When Sangonomiya Kokomi finally snapped back to her senses, the first thing that met her eyes was the second Musoujin Gorge that had just appeared, and a chill ran down her spine.
But then, Sangonomiya Kokomi was somewhat surprised; she hadn't died from that terrifying strike, nor was she even injured.
Suddenly, Sangonomiya Kokomi sensed something and looked to the side, only to see Yae Miko's smug face.
"Call me Sister Yae, and I'll save your life."
"How about it? Still seems like a fair trade, doesn't it?"
Only after hearing Yae Miko's words did Sangonomiya Kokomi realize that Yae Miko had saved her at the very last moment. But she couldn't understand why the other woman would do such a thing.
Sangonomiya Kokomi looked at Yae Miko with a complex expression. The other woman couldn't possibly be unaware of how much trouble this would cause her, yet she had done it anyway.
"Thank you..." Sangonomiya Kokomi said slowly.
"If you really want to thank me, let me hear you call me Sister Yae one more time."
Seeing Yae Miko's relaxed expression, as if she didn't care about the consequences at all, Sangonomiya Kokomi took a deep breath.
"Sister Yae, thank you."
This time, Sangonomiya Kokomi's words flowed much more naturally. She had no way to repay this debt of gratitude.
"Alright, it's time for you to go, my dear Sister Kokomi."
Yae Miko smiled and stroked Sangonomiya Kokomi's head. Although Sangonomiya Kokomi found the gesture uncomfortable, she forced herself not to pull away.
"What about you?"
Hearing these words, Yae Miko smiled.
"Don't worry, I have a kitsune's protection up there!"
"As for you, if you don't leave now, you won't be able to get away so easily."
Yae Miko waved her hand dismissively, then turned to look at the figure floating in the distance.
It was a woman with long purple hair, a pair of horns with red tips and black bases on her head. She wore red and black samurai armor that looked as if it had been scorched by fire. A pair of arms, transformed into Oni Armor, floated on either side of her body, and her deep purple eyes emitted an unapproachable, indifferent light.
She seemed like the ruler of lightning; the Electro Elemental Power around her body had almost solidified, and purple lightning flashed through the air from time to time.
That sword strike just now had been delivered by her. Although her target had been saved by Yae Miko, her face showed no expression, as if her heart had completely died.
Stared down by her cold gaze, the fox fur on Yae Miko's body stood on end. She had only felt this kind of pressure five hundred years ago, from Raiden Ei when she learned of Raiden Makoto's death.
Yae Miko knew that the only reason the opponent had not struck again was simply because she didn't care.
She didn't care about either Sangonomiya Kokomi, who was an intruder, or Yae Miko herself, who had stepped in to save the person. If that weren't the case, Yae Miko would never have dared to intervene.
"And after that slash just now, the Electro Element erosion has already spread completely."
"This Electro Elemental Power, mixed with Divine Power and a certain special power from what seems to be another world, is almost impossible to remove. Inazuma is doomed, and maybe even more than just Inazuma."
Yae Miko sighed softly. Although, as a Yokai Fox, she didn't care much about the people of Inazuma, being more interested in finding amusement.
But after all, this was the place where she had lived for so long, and she had also met many very interesting humans. At this moment, when Inazuma was about to be destroyed, how could her heart feel absolutely nothing?
"Your action has already failed. Go back, and don't appear again for a short time."
"If there is still a chance in the future... you can take your people and rebuild Inazuma."
Yae Miko spoke unhurriedly, all the while remaining vigilant of the movements over there.
Although she was ninety percent sure the opponent would not strike, it wasn't a hundred percent certainty, and Yae Miko still felt somewhat uneasy.
Clearly, Sangonomiya Kokomi had also noticed the figure over there, and her expression turned very grave as she felt the terrifying aura, like an abyss and a sea, emanating from the opponent.
Sangonomiya Kokomi never expected Yae Miko to ask her to abandon Inazuma for her own safety, nor did she expect to encounter a being of such immense power.
Yae Miko was absolutely right; this was no longer a battle she could interfere in.
Realizing this, and to avoid letting Yae Miko's efforts go to waste, as well as to bring the information from this place out, Sangonomiya Kokomi finally thanked Yae Miko and immediately fled into the distance.
Only after Sangonomiya Kokomi's figure disappeared from sight did Yae Miko withdraw her gaze from the other person, then looked somewhat cautiously at another figure that had appeared at some unknown time.
