At that moment, a sudden burst of static and shouting came through Shao Yun's Akasha Terminal—it was Dehya's panicked voice.
"Bad news! We're in deep trouble! The reinforcements— they're not from the Eremites! They're Fatui! And they're not normal soldiers either—every one of them looks like some kind of monster!"
Before Dehya could finish, a deafening explosion erupted from beneath the massive "Divine Tree" where the Akademiya stood. Her voice crackled again through the link, even more frantic.
"They can self-destruct!" she shouted. Then another terrified voice—one of her mercenaries—cut in over the channel.
"Dehya! They're blowing themselves up! There's too many of them—we've taken heavy casualties! What do we do now?!"
Nahida's face went pale.
"What? What's going on? Dottore—what kind of contingency did you leave behind?!"
The Doctor's wounded fragment, still kneeling and trembling, forced out a few ragged breaths before breaking into a manic grin. "Hehehe… those are my specially modified self-detonating soldiers! The failures—the useless scraps—have all been… repurposed. Did you really think he would come here without backup?"
Nahida's eyes widened with fury. "You lunatic!"
The dying clone only smiled wider, his laughter ragged and insane. "Madman, genius—it's all the same to me… thank you for the compliment, Your Grace…"
Then, with the last of his strength, he screamed hysterically, "Go ahead, keep moving forward if you like—but the price will be her life! And I can't guarantee Sumeru's civilians will survive the blast either! Or perhaps…"
His words turned to a grotesque chuckle. "Perhaps my other self will capture the girl alive. He's been itching to try out a new experiment…"
Before he could finish, Lumine suddenly drew Calloway's silver revolver and fired straight into the Doctor's forehead.
A sharp crack echoed through the plaza.
A perfect hole appeared between his eyes.
Blood sprayed outward, staining the marble floor scarlet.
The body of the "Doctor"—the most heavily fortified of his fragments—collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
Lumine lowered the gun, her expression filled with cold disgust. "You really are a hopeless, raving maniac. No wonder Collei wanted you dead."
Then she turned to Shao Yun, her tone urgent. "Shao Yun, we have to go—Dehya's in danger!"
Shao Yun flinched, instinctively turning toward the sound of the explosions—but stopped mid-step, hesitation flickering across his face.
After a long pause, his brow furrowed, his voice trembling. "Wait… are we really going to do this?"
A dark thought crept into his mind.
If Dehya and her people held off those self-destructing Fatui soldiers, he and the others could seize the chance to capture the Grand Sage and end Sumeru's crisis in one strike.
Nabiya's divination was right, he thought bitterly. Aside from Lumine and Paimon, no one else's life really matters to me.
But Lumine's eyes were full of pleading. She stepped forward, grabbing his arm. "The Fatui and the Akademiya aren't going anywhere—but Dehya's our friend! We can't just let her die!"
"I know you think no one matters except me and Paimon," she said softly, "but please, think about what Dehya's done for us…"
Before she could finish, another explosion shook the city.
A second later, Dehya's voice—raw and desperate—screamed through the Akasha Terminal, then cut off abruptly.
The connection went dead.
Lumine stared at the silent screen, her expression falling into quiet disappointment. She turned to Shao Yun, her voice low but resolute. "Fine. Then Paimon and I will go help Dehya. If you still want to continue with the plan, go ahead. We'll stay in contact through the terminal afterward."
Her words carried both resignation and understanding—after all, the Akademiya still had to be stopped.
She turned and hurried off with Paimon.
Meanwhile, Nahida watched the entranced citizens of Sumeru, still murmuring aimlessly under the Doctor's control. Guilt clouded her eyes. "Forgive me," she said softly, "but I have to focus on freeing them first. I never imagined Dottore would stoop so low—turning people into living bombs…"
Shao Yun said nothing. His jaw tightened.
Moments passed before he muttered to himself, almost as if trying to drown out his conscience. "If I can just storm the Akademiya, capture the Grand Sage, then Scaramouche dies—and this whole Sumeru mess ends."
He kept talking, forcing conviction into his voice. "Don't worry—Lumine's a perfect shot. I trained her. Once we're done here, tomorrow we'll be celebrating victory!"
But as Nahida had once warned him—a liar can never fool himself for long.
