Futsu Mitama had no idea what was happening in Inazuma City; all he knew was that he had almost died. In that consciousness space, everything felt vastly different from Transcendence: Baleful Omen.
The former patiently explained theory, then kicked you out. This one explained theory while beating you, and it never stopped.
The Raiden Shogun before him had been unilaterally thrashing him—not with physical strength, but purely through technique. She attacked as she pointed out every flaw in his movements, every weakness in his control of elemental power.
Just as she had said at the very start: she wanted his body to remember this pain.
After an unknown length of time spent fighting her—long enough that his consciousness blurred—Futsu Mitama finally managed to exit that space. When his awareness returned, a faint throbbing struck his temples. He raised a hand to rub his head, then glanced outside the tent.
"Hmm? Why is it dark?"
"Young Master, you're awake?"
Aila let out a breath of relief, her small face still tight with worry.
"Ah! He's awake?"
At the table, Sangonomiya—who had clearly fallen asleep after overworking—lifted her head as well. Seeing him conscious again, she exhaled softly. "Thank goodness—you finally woke up."
"What happened?" Futsu Mitama asked, confused. He had only just come back from the consciousness space; why were the two of them reacting as if he had vanished for days?
"Actually… it's like this…" Sangonomiya-sama yawned and began explaining.
Right after finishing the download of Thunder Current · Martial Arts, Futsu Mitama had collapsed face-first onto the table, completely unconscious. This had frightened both Aila and Kazuha. Aila immediately tagged Raiden Makoto and Sangonomiya-sama in the Chat Group.
@Raiden Makoto — to ask what had happened to her young master. @Sangonomiya-sama — to beg her to check his condition quickly.
As Hydro Vision holders, both had healing abilities, but Sangonomiya's were far more refined. Hearing that Futsu Mitama had fainted, Sangonomiya-sama rushed over. Her examination concluded that he had simply collapsed from extreme exhaustion.
He would recover if he rested.
Raiden Makoto, on the other hand, formed her own hypothesis: Futsu Mitama's consciousness had likely entered the mysterious space and begun attempting to master Raiden Style · Martial Arts.
Although she still didn't understand the Chat Group's structure, she believed training was inevitable.
Moreover, Kuki Shinobu, Sangonomiya, Aila, and others had previously seen the Raiden Shogun while studying Transcendence: Baleful Omen. Thus, she guessed Futsu Mitama was currently fighting the Raiden Shogun inside that consciousness space—which would explain his coma.
After learning this, the two finally relaxed and began waiting. And that wait lasted an entire day and night. Aila and Sangonomiya grew more anxious with each passing hour. Kazuha, too, would check frequently, still unable to understand why Futsu Mitama had suddenly collapsed.
But now that he had woken up, they could finally breathe.
"So, I slept an entire day and night?" Futsu Mitama muttered, expression twisting slightly. In that space, it hadn't felt like that long. The fight felt drawn-out, but a whole day? Impossible.
Maybe the time in there flowed differently.
"Hmm~" Sangonomiya yawned again after finishing the explanation. "Strictly speaking, over thirty hours. You must be hungry. Go eat something. I'll just— zzzzz~"
She dozed off immediately, slumping over the table again. Seeing her exhausted posture, Futsu Mitama couldn't help feeling a pang of pity. She was the lone pillar of the Resistance; her burdens were immense. Silently, he removed the blanket that had been over him and draped it gently over Sangonomiya instead.
"Aila, let's go."
Aila nodded and followed him out of the tent. Just as they stepped outside, they ran into Kazuha and Gorou approaching. Upon seeing him awake, relief flickered through Kazuha's eyes. It was good—he had regained consciousness at last.
Kazuha had originally assumed Futsu Mitama collapsed from the strain of confronting Scaramouche. He had believed the man forced himself forward the entire journey to the Resistance, only collapsing once they arrived.
Such willpower was admirable.
Gorou brightened immediately. "Hmm? You're awake? You must be starving. Come, come—I'll get you something to eat."
