The chain ball shot into the sky and slammed down onto the ground.
[256M]
Not even close to Yunli's distance.
Another throw—
[249M]
And again—
[258M]
Valerius watched with interest. Although Acheron didn't throw as far as Yunli, her results were extremely stable—no huge fluctuations.
And in the end—
She barely made it in four throws.
Not like Yunli, who overshot the finish line with ease, but still—
A solid [4 throws].
"Oh? Same as me."
Yunli glanced at Acheron, surprised. Didn't she say strength wasn't her forte?
Still, Yunli wasn't worried. At worst, they'd tie.
After all, she didn't believe anyone could finish in three throws.
"Next."
Noelle stepped forward.
"Confident?"
Valerius teased her.
"I… I'll try my best…"
"Good luck then."
He stepped aside, curious about this "maid powerhouse."
Yunli crossed her arms, unimpressed.
"She's out. With that attitude, at least five throws."
In her mind, Noelle was just a timid girl—barely better than Hook or Sayu.
"Yaaah!"
The moment Noelle started spinning—
Yunli's eyes widened.
"…What is this?"
That "timid girl" suddenly exploded with strength.
Whoosh!
[368M]
"WHAT?!"
Yunli almost choked.
She thought she was facing bronze—
Turns out it was a king.
The audience erupted.
That distance—almost rivaling Ben.
Second throw—
She nearly slipped on the grass, barely managing to release—
[147M]
Distance dropped sharply, but at least she got past the grass.
Third throw—
[349M]
Another monstrous distance.
"…Thank god the second throw dropped."
Yunli wiped imaginary sweat. If that second throw had matched the first—
It would've been a 3-throw clear.
Final—
[Finish… 4 Throws]
Noelle patted her chest in relief.
"Phew… not too bad…"
Not too bad?!
The others stared.
Three contestants—all at 4 throws.
If they couldn't beat or match that—
They'd get nothing.
"Next."
Shenhe walked up.
"How many throws?"
She didn't answer.
Instead—
She gave Valerius a small, stiff smile.
Valerius froze.
…When did Shenhe get this expressive?
It was still awkward—but definitely progress.
She picked up the chain ball.
Spun—
Released.
Whoosh—
The ball shot out like a bullet.
Straight line.
Over the grass.
Over the mud.
Over the water.
Over the finish line—
And kept going—
Until it vanished beyond the horizon.
Silence.
Valerius: "..."
Yunli: "..."
Acheron: "..."
Everyone: "..."
What.
Was.
That.
"Are we even playing the same game?"
Dehya stared blankly.
That was definitely Shenhe's "I think, therefore it is" power kicking in.
"What exactly did you… imagine?"
Shenhe answered calmly:
"As long as I spin three times, I can throw very far."
Everyone: ...…
That's not a buff.
That's cheating reality.
At this point—
The result was already decided.
"Next."
Dehya stepped up with a sigh.
Everyone else had ridiculous abilities.
And her skill?
Disguise.
Completely useless here.
[Finish… 5 Throws]
—
Caesar went next.
Her confidence was gone.
[Finish… 5 Throws]
—
Sayu:
[Finish… 9 Throws]
—
Finally—
Hook stepped up.
She grabbed the chain.
It barely moved.
"…Uh…"
Everyone facepalmed.
She couldn't even lift it.
"Hook… maybe we forfeit?"
"No way!"
She puffed her cheeks and used all her strength.
"Waaah!"
Throw—
[81 CM]
"…81 meters, not bad—"
"Look properly. That's 81 centimeters."
"…Oh."
Hook's lips trembled.
You adults are so mean…
Seeing she was about to cry, Valerius immediately picked her up.
"Don't cry, Hook. Candy?"
He stuffed a handful of sweets into her mouth.
"Sweet!"
Her eyes sparkled instantly.
"Honorary member, I want more!"
"Sure, all yours."
He filled her pockets.
Hook beamed.
"I forfeit!"
—
Second round complete.
🥇 Shenhe — absolute first
🥈 Acheron / Noelle / Yunli — tied second
❌ Everyone else — no points
—
Back at the main stage—
Valerius immediately noticed Bronya's awkward expression.
"…Let me guess. Sending Hook out—that was your idea?"
"We… we don't have any strong fighters! We had to conserve strength!"
She said it confidently—
But clearly felt guilty.
"Learning some tricks now, huh?"
Valerius laughed.
Then announced scores:
Mondstadt: 3
Liyue: 3
Inazuma: 0
Sumeru–Fontaine: 4
Xianzhou Alliance: 5
Penacony Alliance: 4
Belobog: 3
Zenless Zone Zero: 3
Everyone had points—
Except Inazuma.
A big, glaring zero.
"…Not looking good."
Yae Miko frowned.
"We need to step it up."
"…Raiden? …Raiden?"
No response.
She turned—
And froze.
There, in the Belobog section—
Raiden Shogun was calmly standing in line…
With the children.
Waiting for candy.
"…You're trying to kill me, aren't you?"
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