When Scaramouche saw the face that looked so much like Niwa's, he fell silent for a moment before asking, "What is your relationship to Niwa?"
"That was my father's old surname. I was adopted by the head of the Kaedehara clan."
This man was Niwa's descendant. In Scaramouche's eyes at the time, he was the descendant of a traitor, and all the more deserving of death.
After another long silence, Scaramouche slowly spoke. "Tell her my name is 'Kunikuzushi'!"
With that, Scaramouche turned and left. The image slowly darkened.
"Niwa!"
In Spirit City, Scaramouche softly spoke Niwa's name. Though Dottore had deceived him at the time into believing Niwa was a traitor who had fled in disgrace, deep down, he still hadn't wanted to believe that Niwa had truly betrayed him.
It was because of that affection that he spared Niwa's descendant. If he had really killed Niwa's descendant...
Scaramouche himself didn't dare imagine it.
The past of Scaramouche shown on the Sky Screen was still very captivating. Most people hadn't lived through nearly as much as he had.
Ouyang Kong also recalled this part of the story. It had been a short scene shown during the Irodori Festival event, and at the time it had sparked plenty of speculation and arguments.
Back then, some lore experts had pieced together Balladeer's past from this short scene and scattered bits of text. It had been quite impressive.
A new image appeared on the Sky Screen. This time, it showed a woman with an exaggerated figure. The Sky Screen helpfully introduced her identity.
[The Fatui Harbinger, Eighth Seat, La Signora]
The Fatui had already been mentioned by the Sky Screen several times, drawing the attention of many factions across the Douluo Continent.
Many people suspected that the Fatui were a force no weaker than the Akademiya.
They weren't wrong in their guess, except that the Fatui weren't on the Douluo Continent. Still, it would certainly be interesting if the Fatui were all gathered there.
At that moment, La Signora stood facing Scaramouche, who spoke with scorn.
"So, my dear 'Lady' has entrusted a pack of fools and this shabby factory to me?"
"Heh. What good does it do you to put down your subordinates? Whether you're willing to admit it or not, you're part of the plan.
"Or do you think this is less meaningful than fighting in the 'Abyss'? Heh, I suppose it's not as interesting as being a test subject for 'Dottore.'"
"Heh. What a sharp tongue. But you rarely get the better of anyone with it. You'd better get yourself in the right frame of mind for the mission ahead."
"Hmph. No need to remind me. I know what's coming."
"Even so, I'll say this: don't think you can win every battle, and don't let your temper get the better of you."
"Are you worried about me?"
"I just don't want you to become a stumbling block. You're just like 'Tartaglia'—always causing trouble."
"All I want is to set this chaotic nation ablaze. And you... You were discarded. You must be eager to destroy it.
"You remember, don't you? Back in Inazuma, you killed so many swordsmiths. The people of the Raiden Gokaden must have suffered terribly!"
Clearly, when La Signora brought that up, Scaramouche's expression changed. But he didn't answer. He chose to remain silent.
"Tsk, tsk. Look at that expression. Don't dwell so much on the past. And put that pitiful tongue of yours away—stop provoking people.
"Well, until we meet again. See you at the victory banquet!"
Watching La Signora leave, Scaramouche smiled too.
"Hahaha! 'Pitiful tongue'? A woman who's supposed to be blazing all over—what right does she have to talk to me like that?
"Never mind. Someone else will come looking for me soon. I wonder what expression I should greet them with. Heh!"
Seeing La Signora on the Sky Screen again, Scaramouche felt a trace of nostalgia.
Back then, he'd genuinely tried to warn her out of a shred of goodwill. It was a shame she hadn't listened.
The Fatui never got to attend her victory banquet, but they did attend her funeral.
At that moment, the Sky Screen thoughtfully cut to a scene from the end of La Signora's life.
The Witch, who wielded the power of ice and fire, had been defeated in the Duel Before the Throne.
The ruler of Inazuma, the Raiden Shogun, held Musou Isshin as she walked toward La Signora, one step at a time.
Her cold, detached bearing truly carried the oppressive presence of a god.
La Signora, meanwhile, looked panicked and utterly disheveled.
"Y-you... What are you going to do? I'm a Snezhnayan diplomat...
"I swear, if you dare raise your blade against me, I'll make your nation pay. The Fatui will make you pay for the Inazuma you hold dear...
"Stop! I order you to stop!
"You, and all of you...
"I... How could I...?"
La Signora tried to attack the Raiden Shogun one last time, but the Raiden Shogun struck her with a single blow, reducing her to ashes.
Seeing the Raiden Shogun on the Sky Screen, Nahida remarked with a sigh, "She's still as formidable as ever."
Ouyang Kong looked at Nahida, hesitating to speak.
Sensing his gaze, Nahida turned to him.
"Aether? Is something wrong?"
"Nothing. That's actually the Raiden Shogun. Ei created the puppet using her own body to preserve eternity. Back then, Ei was always in the Plane of Euthymia, pursuing eternity."
"I see. It's been five hundred years since we last met. I really didn't know about that."
What Ouyang Kong actually wanted to say was that Nahida and Raiden Ei had never met at all. Her memories came from Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, who had been erased.
Ouyang Kong looked at the Sky Screen again. Perhaps it would reveal that part of the story later, too.
Back to Scaramouche: he shook his head as well.
"La Signora, what a disgraceful end you had."
The image on the Sky Screen changed again. A pink-haired, fox-eared beauty appeared. It was the Raiden Shogun's close aide, the head shrine maiden of the Grand Narukami Shrine—Yae Miko.
She traded the Traveler from Scaramouche in exchange for the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis.
After receiving the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis from Yae Miko, Scaramouche couldn't help bursting into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha! Hahahaha! So-called eternity is nothing but an excuse for cowards to run from reality! I'll crush your power with my own hands!
"From discarded puppet to god, this heart is proof that I've rewritten my fate.
"You lofty beings will never understand how desperately the ants beneath your feet crave power.
"I will ascend to godhood! Hahahaha! Hahahaha!"
As Scaramouche laughed maniacally, the image on the Sky Screen slowly faded to black.
Qian Renxue watched the Sky Screen, occasionally glancing at Scaramouche. The Scaramouche standing before her was worlds apart from the mad figure on the Sky Screen.
Qian Renxue wasn't the only one wondering what Scaramouche had gone through next. Many people who were watching the Sky Screen were curious.
Many also wondered what exactly Scaramouche had obtained, and how he intended to ascend to godhood.
Scaramouche once again placed a hand over his heart. It had already been filled with something else.
"I don't need your thing anymore! I've found the heart that belongs to me. Perhaps I had this heart from the very beginning."
Before you continue