Mu Yang's move instantly set the livestream ablaze.
[Brothers, spam "HYPE"]
[So cool, so love it]
[Daring to lay hands on us? Even the Raiden Shogun won't indulge you]
[This feels so safe, fam]
[The security you can give me isn't even one ten-thousandth of his.JPG]
Guinaifen's heart rate skyrocketed.
How to put it? Before Mu Yang appeared in Inazuma's storyline, she hadn't been fond of it.
One reason was that she was a die-hard Mu Yang fan.
The other was that it felt too passive.
For example, on Ritou Island, they were constantly restrained.
It only improved after Mu Yang showed up.
Those three side quests were also deeply moving.
And now, after all the buildup, the plot finally reached its climax—
A direct confrontation with Inazuma's deity.
Mu Yang remained as reliable as ever.
No matter who stood against him, as long as he held his sword and stood there,
It felt like—everything was under control!
[LMAO, Little Gui's screenshot button is getting smashed to pieces]
"Because every angle looks like a masterpiece, hehe."
Guinaifen didn't stop her actions.
"Looking forward to the big shots on the HoYoLAB tonight, alright?"
[It's time for the artists to go all out]
——————
Back in Teyvat.
The Raiden Shogun, wielding the "Musou Isshin," hovered mid-air.
Violet lightning crackled around her, accompanied by deafening thunder.
On the opposite side,
Mu Yang stood firm, sword in hand.
Facing the gaze of one of The Seven, he showed not a trace of fear.
His goal had always been to challenge the "Musou no Hitotachi."
Lumine had already cut the ropes binding Thoma.
However, Kujou Sara and her troops had surrounded the area.
For some reason, the Raiden Shogun still hadn't attacked.
Nor did she speak.
She simply stared at Mu Yang.
After a moment, she swung her blade.
The void shattered, and the two vanished from before the Statue of the Omnipresent God.
At that moment, Lumine suddenly heard Mu Yang's voice.
"Head to Watatsumi Island first. I'll be fine."
Lumine glanced around—
It seemed only she could hear those words.
The sudden turn of events distracted the Shogunate soldiers.
Lumine grabbed Thoma and Paimon and dashed toward the small cliff.
Then, they jumped—below was a river.
If Mu Yang said he'd be fine, he must have absolute confidence.
After all, he'd come here to challenge the Raiden Shogun in the first place.
The priority now was to save Thoma.
Kujou Sara rushed to the cliff's edge, watching the two swimming away with their floating companion.
She turned and issued orders.
"Return and relay the command—add these three to the wanted list."
"The rest, follow me in pursuit!"
"Yes!"
After Kujou Sara's orders,
The players' perspective shifted to another space.
Within this realm, the sky was a deep crimson.
Torii gates rose endlessly from the ground.
The Raiden Shogun, seated in meditation, opened her eyes.
"I told Yae Miko you would come, but she didn't believe me."
"I don't remember the past."
The Raiden Shogun's expression seemed to shift.
"Erosion?"
"No… Your power hasn't fully recovered. Was it because of that strike—you held nothing back?"
[What's going on? Mu Yang knows the Shogun?]
[According to the text in Ruthless Sword, they did fight once before]
[So Mu Yang lost back then?]
[Well, she is the Raiden Shogun. And she outright said she didn't hold back]
[Doesn't this version of the Shogun feel different to you guys?]
[Maybe because Mu Yang's an old acquaintance?]
[Not sure. At the statue earlier, she seemed cold—fitting Ayaka's description. But now… hmm]
Mu Yang knew the one before him was Ei, not the puppet Shogun.
This confirmed that during his last visit, he had fought Ei.
Her remark about his return was likely based on a warrior's intuition.
She and Mu Yang were cut from the same cloth.
Both sought perfection.
But after the Cataclysm of Khaenri'ah and the death of Makoto,
Ei had strayed onto the misguided path of pursuing eternity.
However, Ei was mistaken about one thing.
Mu Yang's strength wasn't "unrecovered."
After several boosts from the Character Popularity System,
He was now stronger than his original lore implied.
The only thing he lacked was the experience of the centuries lost since the Cataclysm.
Ei assumed Mu Yang hadn't regained his power because
He had been keeping the system's masking feature active at all times.
To her senses, his strength seemed to fluctuate unpredictably.
Mu Yang called out to the system in his mind: "Lift the mask."
Ei's expression shifted again.
Because in that instant, Mu Yang's power surged dramatically.
And yet, she hadn't detected it at all beforehand.
"Is this some new martial art?" Ei wondered silently.
Mu Yang spoke:
"Due to certain circumstances, I have no memory of recent events."
"Including our past duel."
"But this wasn't your doing. Don't hold back out of guilt."
Mu Yang raised his sword toward Ei.
"I've come to challenge that ultimate strike."
"I understand."
Ei rose from her meditative stance, standing ten meters away.
Divine energy coalesced, and "Engulfing Lightning" materialized in her right hand, its tip aimed at Mu Yang.
"Both of us seek martial perfection. I will give this my all."
For the players, the cutscene transitioned into combat.
——————
Guinaifen's livestream.
The sudden shift to gameplay caught Little Gui off guard.
"Wait, we're the ones fighting now?"
"I thought we'd just watch a cutscene and be done."
"Are we seriously controlling Mu Yang?"
Though she wasn't skilled, Guinaifen rubbed her hands excitedly.
After all, this was her favorite character.
[Streamer, hurry up and fight! What are you waiting for?]
"Hold on, let me check his skills first."
[Why bother? Didn't we already know them?]
[Only the burst is still unknown]
"Sword Traverses Mountains and Rivers..."
Guinaifen skimmed the description, then tried to check his constellations.
But they were locked.
"MiHoYo, I swear—keep hiding stuff, why don't you?"
"Hope you never release it, huh?"
'Thanks to "Simp? Did She Force You?" for the paid message (1000 yuan):
Cancel your takeout orders if you wanna watch Little Gui mess up. Mu Yang's skills are broken beyond belief.'
Reading this, Guinaifen grinned.
"Fam, this is why he's my man—he even accounted for me being trash, hehe."
[Delusional much?]
[Just start already! Let's see how hard the Raiden Shogun really is]
Little Gui exited the menu and began playing.
Mu Yang's gameplay was indeed straightforward.
His skills were easy to grasp:
Dash in, land a few normal attacks, follow up with a charged attack, and unleash the burst when ready.
With a built-in counter and interruption resistance, it wasn't hard at all.
It almost felt like the devs had nerfed the Shogun's difficulty to help newbies clear the story.
"Fam, watch me close the gap with Azure Dragon's Lunge and lock her down. How's that for a play?"
Even Guinaifen could handle it smoothly, clearing the Shogun's first phase with ease.