The Shogunate's estate hadn't been this lively in a long time—the last time it had seen such commotion was also because of the "Duel Before the Throne."
The estate stood at the highest point in Inazuma City, and within it, the Tenshukaku towered even higher—residence of the most revered Raiden Shogun. Normally, no ordinary person was allowed to linger or wander within its grounds.
The "Duel Before the Throne" was the only exception. To demonstrate authority and fairness, the duel permitted the public to bear witness.
Thus, today was especially bustling.
Among all the noise, one voice rose above the rest.
"Milk tea! Pearl milk tea! Featuring our exclusive chewy and silky secret pearls! The must-have drink for watching the 'Duel Before the Throne'! First-time customers get half off! Come on, come all!"
Paimon puffed up in anger. "Hey, you milk tea guys! Victor's about to duel—how can you still be selling milk tea?!"
"Eh?" Arataki Itto blinked, glancing at Akira, Mamoru, and Genta—who all shook their heads—and then at Kuki Shinobu, who clearly wasn't the type to shout like that. "That… doesn't sound like us, does it?"
"It isn't?"
"Of course not! We didn't even bring the cart over! Why would we be yelling slogans?"
"Someone must be using Victor's name to make money," Lumine sighed. "We can't just let that go on. Let's go check it out."
The Shogunate estate was massive—large enough to hold nearly half of Inazuma City's population and still leave room to move about in the crowd.
Following the voice through twists and turns, Arataki Itto's jaw nearly hit the ground when he saw the stall.
The cart looked exactly like Victor Wang's. And what's more—the ones shouting were two tall, thin men and one rather plump man; the one making milk tea wore a fake pair of red oni horns; and another figure stood behind them, cloaked in black, wearing a fox mask, saying nothing, just standing there with a lofty air.
"Victor?! You left us and found other partners?!" Arataki Itto roared even before reaching the stall, charging straight toward the fox-masked figure.
"Boss, don't be reckless." Kuki Shinobu grabbed his sleeve just in time. "That's not Victor. The stall only looks the same. Stay back—I'll expose them."
None of the Arataki Gang had ever imagined someone would imitate them. They all clenched their fists in fury, but since their brains of the group had spoken, they could only swallow their anger—after all, none of them could beat her.
Kuki Shinobu approached the stand, bought a cup of "pearl milk tea," tasted it, exchanged a few words with the sellers, then pointed in Arataki Itto's direction. The impostors instantly panicked and started packing up.
"Ugh! No wonder those pearls tasted off—they were fake!"
"So that one wearing the mask wasn't the real 'milk tea vendor' after all?"
"Obviously! Who would still be selling milk tea when they're about to risk their life in an 'Duel Before the Throne'?"
The customers drawn in by the stand cursed and dispersed.
"Their 'pearls' were made from dumplings," Kuki Shinobu explained calmly. "Creative, but still inferior to bubble gum. I told them that selling counterfeit products meant confiscation of all profits and a triple fine. They ran off immediately."
But just as she finished speaking, another voice rang out from afar—
"Milk tea! Pearl milk tea! Featuring our exclusive chewy and silky secret pearls! The must-have drink for watching the 'Duel Before the Throne'! First-time customers get half off! Come on, come all!"
"These people are too much!"
"Let's go flip their stall too!"
Paimon and Arataki Itto exchanged an angry look and stormed toward the source—only to freeze once they arrived.
"Beidou? Kazuha? Kokomi? Gorou? Ayaka? Yoimiya? Thoma? And… Miko?!"
The stand was boldly set up right in front of the 'Duel Before the Throne' arena. Once the duel began, its position would directly face the Raiden Shogun herself across the field.
And the customers? All familiar faces. Half the Alcor crew was there, several shrine maidens from the Grand Narukami Shrine, a few editors and writers from Yae Publishing House… all regulars who trusted Victor Wang's reputation and his pearl milk tea. To be fooled now would be heartbreaking.
Paimon was furious. "Don't buy it! That pearl milk tea is fake!"
"Paimon?"
The group turned around—and through the gap between them, Paimon caught a glimpse of the masked person at the stall. Oh? That one actually looked real…
Arataki Itto didn't care whether it was real or not—no one held him back this time. He rushed forward, shouting, "What are you doing?! The 'Duel Before the Throne' is about to start and you're still selling milk tea?!"
"This is such a good opportunity—how could I waste it? Besides, this will probably be the last time I sell milk tea. After this, I'm done."
