"Can you stop obsessing over that assassination plan against Raiden Shogun..." Lu Chen looked at Lumine, clearly exasperated.
"Huh?" Lumine tilted her head. "But it's the best option we have right now. With the battlefield going against us, we had no choice but to consider desperate measures. We've already made arrangements with the city's guards..."
"You colluded with the garrison!?"
"Yeah." Lumine completely trusted Lu Chen and never considered that he might be on the other side. "It took us a lot of effort to bribe a few people. They promised to cooperate on the day of the assassination. And... Gorou and the others already sneaked in once. They even left marks on the bulletin board in Inazuma City."
"So... the defense of Inazuma City has gotten this sloppy?" Lu Chen turned toward Ei.
Ei frowned slightly, her expression darkening. She clearly hadn't expected that enemies could come and go from her own territory so easily...
"Looks like Inazuma City really is in need of a serious overhaul..." Lu Chen muttered under his breath.
"Who cares?" Lumine grinned. "The Shogunate army's decay is exactly what we can take advantage of!"
"Mm..." Lu Chen nodded. "That's true."
Lumine continued explaining their plan. "If we manage to sneak in, we can coordinate from inside Inazuma City. Then we'll do this, and that... and then that..."
Watching her explain the entire assassination plan in front of the actual leader of the enemy made Lu Chen feel like he'd entered some kind of surreal fantasy.
When she finished, Lumine looked up at him. "So, what do you think?"
"It's a solid plan," Ei replied calmly.
Lu Chen cleared his throat awkwardly. "Yeah... well-structured, really detailed."
"So, have you thought it over?" Lumine turned to Lu Chen and his two "new companions."
To his surprise, Ei actually agreed. "We'll be there on the day of the assassination."
Lu Chen shot her a confused look, one that clearly said: What are you up to?
Ei didn't respond.
"Great!" Lumine beamed. "Then it's settled! You must be tired from traveling. Take some time to rest—I'll go arrange food and a place for you to stay..."
"No need for that right now," Lu Chen interrupted. "I didn't come here for a vacation. Time's tight, and I've got a lot to do. Take me to see Gorou and Kokomi first."
"Those two?" Lumine shook her head. "Kokomi should still be on Watatsumi Island. As for Gorou, he took a team to the Serpent's Head mine and hasn't returned."
"The Serpent's Head?"
"Yeah." Lumine's tone grew more serious. "Lately, corrupted remnants—Archon fragments—have been stirring up trouble across the island. General Gorou led a squad of elite soldiers to investigate. They left the day before yesterday and haven't reported back."
"God remnants..." Lu Chen recalled the Delusion Factory—it should be somewhere around Yashiori Island.
Just as Lumine was about to leave the tent to help Lu Chen settle in, Teppei rushed in, flustered and breathless.
"Captain! Something's wrong! General Gorou and his men are trapped deep inside a cave to the southwest!"
"What!?" Lumine's eyes widened.
Seeing Teppei gasping for air, she quickly told him to catch his breath before continuing.
Clutching his chest, Teppei finally calmed down a few seconds later.
"A soldier returned with word that General Gorou discovered a strange cave on the southern side of the Serpent's Head. There was a strong concentration of corrupted energy inside. The entrance was fine when they went in, but this morning, there was a massive tremor. The whole cave entrance collapsed. There's no sign of another way out. We're digging as fast as we can—but it's urgent, so I rushed over to report!"
"How could this happen!?" Paimon panicked, spinning in the air. "It's dark in there! And no food! That's so scary!"
"All you think about is food!" Lumine gave her a sideways glance, then turned to Teppei. "Take me there now!"
"Right!"
Then Lu Chen suddenly spoke up. "Take us too."
"But you just got here..." Lumine hesitated. "You should rest. I'm in command here—this is my responsibility."
"But god remnants? That's our specialty." Lu Chen smiled and summoned a Traveler's Handy Sword infused with Primordial Energy out of thin air.
Lumine blinked at the sword, identical to her own, confused as to why he pulled it out. "But..."
"No buts. Let's go." Lu Chen waved his hand, leaving no room for argument.
"Oh..." Lumine knew this tone. Lu Chen usually smiled kindly, but whenever he showed this look—there was no convincing him otherwise.
...
Three hours later.
Lumine led her squad at a brisk pace, following Teppei to the location he'd mentioned.
Lu Chen, Ei, and Nahida followed at the rear of the group.
Ahead was a cave entrance completely buried under massive rocks—easily overlooked without careful inspection. Several soldiers were already outside, digging furiously.
"General Gorou's been trapped for two whole days..." Teppei said, clearly anxious.
Lu Chen examined the terrain. If he remembered correctly, this cave was the hidden Delusion Factory built by the Fatui. He didn't expect Gorou to be the one to discover it first.
It was clear by now—his presence and the system had seriously derailed the original storyline. The further things progressed, the more unrecognizable this worldline would become.
Watching the soldiers dig, Lu Chen frowned. "At this pace, when are you going to get through? By the time you dig them out, Gorou might starve to death in there. Tell them to stop—I'll handle it."
Lumine still remembered the elemental control Lu Chen had demonstrated earlier. She quickly ordered the soldiers to step back.
As they hesitantly retreated, Lu Chen stepped forward.
With a casual wave of his hand, half the mountainside rumbled violently—everyone stared in shock.
The rocks blocking the cave were saturated with Geo energy. Lu Chen manipulated those invisible elements, moving dust, gravel, and stone aside. In a matter of seconds, the entrance split open like it had been cleaved by a giant axe, revealing the pitch-black depths of the cave.
"Lu Chen... he's really this powerful now...?"
Lumine realized she had still underestimated him. The strength he now wielded was practically godlike...
"It feels so creepy in there..." Paimon shivered and floated behind Lumine.
With the entrance cleared, an eerie, evil, and tainted aura began seeping out from the cave's depths.