This fic will have the advanced chapters aired next week. With 7 chapters update ahead of the schedule from Monday to Friday. As for the Membership Plan should be half of the price MyDeRe—since the released chapters also half of it.
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For anyone interested, or just want to support me. Hit the membership button to my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ModerateCitizens
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Azhdaha rumbled, his voice echoing like distant thunder beneath the earth: "The Fatui Harbingers are truly relentless. Just as the Group Leader prepares to leave Inazuma, they choose this moment to appear."
A soft tremor followed, tinged with regret. "If only I could move—I would gladly lend my strength."
Then, with a faint sigh:
"@Sangonomiya Kokomi — have your people encountered the Group Leader?"
Kokomi responded swiftly: "Not yet. Futsu Mitama seems to have already departed. Gorou and Kazuha are currently engaging the elite squad commanded by Kujou Sara."
She paused, assessing the battlefield with practiced clarity. "Kujou Sara is manageable, and her elite soldiers pose little threat—but that Onikabuto—his sheer force cannot be underestimated."
Before she could continue, a new message flashed into the group.
Kuki Shinobu: "@Sangonomiya Kokomi, are you there?"
Kokomi: "Yes. I came specifically to retrieve you, but unexpectedly crossed paths with Shogunate forces."
Her next words were tinged with inevitability. "It makes sense—Gorou, Kazuha, and I all sensed the surge of elemental energy from your battle. Naturally, Kujou Sara and the others would sense it too."
Kuki Shinobu: "To summarize: we are currently fighting the Eighth Fatui Harbinger — the Lady. Her power is immense, and unlike Scaramouche, she is neither arrogant nor careless. But we have three on our side. As long as nothing unexpected happens, victory will be ours."
Raiden Makoto: "Do not be careless. Still—with the three of you together, even if you cannot win, you can certainly escape."
Yae Miko: A soft, playful laugh drifted through the channel. "My my, the Fatui truly have a knack for being irritating. But it's fine. I anticipated this. I left the Electro Archon Authority with the little one. If she fully unleashes it within Inazuma, Ei or the Shogun will sense it immediately—and when that happens, the Lady's fate is sealed."
Futsu Mitama: "Understood. I will handle her first. Once I leave Inazuma, I cannot rely on the Shogun to intervene every time."
Kamisato Ayaka: "Please be careful, Futsu Mitama."
The battlefield — a lone, storm-scarred islet
The scene returned to the tiny island where lightning still clung to the air. Musou Isshin in hand, Futsu Mitama struck at the Lady with a flash that split the horizon. At his side, Shinobu followed, her blade arcing with precise, resolute strength.
The three of them moved in unity—a unity as sharp as polished steel. Such moments were rare: usually, Shinobu's single strike was enough to decide the fight. If not, Futsu Mitama's sword would finish it.
But today, the battle refused to yield.
Clang!! — Clang!!
A crystalline barrier of ice rose around the Lady, gleaming with the cold arrogance of the Cryo Archon's authority. Her lips curved into a disdainful smile.
"How pitiful. So this is all you amount to? Even without the fox's blessing, you believed you could threaten me?"
Mocking contempt dripped from her voice. "That Scaramouche—terrified of the Raiden Shogun—truly overestimated you."
Her fingers danced sharply, and more than a dozen ice lances launched outward.
Swish—swish—swish!!
But talisman papers laced with faint Electro light shot past Futsu Mitama from behind, spinning protectively around him and Aila. Delicate snowflakes floated down—only to be burned away by sudden violet sparks.
Futsu Mitama blinked in surprise. Shinobu did possess shrine-maiden arts, but—why didn't she use them in the game?
Then again, even Tartaglia didn't summon a whale in the real world. So fair enough. The Lady narrowed her eyes. "Petty tricks. How many attacks do you think such feeble talisman arts can withstand?"
Kuki Shinobu replied evenly: "Defense is only meant to block key attacks. Even stopping one or two can change the flow of battle."
Before the Lady could retort, Aila rushed in. Her tachi swept forth, releasing a sea-blue wave of Hydro energy—like an ink-wash painting unfurled mid-air—against the icy barrier.
Creak… creak…
The slash froze mid-impact. Aila's brows furrowed. This woman's defenses were nothing short of absurd. She retreated swiftly—barely dodging the retaliatory strike. Futsu Mitama seized the gap and appeared behind the Lady, thrusting Musou Isshin forward—
Crack!
His blade shattered. The barrier held. But a sword made purely of condensed Electro was easy enough to reform. The Lady's laugh was sharp, cold as permafrost.
