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"Ugh ah——!!!!"
As the strike fell, a thunderous roar erupted from afar, followed by a piercing scream.
After delivering the blow, the Raiden Shogun's expression remained calm. She slowly descended from the sky, looking at the smiling Yae Miko and at Futsu Mitama, who had shrunk back in fear.
"Miko, when you encountered Kunikuzushi, why did you not call me?" the Raiden Shogun asked.
It was not an interrogation—just a straightforward question. She did not believe Miko would be unaware of her command. Outwardly, only the heads of the Three Commissions had the authority to summon her into battle. But as her familiar, Yae Miko also possessed that right—and it held the highest priority.
Yet after encountering Kunikuzushi, Yae Miko neither summoned her nor fought, which puzzled the Shogun greatly.
"He appeared suddenly and attacked me; I didn't have time to call you," Yae Miko said with an innocent shrug. Anyone else would probably have softened at her wronged expression—even if they didn't believe her.
"You had a way," the Raiden Shogun replied. She was a puppet; though capable of thought and judgment, her understanding remained rigid.
She looked at Yae Miko calmly. "Even if I suddenly attacked you, subduing you would be difficult."
Futsu Mitama looked at Yae Miko in surprise. She always gave off an air of cunning, but he hadn't expected the Raiden Shogun to say that even a surprise attack on her wouldn't succeed easily.
This reminded him of Raiden Ei's evaluation of Yae Miko in the game: "Next time we meet, I'll cut her down with Musou no Hitachi, but she'll probably dodge anyway."
"Oh my, oh my, everything turned out fine, so don't dwell on the details," Yae Miko said with a smile, as if urging the Raiden Shogun not to fuss over a small mistake.
"Indeed." The Raiden Shogun turned her gaze toward Futsu Mitama. Her tone remained even as she asked, "Are you a descendant of the Futsu Family?"
"Ah?" Futsu Mitama blinked. He nodded, puzzled. "Shogun-sama, do you know me?"
"Your ancestor was an exceptional swordsmith. Though he did not inherit the Raiden Gokaden, he was still remarkable." The Raiden Shogun studied him calmly. "You resemble him by seventy percent. So I believe you are his descendant."
"Yes, General." Futsu Mitama nodded. He had never met his parents or relatives in this life, but it was said that his ancestral line was indeed prominent in Inazuma. Thanks to his ancestor, Futsu Mitama held a noble title and some influence. As long as he didn't act too recklessly, he would likely live peacefully.
Of course, his recent troubles came mostly from the sake recipe he obtained through group sign-in—its value was enormous. Dottore seemed to understand its worth, while the Hiiragi Clan coveted its profits. As for Scaramouche, Futsu Mitama truly didn't know whether Scaramouche was unlucky to meet him, or he was unlucky to encounter Scaramouche.
Before meeting him, Scaramouche roamed Inazuma freely. Yet less than four days after meeting Futsu Mitama, he was discovered by Raiden Ei—and cut down by the Raiden Shogun.
Futsu Mitama clearly saw that the Raiden Shogun's strike on Scaramouche was far harsher than the one on Lumine or Aether. This was a truly significant "one cut." However, according to the Raiden Shogun, Scaramouche did not seem dead. Understandably—La Signora had lost in a duel before the throne, where all challengers stood equal.
But this situation was different. They were outside. No duel before the throne had taken place. And Scaramouche was a Snezhnayan diplomat.
Presumably, Raiden Ei originally planned to capture him—to seal or banish him.
Now, the Raiden Shogun had compromised by delivering a cut. Futsu Mitama didn't know if she had held back, but the force was tremendous. If he had taken it, he would have been obliterated without a trace.
"Hmm... you are very good." The Raiden Shogun seemed satisfied with Futsu Mitama. She nodded and said calmly, "Walk straight east. There is a part of Kunikuzushi's body there. Bring it back."
After giving the simple instruction, she turned her attention back to Yae Miko.
"Alright!"
Seeing she had no further questions, Futsu Mitama immediately chose to flee, running toward the east. He didn't want to stay here a moment longer.
Others in Inazuma might feel excitement upon seeing the Raiden Shogun—hoping to speak with her, as even one word could change their fate. But Futsu Mitama felt none of that. She was a puppet who would kill without hesitation—and had even dared strike her own creator. What wouldn't she dare?
So he escaped decisively, running at full speed, even using the Electro Archon Authority. As he vanished with a "whoosh," the Raiden Shogun looked at Yae Miko and asked calmly, "Your disciple?"
