[Kiyono Raimei, go mad one last time]
Hearing the System's words, Kiyono smiled.
Winter days are short.
The sky had completely darkened. He rowed the small boat, surrounded by dead silence. The brilliant sunset piled up at the horizon's edge, large patches of fiery clouds spreading out, burning with abandon.
There was a saying in his past life:
May there be enough clouds in your life to make a beautiful sunset.
Kiyono didn't know if the clouds in his life were enough, but he also wanted a beautiful sunset.
He had rowed far enough.
Kiyono became Kiyono Raimei again, that old man about to die. His body was heavy and weak in his final moments. He first took a light breath, then took out a roll of cigarettes from his kimono pocket and lit one.
The faint firelight looked quite beautiful in the sunset.
Kiyono smoked for a while. After the time of the last cigarette had passed, he felt he was ready.
An old man at sunset, a lone boat, and of course, there had to be a sword.
Kiyono slowly took out Kamigiri. Thanks to Orobashi washing it in blood, the original tachi had completely changed its appearance, otherwise Ei would have definitely recognized it earlier.
Of course, Orobashi giving him the blood of its heart wasn't for this purpose.
He unsheathed the sword. Rosy light flowed along the blade's arc. It was truly a fine sword.
"Human Principles System, how long does it take for lightning to flash across the sky and fade?"
[About 0.3 seconds]
"Then compress all my remaining life into 0.3 seconds afterwards, compress it into that single instant. Just that one moment."
[You're greedy]
Kiyono said with a smile, "This body is too heavy, a human life is too long. Actually, one moment is enough."
[You're ready]
He slowly stood up. Kiyono looked towards the horizon, at the fiery clouds in the sky. His gaze continued to rise, to the highest point, to the peak of his vision.
"What a beautiful scenery. Standing in the sky, this scenery must be even more beautiful."
He didn't know who he was talking to. All around was silent, only the howling sea wind responded to his voice.
"You don't speak. Mortal voices can't reach the heavens. Of course you won't care about their voices. You can't hear them, so naturally you won't care about their life and death."
Kiyono said softly.
"Be it Makoto's death, or Orobashi's death, or the destruction of Enkanomiya, or the 400-year-old fate entangling Inazuma and Yashiori Island, you don't care at all. You won't care about these things. How many people died, how many families were lost, no, as long as your Heavenly Principles are maintained, you'd do anything. We're all just pawns."
"All our wars, arising because of you, planned by you."
"I, Kiyono Raimei, know who the enemy of my life is."
"But you're still ignoring me now."
Kiyono leaned on Kamigiri, blood-red rosy light splashing everywhere, reflecting the sea surface blood-red.
"Before Sun and Moon."
Kiyono Raimei's voice echoed over the sea surface.
"Before Sun and Moon."
Like a forbidden word.
The sea wind stilled.
"You a b***h in the sky!"
A smile curved Kiyono's lips, caring about nothing, fearing nothing, a lawless smile. His words were even more lawless. He boldly shouted at that supreme being in the sky.
No one dared to do such a thing.
This was, simply put, the ultimate transgression!
"With my last strength, I can create several thunderclaps in the air," Kiyono Raimei said with a smile. "That sound will travel very far."
He said:
"You a b***h, if you don't want your little schemes known to everyone in the world!"
He scolded, eyes wide with anger, "Then get your f**king ass down here!"
---
It changed.
Something changed.
The blood-red sunset receded, the sky shed its colors. Some existence descended into this world, supremely majestic, supremely noble. The sea trembled, winds and waves gathered. All the light in the world converged here.
The [Principles] of this world descended.
Or rather, the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.
Golden hair floated in the air, vast and empty eyes without a trace of emotion.
A suffocating sense of antiquity and majesty.
"Mortal, you..."
She spoke indifferently, seeming a bit puzzled:
"How did you come to know this forbidden secret? That thing on you has no right to tell you. Was it Orobashi?... But I watched from the sky, it didn't say anything..."
She pondered, and quickly, the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles made a sound of realization:
"Ah..."
"It's that sword. It's the sword it gave you."
The sword the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles spoke of was gripped in Kiyono's hand.
A long, narrow scabbard, a deep black blade, fine lightning patterns covering the edge, faintly visible deep blood color, forming complex and bizarre patterns.
[You obtained the Heart of the Great Serpent (God-tier)]
[Sacred Relic: Kamigiri]
[The fate entangled for hundreds of years dissipates today. The former serpent god inscribed its entire life on the sword. The sword tells its life story]
Orobashi didn't say anything about the reason for their destruction, about how they violated the taboo of the Heavenly Principles... It didn't tell Kiyono anything, but it inscribed everything into the sword.
It inscribed its entire life into the Kamigiri. The sword told Kiyono Raimei its life story.
The moment Kiyono received Kamigiri, the memories flowed into his mind.
The Archon War, the Abyss Sea, in the bottomless depths, tearing off all its coral, leading its people out of the abyss.
It spoke of its glory, it also spoke of its decline.
It also spoke of the past before sun and moon... that untouchable taboo, the truth of Watatsumi Island's destruction.
The great serpent told Kiyono everything, but it didn't speak. A samurai's language is the sword.
It was an invitation.
It was inviting Kiyono Raimei.
Or rather, a request.
Four hundred years ago, it surrendered to the Heavenly Principles for its people, but this proud samurai always remembered this humiliation. It knew who its true enemy was. The reason it remained as a lingering soul was to take revenge on its enemy!
So it invited Kiyono Raimei. It was about to leave, but it was still unwilling. So it transformed itself into a sword, but Kiyono Raimei was still alive.
This was why it asked Kiyono Raimei about his lifespan -- 'What do you say?'
Kiyono said it was just a matter of days.
"After death, one must leave something in the world. I gave my coral to my people, so I'll give my heart to Inazuma."
It invited Kiyono Raimei, invited this former nemesis, invited this old friend, invited him to join it on the battlefield, to raise the sword towards the sky!
And Kiyono's answer was simple. He didn't speak either. He just raised his cup.
The language between samurai is simple, only in the sword. The language between men is also simple, just as Kiyono Raimei once said --
Everything is in the wine.
They drank in the snow, for the eternal paradise and today's sunrise. They made a silent pact.
In the last moment of life, to launch a transgression against the sky.
They knew the outcome was destined to be failure, but only the grandest death, the strongest enemy, was worthy of their lives.
Kamigiri, naturally, was meant to kill gods.