"Lady Kitsune Saiguu, you shouldn't be angry that I stepped in to save her, right?"
Hearing Yae Miko's question, Kitsune Saiguu spoke somewhat irritably.
"Would you have refrained from saving her if I were angry?"
Yae Miko chuckled awkwardly.
"Alright, she is just an insignificant minor character after all. I'm sure that one isn't interested in her either."
"But don't cause trouble for yourself next time, or I might not be able to protect you."
"You know that from the moment the deal was struck, I became that one's property, and I have no right to negotiate terms with her."
Hearing these words, Yae Miko nodded.
After receiving Ganyu's letter, Yae Miko already knew how terrifying the enemy's strength truly was. Coupled with Kitsune Saiguu's appearance, which gave her genuine hope, she had decisively defected to the enemy.
This time, Scaramouche was also absent. Not only would she not necessarily take action to save Sangonomiya Kokomi, but she could, of course, choose to beat her off Yashiori Island.
"Huh?"
Right at this moment, Yae Miko saw Kitsune Saiguu daze for a moment, and then the expression on her face gradually became complicated.
"She's here."
Without needing an explanation, Yae Miko knew exactly who the other person was referring to.
Sure enough, the next second, a ground-shaking thunderclap erupted in the distance, and a purple figure, enveloped in a terrifying aura, charged forward at lightning speed.
Yae Miko was all too familiar with the aura emanating from the figure. Instantly, the fox tail behind her stood straight up, and she hurriedly suppressed her own presence, preparing to find a place to hide.
Kitsune Saiguu was also very familiar with this aura, and the complicated expression on her face became even more pronounced. Seeing Yae Miko sneakily slip away, Kitsune Saiguu finally couldn't help but speak.
"Wait, I'll come with you."
-
At this moment, Thoma finally reunited with Sangonomiya Kokomi.
Seeing that Sangonomiya Kokomi seemed to have suffered no significant injuries, Thoma secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Lady Sangonomiya..."
Just as Thoma was about to ask a question, a terrifying aura suddenly swept rapidly across the sky.
Thoma froze for a moment, then his eyes widened.
"Is that... the Almighty Shogun?!"
The Raiden Shogun had finally made her move. Thoma should have been completely relieved, but to his surprise, the unease in his heart only deepened.
On the other side, Raiden Ei stopped a short distance from the figure ahead, a flicker of hesitation and uncertainty crossing her eyes.
The aura emanating from the figure was incredibly powerful and seemed very similar to her own. Even her appearance was strikingly similar, but a closer look revealed numerous differences.
Moreover, the aura she carried could only be described as similar, not familiar.
Raiden Ei's initial excitement was now met with a sudden dousing of cold water.
Although she already had a vague idea of the answer in her heart, she still held onto a last shred of hope and spoke to the figure.
"Sister, is that you?"
However, the only response Raiden Ei received was a cold gaze and a simple, unadorned strike of a blade imbued with terrifying thunderous power.
Raiden Ei's expression changed instantly. She immediately raised her blade to block the attack, and a sound like clashing metal erupted.
BOOM
The point where the Oni Armor's tachi clashed with the Musou no Hitotachi in Raiden Ei's hand erupted in a terrifying shockwave. Powerful gusts of wind instantly blasted outward in all directions, causing the ground hundreds of meters below to crack inch by inch.
Feeling the power of this strike, Raiden Ei was inwardly shaken. Her opponent's strength had already reached a level nearly equal to her own.
Not only had they mastered Electro Elemental Power to the absolute limit, but an unknown power radiating an aura of destruction also pulsed within their body.
Moreover, this strike was only the beginning. In the next instant, their figure blurred into several afterimages before Raiden Ei. A series of slashes were executed in the blink of an eye, each one generating a powerful Electro storm.
Finally, the opponent's figure vanished, leaving only a blinding, soul-piercing blade of light across the sky.
Then, they fell like a meteor, slamming into the center of Yashiori Island and creating a massive crater. The ground behind Raiden Ei shattered like a spiderweb, and the air seemed to carry a faint scent of blood.
Raiden Ei was injured.
Of all the slashes just now, she failed to completely block the final one. This was partly due to her carelessness, and partly because her heart was so shocked that she lacked any will to fight.
So similar, it was just too similar!
