"Shogun."
The Musou Isshin was gradually grasped by a somewhat illusory body. That was the form Raiden Ei had constructed using Electro Elemental Power.
Raiden Ei looked at the Raiden Shogun in front of her with a complex gaze. The other party was ready to face death for Inazuma, while she was just a coward.
"Saying more is useless. Although I cannot understand why you would abandon Inazuma, this is your choice."
The Raiden Shogun looked up into the distance, her gaze carrying a resolute aura.
"Now, it is time for me to carry out my choice."
After saying this, the Raiden Shogun transformed into a streak of purple light and fled into the distance.
Raiden Ei watched the departing figure of the Raiden Shogun, a flicker of wavering appearing in her eyes, but it quickly returned to normal.
However, at this moment, Raiden Ei's heart was cold to the extreme. Even if this was a wrong path, she would go forward without turning back.
It was just that the pain in her heart made her feel as if something was drifting away.
In the end, the Musou Isshin slipped from the hand of the phantom in the sky, falling straight toward the sea surface.
And after the Musou Isshin left her hand, the phantom in the sky gradually dissipated into the world.
Just as the Musou Isshin was about to fall into the sea, a pink figure intercepted it.
"Oh my, you even threw me out. Doesn't this mean you, Ei, were thrown out too!"
"Miko, you haven't left yet?"
Raiden Ei looked at Yae Miko with some surprise and spoke.
"If I left, would I leave you here alone to secretly wipe away your tears?"
Yae Miko spoke with a smile, then waved the Musou Isshin with some curiosity. Although she and Ei had a very good relationship, she really had never played with this thing before.
I must say, the feeling of holding it in her hand was truly extraordinary; she felt as if she had become stronger.
She even had new ideas for the novel's plot.
After being unable to bear Yae Miko's continuous antics, Raiden Ei controlled the Musou Isshin to deliver a sharp swat to Yae Miko's backside, drawing a delicate cry from her.
"I would never cry."
"Is that so? Then who was that little girl who secretly wiped away her tears after Raiden Makoto left?"
Yae Miko continued to provoke her, rubbing her backside as she spoke.
A flash of purple light streaked past, and Yae Miko's body flinched. However, she found that the Musou Isshin hadn't moved at all, but now it did.
Smack!
This time, Yae Miko's eyes went wide, and she took a deep breath.
The sacrifice she had made to distract her opponent was simply too great!
"Say another word, and next time it will be a sword strike."
Raiden Ei snorted coldly and then fell silent.
Although she truly would not cry, she would lie at the bottom of the sea to calm down for a while.
"Alright, alright, I won't expose your little secret."
"Ei, what are your plans now? Shall I take you back?"
"Didn't you say you needed to hurry back to prevent those people from suspecting you?"
"Sigh, who told me to end up with a God who is completely troublesome?"
Yae Miko sighed helplessly and shook her head.
"But no matter how immature you are, we are still friends."
Yae Miko's words softened Raiden Ei's heart once again, and after a long while, she slowly spoke.
"Take me to see the person behind the scenes, I will talk to her."
"Please, I haven't even seen that person myself yet!"
"Then just keep me by your side for now."
After hearing Raiden Ei's words, Yae Miko paused, then spoke.
"You're not going back to Narukami Island?"
"How could I still have the right to face them."
"Running away isn't your style, Ei."
"This isn't running away, it's just that telling them the truth now... is too cruel."
The two fell into a short silence again.
After an unknown amount of time, Yae Miko nodded.
"Alright, then now I'll also enjoy the thrill of being the Raiden Shogun."
After saying that, Yae Miko stabbed the Musou Isshin into her own chest, and then felt a heart-wrenching pain.
"!"
"Ei, what are you doing?"
"I wasn't ready just now, you can try again now."
Hearing Raiden Ei's incredibly cheerful words, how could Yae Miko believe Raiden Ei's explanation, while rubbing her chest, she thought for a moment.
Shortly after, under Raiden Ei's shocked gaze, Yae Miko slowly aimed the Musou Isshin at her own raised butt.
"No thoughts, no feelings, one cut to sever all!"
"Hehe, you're getting desperate, you're desperate! I'm dodging!"
"Stop, Miko, I promise I won't kill you!"
"We're saved!"
Paimon sighed in relief as she watched the ceaselessly flowing seawater at the foot of the mountain gradually recede.
