As Yae Miko had said, during the crossing of the consciousness passage, the sights were utterly bizarre and unimaginable.
It was as if they had traveled back five hundred years… or perhaps to an even earlier time during the great war of the gods.
On closer thought, these should truly be memories. Lumine held Paimon tightly with her left hand, and Ayaka with her right.
The three of them didn't dare think about anything else, keeping their eyes straight ahead.
It felt as if hundreds of years had passed, yet also as if only a blink of an eye had occurred.
Finally, the three of them landed on the ground of the consciousness space.
Grayish mist hung all around, and as far as the eye could see, there were almost no discernible buildings.
It looked like a decayed ruin.
Only faintly visible in the distance was a mysterious flicker of lightning.
But Lumine and Ayaka had no time to consider it.
Exchanging a glance, they said:
"Split up! Immediately signal when you find it!"
Ayaka nodded and transformed into frost, disappearing into the distance.
Lumine, calculating the time in her mind, had no chance to let Paimon leisurely observe the surroundings.
She pulled Paimon along and ran deeper into the space.
Paimon, feeling as if she had taken off, was initially confused, but then didn't complain, letting Lumine lead.
Makoto's consciousness space should originally have been vast, but after years of neglect and without its master's nurturing, it had shrunk considerably.
Still, it was the consciousness space of a god, and it wasn't something that could be fully explored in a single minute.
If they failed this time, they would probably have to wait for Yae Miko to recover her strength and try again.
But that would waste even more time. The best outcome would be to immediately locate Makoto's consciousness fragment.
Time ticked by second by second, and Lumine grew anxious.
After all, one minute flies by fast—even a blink costs a second.
Yet the consciousness fragment still hadn't appeared.
Suddenly, Paimon's eyes lit up. She pointed at a faintly glowing cluster in the distance.
"Lumine! Over there!"
At once, Lumine sprinted toward it, reaching the glowing cluster in just a few strides.
But when she got close, she realized it wasn't the consciousness fragment at all.
It was… a mechanical-looking pedestal!
Why would something like this exist in Makoto's consciousness space?
Could it… be Khaenri'ah?
As she pondered, a blinding bolt of lightning suddenly appeared behind her.
Lumine's whole body instinctively bristled as she dove to the side.
Turning around, she froze in place.
"Raiden Shogun?"
The figure before her had two thick mechanical arms floating behind, holding a naginata.
Her expression was cold, staring directly at Lumine.
Slowly, she raised her weapon.
"Variable… threatens eternity! Eliminate!"
Lumine's pupils contracted. Instinctively, she realized this didn't seem to be Ei's consciousness.
Ei's mind wouldn't behave so strangely.
Moreover, her consciousness should still be within the Sacred Ground of Purity.
With less than a minute elapsed and Yae Miko present, nothing should have gone wrong.
So… what was this?
"Raiden Shogun's consciousness?"
"How is that possible? Isn't she just a puppet?"
"No, no! Albedo is an alchemical creation but has his own consciousness. So… could it be…"
As she pondered, another slash of lightning exploded nearby.
With no other choice, Lumine had to quickly flee the spot.
Ayaka, having heard the commotion, transformed into frost and rushed over.
"Lumine!"
She called out urgently, and in the next moment, a signal pouch flew to Ayaka.
"Ayaka, keep searching! Look around the center!"
"I'll hold her off!"
Lumine swung her weapon hand to draw the artifact Zhongli had given her.
Inside the consciousness space, she couldn't summon the Serenitea Pot.
Fortunately, she still had the nine space slots from Ryen's world.
After drinking several potions, with the staff in her left hand and sword in her right, Lumine charged silently to confront the Raiden Shogun.
Steel clashed. Ei was instantly knocked back.
But the following spell caused the Raiden Shogun to freeze for a moment.
She had never seen such a strange being before.
Lumine's heart sank.
From just a glance, she knew she was no match for the Raiden Shogun.
After all, the opponent was the mighty Electro Archon.
But with the resources from that world, surviving a minute was still possible.
She swung her staff, casting Lich Barrier.
Seeing the five shields surrounding her, Lumine finally breathed a sigh of relief.
If not for the Thunder Staff, still in Yae Miko's hands, standing still under the Raiden Shogun's strikes would have been fatal.
"You truly are a variable… an enemy of eternity!"
The Raiden Shogun waved her blade, her gaze calm, fixated on Lumine.
Lumine didn't mind buying time with some playful banter for Ayaka.
After all, less than a minute remained, and whether or not they found the fragment, they could retreat.
Hands on her hips, she smiled brightly.
"Being stronger makes me a variable? Then isn't Celestia also a variable?"
Unfortunately, the Raiden Shogun had no intention of arguing.
She struck again, and this time, her attack was even fiercer.
Lumine couldn't fully defend herself, and one of her Lich Barrier shields shattered.
Ayaka, hearing the noise behind her, grew increasingly anxious.
While urgently searching for Makoto's consciousness fragment, she suddenly noticed something.
Not far ahead, an object emitted a faint electrical glow.
"This!"
Ayaka gritted her teeth, calculating the time—they had just over ten seconds left.
Lumine's five shields were rapidly breaking down.
At this rate, the next step would be relying on the Totem of Undying.
Thinking, "A desperate measure for desperate times!"
Ayaka didn't hesitate and hurled the signal pouch straight at the glowing object.
The faintly glowing item was absorbed into the pouch—it was a single cherry blossom!
Ayaka had no time to think further and immediately turned to run toward the exit.
"Lumine! Let's go!"
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Sorry for some mistakes in the previous chapters