As the voice rang out, a chilling wind suddenly swept through the corridor, which should have been sealed off. Outside came the sound of birds beating their wings, accompanied by the grating caws of crows.
At the same time, countless crimson eyes suddenly appeared along both sides of the enclosed corridor. Their gazes filled the room in an instant, making the hair on his body stand on end.
Those gazes felt somewhat familiar to Wu Yi.
They were the malicious gazes that had watched him from behind during the day, after he had saved Teppei.
Then, before Wu Yi's eyes, the maid, who should have lost both her soul and her life, suddenly moved.
Like a scene recreated from a classic Japanese horror movie, the maid's body twitched and trembled as she moved her limbs in an utterly bizarre manner, propping herself up and slowly standing. At the same time, a deeply ominous dark red aura spread rapidly outward from her.
It was the aura of "death."
When the maid opened her eyes again, Wu Yi noticed that they had turned golden at some point, with a seven-pointed star clearly visible in each.
Then the maid suddenly spoke:
"Fifth Descender, you have overstepped."
"Descender?" Wu Yi raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled.
"Hmph. It seems you are not yet aware of the existence of Descenders. I shall forgive your ignorance."
The "maid," whose occupant had been replaced by someone unknown, spoke unhurriedly:
"Your existence is not recorded in Irminsul, and your fate is not under the control of the Heavenly Principles. Clearly, you too are one of the outsiders who have appeared recently."
"But you are different from the other outsiders. The weight of your soul gives you a standing comparable to an entire world. Under the rules of the Heavenly Principles, one such as you is called a Descender."
Then the "maid" changed the subject, her tone growing heavier:
"However, even as a Descender valued by the 'Heavenly Principles,' what you did today is truly difficult to forgive."
"'Death' is not a domain into which you may reach."
"Oh?"
Wu Yi looked at the maid, who was wreathed in a dense aura of death. Clearly, she had been possessed by an unknown being and temporarily reduced to a puppet.
"You keep saying that the Heavenly Principles value Descenders like me, but I can't feel the slightest bit of respect from you."
Wu Yi said calmly:
"It's one thing if you don't want to appear in person, but surely giving your name when you meet someone is basic courtesy, no matter what?"
"Hmph."
The maid snorted coldly, putting on a disdainful expression:
"Don't think so highly of yourself, Descender. You are not yet important enough for me to appear and greet you in person."
Despite saying that, she quickly gave her identity:
"However, since you are curious about my identity, I shall be merciful and tell you."
"I am one of the shadows of the Heavenly Principles, the shadow who presides over death. You mortals are more accustomed to calling me the god of death."
"Of course, I dislike such trite titles. Mortals shall call me-the [Ruler of Death]."
"Oh, so you're Teyvat's god of death."
Wu Yi rubbed his chin in realization.
"Hmph, insolent fellow. Do you not know what respect is?"
The [Ruler of Death] snorted:
"I told you, I dislike that trite title... But never mind. Call me whatever you like. I don't care."
...No, no matter how I look at it, she doesn't seem like she doesn't care, does she?
Watching Miss Death Ruler suddenly fold her arms and turn her head away with an irritated expression, Wu Yi fell silent for two seconds.
This woman... does she say the opposite of what she means?
"But, Miss Death Ruler," Wu Yi said after some thought, "you still haven't told me what your name actually is."
"Oh? Can you not understand plain speech?" Death Ruler said coldly. "Did I not tell you? I am the Ruler of..."
"No, I'm asking what your name is," Wu Yi interrupted. "You're not some tool. You must have a name of your own, right?"
"..."
At that, Miss Death Ruler could not help but pause. Then, for some reason, her expression, which had turned cold, suddenly softened considerably:
"I see. I misunderstood you. You are a courteous mortal, after all."
"Then listen well. I shall only say this once."
She raised her head slightly and said with considerable pride:
"My name is Ronava, Ronava the [Ruler of Death]. For the sake of your status as a Descender, I grant you the right to address me by name. Be honored, mortal."
"Oh~ That really is an honor."
Wu Yi put on a look of realization, but at the same time, he was making some calculations of his own.
-This Miss Death Ruler seems surprisingly easy to talk to?
She felt like the sort who responded to a soft approach rather than a forceful one.
With that in mind, Wu Yi decided to change his attitude for the rest of the conversation, at least for the time being.
Originally, he had wanted to say, "The local gods really are rude. In all my years roaming the sea of stars, I haven't met many local tyrants who dared to stop me from saving someone."
But now that he looked at her, there was no need to be so aggressive.
"Then I have a question, Miss Ronava," Wu Yi said after some thought. "All I did was save someone. Could it be that, under the rules of the Heavenly Principles, even treating others is forbidden?"
"If it were merely ordinary treatment, that would be one thing. I would hardly make a special trip for it. The life or death of a mere mortal is not worth so much of my attention."
Ronava said calmly:
"But you should never have insisted on saving him after his soul had already left his body."
"Granted, your skill in medicine is astonishing, but you know nothing of Teyvat's rules."
"In Teyvat, the complete process of a life ending is for the soul to leave the body after the body perishes, and then return to the Ley Lines. Only then is the process of death complete. Guiding those souls back to the Ley Lines is my job."
At this point, Ronava pointed at Wu Yi and said calmly:
"And you cut that process short before I could act, adding complications to my work."
"Uh."
Wu Yi didn't know if it was his imagination, but he felt that Ronava's gaze held a trace of resentment, like a long-suffering worker who had encountered yet another terrible customer who kept adding to her workload.
Ronava continued:
"But the Ley Lines will not stop because of this. They are so thirsty, so desperate for the souls that should have returned, that they will draw something of equal weight from elsewhere to fill the void."
"Take a guess. Which innocent soul will ultimately fill that void?"