"An exception to Eternity… What are you all planning?" Raiden Ei asked. Though she had just been awakened and knew nothing, the crowd's hostility made it clear she'd been set up.
When it came to intellect, Raiden Ei was far from foolish. She only seemed clueless because her emotional intelligence was low.
Having had little contact with others, she might appear naive, but she was anything but.
"Before I answer, can I ask a question?" Lucian raised his hand.
Lumine gave Lucian a strange look, and Raiden Ei glanced at him as well. "Speak."
"Why am I here…?" Lucian complained, exasperated.
According to the plan, the protagonists of this scene were supposed to be Lumine and Yae Miko. He just wanted to blend into the crowd and watch the show! Why was he now in the Plane of Euthymia?
Lumine's odd glance was for the same reason—per the plan, he wasn't supposed to be here.
You're supposed to be under the car, not in it!
"You, too, are an enemy of Eternity," Ei said calmly.
Ei didn't recognize Lucian as the Prophet. As for why she noticed him in the crowd right after waking up…
"I know I'm guilty, but why did you notice me?" Lucian was genuinely curious why Ei had singled him out.
I didn't even have any hostility toward you—why did you pull me in?
Ei pointed at Lumine. "Because she looked at you."
Just because she glanced at you in the crowd, I couldn't forget your face.
Lucian stared at Lumine, silent. So that's where it all went wrong.
Lumine scratched her head and stuck out her tongue. You messed around, and now you've screwed yourself over, huh?
"Your turn. What are you planning?" Raiden Ei pressed.
Since he was already dragged in, Lucian decided to just lay it all out. You want to know? Fine, I'll tell you.
"To change your mind and abolish the Vision Hunt Decree and the Sakoku Decree," Lucian said.
"Is that so?" Ei showed no emotion, merely drawing her naginata. "Then let me see your resolve."
Lucian thought, Classic Ei. Testing our resolve not with words but with the blade.
He didn't bring up Makoto, knowing Ei's personality. Unless you beat her into submission, talking was pointless.
She might pause, but she wouldn't change her mind. And if she didn't change, they couldn't awaken Makoto—a deadlock.
As soon as Ei finished speaking, the same Ei who had been calmly chatting with Lucian a moment ago flashed forward, appearing right in front of him.
Lucian was slightly startled. He couldn't keep up with the Raiden Shogun's speed at all! Was this the advantage of long legs?
Look at Lumine beside him—she didn't even have a chance to intercept, clearly because her legs weren't long enough!
Thankfully, he'd sparred with Tartaglia before and was used to being outsped. Old strategy it was! Didn't matter if he could see clearly—just unleash a dragon on his face!
"Hm?" Ei calmly stepped back, dodging the incoming water dragon.
She could've struck Lucian before the dragon hit, even if it meant trading blows, and she wouldn't have lost out.
The reason she backed off and abandoned the attack was that she recognized Lucian's fighting style.
As a martial artist, even having only read descriptions of techniques, Raiden Ei wouldn't misjudge someone's skills. The man before her was the Prophet!
"In the future you foresaw, did I change?" Ei asked.
Lucian realized she'd figured out his identity and had no intention of hiding it. "You did. A lot."
"…" After a moment of silence, Ei said, "It seems the Prophet's foresight was mistaken."
"The will of Eternity will not change!" It sounded like Ei was saying it to herself.
She didn't want to admit to change, partly to avoid facing loss again, and partly because she couldn't tell if such a change stemmed from erosion.
Rather than discern, it was easier to reject it entirely. If she didn't change, she wouldn't erode.
Ei said no more, raising her blade to strike at Lucian and Lumine.
Lumine stepped forward to meet her, but she was no match for Ei. Fortunately, in this consciousness space, she couldn't die, so she could still put up a stubborn fight.
Lucian watched the two "warriors" flex their stats, feeling a sense of helplessness.
It was a 1v1 "true man's battle," and Lucian was just a spectator.
He didn't join in because he had no interest in recklessly taking two stabs from Ei. So, he just stood there.
Those were Ei's stabs! Getting hit would hurt like hell!
Let Lumine handle it—she was sturdy, built like an ox. A couple of stabs wouldn't faze her. Go for it.
As for Lucian, he'd just control his water dragon to support Lumine from the sidelines. Charging in himself? Nah, he was too humble for the spotlight.
Conveniently, neither Lucian nor Lumine needed Visions to use elemental power, so Ei couldn't "confiscate" their abilities.
The scene became Ei and Lumine flashing back and forth in front, their colors clashing like Sasuke versus Naruto.
Lumine was even pulling out "Rasengan," hurling anemo energy like it was free.
As for Lucian, he stood in place, performing a "finger dance." To an outsider, he might've looked like an orchestra conductor.
At eighteen, in the Plane of Euthymia, standing like a lackey.
In terms of strength, Lucian and Lumine were about equal, but Lucian wasn't an adventurer or a masochist. He had no desire to experience "Professor Yang's fiery red lips."
Speaking of which, Lumine, are you addicted to getting stabbed? Are you a "stabby baby"?
In a consciousness space where you can't die, you just keep fighting to the death, huh?
Don't we still have a trump card? Lumine, use it!
Lumine thought, Carrying the wishes of the people, I can't lose!
"Dumb Lumine, summon Yae Miko already!" Lucian called out. How can you beat someone "piloting a Gundam" in your base form?
Hurry up and summon the fox so we can move to the next phase!
Lumine had an epiphany. She was so used to relying on herself that she forgot she could lean on others this time.
Speaking of, Lucian's water dragon was pretty handy, wasn't it? Not only could it block damage at critical moments, but it could also split into water snakes for healing and energy restoration.
A warrior paired with a healer—how was she supposed to stay calm?
"Yae Miko?" Raiden Ei's brow furrowed slightly, pausing her attack.
What did Yae Miko have to do with this?
Seeing Ei stop, Lumine finally got a chance to catch her breath. She pulled out the omamori Yae Miko had given her.
As soon as the omamori appeared, Ei sensed the power within it.
"I see. So this was your plan?" Ei said, as if she'd seen through everything.
"Unfortunately, even Yae Miko can't convince me." Ei shook her head.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice: Lucian – About the Traveler and Raiden Ei's Battle
"Two warriors throwing 'Black Flashes,' flexing muscles and elbowing each other like crazy, completely ignoring the feelings of a mage like me."