Meanwhile, Ayaka's mother hurriedly led Ayaka and Ayato up Mt. Yougou.
As long as they reached the Grand Narukami Shrine at the summit, they would be safe!
"Well, well, well… isn't this the wife of the Kamisato Clan Head?"
"What a coincidence…"
A voice suddenly rang out in front of them.
Moments later, a group of wandering samurai armed with katanas appeared on the mountain path.
"You…"
Ayaka's mother stared at the ronin before her, her expression darkening.
"Heh, apologies."
"We take money and do the job. The lives of the Kamisato family are worth quite a hefty price."
The leading samurai let out a sinister laugh, cold light flashing along his blade.
"I won't let you harm them!"
Ayaka's mother shielded little Ayaka and Ayato behind her, speaking coldly.
"Hah. Just a woman, yet you dare talk so boldly…"
The ronin surged forward, surrounding the three of them.
"Tsk, tsk. The Kamisato bloodline really is impressive."
One of the ronin swept a lecherous gaze across Ayaka and her mother, lust flickering in his eyes.
"Bastard! I won't let you get near Mother or Ayaka!"
Ayato clenched his fists tightly, standing firmly in front of little Ayaka.
Little Ayaka trembled, fear filling her eyes.
On her slender wrist, the wooden dragon bracelet suddenly glowed.
Far away across the ocean, in Liyue Harbor—
Jiang Yan paused mid-motion while handling official affairs.
He lifted his head toward the direction of Inazuma, a chill entering his gaze.
Mt. Yougou.
The ronin rushed forward and clashed with Ayaka's mother.
Though she knew some martial arts, she was no match for these desperate killers.
Before long, she was struck down by a slash and collapsed to the ground.
"Mother!"
Little Ayato rushed forward, standing in front of her.
Though fear filled his eyes, he did not retreat.
Ayaka ran to her mother's side and held her tightly.
"Ayaka, Ayato, run!"
their mother cried out.
But they were only children. How could they possibly stop these warriors?
One of the ronin strode forward and kicked Ayato to the ground.
"Run? None of you are getting away!"
"Die!"
The ronin leapt high, bringing his blade down toward Ayaka.
"No!!"
Ayato coughed up blood as he roared desperately.
Ayaka raised her arms and shut her eyes in terror.
At that moment, the wooden dragon bracelet on her wrist suddenly shone brightly.
ROAR!!!
A cloud of dust instantly engulfed the three of them.
Then came a scream of terror.
The attacking ronin spat blood as he was blasted backward, slamming violently into the mountain wall and falling motionless.
The sudden turn of events stunned the surrounding ronin.
They gripped their swords tightly, faces tense as they stared into the dust.
A massive wooden dragon emerged.
Its enormous body coiled layer upon layer around Ayaka and the others, shielding them completely.
"What the hell is that?!"
Several ronin stared in horror at the colossal creature.
"This… this is…"
Ayaka widened her eyes and looked at her wrist.
The wooden dragon bracelet was gone.
"It really is Big Brother Jiang Yan!"
Tears streamed down Ayaka's face instantly.
Beside her, Ayato and their mother stood frozen in shock.
When Ayaka's mother heard her words, she turned to look at her.
"Ayaka… are you saying this dragon was given to you by your Brother Jiang Yan?"
Ayaka nodded happily.
Her mother immediately let out a breath of relief.
Thank goodness… they were saved.
At that moment, the wooden dragon moved.
Its tail lifted high before sweeping across.
Two ronin were smashed to death instantly.
Then it let out a roar and lunged toward the others.
"Damn it! Brothers, attack together!"
The ronin shouted and swung their blades at the wooden dragon.
But before the gigantic beast, their attacks were no more than scratches.
Their attacks were useless.
The dragon's attacks, however, were anything but.
One bite tore a ronin clean in half.
Though the wooden dragon had been insignificant during the Archon War compared to gods, that was only because its opponents had been gods.
Against mere mortals, these ronin couldn't even pierce its defenses.
Within moments, the wooden dragon crushed every last ronin like dry weeds.
After finishing them off, it returned to Ayaka's side.
"Thank you, Brother Jiang Yan."
Ayaka gently stroked the dragon's head.
Then she suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right—Father is still down there!"
She pointed toward the mountain below.
Looking at the dragon pleadingly, she asked:
"Big Dragon… can you save my father too…?"
Ayaka didn't know whether the dragon could understand her.
The dragon itself could not.
But the one controlling it from Liyue could.
The dragon lowered its head.
Its tail gently wrapped around the three of them and placed them atop its head.
Ayaka grabbed onto one of the protrusions on the dragon's skull.
"Thank you."
The dragon roared and took flight, carrying them toward the battlefield below.
At that moment, Ayaka's father was locked in a stalemate.
Empowered by Kamisato Art swordsmanship and his Vision, he could not defeat the Ruin Grader—
But neither could the Ruin Grader defeat him.
