He changed Tiwat

Irok made a series of "hehe" sounds as a large amount of black energy burst forth from his body.

"Die...die...just like your despicable father...just like him..."

His voice gradually changed from sharp to deep, until finally it was no longer human language, but more like the roar of some reptile.

The black mist enveloped Illok, transforming into an image that Diluc would never forget—a purple-black skin, fleshy wings that had been severed by someone, and vertical pupils full of malice and resentment, typical of a lizard.

"Dragon, Usa!"

Despite being vastly different in size from the dragon Usa, who attacked the Legionnaires' caravan years ago, Diluc recognized his enemy at a glance.

The "Evil Eye" implanted in Irok's body was made from the raw material of the demon dragon Usa.

Diluc gripped his greatsword tightly, the Eye of God still burning intensely in his chest.

He could feel his hands trembling.

Four years ago, when facing the demonic dragon Usa, I was so weak that I was easily knocked to the ground by the dragon's casual blow, and I looked blankly at my father, who had little martial arts skills, standing in front of me.

At that time, his father was engulfed in black flames, which he manipulated to condense into chains emanating an eerie power, thus binding the dragon's movements.

Before the Knights' reinforcements could arrive after discovering the anomaly, the dragon finally broke free of its chains and fled. The father, too, exhausted his life force by using the power of the Evil Eye.

Diluc still remembers his father coughing up blood, collapsing into his arms, and repeatedly uttering a single word to him with his lips that could no longer make a sound and his eyes that were gradually dimming.

He said, "It hurts."

Today, he finally has the opportunity to replace himself from four years ago and do what he should have done.

The evil dragon and the dragon-slaying hero stand in silent confrontation.

Both sides are gathering strength, preparing for a decisive blow.

Just then, a person suddenly burst into the smoke and dust that obscured the corridor.

The first thing that catches Diluc's eye is a pair of dazzlingly white long legs.

"The Knights are on official business! I am Yura Lawrence, captain of the guerrilla squad of the Knights of Favonius!"

Before Xiao could cancel his Wind Release, Yura leaped directly into the battlefield from outside, standing majestically between the two with her greatsword in hand.

Because the ladylike long dress made it inconvenient to move around, Yura had torn and folded the edges of the dress a few minutes earlier, turning it into a short skirt.

Diluc very gentlemanly turned his face slightly to avoid lingering his gaze on the lady's legs, which would be too impolite.

The most surprised person was actually Yura: "Huh? 'Hero of the Night'?"

She never expected to encounter the urban legends of Mondstadt here.

However, the surprise only lasted for half a second before Yura immediately understood the situation and made a decision: "I don't care who you are or what you're here for, let's work together to deal with the monster in front of us first. Then, I want you to obediently come back to the Knights with me."

Diluc gave a cold snort as an answer.

The dragon that Irok had transformed into did not give the two a chance to exchange pleasantries; the black flames from its mouth swept towards them.

"Yura, watch out!"

A little too late, Han Fulai and Xiao also arrived at the scene.

Han Fulai summoned the Salt Sorrow Spear without hesitation.

The eerie red spiral spear transformed into a point of cold light, heading straight for the dragon's mouth. It then effortlessly parted the black flames and pierced through the dragon's body.

The black flames stopped abruptly.

At the same time, Han Fulai clasped his hands together, preparing to shield everyone present with the Jade Shield.

However, he only managed to utter the first two words of "impregnable" before Xiao grabbed his shoulder.

The young immortal shook his head and said, "He's dead."

In some ways, the Salt Sorrow Spear can be considered an "anti-personnel Noble Phantasm".

Although Irok used the power of the Evil Eye to unleash the illusion of the dragon, he was essentially just a human who had undergone physical modification... The consequence of a human body being pierced by the divine weapon Salt Sorrow Spear was naturally that he would turn into a salt statue.

The Salt Sorrow Spear, impaling Ilock's corpse, stood silently in the lonely corridor.

