Yae Miko naturally couldn't persuade Ei, because to convince Ei, one must first defeat her.
No matter how much you talk, it's useless if you don't beat her. At most, you might get her to punish the Tenryou Commission or the Kanjou Commission, but the Vision Hunt Decree and the Sakoku Decree would still remain in place.
This is also why Yae Miko didn't directly storm the Tenshukaku to confront Ei—it would be pointless. Ei's itching for a fight, and you'd need to give her a good thrashing first.
Isn't this, in a way, a shadow puppet play?
"It's not me who's here to convince you, Ei~," Yae Miko said as she gracefully stepped forward.
In truth, it wasn't Yae Miko herself who had come, but a wisp of her consciousness residing in an amulet, which had no combat strength.
That didn't matter, though, as Yae Miko had no intention of fighting Ei in the first place.
"Miko…" Ei's tone softened slightly.
The song used earlier was quite fitting: "Dreaming that one day we might meet again by chance, from then on I began to miss you in solitude."
When I miss you, you're far on the horizon; when I miss you, you're right before my eyes.
"It's not me who's here to stop you, Ei," Yae Miko said with a playful smile, looking at Raiden Ei before raising her slender, delicate finger.
Pointing toward the sky, the once-dim heavens began to sparkle with the light of stars.
"It's them~!" As Yae Miko's words fell, the stars in the sky lit up, illuminating the darkened heavens.
Near the Statue of the Omnipresent God, their wishes burned so fiercely, so intensely.
Raiden Ei looked up at the scene, countless voices echoing in her mind, reminiscent of an ancient god.
The good news was that these voices were filled with "positive energy," so they wouldn't drive Raiden Ei into corruption.
"I see…" Ei seemed to smile. "Very well, let me confirm it for myself."
Ei drew her blade once more—this time, the Musou no Hitotachi. Lumine, not to be outdone, felt invincible in this idealistic space of the Plane of Euthymia, bolstered by the countless wishes.
Come on! Let's keep clashing! Let's see who lands more "Black Flashes."
Suddenly, a hand stopped Lumine, leaving both her and Ei stunned.
The one who intervened was Lucian, and the two women were momentarily baffled because they couldn't fathom why Lucian, who had been idly watching all this time, would suddenly step in to stop them.
Two "top laners" are fighting, and you, a "mage," want to mediate?
Lucian struggled to keep a straight face, looking up at Ei.
Thank you, Ei, for helping me realize my own weakness in this Plane of Euthymia. But now… I am the invincible one!
Lucian discovered that the wishes empowering the Traveler in the Plane of Euthymia could also be used by him.
However, in his case, they manifested as temporary system stats. Though they could only be used within the Plane of Euthymia and were purely numerical, the sheer quantity was staggering!
This sudden surge of power felt like winning the lottery. Oh, I've won!
Humility? What's humility? What does that even mean!? From now on, no one's allowed to raise their voice at me!
Why bother persuading? I'm done talking—you don't deserve to hear it! Raiden Shogun, huh? Let's see who's more thunderous now! I'm going full—Thunderous Yae Talisman!
Lucian donned his armor, even adding some Electro elemental flair to match the thunderous aesthetic.
"Leave now, and no one gets hurt," Lucian said, playing the part.
When his strength was lacking, Lucian preferred to stay on the sidelines, but once he had the power, his "relaxed vibe" kicked in.
"Hm?" Ei noticed the change in Lucian's aura—his strength had indeed grown dramatically.
But why did it feel like not just his strength, but his personality had changed too?
If Tartaglia were here, he'd probably say, "That Lucian kid's just got that kind of mischievous streak!"
You'd think he's humble only because he hasn't beaten you yet.
"This is my Plane of Euthymia. If anyone's leaving, it should be you," Ei replied with a serious expression.
"Then I shall mourn for the fallen," Lucian said as he charged at Ei. I'll crack your skull with brute force and land a deliberate heavy punch!
Ei didn't think much of Lucian's grabbing hand, assuming it was just a grappling technique.
She dodged while swinging the Musou no Hitotachi, and Lucian, in turn, pulled out his belt.
But the belt was purely for show—Lucian wasn't skilled in close combat. He mainly relied on his mastery of the elements to keep up with Ei.
Still, when it came to disciplining a "naughty child," a belt was the perfect "signature weapon," right?
Today, I'm going to teach this troublesome "naughty deity" a lesson. Tonight, we're having "eggplant stir-fry"!
"What kind of weapon is that?" Ei asked curiously, parrying Lucian's water dragons and fire snakes.
As a martial artist, she was genuinely intrigued.
"Wanna learn? Surrender, and I'll teach you!" Lucian said, though his hands didn't slow down in the slightest.
"…" Ei didn't respond.
She had no interest in learning it—she was just curious.
Lucian's fighting style was utterly devoid of technique, relying entirely on raw stats to brute-force his way through. What was there to learn? It'd probably make her worse. She could teach him a thing or two.
In the end, Lucian's attacks relied on various elemental forces, mainly his water dragon spraying water in people's faces.
Say what you will, but at the very least, you're getting wet today!
Lumine and Yae Miko exchanged a glance, never expecting that Lucian would be the one stealing the show.
According to the original plan, Lucian was supposed to be a bystander, waiting until the plan was complete and Ei abolished the Vision Hunt Decree before giving her a "surprise."
That surprise was revealing the possibility of "resurrection," making Ei ponder "why birds fly," thereby awakening the lingering soul of Makoto within the Musou no Hitotachi.
This would change Ei's mindset, leading her to abandon the Sakoku Decree, while Makoto's soul could find a new "vessel"—a win-win.
But now the plan had gone off the rails. Lucian, originally a spectator, had taken center stage and was performing more energetically than the main cast.
"What now? Does this count as a successful plan?" Lumine asked.
"Hmm…" Yae Miko tapped her chin. "Hehe, as long as we win, it's fine~ It doesn't matter who does the fighting, as long as it's not me~."
Lumine shrugged helplessly. Well, you two made the plan, so whatever you say goes.
After an intense battle, Ei sheathed her blade, and Lucian hurriedly stopped, nearly whipping Ei's backside with his belt.
He wouldn't actually use such a "weapon"—it was pure chaos, like an Indian missile: you hold one end, but where the other end lands is anyone's guess.
Ei didn't take many hits, but Lucian managed to turn his own arm red from flailing.
"You've won," Ei said calmly.
She had been shaken from the start, and her mindset shifted further during the fight.
"So, the Vision Hunt Decree can be abolished?" Lucian asked.
"I lost, so naturally, I'll listen to you," Ei nodded.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Yae Miko: About Lucian and Raiden Ei's Battle
"Hmm… hehe, Ei's expression back then was truly amusing. Oh, I forgot to bring my Kamera!"