Yae Miko and Kamisato Ayaka exchanged a glance before silently going their separate ways to carry out Shao Yun's instructions.
Ayaka gently pushed open the door to the Komore Teahouse and stepped out to scout the current situation in Inazuma City.
As Yae Miko reached the threshold, she paused, turned her head, and looked at Shao Yun with a soft expression.
"Shao Yun," she said in a gentle voice, "I'm truly sorry. I never imagined things would turn out like this. But please, rest assured—I will give you a satisfactory explanation."
With that, she quietly pushed the door open and walked out, leaving Shao Yun alone inside.
He silently watched her fading silhouette, his heart a mix of helplessness and fury.
He lowered his voice and spat bitterly, "Hmph! And what kind of damn explanation can you give me? The only thing I want is the Raiden Shogun's head…"
Then he slammed his forehead into the counter with a loud, dull thud.
Closing his eyes, he sank into a spiral of self-doubt, muttering, 'Why…? I changed so much… So why is everything still the same?'
At that moment, Taromaru—who had been quietly perched on the counter—suddenly froze as if sensing something.
Frightened, he jumped down and darted into a corner.
Shao Yun heard faint footsteps behind him—the sound of leather shoes clicking against wooden floorboards.
His brows furrowed. He turned to find the Man with a Top Hat had silently appeared behind him.
The stranger glided over to the high stool beside Shao Yun and took a seat, locking eyes with him.
His gaze was deep and piercing, as though he could see straight into Shao Yun's soul.
In a low voice, he asked, "Are you confused?"
Shao Yun shut his eyes again, clearly irritated. He snapped coldly, "What the hell do you want this time, you damn demon?"
The man in the top hat sat with perfect posture, looking composed as he replied, "I believe this is an excellent moment for a deal. That's why I'm here."
He wasn't wrong—Shao Yun did need help right now. But he also knew damn well he couldn't accept a demon's deal.
Shao Yun straightened up and pointed to the room behind him.
"I'm not making any deals with you. Get the hell out."
But the man, sensing the desire buried deep in Shao Yun's heart, gave a knowing smile.
"You can't enter the Plane of Euthymia. So how exactly do you plan on killing the Raiden Shogun?"
That one line lit a fire in Shao Yun's gut. If he could breach the Plane of Euthymia, he wouldn't be here complaining.
His voice wavered slightly, but he remained firm. "I'll figure something out."
The top-hat man offered a suggestion. "It's not so hard to force the Raiden Shogun to show herself. Just slaughter everyone in Inazuma City."
Shao Yun spun toward him in fury. "I knew you were rotten to the core. Get. Lost!"
Unfazed, the man calmly asked, "Then what will you do? Raiden Ei is in the Plane of Euthymia. You can't reach her. So how will you take her head?"
Shao Yun was silent for a moment, then answered, "I'll think of something. Burn Tenshukaku, maybe. Or something better."
To the demon, it was like watching a child destroy a blank sheet of paper to get attention—pointless and pitiful.
She doesn't care about Tenshukaku. Burn it, and it's still useless.
The man tried to tempt him further. "You could use your little girlfriend as bait—"
But before he could finish, Shao Yun spun around, eyes filled with blazing rage and cold determination. He looked ready to tear the demon apart.
Seeing this, the man gave a resigned smile and waved his hand, indicating he'd stop joking.
Then he said seriously, "Alright, I get it. You wouldn't do that. So, I do have a real solution. Want it?"
Shao Yun swallowed hard and asked nervously, "What's the price?"
He knew—nothing came for free, especially not from this monster who'd scammed him before.
But instead of answering, the man paused, then asked, "Do you accept my help?"
Shao Yun drew a deep breath. At this point, he had no other options.
He couldn't count on Yae Miko or Ayaka to help him take the Raiden Shogun's head.
And Aether had entrusted Lumine to him—she was now gravely wounded because of it. The guilt was unbearable.
He nodded forcefully. "I need your help. Otherwise, I can't face her brother."
The man gave a small, satisfied nod.
Then he continued, "Do you remember? There are others resisting the Vision Hunt Decree besides the Shogunate's enemies."
The name popped into Shao Yun's head at once—Watatsumi Island.
His eyes widened. "You mean Watatsumi?"
The man saw he'd caught on and nodded slightly, his tone low.
"Watatsumi Island isn't a monolith. It's full of conflicting ideologies and ambitions."
"Some came from the Shogunate, joining the resistance simply to keep their Visions."
"Others—natives—harbor deep hatred for the Raiden Shogun and want revenge for the gods they once served."
"Still others use the Decree to push for better lands, dreaming of prosperity."
Shao Yun nodded slowly, beginning to understand. "So… you want me to start a rebellion with Watatsumi?"
The man explained further, "When Watatsumi makes its move to replace the Shogunate—just like Orobashi did over a thousand years ago—do you think the Raiden Shogun will stay hidden in her Plane of Euthymia?"
Shao Yun seemed confused. "But how? How do I get the people of Watatsumi to follow me?"
The man gave a cryptic smile. "People have desires. Endless, boundless desires. Their abilities are the only thing that limits them. Understand?"
Shao Yun frowned. "Not really. Can you be more specific?"
The man gave him a vivid metaphor. "Watatsumi has its own Hosea and Dutch. The rest… is up to your efforts."
Shao Yun's eyes lit up with sudden clarity. He nodded.
Then he asked, "So what's the cost?"
The man was ready. He pulled out a plain-looking machete and handed it to Shao Yun.
"The price? Ride Boadicea to Watatsumi. Take this blade. That's all."
Then, in the blink of an eye, he vanished.
Shao Yun sat there, gripping the machete, inspecting it carefully.
It looked utterly ordinary, so he stored it in his Legend of the East satchel without hesitation.
Then he began reflecting on the demon's words.
If Watatsumi Island was the Van der Linde gang, then Hosea was like Kokomi's conservative faction—seeking peace even while rebelling.
Dutch was the radical wing—ready to march east and seize land for survival.
But unlike the Van der Linde gang, Watatsumi lacked an "Arthur"—no one with overwhelming strength to realize Dutch's ambition.
Thus, Hosea held power. They used their resistance to the Vision Hunt Decree to claim the moral high ground, standing toe-to-toe with the Shogunate.
And now he, Shao Yun, would join forces with the radicals—to draw out the Raiden Shogun and take her head.
Suddenly, the system interface popped up with a prompt:
[Are you sure?]
Shao Yun scowled at the belated system message.
He snorted. "Baal means nothing to me—unless you're gonna teleport me straight into that damned Plane of Euthymia to chop her head off myself, don't waste my time."
The system didn't give up. Another message appeared.
[Revenge is a fool's game—you know that.]
It had used his own words against him. That only made Shao Yun angrier.
He snapped back, "What I know is—I changed so much, and I still ended up here! Lumine got cut by the Raiden Shogun. She's still unconscious."
"If Inazuma calls itself the nation of eternity, then I'll show them the only thing that's truly eternal in this world—change!"
Shao Yun had made up his mind.
If the third Raiden Shogun had to die—so, be it. Let the damn fox take over. She already had the Gnosis.
Finally, the system gave one last warning.
[You'll get everyone killed.]
Shao Yun's gaze turned icy.
"There will be deaths—but they won't be ours. I need you…to trust me."