"Do you see now? This is the gulf between us."
Then—
A frigid pulse burst outward from her body. The seawater surrounding the island froze solid. An unnatural chill crept into Futsu Mitama, Aila, and Kuki Shinobu's bones.
The Lady had turned the entire island into her domain. Ice spears, ice flowers, and crystalline projectiles spiraled through the air. She didn't move. She simply watched them dodge, amused—
as though this were nothing more than a gentle diversion.
"This is an Archon Authority."
Dodging another barrage, Futsu Mitama said calmly: "Aila, that barrier carries the Cryo Archon's authority. It's sturdy, but not invincible."
"Try using an item. You may be able to pierce it."
The Lady scoffed. Even if they recognized it, what could mortals do? Unless he used the Electro Archon Authority; but even then, she doubted the outcome would change.
Aila nodded silently. Her hand touched the broken silver pocket watch at her waist—a reward from a group sign-in. It granted speed. And the Young Master once said:
"Speed is power."
If your blade is sharp, and your speed fast enough—even gods can bleed.
She inhaled once. And pressed the button. Swish!!!
A sound like shattering glass echoed across the islet.
The Lady's eyes widened.
Aila's tachi had already pierced her lower abdomen.
The Cryo barrier—destroyed.
Impossible. No divine authority had intervened. It was pure speed. Speed she could not even process. Humiliation ignited a blaze in the Lady's eyes.
"I WILL KILL YOU!!!"
She summoned a massive ice spear and hurled it—
Rumble!!! A thunderbolt tore it apart. The Lady snapped toward Kuki Shinobu, fury boiling. Futsu Mitama's chance had come.
Purple light flickered in his gaze. Chakra Desiderata unfurled behind him—
and the skies darkened instantly. He reformed Musou Isshin, vanishing from sight—
And reappearing behind the Lady.
Bang!!
The strike hammered into the Cryo barrier, fractures crawling across its surface like spiderwebs. Aila's Hydro Vision glowed. The blade lodged in the Lady's body pulsed with frigid blue—
Hydro and Cryo mingling in an instant.
If she froze the Lady even for one heartbeat, they would win. Futsu Mitama swung again—
But the Lady vanished, retreating for the first time. Her expression twisted with indignity.
"You… YOU'VE ANGERED ME!!!"
She froze her wound with Cryo, breath quivering with hatred. Scaramouche had survived the Raiden Shogun. But she—
a Harbinger—injured by three nobodies? Unacceptable.
The battle shifts — fire awakens
Futsu Mitama spoke lightly, almost taunting: "A righteous three-on-one. Don't blame us for being shameless. If your subordinates were here, perhaps the outcome would differ. But now—I wonder how long you can endure."
He raised his hand.
"Baleful Omen."
Purple lightning ruptured the air. Futsu Mitama descended before the Lady and cleaved downward. Dozens of lightning bolts rained upon her barrier—
Crack!! Bang!!!
The barrier shattered. But Musou Isshin dimmed. Authority clashed with authority—
and both paid the price. Futsu Mitama pressed the advantage, leaving fresh wounds on the Lady.
She screamed—a shrill, incandescent fury—
And flames erupted from her body. Heat surged, replacing the earlier cold. Even Futsu Mitama felt his chest tighten. She brandished a whip of living fire—and struck. Ice spears materialized again, targeting Aila and Kuki Shinobu. Futsu Mitama retreated under the blazing assault.
"She's still only in her first phase?"
Reality was harsher than the weekly boss arena. Aila, undaunted, stepped forward.
"If it's fire—leave it to me."
Hydro energy surged from her blade as she blocked the flaming whip. A hiss of steam—
And the flames were extinguished. But the Lady's rage burned hotter still. Thunder growled overhead.
The Lady froze. She looked up—
A colossal Electro eye had formed in the sky, gazing down upon her like judgment incarnate. Electro Archon authority— even as a fragment of divinity, it bore the timeless weight of a god's will. Though the Seven still watched over Teyvat, most past Archons had long since fallen, faded, or vanished into obscurity. Yet their power never truly died.
Even Sangonomiya Kokomi, the present-day Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island, could call upon remnants of the deceased Orobashi's might. Archons were eternal; even when their vessels perished, their authority lingered.
Thus, when the Electro Archon's power surged—especially here, in Inazuma, so close to her own domain—both Raiden Ei and the puppet Shogun sensed it immediately. In Tenshukaku, the Raiden Shogun lifted her gaze. Within Inazuma, her authority bordered on omnipotence. The storm that cloaked the islands was her doing; should she will it, all life within Inazuma could be judged by lightning.