Still, the human body had limits.
He knew this.
If he wanted to win, he had to destroy the Ruin Grader's vulnerable core before his stamina ran out.
But the core was heavily protected, and the giant machine's sheer size denied him any opening.
Suddenly—
A laser exploded beside him.
His expression changed as he dodged aside.
Even so, the blast wave struck him, sending him rolling across the ground.
Looking upward, he saw another machine.
A massive Ruin Hunter hovered above the Ruin Grader.
"This is bad…"
He wiped dirt from his face, seriousness filling his eyes.
At least Ayato, Ayaka, and the others had escaped.
That thought allowed him to breathe easier.
I'm sorry, Ayaka… Ayato…
Father may not be able to stay with you any longer…
Ayato… the Kamisato Clan will be yours one day.
I'm sorry to force so much upon you so suddenly.
But I believe in you. With your mother helping you, you'll grow quickly.
He rose to his feet, determination in his gaze.
Then—
A familiar voice sounded behind him.
"Father!!"
His entire body trembled.
Disbelief filled his eyes.
"No… why did you come back…?"
He turned around slowly—
And froze.
A giant dragon descended from the sky.
It gently set Ayaka, Ayato, and their mother onto the ground.
"You…"
Before he could speak, Ayaka and Ayato rushed forward and hugged him tightly.
"Father… Ayaka almost never got to see you again…"
Ayaka's voice trembled with tears.
Their mother, eyes reddened, explained everything that had happened.
"I'm sorry…"
Ayaka's father lowered his head guiltily.
He truly had underestimated the danger.
At that moment, the Ruin Hunter's eye flashed.
A laser shot toward them.
But the wooden dragon blocked it effortlessly with a sweep of its tail.
Roaring, it charged toward both the Ruin Grader and the Ruin Hunter.
The Ruin Grader met it head-on.
The Ruin Hunter tried to seize the opportunity to attack the Kamisato family from above—
But the dragon whipped it away with a tail strike, embedding it into the mountainside.
ROAR!!
The dragon immediately wrapped around the Ruin Grader.
Then it bit directly into the machine's core.
Crack. Crack.
The glowing eye shattered.
The core exploded.
The Ruin Grader collapsed lifelessly.
The Ruin Hunter tore itself free from the cliff—
Only to be struck flying again by the dragon's tail.
Then, before the stunned eyes of the Kamisato family, the dragon proceeded to utterly dominate the Ruin Hunter.
The Ruin Hunter tried to flee into the sky.
But the dragon could fly too.
The moment it rose, the dragon was already above it.
A tail strike smashed it back to the ground.
Before it landed, the dragon bit into it again, tearing off chunks of metal and hurling it skyward once more.
Again.
And again.
Like batting around a ball.
Eventually, whether from humiliation or simply because the dragon hit too hard, the Ruin Hunter's core exploded.
It shattered into scattered scrap.
The wooden dragon returned to the Kamisato family.
Before anyone could say anything, it lifted them onto its head and flew toward the Kamisato Estate.
After safely placing them at the estate entrance, the dragon coiled upward.
Soft light spread across its body as it rapidly shrank.
Soon, it transformed back into the wooden dragon bracelet and quietly rested once more on Ayaka's wrist.
Ayaka gently touched it.
"Thank you."
"In a few days, our family should make a trip to Liyue."
Ayaka's father stepped forward and gently patted her head.
"Mhm!"
"I'll bring everyone to meet Brother Jiang Yan and thank him properly!"
Ayaka nodded firmly.
"Yes… but before that…"
A cold killing intent flashed through her father's eyes.
"There are some matters Father must settle first."
"Come. Let's get you cleaned up."
Ayaka's mother took her hand.
"Once your father finishes handling everything, we'll go to Liyue together."
She led Ayaka and Ayato back into the Kamisato Estate.
Meanwhile, Ayaka's father headed directly toward his study.
Today, he had miscalculated.
But whoever dared touch his wife and children—
None of them would escape.
Liyue Harbor.
Jiang Yan lowered his clasped hands and smiled faintly.
A few ronin and some scrap metal hardly warranted him personally going to Inazuma.
Besides, if Ei or Makoto discovered he had appeared there, things would become troublesome again.
Remembering the look on Raiden Ei and Raiden Makoto's faces the last time they met—as if they wanted to devour him whole—sent a chill down his spine.
If he really went to Inazuma…
Who knew what would happen?
Still…
He really should start thinking seriously about this matter.
Things couldn't continue like this forever.
Jiang Yan gazed out the window, eyes flickering thoughtfully.
After a long pause, he sighed softly.
"Forget it. I'll let things take their natural course."
The sigh drifted from the third floor of Yuehai Pavilion, carrying a trace of melancholy.
To read 30+ future chapters, head over to patreon:
patreon.com/ToastWizard