Yura and Diluc both looked at him with complicated emotions. Yura regretted losing an opportunity to obtain information about the Fatui, while Diluc was shocked by the strength of the young man before him.

“You said you were coming in to take them alive,” Yura glared at him fiercely.

Han Fulai shrugged and bowed his head apologetically: "I didn't expect to kill him with one shot... I'm sorry."

Chapter 214 Legnford and Albury [4k]

"I haven't even put in any effort, how come you've already collapsed?"

—This is Han Fulai's true feeling now.

Before entering the "Gate of the Eagle" ruins, Han Fulai had made a rough assessment of the strength of the Fools.

Although he believed that without the presence of the Fatui Enforcers, with himself and Xiao present, it would be an absolute rout, he wouldn't completely underestimate his opponent. Someone sent by the Fatui to oversee Mondstadt's underground activities and collect Daedric remnants—such an important task—couldn't be weak.

Furthermore, the opponent's strength was even certified by Diluc himself—Han Fulai certainly recognized the fire phoenix that had just breached the outer wall of the ruins. Forcing the "Hero of the Night" to unleash his full power meant he must be quite formidable. Presumably, the one fighting Diluc was the strongest person in charge here.

So when he arrived near the battlefield, sensed an aura similar to that of the remnants of a demon god, and saw an illusion of a demon dragon, he naturally treated his opponent as if they possessed at least the level of the remnants of a demon god.

Therefore, he had arranged in advance with Yura and Xiao that everyone would abandon all martial ethics and attack side by side. They would hold off the opponent from the front, while Xiao would flank from behind and strike them half to death before capturing them.

Who knew the other party was so fragile, dying after just one beating...

Of course, what he didn't know was that Ilock was merely a byproduct of "Doctor's" "human experiments".

For that "doctor," this was a research result he had obtained when he was studying the treatment for "Demon Scale Disease" in Sumeru—"The so-called 'human' is nothing more than a sufficiently complex machine."

Since it's a machine, broken parts can certainly be replaced.

—Irok's face and internal organs are damaged? Then let's get a Usain one, it'll be more powerful and easier to use, and it can also help with an experiment on the Evil Eye!

From this perspective, Irok should be considered a "cyborg" who fused his human body with the flesh and blood of a demonic dragon, inheriting some remnants of the demonic dragon Usa. The demonic dragon flesh and blood that replaced Irok's original organs is his "Evil Eye".

But that's about it.

If classified by level, the Evil Eyes can be roughly divided into "Imperial Gift Evil Eyes," "High-Quality Imitation Evil Eyes," and "Mass-Produced Evil Eyes." Iroq possesses a "High-Quality Imitation Evil Eye," as does the Evil Eye that Diluc inherited from his father.

The "Evil Eyes" possessed by the Fatui Enforcers fragmented a portion of the Ice Queen's authority, making them remnants of the original demon god. The "Doctor's" experimental program produced these replica Evil Eyes, the batch issued to the Fatui soldiers. While their side effects were similar to the genuine Evil Eyes, their power was vastly different.

Irok's Evil Eye was made from the dragon Usa, and his rank was indeed higher than that of ordinary Fatui soldiers, but still not as high as that of a demon god. Therefore, his strength was naturally far inferior to that of the Fatui executors.

In terms of combat strength, Ylock is actually on par with Diluc, and even slightly superior in attack power after unleashing Usa's power. His weaknesses lie in his far less combat experience than Diluc, and the fact that his physical modifications are only partial, leaving him still at a human level overall. In gaming terms, Ylock is a high-attack, low-defense "fragile" character.

If it weren't for Han Fulai and the others' intervention, Illoku and Diluc would have fought to the death, and even if Diluc had won, it would probably have been a Pyrrhic victory with serious injuries.

Unfortunately, Irok never had the chance to prove his strength.