"What do you mean done? Don't make it sound so depressing!"
"In any case, you've arrived just in time. I'm leaving the milk tea stand in your hands."
At that moment, movement stirred before the Tenshukaku gates. Everyone looked up to see the Okuzumeshuu walking out, holding great wooden drumsticks. On either side of the tower stood enormous drums marked with the threefold tomoe. Their approach signaled the Shogun's impending appearance—and the start of the 'Duel Before the Throne.'
"Good luck. I'll be watching~" Yae Miko said with a sly smile before returning to her seat.
Kamisato Ayato led Ayaka and Thoma back to the designated seats for the Tri-Commission.
Dong… dong… dong!
Just like the last 'Duel Before the Throne' held here, the deep and solemn drumbeats echoed. The doors of the Tenshukaku opened slowly, and the Raiden Shogun emerged with measured steps. At once, the lively crowd fell silent.
"The challenger—step forward!" An Okuzumeshuu officer spoke, representing the Shogun's will from on high.
Countless eyes turned toward Victor Wang—some admiring, some mocking, some pitying, and many simply curious. They all silently asked: "For a cup of milk tea… is it worth it?"
"Victor…" someone called out softly, voice heavy with worry.
"I'll win."
With thousands of gazes behind him and lightning's radiance before him, Victor Wang took a deep breath and stepped up the stairs. His heart pounded wildly—but before he could calm it, a flurry of camera clicks broke the tension.
"Quick, quick!"
"Take pictures! Sketch it! Write it down!"
"Such great material—don't waste it!"
It was, of course, the people from Yae Publishing House.
Paimon blinked. "Uh… what are you all doing?"
"As writers, we're not here just to watch—we're here for inspiration!"
"Can't waste the special leave Lady Miko granted us!"
"Inspiration, huh? Not wrong, but somehow that's super annoying…"
Dong… dong… dong!
The great drums boomed again.
"Challenger, state your name!" The Okuzumeshuu's voice echoed.
Victor Wang raised his head, looking past them to meet the Shogun's gaze high above. "My name is Victor Wang."
Dong… dong… dong!
"Challenger! Your first opponent—Kujou Sara!"
Kujou Sara appeared from the opposite side, drawing a roar from the audience.
Her participation wasn't surprising—after all, among the Shogun's subordinates, there were only a handful as formidable as her, and she had once fought in an 'Duel Before the Throne' herself.
What shocked the crowd was something else entirely.
Tradition dictated that a challenger not only give their name but also state their purpose. Without doing so, even victory might not compel the Shogun to grant their request.
So, this duel's purpose truly was related to the Shogun?
Too absurd to be made public?
The rumor from the neighboring vendor's gossip stand just gained a little more credibility.
Some were genuinely stunned.
Like Arataki Itto.
"What… what does this mean? Does this mean one of them has to die? That can't be…"
"Cowboy, you're just now realizing that? An 'Duel Before the Throne' always ends in death."
"I know… I know… but I didn't think it'd be the Tengu…"
"You mean Kujou Sara? The Shogun doesn't have many Vision holders strong enough—and willing—to risk divine punishment. Her appearance makes perfect sense."
Arataki Itto stared blankly at the two figures on the dueling platform.
Paimon muttered, "If there's a second round, maybe Kamisato Ayato will fight next. And if there's a third… maybe Yae Miko herself. But no matter what, one of them—or more—will face divine punishment."
There would always be a loser. There would always be someone to receive divine judgment. Lumine had been worried about this from the start. If the opponents were villains, fine—but among friends, the thought was unbearable.
"Lumine, what are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking about what Victor said earlier. He said he'd try. But… can he really?"
"What do you mean?"
"I wonder… if he intends to block Musou no Hitotachi."
"The strike that killed The Fair Lady? Even you couldn't stop that. And this is three duels in a row—by the end, how could he have any strength left?"
"Even crazier—he might be planning to block it for his opponent."
Paimon opened her mouth to argue, but Lumine's tone was uncertain. After a moment, she simply said, "If he can really do that… it would be the best outcome."
No one else spoke. Even those who believed most in Victor Wang—Beidou, Kazuha, Sangonomiya Kokomi—could only treat that hope as a fragile "if."
Because the record of Musou no Hitotachi was absolute. Only Kazuha had once survived it. And even now… he wasn't sure he could block it again.