If Scaramouche hadn't unleashed the Raiden Shogun's power, turning himself into that combat-doll form to push his lightning abilities to their limit.
And instead fought Lumine while maintaining his sanity, relying only on his divine body's strength, speed, and reflexes...
Would things have gone any differently?
Probably not.
Let's face it—there was no way he could win.
Still, the fight might not have ended so quickly or decisively.
One leap into the air, one close-up assault, and he was already retreating in defeat.
The self-proclaimed "boss," brimming with confidence after entering his second phase, didn't even get the chance to show off his full might before Lumine's counter overwhelmed him completely—slamming him straight into the ground.
Honestly, the fact that Scaramouche lost so fast is kind of proof of how strong he actually was.
That raging storm of Electro energy that he created carried destructive force enough to tear through almost anything… but not enough to transcend into a higher elemental state.
Unfortunately for him, that meant he was still within Lumine's range of elemental conversion.
When she shifted his Electro energy into Pyro, it was just as volatile and intense as before—
and she didn't even convert all of it.
Instead, she carefully targeted individual particles of energy, converting only a few at a time to maintain balance.
The result?
A chain reaction between the Electro and Pyro particles that spiraled completely out of control.
Scaramouche fired up his cannon— and boom.
Total meltdown.
To be honest, this wasn't a normal elemental reaction anymore—it was pure chaos.
And considering Lumine was also wielding the "Dream One Heart," the same divine weapon as the Raiden Shogun herself, it's no surprise that Scaramouche went down at lightning speed.
"Whoa—Lumine! Are you okay!?"
As soon as the spatial rift opened, Paimon who had been anxiously waiting burst through before Lumine could even widen the gap, her voice full of raw worry.
"There's a big problem," Lumine said, keeping a perfectly straight face. "I'll need a Paimon hug to recover."
"Whew, so you are fine! Don't lock me out like that again—you scared me half to death!"
Tilting her head, Paimon glanced around at the battlefield—at the Fatui corpses scattered across the ground—and blinked in shock.
"Wha—Lumine! You've gotten this strong already!?"
Hands on her hips, chest out and chin high, Lumine wore a smug look that practically screamed, "Go on, say it—praise me more!"
But the wrecked scene before her quickly reminded her that it was time to clean up the battlefield.
The massive Electro-Pyro explosion had unleashed a storm that tore through the surrounding jungle, shredding trees and blasting the ground into clouds of dirt and stone.
Even though Lumine had opened multiple spatial rifts around the area to contain the blast, nearby buildings still took some collateral damage.
After all, killing a Fatui Harbinger inside Inazuma City wasn't exactly a small matter.
Lumine wasn't too worried about retaliation from Snezhnaya, but if Inazuma itself got caught in the mess, that'd be a real problem.
Good thing everyone was still gathered at the plaza.
'Time to clean up fast and get out of here.'
She banished the Fatui soldiers' corpses into the void through spatial rifts, then used her ability Boundary of Wholeness and Ruin to repair the damaged structures.
In mere seconds, the area looked exactly as it had before the fight.
Satisfied, Lumine nodded, grabbed Paimon's hand, and stepped back into the rift.
When she emerged, she leapt straight into Nagami's arms, resuming their shared link of thought and spirit.
Through the connection, she instantly absorbed everything Nagami had just learned from his visit to Celestia—and it was almost exactly what they'd both theorized earlier.
This time, he'd directly observed Teyvat's Ether Anchor and measured the sheer level of data processing power needed to completely control it.
Nagami planned to toss that research problem to Otto.
Or better yet, toss Otto himself into Teyvat and make him figure out how to seize control of the Ley Lines between the stars and the abyss.
Knowing Otto and his scheming brilliance, he'd pull it off flawlessly.
The only concern? With how much trouble that man tends to stir, the gods and mortals of Teyvat might end up suffering for it.
Right now, the world of Honkai was enjoying a rare period of peace.
It had taken the will of Honkai an enormous effort to bring about the fourth Herrscher, so there likely wouldn't be another one anytime soon.
As for the Overseer of Schicksal—these days he was either shamelessly pestering Nagami or holed up in his room grinding ranks in Kallen Fantasy Online.
Honestly, the man had way too much free time.
And his daily responsibilities? Please, that's what his secretary Amber was for.
Just hand everything to her!
Whatever few decisions required Otto's personal touch could easily be handled in between his "breaks."
Let's just say—Otto was also a master of looking busy while doing nothing.
Holding the soft, warm body of the Raiden Shogun close, Lumine rubbed her cheek against the woman's flawless pale skin, completely unabashed.
It was like discovering a brand-new luxury skincare product—and Lumine had no complaints about the results.
[Lumine]: Mmm... For our first condition, how about asking for the Dream One Heart's sword sheath? It's just too good to pass up~
Nagami only shrugged in response, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Still... a sword sheath as their first demand? Really?
Behind them, Paimon floated with a deadpan look—like a grandparent watching someone stare at their phone on the subway, totally lost for words.
'What the heck is going on here?'
'Why is Raiden Shogun acting so weirdly around Lumine?'
And the strangest part?
Raiden Shogun and Lumine hadn't spoken a single word out loud.
