After Lu Chen and his two companions joined the battle, the tide on the beach quickly turned.
The Nobushi who had surrounded the Sangonomiya soldiers were forced to split half their numbers to deal with this unexpected trio.
Lu Chen spotted a tall, burly Kairagi in crimson armor charging straight at him. The man locked onto him, wiped his hand across his longsword while chanting under his breath, and suddenly, the blade erupted into flames.
Sword ablaze, the Kairagi advanced with an imposing presence.
"Get down!"
He leapt into the air, slashing down with a fiery vertical strike.
Nahida looked up instantly. "Watch out!"
Lu Chen had no intention of dodging. He pulled Nahida behind him as his own Traveler's Handy Sword gathered a flame even more radiant than the Kairagi's.
"Flames—burn it all!"
The temperature surged. A massive, blazing firebird burst forth from Lu Chen's sword.
The air's moisture evaporated instantly. Everything in the firebird's path seemed destined for complete incineration.
In comparison, the flame technique the Kairagi had unleashed using the long-lost Yin-Yang arts was no more than a glorified torch. Lu Chen answered with a flame far more overwhelming.
In the end, the once-formidable Kairagi and the bandits behind him were reduced to ash.
Though Lu Chen had borrowed a skill from Master Diluc, this move condensed a much purer form of Pyro energy. Even while holding back, it was far more powerful than the original.
With lightning above and fire below, Lu Chen and Ei's appearance was a spectacular sight.
Cries of astonishment erupted from the Sangonomiya soldiers.
"Did I see that right?!"
"Who are they? Another group of warriors recruited by our rebellion?"
"Could be... Didn't General Gorou recently bring back a young foreigner?"
"This is great! I thought I was done for—now I can finally go home!"
Lu Chen and Ei made quick work of the Nobushi, leaving only those still surrounding the Sangonomiya troops.
Ei gazed coldly at the remaining enemies while Lu Chen pointed his sword at them, his sharp expression clearly saying: "Get lost."
The remaining Nobushi scattered immediately, fleeing into the nearby forest and vanishing.
Relieved, the Sangonomiya soldiers finally let out a breath. A grateful squad leader approached Lu Chen and the others.
"Thank you for saving us! Were you sent by General Gorou?"
"No, we weren't," Lu Chen replied. "But I do have a connection with Lumine, captain of the Swordfish Second Squad. I've come with important intel and don't know the area well. Please, take me to the Watatsumi Army camp."
The squad leader paused. "Captain of the Swordfish Second Squad... That foreign traveler appointed personally by Lady Sangonomiya?"
"That's her," Lu Chen nodded, sneaking a glance at Ei.
She wasn't looking at him, her eyes fixed on the corpses, lost in thought.
"Normally, I couldn't bring outsiders into camp, but with you..." The squad leader looked over the group.
A woman in a bamboo hat, her face hidden but clearly young; a cute little girl, probably under ten. If not for their overwhelming strength, they'd look like a family driven from their home by war.
Besides the little girl, both adults had displayed powers only those with Visions could wield. It was highly unlikely they were enemy spies.
And they'd mentioned Lumine by name.
After thinking it over, the squad leader agreed. "We're delivering supplies back to camp. Come with us to Hachiman Island."
Lu Chen expressed his thanks. The soldiers quickly tended to their fallen comrades, checked the supplies, and started the journey back.
Along the way, Lu Chen inquired about the current situation, but the squad leader didn't share much—just that the front lines were close and both sides were in a stalemate.
Lu Chen moved to the back of the group and whispered to Ei, "I planned to find Kujou Sara first, but we ended up with the Watatsumi Army instead. Guess we're deep behind enemy lines now..."
"Isn't that perfect?"
Ei lifted her bamboo hat, her face shadowed, but her eyes glinted with rare sarcasm. "This way, you can reunite with your precious little blonde companion even sooner."
"I..." Lu Chen was caught off guard by her jab.
But he quickly recovered, plastering on a wide grin and leaning toward her.
"Come on, you know me. I'm the most loyal man in Teyvat. If I hadn't been sealed and lost my memory, I wouldn't have glanced at another woman! Not even a female mouse or ant would have escaped my scorn—seriously!"
