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Shao Yun took the Akademiya's internal lift down to the confinement chamber. The faint scent of food—warm, fragrant, utterly out of place—crept unexpectedly into his nostrils.
He frowned, puzzled. In this suffocating and austere place, the aroma of cooking felt oddly alive.
When Shao Yun finally reached the confinement room and peered through the cold iron bars, the sight before him drew a wry chuckle from his lips.
Inside, Lumine had propped up an iron pot and was fully absorbed in stirring and tasting her culinary creation.
Meanwhile, Alhaitham and the others sat or stood around her, eating with obvious relish as if savoring a banquet rather than enduring imprisonment.
Anyone who knew they were locked in a cell would call this a confinement room. Anyone who didn't… might've mistaken it for a culinary festival.
Crossing his arms, Shao Yun stepped up to the bars, a teasing smile tugging at his lips. He deliberately raised his voice and called out, "Well, well—look at you all! Life in confinement seems remarkably comfortable, doesn't it?"
At once, the cheerful scene fell silent. Everyone turned toward the door, eyes landing on Shao Yun.
Paimon, still mid-bite, froze with her cheeks stuffed full. She hurriedly swallowed the food, nearly choking in her rush, then flew up to the bars with bright, excited eyes.
"Shao Yun! You're finally here! Paimon missed you so much!"
Seeing her reaction, Shao Yun's expression softened. He smiled warmly and said lightly, "Without me, how would you all manage?"
But then Paimon's animated eyes suddenly focused on him more closely—and her face froze. Her expression twisted in horror.
Shao Yun's clothes were soaked in blood, the dark red stains splattered unevenly across his body. He looked as though he'd just stepped out of a battlefield.
Even worse was the smell—a choking mix of sulfur, smoke, and iron.
The stench hit Paimon like a physical blow. Instinctively, she darted backward, pinching her tiny nose and waving her free hand frantically in front of her face.
"Ew! Shao Yun! Why are you covered in blood?! And what's with that awful smell?!"
Shao Yun ignored her complaints. With swift, deliberate movements, he lifted the heavy gate of the confinement room.
A deep metallic rumble filled the hall as the bars rose.
"The time for eating is over," he called out firmly. "We're freeing Nahida—and ending this madness once and for all!"
The group immediately dropped their utensils and stood.
Cyno stepped forward, his expression grave. "Shao Yun, I must ask—did you… burn something down?"
He sniffed the air, his sharp eyes narrowing. "Because all day, there's been this constant smell of… burning."
Beside him, Alhaitham nodded slightly, his tone cool but probing. "Indeed. I noticed it as well. So, tell me—your so-called 'rescue plan' doesn't involve setting the Akademiya on fire, does it?"
Shao Yun coughed twice, then shrugged helplessly. "Well, I did burn a few things—but not the Akademiya itself, if that's what you're thinking."
…
They all boarded the lift and ascended from the confinement level.
As they drew closer to the outside, the acrid reek of sulfur and charred wood thickened, stinging their throats and eyes.
When they finally stepped out the front gates, every single one of them froze in disbelief.
The world beyond was chaos—like a sandstorm from hell. Dense smoke and dust blotted out the sky, visibility reduced to barely thirty meters.
The wind howled through the ruins, whipping the dust into massive, twisting vortices.
Cyno raised an arm to shield his face, coughing. "What in the name of the gods… is happening? A sandstorm? No—that's impossible! Not here, not in the rainforest! And this smell—too sharp, too chemical—"
Through the swirling haze, flashes of explosions lit the horizon.
Cyno's eyes widened. "Those bursts of fire—what are they?"
Then, slowly, he turned toward Shao Yun.
Shao Yun met his gaze calmly and gave a confident thumbs-up.
"You guessed right," he said evenly. "But if your mission hadn't failed, I wouldn't have had to use such… drastic measures."
Cyno slapped a palm against his forehead in exasperation. "By the Lesser Lord! This is a disaster! We'll have to contain the fires and launch rescue efforts immediately!"
