The Tenshukaku.
It was the tallest structure in Inazuma, and for several years now, dark clouds had perpetually gathered above it, casting a great shadow over the hearts of the people.
Today, the Tenshukaku received an uninvited guest.
She arrived by tearing a rift in the void.
Raiden Ei sensed the oppressive aura and was forced to emerge from the "Plane of Euthymia."
She gazed at the figure floating in the sky, who possessed an overwhelming presence, as if Celestia itself had descended.
At her arrival, the dark clouds seemed to roll back in fear, revealing a perfectly circular patch of blue sky directly above the newcomer.
Sunlight poured down, bathing the Herrscher of the Void in a brilliant glow. The circle of blue sky carved from the parting clouds looked like a massive angelic halo, suffusing the moment with a sacred radiance.
Raiden Ei looked up, her fists clenching involuntarily.
Is it really... the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles?
The being stepped down from the sky, each footfall creating a ripple in space, unleashing an aura that could make even a god's heart palpitate.
Raiden Ei waved her guards away, leaving only the two of them on the upper level of the Tenshukaku.
"..."
Raiden Ei's expression was grim.
The shadow of Khaenri'ah still lingered.
Having witnessed the cataclysm firsthand, Ei had come to see the Heavenly Principles as an "untrustworthy existence." The Sustainer symbolized the absolute erasure of "forbidden knowledge," putting them on naturally opposing sides.
However...
Raiden Ei studied the Herrscher of the Void. Although her attire was identical, she felt that something was different from her encounter five hundred years ago.
Was it because of erosion?
Raiden Ei didn't know, but the one thing she could be certain of was that the being before her was powerful beyond imagination.
Whether she was the Sustainer or not, her mere presence here was an "exception," a "variable" to Eternity.
"State your purpose for appearing here."
The Herrscher of the Void was also sizing up Raiden Ei. "You really do look alike. No wonder he can't stop thinking about you."
Look alike?
Like my sister?
And who is "he"?
The Herrscher of the Void spoke indifferently. "Prepare yourself to receive the 'impact'."
"'Impact'? What do you mean?"
Was a "Celestial Nail" about to fall again?
Or was it a deeper form of despair?
"Hm?"
The Herrscher of the Void tilted her head, having just received a message from Ye Feng. She was about to head to the Grand Narukami Shrine.
Seeing her about to leave, Ei couldn't help but take a step forward, finally speaking the words that had been suppressed in her heart for centuries.
"Five hundred years ago, when you descended with your 'divine punishment,' did you ever spare a thought for the lives you crushed? Life is not meant to merely obey cold, iron laws. The 'order' of the Heavenly Principles is nothing more than arrogant despotism."
"..."
The Herrscher of the Void paused her steps slightly, her hair fluttering as she glanced back over her shoulder.
Anger flashed in Raiden Ei's eyes as a vast aura erupted from her body.
Instantly, the thick, dark clouds swirled with lightning, placing all of Inazuma at the center of a thunderstorm.
But above the Herrscher of the Void, the sky remained clear and blue, the sun bright, as if a circular "skylight" had been opened just for her.
The Herrscher knew that Ei had mistaken her for someone else, but Her Majesty the Queen was not in the habit of offering explanations.
The Herrscher of the Void has never needed to explain her actions to anyone.jpg
Except to Ye Feng, of course.
The reason didn't matter. All the Herrscher knew was that Raiden Ei's current attitude was highly unfavorable. She snorted coldly. "Beyond the law, there is only annihilation. Transgressors will eventually pay the price. That includes you, a little god among mortals."
Raiden Ei tightened her grip on the Musou Isshin, her blade crackling with lightning.
"If the Heavenly Principles wish to impose 'erosion' upon all life, then the blade of Inazuma will sever these shackles. ...I have already lost too much. I will not surrender their future."
Raiden Ei prepared herself for annihilation.
After all, having the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles suddenly appear, spouting nonsense about "impact" and "annihilation," would make anyone's scalp tingle.
The Herrscher of the Void gave a scornful smile. "You dare draw your blade and face my divine light?"
Whoosh—
The "Stigma" on the Herrscher of the Void's body shone, and she vanished from the spot. No, to be precise, it was space itself that had moved.
After signing the contract with Ye Feng and putting on his specially made "outfit," the Herrscher of the Void herself didn't know how strong she had become.
Before even an "instant" had passed, space had already swapped their positions.
The Herrscher of the Void reached out and seized Raiden Ei by the throat.
Raiden Ei: "!!"
When?
She hadn't even registered the Herrscher making a move before she was restrained.
This was...
Raiden Ei's pupils dilated.
She couldn't channel her elemental power; it was completely suppressed by a force as vast as the sea.
The being before her was like the very incarnation of a fundamental law.
"Ngh..."
Raiden Ei was lifted into the air by her throat, her beautiful legs, clad in thigh-high stockings, struggling weakly.
「Wow, so this scene still played out? Good sisters should always choke each other.」
Ye Feng's voice timely entered the Herrscher of the Void's mind.
But the content of his words made her click her tongue and release her grip on Raiden Ei's throat.
In the past, the Herrscher would never have been so lenient.
But now, she had to consider Ye Feng. If she antagonized Raiden Ei too much here... given Ye Feng's fondness for her, she herself might be subjected to varying degrees of "persecution."
Ignoring Raiden Ei, the Herrscher of the Void's form submerged into subspace and vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Cough, cough, cough...!!"
Raiden Ei fell to one knee, coughing violently.
Her eyes were filled with utter horror.
She had thought that she at least had the strength to trade blows with the Sustainer.
To be suppressed in an instant?
If that being had killing intent, she would have been instantly annihilated just now, wouldn't she?
Raiden Ei's pupils lost their focus as she stared blankly at the ground.
"How... is this possible...?"
She was a warrior. She had been with her blade since she could remember. Combat was the one thing in which she had the most confidence.
Even against the Heavenly Principles, she believed the might of her lightning could make them bleed!
Yet, facing that being, Raiden Ei could only feel a power as profound as an abyss, as vast as the ocean.
"She is definitely not the Sustainer. Who... who is she?"
What weighed even more heavily on Raiden Ei's mind was the meaning of "impact" and "annihilation."
Was this visit some kind of "omen"?
Was Inazuma... also destined to vanish into the river of history, like a bubble in the sea?
Raiden Ei staggered to her feet. Standing atop the Tenshukaku, she looked down at Inazuma City with a sorrowful gaze, at her subjects below who were still oblivious to everything.
She clenched her hands, her expression lost.
She couldn't help but recall the past once more.
Before becoming the Shogun, Raiden Ei was merely a warrior, responsible for carrying out her sister's orders. Her sister was weak in martial prowess, so the tasks entrusted to Ei were mostly those of bloodshed.
And now, even her martial might was nothing before that being.
So, what could she do?
"Sister... what should I do?"
After muttering these words, determination once again filled Raiden Ei's eyes.
No matter what.
"This body shall be Inazuma's final bulwark, until the very end."
Just as she made this resolve, Raiden Ei's vision suddenly shifted.
As if the world had switched channels, she found herself in a picturesque academy, where a man was looking at her with a warm smile.