From Paimon's perspective, the two had just stared at each other the entire time—
in total silence.
From little Paimon's perspective, the scene before her was beyond bizarre.
["The Tri-Commission members are here."]
Nagami loosened his hold on the girl in his arms and straightened his slightly wrinkled clothing — a result of Lumine's earlier clinginess.
Using Raiden Shogun's body didn't feel strange at all; it was no different from when he borrowed C.C.'s form.
The only noticeable difference was that… well, there was slightly more weight on his chest.
'Just slightly.' If his senses weren't so sharp, he wouldn't have noticed at all.
"Let's go Paimon, we still have work to do."
Before Paimon could finish her panicked "Waaah!", Lumine grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into a rift to explain everything, leaving Nagami behind to handle the situation.
Led by a few civil officials responsible for ceremonial documents, the representatives of the Tri-Commission entered the grand hall with solemn steps.
Before them stood the dignified figure of the Shogun herself, clad in her resplendent violet robes.
"Greetings, Your Excellency, the Shogun!" Everyone bowed deeply with utmost respect.
Nagami still inhabiting the Shogun's body — turned around and gave a calm, regal nod while simultaneously editing her latest behavioral protocols.
His expression was serene yet carried an undeniable divine authority.
His gaze swept over the officials, finally settling on a young man with silver-white hair.
Kamisato Ayato.
Head of the Kamisato Clan, and Ayaka's older brother.
He hadn't appeared in the "game" yet — this was Nagami's first time meeting him face-to-face.
The other two figures were the leaders of the Kujou Clan from the Tenryou Commission and the Hiiragi Clan from the Kanjou Commission.
Within the plane of consciousness known as the "One Mind Pure Land," Nagami paused his programming and thoughtfully stroked his chin.
Among the Tri-Commission, the Tenryou Commission oppressed the people, the Kanjou Commission was riddled with corruption, and the Yashiro Commission… well, they were essentially double agents.
Put that together, and Inazuma's situation was downright tragic.
The only consolation was that, while the Yashiro Commission might be playing both sides, at least they genuinely cared for Inazuma's well-being.
Unfortunately, since their domain mainly revolved around culture and festivals, they lacked the military and economic strength to counterbalance the other two.
It was worth noting that Lumine's actions in this version of events differed greatly from the "game."
She hadn't been directly involved with the Kujou or Hiiragi families at all.
Nagami's gaze grew subtly amused as it fell upon the two clan heads bowing respectfully — Kujou Takayuki and Hiiragi Shinsuke both still secretly in league with the Fatui.
He tapped his temple in thought.
After a moment's consideration, he decided not to intervene.
Normally, he couldn't care less about meddling in a nation's political affairs.
"I'll just leave a note for Ei," he muttered.
He organized all the information he knew about Inazuma's internal corruption and stored it in Raiden Shogun's data system.
What Ei did with that knowledge later was her decision.
Though, knowing her, she'd probably just cut them down.
Then, in the Shogun's name, Nagami formally declared two new decrees:
—The abolition of the Vision Hunt Decree, and
—The lifting of the Sakoku (Isolation) Edict.
Ei had already agreed to this earlier, and Nagami was merely carrying out her will.
No one objected — not that anyone dared to.
To question a Archon's authority here would be pure suicide.
Both decrees had been in effect for a long time, and it was precisely because of them that Inazuma had reached such a breaking point.
Ordinary citizens had long grown resentful over the isolation, while Vision holders hadn't known peace in ages.
But now—
The Vision Hunt and Isolation decrees were abolished!
The news spread like wildfire across Inazuma.
The once-gloomy city burst into cheers, the streets alive with laughter and celebration as people shouted praises for the Raiden Shogun's name.
Through the divine network connecting him to the Electro Archon, Nagami could feel the surge of faith and devotion flowing into the Shogun's heart.
Meanwhile, the one group most bewildered by the announcement was the Resistance Army.
Gathered on Watatsumi Island, Sangonomiya Kokomi and her commanders were in the middle of a strategy meeting when a scout burst in, breathless, shouting the news.
For a few moments, the entire room fell silent.
Everyone turned to look at one another in disbelief — an almost comical wave of confusion sweeping through the ranks.
Gorou stared down at the tactical scroll Kokomi had given him, his mind blank.
'It's over?'
'The Vision Hunt Decree… ended just like that?'
The very goal they had been fighting for — achieved in an instant.
Some Vision holders who had lost their powers wept openly, gazing at the streak of light that shot across the sky, symbolizing the decree's end.
But oddly, not everyone shared the joy.
Many within the Resistance were ordinary people.
And really — what did ordinary humans have to do with the Vision Hunt?
The truth was, the Resistance had long been a tangled mess.
Many factions, hidden motives, and even the Fatui's manipulations were involved in stirring chaos across Inazuma.
But in the end, none of it mattered.
The Resistance itself had always been something of a farce.
Just like in the "game," the decrees' abolishment had little to do with them.
It was all because the Traveler had faced the Raiden Shogun directly — and won.
That was the nature of a nation ruled by gods:
defeat the deity, and everything else falls into place.
And if anyone still refused to accept it…
Well, they were welcome to experience Inazuma's greatest natural wonder for themselves — the Musou no Hitotachi.