Genshin Impact: The 12th Fatui Harbinger

Bai Luo casually put away the Juvenile Jade, already nimbly dodging the opponent's claws.

"Roar—"

The Geovishap's scarlet eyes seemed to ignite with fire, its sharp claws, wreathed in flames, aimed directly at Bai Luo's head. If struck squarely, Bai Luo's head would probably burst open like a watermelon.

Bai Luo's body shifted slightly, his dagger already thrown, sinking into the nearby rock wall with a steel wire. He also used the mechanism on the dagger to dodge the claw attack.

After escaping, Bai Luo pulled the dagger from the rock wall, arched his back, exerted force with his feet, and combined with the power from his waist, suddenly launched himself high into the air.

In the past, he would have needed the help of the steel wire to jump this high, but "One-Winged Angel" had enhanced his leaping ability, allowing him to jump as high as the Yaksha who had eaten two of his Sunsettias consecutively.

The instant he leaped, the Geovishap's second attack struck. If he hadn't dodged in time, he would likely have been torn to shreds. The three deep claw marks on the rock wall were enough to demonstrate how sharp its claws were.

Actually, he wouldn't be torn to shreds. With the divine skill of Quantum Form, he wasn't afraid of the opponent's attacks at all.

But this ability had a five-second cooldown, so it was best to use it at critical moments, otherwise... he would die a miserable death. As for the Raiden Shogun incident, there was no choice.

Given the current situation, the combat power of the Seven Archons was definitely the ceiling of Teyvat. If he had held back then, it would have been suicide.

But the Raiden Shogun's martial arts were extraordinary, and her combat awareness far surpassed that of ordinary people. In an instant, she had seen through the interval of his Quantum Form. If he hadn't activated the Battousai character, it would have been impossible to fight so easily that day.

This strike wasn't a critical hit, but the dagger still deeply embedded itself into the Geovishap's thick outer shell. The "Assassin" profession had a simple and clear characteristic: instant kill.

All of his skills either increased critical hit rate, or armor penetration, and even had passive abilities like triple damage and instant kill. It was a pity he hadn't acquired the relevant equipment yet; otherwise, if his critical hit rate stacked high enough, every strike would apply a paralyzing effect, meaning the opponent wouldn't even be able to move. The "Time-Stop Swordsman" title wasn't earned in vain.

Bai Luo, pulling on the steel wire, landed on the Geovishap's back, not forgetting to deliver an extra blow. "One-Winged Angel" had added damage to his plunging attack, which also helped him break through its outer shell.

The Geovishap roared in pain. And the crimson crystals on its back emitted a dazzling red light. Not all crystals would develop into Juvenile Jade; crystals that didn't would be infused with elemental energy by the Geovishap, turning into Pyro Exploding Rocks.

When these exploding rocks detonated, they would produce magma and extremely hot flames. The Geovishap could withstand such high temperatures, but that didn't mean Bai Luo could. So, he had to abandon the back, which was out of reach of the opponent's claws, and after a somersault, landed steadily on the ground.

The Geovishap's back, pierced by Bai Luo's dagger, was already bleeding slightly. The pain made the Geovishap let out a low growl, while also stimulating its beastly nature.

The Pyro element on its body became increasingly abundant. Its heavy claws pressed against the ground, leaving streaks of scratches on the rocky surface. Its eyes, burning with fire, stared fixedly at Bai Luo.

"Boom—"

The Geovishap pushed off with its hind legs, like an enraged bull, shattering the rocky ground. Flying rock fragments scattered, nearly hitting Qiqi above. Bai Luo held his dagger, calmly observing the massive figure of his opponent. His eyes, hidden beneath the mask, focused on the Geovishap's eyes.

His damage was indeed high, but trying to kill the opponent with just this short dagger was obviously wishful thinking. So, he had to find the Geovishap's weakness and kill it in one blow. Prolonged combat was not his style.

The instant the Geovishap entered his skill range, he struck. The dagger in his hand flew out, directly burying itself in the Geovishap's eye.

As a Geo creature, its eyes were structured like gems; by all accounts, they should not be easily pierced by human weapons. Yet, this seemingly inconspicuous dagger easily penetrated its eye.

