"Traveler, it looks like you've got something new on your hand!"
Aboard the ship bound for Seirai Island, after everyone was struck by several glowing orbs, Paimon suddenly noticed a black Mark appearing on Lumine's hand.
Not only Lumine, but everyone else had the same Mark on their hands.
"How strange. This thing just appeared on our hands, and it even came with some information."
Sangonomiya Kokomi looked at the Mark on the back of her hand and spoke with some surprise.
"I think it looks pretty nice."
Paimon examined it closely, then spoke.
"But why don't I have one?!"
Seeing that everyone else present had the same Mark, but she was the only one without it, Paimon felt a bit sour, even developing a feeling that she was being excluded.
"Hmph, this is a slight against me!"
After hearing these words, Lumine rolled her eyes.
No, seriously, does a little weakling like you, with the combat power of one-sixth of a wild boar, even need to be specially slighted?
They probably just ignored your existence entirely!
Afterward, Lumine calmed her mind again and carefully felt the sensations the Mark on the back of her hand brought her.
The Mark seemed to allow her to vaguely sense the direction of the other Mark holders.
What surprised Lumine was that the Mark itself actually contained a considerable amount of energy. If it were activated, it could unleash immense power for a short period, though the Mark would then vanish.
However, there was a way to replenish it: by seizing the Marks from others' hands.
At this moment, it was obvious that everyone else had received the same information as Lumine. Arataki Itto's eyes suddenly shone with a dazzling light as he stood with his hands on his hips and laughed loudly.
"Hahaha, this looks like it could be pretty fun!"
"I've decided! This great lord will be the final winner!"
"Boss, don't forget that there's a God participating this time."
Kuki Shinobu, standing beside him, threw in a sarcastic comment. Other times would be one thing, but this time, with their strength, they'd be lucky just to survive, let alone become the final winner.
"Shinobu, don't be so discouraging!"
"How will I know if I don't try? Maybe I really do have a chance!"
"Trying will get you killed!"
Kuki Shinobu bluntly told Arataki Itto to face reality.
"I think it's better if we just give up right now."
Gorou spoke with a face full of worry.
"The thought of facing the Raiden Shogun again, while I'm not completely losing my courage, I don't think we have a chance of winning."
Hearing that they might have to face the Raiden Shogun, everyone's hearts tightened with tension.
Seeing this, Sangonomiya Kokomi spoke to comfort everyone.
"Don't fall into the enemy's trap. We should be clear about what our goal is."
"This time we are going to stop Persephone's actions. So far, there's still no news of the Raiden Shogun. I think the Raiden Shogun should have arrived there first..."
Just as Sangonomiya Kokomi was saying this, everyone suddenly sensed something, and their expressions instantly changed.
In their perception, one of the many Marks was rapidly approaching them.
"Someone is coming our way!"
With everyone on guard, a figure rapidly approached from the distance, then directly flew past.
Although the other party appeared for only a short time, everyone still saw their appearance clearly.
The Raiden Shogun.
What was most shocking was that, in their eyes, the Raiden Shogun's image was utterly miserable, her body broken and battered.
Yet even in such a terrible state, the aura she radiated was extremely terrifying.
Under the shroud of this aura, everyone felt as if a thousand-pound weight was pressing down on them, making it difficult to even breathe.
As she flew past, she glanced in their direction. That cold, emotionless gaze made everyone involuntarily shudder.
Only after she had gone far away did that terrible pressure recede like a tide, and everyone let out a sigh of relief.
"Was that the Shogun?"
Paimon spoke, her voice uncertain.
If the person who appeared before them was the Raiden Shogun, then she was carrying such obvious emotion.
But if the person was Raiden Ei, then she was so cold to them, despite having already become friends with her.
Lumine shook her head. She couldn't be sure who that figure was either, but a faint sense of unease was rising in her heart.
"It seems the Raiden Shogun has already clashed with Persephone, and the outcome of the battle speaks for itself."
Although Sangonomiya Kokomi had already anticipated this after learning the intelligence about Persephone, seeing this scene still left her with an irrepressible shock.
