Looking at Kiana, who was completely off guard before her, Crimson Spirit curled its lips into a mischievous grin.
It extended its small, transparent hand and cautiously poked Kiana's waist.
"Who's there?"
Startled by the poke, Kiana felt her hair stand on end and immediately became alert.
Was there something behind her?
Could this be... Hu Tao's secret weapon against her?
With this thought, Kiana no longer focused on Hu Tao and quickly turned her head to look behind her.
"Ahhhhh!!!!!"
"A ghost?!!!"
As expected, the moment she turned around, Kiana saw Crimson Spirit trying its best to appear fierce, though it didn't look intimidating at all.
Its white, translucent body, fierce expression, and lack of lower half...
Though not particularly terrifying, this creature matched Kiana's impression of a ghost perfectly.
Thus, despite Crimson Spirit's lack of menace, Kiana was still frightened.
Having traveled alone for long periods during her childhood, Kiana often spent nights by herself.
Over time, she developed an involuntary fear of ghosts and supernatural beings from myths and legends.
Although she later learned that no such creatures existed in her world, the fear of ghosts remained buried deep in her heart.
The moment she saw Crimson Spirit, that fear surged to the surface.
Kiana's pupils contracted, and she let out a panicked scream, momentarily forgetting to attack.
Seeing this, Crimson Spirit's mischievous grin widened. It hadn't expected to actually scare someone.
Excited by its success, Crimson Spirit felt emboldened and began floating toward Kiana, waving its arms menacingly.
"Just as I thought."
Hu Tao, observing Kiana's reaction, wore a knowing expression.
While girls who weren't afraid of ghosts were rare, they weren't nonexistent.
But based on the current situation, Kiana clearly wasn't one of them.
"Hehe, so Kiana's afraid of ghosts after all."
Though Hu Tao couldn't understand why anyone would fear Crimson Spirit—it was adorable, after all—she didn't hesitate to act.
This was a golden opportunity, and wasting it would be a shame.
Seeing Kiana panicked and completely exposing her back, Hu Tao smiled, stomped the ground, and charged forward.
As she moved swiftly, Hu Tao summoned her martial spirit, the Soul-Passing Staff, and gripped it tightly, activating her spirit skills.
First Spirit Ability: Soul Suppression.
Second Spirit Ability: Soul Anchoring.
Two purple spirit rings lit up behind her.
An invisible ripple, infused with a peculiar energy, enveloped the Soul-Passing Staff.
These energies greatly enhanced the staff's offensive power and its effectiveness against souls.
This attack ignored physical defenses and struck directly at the soul.
No matter how strong Kiana was, without sufficient soul defense, a single hit would render her unconscious without exception.
Covering the distance of several dozen meters in an instant, Hu Tao arrived behind Kiana, who was still distracted by Crimson Spirit and unaware of Hu Tao's approach.
"Perfect timing."
Seizing the moment, Hu Tao didn't hesitate. She swung her staff, now imbued with strange energy, straight at the back of Kiana's head.
Thunk—
The crisp sound confirmed it was a solid hit.
With that sound, Kiana, still entangled with Crimson Spirit, felt a sudden jolt at the back of her head.
Though it didn't hurt much, a strange dizziness washed over her, making her feel groggy and desperate to sleep.
"I've been hit."
Realizing her condition from the dizziness, Kiana's mind flashed with this thought before she collapsed backward.
Gently knocking out a conscious mind, slowly closing your eyes...
(Since this was a soul attack with a stun effect and neither exceeded limits nor was fatal, the boundary mark didn't activate.)
Kiana—OUT.
Witnessing this, the referee on the judge's platform, though bewildered by the twists and turns of the match, dutifully announced the final result.
"The match is over. The winner is contestant Hu Tao. Congratulations on advancing to the next round."
...
Audience stands.
"Wow, I never expected Hu Tao to win in the end."
"Seriously, the Star Rail and Honkai worlds, which clearly had higher combat power, actually lost to the Genshin world. Guess Honkai Rail and Honkai Impact can't compare to—"
"Hey, hey, discuss all you want, but don't start a flame war."
"Welcome to the Luotian Grand Ritual, where matches are full of twists and turns."
"Seriously, though, Crimson Spirit is a ghost, right? Is no one else scared of ghosts?"
"Uh... are you serious? That little guy can scare people?"
"True, we've seen it so many times in the game. Now it just looks cute, nothing like the ghosts I imagined."
"By the way, have you all just accepted that the people on the field are real?"
"Not sure yet, but who cares? This isn't the only match. The Luotian Grand Ritual lasts for days. We'll see later."
"Exactly. Even if they are real, what can we do about it? This kind of thing has nothing to do with us ordinary folks. Let the higher-ups handle it."
"Oh, right. If Hu Tao is real, then what about Rex Lapis and the others..."
As soon as one person voiced this thought, the lively atmosphere in the audience fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
All eyes involuntarily turned to a group of people standing nearby.
They were the ones who had arrived with the four contestants below, initially thought to be cosplayers.
Zhongli, Fu Hua, Himeko, Dan Heng, Angel Yan, Raiden Mei, Bronya Zaychik...
Originally assumed to be part of a cosplay team, but given the current information, that assumption might not hold.
...
(End of Chapter)