Within the Spiral Abyss...
As time passed, Ying gradually calmed down. After all, it was she who had initiated the confrontation. Even if she hadn't struck first, they would have eventually come to blows. If she didn't defeat her opponent, she couldn't proceed to the next floor, nor could she save the people she cared about.
"Hoo..."
After composing herself, Ying's gaze regained its firmness. She immediately stepped into the portal leading to the next floor.
Ninth Floor...
Upon seeing the familiar surroundings and setup once again, Ying inexplicably felt as if she were trapped in a loop. She shook her head in mild frustration and looked up at the display screen.
[0/1]
It was another single enemy. Should she be happy or sad about this?
As Ying's thoughts wandered, a familiar cheerful voice reached her ears.
"Hey there, little one. If I'm not mistaken, you must be my opponent, right?"
"Hmm?"
Ying turned her head, her eyes widening in surprise as she covered her mouth. She exclaimed in disbelief, "Childe?! What are you doing here?! Did you team up with Scaramouche and the Doctor?"
Hearing the girl's call, Childe responded with a hint of confusion. "Childe? Are you referring to me? As for teaming up... I'm sorry, I'm just here to participate in what they call the Eleven's trial. As I said, if I'm not mistaken, you should be my opponent."
"Huh?"
Ying was completely bewildered by Childe's question. What was going on? Wasn't Childe already one of the Eleven? Could he have amnesia?
Seeing Ying remain silent, Tartaglia unilaterally took it as an affirmation. "Alright then. Although you're just a little girl, you must have some skill to be noticed by them. In that case, I certainly won't hold back."
With that, Tartaglia launched his attack, drawing his bow and instantly firing several arrows.
Seeing the arrows flying towards her, Ying dodged the attack with a roll. She then quickly waved her arm, explaining, "No, no, I'm not here to apply for an Eleven position."
"You're not?"
Childe paused for a moment but didn't cease his assault. While forcing Ying to move, he replied, "It doesn't matter if you are or aren't. The mission I received is to eliminate the intruder in this area. Only when you are dead can I become an Eleven and better protect my family."
Damn it... the Doctor must have said something to him!
Ying continuously dodged. Knowing that Childe was likely being manipulated by the Doctor, she found herself lacking the desire to fight. Seeing herself increasingly on the defensive, Ying, with no other choice, dodged another arrow and then hooked her arm, causing a pillar to surge from beneath Childe's feet.
"Whoa?!"
This direct attack to his vital spot startled Childe immensely. He quickly dodged backward, exposing his vulnerability. Seizing the opportunity, Ying swiftly moved in front of Childe, kicked his bow away, and then, twisting her body in mid-air, swept her leg towards his neck, successfully knocking him to the ground.
Without giving Childe a chance to transform or continue fighting, Ying drew her silver sword and placed it at his throat, stating with a serious expression, "You lost."
Childe looked stunned, not expecting the young girl in front of him to be so formidable. He sighed. "Alas... it seems being an Eleven isn't as easy as I thought. You've won. Kill me."
Hearing his words, Ying asked with a puzzled expression, "Why? Can't you just forfeit? I don't know what the Doctor gave you, but surely he wouldn't dare kill you, would he?"
In response to Ying's question, Childe could only offer a bitter smile. "The competition for the Eleven is a matter of life and death." He continued, "Besides, I'm just a Foot Soldier of the Fatui. To those high-and-mighty Eleven Harbingers, I'm merely a slightly more useful pawn. Why would they hesitate?"
"I already told you I'm not..."
As she spoke, Ying's heart sank. She quickly looked up at the display screen. Seeing that the number remained [0/1], a dreadful suspicion flooded her mind. If she didn't defeat him, she couldn't proceed to the next floor. Recalling that all previous stages required the elimination of all enemies, Ying understood why the opponents she faced on these past two floors were much weaker than Scaramouche. They couldn't stop her with strength, so they resorted to playing with her conscience. The Doctor was indeed not as kind as he seemed...
Thinking this, Ying scratched her head in distress. What should she do? To save Paimon, she had to defeat him. Although she wasn't very familiar with him, they had no animosity. If she simply defeated him like this, she feared she wouldn't be able to go through with it... What should she do... what on earth should she do...
This darned fool, why did he let the Doctor tamper with his memory so easily and be thrown in here? And he still thinks he's just a soldier... Wait... a soldier? If she remembered correctly, the Doctor could create segments of himself from different ages. If he could use this ability on others, then was it possible that the Childe she was facing now was a segment from a year ago, before he even met her segment? If that were the case, then the revival of the Lady in the previous level, or even Scaramouche before that, and all those monsters, might also have been segments...
Thinking about it, everything seemed to fall into place. But this was just her conjecture. And even if he were a segment, he was still a living, breathing Childe...
"Tsk..."
The more she thought about it, the more her head ached. Ying decided to abandon her thoughts. She withdrew the silver sword from Childe's throat and, under his bewildered gaze, sat down in front of him. She then recounted their interaction and her recent conjectures to him. Naturally, not only Childe but everyone watching outside the screen heard it all clearly.
After hearing Ying's speculation, Paimon showed a look of sudden realization and muttered to the Doctor, "No wonder the Lady could be revived. This guy is truly terrifying..."
"Heh..."
Sensing the gaze upon him, the Doctor said nothing more. He simply looked at the screen. She's guessed faster than I anticipated. But now there's another question: how can one distinguish between a real person and a segment...?
Within the Spiral Abyss...
Ever since hearing Ying's words, Childe had been staring at the little girl in front of him with an incredulous expression.