After hearing from Kazuha and Sangonomiya what Futsu Mitama had done, Gorou held him in great respect. According to them, without Futsu Mitama, they would have been wiped out by Scaramouche. Thus, Gorou's tail wagged nonstop as he treated Futsu Mitama like one of his own Resistance comrades.
"Thank you." Futsu Mitama did not refuse, following Gorou with Aila and Kazuha. At a large pot, Gorou was tossing in vegetables and a plucked chicken.
"So, you've officially joined the Resistance to help train the swordsmen?"
As Gorou cooked, Futsu Mitama learned from Kazuha everything that had happened during his coma.
"Yes." Kazuha nodded. "The Divine Priestess took me in and promised to send me away with the next ship to Liyue."
"I wanted to repay her kindness somehow, so I began training the soldiers here."
But Kazuha sighed. The disparity in their skill levels was enormous. A small portion were properly trained. The rest… charged blindly into battle and lived or died purely by luck.
Yesterday, with Sangonomiya-sama's approval, he had begun drilling them, but the results were poor.
"Kazuha is very strong," Gorou interjected proudly. "We fought once. It was evenly matched—but in a real battle, I'd probably lose."
Kazuha shook his head. "In a one-on-one duel, perhaps. But you're a general. In command, I can't compare."
"That's natural!" Gorou puffed his chest—but immediately sighed while glancing toward Sangonomiya-sama's tent.
"The entire Resistance exists because of her. Every crisis we survived was thanks to the strategies she devised. She prepares for every scenario—every possibility."
To Gorou, she was simply unmatched.
"…," Futsu Mitama's mouth twitched. He didn't deny her brilliance, but he also knew her reliance on pre-written stratagems was born of necessity. She had too much to handle and too few to assist her.
Still, he understood and respected her burden. The three talked while Aila listened quietly at Futsu Mitama's side.
Soon, the fragrance of the soup filled the air. Gorou's eyes lit up. "The chicken soup's ready! I'll serve it."
He handed bowls to Futsu Mitama, Kazuha, and Aila—but did not take one himself. After tasting it, Futsu Mitama praised the soup sincerely. Gorou's tail wagged even faster.
Once they finished eating, Kazuha and Gorou excused themselves—they had patrol duty to continue. Taking the chance, Futsu Mitama opened the Chat Group and checked the messages.
Just as Kokomi had said, Raiden Makoto, Kokomi, Kuki Shinobu, and Aila had discussed his condition after he fainted. Eventually the tone shifted into Makoto giving Kokomi intense advice on Resistance development and soldier training.
The idea of Kazuha serving as an instructor came from Makoto as well.
Originally, Kokomi had planned for him to remain a free fighter until the "Dragon King" from Liyue arrived. His identity was too sensitive—after all, he had snatched a Vision directly before the Raiden Shogun. If discovered, his capture priority might surpass even the Resistance.
Finally, Futsu Mitama saw Kuki Shinobu's latest message: she had uncovered intelligence and was currently investigating. She asked to be notified the moment he woke.
[Futsu Mitama: "@Kuki Shinobu, I'm awake. How are things on your end?"]
[Raiden Makoto: "Oh? Awake? What did you gain?"]
[Futsu Mitama: "Raiden Shogun hung me up and beat me. I learned a lot of theory and actual combat."]
[Kuki Shinobu: "Isn't that a good thing? Fighting the Raiden Shogun and living to talk about it—that's something most can't even imagine."]
[Raiden Makoto: "Hehe~ yes. As long as you're alive, train until you drop. You might become Inazuma's next Raiden Shogun."]
[Sangonomiya Kokomi: "zzzzzzzz~~~~"]
[Futsu Mitama: "Stop joking. More importantly—Shinobu, what did you find?"]
[Kuki Shinobu: "Ritou's atmosphere is strange right now. And while shadowing the Hiiragi Clan, I've found something odd."]
[Futsu Mitama: "What is it?"]
[Kuki Shinobu: "The nobles opposed to the Hiiragi Clan are being heavily suppressed. And the Fatui are appearing far more frequently."]
[Kuki Shinobu: "Also, Thoma tracked me down asking where you were. He said he has important information for you."]
[Futsu Mitama: "Important information? Understood. I'll return immediately."]