Although Sangonomiya Kokomi worshipped the God Orobashi, she had to admit that in her heart, Raiden Ei was the very incarnation of invincibility.
The Musoujin Gorge and the skeletal remains of the God Orobashi served as constant reminders to everyone of the Raiden Shogun's power.
But now, she saw the Raiden Shogun in such a miserable state.
If even the Raiden Shogun had lost, did people like them really have a chance to win?
Sangonomiya Kokomi felt more and more uncertain.
But she could not retreat. Behind her were the lives of countless people of Inazuma!
"After we arrive at Seirai Island, we should not act rashly for the time being."
"Since Persephone has created such a grand spectacle, she will obviously not enter the fray personally for now."
"Also, Persephone mentioned before that Inazuma seems to have received quite a few reinforcements. To be safe, we need to contact them as soon as possible and then strike together."
Hearing Sangonomiya Kokomi's words, everyone nodded. Even the most impulsive Arataki Itto had already calmed down after seeing the defeated Raiden Shogun.
"Of course, everyone must not lower their guard. Although Persephone will not personally take action, I think she will also send people to participate in this game to amuse her."
"And we also need to be wary of one person."
"The Knave, Arlecchino."
"The blurry Mark fluctuations ahead of us are likely hers. I think if she were to attack us, she wouldn't hesitate in the slightest."
After speaking, Sangonomiya Kokomi suddenly frowned, then looked into the distance.
"The sea is getting too restless..."
Before Sangonomiya Kokomi could finish her sentence, her expression suddenly changed.
Because she saw a colossal wave, connecting to the sky in the distance, rushing toward them at high speed.
"What's coming now?!"
Paimon also noticed the movement ahead. After seeing it clearly, she immediately cried out in panic, then dove into Lumine's arms, burrowing toward Lumine's chest.
"Traveler, save me! Hurry and do something with your invincible Dull Blade!"
Lumine's face instantly flushed red, then she grabbed Paimon's leg and pulled her out.
At this moment, Sangonomiya Kokomi immediately used her power, enveloping everyone in a large amount of Hydro Elemental Power, then sinking into the depths of the sea.
After reaching the depths of the ocean, although there was a noticeable feeling of pressure from the seawater, it was far less terrifying than on the surface, and the impact of the seawater was completely blocked by Sangonomiya Kokomi.
Seeing this, Paimon finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"We're saved."
As time passed, everyone's expressions grew more grave, because the scale of this tsunami had exceeded their expectations. So much time had already passed, yet the commotion on the sea's surface had still not subsided.
The previous tsunami had already caused massive casualties in Inazuma, yet before the wounds from that had even healed, another tsunami of even greater scale had appeared.
Sangonomiya Kokomi and Lumine both wanted to stop it, but they were somewhat powerless to do so.
In the end, Sangonomiya Kokomi could only try asking Daphne.
"Daphne, can you make the sea calm down again?"
"I can, but our Miss Hina will have to make a small sacrifice... You know what I mean."
After hearing Daphne's first words, Sangonomiya Kokomi's heart was filled with joy, but the words that followed made her sigh softly.
She naturally knew what price Gorou would have to pay. Although she desperately wanted to save the rest of the people in Inazuma, she couldn't bring herself to let Gorou make such a compromise.
"So, what do you say? Do you want to sacrifice the few to save the many?"
The miniature Daphne winked at Gorou, speaking in a tempting tone.
"A small sacrifice..."
Paimon stroked her chin in deep thought for a moment, then seemed to realize something, her face breaking into a shocked expression.
No way, could it be that kind of sacrifice?!
Paimon had guessed it. The "Miss Hina" before her was actually Gorou himself.
Although she had initially thought there really was a person named Miss Hina, after some time with her, she discovered that the other person was obviously Gorou himself!
Although she was very curious how Gorou had become Miss Hina, seeing how hard Gorou was trying to hide it, she also held back her inner curiosity and didn't expose him.
"I..."
Gorou panicked. Was it already time to say goodbye to Little Gorou so soon?
But those were countless human lives. What did his little sacrifice matter?