"Isn't he promising?" Yae Miko replied with a smile. She didn't admit it outright, but her meaning was clear: Look, he's a good child, isn't he?
"Hmm." The Raiden Shogun nodded. "His talent is excellent. With some training and time, even without your blessing or the Authority, he will be able to defeat Kunikuzushi."
"He needs practice and experience. It would be wasteful to leave him under you. Let him join the Tenryou Commission."
To her, keeping Futsu Mitama beside Yae Miko was burying his potential. Joining the Tenryou Commission and gaining experience would allow him to achieve great things.
"You haven't asked for his opinion yet," Yae Miko said lightly. "He is a noble affiliated with the Yashiro Commission. By the rules, he only needs to support the Yashiro Commission."
"Forcibly transferring personnel would violate the rules."
Anyone else would have already agreed—because who dared defy the Shogun?
But Yae Miko refused, even invoking the rules.
"Indeed." The Raiden Shogun was not angry. She nodded calmly. "That would go against the rules. In that case, I will speak with him directly."
"If he refuses, I will not press further. But you are not allowed to influence his decision."
Even she knew Yae Miko was crafty. Though each individual sentence sounded reasonable, taken together, they often led elsewhere.
"Shogun-sama," Kamisato Ayato arrived with a smile. He glanced at Yae Miko, momentarily surprised, then understanding. So Guuji Yae had been involved. No wonder the Shogun appeared.
The Raiden Shogun turned to him calmly. "What is it, Head of the Kamisato Clan?"
"Shogun-sama, I have something to report." Kamisato Ayato clapped his hands, and Kuki Shinobu stepped forward with an unconscious samurai.
Kamisato Ayaka, Aila, and Thoma did not come—they all possessed Visions. Kamisato Ayato had special privileges as the head of his clan, but the other three would likely face disaster if the General discovered their Visions.
Thus, he brought Kuki Shinobu, who had none. He bowed slightly.
"The Hiiragi Clan conspired with the Fatui to frame Inazuman nobles," he said. "This samurai is from the Hiiragi Clan. He will confess everything. I also have ample evidence to present to the General."
A faint hint of surprise appeared in the Raiden Shogun's eyes. As a puppet with self-awareness, she understood the implications. Colluding with the Fatui warranted true capital punishment—especially given the additional crimes of framing nobles.
Under Yae Miko's smiling gaze, the Raiden Shogun walked toward the unconscious samurai.
Meanwhile, Futsu Mitama—practically fleeing—avoided the Raiden Shogun and checked the group live stream. Everyone was lamenting how terrifying the Raiden Shogun was. Futsu Mitama felt helpless. They were chatting leisurely, while he had nearly died.
Mindful of how close she still was—and uncertain if she could read his thoughts—Futsu Mitama typed silently into the live stream:
[Futsu Mitama: "I barely survived."]
[Raiden Makoto: "What's wrong? Is the Shogun so frightening? Why aren't you talking?"]
[Azhdaha: "It's normal to revere a god, but a god cherishes humanity. You need not be so tense, Group Leader."]
[Sangonomiya Kokomi: "No… I understand him. If the Shogun appeared before me right now and simply walked away, I would feel the same."]
[Kamisato Ayaka: "That's understandable. The Raiden Shogun's power is overwhelming. Facing her requires immense mental fortitude."]
[Albedo: "That slash was magnificent. I'm unsure if it was Musou no Hitachi, but it made the gap between gods and mortals painfully clear."]
[Futsu Mitama: "True, but this Raiden Shogun is a puppet—one that eliminates anything that deviates from its directives. She's cold and ruthless."]
[Kuki Shinobu: "Really? She seemed aloof, but also approachable to me."]
[Kamisato Ayaka: "My brother once said the Shogun acted like she was following a program. At the time, I thought gods just hid their emotions. But after meeting the previous Archon… that impression shattered."]
[Raiden Makoto: "Simply put, the Group Leader is flustered. It's my fault for giving him Ei's martial arts and techniques."]
[Azhdaha: "Is that a puppet? It looks lifelike. Inheritance shouldn't be an issue. Judging from its reaction, the puppet likely views the Group Leader's existence as reasonable."]
[Azhdaha: "Gods often pass down their inheritances. Whether me, Morax, or the Adepti—humans simply failed to learn them, so they faded over time."]
[Kuki Shinobu: "So from the Shogun's perspective, Futsu Mitama obtained an inheritance, which explains everything?"]
