Banjiao Nisei didn't know a sharp-eyed guy nearly spotted him.
He wasn't actively scanning others—that'd be a disgrace for a stealth master. Instead, he used peripheral vision and Enkanomiya's omnipresent water mist to gather intel on Khaenri'ah.
"They've pushed to Dainichi Mikoshi," Nisei noted.
"Half a month? That's too fast," Izumi said.
"Khaenri'ah's war machines are brutal. Deep-sea dragon-lizards, unenhanced, can't match scaled-up Tiller mechs or soldier units, let alone heavy machines," Nisei said.
Dragon-lizards weren't weak. One-on-one, they were even with Khaenri'ahn machines. But in groups, their flaws shone: no teamwork, just reckless charging and random energy blasts.
If they aimed for the Tiller mechs' energy cores, they wouldn't lose so fast, so badly.
"Lady Shrine Maiden, the commander requests you for a meeting," a Khaenri'ahn knight said, trying to approach Izumi but blocked by Nisei, posing as a Sangonomiya soldier. The knight spoke from a distance.
"Lead the way," Izumi replied.
They were in Narrows Street's camp, once Byakuya Kingdom's library. Most documents were long gone, moved elsewhere. What remained was minor, except for taboo texts hidden in deeper, secret spaces.
They reached the Khaenri'ahn commander's tent.
"Lady Shrine Maiden, we've reached Dainichi Mikoshi and met the 'Sin Shadows' you mentioned. They say restarting Dainichi Mikoshi is key to the Three Realms Gateway Offering. What exactly is it?" the commander asked.
"Dainichi Mikoshi is Byakuya's sun, a divine gift built by craftsman Abe Yoshihisa," Izumi said.
"A sun… incredible tech and miracle…" The commander reined in his excitement. "How do we restart this divine gift?"
"In Enkanomiya's darkness, we Khaenri'ahns manage, but light would be a blessing."
Khaenri'ah, a subterranean nation, had lighting, but nothing like a "sun."
"Restarting Dainichi Mikoshi requires visiting the Three Realms Towers in Gidai, Yakuhi's Land, and Yakuoji's Land," Izumi said. "Those are floating lands. You pass through Pure Water Ponds guarded by dragon-lizard swarms, then use Pure Water Netherfish to reach spatial gates."
The commander didn't care about dragon-lizards. He just asked for the ponds' locations.
"By the way, Commander, have you retrieved the Bloodbranch Coral?" Izumi asked.
He froze. "We found the passage you mentioned, but it's too long. We're not ready to go down yet. Rest assured, we're preparing."
"Please hurry," Izumi said, politely ushered out as Khaenri'ah needed to discuss matters irrelevant to Watatsumi.
"They don't want you getting the Coral too soon," Reisen said, appearing behind Izumi as coral butterflies fluttered. With Nisei's help, he blended back into the Sangonomiya troops.
Coral butterflies—odd elemental creatures blending Dendro, Electro, and Hydro—were complex but not fragile, being the migratory form of Coral King Insects.
"Dangerous yet balanced. Orobashi was no weakling among Archons," Reisen mused.
"Lord, what's next?" Izumi asked.
"Nothing. I'll handle it," Reisen said. "I'll get you the Bloodbranch Coral."
"I'll swap it with a fake to fool Khaenri'ah. Then you prep for a quick retreat."
"Yes, sir!"
…
Reisen inspected the Rock-Shadow-Thunderlight Brigade and was pleased. These elite agents, personally trained by him, were near flawless. No slip-ups.
Before sharing his and Eigetsu's findings, they'd already pinpointed both transit camps and mapped Khaenri'ah's routes.
They hadn't found the main logistics camp because they were busy clearing Khaenri'ahn spies for allied groups. No time to trace routes to Mizuki Pool.
Those spies got sloppy once Khaenri'ah's main force arrived, exposing more tells and making them easier to catch.
Reisen didn't sweat the small stuff. After confirming with squad captains that all was on track, he returned to Enkanomiya to watch Khaenri'ah's "show."
But he noticed something: Khaenri'ah was subtly stalling Watatsumi, dragging their feet.
Relief—they hadn't sniffed out his and Sangonomiya's trap.
They could grab the Coral fast but didn't. The commander thought it wasn't the right time.
Their goal? Squeeze more Byakuya knowledge from Izumi.
Reisen disagreed. Securing the Coral first was safer.
So he headed to Dainichi Mikoshi.
Hundreds of Khaenri'ahn knights and a dozen scholars, leading scores of Tiller mechs, guarded the area. They rummaged through ruins, occasionally ordering mechs to move heavy stones or clear debris.
"This ruin's massive," a Khaenri'ahn scholar groaned, rubbing his back.
"Yeah, with our numbers, it'll take forever," a knight griped. "Hope backup comes soon. This place is way bigger than we thought."
"I heard the commander requested aid, but chances of more troops are slim," another said.