"Forget it," Lumine shook her head. "Our goal's already been achieved anyway."
"It's our goal and Watatsumi Island's that's been achieved," Victor Wang corrected. "But the treasures of Enkanomiya still haven't been properly searched."
The secrets of Enkanomiya were already known, and Victor Wang had no greed for its treasures. However, there were two sources of danger here—one being the [Before Sun and Moon], and the other, the black Headdress that held power comparable to half of the [Before Sun and Moon]. If possible, Victor Wang preferred not to get involved with either.
He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Should we finish searching here before handing in the Bloodbranch Coral, or hand it in first? You decide… I just don't know if Enkanomiya will be sealed off immediately after we hand it over."
If Lumine wanted to explore first, he would go with her and clear the land together. If she wanted to deliver the Bloodbranch Coral first, they would return to cleanse the Electro element.
"It's fine," Lumine said gently. "Even if it's a little unfair to Watatsumi Island… even if Enkanomiya gets sealed right after, I can still return here. And besides, you still need treatment, so let's head back first."
"Alright!"
…
"Tsuyuko, Tsuyuko! We've found the Bloodbranch Coral!"
"Heroes, champions, saviors of the world!" Tsuyuko exclaimed, pressing her palms together and bowing deeply to the three. "You were already heroes of the Resistance, but still, on behalf of Lady Kokomi and all the people of Watatsumi Island, thank you!"
"And that 'Enjou' we asked about earlier—turns out he was an Abyss Lector!"
"I thought he was just a thief carrying a Watatsumi script dictionary, but to think he came from the Abyss… That's truly something. I'll report this to Lady Kokomi later."
"Oh, oh! What about after that? The Watatsumi Goryou Matsuri sounds like a proper ceremony, right? Can we watch it?"
Victor Wang perked up at that. How could he not be curious? A festival that concerned the life and death of Watatsumi Island—he'd somehow never seen it before.
"Of course you can." Tsuyuko nodded slightly, then explained, "But you finished gathering the coral so quickly that the festival's still in preparation. You'll have to wait about five more days. It'll be held right here in front of Sangonomiya Shrine. There'll be adorable shrine maidens dancing… hehe…"
"Be serious!" Paimon scolded.
"Serious? It is serious! Even Lady Kokomi will dance the 'Divine Dance' that day, you know?"
"Kokomi will…?! I want to see that!!"
Paimon immediately joined Tsuyuko, and Lumine's eyes lit up too.
"Right? Right? It's a once-in-several-centuries Watatsumi Goryou Matsuri! Most people only ever read about it in ancient texts, and here we are getting to witness it. Let's look forward to it together!"
…
Excluding the Duel Before the Throne, this was the third time Victor Wang stood before Tenshukaku's gates.
He let his consciousness slip into the Inner Space of the Wentian Sword for a final check: one thousand Naku Weeds, one Storm Bead, one Vajrada Amethyst Gemstone, and lastly—the Bloodbranch Coral, extracted from a Electro-variant Vishap, transplanted from Orobashi, originating from the dark outer seas.
Nothing seemed missing.
After confirming, the now-familiar Okuzumeshuu attendant informed the Raiden Shogun, who soon gave permission for Victor Wang to enter.
The Tenshukaku was still arranged as it had been for centuries, yet the Raiden Shogun—standing in front of the great triple tomoe crest—seemed… a little tense?
It was subtle enough that Victor Wang wasn't sure if he imagined it, but before he could be certain, the Raiden Shogun asked first, "You've gathered all the materials?"
"Yes."
"Then the time to fulfill our agreement has come. Let us begin now."
"Here? Right in this room?"
"Is that a problem?"
"No, not really. Just… no one's going to barge in, right?"
The Raiden Shogun opened her mouth, then paused, thinking of Kujou Sara, Lumine, and Yae Miko. She raised a hand, and lightning sealed the door with a low hum. "Rest assured. They won't enter."
"Oh…" Victor Wang laid each material on the floor carefully, took a deep breath to steel himself, then suddenly asked, "Uh… is this room soundproof?"
"Hmm?"
"It might hurt… and I might… yell a bit?" His voice trailed off. Saying it himself felt terribly embarrassing.
The Raiden Shogun nodded solemnly and raised her hand again, casting a web of lightning that sealed the room in silence. "There. Now we can begin."
"Ah, I'm ready."
They stood a short distance apart. Victor Wang remembered too vividly the pain from his previous elemental cleansings—each worse than the last. This third time would likely be the worst of all. He took deep breaths, relaxing his body but keeping his mind sharp, waiting for the Shogun to begin.
Cleansing an element felt like surgery without anesthesia—or perhaps, like being flayed alive.
Even if one had medicine to numb the body, there was no way to numb the spirit.
His thoughts drifted aimlessly… until he noticed his surgeon—the Raiden Shogun—also taking deep breaths.
Huh?
The Raiden Shogun moved, extending her hand toward Victor Wang. Her fingers curved slightly, as though to pull something invisible from his body.
"Wait!" Victor Wang shouted.
"…What is it?"
"Are you sure you've got the steps right?"
"Extract it, cleanse it, then return it. During the process, use the elemental energy from the Naku Weeds to replenish what you lose. Isn't that correct?"
"I don't know… but both the Anemo Archon and the Geo Archon started by disassembling the other materials into elemental particles first, letting them swirl around me before beginning the extraction." And before they started, they both asked if he was ready—Zhongli had even kindly warned him that it would hurt… Don't tell me you actually don't know how to do this?
He didn't dare ask the last part out loud.
Apparently, the prestige of the first generation of gods extended to some very questionable areas.
"I'm certain my method's not wrong… but fine. There's only a minor timing difference between extracting you first or the materials first. Still, if they did the materials first, I'll do it that way too."
"Wait, let's confirm the entire process again: First, extract the elemental particles from the materials. Then extract mine. Merge both sets. Use the energy from the Naku Weeds to stabilize the mix. The most time-consuming part is converting my elemental particles into normal ones. Finally, withdraw the Naku Weeds' energy and return my particles."
The Raiden Shogun nodded seriously. "Understood."
Victor Wang wasn't entirely sure how much she really understood, but he remembered that Ei couldn't cook—and since it was Ei who spoke to him, what if cleansing elements to her was like… cooking?
He cautioned her again. "I have a good memory. The first two cleansings followed that exact sequence. You have to stick to it too."
"I will," the Raiden Shogun said earnestly.
Forget it, Victor Wang thought. If this goes wrong, I'll just make her take responsibility later. This is one favor I'll never have to let go of.
Resigned, he closed his eyes. His body slowly began to rise as Electro energy enveloped him. The pain of his body being peeled away piece by piece surged again.
It was indeed worse than before.
But for the sake of maintaining a shred of dignity before a woman like the Raiden Shogun, that foolish pride made him grit his teeth and endure—and somehow, he managed to hold on.
Three hours later, the Raiden Shogun finally completed the process.
The sudden end of the pain jolted Victor Wang upright. Though his footing wavered slightly when he landed, he felt more complete than ever before.
He focused inward. His spiritual power had expanded again, reaching what seemed to be the threshold between Lake and Sea.
Physically, he removed his right glove—and as expected, his right hand, arm, and shoulder had returned to human form.
At a mere thought, lightning crackled across his fingertips.