Gorou looked at Sangonomiya Kokomi, as if trying to draw a sliver of courage from her, but Sangonomiya Kokomi lowered her head, not wanting to influence Gorou's judgment.
Gorou slowly clenched his fist. After an intense inner struggle, he finally reached a decision. However, just as Gorou was about to speak, Daphne spoke again.
"Alright, I'm just teasing you. I don't have any solution for this kind of situation either."
"I'm okay with causing destruction, or I could manage if the disturbance wasn't so great, but in the current situation, I'm powerless too."
Daphne's words nearly choked Gorou, and the courage he had just mustered instantly vanished.
Even though this was hardly good news, Gorou secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, Lumine thought of something and exchanged a glance with Paimon, who immediately understood her meaning.
"That's right! Since Persephone said reinforcements have arrived, Neuvillette should be here too!"
"If Neuvillette lends a hand, this little disturbance should be easily suppressed!"
Paimon's face lit up with joy. She knew that Neuvillette possessed the Great Authority of Water, making his control over water the strongest in all of Teyvat!
So if Neuvillette had truly come to Inazuma, with his personality, he wouldn't stand by and watch. This disaster could be stopped.
After hearing Paimon's words, everyone felt a bit more at ease.
Only after the tsunami had finally passed did Sangonomiya Kokomi lead everyone back to the surface.
Although no one had met with any accidents, the boat had been completely torn to shreds by the waves.
After all, given Sangonomiya Kokomi's strength, it was simply too difficult to protect the boat along with everyone else in such a situation.
Fortunately, there wasn't much distance left to cover, so Sangonomiya Kokomi used her abilities to carry everyone through this final stretch.
While Sangonomiya Kokomi and her group were on their way, Arlecchino had already stepped onto the land of Seirai Island.
Through the Mark's perception, Arlecchino could feel a group of followers trailing behind her, but there were also fluctuations of a Mark on Seirai Island.
Arlecchino's plan was simple: first obtain the Mark on Seirai Island, then eliminate Sangonomiya Kokomi's group when they arrived, saving herself a lot of trouble.
"Clervie, soon you will truly bathe in the sunlight."
Arlecchino murmured softly, then rapidly approached the direction from which the Mark's fluctuations emanated.
The surrounding scenery flashed by in Arlecchino's eyes. A scorching flame rose around her body as a single bloody wing unfolded from her back, emitting an extremely bloodthirsty and crazed aura.
Faint traces of a burnt smell emanated from the places Arlecchino passed. As she drew closer to the location of the Mark's fluctuations, the madness and killing intent radiating from her became increasingly suffocating.
Finally, Arlecchino reached the spot where the Mark's fluctuations were coming from and saw the figure bearing the Mark.
"So it's you."
Arlecchino spoke with a hint of surprise, for the ones who had appeared before her were her former colleagues.
Scaramouche and Rosalyne.
"Arlecchino, do you want to get mixed up in this mess too?"
Scaramouche and Rosalyne were both ready for battle, yet Arlecchino's appearance still caught them completely off guard.
"This matter has nothing to do with you."
"However, running into you makes things much simpler."
"Hand over the items you hold. You should know that with your strength, you are no match for me."
After hearing Arlecchino's words, Scaramouche burst into laughter.
"That's not necessarily true!"
"Arlecchino, you're being a bit too arrogant."
"Do you think I'm still the same person you used to know?"
As Scaramouche finished speaking, countless thunderstorms in the sky surged toward him, while Rosalyne silently controlled the Pyro Element to gather around her.
"Hmph."
Seeing that Scaramouche and Rosalyne were completely uncooperative, Arlecchino couldn't help but snort coldly. A Crimson Scythe appeared in her hand before anyone knew it.
"It seems that after all this time, you two would like to lie quietly on the ground for a while."
"Who will end up lying down in the end is still to be seen, Arlecchino!"
"Come and fight, let me show you the gap between us now!"
Scaramouche laughed wildly as he entered the interior of the Shouki no Kami and connected himself to it.
The next second, a terrifying torrent of Electro Element erupted from the chest of the Shouki no Kami, instantly submerging Arlecchino's position...