Before her stretched an endless, boundless space… thunderous energy occasionally flickered across the void around her.
[If we continue wandering blindly… we may lose our way.]
The Shogun halted her steps slightly, glancing around the indistinct surroundings.
"…We are already lost."
Her words struck like cold water.
[The entrance we came from has already closed. Can we even return?]
Ei's voice carried faint worry.
"It matters not. I can simply cut another path when the time comes."
[As expected, it's always easier to leave everything in your hands, Shogun. That way, I can rest easy.]
"Ei, do not slack off."
[You call this slacking? You manage Inazuma far better than I. Leaving it to you seems only natural.]
Even in such a place, the two could still speak with one another…
Rumble…
A clap of thunder rippled through the void, drawing the Shogun's attention.
Why was there Electro here? She wondered—was it because she had first used Musou Isshin to cleave open this path? Or was this one of Musou Isshin's hidden properties?
"Have you ever used this technique before, truly?"
She asked Ei.
[She never has—at least, not before me.]
"—Let it be declared now; your flesh shall serve under me, and my fate shall be with your sword.
"Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail.
"Answer, if you would submit to this will and this truth."
As the Shogun wandered aimlessly through the thunder-filled void, she suddenly heard a girl's chanting echoing faintly, as if speaking directly to her.
"Who chants thus?"
Following the voice, the Shogun stepped forward. Indeed—as she drew closer, the ethereal tone grew clearer.
[Be cautious, Shogun. This place seems beyond Teyvat's boundaries.]
From within her Plane of Euthymia, Ei's calm warning reached her.
"It is but chanting. Nothing to fear."
For she was the Raiden Shogun, the embodiment of lightning—she had never feared any foe. Her confidence in her strength was absolute.
As she neared the source of the voice, the surrounding void warped. Thunder roared louder, resonating deeply within her.
"From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power, come forth from the ring of restraint, Protector of the Holy Balance!"
At that line, the Shogun felt the space twist violently. Light particles gathered, her hand glowing faintly with violet sparks. Her entire body radiated lightning, resonating with the voice.
[This is an ancient incantation of summoning. That girl is calling to us.]
The words were foreign—not of Teyvat's language, but from another world entirely. Yet why did it resonate with her so strongly? And why could that girl summon one of the Seven Archons?
Intriguing…
[I am interested… Shogun, why not answer her call?]
The Shogun nodded lightly, releasing her hold. Violet light engulfed her body, breaking down into glittering particles that vanished from the void.
...
When she opened her eyes again, she stood in an unfamiliar hall, surrounded by strangers in peculiar garb.
But her gaze immediately fixed on the wheelchair-bound girl who had linked her with mana all this time.
"Are you the one who calls for me?"
She asked her first question.
"Y-Yes."
Fiore's voice trembled, her hands gripping her wheelchair. This was her Servant? Unlike the others—so majestic, so beautiful, so different.
"Wow… she's stunning~"
Roche's eyes sparkled with excitement as he gazed upon the goddess-like Shogun.
"This… this is Sister's Servant?"
Caules stared blankly, dumbfounded.
[Servant? What is that?]
Ei murmured, puzzled.
'Perhaps it is a local term,' the Shogun answered inwardly.
At that moment, knowledge surged into the Shogun's mind—a set of rules, an explanation.
'Did you feel that?'
[Yes… a kind of law. A "Holy Grail War"? How fanciful… Today is the most remarkable day I've had since the time you left me, truly unforgettable.]
[Ah… no, I should add—the most unforgettable moment was still the first time you opened your eyes, Shogun.]
Ei quickly amended, as if afraid of being rebuked.
The Shogun thought to herself that such words were unnecessary.
As Ei said, the rules and terminology of the Holy Grail War had all been thrust into her mind in an instant. She now understood her current state. Servants were Heroic Spirits summoned from across time—but she had not died. Had she simply been seized, pulled here as she passed between realms?
"A beautiful lady, huh? What a pleasure to meet you."
From afar, the androgynous youth addressed her with cheer.
The Shogun gave no reply. She merely surveyed the hall and its gathered strangers with a single glance, then floated gracefully down from midair. Her long, flawless legs descended lightly, landing upon the floor with elegance.
Now her full appearance was revealed to all—
Dark violet hair braided and falling down her back. A beauty mark glistened beneath her right eye, glowing faintly with violet light. Her hair was adorned with a purple bellflower and a folded fan.
She wore a short, patterned kimono of violet, its hem reaching upper-thigh, its wide collar revealing smooth shoulders wrapped in sheer violet cloth, while the neckline dipped to a faint glimpse of cleavage. Her left shoulder bore a black-and-gold pauldron. The lengths of her sleeves differed on each side, and her waist was bound by a red sash, fastened with purple cords bearing the tomoe emblem of Electro.
Her shapely legs were wrapped in dark purple thigh-high stockings, patterned at the hems, leaving a generous stretch of bare thigh revealed above, before tapering down to graceful feet in traditional Inazuman sandals with raised heels.
All eyes were upon her—but she paid them no mind. Step by step, she strode toward the center of the hall.
Crackle…
With every step, currents of electricity rippled outward. Light particles of Electro streamed from her sleeves, trailing around her like a vision of divinity.
"Woooow~~"
Roche practically shook with excitement.
Fiore's heart swelled with relief and joy as she watched the Shogun. Relief that her summoning had not failed after all, and joy that her Servant was not some untrustworthy being—but this magnificent woman, radiant like a goddess. The burden lifted from her shoulders.
"It seems the final Servant has arrived."
Gordes exhaled, relieved that the Black Faction would not be at a disadvantage.
The Shogun halted in the hall's center, still surveying her surroundings with composure. Currents of electricity coiled about her figure, making her appear all the more radiant in the dim chamber.
The Masters moved behind their respective Servants. Fiore, too, wheeled herself behind the Shogun, her gaze fixed gently on her new partner, lips curved in a smile of warmth and delight.
"?"
Noticing the weight of her gaze, the Shogun turned slightly, her violet eyes falling upon Fiore.
"—!"
Fiore startled, her face flushing as she quickly averted her eyes in embarrassment.
Darnic, meanwhile, was overcome with elation. He laughed heartily, bowing reverently toward Vlad upon the throne.
"Ha! My king! Behold, these are the Servants our Black Masters have summoned—your subordinates!"
No one had expected Fiore to summon such a powerful Servant. Their side's chances of victory had just risen further.
"Mm."
Vlad nodded, rising to his feet as he addressed the hall.
"Those who have answered our summons in pursuit of the Grail—first, let us secure victory as the Black Faction!"
His deep, commanding voice resounded.
"With their summoning, the Yggdmillennia have embarked upon a path of no return!"
At Darnic's rousing words, each face lit with confidence.
"But! When this Great War ends, those Masters who stand until the very last shall attain boundless glory. Fear not!! For we already hold the almighty wish-granting device—the Greater Grail!"
"Under our king's banner, let us seize victory!"
His final words thundered with grandeur.
The three newly-summoned Servants bent on one knee before Vlad and Darnic. Only the Shogun remained standing, eyes calm, electricity crackling faintly around her.
[When did we become this man's subordinates?]
Ei's voice grew low, brimming with offense. She felt insulted to be claimed by some stranger she did not even know.