[Albedo: "That seems correct. And as the Shogun's familiar, Yae Miko would naturally know similar things."]
[Kamisato Ayaka: "So everything checks out. No wonder she didn't question him."]
[Albedo: "However, given this, she will be ruthless with traitors. Scaramouche mentioned being a diplomat, yet still took the slash."]
[Sangonomiya Kokomi: "C-can we not talk about this? As Resistance leader, my stress is skyrocketing…"]
[Raiden Makoto: "Don't worry. I'm also part of the Resistance. If we die, we die together."]
[Sangonomiya Kokomi: "…Ah?"]
[Azhdaha: "Don't frighten the human, Baal."]
[Raiden Makoto: "Hahaha, just joking to ease the tension."]
[Futsu Mitama: "Enough chatter. I've arrived. I'll check if Scaramouche is truly dead."]
Ending the conversation, Futsu Mitama focused on his surroundings. With Chakra Desiderata, even without the Raiden Shogun's guidance, he sensed a straight line of concentrated Electro. The density was near its peak—surely the point where the slash landed.
He soon arrived at the place with the densest Electro. A human-shaped crater lay there, surrounding trees blasted aside. Inside were a broken arm and a leg.
Scaramouche himself had vanished—apparently having fled miserably.
Seeing this, Futsu Mitama walked forward, picked up the severed limbs, and sighed. As expected of the Raiden Shogun, who wielded nearly all of Raiden Ei's power—she was overwhelmingly strong. From the remaining arm and leg, she clearly held back.
Otherwise, that one slash might truly have killed or crippled Scaramouche.
But… does this count as dropping loot to survive?
Futsu Mitama rubbed his nose at the thought, then gathered the arm and leg and prepared to return to the Raiden Shogun.
Scaramouche had fled. Though he was originally a Fatui Harbinger and born in Inazuma, his current identity was completely different. The Raiden Shogun's punishment for him was simply leaving him with an arm and a leg as a warning—then letting him go.
Futsu Mitama understood the reasoning, but he still couldn't help complaining inwardly. Why didn't the Raiden Shogun simply finish him off?
If Scaramouche had been killed, none of this would be a problem. Since he survived, their information would inevitably leak, and the Fatui would surely classify him as a dangerous target. She was too rigid. She was a god, after all. She had no reason to fear the Fatui. Even if the Tsaritsa herself came, neither Raiden Ei nor the puppet Raiden Shogun would feel threatened.
But Futsu Mitama wasn't a god. He couldn't withstand that kind of pressure. Even with noble status in Inazuma and backing from the Yashiro Commission, the Fatui were a bunch of lunatics. If they wanted to cause trouble, they would act first and think later. If they couldn't win, they would spout nonsense. If that didn't work, they would retreat in a disorderly mess.
The problem was, he had no idea what he could say or do to stop them. So Futsu Mitama was already planning ahead. When he returned, he would train seriously. He needed to quickly master the "Raiden Style · Martial Arts" that Raiden Makoto had uploaded to the group.
With that in mind, Futsu Mitama picked up Scaramouche's arm and leg to bring back as evidence.
Just to be safe, he glanced at the group live stream. He saw that Kuki Shinobu had @-ed him, urging him to hurry back and watch the show. She and Kamisato Ayato were currently reporting something to the Raiden Shogun.
This made Futsu Mitama curious about what was happening.
He immediately picked up his pace. Not long after he left, a group of Fatui arrived. They stared silently at the human-shaped crater, dispersed, searched the area, and after confirming the missing items were indeed gone, quickly retreated.
On the other side, Futsu Mitama returned to the earlier battlefield. He arrived by using space traversal through the Chakra Desiderata and the Electro Archon Authority. Since the Raiden Shogun had already seen it, there was no need to hide it anymore.
If she wanted to cut him down, she would have done it already. As for why she didn't—likely because of Yae Miko, just as the group had said. The Raiden Shogun had formed the wrong idea. As long as nobody corrected it, she wouldn't strike him down.
When Futsu Mitama appeared, he saw the Hiiragi Clan samurai who had led the earlier team. Although he was dressed as a Kairagi, everyone present already knew his identity. The disguise was meaningless.
The samurai stood trembling, his head bowed. It was not excitement—it was fear. He had never imagined that a minor operation would lead to the Raiden Shogun appearing in person. If he had known, he would never have come.
Kamisato Ayato said nothing. Though surprised by Futsu Mitama's appearance technique, he quickly lowered his head again.
