How could she possibly keep Ye Xi here?
Yae Miko's mind was a tangled mess of anxiety, yet her face remained a mask of seductive charm. As the Guuji, she had to maintain a level of composure where neither joy nor anger showed on her features.
Knowing full well what he wanted, she asked anyway, "What is it?"
"It's like this," Ye Xi began, offering a reason he considered perfectly logical. "I feel like my inspiration has run a bit dry lately. I want to travel the continent to find some enlightenment."
Ye Xi had transmigrated directly into Inazuma and had received a great deal of care from Yae Miko. In the beginning, before he had any strength of his own, she was the one who protected him from the Hilichurls. For three years, he had lived within the "little world" beneath the Sacred Sakura Tree. He had long since come to think of this place as home.
If he left without a word, it might provoke the Guuji's displeasure. Seeking a reason to go out and "gather materials" was only natural. He believed Yae Miko wouldn't refuse.
"No!"
"Eh?"
Ye Xi hadn't expected such a violent reaction. He stood there, his face a giant question mark. What was going on? Usually, Yae Miko was so unflappable. Why was she losing her cool today?
Realizing she had overreacted, Yae Miko cleared her throat and said, "Ahem. I don't think that's necessary. The stories you write are excellent; that's enough. Besides, Inazuma is quite large. You can just walk around here. Furthermore, I'm not comfortable with you leaving Inazuma with your current level of strength."
Ye Xi's eyes widened.
What's the situation? Is she... actually worried about me? Even though this sassy fox's personality is built on teasing people while caring for them, making it onto her 'concern' list seems like a big deal!
Yae Miko turned her face away slightly to hide the faint blush rising to her cheeks. However, this did not escape Ye Xi's eyes.
"Miko, your face is a little red."
"It must be an illusion from the lamplight," she replied quickly, brushing it off with a half-truth.
Seeing Ye Xi turn back to look at the candlelight, Yae Miko's slender hand suddenly reached out, cupping his face and forcing him to look back at her. "In any case, you cannot leave my side. Otherwise, I won't be able to protect you."
Her voice was soft and whispery, tinged with a hint of flirtatiousness. Ye Xi never expected that sassy fox could make such a sound. What surprised him even more was how proactive she was being! Talking was one thing, but she was actually getting hands-on?!
Who could possibly withstand an offensive like this?
Slash, slash, slash! He mentally cut down those dangerous thoughts. He had almost nodded in agreement under that wave of watery tenderness. But for the sake of the world's order not collapsing, he still had to leave!
He gently pushed her slender hand away and sighed. "Rest assured. Ei trains with me often; my strength is already quite formidable."
Besides, Inazuma is full of elite mobs it's basically a high-level experience zone. Compared to that, starting villages like Mondstadt or Liyue will be a breeze, Ye Xi thought to himself.
Over the past three years, he had made many friends in Inazuma. Even Ei, dwelling within the Plane of Euthymia, was among them. One shouldn't forget that he was a concept artist in his past life; how could he not know the weaknesses of the characters he helped create?
A few servings of Tricolor Dango were all it took to successfully bribe Ei. Of course, the thing that first pried open the doors to her heart was the light novels he wrote. She was, after all, just a shut-in.
Because of this, he visited Ei whenever he was free. While it was impossible for him to truly withstand the Musou no Hitotachi, he could at least hold his own for a while. Ei was the current Raiden Shogun. Though Baal was dead, Beelzebul was by no means a simple figure. As a god possessing a Gnosis, she had transcended the limits of mortals, granting her such immense power.
Hearing Ye Xi's words and his inner thoughts, Yae Miko's heart did another somersault. This guy... how could he lie without even blushing? What a duplicitous, sassy man!
She continued to press him, her tone light and teasing despite the panic within. "Oh? You're not getting ahead of yourself just because Ei-er let you have a few moves, are you? Just how powerful can you be?"
Though she sounded playful, she was desperately hoping he would back down and abandon the idea of leaving. She knew Ye Xi had already explored Inazuma thoroughly. He had been to many forbidden zones filled with insurmountable filth and corruption. The fact that he came back alive proved he was strong likely even stronger than herself.
She just wanted to be stubborn enough to keep him there without having to resort to begging. Unfortunately, Ye Xi didn't have the ability to read her mind. He only wanted to use this opportunity to show her what he was truly capable of.
He stood up. "Fine. Let me show you the results of my progress."
With a thought, he led Miko out of his "little world." Within that private space, it was like his own Domain where he could manipulate everything at will, so a demonstration there wouldn't count.
They stepped outside the barrier, standing beneath the Sacred Sakura Tree. Facing the ancient tree, Ye Xi reached out his hand, and a small cluster of Fire Elemental Power began to coalesce in his palm.
There were seven elements in this world, symbolizing the seven nations and the Seven Archons. Not everyone could drive the power of the elements. Only those who obtained a Vision could use Elemental Power.
Furthermore, the attribute of a person's Vision was usually fixed from the start. Only the protagonists, Aether or Lumine, could switch elements by touching a Statue of the Seven. There were very few exceptions.
At this moment, the element Ye Xi gathered was Fire!
The scorching flames instantly engulfed his hand, wrapping around it. Then, as if under perfect control, the fire began to compress and condense. Finally, it turned into a red sphere. In his palm, it looked like a medicinal pill.
Miko's heart trembled slightly. She could feel the massive amount of Elemental Power flowing through Ye Xi's body, surging from his limbs and bones into his hand!
"Xi, your Elemental Power reserves are staggering."
Hearing her exclamation, Ye Xi said calmly, "I can gather even more."
He focused. The red sphere turned a brilliant crimson, then began to glow purple. By this point, Yae Miko felt an intense sense of danger. Even for her, seeing flames of this color was unsettling.
But he wasn't done. Under the continuous injection of Elemental Power, the purple flames actually turned black. Yae Miko's face filled with shock and fear.
To an ordinary person, it looked like a small ball in his hand. But to a Vision holder, Ye Xi was surrounded by a surging, titanic tide of Elemental Power!
Once he reached the threshold, Ye Xi casually tossed the small sphere toward the sky. The black orb blended into the night and vanished.
A second later, a faint shadow could be seen passing before the bright moon. Suddenly, a massive ball of fire erupted in the sky!
The light from the explosion illuminated all of Inazuma!
Terrified, Yae Miko took a step back, her nine tails instinctively manifesting behind her. The sound reached them a moment later, followed by a violent shockwave! The howling wind tore a vast cloud of petals from the cherry trees.