A thunderous boom exploded from the sky.
Raiden Ei landed dramatically, scattering a cloud of dust that billowed across the courtyard.
Yelan and the others instantly tensed.
Because next— they would be facing the real Raiden Shogun.
And reality had no immortality.
Everyone's nerves tightened as if caught in a vice.
"Do the shrine maidens of Narukami Shrine not do their job? Why is there so much dust?"
Su Ran waved away the cloud drifting toward him.
Ayaka whispered kindly, "Su Ran-sir, don't forget—we were all in a dream. No shrine maiden could've cleaned anything here."
"Oh. Right."
He accepted that calmly.
But the others were in no mood to joke.
All eyes were fixed on the churning dust cloud glowing faintly with purple lightning— waiting for the terrifying god to appear.
But…
No one appeared.
Instead—
Ei walked out slowly from the thinning smoke.
Everyone's gaze automatically dropped downward.
And then—
All tension evaporated.
Paimon slapped a hand over her mouth, trembling as she tried not to burst into laughter.
Even Lumine nearly broke.
Sure, Raiden Shogun was overwhelmingly strong.
But faced with this tiny, adorable version of her…
How was anyone supposed to be scared?
If she weren't painfully aware of the danger, Lumine would have already scooped her up for a hug.
Among them, Kujou Sara swallowed hard.
She hadn't seen Little Shogun since the dream began.
Seeing her again filled her with overwhelming emotion.
"One by one… you all show up."
The body was too small for Musou no Hitotachi or wielding the full form of Dreams of One's Own.
So Raiden Ei resorted to pure electro manipulation—the most primal combat ability of a Thunder Archon.
"Su Ran. Are you planning to shelter these criminals?"
Her voice was icy.
Kokomi.
Lumine.
Both were on Ei's personal kill list.
The Liyue visitors weren't too far behind— they were the reason Morax entered the dream at all.
But Ei's immediate priority was very clear:
Kill the dream-breakers first.
"You're threatening me?"
Su Ran raised a brow.
"…I am not."
Just like that—the momentum flipped entirely.
Lumine immediately saw hope.
She might not need a cenotaph after all.
"They destroyed everything I had!"
Ei shouted.
Her everlasting dream—gone.
Makoto—gone again.
Everything she cherished—shattered.
The fact she wasn't rampaging already was astounding restraint.
If she hadn't been searching for Su Ran first, she would've flown straight to Watatsumi Island for a massacre.
"What exactly is 'everything'? Makoto? Or the dream?"
Su Ran stepped forward and lifted Ei into the air like a plush toy.
The supposed leader of Inazuma— dangling helplessly like a child.
Face? Pride?
Gone.
But no one laughed.
Everyone here knew— dream or not— the Raiden Shogun's combat power was real.
The only reason they weren't dead was because Su Ran was present.
If he weren't—
Anyone involved with the rebellion would already be corpses.
Perhaps only Yae Miko, Ayaka, and Kujou Sara would be spared.
"Both," Ei said through clenched teeth.
Makoto was her only kin.
The dream was her only peace.
Both were lost with the dream's collapse.
"Then how about this—
we capture them all…
and feed them to Scaraka-Kabaz?"
Su Ran smiled.
Ei's eyes brightened instantly.
"Good!"
Kokomi, Lumine, and the others froze.
That is NOT a good!!
"Um… who—or what—is Scaraka-Kabaz?" Ei asked, confused.
"Why, this little guy—"
Su Ran gestured toward the massive cocoon in the courtyard.
"The Breeding Envoy that's about to hatch."
At that moment— a golden streak flashed across the sky.
Morax descended upon the shrine.
He had awakened and immediately followed the trail of thunderlight.
Seeing Ei's tiny form startled him.
But spotting Yelan, Beidou, and the others unharmed allowed him to breathe again.
He had arrived before Ei acted— so he could protect them if needed.
"Since the Geo Archon is here," Su Ran said cheerfully, "you can witness the event with us."
Morax frowned.
Only now did he notice the massive cocoon.
A strange dread crept up his spine.
He summoned a stone spear and thrust it toward the egg—
But the soft-looking shell didn't even dent.
His spear— imbued with godly power—
simply slid off.
Su Ran hadn't even stopped him.
It simply didn't work.
"If it hasn't hatched yet," Su Ran explained, "that doesn't mean it's defenseless.
Unless you use a star-cracking class weapon, you won't make a scratch~"
Su Ran flicked Morax's spear lightly.
The cocoon didn't budge.
The greatest terror of the swarm wasn't merely their numbers— but their durability and adaptability.
A regular bug was one thing.
But a Breeding Envoy was another matter entirely.
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