Genshin Impact: Watch me turn the tables and kill my servants at the start!

The next day, the wind on the sea was a little weaker than the day before.

Faenes stood at the bow of the ship, watching as an unnatural purplish-gray light began to appear at the edge of the clouds in the distance. The light slowly spread along the seams of the clouds, as if someone had lit a lamp on the back of the sky, seeping outward from the inside.

Then a crack appeared in the center of the light. The edges of the crack were uneven, as if it had been torn open from the inside by something, and several cracks could be seen slowly healing at the edges, extending outward along the arc of the sky. A figure stepped out from the crack.

The man was estimated to be over three meters tall, and his entire body was covered in a layer of dark purple armor. The armor had no extra decorations, and every curve followed the direction of the muscles. The range of motion at the joints was astonishing.

Surtroch's face was also covered with the same armor, revealing only two thin, glowing slits, like lamp wicks embedded in a metal shell.

Surtroch's greatsword was longer than the ship's main mast. Its blade was thick and unsharpened, resembling a polished metal plate with a dull luster in the light filtering through the clouds.

After Surtroch stepped out of the crevice, he didn't stop or look around, but landed directly towards the ship. As he landed, he reached for the hilt of his sword and drew the greatsword from its sheath.

As the force spread across the sea, it was blocked by a golden barrier near the ship's hull. Zhong Li stood in the center of the deck, palms facing forward: "As solid as a rock."

Golden light emanated from his palm and spread outwards, enveloping the entire ship. The barrier didn't appear very thick, but it remained completely still upon contact with the impact, like a pre-existing boundary that had simply reappeared at this moment.

Extreme Evil Rider landed on the sea about twenty meters in front of the bow of the ship. He stood there, the seawater on the soles of his boots seemed frozen, forming a thin and shallow support to keep him from sinking.

Surtroch looked down at the bow of the ship, and after about two beats, he spoke, his voice having a filtered quality through the armor: "I've heard there's an adversary here."

Surtroch's gaze lingered on Zhong Li for a moment, then shifted to Yakoda, and finally landed on Skykirk before returning to the seat beside her: "Skykirk. You're here too."

Zhong Li lowered his stance, but the golden barrier maintained its original coverage. He stood behind the barrier: "Surtroch. This is our first meeting."

The Evil Knight turned his head to look at him, the two thin slits of light flashing slightly as he spoke: "Rock God. You don't have that scent. You haven't absorbed the power of the Abyss."

Zhong Li stood before him, neither retreating nor approaching: "You're right. I haven't absorbed the power of the abyss. I came here hoping this battle won't spill over into places that shouldn't be affected."

The Extreme Evil Rider's gaze lingered on Zhong Li for a moment before he spoke: "You can all come at me together. I won't mind."

D'Artagnan flipped off the edge of the deck. He was already in his starting position, his entire body arcing through the air as he accelerated and swooped down toward the Beastmaster, the water blade spinning in his hand as he aimed for the Beastmaster's shoulder.

The Evil Rider raised his free hand. He caught the water blade with two fingers.

D'Artagnan's attack momentum was stopped by those two fingers, and then his whole body was deflected by that force, spinning halfway in the air.

D'Artagnan readjusted his position in mid-air, and the water blade re-formed in his hand. This time, he chose a lower angle of attack, slashing the tip of the sword towards the side of the Evil Knight.

Just as the water blade was about to touch the armor, the Evil Knight sidestepped to create some distance, grabbed the sword-wielding wrist, and pushed him diagonally upwards.

Dardaria was propelled upwards twice by the force, landing back on the sea in front of the bow. After shattering the water's surface, he regained his footing, and the water blade condensed again. This time, he quickened his pace, launching three, four, and five attacks in succession, each with a different direction.

But each time, the Evil Knight blocked his attack with the simplest movements. The frequency of his movements was not high, but the force and direction of each movement were just right to push him back before he could finish his attack.

On his sixth attempt, D'Artagnan was jolted back two steps by the force. The water blade held in his hand for a moment before shattering like broken glass.

The water blade was reconstituted, and the Evil Knight made his move before Tartaglia could complete its formation. He didn't draw his sword, but instead placed his armored hand on Tartaglia's chest, took a step along the trajectory of Tartaglia's flight, and then pushed him with the tip of his elbow, causing him to spin an extra turn before hitting the water's surface.

D'Artagnan was pushed back towards the barrier at the bow of the ship by that force. After hitting the barrier, he bounced back onto the deck, slid a short distance on the wooden planks, and came to a stop while his condition was still recovering.

D'Artagnan's breathing was noticeably more rapid than before, and the fabric of his clothes on his shoulder had a tear. Zhongli's barrier still stably covered the entire ship, and the Evil Knight stood on the sea, still not moving, only slightly turning his head to look in the direction D'Artagnan had landed: "Where did you learn this technique from?"

D'Artagnan stood up, bracing himself against the deck: "My master taught me!"

Extreme Evil Knight paused for a moment, as if he were completing a data classification and archiving during that pause, before speaking: "There is an overlap between the source of your techniques and my training system. You must have come into contact with the basic framework of this system from someone related to it."

D'Artagnan did not answer. He reconstituted his water blade and charged toward the direction of the Evil Knight, only to be pushed away by a force the instant he made contact, falling back to a position further away on the water's surface.

D'Artagnan swam back to the ship's side, his movements still full of energy as he climbed aboard. But Fanes noticed that when he reached for the edge of the gunwale, his grip on the mooring rope was noticeably tighter than usual. He climbed over the gunwale, squatted on the deck for a moment, and then stood up: "He's strong. Stronger than any opponent I've ever faced."

Silky's voice came from below the mast: "So you understand why I came early."

Fanes stood at the bow of the ship, watching the figure on the sea who remained motionless, his sword-wielding hand still hanging at his side, never raised. Then he asked, "Was his strength just now significantly different from what you anticipated?"

Zhong Li's voice came from the side: "He hasn't even used his full strength yet. Not even half of it."