Mondstadt might have Eula, Jean, Lisa, and Noelle.
But compared to them, what Su Ran really wanted was to see Yae Miko, the Raiden Shogun, and Kamisato Ayaka.
And of course, for a certain reason— Raiden i, the superstar actress from the "Mi" company.
He couldn’t help but wonder:
Was the Raiden Shogun in this world a perfect copy of Raiden i?
Even if not, just seeing her in person would be worth it.
What’s more, he was genuinely curious about the Shogun’s inner workings.
After all, creating an automaton wasn’t that hard.
But a puppet that could rival gods?
That was sothing worth investigating.
As for the Gnosis?
That was never his goal.
The Fatui would collect those anyway.
"See you in Inazuma~."
Su Ran winked at the Lady, and before she could erupt in fury, he vanished into thin air.
"Damn bastard!"
Rosalyne stomped her foot in rage as she watched him disappear.
The Fatui agents marching with her didn’t dare make a sound, much less comfort her.
Everyone knew her temper—and if she needed an outlet, they’d probably be the first to burn.
All they could do was pretend nothing had happened and continue the journey.
"Even without you, I’ll claim the Anemo Archon’s Gnosis!"
She seethed.
At least Su Ran had been useful in one regard:
She now knew what Barbatos’ true form looked like.
No need for elaborate sches to drag him out anymore.
"Lady Harbinger, since the Genius abandoned this mission, should we... report it to the Jester?"
asked a nearby Electro Cicin Mage cautiously.
The Jester—Pierro—was the First Harbinger, leader of them all.
And what Su Ran had done definitely counted as dereliction of duty.
Normally, punishnt would be unavoidable.
Even the Doctor, the forr Second Harbinger, would still execute Pierro’s missions with care.
"Report? Report what? You think Pierro’s head is harder than Capitano’s helt?"
Rosalyne’s glare silenced the mage instantly.
So what if they reported it?
What could Pierro possibly do?
Even Capitano, with his monstrous strength, couldn’t lift a finger against Su Ran.
What difference would the Jester make?
Calling Su Ran "the Second Harbinger" was just a label.
In truth, he stood outside the hierarchy.
The title was nothing more than a tag— a way to tie him to the Fatui, to keep other nations from poaching him.
Rosalyne didn’t doubt for a second:
even the Tsaritsa herself couldn’t force Su Ran to do anything.
"Double the pace. We must reach Mondstadt faster!"
Her eyes blazed.
"Barbatos’ Gnosis will be mine!"
Unable to touch the Second, she’d simply vent her rage on the Anemo Archon.
What was a weak god, who neither gathered faith nor commanded true power, compared to her?
anwhile, a streak of white light tore across Inazuma’s storm-wracked skies.
So brazen.
So reckless.
The commotion imdiately broke the Raiden Shogun’s ditation within Tenshukaku.
She seized her naginata and shot into the sky to intercept the intruder.
Purple lightning clashed with white brilliance above Inazuma.
The thunderous blast shook the land, and countless eyes turned upward.
"To trespass in my Inazuma... you are bold indeed!"
Su Ran stared at the figure blocking his path.
The Raiden Shogun, shrouded in violet lightning.
Her face stern, her gaze sharp.
Not at all the dopey, blank expression he rembered from... well, elsewhere.
Maybe that was because this was the Shogun.
Not Ei.
"I could be bolder still. Care to test , General?"
Su Ran’s tone was teasing, his eyes deliberately roving over her figure.
"Degenerate!"
The Shogun snapped, swinging her naginata down in a flash of thunder.
"Perfect. This will be my first real fight in Teyvat.
Ti to see what a god can actually do!"
Though his body was strengthened, though he had gained the power of a Herrscher,
Su Ran honestly had no idea where his combat ability stood.
After all, the Herrscher of Reason wasn’t specialized for battle.
Still, that gave him so leeway.
If even a Herrscher of Reason packed devastating destructive power,
then soone like the Raiden Shogun would be no match at all.
He gathered a portion of his strength.
When her naginata ca slashing down, he simply raised his palm to et it.
A second collision.
Purple lightning scattered— and in the next instant, the Shogun was blasted thousands of ters away, crashing straight into the sea.
"...Huh?"
Su Ran blinked in disbelief at the splash.
That slap hadn’t even been serious.
Was the Raiden Shogun... trying to scam him?
He was the Herrscher of Reason, not exactly fad for raw combat might.
That strike had been less than ten percent of his strength.
How could it possibly send an Archon flying that far?
Were gods really that fragile?
"Maybe... she’s transforming?"
He frowned at the still, rippling surface of the sea.
In gas, bosses always had a second phase after you dropped their first HP bar.
The Shogun, after all, had her Musou Isshin form.
But ten minutes passed.
The ocean remained eerily calm.
A sinking feeling hit him.
"...I didn’t just one-shot her, did I?"
Panicked, Su Ran dove into the water to search for her.
Back on land, Inazuma was already in chaos.
That purple lightning just now?
Everyone recognized it instantly— their god.
The people had thought the Shogun was fighting to repel an intruder.
But in the end, the one who crashed into the sea... was the Shogun herself.
Everyone had seen it.
Everyone was whispering.
And now, the storm that would sweep across Inazuma was inevitable.
Even at the Grand Narukami Shrine, the kitsune Yae Miko could not laugh.
Her smile had stiffened into silence.
"The Shogun... was defeated, just like that?"
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