The opponent gave her an incredibly familiar feeling, even making Raiden Ei feel as if she and the opponent were the same person. She had only ever felt this sensation with her sister, Raiden Makoto, whose heart was connected to her own.
But the opponent couldn't possibly be Raiden Makoto. Raiden Makoto was not skilled in combat at all, while the opponent was more like another version of herself from a different world.
The scene of Raiden Ei being struck down was naturally witnessed by Sangonomiya Kokomi and Thoma on Yashiori Island. This sight made both of their hearts leap in alarm.
Raiden Ei, who had once been nearly invincible in their eyes, had actually been knocked down by the opponent in a single exchange.
They really had to run now!
Although Raiden Ei might not have used her full power and might not have necessarily lost, it was foreseeable that Yashiori Island would next completely become a battlefield for the gods. Under such immense power, they would have no chance to resist. If they were accidentally caught in the crossfire, they could be reincarnated.
Afterward, Sangonomiya Kokomi and Thoma stopped paying attention to the battlefield and began searching for Arataki Itto and Kuki Shinobu on Yashiori Island. Besides them, Yae Miko was also secretly retreating behind Kitsune Saiguu. They were not worried about Raiden Ei, who seemed to be at a disadvantage; their main concern now was their own safety.
The perspective returned to the battlefield.
A red and black bolt of lightning crashed straight down. Raiden Ei narrowed her eyes slightly, her body vanishing instantly from the center of the crater. The next moment, the lightning struck the exact spot where her figure had disappeared, blasting the earth upward with immense force. Yet a second later, the ground was reduced to dust within the torrent of the thunderstorm.
Raiden Ei's expression turned serious as she watched the scene unfold.
No matter who the opponent was, it seemed this battle was now unavoidable.
Raiden Ei's eyes flashed with a light that was impossible to gaze upon. She dropped the blade in her right hand and slowly placed her hand over her chest. A tachi that shone with a dazzling brilliance, as if forged from countless wishes, the Musou Isshin, appeared in Raiden Ei's hand.
Raiden Ei did not know what was happening, but her thought process was simple: if she defeated her opponent, she might find the answer to her questions.
With this thought, Raiden Ei moved.
Her body transformed into a purple bolt of lightning, crossing thousands of meters in an instant with unparalleled momentum. The air itself shrieked with a piercing sonic boom from the strike, and in a flash, even the raging electromagnetic field was violently torn asunder. The next moment, her blade clashed with the opponent's weapon, producing a metallic clang.
This sound seemed to act as a signal. In the next second, both figures vanished simultaneously, leaving only the terrifying impacts and explosions that continuously echoed through the air, as well as the sight of black holes twisting space itself from the collision of two immense powers.
Yashiori Island, serving as the battlefield, had not stopped trembling since the fight began. Countless peaks were leveled, countless ravines were torn open and collapsed, and countless boulders fell like rain. The purple sea continuously flooded inward as a terrifying thunderstorm subjected the entire island to a destructive baptism.
Even the mere aftershocks of the battle were enough to vaporize many of the people on Yashiori Island.
In this horrific battle, almost everyone on Yashiori Island felt as insignificant as an ant!
"Bang!"
Higashiyama-no-Ou swung his blade, splitting a bolt of lightning as thick as a bucket, yet his body still suffered a strong numbness from the electrical current, which took a long time to slowly dissipate.
Glancing once more at the battlefield, Higashiyama-no-Ou's eyes brimmed with an undeniable fighting spirit. He longed to join the fray and fight, but he also knew his current strength and condition. Going there would just be throwing his life away.
"Retreat!"
Higashiyama-no-Ou commanded, doing his best to ensure the safety of his subordinates along the way.
He failed to notice that within their ranks, a tall figure and a petite figure remained close together, drifting at the edge of the group. They seemed to want to break away, but ultimately chose to stay.
Meanwhile, Sangonomiya Kokomi, unable to find Arataki Itto and Kuki Shinobu, dared not linger any longer. Otherwise, even those two would be in danger.
Sangonomiya Kokomi led Thoma, treading upon the waves as they fended off the lightning filling the sky. As they drew further away, the lightning in the heavens gradually diminished and weakened.
At this moment, the Shouki no Kami, who was about to reach Yashiori Island with Rosalyne, turned around midair without hesitation and flew toward Tatarasuna.
Rosalyne, who had been held in the palm of the God of Justice, completely subdued upon seeing her greatest fear.