Han Fulai's Salt Sorrow Spear is a true divine weapon that houses half of the Salt God's body, and it is also a "natal magic weapon" refined by absorbing his blood. His spear strike just now was almost a strike from the Salt God—although it was a normal attack from the Salt God without any fancy moves, it was more than enough to break through the defense of the modified human, Ilock.

The "saltification" effect of the Salt Sorrow Spear is an extremely powerful weapon against humans, capable of killing instantly upon contact with blood.

The reasons behind these events are lengthy, but the result is obvious: Ilock was instantly killed.

So when Yura and Han Fulai questioned him, Han Fulai was really embarrassed—his important intelligence source, whom he had almost obtained, was silenced right before his eyes, and he had even silenced him with his own hands…

He had promised Jean that he would help eradicate the Fatui hidden in Mondstadt. Capturing the Fatui's regional leader would make fulfilling Jean's request much easier. Furthermore, taking a high-ranking Fatui leader hostage would also be beneficial in rescuing Schubert.

It could be said that Ilock's life was far more valuable than his death.

But now... Han Fulai can only think of ways to make up for his mistakes.

Fortunately, there is a readily available source of intelligence here.

Han Fulai took a few steps closer and greeted the noble young man in red before him.

"Mr. 'Hero of the Night' from Mondstadt, it's a pleasure to meet you. Let me introduce myself. My name is Han Fulai, and I'm from Liyue. This gentleman beside me is my friend, Xiao, the 'Great Sage of Demon Extermination' from Liyue. We're here to help Miss Yura rescue her uncle, Schubert Lawrence, who has been kidnapped by the Fatui..."

“I’ve heard of you, Sukabri from Liyue.” Before Han Fu could finish explaining his purpose, Diluc pointed him in the right direction: “Schubert is in that room, still alive.”

Upon hearing of Schubert's whereabouts, Yura breathed a sigh of relief and momentarily forgot about investigating the identity of the "Hero of the Night."

Han Fulai was speechless for a moment... Although he didn't understand Zhidong language very well, he had heard some of Zhidong swear words.

Moreover, because Yura was present, Diluc deliberately changed his voice, making it a bit rougher, which made his words sound even more like an insult.

Where is this supposed to be a refined young master?! How can he be so rude!

As a high-ranking member of Mondstadt's underground intelligence network, Diluc naturally possessed information about Han Fulai—including his exploits against the Fatui in Liyue, his assistance to Dawn Winery in finding missing workers with Luminous, and his role in helping Mondstadt resolve the meteor shower at the request of the Adventurers' Guild.

In a different scenario, Diluc would be happy to invite this fellow "Su" generation thorn in the side of the Fools to Dawn Winery for a real "state banquet" as a reward, but now is clearly not the time to send out invitations.

Diluc then pointed to Sergei, the Fatui "debt collector" who was lying unconscious in the distance. "That's the survivor. Also, there should be quite a few Fatui guarding the exit of the secret realm in these ruins. And the person you just killed was named Irok, a traitor to the Knights."

"Thank you." Han Fulai quickly thanked Diluc.

This is all very important intelligence, and Diluc's willingness to share it so generously at least shows his friendliness towards our side.

Yura was shocked by the news Diluc had dropped: "Irok is... that former Inspector General?"

More than a year ago, Grand Master Falgar and Vice Grand Master Jean announced severe punishment for the Knights' former Inspector General Ilock, on charges of "dereliction of duty"—this was naturally because the fact that there was a traitor among the Knights' high command was not a very honorable thing, and Yura had only heard a few words about it from Jean.

Because Ylock was quite influential within the Knights of Favonius, the investigation into him caused quite a stir in Mondstadt. Ylock had a terrible attitude towards Amber and her, and Yura was secretly pleased when he was expelled.

Yura never expected that this person, who had been expelled a year ago, would join the Fatui and even kidnap her uncle...

Diluc didn't reply, but instead pulled a parchment scroll from his pocket and tossed it to Yura.

