Just as Su Yuan and the others were locked in a tense standoff with the Okuzumeshuu, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a voice from above:
"If that is the case, then I now give you the order—"
"Arrest all of these foreign criminals and bring them to Tenshukaku at once!"
"It’s over... The Raiden Shogun really gave Kujou Sara a direct order!" Paimon said anxiously.
Kujou Sara looked up at the lightning in the sky.
Her gaze gradually hardened, as if she had made up her mind.
She turned to the others and spoke:
"Since Her Excellency has given me this command... then there is no other choice. We must settle this—once and for all."
"Truth is... I should’ve done this long ago."
"Forgive me, Arataki Itto... and all those I’ve hurt in the past..."
"Please—help Her Excellency break free from the grip of the Eerie forces. That is my only wish!"
Everyone looked at Kujou Sara’s resolute expression—and it was clear they had all realized what she intended to do.
"Kujou Sara, don’t do this!" Su Yuan shouted.
"If it really comes to it, we’ll go to Tenshukaku with you!"
"The Raiden Shogun’s order wasn’t for you to fight us to the death—she only said to bring us to Tenshukaku!"
"Once we’re there, we’ll figure something out!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
They could all see that Kujou Sara seemed to be preparing to lay down her life to prove her loyalty.
Because when faced with such an unreasonable command from the Raiden Shogun, she felt she had no choice but to obey...
But bringing everyone directly to Tenshukaku was far too risky.
"Kujou Sara, actually, I have an idea..."
Su Yuan spoke to Kujou Sara in a low voice:
"If the Raiden Shogun’s order is for you to bring us to Tenshukaku, then as long as we set one foot across the gate into the area, doesn’t that technically count as fulfilling the order?"
"After that, if we make a break for it, we might just avoid getting caught up in anything dangerous."
"But... what if the Shogun gives me another order—to capture you all again? What then?" Kujou Sara asked, still visibly worried.
"As far as I can tell," Su Yuan replied, "the Raiden Shogun issues commands to you through her voice. If you can somehow block your ears—keep yourself from hearing her—maybe you can avoid being bound by her orders."
"Of course... that’s just my theory."
Su Yuan had already made up his mind.
If things got too dangerous once they reached Tenshukaku and escaping wasn’t an option, then they would just go all out and confront the Raiden Shogun head-on.
They needed to see what was really going on with her—gather more intel.
After all, he still had 2.5 rewind chance left.
It was much fewer than before, but in a situation this dire, using one wouldn’t be a waste.
"Kujou Sara! Are you still dawdling over there? Didn’t you hear the Shogun’s command?" The Okuzumeshuu were growing increasingly impatient.
"Alright then... everyone, let’s go. Follow me to Tenshukaku." Kujou Sara let out a soft sigh and finally spoke.
Under Kujou Sara’s escort, the group finally arrived at the Tenshukaku grounds.
The moment they stepped into the Tenshukaku area, Su Yuan suddenly realized a serious problem...
The task Raiden Shogun gave to Kujou Sara was to bring in all of the foreigners—but their group wasn’t even complete right now.
Lyney and the other two were nowhere to be found...
Which meant Kujou Sara’s mission was still far from finished.
"Kujou Sara..." Su Yuan looked at her and spoke.
"I know. You’re talking about Lyney and the others, right?" Kujou Sara replied.
"I even have this strange feeling... that the timing of their disappearance was a little too perfect."
"Besides, the root of everything that’s happening right now is still because Lyney and the others offered those fake, forged like eyes to deceive the Raiden Shogun..."
"Kujou Sara, what do you mean by that?" Aether asked.
"I suspect that everything happening now... is part of a plan orchestrated by Lyney and the others."
"No, actually—it’s probably not Lyney and the others themselves. They’re just pawns. The true mastermind behind them... is Arlecchino."
Hearing Kujou Sara say that, Su Yuan began to feel like it made a lot of sense...
Ever since that morning, Arlecchino’s attitude toward him had changed drastically, and she even went so far as to send Lyney and the others to accompany him all the way to Inazuma...
Then, at sea, they encountered the Abyssal Leviathan corrupted by eerie energy—and Lyney and the others just so happened to appear at the perfect moment to save them...
Later, when they arrived in Inazuma, they were told they had to offer eyeballs as a sort of "processing fee."
Once again, Lyney just so happened to have a whole bunch of fake eyeball props ready...
But seriously—what kind of magic trick requires preparing that many creepy, horrifying eyeballs?
And now that Su Yuan thought about it, when the subject of eyeballs came up, Lyney and his group didn’t seem particularly surprised at all.
It was as if they’d already known in advance...
And those prop eyeballs were obviously prepared ahead of time.
Then, once they arrived at the Kamisato Estate, Lyney and the others were suddenly summoned away by Arlecchino at the perfect moment—right before the Okuzumeshuu showed up, demanding to capture their entire group for the Raiden Shogun...
Su Yuan and Aether both didn’t believe that Lyney would intentionally harm them.
The only explanation left was that Arlecchino was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes...
But why? What was Arlecchino’s goal in orchestrating all this?
Could it be that she simply wanted to use the Raiden Shogun’s hand to eliminate them?
That seemed... too simple for her usual methods.
"Father! What exactly is your purpose in doing all this? Aren’t you just putting Su Yuan and the Traveler in danger?"
At that moment, deep in Chinju Forest, Lyney and the others were speaking with Arlecchino through a flame.
"The task you gave us was to help and support Su Yuan! But now, it looks like you’re trying to harm him instead!"
"Lyney, are you trying to defy me?"
Arlecchino’s voice came from within the flames:
"You should know, in the House of the Hearth, what I hate most... is betrayal."
"And the fate of a traitor is always the same."
"That’s all I’ll say. You’d better think this through carefully."
With those words, the flame flickered and vanished.
"Brother... what should we do now?" Lynette looked at Lyney and asked softly.
"We can’t just sit by and do nothing while Su Yuan, the Traveler, and the others are in danger..."
"Even if it means defying Father’s orders?" Freminet asked.
Lyney nodded firmly. "Yes."
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