Before Lu Chen could turn around, Lion's Roar instinctively swept behind him, carving a beautiful crescent slash through the air.
Hot flames, biting frost, and swirling wind burst forth in that instant, coating the crescent slash in brilliant, shifting colors.
When he turned his head, Ei was indeed there.
Her expression remained unchanged, her tense cheeks reflecting the same unwavering focus she always showed in battle.
Facing Lu Chen's full-power strike, Ei didn't dodge or flinch. Musou Isshin gleamed with purple lightning as she met his attack head-on with equal force.
A deafening clash of metal echoed out. The surge of elemental energy quickly dissipated. In Lu Chen's stunned gaze, Lion's Roar was knocked free, spinning through the air and flying upward.
Ei's speed was overwhelming—and her strength, no less so.
Lu Chen had believed that the second move would decide the outcome. Ei had likely thought the same.
And she was even holding back.
Musou Isshin, crackling with purple lightning, stopped an inch or so in front of Lu Chen's throat. A tingling sensation spread across his skin.
Lu Chen drew back his slightly disappointed gaze, gave a helpless smile, and looked at Ei.
Perhaps because the blade was too close to his throat, Ei's eyes widened slightly, and Musou Isshin shifted away.
"Ei is Ei, after all."
Lu Chen's smile bloomed.
The bright midday sun seemed to give his smile a touch of magic. The garden grew silent; even the wind stopped its restless stirring.
Ei slowly lowered her blade. As she looked at the man in front of her, her tense expression softened noticeably.
"Chen is also very..."
She looked at him.
Her smile was hard to describe—gentle, yet tinged with an unspoken sorrow. In her eyes, it seemed as though autumn had quietly settled in after the warmth of summer.
Lu Chen smiled and leaned closer. The smile alone made Ei a little flustered.
"Chen is very strong too..."
Seeing Ei's gaze growing dazed and her blade slowly lowering out of the corner of his eye, Lu Chen's smile deepened.
The moment Ei fully let her guard down, a sharp glint flashed in Lu Chen's eyes.
In a sudden motion, he wrapped his arms around Ei's slender waist, startling her. Then, wriggling like a loach, he darted behind her.
She'd been tricked!
That was what everyone watching—and Ei herself—thought in that instant.
But no matter what Ei thought now, it was too late. Lu Chen had already pulled her down to the ground with him.
"Ehh—" Yae Miko watched the two of them lying on the ground together, her expression one of exaggerated disgust.
"Shameless! Absolutely despicable! Using a handsome man's charm like that!"
Venti burst into laughter. He definitely hadn't expected this outcome.
"You foxes should be pretty familiar with this kind of move! Classic charm technique!"
Even Zhongli's usually impassive face was starting to crack.
"Hmm... this move from young friend Lu Chen certainly has the flair of a street rogue. Still... it is not without merit."
Lu Chen gave a victory sign to the others.
"What do you know? All's fair in love and war!"
"Chen..."
"Huh?" Lu Chen looked at Ei.
Ei's face was flushed. She looked both annoyed and embarrassed.
"Let go! Everyone... everyone's watching!"
"Hehehe..."
Though Lu Chen was enjoying the moment, the way he'd hit the ground had been no joke—it hurt so much he almost teared up.
This move was definitely "sacrifice a thousand to take eight hundred."
If he'd gone full-on Hanamizaka's top wrestler style, once the opponent was down, the next moves would've been Man-locking man, Man on top of man, Strong-man skull-cracker...
But this was Ei, so he held back.
Ei had gone easy on him, so he went easy on her—otherwise, she'd have been the one hitting the hard ground.
After catching his breath, Lu Chen—completely wiped out—waited until Ei, now shy and ready to bury her face, had calmed down a little, then finally let her go.
The two of them tidied up their disheveled clothes. Ei's expression had returned to normal, but when Lu Chen sneaked a glance, her gaze was colder than it had been before the fight. Her mood changed faster than flipping a page.
"Ei~" Lu Chen tried to take her hand, but she pulled away.
He tried again.
She dodged again.
"Ei..."
Lu Chen smiled helplessly. It looked like Ei was really mad and ignoring him.
"I lost, I cheated—what more do you want?"
Ei's expression didn't change. She still looked deadly serious. Lu Chen began to wonder... did she really think she'd lost?
The Electro Archon had held back enough to fill an entire ocean. In terms of power, Lu Chen really had no business fighting her.
The gap between them was still that of mortal and god.
"But you're right—'all's fair in love and war.'" Her lips, soft as sakura petals, blew a light breath.
"Heh..." Lu Chen scratched his head. Facing Ei like this, he didn't know what else to say.
In his past life, he'd used plenty of similar dirty tricks to beat Ei.
When she was stronger, he'd outsmarted her. When he was stronger, she'd still fallen for his tricks.
"I won't cheat next time!" Lu Chen promised solemnly. "Next time we duel, I'll defeat you fair and square!"
Ei kept her little face tense and stared coldly at him.
"I mean it!"
Lu Chen raised a hand in an oath gesture. He was practically ready to grab Zhongli and make a contract on the spot.
"I really mean it! More real than gold and silver!"
"Believe me!"
Ei's face remained tight.
But if you looked closely, the corners of her mouth twitched upward... just a bit.
Then she smoothed it out.
Then it rose again...
Finally, she burst out laughing.
"Who asked you to swear, you fool."
Ei rolled her beautiful eyes, and Lu Chen laughed along with her.
"I think Chen is right. On the battlefield, there really is no room for reason."
She spoke seriously.
"That's why a warrior should fight cunningly. No matter how dirty, shameless, or despicable the opponent's tactics may be, you treat them all the same. That's the true code of a warrior."
Lu Chen pouted.
"Ei, are you scolding me or what?"
Ei's smile bloomed, brighter than the flowers in the backyard. Lu Chen scratched his head and smiled with her.
...
At this moment, the group of spectators exchanged glances.
Venti waved a hand.
"They're feeding us dog food again. Alright, show's over—no more fight to watch."
Yae Miko watched the two laughing together in the garden and clicked her tongue.
"Lame. Boring. No fun."
She, too, left the backyard.
After the two gods and the fox had gone, only Qiqi remained sitting on the doorstep.
She still didn't understand why the grown-ups had started fighting—or why they suddenly stopped.
Lu Chen took Ei's hand and walked up the steps, patting Qiqi's little head.
"Let's go—time for some coconut milk."
"Oh..." Qiqi nodded and repeated like a little recorder:
"Time for some coconut milk..."