"Enjou, thank you for your help this time."
Then Paimon turned to Enjou beside her and spoke.
This time, it was all thanks to Enjou's several spatial portals, otherwise she would have been finished.
Don't ask her why she couldn't just fly directly up to a high place to take refuge when she could clearly fly; this was maglev-style flight, which could only be at a certain height from the ground.
"No need to thank me, I'm only doing this for the sake of Her Highness the Princess."
Enjou waved his hand a bit smugly, clearly enjoying Paimon's thanks but refusing to say it out loud.
Paimon didn't know what was wrong with him, but she had a feeling he had already fallen out of the meta.
"By the way, I wonder how the Traveler is doing now?"
"Don't worry. With Her Highness the Princess's strength, waves of this magnitude can't cause her any harm."
"That's true."
Paimon nodded in agreement. She had seen firsthand how much punishment Lumine could take.
Besides, Lumine's current strength was already comparable to a god. If she were to be taken out by a tsunami just like that, it would be too absurd.
Of course, the two of them obviously hadn't noticed Lumine's final movements. Otherwise, they wouldn't be so optimistic.
The waves couldn't harm Lumine, but she would be harmed by her own power.
"Let's go, Enjou. Let's go save people."
By this time, Narukami Island had already been washed over by multiple waves, and finally, this terrifying tsunami seemed to have passed.
Although the remaining currents were still very swift, they no longer had any impact on Enjou.
"No, I need to find Her Highness the Princess first."
Enjou shook his head and refused.
To Enjou, the lives of others were completely irrelevant. If Lumine herself hadn't spoken up, he wouldn't have felt a single ripple of emotion even if those people died right in front of him.
"Enjou, what are you saying?"
"The Traveler won't be in any danger, so we should go save the others now, right?"
"What do their lives have to do with me?"
Hearing this, Paimon scratched her head in frustration.
"Fine, fine. Then you go find the Traveler, and come back with her to save people. I'll go look for Ayaka and the others."
In the end, Paimon had no choice. Although she was a little scared to go alone, this was an emergency, so she could only venture out by herself.
After the two split up, Paimon faced the drastically changed Narukami Island and retraced the route she had taken earlier.
Fortunately, all the monsters and ordinary beasts along the way had been swept into the sea by the surging waves, so she didn't encounter any danger.
She only saw tattered clothes and broken items continuously drifting away with the current, or getting stranded somewhere along the way.
As far as she could see, there wasn't a single living soul in sight.
Paimon suddenly felt a chill run through her body, and a feeling washed over her that she was the only person left in the entire world.
"Hey, is anyone there?!"
Paimon flew a little higher and began to shout at the top of her lungs.
However, no one answered her, which only intensified the fear in her heart.
"If someone's here, just say something! Don't scare me like this!"
Paimon's voice was already trembling.
No way, could she really be the only one left?!
"Hey..."
"Enough! Stop shouting!"
"My name isn't 'Hey,' it's Mendeleev!"
Hearing this reply, Paimon's face lit up with joy. She quickly turned to face the source of the voice, only to freeze instantly.
She saw a Fatui Geochanter Bracer emerge from the water, and the air suddenly fell silent.
After an unknown amount of time, the Geochanter Bracer raised his staff high, and a bright yellow light condensed at its tip.
"It's you, you damn bastard!"
"It's all your fault! Our whole squad is finished! I'm going to slaughter you!"
"Waaaah! You're not the one I was looking for!!!"
Paimon immediately burst into tears and flew away into the distance. One by one, stones imbued with dense Geo Elemental Power were hurled from behind her, whistling past her time and again. The closest one even ruffled her hair.
Paimon panicked instantly, her speed increasing significantly, even surpassing her own limits.
"Help me, Traveler! Ayaka! Come and save me!"
"Heh heh heh, you can scream your head off, but no one is coming to save you!!"
The Geochanter Bracer sneered as he chased after Paimon.
"I'll turn you into a specimen, you little brat! My future squad members will spit on you after passing their entrance exam!"
"You're disgusting!"
Hearing that she would be covered in spit even after death, Paimon's speed increased even more, a powerful will to survive surging within her.
"Damn it, how can you run so fast?! You really did lure us to that spot on purpose!"
"Ahhh! Stop running! Stand still and let me finish you off!"