"Crack—"

A sound like shattering glass echoed, and crimson gem fragments scattered across the ground. The Geovishap cried out in agony and charged at Bai Luo, its momentum no less than a fully-accelerated truck.

Bai Luo finally used the Quantum Form he had been holding in his hand. A faint blue aura lit up, and the Geovishap's heavy body directly dispersed Bai Luo, crashing into the nearby rock wall. The scattered light particles instantly reassembled, reforming Bai Luo's original appearance.

The Geovishap truly lived up to its name as a mini-boss. If it were an ordinary monster, this collision would probably have knocked it unconscious, but it merely shook its head as if nothing had happened, and looked at Bai Luo again. Magma dripped like water from its shattered eye, and the killing intent in its remaining eye sent a shiver down Bai Luo's spine.

To his surprise, the Geovishap didn't charge forward. Instead, using its inherent characteristic as a Geo creature, it burrowed into the underground rock layers, disappearing from sight.

Once a Geo creature enters the rock layers, it's like a fish entering the ocean; it can roam freely. The vibrations in the rock layer were the best proof that it was still nearby. Perhaps it was right beneath Bai Luo's feet, ready to burst out at any moment and take a bite out of him.

Facing this situation, Bai Luo didn't indulge it. He immediately used Shadow Step, which had finished cooling down. His figure instantly vanished from the cave. The entire cave was silent except for the rumbling sounds of the Geovishap moving through the rock layers.

Before long, the Geovishap, still roaming underground, surfaced looking somewhat confused, and its nose twitched. Had that person run away? Its sense of smell wasn't very keen, but its perception of the earth was very clear. The feedback from the earth told it that there was no one else nearby besides that herbalist child.

"Roar—"

The Geovishap roared towards the sky, as if venting its injured frustration, or perhaps its inner resentment. After venting, it returned to its position, lay on the ground, and began slowly recovering from its injuries by drawing strength from the earth.

It didn't notice, however, that the black figure had been replaced by a crimson hue, and that person had already locked onto it. Just as it opened its mouth, a small Sunsettia fell into it.

"???"

By the time it realized something was wrong, it was too late. It only felt itself restrained by a strange force, unable to even escape underground.

"Whoosh—"

A mournful cry came from the Geovishap's mouth, like a plea for mercy, or perhaps a lament. Perhaps... and I mean perhaps, what made it wail was that sour taste it had never experienced in its life?

Regardless, Bai Luo's body was already crouched to the extreme, his face barely a fist's distance from the ground.

"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū: Kuzuryūsen!"

A flash of sword light. Bai Luo's drawing technique directly ignored the Geovishap's hard outer shell, striking its sole vulnerable "heart."

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Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū is an ancient kenjutsu from the Sengoku Jidai, developed to allow a single samurai to defeat numerous foes single-handedly, created by Hiko Seijūrō I. Rooted in the concept of ichi no tachi, or to strike in a single blow, practitioners of this style use a combination of immense speed and agility, battōjutsu, and acquired, observation-based pseudo-clairvoyance that permits a practitioner to anticipate an opponent's moves. Both offensive and defensive maneuvers are executed with minimal movement to increase a practitioner's ability to counterattack and conserve energy. As such, made with efficiency and spareness of exertion in the face of warfare scale battles yet with powerful and coordinated movements to easily fell threats in long and undetermined periods, it is among one of the strongest and oldest kenjutsu styles in Japan, once known as the signature style that defined Hiko Seijūrō I as The Man Who Could Cut One Hundred in One Stroke.

