"Because... she's not human at all..."'Sorry, Miss Ryougi, I'll apologize to you later.'
Lumine apologized to the girl in her heart, then continued: "Didn't you notice? The electro element she uses is golden, not the common purple."
"So you don't need to try to use her moves, because they are fundamentally not something humans can perform."
It's like when two people's strengths are not too different, the weaker one will be jealous of the other. But when the gap between them becomes an insurmountable chasm, there's no room for jealousy at all.
"Not human? That's impossible! I don't believe it, unless you show me proof!" Domon certainly didn't believe it, because believing it would mean he could never use Tsubame Gaeshi.
Lumine was in a difficult position when she heard this. Where would she get any evidence? Even the claim that Shiki wasn't human was something she had just made up.
"But you don't have proof that she's human either. Have you ever seen anyone control golden lightning?"
"Hmph, what if I haven't? Unless you have her come speak to me personally, I won't acknowledge it. Nanako, see them out!"
Domon snorted coldly. After speaking, he shut himself back inside the room, looking as if he wouldn't rest until he mastered Tsubame Gaeshi.
Nanako looked at the Traveler with some difficulty. She had a good impression of this outsider, but due to her master's command, she could only lead them out of the dojo.
"Oh… I'm really sorry. It seems you can't join the Meikyo Shisui-ryu."
"I'm fine, but is your master really okay like this?" Lumine asked.
"For now, but he definitely can't keep going like this!" Nanako said helplessly.
Lumine was thinking about something at this moment: whether she could bring Shiki over and have her personally state that she wasn't human, thereby making Domon let go of his obsession.
But recalling the other party's calm, unruffled eyes, she felt that this was basically impossible.
'So, I can still only start with the Vision, then?'
Tsubame Gaeshi was the reason for Domon's madness, but not the entire reason. The loss of his Vision must have also been a factor.
However, the Vision Hunt Decree was an edict issued by the Raiden Shogun. To help retrieve a Vision would mean confronting a god. Was she truly ready for that?
If there were only one or two people, Lumine might have given up, but the truth was that 99 people had already lost their Visions.
And as time progressed, this number would only increase. Thinking of so many people going mad or drastically changing their personalities due to losing their Visions, Lumine wanted to stop the rampant Vision Hunt Decree.
After teleporting to Kamisato Estate, Lumine met Ayaka again.
"Miss Kamisato, I want to… end the Vision Hunt Decree. People's wishes should not be stripped away." As soon as they met, Lumine spoke with an unusually firm tone.
"…"
"Welcome to our cause, Traveler."
Ayaka smiled slightly and opened the folding fan in her hand.
"So, do you have any plans?" Paimon asked.
"Of course. We have already found a large amount of evidence of the Tenryou Commission and the Kanjou Commission colluding with the Fatui, as well as the Fatui's destruction of Inazuma. Now we are just waiting for the witnesses and for Shiki to finish repairing the Mikage Furnace Core."
"Mikage Furnace Core?" Lumine, being new, didn't know what this was.
"That's Inazuma's armory. It went out of control due to the rampant curse gods, and because of the Tenryou Commission's inaction, Shiki had no choice but to go herself."
"Tatarasuna absolutely cannot have an accident. The Mikage Furnace Core is too important to Inazuma."
Ayaka naturally knew the consequences of this nuclear reactor exploding. Shiki had told her that once it exploded, it could turn the entire Tatarasuna into a giant firework.
"Uh… by the way, is there anything we can help with? The Traveler is very powerful!"
Paimon started her usual routine of looking for work, but unfortunately, there was currently no need for her help.
"Heh heh, no need to trouble you two. Shiki has already arranged everything," Ayaka chuckled.
"For now, you two can explore Inazuma City. If anything is needed, Thoma will come find you."
Thoma had now become a true messenger brother, also handling bargaining and household chores. He was a real utility man.
…
"Oh? Have me tell the Tenryou Commission to set Shiki as the target of the Vision Hunt Decree?" The girl listened to the message from her subordinate, a hint of doubt rising in her heart.
But it didn't matter. The girl didn't care who the target of the Vision Hunt Decree was. Since Balladeer, a fellow Harbinger, personally spoke, she would grant him this favor. It wasn't a big deal anyway.
"I agree. Go tell Kujou Takayuki. You should be able to handle such a small matter, right?"
"I guarantee completion of the mission!"
As soon as the girl finished speaking, the Debt Collector immediately responded and guaranteed. With the Tsaritsa absent, the Harbingers' orders were absolute.
"Hmm, good."
Evidently, the girl was very satisfied with the Debt Collector's attitude. Arrogant as she was, she loved the feeling of others being completely subservient to her.
Controlling everything, toying with everything—even that ancient Geo Archon, didn't he still hand over his Gnosis?
The girl firmly believed she could obtain the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis, just like the previous two.
However, rather than confidence, it was more like she hadn't even considered the possibility of failure, right? After all, arrogant and conceited people never believe they will fail, do they?
The news quickly reached Kujou Takayuki's ears. The original candidate was Thoma, the Kamisato Clan's housekeeper, but Shiki was fine too.
As long as it wasn't a direct member of the Kamisato Clan, there was no big problem. Perhaps they could even use this to suppress the Kamisato Clan.
That's right, Shiki, who defeated the Meikyo Shisui-ryu master, was very strong, but no matter how strong she was, could she be stronger than General Raiden Shogun?
Either she defects, or she hands over her Vision. No matter which, his Kujou Clan would benefit. It couldn't be any better!
So Kujou Takayuki waved his hand, changing the candidate from Thoma to Shiki.
…
The next morning, Shiki arrived at Kannazuka again. Three days had passed; it was time to collect the answer.
"Good morning, you two. How have things been recently?"
"Everything is normal. The night before last, Kazuha and I took down another one. It seems they realized assassination was useless, and so far, they haven't sent anyone else."
Fujiwara said, taking out a Vision whose light had dissipated. Clearly, the Kujou Clan couldn't afford the continuous loss of two Vision-wielding ninjas.
"Oh, the Kujou Clan must be hurting now." Shiki seemed a bit gleeful.
Note:
Happy Lunar New Year, everyone!
I wish you all a year filled with blessings, success, good fortune, and happiness!
Important Announcement:
I will be on Lunar New Year holiday starting February 15th, 2026, and will return on February 23rd, 2026. During this time, I will focus on resting and spending time with my family.
During my break, I will prepare some new chapters, which I will post regularly after the holiday ends. Please stay tuned — the following parts are very interesting!
Thank you so much for your incredible support. Wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!