn't care about her.

Ren was the only warmth left in her world.

Even if she could delay the attack for just a moment, she wouldn't regret it.

As she braced herself, a soft sigh reached her ears.

"Jeez. You've been like this since we were kids."

"Too foolish for your own good, but somehow it's adorable."

Ren pulled her into his arms, shielding her behind him.

Though the flames had scorched him and left ash on his face, his features remained resolute.

Facing the incoming storm, Ren raised his right fist.

Beneath the calm exterior burned a wild, unstoppable power.

[Innate Passive: Paradoxical Practice.]

[Triggers when a Swirl reaction occurs on the field, generating a stacking charge effect. This effect can be triggered once every 0.1 seconds.]

The earlier hit from the Pyroslinger had been intentional.

By leveraging the Swirl reaction, Ren had accumulated maximum charges.

[Skill: Righteous Argument.]

[With full charges, activates "True Argument," significantly increasing damage and expanding its range.]

A wicked smirk played on Ren's lips.

Comparing punches?

You've never met someone like me.

The Anemoboxer sneered. "Fool. Do you really think your bare hands can match my mechanized arm?"

Not even swords could pierce his armor. What could one punch do?

And then—

Boom!

A deafening shockwave erupted as a shadow was sent flying.

All eyes turned instinctively to the source.

The Anemoboxer lay twisted in a crater, his fate uncertain.

The armor he had prided himself on—so impenetrable that even blades couldn't scratch it—

Had been shattered into fragments.

With a single punch, Ren had utterly destroyed the Anemoboxer.

The Fatui soldiers gasped in disbelief. "Impossible!"

As the dust cleared, the calm figure of the young man emerged.

"Is this really all you got?"

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T/N: I couldn't figure out what ability Righteous Argument is, if you know well...let me know!