For a moment, the Shogun's thoughts froze. Under most circumstances, if an entity like Yae Miko—who possessed a sanctioned share of the Electro Archon's authority—used that power, she did not interfere.
But this time was different. Yae Miko had entrusted that authority to Futsu Mitama. He was the one Ei had chosen—the one she favored as a future Eternal Guardian. Should she intervene now, to see why he wielded the Electro Archon's authority to such an extent?
The puppet's motions stiffened imperceptibly. Though she possessed self-awareness, her primary function remained unchanged: she existed to enact Raiden Ei's will. As long as Ei did not act against eternity, the puppet would not move on her own.
"Go and see."
Ei's voice drifted through her consciousness—faint, distant, as though she were eating while speaking.
The Shogun nodded. In the next second, her awareness ascended from Tenshukaku, rising to the highest vantage in all Inazuma. Crafted in Ei's perfect likeness, free from decay and undying, the Raiden Shogun bore no flaw save for her rigid disposition. In every other regard, she was absolute.
Lightning gathered. A vast mass of Electro coalesced in the heavens, forming a divine purple eye that gazed down upon the battlefield below. Futsu Mitama and the Harbinger both sensed it instantly.
"—!!!"
The Harbinger's pupils shrank. Terror surged through her veins. Impossible. Yae Miko was nowhere near this place—yet Futsu Mitama's use of the Electro Archon authority had summoned that existence?
Was it the puppet? Or the Electro Archon herself?!
Their intelligence had never mentioned this. At all. Her gaze darted briefly to Futsu Mitama—Musou Isshin in hand, the thunderstorm sigil behind him, lightning rippling in his eyes.
Lightning in his eyes… the blade in his hand… If not for his hair color, he resembled a male Raiden Shogun.
Could it be—?!
The thought chilled her, but she wasted no more time. She erupted into the form of the Crimson Witch of Flames and fled without hesitation. She believed herself capable of matching Mondstadt's Anemo Archon in raw force—but against Inazuma's god of martial arts?
There was only one instinct left:
Escape!!!
Escape, or die!!! Stopping to fight was suicide.
"Pathetic." Kuki Shinobu merely shook her head and did nothing. Aila and Futsu Mitama did not pursue either. With that divine presence looming above them, pursuit was unnecessary. The three exchanged looks of pity. Just moments before, the Harbinger had held the advantage—but now, her fate was sealed. Once the Shogun acted, the ending could only be one.
The divine eye shifted. From the heavens, a colossal hand of pure lightning extended forth—its fingers grasping a tachi mirroring Musou Isshin in shape and majesty. A primal, suffocating dread consumed the Harbinger. If that strike fell, she would die.
"W-WAIT—!! I am a Snezhnayan Diplomat! You cannot kill me! I have not harmed your eternity! I was only sparring with your citizens! If you strike me down—Snezhnaya will not forgive Inazuma! Your eternity will crumble!"
Her cry echoed across the battlefield. Futsu Mitama's expression twitched. It was exactly the same excuse the cannon-fodder Fatui had given earlier. Did Harbingers all share one script?
The plea reached the divine presence above. The Raiden Shogun assessed Futsu Mitama—unharmed—then weighed the Harbinger's threat against Ei's established protocols regarding foreign diplomats.
"This is your last reprieve. If it happens again… Snezhnayan Diplomat—prepare to die."
Her voice descended like thunder.
Sparring?
What fool would believe that? Both sides had invoked divine power—this was unmistakably a battle to the death. Three strikes and one warning. This time, she would spare the Harbinger. But the punishment would not be light—and if there was a next time, no envoy from Snezhnaya, not even the Tsaritsa herself, would leave Inazuma unscathed.
The tachi fell. All vision was consumed by violet light. Futsu Mitama and the others shielded their eyes. When their sight returned, the Crimson Witch had vanished.
"Did she die?" Shinobu asked.
"No," Futsu Mitama replied calmly. "Neither the Shogun nor Lady Ei would kill a Harbinger at this moment."
He traced the distant line of pure Electro left across the horizon. "She said it herself—this is the second warning. One more incident, and the next will not escape."
Aila sheathed her tachi in silence.
"And…" Futsu Mitama looked skyward. The divine eye had already faded. "Since Lord Shogun has withdrawn, she likely won't pursue this matter further."
"A blessing, in a way. Had the fight happened nearer to the Resistance, they would've been implicated."
Futsu Mitama had expected this—the possibility that using the Electro Archon authority might catch Ei's attention. And if her gaze fell upon the Resistance's forces in the same moment…
She might have struck them as well. As for the skirmish with the Shogunate soldiers earlier—he harbored no concern. A Kujou officer had initiated the conflict without cause.
