Shao Yun leaned against the railing, gazing down at his "masterpiece."
At that moment, hurried footsteps sounded behind him, and Lumine's voice shattered the silence.
"Shao Yun!"
Shao Yun was startled. He turned quickly, his eyes falling on Lumine, who was panting heavily. With a trace of confusion, he asked, "Lumine, you—why are you here?"
Lumine hurried up to him, gripping his hand tightly. There was a hint of urgency in her tone.
"There's no time for that. We need to go, now."
Shao Yun allowed himself to be pulled along. Knowing she had seen the carnage below, he responded helplessly, "Lumine, you… you shouldn't have come."
Lumine, however, replied with surprising calmness, "It's not like I didn't know you'd kill someone. I was just worried you might waste too much time and miss the chance to get off Ritou to Narukami Island. I came to remind you to hurry up."
"Didn't expect you to kill faster than Paimon eats. All that worry for nothing."
Hearing her concern, Shao Yun was about to say something, when suddenly Paimon's shrill scream rang out from the front gates of the Hiiragi estate: "Ah!!!"
Shao Yun and Lumine exchanged a glance and quickened their pace without hesitation, hurrying down the stairs and out of the estate.
They reached the front gate of the Hiiragi residence.
Paimon was floating at the entrance, her hands tightly covering her eyes, trying to block out the horrifying scene.
Bodies lay scattered across the courtyard, blood staining the ground, and a nauseating stench of blood filled the air.
Thoma arrived in a rush. The moment he saw the scene, his face turned pale. A wave of nausea hit him. He clung to the doorframe, retching.
"Urgh~"
"Paimon, why did you follow us?!" Lumine rushed forward.
Upon hearing Lumine's voice, Paimon gathered her courage and lowered her hands from her eyes.
Her eyes brimmed with tears. Upon seeing Shao Yun and Lumine, she immediately flew into Lumine's arms and whispered, "Lumine, I was worried about you and Shao Yun, so I followed…"
Looking at the trembling Paimon in Lumine's arms, a warm feeling surged in Shao Yun's chest. She's not spoiled for nothing, huh.
He stepped forward and gently patted Paimon's head to soothe her.
"This... Paimon, sorry, I didn't want you to see this… Ugh, never mind, we have to go. Something this big happening at the Hiiragi estate—the Tenryou Commission will definitely be on their way. It'll be trouble if we stay."
Just as he finished speaking, urgent footsteps and the shouts of samurai echoed from outside the courtyard.
"Quick! Surround the Hiiragi estate! Don't let the madman escape!"
Hearing the Tenryou Commission's samurai closing in, Shao Yun rolled his eyes. Was my mouth cursed or what?
Even so, he remained calm. He reached into his Legend of the East satchel, pulled out a Molotov cocktail, lit the cloth wick, and flung it behind him. The bottle arced through the air and smashed precisely inside the Hiiragi estate.
With a crack, flames burst forth like a freed beast, devouring everything flammable. Soon, the entire Hiiragi residence would be engulfed in a roaring blaze.
"Stay behind me. Let's go!"
His eyes landed on Thoma, who was still clutching the doorframe, body shaking from the violent retching.
Shao Yun strode over to him and said in a slightly mocking tone, "Thoma, stop puking! Once we're safe, I can stick my fingers down your throat and help you throw up!"
Hearing that, Thoma froze. Help me throw up? With your personality, wouldn't that just end up with you ripping out an organ barehanded?!
The very thought made him suck in a deep breath and force the nausea down.
Then, Shao Yun donned a mask, covering his face, and charged out of the courtyard ahead of the others.
As the Tenryou Commission samurai closed in, he fearlessly shouted a taunt.
"Come on, you worthless leeches! I've got some peanuts for you!"
The samurai raised their weapons high and surged toward him like a tide.
This was a battle of cold weapons versus hot ones. If Shao Yun were using a Fontaine musket that had to be reloaded after each shot, he wouldn't stand a chance. But what he had were revolvers!
Twin cowboy revolvers spat flame, bullets whistling through the air.
Shao Yun put on a show of kiting and shooting.
With each gunshot, samurai fell to the ground, blood soaking the floor.
He was like a merciless killing machine, harvesting lives without pause.
Behind him, only corpses and the wounded remained. He himself was completely unharmed.
Lumine, Paimon, and Thoma followed close behind, heading straight for the checkpoint between Narukami Island and Ritou.
Under Shao Yun's intense firepower, the Tenryou Commission samurai suffered heavy losses and collapsed in retreat. Their morale crumbled; the difference in combat ability was too vast.
"Ah!!!"
A final shriek became the straw that broke the camel's back.
The samurai's morale shattered. They panicked, dropped their weapons, and scattered like frightened animals.
"We can't win! We can't win!" one samurai screamed from the ground in despair.
"Did anyone see how that guy was attacking?" another samurai shouted frantically, looking around for some weakness to exploit.
"It's the revolver-wielding maniac! I read about him in that light novel! I thought it was all made up—turns out it was real! Somebody save me!"
…
Elsewhere, hidden in the grass and waiting to support Shao Yun, the Yashiro Commission's Shuumatsuban members were startled by the sudden gunfire.
They exchanged confused glances, anxiety bubbling in their hearts.
One member muttered under his breath, "Didn't Thoma say this was a covert mission? How did it get so out of hand?"
While they whispered amongst themselves, Thoma emerged from an empty checkpoint with Lumine and Paimon in tow.
The checkpoint was deserted because all attention had been drawn to the chaos at the Hiiragi estate. No one cared about guarding the checkpoint anymore.
Seeing them, the Shuumatsuban members leapt from hiding to rendezvous with Thoma.