The two continued their chase, one pursuing and the other fleeing, without knowing how far they had traveled or where they had ended up.
Paimon's voice was hoarse from screaming, and her phantom limbs were exhausted from flying, but she dared not stop.
The main reason was that her pursuer was just too disgusting; otherwise, she might have given up struggling already.
"Huff... huff... you... you must be tired, right?"
"Huff... huff... I can still hold out for a long time. You... you must be at your limit, right? Just let me... let me put you out of your misery."
Both were exhausted to the extreme, but the Geochanter Bracer was more affected, as the water current on the ground was still quite swift.
Moreover, the water was muddy, and in some places, one could sink right in if they weren't careful. Fortunately, he could use his Geo Elemental Power to pull himself out, though he still looked utterly disheveled.
"Stop... stop dreaming! Someone will come to save me any minute!"
"Haha... ha... ha... stop dreaming. No one is coming to save you."
"Oh, my holy mother of gods, look what I've found!"
Hearing the delighted voice from behind, Paimon mustered her strength to look back, and then the hair all over her body stood on end.
That was the sidearm of a Fatui Skirmisher - Pyroslinger Bracer!
Don't be afraid, Paimon, this gun must have broken from the water!
Paimon had just finished comforting herself when she heard a crisp gunshot from behind. Immediately after, a rock beside her shattered with a loud bang, and her face turned deathly pale.
"This thing is still so useful. I might as well apply for a class change next time."
The Geochanter Bracer raised the musket, aiming it at Paimon with a satisfied grin.
"Alright, little one, your life ends here."
"If you don't want to suffer any more pain, don't make any reckless moves. Let me shoot you to death with love!"
"Wait! Let's talk this over!"
Paimon panicked. The distance between them wasn't actually that far, but the Geochanter Bracer had previously exhausted his Elemental Power and could no longer launch an effective attack. She never expected him to spontaneously change classes to a Pyroslinger Bracer on the spot.
Seriously, do you have any professional ethics at all?!
"Do you want to eat? The Traveler has lots and lots of delicious food!"
"Oh, right, I still have money on me. I'll give it all to you!"
After saying this, Paimon took off her shoes and shook them gently. A crisp metallic clinking sound came from inside the shoes.
"If I kill you, all of this will be mine!"
"I can even get a specimen out of this!"
"Stop thinking about the specimen!"
Paimon screamed. Then she saw the dark muzzle of the gun pointed at her, and a suffocating sensation immediately surged in her chest.
"Goodbye, little thing!"
A cruel smile spread across his face. Paimon tried to struggle one last time, desperately flying upward, but after reaching a certain height, she hit an invisible wall and couldn't go any higher.
Just as the Geochanter Bracer was about to pull the trigger, a flash of sword light swept across his neck. Suddenly, his body was frozen in place, but his head slowly slid off.
No blood spurted out. This was a [Heroic Spirit].
This was also why Paimon hadn't noticed any wounds on him.
"Ayaka!"
"Thank goodness, I finally found you!"
After seeing the figure who had intervened, Paimon burst into tears. Kamisato Ayaka reached out and gently patted Paimon's head in comfort.
"It's okay, Paimon. You're safe now."
It took a long while before Paimon stopped crying, though she still sobbed occasionally.
"Aoba, you're safe too. That's wonderful."
"Paimon, have you seen my older brother?"
Hearing Kamisato Ayaka's question, Paimon shook her head.
The hope in her heart slowly faded, and Kamisato Ayaka's eyes visibly dimmed.
"Ayaka, is Ayato in danger?"
Only now did Paimon notice a trace of tears at the corner of Kamisato Ayaka's eyes, and her eyes were also a bit red. She hurriedly asked.
"My older brother used all his strength to protect me, and then he was swept away by the seawater."
Kamisato Ayaka's voice trembled slightly. If she hadn't been stunned for a short while, her older brother would never have had any problems.
Her older brother mastered Hydro Elemental Power. With his strength, he could easily survive in this situation. It was all her fault...
"Ayaka, don't worry, we will definitely find your older brother! Ayato will definitely be fine!"
"Paimon is right, Milady. My Lord is a person with divine protection, he will definitely be fine!"
Aoba stepped forward two steps wanting to support Kamisato Ayaka, but he walked too hurriedly and accidentally fell directly into the water, causing Kamisato Ayaka to forget even about being sad and hurriedly come over to fish him out again.