Watching Lumine immediately turn and run at Ayaka's call, the Raiden Shogun looked puzzled.
Here they were, arriving at this spot, barely exchanging blows, and now they were running away?
What kind of maneuver was this?
But what concerned her even more were the strange shields surrounding Lumine.
They had forcibly neutralized her attacks.
This was a variable—something the Raiden Shogun could never allow to exist!
In a flash, she appeared in front of Lumine and Ayaka.
"Variable! Eliminate it!"
"What a rigid program!"
The exit was right in front of them and shrinking. Lumine grew anxious.
She flipped a scroll from her hand, glancing at it with some regret.
"You're forcing me to do this!"
The next moment, the scroll tore apart, and the entire consciousness space went dark.
In the shadows, some strange presence spread and launched an attack.
It was a master-level spell scroll—Suffocating Mist!
Lumine and Ayaka quickly cast Mist Cloaks with their staves and, hand in hand, ran past the Raiden Shogun toward the exit.
The Raiden Shogun naturally sensed all the commotion.
However…
Suffocating Mist was a law-type blinding effect. Even she could not avoid it.
Within the mist, some strange force was launching attacks.
With the Mist Cloaks equipped, the two became almost undetectable to the Raiden Shogun.
She could only swing her naginata hastily in retaliation.
In the final second, the three successfully entered the passage.
The mist dissipated, and the Raiden Shogun's figure reappeared.
Lumine glanced regretfully at the master-level spell scroll now completely spent.
She only had one of these, and Ryen had reluctantly given it to her for survival.
And now—it was gone in a single use.
"I'll see you next time! I'll beat you up good! Damn it! And you owe me a scroll!"
The whirlpool disappeared, and the consciousness space returned to its dead silence.
The Raiden Shogun furrowed her brow tightly.
"Yae Miko?"
So many unexpected changes had appeared, leaving the Shogun momentarily confused.
But no matter what, such variables could never be allowed to exist.
Kneeling in midair, the Raiden Shogun began to radiate divine energy, linking it to her body in the Tenshukaku.
…
Outside, Yae Miko's face was pale, and she could barely stand.
Once Lumine and Ayaka clumsily escaped the space and the elemental energy dissipated, Miko leaned against the cave wall, forcing a bitter smile.
"You really took your sweet time… I haven't worked this hard in hundreds of years. Honestly, I regret helping you."
After a sigh, she caught her breath and softly asked,
"How did it go?"
Ayaka picked up the signal pouch in her hand and handed it to Miko.
"Too many things happened in there," Ayaka said softly. "I only managed to grab one consciousness fragment in a rush. I'm not sure if it's truly his."
Yae Miko used the last traces of her elemental power to probe the fragment and her face lit up with relief.
"That's right! It's real! But it's very weak—there's hardly any subjective will left at all."
"If we've pulled it out of the consciousness space, it must be handled immediately. Otherwise it'll dissipate quickly."
Pausing for a moment, Miko continued:
"Little one, you need to head for Liyue immediately. Otherwise, this consciousness fragment will be gone."
Lumine let out a breath of relief and shook her head.
"We really do have to leave Inazuma right away. Miko, why was the Raiden Shogun's consciousness inside the true consciousness space?"
"What?"
Miko froze for a second, surprised.
"The Shogun's consciousness was in there?"
Paimon stood with her hands on her hips, puffing up angrily.
"Of course! That woman was crouching in there and even ambushed us!"
"If Lumine didn't have the Lich Barrier on her staff, and if we didn't have that master-level spell scroll, we'd have been trapped!"
Miko frowned deeply, confused.
"That shouldn't be possible…"
"Could it be that Ei sealed the Shogun's consciousness inside the true consciousness space?"
"But… how do I not know this? Just what has that woman been hiding from me?!"
A thousand questions swirled in Miko's mind.
But clearly, now was not the time to dwell on them—the situation was far more urgent.
Miko steadied herself, still exhausted, and led the two of them outside.
"Go! Leave Inazuma immediately!"
"The Shogun has definitely already sent a message to Ei. If you don't leave now, she'll come personally to catch you!"
Saying this, Miko turned to Lumine and said solemnly:
"Little one, I can only rely on you now. You must take this true consciousness fragment with you safely."
Lumine pressed her lips together and whispered:
"Miko, aren't you coming with us?"
Miko gave a bitter smile and shook her head.
"No. If I leave, who will clean up the mess for you? Without me distracting Ei, you'd be caught instantly."
"But if you stay, won't Ei hold you accountable?" Paimon asked worriedly.
Miko fell silent for a moment, then chuckled and shook her head.
"Don't worry. That woman can't bear to kill me. At most, she'll just confine me for a while."
"So, next time you come to Inazuma to visit me, remember to bring some fried tofu. If I can't eat fried tofu, I'll just cry and cry, you know."
Seeing Miko smiling like it was nothing at all, Lumine felt a pang of guilt.
No matter how you looked at it, this whole disaster was their doing.
It didn't feel right to leave Miko behind to take the blame.
Even if Miko was Ei's good friend…
They had trespassed in the Shogun's true consciousness space—essentially tampering with her sister's relics.
No matter how gentle Ei was, she would be angry.
Her relationship with Miko might sour, and Miko might even suffer for it.
~~----------------------
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