The one who had been whispering earlier quickly approached and anxiously asked what had happened.
"Thoma, we're here! What happened on Narukami Island?!"
But Thoma didn't have the mind to explain. The whole island was in chaos, and his thoughts were a jumbled mess.
"Plans changed. Don't ask questions. We're retreating now!"
Before he could finish, Shao Yun brought up the rear, firing behind him as he ran to rejoin the group.
Seeing Shao Yun still in high spirits, Thoma pleaded anxiously, "Shao Yun, we need to leave now! With this much commotion, if the Kujou Clan of Narukami Island catches wind, we'll be trapped on the beach!"
Shao Yun fired one last shot, taking down the final pursuing samurai. He replied succinctly, "Got it. Let's go!"
With help from the Shuumatsuban, Shao Yun, Lumine, Paimon, and Thoma rushed along the shallows toward Narukami Island.
Behind them, the Tenryou Commission samurai, terrified out of their wits, crowded the checkpoint and shouted hollow battle cries—none daring to take a step forward.
Yelling into the air was enough to justify their Mora. No one was going to throw their life away.
The surviving samurai watched Shao Yun's group vanish into the distance. Once they were sure the threat had passed, they all let out a collective sigh of relief.
…
Once they reached Narukami Island and confirmed they weren't being followed, everyone paused to catch their breath.
One of the Shuumatsuban members, unable to contain his curiosity, asked what had happened.
Shao Yun casually glanced toward the still-burning Ritou, a smile on his lips.
"The Hiiragi family tried to kill us, so I wiped them out—every last one. Burned their estate to the ground. Then we fought off their men. That's all."
Lumine added from the side, "Not all of them. Two got away—a man and a woman."
Shao Yun waved a hand dismissively.
"They escaped? Lucky them."
The Shuumatsuban were utterly stunned. One of the more senior members blurted out in disbelief.
"That was the Hiiragi family of the Tenryou Commission! Even the Kamisato family would show them some respect! And you just wiped them out?!"
Shao Yun's expression soured. Why are you whining now? He snapped angrily, "What, got a problem with that? You think your life's too long or something?"
Thoma quickly stepped forward to defuse the situation.
"Please calm down, Mr. Shao Yun. He meant no offense—he was just shocked. If his words upset you, I apologize on his behalf."
Seeing things escalate, Shao Yun jabbed a finger at Thoma's nose.
"Listen up, Thoma. Let's speak plainly—if the Kamisato family dares mess with me, they'll end up just like the Hiiragi family. Got it?"
Thoma could only nod repeatedly. Saying no might just get him killed.
"I understand. Don't worry. Let's go rest at the Komore Teahouse as planned. I'll handle the matter of seeing the Shogun."
Paimon, having finally recovered from the trauma, asked curiously, "Thoma, what kind of place is the Komore Teahouse?"
With his usual patience, Thoma explained in detail.
"The Komore Teahouse was granted to the Yashiro Commission by the Raiden Shogun herself. Only the Kamisato family has the authority to plan, build, and manage who enters or leaves."
"It's the perfect place for you to rest. I've already arranged rooms. You'll be able to relax."
Paimon looked southward, eyes fixed on the distant Inazuma City.
"But Inazuma City looks so far…" she murmured softly.
After hearing that, Shao Yun spoke to the system in his mind.
"System, figure out a way to summon Boadicea and Buell. Too many people around—can't do it openly."
The system immediately displayed two messages:
[Retrieving horses from stable...]
[You may now whistle to summon Boadicea and Buell. They will arrive in ten seconds.]
Shao Yun whistled. Ten seconds later, two loud neighs rang out. The chestnut Boadicea and the ivory-gold Buell galloped into view.
The sight of these two magnificent horses left both the Shuumatsuban and Thoma stunned. Such fine steeds were rare even in all of Inazuma!
Shao Yun wasn't in the mood to show off. He gave a simple order.
"Lumine, Paimon—mount up. We're heading to Inazuma City."
He leapt onto Boadicea's back. Lumine helped Paimon up onto Buell and mounted steadily.
Just as the three were about to depart, Thoma remembered something and quickly pulled out an invitation to the Komore Teahouse.
"Mr. Shao Yun, wait," Thoma said urgently, handing over the invitation. "Without this, you won't be able to enter the teahouse."
Shao Yun took it and grumbled, "At least you're useful for something. So, when do we get to see the Raiden Shogun?"
Thoma's voice held a trace of unease. "I'll arrange that as soon as possible. For now, please rest at the Komore Teahouse."
"Oh, and Mr. Shao Yun, one more thing—please avoid riding your horses in the city. Without a pass, if the Kujou Clan notices, it could get messy."
Shao Yun scoffed. Of course, he knew that.
"I know that. You should be worrying about making the right connections."
With that, he nudged Boadicea's flank, and the horse set off.
Lumine followed closely, and the three of them rode toward Inazuma City.
Thoma watched them disappear into the distance, anxiety crashing over him like a wave.
He squatted down, banging his head with his fist and muttering in frustration.
"What kind of disaster did we just invite? Is he going to bring change to Inazuma—or destruction?"
Just then, a Shuumatsuban member timidly made a suggestion.
"Mr. Thoma, should we, maybe, keep an eye on him? Or…"
Thoma looked up just in time to see the man gesture a throat-slitting motion. He immediately stood up and slapped him.
"You trying to die?! Don't drag the Kamisato family down with you! You saw what happened to the Hiiragi family!"
After yelling, Thoma fell into thought. After a while, he gave instructions to the remaining Shuumatsuban.
"Things are already out of our control. I have to return to the Kamisato estate and report to the lady. You all fall back. And don't act without orders!"
The members nodded and silently withdrew from the scene.