"Really?"
"Really!" Lu Chen insisted.
A brief silence.
Under Ei's hat, her violet eyes filled with disdain.
"Trying to fool me again? Don't think I don't know about you and Miko. If it weren't Miko, anyone else would've been turned to dust."
Lu Chen hadn't expected her to bring up Miko. His tongue, usually so slick, suddenly fumbled. "That's different! Miko is Miko, Lumine is Lumine..."
Seeing she didn't believe him, he added, "Lumine and I are just friends—like, get-caught-in-the-rain, beg-at-the-Adventurers'-Guild, slash-Hilichurls-together friends. Real friends—through thick and thin."
"You two have really been through a lot," Ei said, her expression unreadable.
"Ugh, why did I even bother..." Lu Chen sighed, then tried to change the subject. "Besides, what about Paimon? She's always with us too. Why are you only staring at me and Lumine? Isn't Paimon the opposite sex too?"
"What is Paimon?" Ei looked genuinely confused.
"Paimon! She's..."
While the two whispered, Nahida followed quietly, ears perked.
Watching Lu Chen's exasperated face and Ei's sulking one, she could barely suppress her giggles. She finally understood why Miko enjoyed watching drama so much.
Without realizing it, she crept closer—until she bumped into Lu Chen's leg.
He glanced back. Nahida was rubbing her forehead with an amused look. His expression turned serious.
She dodged it with a sweet smile and quickly lowered her head to walk again.
Lu Chen turned back to Ei with a dazzling smile.
He knew she was a sucker for it—this grin had maxed-out charm buffs.
But Ei didn't bite. She didn't even look at him.
Arms crossed, she said calmly, "That trick doesn't work anymore. And whether you're just friends or more than that, we'll find out soon enough—when that traveler appears. Let's see how long your act lasts."
Lu Chen breathed a silent sigh of relief. He believed Lumine wouldn't do anything out of line, and Ei's doubts would vanish soon enough.
With the topic dropped, Ei turned to more pressing matters.
"What will you do after your little companion introduces you to the Watatsumi Army's top brass? Start negotiations?"
"Depends. Let's feel things out first." Lu Chen wasn't in a rush. If they exposed that Raiden Shogun had entered enemy territory, chaos would follow. But since no one knew yet, that worked in their favor.
"Sangonomiya Kokomi is sharp. If she realizes we share the same goal..." Lu Chen said thoughtfully, "then peace talks should be easy. We're just hiding our identities to avoid Fatui surveillance. They've been the ones stirring everything up."
The Fatui had allied with the Kanjou Commission and Tenryou Commission while secretly funding and arming the resistance. Their goal was to throw Inazuma into chaos.
They had two aims: one, build Delusion factories to collect remnants of gods for human experimentation; two, the real prize—seizing the Gnosis.
The Gnosis had been with Miko, but she'd been teleported to another world by the system. The Fatui clearly hadn't seen that coming, and their main plan had been stalled.
But they had achieved their first goal. With the plot stagnant, it was clear the Delusion factory had been plaguing the Watatsumi Army for a long time.
...
The group climbed toward Hachiman Island's high ground. When they reached a forward outpost, they finally saw large numbers of Watatsumi soldiers. The supply team let out collective sighs of relief.
The squad leader went to report, and soon, a familiar-looking officer jogged over to Lu Chen.
"You must be the heroes who saved the supply team! I'm Teppei. I'll be taking you to see General Gorou."
Lu Chen nodded. "Nice to meet you, Teppei."
Teppei had already heard of their exploits and was clearly curious.
"I heard everything. You all have Visions and crushed a team of fierce Nobushi with just a few moves. Truly impressive!"
"You flatter us," Lu Chen said with a smile.
Teppei looked at Lu Chen, then at the others, and suddenly suggested:
"The Watatsumi Army is short on men right now. With experts like you, our chances against the Shogunate would soar. Why not join the rebellion?"
Lu Chen turned to Ei.
They exchanged glances and fell into silence.
Letting Raiden Shogun join the rebellion? What kind of twist was this...