When Shao Yun reached the Akademiya gates, his raised hand froze midair.
Seconds ticked by.
Then—smack!—he slapped himself hard across the face. A red mark bloomed instantly.
"Damn it… I made a promise."
He turned sharply and sprinted back the way Lumine and Paimon had gone.
Before leaving, he pulled a stick of dynamite from his bag, lit the fuse, and hurled it at the Akademiya's doors.
The explosion blasted them open—
—but he was already gone.
…
Meanwhile, at the Grand Bazaar—
Dehya ordered the last of her surviving mercenaries to carry the wounded and the dead out of the city. She alone stayed behind, drawing the attention of the suicidal Fatui mutants.
Her plan worked—but she was gravely injured, her Akasha Terminal destroyed. Bleeding heavily, she took refuge inside the Bazaar, hiding among the stalls and shattered walls.
The chaos spread fast.
The city of Sumeru was drowning in panic—screams and cries echoed through the streets, just like Inazuma's darkest days.
While trying to escape, a familiar figure appeared—Nilou.
She had been on her way home when she stumbled upon Dehya lying in a pool of blood.
In an instant, fear vanished from her heart. Without hesitation, Nilou ran to her side and dragged Dehya into a shaded corner, stacking crates around them as makeshift cover.
When she finally examined the wound, her face went pale. Dehya's right arm was mangled, torn open by a blast—barely hanging on.
Nilou's hands trembled. "I—I don't know how to treat something this bad…"
Dehya, gasping for breath, managed to shake her head. "Go, Nilou. Don't worry about me. Those Fatui are insane—you'll die if you stay."
Nilou bit her lip hard, eyes brimming with tears. "No. I'm not leaving you! I'll run to the Zubair Theater—maybe I can find medicine there! Just hang on until I get back!"
She turned to go—
—but before she could take a step, an eerie metallic noise echoed nearby.
Several of the mutated Fatui emerged from the smoke, their bodies bloated and studded with machinery. Their skin was an unnatural bluish-black, corpse-like.
"Target—detected. Eliminate…"
The mechanical voices chilled Nilou to the bone.
Dehya motioned for her to stay silent.
Nilou nodded, trembling uncontrollably. "W-what do we do…?" she whispered.
"Stay put," Dehya hissed, wincing in pain. "I'll distract them—when I move, you run."
Nilou's eyes widened. "Wait—!"
Before she could finish, gunshots erupted from outside—followed by explosions.
The mutants burst apart like fireworks, scattering flesh and metal across the cobblestones.
Through the haze of smoke, a familiar voice called out—
"Are you sure Dehya's here?" Shao Yun's voice.
"She is!" Lumine replied firmly. "Her mercenaries said she ran into the Bazaar—keep looking!"
Dehya drew a deep breath and shouted hoarsely, "I'm here!"
Shao Yun, Lumine, and Paimon rushed toward the voice, finding Dehya and Nilou huddled behind the crates.
Paimon gasped. "Dehya! Nilou!"
Nilou looked up in relief, tears welling in her eyes. "Thank goodness! What's happening out there?"
But halfway through her question, she shook her head, realizing something more urgent. "No—never mind that! Dehya's badly hurt! We need to take her to the House of Healing!"
Before anyone could answer, Dehya spoke weakly but firmly. "No. The Akademiya will be hunting us now—going there would be suicide."
Nilou hesitated, wringing her hands. "Then—what if you come to my place? I'll go get medicine from the Bimarstan and bring it back myself!"
Shao Yun sighed inwardly. This isn't Inazuma, Nilou—you're not Yoimiya.
He raised a hand, shaking his head. "No. Go home, Nilou. Don't let anyone see you with us. If anyone asks, say we're just your fans. Got it?"
Nilou hesitated again. "But… is that really okay? Dehya—she…"
"Go!" Shao Yun barked. "Now! Do as I say!"
Startled, Nilou nodded quickly. "O-okay! We'll keep in touch through the Terminal! Please—be safe!"
Just as she turned to leave, Shao Yun called after her. "And Nilou—if things get too dangerous, go to Dunyarzad's house. Don't ask why. Just do it."
Nilou froze, confused—but nodded. "Alright. Please… take care of yourselves."
With that, she ran off into the smoke, vanishing into the chaos of the Grand Bazaar.