But even without using divine power, breaking through someone's shields depended on actually being able to hit Lumine.
The dragon she rode flew at incredible speed, surrounded by six others — all at Archon-level minion strength. On top of that, there was Ayaka's strange fan that forcibly repelled attacks.
Without divine power… it wasn't so simple at all.
For a moment, the situation stalemated.
Lumine waved her hand impatiently.
"Hey! Why don't you just let us leave! You can't catch us anyway!"
Ei was silent for a moment, then pointed at Yae Miko.
"You may leave, but never come to Inazuma again. Also, leave Yae Miko behind!"
"That's impossible!" Lumine pouted.
"I'm going to travel to Inazuma, and it's Ayaka's home. I promised Yae Miko I'd show her Liyue!"
"Then change your condition!"
Ei frowned.
"This isn't a condition! It's an order!"
"Huh?" Lumine crossed her arms, clearly annoyed.
"Why should I follow your order? I'm not even from Inazuma!"
"If you want to fight, fight. If not, step aside! We're going back!"
Ei's gaze darkened as she slowly raised her sword.
"Stubborn and unrepentant!"
"You're the one being stubborn!" Paimon couldn't hold back.
They were so close to returning to Liyue and finding Ryen, yet Ei blocked them here. She was furious.
Flying ahead on the dragon, she shouted indignantly:
"You stubborn mule! We're all doing this for Inazuma!"
"Just because you want to stay home doesn't mean no one else can go see the world!"
"Step aside, or Paimon the Great will whack you!"
Waving her tiny fists, Paimon had, honestly, zero intimidating power.
But Ei frowned after glancing at her, and suddenly felt truly troubled.
It turned out Lumine and Ayaka weren't the real trump cards. Their true ace… was Paimon!
This little thing… what exactly was she? On the surface, she seemed like a simple flying pet. But she carried the power of…
Barbatos, the Anemo Archon
Morax, the Geo Archon
Tsaritsa, the Cryo Archon
Nahida, the Dendro Archon
Four Archon-level powers. Even moving slightly could provoke four Archons.
What on earth was this creature? How could four Archons favor her so much?
Lumine smirked secretly. It looked like Ei had realized something was off.
The divine power Paimon carried had been granted by Ryen to Zhongli and the others. If anything went wrong, they'd be notified immediately — provided Zhongli and the others were still in Teyvat, of course.
Paimon was Ryen's favorite little flying companion — there was no way she would be allowed to suffer any injustice.
Ei was now caught in a dilemma.
On the distant horizon, a line of warships slowly approached. It was clear that the people of Liyue had learned what was happening here, and the stationed soldiers of Guyun Stone Forest had been dispatched.
Lumine glanced at them and shrugged.
"Still not leaving? Liyue has already noticed. If you fight us here, you'll be slapping Liyue in the face."
"Do you think Ningguang and the others will let Inazuma get away with this?"
Ei cast a glance at the rapidly approaching Liyue fleet, then turned her head and said coldly,
"Within one minute, I'll deal with you!"
With that, she lifted Musou Isshin again. This time, there was no roaring thunder — only dense lightning coiling around the blade. Even without divine power, her martial technique was peerless!
Unfortunately, Lumine was a traveler of the starry seas. Her combat skills might not match Ei perfectly, but they weren't far behind either.
She activated her shields, drew her diamond-enchanted sword, and spurred the dragon forward straight at Ei.
But clearly, Lumine overestimated her current strength. Even without using divine power, Ei was far beyond what Lumine could contend with. With ease, Ei struck, sending her flying with a single slash.
Ei had intended to seize the opportunity to attack further, but six dragons beside her unleashed dragon breaths. Various elemental forces — and even pure magic — roared outward.
Ei frowned. Though she wouldn't be seriously injured by the attacks, Ayaka was still brandishing her peacock-feather fan, watching her closely.
She flickered, dodging the reach of the dragon breath. One dragon dove instantly, catching Lumine. The traveler rubbed her tingling wrist, clearly annoyed.
She hadn't been this weak before! Blame the Celestia — now even a casual slash from Ei was too much to withstand.
Judging from Ei's expression, she was determined to take Yae Miko away. Lumine could only hope that Zhongli and the others would notice the commotion here and come to help. But all of this depended on Ryen and the others not having gone to the MC world — and Lumine wasn't sure of their whereabouts.
Lost in thought, the sound of a shield breaking rang from behind. Ei had somehow appeared behind her, lightly slashing, and broke one of Lumine's shields.
"Four left," Ei said indifferently.
Another slash followed. Lumine hurriedly blocked, but another shield shattered. Ei watched calmly.
"Seems you don't truly understand how to use your shields."
"If they can't block, they break. If they can't endure, they shatter."
"Shields are indeed amazing, but it seems you don't know how to use them…"
Lumine felt a weight in her chest. Ei had already figured out the true limits of her shields; after this… things were going to get rough.
Just as she fretted, a rainbow-like light appeared on the horizon. Pure celestial energy shaped a bridge, lifting Lumine and the others.
"Her Excellency Beelzebub, why do you raise arms in my Liyue?"
Lumine exhaled in relief, her mood lightening. The rescuers had arrived!
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