The Khaenri'ahn commander frantically tried every method to break the barrier, halting the archaeology team's work and summoning the royal court mages.
But they'd underestimated Teyvat's top-tier barrier technique.
No one could crack it.
A thin layer of barrier cut off their lifeline completely.
Reisen Riou ignored the trapped wretches. Some were Khaenri'ahn elites who could chase him in a straight fight, but now? To Reisen, with the barrier up, they were ants in a jar, doomed to flail for a few days.
The commander's face darkened as he watched Reisen leave.
A few court mages stepped forward, bitter. "Sir, this barrier's beyond us."
The commander's brow twitched, tempted to interrupt, but reason held him back.
"If we're right, this barrier's at Archon-tier," a mage said. "It seals Enkanomiya's passage and solidifies nearby space. Normal spatial spells are useless."
"The ley lines are wrapped in it too. We can't cast around it."
"Tiller mechs will need to leave to recharge once their energy's drained," said a mech engineer—more accurately, a Grand Machinist, one of the operation's top mechanical authorities.
The commander crumbled, slumping to the ground, muttering, "What now?"
"We can only hope our allies outside save us in time," a mage said.
Court mages were few but powerful, each a high-ranking Khaenri'ahn with LV60+ strength, free to speak bluntly.
His words snapped the commander back.
"No point banking on outsiders," the commander said. "Most of our forces are in Enkanomiya. And I know that guy—Reisen Riou, Inazuma's Chronicler Attendant, Khaenri'ah's most-wanted, topping the list for years. He doesn't play losing hands."
"Knight captains, step forward!" he barked. Several complied silently.
"Count your squads and report numbers and remaining supplies."
"Yes, sir!"
"Scholars and mages, tally your numbers too. Notify transit camps to report their supplies."
"Yes."
"Grand Machinist, I need your calculations and coordination. Have Tiller mechs and soldier units hit the barrier relentlessly, non-stop."
"Understood," the Grand Machinist said, no objections.
The commander had brains and grit, with sharp wisdom and vision. But this Enkanomiya expedition had been ensnared in Reisen's covert and overt schemes from the start.
"Now, move! Mages, stay," the commander said.
"Mages, I need your power," he said plainly. "Can Enkanomiya's soil grow crops?"
…
Yuenjou didn't know what went down after he left Enkanomiya.
He was just heading to the transit camp guarded by Blue Jay Knights to grab his pen, carrying a checklist.
But nearing the camp, he heard screams.
A chill hit him. He recalled his teacher's warning: Inazumans hunted Khaenri'ahns. A head fetched 10,000 Mora at the Shogunate.
He'd once joked, "When did our heads get so cheap?"
His teacher, dead serious, said a knight's head was 200,000, a scholar's 200,000, an elite scholar like Yuenjou 500,000—equal to a notable knight. A master like his teacher? 1,000,000, rivaling minor Khaenri'ahn royalty.
Yuenjou had laughed it off then, but the slaughter's sounds brought it crashing back.
He sensed Inazuman sentries nearby.
Dodging them, he crept closer and froze at the camp's massacre.
Over 200 Khaenri'ahns and dozens of Tiller mechs and soldier units were stationed here. Now, only a Blue Jay Knight held the center, with scattered spells from scholars at the edges. The slaughter was nearly done.
The knight clashed with a straw-hat Inazuman samurai, sword qi slashing wildly.
The knight had the upper hand, but the samurai wasn't weak.
Then the samurai spoke—Yuenjou, trained in Inazuman, caught it: "Secret Art: Waterflow Slash!"
Dense Hydro energy surged, unleashing a barrage of water-blade qi at the knight.
The knight roared, his greatsword flashing with Electro. Water met thunder, triggering an overload that locked both in a stun.
A sudden blade gleam from nowhere—then the knight's head hit the ground.
The samurai's form faded. The overload stun was a feint, a mere illusion. A Hydro Vision holder from the land of thunder wouldn't falter to a simple reaction.
Yuenjou clamped his mouth to stay silent, stunned that the samurai wielded a Vision.
"Captain, the camp's cleared. Headcount matches the roster. Confirmed," a samurai reported to the straw-hat figure.
"Move. Keep purging Khaenri'ahn strongholds."
"Yes!"
Yuenjou waited until all samurai left before lowering his hand. He didn't dare check for survivors.
He bolted for the wilderness, knowing only its vastness could hide him. Towns or villages? Too risky—enemies could lurk anywhere.
…
At Enkanomiya's entrance, Rock-Shadow-Thunderlight Brigade agents, fresh from a slaughter, cleaned the battlefield.
They and Sangonomiya soldiers would guard here together.
If Khaenri'ahns somehow broke Reisen's barrier, they'd hold the line until Eigetsu completed the Three Realms Gateway Offering.