Meanwhile, in front of the Statue of the Omnipresent God in Inazuma, Thoma was kneeling on the ground, hands tied behind his back.
His face was slightly pale, lips trembling faintly, but his eyes still shone with a determined and unyielding light.
Beside him, two officers of the Tenryou Commission lay unconscious on the ground, their bodies scorched with marks from electrical shock.
They were clearly incapacitated and posed no immediate threat to Thoma.
Just then, murmurs of astonishment rippled through the crowd. The gathered citizens all turned their gazes toward the statue, expressions of disbelief overtaking their faces.
With a soft chime, the barrier surrounding the statue slowly dissipated, revealing a commanding figure.
It was the Raiden Shogun. She stood silently, holding the Musou Isshin in hand, exuding an invisible, crushing pressure.
However, when everyone looked down toward the base of the statue, they were shocked to find Lumine lying unconscious on the ground.
Her condition was dire—her face pale as paper, breathing so shallow it was barely perceptible.
A deep, gaping wound had opened beneath her chest, and blood flowed from it in a steady stream, staining the wooden platform beneath her crimson.
Paimon, terrified, flew to Lumine's side, tears brimming in her eyes.
She frantically retrieved a precious vial of medicine—the Special Miracle Tonic Shao Yun had given her back in Mondstadt.
She carefully poured the tonic into Lumine's mouth while calling out loudly, "Lumine! Wake up!"
But Lumine remained completely unresponsive, immersed in deep unconsciousness.
Some of the tonic entered her stomach, while the rest spilled from the corners of her lips.
At that moment, the Raiden Shogun slowly raised the Musou Isshin, glowing with violet light, and began walking toward the fallen Lumine.
Paimon glanced at the approaching Raiden Shogun, then down at the unconscious Lumine.
Without hesitation, she flew in front of her, quickly pulling out the Algernon Revolver Shao Yun had gifted her, aiming it directly at the Shogun.
With a trembling but defiant voice, she threatened, "Don't come any closer! Shao Yun taught me how to shoot!"
However, the Raiden Shogun was unfazed. She didn't even recognize what Paimon was holding—she assumed it was just some stone or hunk of metal, not a threat at all.
She continued to advance steadily, her blade tip pointing at Paimon, seemingly intending to shoo her away.
But Paimon gripped the revolver tightly, refusing to budge.
Faced with Paimon's unwavering stand, the Raiden Shogun raised the Musou Isshin, preparing to strike.
In that instant, Paimon pulled the trigger. A bullet screamed through the air toward the Shogun.
Caught off guard, the Raiden Shogun dodged to the side, but the bullet still grazed her cheek, eventually embedding itself in the statue behind her.
She touched her cheek, finding a thin, fresh wound. Being a puppet, the injury sparked with Electro energy.
As the Shogun drew closer, Paimon's expression twisted in fear. Her voice shook. "Stay back! Or I'll… I'll…"
Before she could finish, the Shogun raised her blade once more, ready to strike—but then, from afar, a bullet infused with intense Pyro energy whizzed through the air.
This time, the Raiden Shogun was ready. She parried the shot with her blade.
An Overloaded reaction burst forth as Pyro clashed violently with Electro, blasting the Shogun back several steps.
She looked up and froze upon seeing Yae Miko and Shao Yun arriving.
Paimon turned at the sound and shouted in relief, "Shao Yun! Miko!"
Shao Yun leapt down from a high vantage, clearing the kneeling, bound Thoma with ease, landing directly beside Lumine.
He knelt down, frantically inspecting her wounds, panic flashing in his eyes.
"Lumine! Don't scare me now." Shao Yun's hands trembled as he gently propped her up, letting her rest against his chest.
Paimon quickly handed him the now-empty medicine bottle, asking anxiously, "Shao Yun, I gave her this. She only swallowed half. Will it work?"
Shao Yun glanced at the green vial, then hearing she had only taken half, immediately retrieved a fresh Special Miracle Tonic from his pack. He bit off the cork and began pouring it down Lumine's throat.
"Ah~ What are you doing?! You'll choke her!" Paimon cried, alarmed at how roughly he was administering the medicine.
"Shut it. Half won't cut it! I'm getting the whole dose in no matter what!" Shao Yun growled as he continued to pour.
Yae Miko, seeing Lumine's grievous wounds, felt her heart sink. If they couldn't resolve this fast, a bloodbath might soon descend on Inazuma City.
While Shao Yun was preoccupied, she stepped quickly toward the Raiden Shogun, speaking softly, "Shogun, what is the meaning of this…"
Before she could finish, the Shogun swung Musou Isshin with a flick of her wrist, cutting her off coldly. "Silence. This body enforces eternity. Any who obstruct will be executed without mercy."
Yae Miko's expression darkened. What kind of programming did Ei put into this puppet? Even I'm not recognized anymore?!
Sensing something was terribly wrong, she suddenly felt Ei's presence lingering within the Shogun's body.
She cried out, "Ei! I can feel your presence in this puppet! Come out and face me! You've made a terrible mistake!"
