Late at night, inside the International Trade Association, Shao Yun extinguished the lights to create the illusion that everyone had already gone to bed.
At his request, Lumine had changed into her "cowgirl" outfit suited for horseback riding, while Paimon, too, was ready to move at any moment.
Glancing at the Fontaine-style clock on the wall, Shao Yun noticed the minute hand creeping toward eleven. He couldn't help but mutter under his breath.
"That damned Thoma, wasting three whole days of our time. If it weren't for Beidou's sake, hmmm..."
Lumine wrapped her arms around his, gently comforting him.
"Don't be upset. These past three days on Ritou weren't wasted—we had time to rest and recuperate. That's worth something, right?"
"And besides, we're leaving tonight. It might be a bit sneaky, but it's better than forcing our way through the checkpoint and getting into a fight with the Inazuman samurai. Isn't it better to avoid unnecessary trouble?"
Shao Yun, always soft in the ears when Lumine spoke gently, felt his anger ebb away—but still grumbled, "Fine. But I'm not letting this go. Thoma's gonna pay for this, sooner or later."
Just as the words left his mouth, the system suddenly pinged a warning.
[Warning: Three hostile Hiiragi clan samurai from the Kanjou Commission are approaching.]
Shao Yun's heart sank. What the hell's going on now?
At that moment, Thoma burst in, looking flustered.
"Mr. Shao Yun—the building's on fire—!"
Before he could finish, a stone shattered the window, followed by torches being hurled into the room.
Faced with this sudden crisis, Shao Yun acted immediately. He grabbed Lumine and Paimon and dashed toward the exit without hesitation.
I didn't even go looking for trouble with the Hiiragi clan—but they've come to die anyway!
And you, you useless system—the house is already burning and now you warn me?!
...
Outside the Trade Association, three masked Kanjou Commission samurai stood proudly, watching the structure engulfed in flames.
One of them pointed smugly at the inferno and mocked, "So much for the man-eating demon. In the end, he died at the hands of the Kanjou Commi—"
Before he could finish, the front doors were blown open by a tremendous force.
Shao Yun, Lumine, Paimon, and Thoma burst through the smoke and fire, covered in soot and ash.
Shao Yun looked like a demon straight from hell. His eyes blazed with fury as he glared at the three samurai.
"You bastards really have a death wish!"
Caught completely off guard, the three would-be arsonists turned to flee—but how could their legs outrun bullets?
Shao Yun drew his cowboy revolvers, firing without mercy. The shots rang out, and all three dropped dead on the spot.
Thoma coughed violently from the smoke, managing to squeeze out a sentence.
"Mr. Shao Yun… cough cough... looks like we need to leave Ritou… immediately."
Shao Yun turned, scanning the soot-stained faces of Lumine and Paimon. His rage only deepened.
He had intended to spare the Hiiragi clan a few more days, since Thoma's plan was already in motion. But now that they'd made the first move...
He would wipe them out tonight.
Gently, he brushed the ash from Lumine and Paimon's faces and spoke softly.
"Lumine, Paimon—go with Thoma. I'll catch up with you soon."
Lumine's heart clenched. From what the arsonist had said earlier, it was clear—Shao Yun was going to seek vengeance.
"You're going to—"
Before she could finish, Shao Yun raised a finger to her lips, his voice gentle.
"I'm going to pay the mastermind a visit. Don't worry. Just trust me."
After reassuring Lumine and Paimon, he turned to Thoma and gave the order.
"Take them to the Komore Teahouse in Inazuma City. We'll meet there."
With that, he drew both revolvers and sprinted toward the Hiiragi estate.
Thoma understood. The Hiiragi clan's fate was sealed—they were about to become history.
"Well… let's go then," Thoma muttered. At this point, staying behind didn't seem like an option.
But Lumine hesitated. She turned to Paimon and spoke firmly.
"No. I need to go with him. I don't feel right just letting him go alone."
Then she looked at Paimon. "Paimon, go with Thoma. We'll meet you later."
She drew her Colt Revolver from its holster and ran after Shao Yun.
Paimon panicked and flew after her. "Wait, Lumine! I'm coming too!"
Seeing everyone rushing off, Thoma sighed. He couldn't exactly leave alone now.
"Wait for me!" he shouted, running after them.
...
In the quiet of the night, within the grand Hiiragi residence, the lights glowed softly, casting a tranquil ambiance.
Hiiragi Shinsuke sat kneeling at his table, brow furrowed, mulling over how he would report to the Fatui Harbinger known as The Fair Lady.
Soon, his thoughts drifted from reports to fantasies—dreams of elevating the Hiiragi family to untouchable power.
He set down his empty teacup, lost in his self-congratulatory musings.
