At night, Raiden Ei, meditating, entered a splendid dream.
Between heaven and earth, it seemed only she remained, and another mirror-like existence: "herself."
The puppet's voice, like a sigh, entered her ears: "The eternity you believed in was shaken by her eternity. Therefore, you are now my enemy."
Even before creating the puppet, Raiden Ei had considered all potential dangers.
Raiden Ei believed that anything was possible, so the worst-case scenario was that one day even she herself would become an enemy of eternity.
Therefore, when creating the puppet, she left a clearance at the lowest level. It would activate whenever she deviated from the eternity she had set, at which point she would lose control of the puppet.
And the puppet's words were the past her questioning the present her:
"You believe that your current self is more resolute than your past self, so this current you is correct, isn't that right?"
"Or have you had new thoughts, or… have you suffered unavoidable erosion?"
Two identical faces, yet speaking of different wills. The battle with oneself and the past will eventually come, but not now.
Raiden Ei was well aware of the program she had written. She was not yet ready, and she also had enough time to recover her power.
When the clear mirror is no longer clear, and the No Self hall hears the caw of crows. When dawn arrives, the samurai will grasp her Sword.
The next day, Shiki and Ayaka had Xavier's head cremated by a specialist, ultimately obtaining a small bottle of gray powder.
The reason for not going to a funeral home was simple: this thing was too terrifying.
A head was bad enough, but it was also covered in wires. Someone with a weaker constitution would probably faint on the spot!
"This can be considered a temporary conclusion, I suppose."
Shiki said, placing the glass bottle containing the ashes into the cabinet. No matter what, carrying ashes around was somewhat inauspicious.
"Don't worry, no one will speak of what happened just now."
The people Ayaka arranged were all from the Anbu. They were tight-lipped and knew what to say and what not to say.
"Okay, then I'll head to the Tenshukaku first. There's also the Traveler's missing person notice for Watatsumi Island, so I'll leave that to you for now."
"Leave it to me."
Ayaka said, helping Shiki straighten her slightly wrinkled bow, her gentle and meticulous manner as if she were tending to her most beloved possession.
After Ayaka finished tidying her, Shiki turned her head and lightly touched the girl's forehead with her lips, then disappeared before the Waypoint amidst the latter's blushing cheeks.
Upon arriving at the Tenshukaku, Shiki walked in unimpeded. As the Raiden Shogun's Side Attendant, although she hadn't visited the Tenshukaku many times, the Okuzume all recognized her.
"I need to see the Shogun. Please go and inform her."
Shiki stood at the entrance of the Tenshukaku and said to the Okuzume on guard.
"Please wait, Nirishiki."
The Okuzume bowed respectfully, then disappeared from the entrance, entering the Tenshukaku through a special passage.
After about two minutes, the closed door opened from the inside. Shiki looked up and saw the Raiden Shogun seated on her throne, while the Okuzume was kneeling on one knee not far away.
"You've worked hard. You may leave."
Shiki nodded to the Okuzume. The following conversation could not be heard by a third person.
"Shiki, why have you come to see me?"
The puppet Shogun's attitude was as cold as ever. Or rather, she was cold to everyone, with very little emotional fluctuation.
Shiki didn't waste words. Only after the entire Tenshukaku was devoid of any third person did she speak: "I've come to see Ei. Can you call her out?"
"Ei needs rest. She consumed too much power forging that Sword."
"If you have something to discuss with her, you can tell me first. I can convey it."
The puppet Shogun's expression was normal. Shiki saw this and didn't suspect anything, relating Xavier's story in detail.
The puppet Shogun nodded after listening, indicating that she understood.
"I will convey it. Do you have anything else?"
"Of course not. You're practically writing 'hurry up and leave' on your face. Anyway, the rest aren't important matters, so I won't say them."
Shiki waved her hand. This puppet Shogun was good in every way, but she was just too cold. If it were Raiden Ei, they would at least chat for a while.
But it didn't matter anyway, the message had been delivered.
However, after Shiki left, the puppet Shogun showed no intention of conveying the message, her eyes swirling with unknown thoughts.
No one knew that last night she had already parted ways with her creator. She had originally wanted to eliminate this greatest enemy of eternity first, but for now, it was still a forbidden matter.
Raiden Ei had disabled most of her functions. Before that clearance program was fully activated, she had to maintain her usual behavioral patterns.
Currently, there were two major threats: one was Raiden Ei, who was recovering her power in the Isshin Pure Land.
The other was Shiki, who had already stepped into the realm of a Archon.
Archon is not a realm of strength, but a type of creature. They usually possess their own clearance, a lifespan measured in millennia, and powerful strength.
Since they are a species, they naturally have different grades. Even the weakest Archon can cause all life within several kilometers to perish upon death.
Judging solely by elemental power and clearance, Shiki was still far inferior to her in perception, but since she was already a Archon, she possessed the ability to threaten her, so she must be treated with caution.
She did not have an advantage in numbers, but she had an absolute advantage in communication.
Raiden Ei was in seclusion in the Isshin Pure Land to recover her power. During this period, no information from the outside world would be transmitted into the Isshin Pure Land.
Both sought eternity, but their inner meanings were completely different. That constant change deviated from her programmed goal.
Therefore, she had to return Inazuma to its original state.
...
Announcement: We have found that the character [Ryougi Shiki Awakening] has some discrepancies between her in-game performance and description. Therefore, we have decided to add to the Talents description.
Shiki has two weapon slots. When not using her elemental burst, Shiki's weapon is the Sword · Kujikanesada. This is the weapon Shiki uses against general enemies, providing 100 ATK and cannot be unequipped. The other equipment slot can only equip the Nine Words Thunder.
Tsubame Gaeshi and Whirlpool of the Great Waters will deal equivalent physical DMG (excluding monsters with high electro element resistance) when facing monsters immune to electro element.
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