Inside the Goth Grand Hotel.
"How were you keeping watch? We worked so hard to take the lyre back, and now it's just vanished."
The Fatui soldiers under La Signora hung their heads, each lower than the last.
"Lady La Signora, it really wasn't our fault."
"That's right, Lady La Signora. We didn't even blink, and the Holy Lyre der Himmel suddenly disappeared."
La Signora fell silent for a few seconds and tapped her fingers lightly on the table twice. Instead, she calmed down. "Tell me. Was there anything strange at the time?"
"The window suddenly blew open, and right after that, the Holy Lyre der Himmel disappeared."
"Wind?" La Signora narrowed her eyes.
Clad in armor, Swan stood in the middle of the Fatui, looking out of place from head to toe.
He hesitated, but finally spoke. "Lady La Signora, I heard Lord Barbatos has returned to Mondstadt. Could he have done it?"
La Signora turned her gaze on him. "How do you know that?"
"Two people came to Mondstadt City a few days ago. One claimed to be Lord Barbatos's aunt, and said she'd come to punish him for neglecting his duties."
"I heard her name was Ronava?"
Ronava?!
La Signora's heart skipped a beat.
Wasn't that the name the Director suddenly shouted when he was talking with Capitano back then?
He was normally such a composed person, but the mere mention of that name sent his voice soaring. It was rather frightening.
Only later did she learn that Ronava was Celestia's Ruler of Death.
Why would she come to Mondstadt to punish Barbatos for neglecting his duties?
La Signora's lips twitched, and she almost failed to suppress a smile.
Barbatos, your day has finally come. Someone ought to give him a good whipping.
But on second thought, the Ruler of Death's appearance in Mondstadt was bound up with the Tsaritsa's grand undertaking.
Seizing the Anemo Archon's Gnosis was only the first step. If a ruler from Celestia barged in midway, there would be far more variables.
"Then do you know where the Anemo Archon is now?"
Swan shook his head. "I don't know either. He reportedly appeared at the Knights' headquarters once, then handed the Cathedral of Favonius's funeral business over to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor from Liyue."
"That man named Ye Xuan and Lord Barbatos's aunt seem to work at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?
It was another name La Signora had heard so often her ears were nearly callused.
Wasn't Morax staying at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?
How did one little Wangsheng Funeral Parlor manage to fit two rulers?
Something wasn't right.
The more La Signora thought about it, the tighter her back felt. She hurriedly pulled out a sheet of paper, wrote a letter, folded it, and handed it to the Electro Cicin Mage beside her.
"Return to Snezhnaya at once and deliver this letter to the Tsaritsa. See that nothing goes wrong."
"Yes, Lady La Signora."
The Electro Cicin Mage tucked the letter away, turned, and left.
La Signora glanced at Swan again, took a new Electro Delusion from inside her clothes, and placed it on the table, pushing it toward him.
"This Delusion is nearly as good as the ones used by the Harbingers. Keep up the good work, and preferably find the Anemo Archon's location. The Fatui won't treat you poorly."
Swan's eyes shone with a frightening brightness. He accepted it with both hands, his fingers trembling.
He had already tasted the benefits of a Delusion, but he hadn't expected there to be an even better one.
If I keep at it, could I work my way up to a Harbinger's position too?
If I can't stay in Mondstadt, I can always go to Snezhnaya and become a Harbinger.
The more he thought about this path, the wider it seemed.
"Thank you, Lady La Signora."
"All right, I'm going to rest. You may all withdraw."
Swan and the soldiers hurried out.
Only one Cryo Cicin Mage remained where she was.
Once the door closed, she stepped closer and drew a finger across her throat. "Lady La Signora, should we..."
When Swan accepted the Delusion just now, the respectful look he had once given La Signora was gone. The Cryo Cicin Mage had seen it clearly.
La Signora snorted, clearly having noticed it too. "No need. When a good-for-nothing suddenly gains power that doesn't belong to him, he becomes arrogant."
"You've undergone the Fatui's modifications and use unfinished Delusions. He hasn't been modified, and the Delusion he uses is inferior. The burden that inferior Delusion places on him is more than he can bear."
"The more he uses it, the closer he gets to death. Hasn't he noticed that he's already growing white hair?"
The Cryo Cicin Mage froze, then lowered her head. "You're wise, my lady. I'll take my leave."
"Go."
Every day, Ye Xuan woke to the sight of Ronava's exquisite sleeping face and a breakfast prepared by the Spindrift Knight, who also dressed him.
Ye Xuan felt that he was undoubtedly happy.
Eula handed him his coat. "Master, what are your orders for today?"
Ye Xuan took it and draped it over his shoulders. "No hurry. Come on, let's go take a look at another world first."
Damn Dio. He actually ran away when he faced Jotaro Kujo, who could move in his stopped time.
Did he have any sense of responsibility as a boss?
But though he had run, the other one wouldn't.
Different rates of time flow were wonderful. There would never be a shortage of fun to watch.
Ye Xuan wrapped an arm around each of them, holding one on either side. "Come on, let's go have some fun on the Sukuna-Fighting Continent."
On Celestia, Istaroth rested her chin in her hand, staring resentfully in the direction Ronava had disappeared.
"Ronava ran off just like Asmoday. Why didn't she take me with her? I don't want to work either."
"And Asmoday too. She hasn't come back to play with me, even though I kept her whereabouts secret for so many years."
She sighed, turned over, and continued slacking off.
December 24, 2018. Shinjuku.
"I'm not late, am I?"
The sudden appearance of Ye Xuan and the other two gave Kasumi Miwa a fright.
"No, no, you're right on time. Gojo-sensei is about to leave."
As soon as she finished speaking, a tall man appeared out of thin air before them.
Satoru Gojo's Six Eyes swept over Ye Xuan and the other two, pausing for a moment-three people of unknown identity, with unfamiliar auras and not even any cursed energy.
"You're the friends Miwa mentioned, right? The power to travel through time and space? I'm really jealous."
Ye Xuan met his gaze and got straight to the point. "That's right, we're friends of Great Emperor Miwa. So, now that you know when you'll die, are you still planning to go alone into the lion's den?"
"Great Emperor Miwa?" Satoru Gojo tilted his head and glanced at Kasumi Miwa, his grin widening. "Miwa has a title like that?"
He tucked his hands back into his pockets, as carefree as ever. "I'm invincible. Besides, my students are watching. I can't run away on the eve of battle."
Ye Xuan said, "Mahoraga has only one wheel, but Kasumi Miwa has three. Therefore, Kasumi Miwa is greater than Mahoraga. So, do you need me to tell you what I know about Sukuna? It's free."
Kasumi Miwa listened from the side, completely dumbfounded. So that was the reason?
She had thought she had some extraordinary talent.
Satoru Gojo chuckled and waved a hand.
"No need. Even though I know my students can beat Sukuna in the future, if something unexpected happens..."
"Please protect my students."
With that, Satoru Gojo returned to the rooftop and faced a point seven kilometers away.
Utahime's technique, "Solo Forbidden Area," had already been activated.
She omitted nothing-chants, hand signs, dance, and music-elevating the technique into a ritual and temporarily raising the total amount and output of cursed energy within its range to 120% effectiveness.
Gakuganji played music beside her, completing the music portion of the ritual.
Satoru Gojo omitted no steps.
He recited the full chant:
"Nine ropes." "Polarized light." "Crow and declaration." "Between front and back"-
The positive and negative infinities of "Blue" and "Red" began to converge and clash.
200% "Hollow Technique: Purple."