Player's World.
Another half a month passed with much anticipation.
The highly awaited Inazuma Archon Quest Chapter II, Act II: Stillness, the Sublimation of Shadow, has finally arrived!
While waiting for this update, Guojia completed Yoimiya's and Ayaka's Story Quests. She originally wasn't very keen on pulling for Ayaka, but now she's one of the players who absolutely must pull for Ayaka.
Who wouldn't be captivated by that "Heron Dance"?
Ayaka's popularity surged, reaching the top spot, especially after MHY released an animated short of Ayaka the day before yesterday, which brought out countless netizens who wanted to be Ayaka's 'dogs'.
That scene made Guojia, an Ayaka fan, blush with embarrassment.
Waking up early again today, Guojia began her livestream...
---
Teyvat, Inazuma.
When the game updated, Yunling also received the news.
This was the second day after that party.
"Sister, I heard the statue is completed today, and Her Excellency the Shogun will also appear. I want to go see it, do you want to come along?"
Kuki Shinobu saw the gleaming vision on her sister's back, stopped her sister who was about to leave, and pinched her ear.
"Don't you know the current situation? Why haven't you put away your vision? Do you really want your vision to be confiscated?"
"Hiss~ Ouch, Sister, gently!"
Kuki Shinobu pinched Yunling's cheeks: "Stop messing around, I'm not even using any force. Put away your vision yourself, otherwise, you can't go anywhere!"
Yunling took off her Vision and put it close to her body so it couldn't be seen.
"Is this good enough?"
Kuki Shinobu nodded, not forgetting to remind her:
"Just watch from a distance, don't get too close."
But Yunling had already run off with big strides, and it was unclear if she heard her sister's reminder...
Komore Teahouse.
As Lumine and Paimon walked into the Komore Teahouse as usual, they found it seemed off today; it was too quiet.
"Thoma—Thoma—"
There was no response, only Taroumaru on the table barked a few times.
"Hey—stop hiding, I've already seen you—"
Thoma still didn't appear. Paimon crossed her arms: "Hmm? No one's answering at all. Where did Thoma run off to?"
Taroumaru barked a few more times, appearing very anxious.
Just as the two were wondering, Ayaka ran in:
"You two, have you seen Thoma?"
"We thought he was with you. Did something happen?"
Ayaka worried: "Oh no... On my way here, I heard that Thoma was taken away by the Tenryou Commission's people."
"I couldn't tell if the news was true or false, so I immediately rushed over to confirm. If Thoma doesn't appear here as agreed, it means the rumor is very likely true."
"The Raiden Shogun will hold the 'Vision Hunt Ceremony' for the hundredth vision in front of the Statue of the Omnipresent God."
"And the holder of that hundredth vision... the one who is about to have his vision publicly hunted, is probably... Thoma."
Ayaka was very anxious. Thoma was not only her attendant but also her friend.
"No, I must save him!"
Taroumaru barked, seemingly reminding Ayaka to calm down.
Lumine also advised: "Calm down, Ayaka. The 'Shirasagi Himegimi' represents the Yashiro Commission. If you go, it means the Yashiro Commission is openly defying the Shogun's orders, and then..."
Paimon: "If you openly defy the Raiden Shogun, the ordinary people of the Yashiro Commission will also be implicated, right...?"
"There's no other way... Time is running out, the ceremony is about to begin. I cannot just abandon Thoma."
"He is my friend. Not long ago, we were all together..."
Lumine immediately interrupted Ayaka: "He is my friend too. I will go save him."
"But..."
"You just said, time is running out."
Ayaka fell silent, then nodded:
"...Yes, I will... wait for you to return safely."
Paimon: "Don't worry, Ayaka. When a friend's life is at stake, we will definitely not fail!"
---
In front of the Statue of the Omnipresent God, Thoma knelt facing the statue, his hands bound behind his back, his head bowed.
The Raiden Shogun stood facing the statue, her back to the crowd, not speaking. The atmosphere was solemn and dignified. Although there were many onlookers, no one dared to speak loudly.
Yunling was squeezed among the onlookers, looking at Thoma below, and sighed softly.
Thoma, oh, Thoma, I even jumped in front of the Shogun with my vision, yet I couldn't snatch back the spot where you're kneeling now.
It seems that stealing the spotlight is something I still have to do myself.
Yunling looked into the crowd and indeed saw Lumine and Paimon, squeezed in with her.
However, they were both looking anxiously at Thoma below and didn't seem to notice her.
But while Lumine didn't notice, the players did.
---
In Guojia's livestream:
: "After all this time, Yunling has finally appeared."
: "Could Yunling be here to save Thoma, just like us?"
: "Possibly. Yunling said she was good friends with Ayaka back at the shrine. Since they're good friends, she must also know Thoma."
---
In front of the Statue of the Omnipresent God.
The Raiden Shogun slowly turned around, and with an empty grab of her hand, Thoma's vision at his waist automatically flew out.
With his vision taken, Thoma instinctively struggled but was held tightly by two soldiers.
At this critical moment, our protagonist, the Traveler Lumine, made a big leap, directly intercepting and firmly grasping Thoma's vision.
Then Paimon also flew over and stood with Lumine, directly facing the Raiden Shogun.
The Raiden Shogun was expressionless, retracting her hand, and looked indifferently at Lumine and Paimon.
Two Shogunate soldiers rushed forward to apprehend Lumine, but were sent flying by three lightning arcs summoned by Lumine.
Under the influence of a certain Mumu, the Shogunate soldiers' weapons were thrown far away, and they remained lying down, preventing Thoma from freeing himself from his ropes.
Lumine rushed forward, intending to untie Thoma, but was stopped by a flash of lightning.
Turning around, she saw the Raiden Shogun slowly descending from the high platform, stepping on solidified air:
"Capable of using elemental energy without a Vision..."
"You are an exception, it appears."
The Shogun's tone betrayed no emotion, yet her aura was steadily rising.
"Exceptions... the enemy of Eternity."
Lightning flashed beside the Shogun. She clenched her hands in the void, and lightning appeared at her chest.
Behind her, the Eye of Stormy Judgement opened, full of awe-inspiring power.
Lumine, like a stubborn child, drew her longsword and adopted a fighting stance.
A sword hilt appeared at the Shogun's chest, accompanied by rolling lightning.
The Shogun gripped the hilt, slowly drawing a longsword from her chest and raising it high.
"You will be inlaid upon this statue."
With a slash of the longsword, the surrounding space shattered, enveloping Lumine in another dimension.
Lumine turned, intending to escape, but the space had already closed, and she found herself in another battlefield.
"Lumine!"
In the final moment, Lumine heard Paimon's loud cry!
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