On the southern coast of Yashiori Island, the tremors in the ground grew stronger.
Under the gloomy sky lit by faint flashes of lightning, the dark, dense ranks of the Shogunate army exuded a chilling aura as they marched forward in silence. At the front rode a commanding female general on horseback.
From his high vantage point, Lu Chen narrowed his eyes. Short purple hair, a stern, composed bearing—it was undoubtedly Kujou Sara.
The Shogunate army's imposing momentum was entirely thanks to her leadership. She handled matters personally, and on the battlefield, she was always the first to charge in.
Even Ei, standing beside him, nodded silently.
"Strict discipline, decisive action. She seized the perfect moment while Gorou was away to launch a surprise attack. And she's loyal to me. Sara... is impressive."
"She really is..." Lu Chen murmured. "The mighty Kujou clan may only have this one child skilled in warfare."
"Then, the next Tenryou Commissioner..." Ei began to muse.
"That wouldn't be right," Lu Chen said after a pause. "Setting aside her status as an adopted child, Kujou Sara is better suited to battlefield roles—training, tactics, deployment. If she were to lead the Tenryou Commission, her talents would be wasted on dull formalities and political infighting. It's better to let her continue leading troops. We'll have major battles to fight ahead."
"True," Ei nodded, glancing at Lu Chen with approval. "Then who do you think should take up the position?"
"It should go to someone capable," Lu Chen replied thoughtfully. "The youngest son of the Kujou family, Kamaji, is fairly sharp. But it doesn't have to be a Kujou. The Takatsukasa clan has long had their eyes on the position. In Inazuma's current state, aside from the Shrine Commission, it's time for a thorough reshuffling..."
Their casual conversation atop the reef determined not just the fate of the Kujou family, but also the future of Inazuma's powerful houses.
Truthfully, Lu Chen was dissatisfied with Inazuma's aristocratic system of succession, but the ever-present threat of the Abyssal Sea nearby had forced him to compromise with this family-based power structure.
Lost in thought, he turned his gaze toward the other side of the battlefield.
"Form up! The enemy is advancing fast!"
As a veteran rival of Kujou Sara, General Gorou was no pushover. After he arrived, the somewhat disorganized Watatsumi troops quickly steadied and began fortifying a defensive line along the beach.
Gorou clearly wanted to stop the Shogunate army before they could push deeper into Yashiori Island, but it was already too late.
"Attack!" Kujou Sara ordered coldly.
The two armies clashed, and the battlefield erupted into chaos.
Lu Chen saw Kujou Sara's tengu wings flare to life. Purple lightning burst outward, destroying barricades and sending rebels flying.
Compared to the resistance forces, the Shogunate army was better equipped and fully prepared. Under Sara's command, they swiftly broke through the first line of defense, charging forward with unstoppable momentum.
"Hold the line!" Gorou led from the front, targeting Kujou Sara with a flurry of elemental arrows.
As a fellow Vision holder, Gorou's attacks couldn't be ignored. Sara blocked them with effort, let out a cold snort, and the two generals clashed head-on.
"The Shogunate army still holds the upper hand," Ei observed.
"Not necessarily," Lu Chen shook his head. "The Watatsumi Army has the home-field advantage."
Having occupied Yashiori Island for so long, the Watatsumi Army had fortified it well. As the Shogunate forces advanced, they would soon encounter the watchtowers and arrow turrets hidden in the hills—each ready to unleash a hail of arrows at every step they took.
Sure enough, when the Shogunate army reached a certain point, Lu Chen looked up at the sky.
Arrows gathered in the air, arcing downward in a massive volley—a black curtain of death.
This rain of arrows would undoubtedly deal heavy casualties to the Shogunate's forces.
Ei furrowed her brows. Lu Chen knew it was time to act.
The next moment, his figure vanished from the reef.
And then—everyone on the battlefield witnessed a miracle.
"What is that!?"
"The hell!?"
The sudden shift stunned the soldiers. They stopped fighting and looked skyward.
Their expressions shifted from confusion to astonishment—what they saw could only be described as divine.
"A wall...!?"
A colossal golden wall, hundreds of meters high, stretched from the northern beach all the way south, slicing the battlefield cleanly in two.
The incoming rain of arrows struck the semi-transparent wall, erupting into golden sparks. The arrows were moving so fast that their metal tips blunted on impact, then bounced off violently. Not a single one made it through the thin wall.
"Geo element!?"
Kujou Sara had never seen such an exaggerated display of elemental power. It was as if a god had descended.
Could it be someone from Liyue?
"Who is it?" Even Gorou, clashing with her just moments ago, was stunned. He wielded a Geo Vision himself, but had never seen anything this overwhelming.
Both generals paused mid-battle, turning their eyes to find the source of this anomaly.
"No need to look. It's me."
At the sound of the voice, they looked skyward.
Lu Chen hovered in the air.
"Lu Chen?" Gorou stared in disbelief at his newly acquainted comrade.
"You are..." Kujou Sara's pupils contracted. She couldn't explain it, but seeing him gave her a strange sense of familiarity.
Lu Chen looked down at the chaos below and sighed before slowly descending.
He landed right between the two armies, in the heart of the battlefield.
"Cease fire," he said to both commanders.
"What?" Kujou Sara hadn't expected that at all.
"There's nothing more to say. Sara, withdraw your troops," Lu Chen said as he looked toward the golden wall. "I can use this power to stop your battle... or I can use it to end you."
"I believe you now..." Gorou's expression turned solemn as he sheathed his weapon. "You truly want peace—and have both the will and the strength to enforce it."
"Of course." Lu Chen clenched his fist. Creating this "miracle" and halting the fighting through force had drained nearly all the Geo energy from the beach.
But he couldn't maintain it for long. If the two sides refused to listen, he wasn't sure what else he could do.
"You... how do you know my name?" Kujou Sara still hadn't lowered her weapon. Her gaze remained wary, though her tone carried newfound respect.
"Your Excellency," she said, "While your strength is undeniable, this is a matter of Inazuma. This is the land of the Narukami. The decision of whether there is war belongs to Her Excellency the Raiden Shogun. Are you not overstepping your bounds?"
Judging by her expression, she had taken Lu Chen for a passing god or an otherworldly being. She spoke respectfully enough—but she still invoked the Raiden Shogun's authority as a final word.
"What a coincidence," Lu Chen chuckled. "Your Narukami-sama thinks the same."
"Huh?" Kujou Sara frowned, clearly unconvinced.
Lu Chen was about to explain—when another voice thundered across the sky.
"I said, cease fire."
A bolt of lightning split the heavens—brighter and louder than all before. The battlefield froze. Hearts pounded in unison.
Everyone looked up and saw a face devoid of emotion, still and calm as stone.
Purple eyes. A blade crackling with lightning. And the suffocating pressure that descended with her.
Raiden Shogun.
"It's Her Excellency!"
Kujou Sara's eyes were filled with awe. She forgot everything else and leapt down from her horse, running toward her general.
"It's...!"
"Raiden Shogun!"
"It's Her Excellency! We've already won!"
The Shogunate forces erupted in cheers. The resistance soldiers, meanwhile, stood frozen in fear.
Watching Ei descend, Lu Chen had only one thought left:
Raiden Shogun... truly terrifying.