The style commonly has the user keep one hand on the sheath at all times, stresses two-step attacks to ensure that the practitioner is never off guard while executing said attacks, and allows the user to use the sheath as a shield to block attacks. Practitioners are also trained in honing their senses and to recognize movement, as well as to react in kind with their opponent's emotional disposition to efficiently fend them off accurately, a process in short that can be called "utilizing one's ki" or the internal way of the martial arts, allowing the practitioner to dynamically flow in turn with their opponent's own energy and use their own pace against them. Arguably, its most well-known trait is the surreal speed practitioners of this style use in battle (known as Shinsoku, or Godspeed), allowing the user to accelerate, maneuver, and strike at speeds most eyes are unable to properly follow. This allows the user to close a considerable distance in seconds and strike down enemies before they can react. Despite each successor to this style becoming true masters of its teachings and skills, rarely have they been able to use this style to true perfection and bring out its full potential. Only Hiko Seijūrō I and XIII (and in the anime only Amakusa Shōgo) can surpass the normal limits of this style, such as going beyond god-speed without the need for battōjutsu strikes, letting them accelerate to speeds faster than the human eye cannot detect.

The techniques of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū have only been held by a select few throughout its history. In the face of its tremendous power as a style, this is due to its adherence to the strict yet responsible practice of isshi soden, which involves a single master training a single apprentice exclusively. This master-apprentice dynamic continues to the point of succession in which the apprentice graduates into his mastery through a special rite of passage, in which they inherit the style's secret technique (ōgi) and the mantle of "Hiko Seijūrō". This process, however, results in the death of the current master at the hands of the apprentice who must use the secret technique - Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki - against them. Succession also awards the newly-appointed master an heirloom mantle, which acts as the certification of mastery. This particular mantle is also weighted, which enables the master to continuously train their strength when worn, even with everyday activities.

Due to its tremendous power and speed, Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū has been nicknamed "The Black Ship of the Land" in that it would almost certainly secure absolute victory for whichever side might wield it in a conflict. In light of this probability, the practitioners of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū have historically maintained the independence of any and all political entities, stressing highly the importance of wielding its expertise in the name of their fellow man rather than serving any political, governmental or institutional body. Under this duty, all generations of practitioners receive much insight regarding the human condition from the school's teachings. This includes instruction regarding the relativism of morality and the idea that perceptions of good and evil are not absolute; a potentially "good" human being can have any number of beliefs that may not mesh with those of the practitioner without necessarily being wrong. Other core tenets of the style include the idea the art of swordsmanship ultimately amounts to nothing more than a way to kill other human beings, regardless of the practitioner's intentions or beliefs, and that the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū should never be used to improve a practitioner's social standing, acquire wealth, or obtain political power. Finally, while heirs are encouraged to protect the innocent, the defenseless, and the less fortunate, the Hiten Mitsurugi school motivates its users to understand even foes to garner accurate judgement and resolve conflict with mercy and the least amount of violence, while in more extreme cases, ultimately permits its practitioners to execute individuals whom they deem to be truly deserving of death.

As powerful as it may be, Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū can also harm its practitioners. Medically speaking, the physical demands for Hiten Mitsurugi are tremendous. For anyone ill-equipped, such as Himura Kenshin, simply employing their techniques causes cumulative, physical damage to their body. According to the physician Takani Megumi, the style is essentially a "superman's sword art", requiring someone with an incredibly athletic body to use it effectively in the long term. Typically, the training provided during apprenticeship enables practitioners to condition themselves properly.

In turn, Hiko Seijūrō XIII is an example of the necessary conditioning for practitioners of the style to perform without incurring the cumulative trauma from regular usage, having developed an extraordinarily resilient physique with an incredible musculature over the years in tenure as a Hiten Mitsurugi master proper. Himura Kenshin, by comparison, having left his training early, stunted his body's development, resulting in a leaner, more fragile frame which culminated in progressive issues after mastering the Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki. After using the technique only six times, he caused irreparable damage to his muscle tissue, decimating the agility and speed needed to exercise the more advanced moves of the Hiten Mitsurugi. Furthermore, due to the immense stress imposed on the body, along with one not having the proper physique necessary to use the sword style to its fullest in the long run, continuous use can result in the user eventually being crippled and eventually no longer capable of using the technique without it posing a risk to their life.

But, with proper and regular training, the style serves as a veritable "fountain of youth" enabling practitioners to suppress the ageing process. Kenshin, for instance, at nearly thirty years old, looks almost no different from the way he looked while in his late teens and his master, Hiko Seijūrō XIII, is 43 years old but looks exactly the same as he did when he was in his mid-twenties.

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