"These are things you'll need, keep them safe."

Yura took the parchment scroll with a hint of doubt—this "hero of the night" seemed to know exactly what they were up to.

Diluc didn't waste his breath explaining. He bowed slightly to Xiao, who had been silent all along: "Farewell, guardian of the night of Liyue."

Xiao nodded slightly in acknowledgment. For some reason, he sensed a similar aura from this red-haired man—a loneliness that only those who have walked in darkness for many years can understand.

After saying this, Diluc leaped down through the gap in the corridor wall and quickly disappeared from sight.

Han Fulai considered for a few seconds, then clasped his hands together and cast a jade shield over Xiao.

"Immortal Xiao, this time I'll have to trouble you to clear out the Fools at the exit of the secret realm. Try to leave them alive."

If he were to act, there probably wouldn't be any survivors. And if Yura were to fight multiple opponents, it would be difficult for her to hold back, and her efficiency wouldn't be high enough. Entrusting this task to Xiao is the most suitable option.

Xiao nodded, and his figure vanished in an instant.

Han Fulai put away his Salt Mourning Gun, glanced at Ilock's unseeing face, and took out his top hat to put it on.

“Miss Yura, it’s time to go see our ‘uncle’.”

In the forest outside the "Gate of the Eagle" secret realm, a person who shouldn't be there silently leaned against a tree trunk, listlessly tossing the Eye of God in his hand up and down.

This is Kaiya's habit; he can't calm down without fiddling with small objects while thinking.

Sometimes he tosses apples, sometimes he tosses Mora, and sometimes he tosses Eyes of God... If he were born in Liyue, he might be holding two walnuts with a patina on them right now.

Although he was unwilling to admit it, he was actually worried about his sworn brother, "Dark Hero" Diluc.

Diluc did indeed locate the Fools' stronghold using his eagle's tracking—but it was Kaeya who informed him that Schubert had been kidnapped.

As the de facto "Minister of Intelligence" for the Knights of Fatalis, Kaeya had been secretly investigating the group of Fatui operating in Mondstadt, and Schubert, who frequently colluded with them, was a good starting point. He therefore asked his "drinking buddy," Miss Rosalia, to secretly "look after" Yura and her uncle.

So, after Schubert was kidnapped, the first person to discover it was neither Yura nor Diluc, but Rosalia, who was patrolling the area that night. This nun, who adhered to the principle of not working overtime, grasped the general whereabouts of the Fools and then handed over her shift to Kaya.

Just as Qin thought of asking Han Fulai, a "foreign force," for help in order to avoid diplomatic repercussions between the two countries, Kaiya also used a similar method to ask an "unidentified night hero" for help.

So Kaeya contacted Diluc, which led to the arrival of the "Night Hero" today.

This wasn't the first time the two of them had collaborated like this.

More than four years ago, they were the best partners of the Knights of Favonius.

Just like Erendel, the "Lion of Light" from five hundred years ago, had a shadow and brother, "Young Wolf" Rustan.

The impeccable young gentleman, the genius cavalry captain Diluc, as warm and passionate as the morning sun, also has a good brother hidden in his shadow.

Kaeya, who was the chief steward at the time, was Diluc's friend, ally, and "brain," and was responsible for cleaning up all of Diluc's battles.

At that time, he was still called Kaia Legenfender.

They worked together seamlessly and never made a mistake. Although they were not related by blood, they were as close as brothers, protecting Mondstadt's safety both openly and secretly.

...Until that gloomy day deep in Kaeya's memory, Diluc's escorting convoy was attacked by the dragon Usa.

By the time Kaeya received the news of the dragon's appearance, it was too late.

That was Kaiya's first and only time failing.

Even with his horse galloping at full speed, by the time he arrived, the situation was already beyond saving.

His shared "father" with Diluc, Cripps Legnfind, forcibly used evil power, manipulating an ominous force of unknown origin to repel monsters, only to be devoured by the power in the process.