"The Hiiragi clan shall rise... become a name known by all... To think I, Hiiragi Shinsuke, shall see us soar in my lifetime. Hahaha..."
A servant girl nearby noticed his empty cup and quietly poured a fresh, fragrant brew.
Shinsuke's eyes wandered toward her delicate hands. Old in years, not in spirit—his mind briefly entertained indecent thoughts.
But just as he reached out, a sudden burst of gunfire snapped him out of his reverie.
Panic gripped him. His first thought: Shao Yun is here!
But wait—hadn't he already sent men to kill him? Had they failed?!
"What's going on?! Someone—anyone—answer me!"
His cries were drowned out by the intensifying chaos—gunfire, screaming, footsteps.
The estate's guards had already rushed to intercept Shao Yun. No one remained to heed his call.
Overwhelmed and anxious, Shinsuke's breathing became labored. He grew light-headed.
The maid tried to calm him, offering a cup of tea.
But he slapped it away in a fury. "Now's not the time for tea!"
The sounds of battle drew closer. The air grew tense.
Then—a samurai burst through the door, panic-stricken.
"Master! It's—!"
A bullet ripped through his skull mid-sentence, flinging blood and brain matter across the floor. He crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut.
Shao Yun stepped over the corpse and into the room, his expression calm but deadly. His gaze locked onto Hiiragi Shinsuke.
With a cold sneer, he spat on the floor.
"I was going to wait a few days before killing you. But it seems you insisted on dying tonight."
One of the maids, seeing her master in peril, pulled a dagger from her sleeve and charged at Shao Yun.
He calmly raised his revolver and shot her through the head.
She staggered forward two steps, then collapsed.
Shinsuke's legs gave out. He fell to the floor, crawling backward in a pathetic attempt to escape.
Shao Yun shot him in the calf. Shinsuke screamed, clutching his leg.
"Help! Someone help—!"
Shao Yun strolled forward, each step like a nail in Shinsuke's coffin.
He loomed over the trembling man.
"Don't bother. They're all dead. Maybe one or two ran off. If they lived, they got lucky. Now then—"
Shinsuke, realizing escape was impossible, made one last desperate plea.
"It was The Fair Lady! She ordered it! Let me live—I'll help you lure her out! I can pay you! Please spare me!"
Shao Yun holstered his revolver and drew a knife.
He smiled—a terrifying, bone-chilling smile.
"I've always wondered… can a man hang himself with his own intestines? Let's find out."
Shinsuke broke completely.
"HELP! SOMEONE! PLEASE—!"
...
Meanwhile, in a hidden compartment beneath the tatami floor on the first floor, Shinnojou carefully lifted the cover and peeked out, scanning the room.
Finding it safe, he turned to the terrified Hiiragi Chisato, who trembled, arms wrapped around herself.
"My lady... I think the madman has left. Let me get you out of here."
Chisato looked up with wide, fearful eyes.
"Are... are you sure? What if we're seen...?"
Shinnojou urged her, "We can't stay here. If he decides to burn the place down, we'll have no way out."
The mention of fire turned Chisato pale. She nodded quickly.
"Alright..."
Shinnojou climbed out, then pulled Chisato from the hidden space. He gripped his cross-shaped spear tightly in one hand and held her sleeve with the other.
Carefully, they stepped out into the hallway.
Everywhere—bodies of samurai and servants, blood painting the stone paths.
Chisato clutched her mouth in horror. Shinnojou's face was taut with tension.
But now wasn't the time to mourn. They needed to run.
He guided her through the carnage toward the courtyard.
As they reached the gate, they ran into Lumine—still in her cowgirl outfit.
All three froze.
A long, tense moment passed in silence.
Then Lumine stepped aside and spoke gently.
"Go. Get out of here."
Shinnojou bowed slightly, stunned. "Thank you."
He led Chisato past her, escaping the scene of blood and death.
Lumine stepped into the courtyard and immediately recoiled.
Bodies lay strewn in all directions. The metallic stench of blood clung to the air like a suffocating fog.
Holding her nose, she fought back nausea and pressed forward into the house.
...
At that moment, under the silver light of the moon atop the Hiiragi estate's upper balcony—
Shao Yun stood silently.
In his hand dangled the butchered corpse of Hiiragi Shinsuke, gutted from stomach to spine.
He wrapped one end of the intestines around the corpse's neck, tied the other to the railing, and dropped the body.
But intestines are no rope.
They snapped instantly.
Shinsuke's mutilated corpse crashed to the ground, spreading blood like a grotesque flower.
Shao Yun stepped to the edge, looking down at the gory mess.
After a quiet pause, he muttered one cold, clinical conclusion.
"So... turns out, no—you can't hang a man with his own intestines."