But Ei was not presently possessing the Raiden Shogun. The puppet pointed Musou Isshin at Yae Miko, her voice cold as frost. "Do you intend to become an enemy of eternity?"
Yae Miko's temper flared. This damn shut-in… seriously?!
Her Electro Vision pulsed with violet light. Behind her, five spectral fox tails appeared. Her eyes blazed.
"Raiden Ei! No, Baal—get out of your Inner Plane this instant! You've been hiding away long enough!"
At that moment, Lumine, roused by the bitterness of the medicine, regained consciousness. She immediately spat out what remained of the tonic, having swallowed none.
Clutching her wound, she weakly opened her eyes and whispered, "Shao Yun… it hurts…"
Just then, Thoma managed to break free using his Kitain Cross Spear and rushed over.
Yae Miko's clear voice rang out, carrying both authority and calm. "You all go. Shao Yun—I'll take responsibility for this. Today, I must pull Ei out of that Inner Plane!"
Thoma stared nervously at the furious Shao Yun, swallowed hard, then said, "Mr. Shao Yun, let's get out of here. Leave the rest to Lady Yae."
He was deeply unsettled by what was happening. What started as a Vision Hunt Ceremony had now turned into a civil war between the Raiden Shogun and her own retainers!
Paimon nodded in fear and urgency. "Shao Yun, let's go. Lumine's lost so much blood…"
She looked at the wounded girl in Shao Yun's arms, her eyes full of pain.
Shao Yun's heart ached at the sight of Lumine.
…
[Legend of the East Challenge VI: I Am Your Nightmare]
[Objective: Defeat the Raiden Shogun Puppet in front of witnesses]
[Reward: Hunting Rifle ×1, Rolling Block Rifle ×1, Legend of the East Set Fragment ×1]
…
Lumine clutched Shao Yun's hand, her face contorted in pain, her voice trembling. "Shao Yun… let's go… it hurts so much…"
Gritting his teeth, Shao Yun tore his gaze from her and looked to Thoma with steely resolve.
He gently passed the weak Lumine into Thoma's arms and gave a firm instruction. "Take her back to the Teahouse! I'm going to kill the Raiden Shogun."
Thoma's eyes widened in terror. "W-what? You're going to…"
Before he could finish, Shao Yun turned and strode purposefully toward Yae Miko, who was still facing off against the Shogun.
Yae Miko suddenly felt a chill crawl up her spine. She turned sharply—Shao Yun was walking toward her with a dark expression. She gasped. What's he going to do now?!
Shao Yun moved behind Yae Miko and, without warning, yanked her behind him.
Straightening his back, he stared down the Raiden Shogun without fear. His voice was calm, but carried a weight of solemnity.
"Baal, Barbatos and Morax send their regards."
The Raiden Shogun ignored the greeting. "Are you also an enemy of eternity? If so, I'll entomb you within the statue itself."
A fine threat—just not one that worked on Shao Yun.
Electricity crackled around the Shogun's body. Slowly, she raised her blade, the sky-darkening blade glowing with searing violet light. Bolts of lightning struck the weapon from above.
She was preparing to unleash a pseudo-Musou no Hitotachi—not quite the original's power, but still lethal.
Shao Yun narrowed his eyes and assumed a classic Western gunslinger's dueling stance. An even greater pressure pressed down on the Raiden Shogun like a mountain.
Like a madman, he glared at her and bellowed, "I'M YOUR NIGHTMARE!!"
He drew his Schofield Revolver (The Goat's Blessing) and simultaneously activated Deadeye.
He heard the ticking of a pocket watch and the rumble of thunder in his ears.
In his eyes, the Shogun's movements slowed—just like that little punk Calloway—but not enough to surpass Shao Yun.
His Vision at his waist flared crimson, but curiously, the skull adorning it didn't bleed; instead, it emitted a faint black mist.
He quickly marked three points: her forehead, her heart, and her abdomen. His right hand locked the trigger, his left tapped the hammer three times.
Three bullets, burning with intense Pyro and laced with strange power, shot forth like arrows from hell.
They screamed through the air with shrill whistles, sounding like the cries of demons.
As the Shogun let out a low chant, her blade sliced through the air with a piercing howl.
A near-perfect Musou no Hitotachi—no flourish, no wasted motion. Just pure force and speed.
Fire and lightning collided, erupting in a violent Overloaded explosion.
She deflected the first bullet aimed at her head.
But it was three bullets.
You might pull a Benjamin Lazarus and block one to the brain—but the other two? You're out of luck.
The second and third bullets struck her mercilessly, detonating inside her body.
A strange, overwhelming force tore through her, snapping her frame.
The explosion sent her upper body flying, slamming hard against the Statue of the Omnipresent God.
Everyone watching was horrified, gasping in panic.
"The Shogun's been killed!?"
…
Inside the Plane of Euthymia, Ei had just finished a fierce battle against Lumine. She was about to resume meditation, sword in hand.
Suddenly, the entire plane quaked violently.
Ei's eyes flew open in shock. She murmured in disbelief, "The puppet… is damaged?"