With his status now—holder of the title Eternal Guardian, able to request audience with the Shogun at any time—his standing matched, or even surpassed, the Three Commissions, comparable to Yae Miko herself.
He opened the Chat Group and reported the outcome to Sangonomiya Kokomi, arranging to regroup at the Resistance Camp. The battle concluded under the shadow of the Raiden Shogun's distant intervention.
Meanwhile—
A faint, flickering Crimson Witch of Flames crashed onto a remote patch of ground. As the glow dimmed, she reverted to her battered human form. Gone was her arrogance. Bloodied, trembling, barely alive—yet alive nonetheless.
"Damn it… damn it… damn it!!!"
Her voice shook with fury and humiliation. She lay motionless, fully aware of her helplessness.
"How disgraceful, Lady."
A young man stepped from the shadows—half his face concealed by a mask. He looked down upon her with amused contempt.
"I expected something more elegant from you. Instead, you ended up like Scaramouche—knocked down by that puppet the moment the fight began."
His tone dripped with mockery.
"Hmph."
The Lady forced herself upright, bracing against a tree to avoid collapsing again. She glared at him coldly.
"A slice of your youth, is it? Dottore—you truly think little of Scaramouche."
The figure before her was indeed Dottore—the Second Harbinger, or rather, one of his many "slice." Each slice possessed its own identity, temperament, and level of power. This one was comparatively weak—perhaps even weaker than her. He had likely come not to join the fight, but to tend to Scaramouche's injuries.
But could he even heal him? Scaramouche was missing an arm and a leg.
"No, no. I think quite highly of Scaramouche." The young Dottore crossed his arms with a faint smile. "I had intended to gather intel from you first. Imagine my surprise when I arrived only to see you provoke the Raiden Shogun—then get cleaved down immediately. It may not have been the Musou no Hitotachi, but you survived. Barely. That diplomat status of yours, though? Worthless now."
His words cut sharply—and truthfully. The Lady's expression darkened further. By chasing Futsu Mitama so recklessly, she had destroyed her only shield.
"Enough," Dottore waved dismissively. "Where's Scaramouche?"
"In the Delusion Factory." She froze her wounds with Cryo in a practiced motion. "Good. I was heading there anyway."
She gritted her teeth. "Futsu Mitama—I suspect Scaramouche lied to me."
His technique, the Shogun's response—everything contradicted the intel. Scaramouche had fought him twice. There was no way he didn't know the truth. Which meant—
He had tricked her.
"Futsu Mitama?" Interest flickered in Dottore's eyes. "So you actually saw him."
"You didn't read the intelligence?" The Lady shot him a sharp look.
"I rushed here the moment I learned Scaramouche lost both an arm and a leg. Otherwise, I'd still be in Liyue." He shrugged lightly. "I didn't have time to read anything."
"He's not just some ordinary winemaker anymore." Annoyance and pain colored her voice. "Judging by his strength—and the Shogun's reaction—he may be a new puppet created by her. Or a Shogun's Retainer like Yae Miko. In any case, his ties to the Electro Archon run deep."
A dull ache throbbed through her abdomen; she pressed her hand over the wound.
"I see—" Dottore's eyes sharpened with calculation.
The Lady continued, "By the way—why did you order Futsu Mitama to be brought to Snezhnaya? Is there something abnormal about his wine? Or did you know his identity early?"
Dottore had been the first Harbinger to pay attention to Futsu Mitama—long before either she or Scaramouche had suffered at his hands.
Why?
"It's not that I knew his identity." Dottore began walking, voice unhurried. "The wine he brews increases Electro resistance without drawbacks—and enhances the body as well."
He smiled lightly.
"Every method I've researched—biological modification, strengthening serums, mechanical alterations—they all have flaws. But his wine has none. Only slight improvements, yes, but safe. Consistent. Reliable. That alone proves he isn't ordinary. So I ordered the local Fatui to capture him."
The Lady's brows knit. "If you had told me earlier, I could have captured him before he grew this strong."
"Why should I?" Dottore gave her a sidelong glance. "So you could steal him from me?"
"You—!"
She nearly erupted again but stopped herself. Among the Harbingers, competition was natural. Their unity went only as far as the Tsaritsa's will demanded.
"Whatever." Dottore flicked his fingers dismissively. "It's too late now."
"He has already revealed his potential." A faint smile curved his lips. "Someone like him is wasted in Inazuma. Just like Scaramouche—he belongs with the Fatui."