After the Lantern Rite had passed, Lumine once again set foot on the soil of Inazuma.

The first-ever Duel Monsters tournament was in the midst of preparations, with the event set to take place in Liyue Harbor. However, that was still months away, so Lumine decided to hone her skills by dueling people everywhere while also searching for any traces of her brother in Inazuma.

It must be said that the Raiden Shogun was reasonable.

Though she held not an ounce of goodwill toward the Supreme Bishop of Fontaine—rather, she detested them to the core—she still repaid the favor she owed them.

...Though from an outsider's perspective, one might debate whether it even counted as a favor. But at the very least, the Shogun believed it was.

After all, if not for the Traveler and the Supreme Bishop—one defeating her and the other stopping Sen'emon the Manslayer—she might never have turned back from her misguided path, only to regret it when it was too late.

Repaying the Traveler's favor was harder, since Lumine only wanted to find her brother, something the Shogun couldn't help with. But as for the Supreme Bishop's favor, she was practically eager to repay half of it immediately. After all, if she didn't settle this debt, how could she ever justify cutting that bastard down later?

Thus, thanks to this "favor," the Supreme Bishop successfully secured the Electro Archon's likeness rights, created a Raiden Shogun card, and fully launched Duel Monsters in Inazuma—even opening an internet café in the heart of Inazuma City.

By now, Inazuma was teeming with duelists—Duel Monsters was even more popular here than in its birthplace, Fontaine.

Here, Lumine could duel to her heart's content, gaining experience until one day, she vowed to rise to the top of the tournament. She was going to be the Queen of Games!!

—As lofty as her dreams were, no sooner had she arrived in Inazuma than Lumine found herself, predictably, entangled in yet another troublesome incident.

"Ad astra abyssosque, Traveler."

Katheryne of the Inazuma Adventurers' Guild greeted Lumine warmly:

"Recently, the Adventurers' Guild received a special commission. After careful consideration, we believe..."

"'This Traveler is the most suitable candidate,' right?" Paimon blurted out before she could finish.

"Hehe, indeed. It's always like this, isn't it?" Katheryne couldn't help but chuckle. "Then I won't stand on ceremony. Are you two available now?"

"That depends on the details and the reward."

Lumine had had enough of unpaid commissions.

Last time, when she helped deliver gifts, the client had promised appropriate compensation—only for the "reward" to turn out to be one of the very gifts they were supposed to deliver. In short, she'd worked for free.

If it were just unpaid labor, fine—it wasn't like she hadn't done that before. As long as the gift was decent, she could tolerate it. But what in the world had they sent her? It was an insult to her reputation!

Why?

Because what they gave her was a Duel Monsters card, and its contents were as follows:

[Her Highness the Princess]

Card Type: Hero

Star Level: 10

Attribute: ???

Race: ???

Faction: Abyss Order

ATK: ?

DEF: ?

Effect: This card cannot be Special Summoned. To Normal Summon this card, you must banish 3 Hero-type monsters with the Abyss Order faction from your Graveyard as tribute.

①: This card's Summon cannot be negated.

②: When this card is Summoned successfully, the effects of all other Spell, Trap, and Hero-type monsters cannot be activated.

③: This card's ATK/DEF becomes the number of Hero-type monsters with the Abyss Order faction in your Graveyard × 1000.

④: By banishing 1 Hero-type monster from your Graveyard, destroy all face-down cards and Defense Position Hero-type monsters your opponent controls.

Description: Standing in the light, she is a hero; standing in the shadows, she incites siege.

The image on the card was none other than Lumine herself.

Her cold expression, her aloof demeanor—she looked breathtakingly beautiful.

—Lumine nearly lost it when she saw the card.

Who the hell is the Abyss Princess?! Your whole family are Abyss Princesses!

Just because my brother is the Prince of the Abyss Order, that makes me their princess?!

What kind of organization is the Abyss Order? One even more despised than the Fatui!

She didn't know why Aether had become the Abyss Order's prince—he must have his reasons. But no matter what his reasons were, it didn't change one undeniable fact:

The Abyss Order has never done a single good thing!

Of course, she didn't blame her brother. She knew Aether must have his reasons, and she trusted him—but no matter how much she trusted him, the Abyss Order itself was irredeemable!

Standing with my brother doesn't mean standing with the Abyss Order.

Aside from her brother, she'd fight every last member of the Abyss Order on sight!

She, the illustrious Traveler, savior of nations—how could she possibly be the Abyss Princess?!

Thus, Lumine was absolutely furious about being slandered as "Her Highness the Princess."

And as a result, she was now thoroughly wary of any commission that didn't offer proper compensation.

"That depends on the details and the reward."

This sentence perfectly encapsulated Lumine's current mood.

Fortunately, Katheryne had no intention of exploiting the Traveler's labor for free.

"Let me explain briefly. The client for this commission is the Yashiro Commission. It seems a large number of Rifthound Whelps have been attacking the roots of the Sacred Sakura in the vicinity of Mt. Yougou."

Paimon gasped in shock. "Rifthounds?! They've appeared on Narukami Island?!"

"Yes. The origin of these monsters remains unclear, but this time, they've appeared in swarms—an alarming scale, with clear objectives and extreme aggression." Katheryne spoke gravely. "The Sacred Sakura is of utmost importance to Inazuma. I assume you're already aware of this?"

Lumine nodded slightly. "I've heard of it."

"Good. That's why this matter is extremely urgent."

"Does the Tenryou Commission know?"

"Yes, they've already taken action. However, the roots of the Sacred Sakura are complex, the Rifthounds are numerous and elusive, making them difficult to contain."

Katheryne answered Paimon's question:

"The Tenryou Commission's top priority is protecting the citizens. To eradicate the monsters, they're actively seeking cooperation from various forces. The Adventurers' Guild is one of the key contributors to this effort. However, as things stand, the containment of the Rifthounds remains unsatisfactory."

Having grasped the situation, Lumine cut straight to the point: "Leave it to me. I'll take care of them."

Katheryne finally smiled in relief. "Thank you. Your confidence puts me at ease. I'll mark the Rifthound activity zones on your map. The task of eliminating them is in your hands now."

"Don't worry, we'll be back in no time!"

And with Paimon's trademark confident declaration, the Raiden Shogun's Story Quest II officially began.

"The Omnipresent God, Chapter II"

[Transient Dreams]

[Unlocked]