Location: The Alcor (Open Ocean)
Current Form: Human
Status: Undefeated arm-wrestling champion, feeling electric
The Alcor cut through the waves, the wood creaking under the strain of the rough sea. The Crew of the Crux was gathered on the deck, cheering loudly.
On a makeshift table (a barrel), Captain Beidou was red-faced, veins popping in her forehead, straining every muscle in her body.
Opposite her sat Raiden. He was holding a skewer of grilled squid in his left hand, eating casually. His right arm was locked with Beidou's. He wasn't even sweating.
"Come on, Captain!" the sailors roared. "Don't let the pretty boy beat you!"
"Shut... up!" Beidou gritted her teeth, channeling a tiny bit of Electro into her muscles. "What... are you... made of... bedrock?!"
Raiden swallowed a piece of squid. "Dragon scales, mostly. And dense mana."
He wiped his mouth. "Okay, fun's over."
SLAM.
He pushed Beidou's arm down. It didn't just hit the barrel; the force shattered the barrel into splinters and cracked the deck planking beneath it.
Silence.
Then, Beidou threw her head back and laughed. "Hah! I haven't been humbled like that since I tried to arm-wrestle Ningguang over a tax dispute! You're a monster, Raiden!"
"I try," Raiden grinned.
Kaedehara Kazuha sat atop the crow's nest, looking down. He leaped, floating down like a maple leaf in the wind.
"Your strength is unnatural," Kazuha said softly. "But it is not your muscle that intrigues me. It is your scent."
Raiden looked at the ronin. "Do I need a bath? Sea salt gets everywhere."
"No," Kazuha shook his head. "You smell of... the Void. And beneath that, the scent of a storm far greater than the Shogun's."
Kazuha looked toward the dark purple horizon. "We are approaching the Sakoku Decree barrier. The storms there do not follow the laws of nature. They are the manifestation of the Raiden Shogun's will. Eternal lightning."
Raiden walked to the bow of the ship. "Eternal lightning, huh? Sounds like an endless buffet."
The sky turned black. Purple lightning didn't just flash; it stayed connected between the clouds and the sea like bars of a cage. The ocean churned violently.
"All hands to stations!" Beidou barked. "Secure the sails! We're punching through!"
"Paimon's gonna get seasick!" Paimon wailed, clutching Aether's hair.
A massive bolt of lightning aimed directly for the Alcor's main mast.
"Oh no you don't," Raiden stepped onto the figurehead of the ship.
"Great Sage. Activate [Lightning Rod] mode. Divert all incoming Electro energy to [Stomach]."
"Affirmative."
Raiden raised his hand.
KRAKOOM.
The lightning bolt swerved, drawn to Raiden's palm like a magnet. It hit him—a billion volts of divine wrath.
The crew screamed. Aether braced himself.
But Raiden didn't burn. He glowed. The purple energy coursed through his veins, lighting up his nervous system like a neon sign.
"More!" Raiden laughed.
He opened his arms.
Every lightning bolt in a one-mile radius curved toward him. The Alcor sailed through a calm tunnel of water while Raiden acted as a living lightning rod, absorbing the storm around them.
"Notice. Electro Energy Density: High. [Electro Resistance] evolved to [Electro Nullification]."
Raiden burped a spark of static. "Spicy. A bit sour. Needs more amperage."
Beidou watched from the helm, jaw dropped. "He's... eating the weather. He's actually eating the weather."
Kazuha smiled, a melancholic look in his eyes. "To consume the Shogun's wrath... perhaps he is the one who can withstand the Musou no Hitotachi."
Through the storm, the islands of Inazuma appeared. Cherry blossoms, purple trees, and an oppressive atmosphere.
They docked at Ritou.
"Welcome to Inazuma," Beidou said. "This is as far as I go. I have bounties on my head here. You three are on your own. Try not to get arrested immediately."
"No promises," Raiden hopped off the ship.
They were immediately stopped by the Kanjou Commission guards.
"Halt! Outlanders!" A guard with a spear blocked the path. "Entry permits? Processing fees? That will be 2 million Mora per person."
"Two million?!" Paimon shrieked. "That's robbery!"
"It's the law," the guard sneered. "Pay up, or go back to the ocean."
Raiden stepped forward. He fixed his collar.