Kuki Shinobu also kept her head down; she had seen her own figure in the group live stream and felt a bit embarrassed.
"You're back?"
The Raiden Shogun sensed the spatial fluctuation. She didn't even turn around.
"Yes, Shogun-sama. I did not fail." Futsu Mitama presented Scaramouche's arm and leg.
The Raiden Shogun didn't look. "Keep them for now. What matters is whether the Hiiragi Clan colluded with the Fatui. Look up and answer honestly."
"Raiden Shogun-sama…" The Hiiragi samurai raised his head and met the Raiden Shogun's violet gaze. In that instant, he truly understood divine authority. The moment he considered lying or protecting the Hiiragi Clan, his heart shook as if it would burst.
This was the Almighty Narukami Ogosho, God of Thunder. How could he lie? Gritting his teeth, he abandoned all hesitation and confessed fully:
"Yes. The Hiiragi Clan—specifically Hiiragi Shinsuke—colluded with the Fatui and deliberately supplied resources to the Resistance. To silence dissent, he persecuted nobles of the Yashiro Commission and suppressed other factions. This entire operation was ordered by him, targeting Futsu Mitama's brewing method.
"According to their agreement, once the method was obtained, Futsu Mitama himself would be handed over to the Fatui."
He hid nothing. Every crime was laid bare. The room fell silent.
"Resistance?" The Raiden Shogun raised a brow, genuinely puzzled. "What is this Resistance? Why was I not informed?"
"!!!" ×4.
Futsu Mitama, Kuki Shinobu, Kamisato Ayato, and Yae Miko all felt alarm shoot through them. Meanwhile, the group live stream exploded:
[Kokomi: "AHHH!!!! Why bring us up now?! (Panic!)"]
[Makoto: "Calm down. It's just a question. She probably won't show up with a sword."]
[Azhdaha: "You don't sound confident."]
[Albedo: "No god casually exterminates their people. It will be fine."]
[Kuki Shinobu: "Easy for you all to say!"]
[Futsu Mitama: "Don't worry, I'll divert her attention."]
[Ayaka: "Yes, focus on the Hiiragi Clan."]
[Aila: "Panicking is useless."]
[Kokomi: "My energy is plummeting…"]
Back at the Resistance camp, they were celebrating victory—while Kokomi stared fearfully at the stream. This sudden exposure was terrifying. She even contemplated dispersing the Resistance temporarily. But she awaited the Raiden Shogun's next words, which would decide everything.
Kamisato Ayato finally stepped forward:
"General, the matter concerns the Tenryou Commission. Perhaps the operation only just began, and they have yet to submit the report."
Yae Miko followed smoothly: "Yes. Kujou Sara has already taken people to deal with them. Just a group of Nobushi and Treasure Hoarders—not worth your attention."
The Raiden Shogun accepted this and dropped the topic. She turned back to the Hiiragi samurai.
"Return and tell Hiiragi Shinsuke to come to Tenshukaku and explain himself. If he refuses, the Hiiragi Clan has no reason to remain."
The samurai bowed shakily and left.
"Miko."
The Raiden Shogun gave her next order: "Send the Okuzume to Ritou. Watch the Hiiragi Clan and the Kanjou Commission. If they act strangely—kill."
The atmosphere tightened. Once the matter was settled, her gaze shifted to Futsu Mitama.
A silent "Danger" seemed to flash above his head.
The Raiden Shogun's eyes dimmed, and she said:
"Your potential is great. In time, you will become a guardian of eternity. But you are still too inexperienced. Are you willing to join the Tenryou Commission for training, or the Okuzume? In Tenshukaku, I will guide you personally."
Everyone was stunned. Kamisato Ayato nearly spoke out. Kuki Shinobu looked up nervously. Yae Miko smiled, intrigued. But Futsu Mitama was confused. Was this real?
For any Inazuman, this would be a dream. But he was a transmigrator. He wanted peace. Freedom. A calm life. Mondstadt and Liyue. Not Inazuma bureaucracy.
After taking a breath, he answered steadily:
"Raiden Shogun-sama, I do not wish to join the Tenryou Commission or the Okuzume. I only want a peaceful life at home, brewing and smithing. Martial arts are only for self-defense. What I seek is freedom and tranquility."
The Raiden Shogun went still, silently watching him. And Futsu Mitama met her gaze calmly. Both paths were traps. Easy to enter. Impossible to leave.
His goal was Mondstadt or Liyue—true retirement havens.