Lin En didn't hold back this time.
With his left hand, he condensed Anemo into a thin wind blade in his palm and attacked the archer on the rooftop with incredible speed.
At the same time, he thrust his longsword forward with his right hand, the tip of the sword aimed at the swordsman's chest. The swordsman reacted quickly and hurriedly retreated.
The greatsword user charged from the side. Lin En didn't turn around. A vortex of Anemo exploded behind him, causing him to stumble half a beat, and his greatsword struck empty air.
In that split second, Lin En had already turned around, and a Stone Stele slammed into the greatswordsman's chest, sending the greatsword flying from his hand and crashing to the ground.
Lin En kicked him in the back of the knee, and the greatsword man fell forward, face down into the muddy riverbank.
The archer nocked another arrow on the rooftop. This time, Lin En didn't dodge. He raised his left hand, condensing Anemo in his palm. The arrow pierced the wind, its force being largely dissipated, and he easily gripped the shaft.
He threw the bow and arrow, the shaft grazing the archer's ear and embedding itself in a roof tile. In a flash, the man was on the roof next to him.
Three masked men: one lay prone in the mud, another stood on the rooftop too afraid to move, and the remaining swordsman stood a few steps away, his short sword held horizontally in front of his chest, hesitant and unsure how to attack.
Lin En patted the mud and water off his hands and gestured with his chin toward the swordsman.
A slow, deliberate clapping sound came from the alleyway next door.
Lin En turned his head and saw another man in black emerge from the depths of the alley, walking with a composed gait and a taller, more slender figure than the three masked men.
Needless to say, he knew it was Arlecchino.
Her gaze fell on Lin En, a smile playing on her lips after a careful examination.
"Not bad, faster than I expected."
Lin En gripped his sword and glanced back at the inn's balcony. Ronava Vapi sat on a chair on the balcony, holding a teacup and taking a small sip.
Her gaze fell between the two of them, her expression relaxed, even carrying a hint of languid ease that Lin En rarely showed.
Is she watching a play?
Lin En turned back and looked at Arlecchino.
Suddenly, a scythe appeared in her hand. The blade was long, dark red, and shimmered with a dark red light, completely contradicting her gentle and humble demeanor from that morning.
She twirled the sickle in her hand, the blade slicing through the air with a low hum.
Let me see just how much you weigh.
Lin En did not answer. He held his longsword horizontally in front of him with his right hand, and with his left hand, he condensed Anemo into a wind membrane and covered the sword.
He estimated his chances of winning. His opponent was the fourth seat of the Fatui Harbinger. He now possessed the elements of wind, rock, and water, along with a few strands of Authority of Death. He could put up a fight against an Harbinger!
Before Lin En could react, Arlecchino's scythe struck down with lightning speed. Lin En parried with his sword, but his entire arm went numb from the impact.
He took two steps back, Hydro immediately surged into his arm, washing away the tingling and numb sensation.
He ducked to dodge the second sweeping blow, but the scythe blade grazed his head, severing a few strands of hair.
He dodged the third thrust to the side, the scythe embedding itself in the stone slabs of the riverbank, sending pebbles flying.
Arlecchino's attacks were fierce, but each strike left room for maneuver, as if testing his limits.
Lin En could only defend at first and was pressured, but as the fight progressed, he found that his reactions were getting faster and faster, and the Hydro was flowing faster in his meridians.
Each time I get grazed by the scythe, Hydro automatically rush up to repair the wound; it hurts for a moment, but the pain quickly subsides.
He tried to retaliate, thrusting his longsword, imbued with Anemo, but Arlecchino dodged to the side, though the tip of the sword still grazed her sleeve.
She glanced down at the opening, a slight smile playing on her lips. The scythe swept across, but Lin En didn't dodge; instead, a rock shield materialized on her left side to block it.
The rock shield shattered into water droplets, but most of the force of the scythe was also dissipated. He was pushed back two steps, but managed to stand firmly.
"That's interesting."
Arlecchino said.
Lin En discovered something: with each blow, the heat in his body intensified, the healing effect of the Hydro also increased, and his wounds healed much faster than before.
He could even feel those few strands of Authority of Death radiating slightly heat deep within his meridians, as if awakened by something. His power surged upwards, growing fiercer with each strike, and the dark red light on his sword grew ever brighter.
Arlecchino is also getting stronger. Her scythe has gradually transformed from a tentative attack into a true killing move, and it has also been enchanted with fire. Each strike leaves a dark red afterimage, and it is so fast that Lin En can only dodge it by instinct.
Both sides held back, refraining from going all out.
The two fought fiercely on the open ground by the riverbank, with stones flying and sparks flying everywhere.
The three masked men had already retreated deep into the alley, peering out at the battlefield.
As the fight progressed, Lin En lost count of how many blows he had taken. Hydro circulated wildly in his meridians, causing wounds to reopen only to be reopened again, in a continuous cycle.
He was covered in sweat, but the more he fought, the more energetic he became, his sword strikes grew heavier, and his speed increased.
Arlecchino swiftly flashed behind Lin En and slashed down.
This time, Lin En didn't dodge. He turned and met the attack head-on with his longsword. The two weapons collided, and the dark red light and black scythe blade created a shockwave that sent pebbles and fallen leaves flying up from the riverbank.
The two stood frozen for a moment, then simultaneously took a step back.
Arlecchino put away her scythe and shook her wrist. She had also suffered some minor injuries, but had no way to treat them, and looked more disheveled Lin En.
She glanced at Lin En's condition, confirmed something, turned around, jumped onto the roof, and disappeared.
Lin En sheathed his sword in his bracelet. He looked down at himself; his clothes were torn in several places, but the underlying wounds had healed, leaving only a few faint red marks.
During the battle, he discovered a bug: his water ability could heal, but the talent required sacrificing health to trigger; weren't these two skills mutually exclusive?
He looked up at the hotel balcony again. Ronava was still sitting there, her teacup empty, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at him, the corners of her mouth curving into a more pronounced smile than before.
Have you seen enough?
Lin En shouted.
"Not bad, better than I expected."
Ronava stood up and placed the empty teacup on the balcony railing.
"Come on up, change your clothes."
Lin En went upstairs and opened the door to Ronava already sitting on the edge of the bed.
She glanced at his clothes; they were torn in several places, the left sleeve almost ripped to his elbow, and the fabric was covered in mud and pebbles, making him look like someone who had just come from a construction site.
"Take it off."
She put down her teacup.
"Ah?"
Lin En hesitated for a moment.
"Change your clothes."
"Oh..."
He took off his tattered clothes and put on a clean one.
The Hydro circled the wound, erasing the last few red marks, leaving only a faint trace.
He moved his arms and felt they were even looser than before the fight. His old injuries, repeatedly washed away by the Hydro, had actually healed considerably.
" Arlecchino is gone?"
He asked.
"They're gone."
Ronava nodded approvingly.
"Well done, you hurt her."
Did I hurt her?
Lin En was somewhat surprised. He hadn't even used his full strength yet. Although Arlecchino hadn't used hers either, he should have been able to hold her off if she did.
"Your last sword strike injured her wrist."
Ronava smiled slightly.
"You really helped me vent my anger."