Two stood before a broken Marionette.
She looked up at the still inky night sky, then listened for a while to the now quiet surroundings, and suddenly chuckled a few times.
"It seems they're quite clever. They know we're exhausted from running all over the city."
"You also found self-destructed Marionettes on your side?"
"It seems this isn't an isolated incident. I have them here too."
…Two listened to the exchanges of her companions in her mind and, after a brief thought, had a general idea.
These guys simply wanted to destroy all the Marionettes, leaving only the one in the factory.
Then, for Yu Jin's mission, the Black Blades would certainly return to find that sole surviving Marionette and cut a complete Marionette soul.
"A good open conspiracy," Two praised faintly. However, this was nothing to the Black Blades. Rather, they also wanted to cause a ruckus, and this open conspiracy played right into their hands.
They were about to return to The Lands Between; wouldn't it be a pity not to leave their mark on this world?
But Two truly hadn't expected that fellow called Marionette to be willing to destroy all of her creations.
When they first stated their conditions, what Marionette resisted most wasn't the one-eighth of a soul, but the part about "destroying all of her creations."
Teyvat's research into souls was scarce, and for them, souls were mostly an ethereal and vague concept.
Even when Marionette dispersed her soul and descended into her various creations, she used the term "consciousness" rather than "soul."
So it wasn't hard to understand why Marionette didn't care about her own soul. Of course, it's also possible she genuinely valued her creations more than her soul.
"They're gone. All soul auras have disappeared. It seems that fellow called Marionette has destroyed all her other Marionettes."
Just as Two was contemplating, the voice of Nine suddenly appeared in her mind—now only one of Marionette's creations remained.
"Everyone, be careful. There should be many people ambushing there now," Two added appropriately.
"Isn't that perfect? We can let loose and have a good fight!" Three's voice grew excited. Since arriving in this world, she hadn't experienced a single decent battle.
Her heart had long been filled with a craving for battle. Before, for Yu Jin, this craving had always been suppressed deep within her. But now, it seemed, she might be able to release it today.
"I'm going first. You all hurry up." Three had already set off.
After hearing Three's words, Two couldn't help but shake her head. She had thought Three had changed her ways, being so quiet these past few days, but now it seemed she had thought too much.
However, she wasn't too worried about Three. Regardless of a Black Blade's personality, missions and collective action were always paramount.
Three was no exception to this.
The scattered Black Blades gathered again, running through the night, finally stopping on the roof of a building on the ground floor of the Marionette factory.
The Black Blades looked at the bustling, impenetrable factory below, their hearts unmoved.
Without discovering the Black Blades' whereabouts, numbers were meaningless.
"They're not here yet?" The Rooster muttered, looking at the soldiers densely packed around the factory.
"Even if they came, you wouldn't see them." The Doctor's dark mask showed no expression. Invisible enemies were troublesome.
"Come on, just find them." Damselette leaned on Marionette, helping her tend to her wounds, her face still wearing that innocent and naive expression.
Marionette, meanwhile, let Damselette fuss over her, her thoughts already drifting far away, wondering what she was thinking.
"They're here!" The Knave's eyes narrowed. She saw a pair of standard squads stationed in the distance suddenly disappear.
That being said, The Knave did nothing except kick the Balladeer, who was lying dead beside her.
Now was the time to find a flaw. The Harbingers had made many preparations to force the Black Blades to act—they were at the center, and all other items around them had been moved away.
Inside and outside the factory, they had placed a very dense number of soldiers on the essential paths leading to them. Even in the not-so-high air within the factory, small flying machines they had brought in were suspended.
And all of this was to make the Black Blades act as much as possible. As long as they acted, there would be a flaw, and with a flaw, a way to deal with them might be found.
The Black Blades were like a large hand hidden in the darkness; each strike caused several people to disappear.
This unusual scene naturally attracted the attention of the other Fatui soldiers. However, despite their inner fear, they still carried out the mission given to them by The Rooster—that is, to guard the designated route no matter what.
They were the most elite soldiers of the Fatui, and their Harbinger lords behind them were watching them.
The empty space in front of the Harbingers grew larger, and the Black Blades drew closer to the Harbingers.
"Swish!" The sound of a gentle breeze rustled, and another squad of soldiers suddenly vanished.
Their adjacent comrades also paused in their steps. Everyone was struggling under this invisible pressure, their foreheads beneath their masks already covered in fine sweat.
However, this time, a new change occurred in the situation.
"Bang!" A dull explosion suddenly sounded in the air. Blood-colored fireworks Bloomed in the sky, and the scattered flesh had an unparalleled adhesiveness, outlining several blurry figures in the air.
The Doctor saw the scene before him, a slight smile playing on his lips. Using so many people as a prelude was all for this moment!
Although not all Black Blades' traces were exposed, this was enough. At least now they had definite targets for attack.
However, to The Doctor's surprise, in just a moment, the Black Blades all revealed themselves.
Eleven massive auras were completely released at this moment! The ordinary soldiers in the distance felt as if they had fallen into the deep sea, where even breathing was a luxury.
"Heh heh, ruthless, decisive, very good." The insincere praise came, making it hard to tell who spoke.
"Flattery. I've experienced your methods before, so how could I not come up with some countermeasures?" The Doctor said with a confident smile, looking at the eleven identical figures before him.
"Has anyone among you had contact with him?"
"I haven't."
"He's a madman, ignore him."
…To the Harbingers, the Black Blades had fallen silent, but in reality, the Black Blades' internal communication was in an uproar. Everyone was arguing about who had seen The Doctor before.
The silence lasted for a long time. The Black Blades were powerful, and the Fatui dared not attack first easily.
The Knave looked at the silent situation. She recalled the Black Blades' past actions, then thought for a while about the details of the Black Blades' recent movements, and came to a conclusion she could barely believe.
The Black Blades were actually avoiding unnecessary casualties!
This assassin organization, whose professionalism was the highest she had ever seen, actually had such a principle, which made The Knave somewhat doubt if she was dreaming.
"Everyone, get out! What comes next is not something you can participate in." After a moment of contemplation, The Knave chose to trust her judgment. She was the first to break the silence.
If it was truly as she surmised, then this action of hers would not only greatly increase her prestige but also release goodwill towards these fellows before her.
The Knave was very interested in the people behind the Black Blades.
As soon as The Knave finished speaking, the heavy atmosphere around them immediately dissipated. Soldiers scrambled to leave for the distance.
This was not their fault; it was mainly because the Black Blades' method of making people disappear invisibly put too much pressure on them, making them feel breathless.
"Go, go, go!"
"Why didn't I realize how good The Knave Lord was before?"
"When should we send something to the House of the Hearth?"
…The Knave's words were like a gentle spring breeze, instantly blowing away all the pressure on the Fatui soldiers.
Under the aura of the Black Blades and the Harbingers, it was already difficult enough for these ordinary people to move normally.
Not to mention the possible battle that would follow. All soldiers were prepared to die in battle against the Black Blades.
But now it was no longer necessary. Who would want to die when they could live?
Watching the Fatui soldiers gradually retreat, The Rooster's face darkened. He had gathered so many soldiers just now, partly to make the Black Blades expose a flaw, and partly to try and deplete the Black Blades as much as possible.
But now, all those plans had turned to dust. The Rooster glanced at The Knave, adjusting his mindset.
Internal matters could be set aside for now; dealing with the Black Blades was the top priority.
He nodded to the Harbingers, signaling that they could act.
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