Player World
"Drawing a blade from her chest! Aaaaaaah! It's the legendary chest-drawn blade!!!"
"Electro Archon, you're so cool! So badass!"
Chen Xiyao went wild in front of her computer screen.
She knew the Electro Archon was cool, but she never imagined she'd be this cool!
Even though the Archon was currently beating her up, she couldn't help but be captivated by her sheer coolness.
The live chat exploded. Many viewers were thrilled by the Raiden Shogun's disdainful gaze.
[Is this the first female Archon they released?!]
[C6! I need her C6!]
[Sister, cut me!]
[Wait, she really pulled the sword from there? Holy shit, but it's so cool, right?!]
[Lumine: We're doomed...]
[This entrance is way cooler than Venti's and Zhongli's, right?!]
[Saying it's cooler than Zhongli's entrance is fair, but not Venti's! I'll never forget the majesty of Venti's Divine Regalia...]
Chen Xiyao had already begun battling the real Electro Archon.
"Wait, why are my skills locked? How am I supposed to win this?!"
With four characters limited to normal attacks and a notoriously clumsy streamer at the helm, the outcome was inevitable.
Thankfully, the combat section was brief. Before her last character fell, she finally managed to retreat from the battle and enter the cutscene.
Inazuma.
Pulled into the Plane of Euthymia, Lumine had no choice but to battle Ei. Even wielding three elements, she stood no chance against the Raiden Shogun.
"To face the majesty of thunder so directly... that deserves praise."
Panting heavily, Lumine charged toward the Raiden Shogun.
As the Electro energy dissipated, Lumine collapsed to the ground, and the Plane of Euthymia shattered. She reappeared before the Statue of the Omnipresent God.
"Lumine!"
Paimon rushed to her side, frantically shaking the briefly unconscious Lumine.
Thoma desperately searched for anything that could help him break free from his restraints, but found nothing. He could only watch helplessly, his anxiety growing.
The Raiden Shogun slowly advanced toward Lumine, her blade drawn. Paimon shook Lumine with all her might, but Lumine remained unresponsive. The little sprite was on the verge of tears.
The Shogun pointed her blade at Lumine and Paimon. Paimon shuddered in terror, and seeing the Shogun raise her blade as if to strike, she threw caution to the wind and dove onto Lumine, shielding her with her own body.
Thoma's mind raced, and he was about to forcefully intervene when...
A figure leaped out from the surrounding crowd.
Yuna had been secretly gathering her strength for a long time. Now, she sprang forward, her Claymore instantly expanding to dozens of meters in length and width, its blade wreathed in a faint Hydro Element aura.
The colossal sword descended with overwhelming force, its blade aimed downward, narrowly avoiding Lumine and Paimon as it crashed toward the Raiden Shogun.
"Supreme Art: Floating Cloud!"
The sheer momentum of the attack was extraordinary. The Raiden Shogun abandoned her strike against Lumine, parrying Yuna's colossal blade with a single strike.
Aware of the vast disparity in their strength, Yuna immediately scooped up Lumine after unleashing her attack, fleeing the scene with Thoma and Paimon in tow.
The Shogun merely watched them retreat, making no attempt to pursue.
"Shogun, those two just now..."
"Add them to the Vision Hunt Decree. Next time we meet, I will strike them down once more."
-
"Yuna, thank you so much for earlier! If it weren't for you, Lumine might have..." Paimon showered Yuna with gratitude.
"You're welcome. We're friends, and friends help each other in times of need!" Yuna replied warmly.
After fleeing for a while, Thoma stopped first.
Lumine had woken up the moment Yuna picked her up.
Paimon, both confused and anxious, whispered after confirming no one was chasing them, "Why are we stopping here?"
Thoma: "Don't you remember? For me, hiding in the Komore Teahouse is the safest place around."
"The only problem is, I won't be able to leave here for a while. The rest is up to you."
Lumine glanced at Yuna beside her and asked Thoma, "What should we do?"
Thoma: "Go to Tatarasuna and find the Resistance."
As Lumine and Thoma discussed their next steps, Yuna listened quietly without interrupting.
Finally, after Lumine and Paimon decided to seek out the Resistance, they turned to Yuna.
Thoma: "I'm so sorry for dragging you into this, Yuna! Why don't you hide with me in the Komore Teahouse?"
"Yeah, yeah! Yuna, you should hide in the Komore Teahouse too!" Paimon chimed in.
"No way! How about I go with you to the Resistance instead?" Yuna countered.
Yuna shook her head, refusing. This wasn't just a matter of a day or two. With her personality, she couldn't stand hiding in the Komore Teahouse indefinitely. She'd rather join Lumine and Paimon in finding the Resistance.
After all, she was just an idle soul in Inazuma anyway.
Lumine and Paimon hesitated. This was their fault; Yuna had ended up in this situation because she had saved Lumine. Asking her to run off with them to find the Resistance...
Yuna seemed to sense their concern.
"Don't worry about me. Things are already this bad. If I went back, I might just endanger my sister and the Boss."
Yuna's resolute demeanor convinced Lumine to agree.
"Thoma, could you tell my sister and the Boss not to worry? I'll be back soon."
Thoma nodded, promising to deliver the message. Though he might be confined indoors for quite some time, this small task he could certainly manage.
But...
As Thoma gazed at Yuna, who showed no trace of resentment, his heart filled with guilt. He suddenly offered a solemn apology: "Yuna, thank you!"
Yuna waved it off dismissively, taking it lightly.
"Alright, Thoma, you should go into hiding now. We need to leave too, before the Shogunate Army catches up."
-
Player World.
[Holy crap, this is unreal!]
[I knew something was up when Yuna showed up in the crowd.]
[Yuna's ultimate move is seriously OP!]
[A kid that young wielding a weapon that huge?!]
[When things get tough, you can always count on Yuna. She really does love me!]
[Is she going to join us in finding the Resistance?]
[Wait, didn't Yuna get dragged into this because she was trying to save us? I feel kind of guilty now.]
-
After leaving Inazuma City, the trio encountered two Shogunate Soldiers on patrol. From them, they learned that the Resistance might be stationed on the northwestern side of Musoujin Gorge.
To obtain more precise information, they then encountered two fleeing Inazumans.
From them, they learned that the Resistance and Shogunate Army were currently engaged in battle at Nazuchi Beach.
With accurate intelligence in hand, the trio wasted no time and set off immediately.
As a native of Inazuma, Yuna knew the location of Nazuchi Beach and took the lead as their guide.
"Nazuchi Beach is quite far," Yuna warned. "We'll need to prepare for a long journey."
Yuna led Lumine and Paimon to Ritou Island, where they found several Waveriders readily available.
Since neither Lumine nor Paimon had ever visited Nazuchi Beach before, teleportation was not an option. Moreover, with Yuna accompanying them, they wouldn't have used teleportation even if it were possible.
The Waverider was spacious enough to comfortably accommodate all three of them.