He and Alhaitham began to discuss searching for the Akademiya officials or mercenaries to assist—but Shao Yun raised a hand, stopping them.
"My advice? Don't leave Sumeru City. In fact, don't even leave the Akademiya."
Alhaitham's tone was strained, his voice rough from the smoke. "And why not?"
Shao Yun looked at him gravely. "Because outside… it's already hell on earth."
…
Leaving Cyno and Alhaitham to their tasks, Shao Yun led Lumine and Paimon down the smoke-filled streets toward the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
When they arrived, the grand hall stood empty and eerily silent.
Shao Yun smirked. "Not a soul in sight? Well, that saves us the trouble."
He pushed open the doors, stepping inside with Lumine and Paimon following close behind.
The sulfur stench lingered faintly, though it had eased compared to outside.
Shao Yun approached the meditation device and activated it.
Soft mechanical hums filled the chamber as the seals disengaged. The containment field around Nahida flickered and faded.
Her delicate form drifted gently downward, eyes closed, like a feather caught on the wind.
When she finally opened them, she seemed dazed—but before she could speak, Shao Yun beat her to it with a sardonic smile.
"So, your peaceful, bloodless plan… didn't work after all. I've killed more people today than I ever imagined."
Nahida's heart sank. Guilt and grief mingled in her chest.
But what could she say? He had warned her. She had failed. There was nothing left but silence.
Her voice trembled as she asked, "How many… how many did you kill?"
Shao Yun brushed some dust from his sleeve, answering with chilling calm. "Honestly? I lost count. But let's just say—it's raining sulfur out there."
At the word sulfur, Nahida's face went pale as parchment.
She sniffed the faint acrid air, realization dawning in horror.
Her voice broke into a scream. "You… what did you say?!"
Shao Yun sighed deeply. "I had no choice, Nahida. If Celestia's enforcer comes for me, let her come. I'm not afraid."
Then he turned to Lumine, his tone gentler, almost apologetic. "Lumine, forgive my recklessness. But I swore to you—I'd protect you no matter the cost. So… I'm sorry."
Lumine lowered her gaze, hiding her expression. After a pause, she nodded silently.
Shao Yun drew a breath, clenching his fists. "Next, I'm going after Scaramouche. I'll take the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis from him. He's my prey—no one else touches him."
The meaning was clear: he would go alone.
But Lumine immediately grabbed his hand, heedless of the sticky, half-dried blood that still stained his skin.
"We'll go together."
Before Shao Yun could answer, Nahida—weak but resolute—spoke softly. "No. Let him go alone."
She pointed to an inconspicuous door at the far end of the hall. "That passage leads directly to the Divine Creation Workshop. Follow it, and you'll find him."
"The Grand Sage built it beneath the Akademiya to hide it from the public eye."
Lumine's eyes widened. "Nahida, what are you saying?! I can't just let him go by himself!"
Nahida's face darkened. She inhaled shakily, her voice heavy with dread. "Just now… I heard the forest crying in the fire. The Aranara whispered to me that the sky has been torn open. Shao Yun may not survive this."
Lumine's body trembled violently.
"No," she said, her voice breaking. "No matter what, I'm going with you!"
To calm her, Shao Yun took off his familiar black gambler's hat and placed it gently in her hands.
"Hold onto it," he said softly. "Just like back in Liyue—at the Jade Chamber. Wait for me to come back and reclaim it."
Lumine stared at the hat, her eyes glimmering faintly. She nodded. "All right. I'll wait."
Notably, Nahida did not give Shao Yun the "Akasha Terminal" in its bunny-shaped form.
Perhaps there hadn't been time. Or perhaps she believed he no longer needed such aid—that his will alone would be enough to face the god-to-be.
Either way, the decision was made:
Lumine and Paimon would accompany Nahida to retrieve the Gnosis of Dendro,
While Shao Yun would walk alone toward his fated confrontation—
To claim the Gnosis of the Electro Archon.