"I have a permit," Raiden lied.
He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. It was a blank napkin he had stolen from the Alcor.
"Great Sage. Illusion Magic. Project [Official Document: Level Max] onto the napkin."
He handed the napkin to the guard.
The guard looked at it. To his eyes, it looked like a document signed by the Raiden Shogun herself, stamped with gold, and glowing with authority.
"I... uh..." The guard sweated. "This... says you are a 'VIP Delegate of the Heavens'? And that you are exempt from taxes?"
"Read the fine print," Raiden pointed.
The guard squinted. "Failure to admit bearer will result in immediate consumption of the checkpoint."
"C-consumption?" The guard paled.
"Everything appears to be in order!" A cheerful voice interrupted.
A young man with blond hair and a red jacket walked up. He had a "fixer" vibe.
Thoma.
"Greetings!" Thoma smiled, winking at Aether. "I am Thoma. I've been expecting you. My, you cleared customs fast. Usually, they haggle for hours."
"I have good paperwork," Raiden said, taking his napkin back and wiping his mouth with it. "Who are you? A tour guide?"
"Something like that," Thoma laughed. "Captain Beidou sent word. Follow me. We need to get you registered before the Tenryou Commission gets sniffy."
They walked through Ritou, Thoma explaining the situation. The Vision Hunt Decree. The Sakoku Decree. The oppression.
They reached Inazuma City. And there it stood.
The massive statue. Hundreds of Visions were inlaid in its stone wings, cold and lifeless.
Raiden stopped.
He felt it. The despair. The broken ambitions.
"It's a graveyard," Aether whispered.
Raiden looked at the statue.
"Analysis. Structure contains trace amounts of thousands of human souls. It is a battery."
"She's stealing their ambition to fuel her Eternity," Raiden murmured. "Inefficient. And cruel."
"Hey!" A guard shouted. "No loitering near the statue!"
Raiden ignored him. He looked up at the castle at the highest point of the city - Tenshukaku.
He could sense her. The Electro Archon.
And she sensed him.
High in the castle, Raiden Shogun (The Puppet) opened her eyes.
"Anomaly detected. Threat to Eternity confirmed. Elimination protocol... standby."
Raiden (The Dragon) grinned, his silver eyes flashing.
"Thoma," Raiden said. "Where's the best place to get dango milk? I need sugar before I overthrow the government."
Thoma blinked. "Uh... Tomoki's stall? But... overthrowing the government isn't on the itinerary for today."
"It is now," Raiden said. "But first, snacks."
They arrived at Komore Teahouse.
Thoma introduced them to a Shiba Inu dog sitting on the counter.
"This is Taroumaru," Thoma introduced.
"Bark," Taroumaru said.
"He says you owe him 100,000 Mora for the deposit," Thoma translated.
Raiden looked at the dog.
"Analysis. Subject: Taroumaru. Species: Ninja Dog. Combat Ability: Surprisingly High. Secret Stash: Hidden under the floorboards."
"I'll play you for it," Raiden told the dog. "Rock, Paper, Scissors."
Taroumaru barked.
Raiden threw Rock. Taroumaru (lacking fingers) threw... paws?
"I win," Raiden declared. "Deposit waived."
Thoma sighed. "You're going to be a handful, aren't you?"
Suddenly, the back door opened. A young woman with white hair and elegant robes entered.
Kamisato Ayaka.
She was hidden behind a screen.
"Traveler," her voice was soft. "And... the other one. I have heard of your exploits in Liyue. The Yashiro Commission asks for your aid."
"We aren't joining a rebellion," Aether started to say (his usual 'I just want to find my sister' speech).
"I'm listening," Raiden interrupted, sitting down and pouring tea. "But my services are expensive, Princess. I charge in food, rare artifacts, and..."
He looked at Thoma.
"...I want to know why this guy smells like he's hiding a Vision."
Thoma stiffened.
Ayaka stepped out from behind the screen. She looked at Raiden with determination.
"If you help us fight the Vision Hunt Decree... I will ensure you have access to the Shogun. That is what you want, isn't it? To face her?"
Raiden smiled. It was a predator's smile.
"I don't want to face her, Ayaka. I want to educate her. But yes. Get me a meeting with the Robo-Queen, and I'll be your revolution."