"To maintain her 'self,' the true Raiden Shogun endlessly meditates within the 'Plane of Euthymia'..."
"That is the 'Ei' I mentioned earlier—her real name."
Lumine and Paimon looked utterly confused. "You're saying the one who appeared during the ceremony was just a puppet, and the real Raiden Shogun wasn't there?"
"So the one Mu Yang faced was the real Raiden Shogun..."
Yae Miko explained Ei's reasoning to Lumine.
This was the Raiden Shogun's "Eternity."
Before pursuing eternity for this nation, she had to first attain it herself.
Since mortal flesh would eventually return to dust, she replaced it with a "puppet" body.
And since the mind was also susceptible to erosion, she housed her consciousness within her sword, using meditation to avoid all disturbances.
Lumine pondered, "So that slash she used to take Mu Yang away was..."
Miko replied, "The Plane of Euthymia—a space akin to her inner world."
"She sealed herself within her own world, leaving all external complexities to that puppet who does nothing but blindly pursue eternity..."
"That is the path to eternity Ei has devised."
[So that's how it is, no wonder the two Raiden Shoguns felt different.]
[No wonder Ayaka said the Shogun seemed like she was just executing orders—turns out none of them had ever met the real Electro Archon.]
[If they saw the real Electro Archon, their faith would collapse lol. Can you do that bit again?]
[Got scolded by Miko, wahhh.jpg]
[Faith wouldn't collapse so easily; they'd rationalize it themselves.]
[You understand faith all too well.]
[Speaking of which, I'm curious how Barbara would react if she knew Venti was the Anemo Archon.]
[I'm also curious about Keqing.]
Lumine had heard about erosion from Zhongli—it was one of the reasons he stepped down.
Ei's method could indeed avoid erosion.
"But isn't what she's doing just like a child throwing a tantrum and locking themselves in their room?"
Miko's words remained as bold as ever.
At this point, Lumine still couldn't figure out what Yae Miko wanted from her.
Miko explained that their interests actually aligned.
"You want to help the people of Inazuma under the Vision Hunt Decree, and so do I—though I'd also like to save this nation, and save her in the process."
The key to this lay in the fact that—
Since the Plane of Euthymia represented Ei's inner world, defeating her there could potentially alter the Shogun's will.
This was Yae Miko's plan to abolish the Vision Hunt Decree.
"Defeat the Raiden Shogun..." Lumine glanced at Mu Yang.
Mu Yang shook his head.
Lumine asked Miko, "I don't even know anything about the Plane of Euthymia. And why are you so sure I can defeat the Raiden Shogun?"
Miko smiled. The Raiden Shogun's first strike—if Mu Yang hadn't intervened—
Would have sent Lumine into the Plane of Euthymia instead.
Lumine was special.
"She has enough interest in you. Perhaps... she's never encountered an existence so unstable in the face of eternity before."
Paimon asked, "What about Mu Yang?"
"Him? No, he got in because the two of them had a rematch agreement."
Miko continued, "After all these years, she's finally opened that door of her own accord."
"Your existence isn't just an opportunity—it's the key."
Now Lumine understood. Not just anyone could meet the real Raiden Shogun.
"You still haven't answered my earlier question. How can you be sure I can defeat the Raiden Shogun?"
Even just sparring with Mu Yang had left her needing days to recover.
"No need to worry about that. His trip wasn't for nothing."
Paimon stroked her chin. "What do you mean? Did Mu Yang find a weakness in the Raiden Shogun?"
Miko covered her mouth with a chuckle. "Oh, no. He'll be using Ei's own techniques to train you."
Lumine's face morphed into a meme. "Huh?!"
[Screenshot taken. New meme acquired.]
[LMAO, I have to fight Mu Yang again?!]
[This time you have to win, blondie!]
[Correction: It's Mu Yang using the Raiden Shogun's skills.]
[Gotta say, their combat styles are pretty similar.]
[Was this part of your plan all along, you sly fox?]
Miko led the way. "Hurry up and follow me. This is the 'Anti-Raiden Shogun Special Training' I've carefully prepared for you."
Lumine, Paimon, and Mu Yang trailed behind.
They arrived at an open field in Byakko Plain.
In the center of the area was a mechanism.
"Is this the place? What's that device up ahead...?"
Mu Yang explained that it was a mechanism Yae Miko had created to channel Electro energy.
Since Mu Yang himself couldn't use Electro-based attacks,
External assistance was needed.
This way, he could perfectly simulate the Raiden Shogun's attacks.
"Don't worry. The output of this device is minimal. The techniques I'll use won't even be a thousandth of Ei's strength. You won't get hurt."
Lumine was speechless.
Did you even hear what you just said?
A thousandth.
Just how strong are the Raiden Shogun's real attacks? Can I just... not go?
——————
Guinaifen was also at a loss for words. "Honey, you really know how to comfort people."
"While I'm not worried about getting hurt during this training, now I don't wanna fight the real Shogun anymore!"
[There's nothing wrong with Mu Yang's words, but I can't help but laugh.]
[So this training is just 'dodge practice'?]
[Exactly! This is definitely Mu Yang's hint—don't tank the hits!]
[You're so indirect, Mu Yang. Couldn't you just say it outright? Making me guess—are you playing hard to get?]
[Too cringe, bro.]
Guinaifen sighed. "The chat's improv is outdoing the streamer now. I've got no material left, wahhh."
——————
Mu Yang stood by the mechanism, channeling Electro energy.
He began mimicking the Raiden Shogun's techniques.
This time, without Mu Yang's protection, the players got a small taste of suffering.
——————
[Little Gui's finally tilting again! So satisfying!]
[Spicy! I could eat ten bowls of rice watching this.]
[Without Mu Yang, the streamer's true skills are exposed.]
Guinaifen had something to say too—who was the one attacking her?
That's my husband! How could I dodge?
I can't! It's just not possible!
As it turned out, no matter how dramatic the chat was, Guinaifen outdid them all...
——————
Lumine herself got zapped quite a few times before figuring out the pattern.
But Mu Yang wasn't lying about the "thousandth" part.
It really didn't hurt.
But if it were the Raiden Shogun at full power...
After a not-too-long training session, Lumine had mastered the art of dodging the Raiden Shogun's attacks.
Alright, now you can go fight the boss.
Mu Yang approached. "You okay?"
"A bit rough, but I've got it down now."
"Good. Be careful when the real fight comes."
Lumine nodded. "Yeah, got it."
Mu Yang knew what would happen next, so he wasn't worried about Lumine's safety.
At the critical moment, those protagonist buffs like hope, dreams, wishes, and bonds would kick in to save her.