The revelation struck like thunder.
The Raiden Shogun… was a puppet?
Ayaka and the others stared blankly at Miko, minds struggling to catch up.
Miko sighed softly.
"I never intended to tell you this. It's not a past worth revisiting."
"But right now… my idiot friend—your real Raiden Shogun, that overgrown, emotionally-stunted child—is about to get herself killed by her own doing."
Her gaze drifted toward the drifting clouds outside the window, as though pulled back to a distant era.
"The world praises the Raiden Shogun as invincible, peerless beneath the heavens."
"But the truth is… the real Raiden Shogun is not a strong fighter. Among the Archons, she's on the weaker end."
"Because the Raiden Shogun is a pair of twin gods. The elder sister, Baal—that is Makoto.
The younger sister, Beelzebul—that is Ei."
"The sisters were inseparable from the moment they were born. Makoto—Baal—was the true first Shogun of Inazuma."
"The Raiden Shogun you grew up believing in… was actually Makoto."
"Ei was her shadow. Her blade. Her guardian who fought for her because Makoto wasn't suited to battle."
"Makoto governed; Ei waged war. They were perfect together."
"Makoto handled state affairs beautifully, while Ei avoided public appearances and disliked politics. That's why history only records one Raiden Shogun."
"Then…"
Miko paused. A faint sorrow edged her voice.
"Five hundred years ago, during the Khaenri'ah calamity—the very war known to you as the Abyssal Darkness—"
"Makoto went to the battlefield under the command of the Heavenly Principles.
And she died there."
"Her final act was entrusting Inazuma to Ei."
"In the centuries that followed, Ei lost friend after friend, comrade after comrade. Makoto's death crushed what remained of her stability."
"She became terrified of loss. Terrified of change. Terrified of death."
"She grew stubborn—obsessively so."
"And because she was terrible at governing, she used her own divine body to create a puppet to rule in her stead."
"Then she convinced herself that only Eternity—unchanging, unmoving, untouched by decay—would stop her from losing Makoto's final gift: Inazuma."
"So she sealed herself inside the Plane of Euthymia, endlessly resisting erosion."
"And thus were born the Vision Hunt Decree and the Isolation Decree."
"I tried to stop her… but she wouldn't listen. In fact, to avoid losing me too, she even contemplated imprisoning me for eternity."
"After Makoto's death, Ei's heart twisted far more than you could imagine."
Miko rubbed her temples.
"And now…"
"She's finally played herself into a corner."
"The puppet—Raiden Shogun—has birthed her own consciousness. Yet she still follows the root command Ei set long ago."
"Eternity must never change.
The Vision Hunt Decree and Isolation Decree must never be lifted.
Inazuma must pursue Eternity without wavering."
"And worse—Ei was terrified of her own future erosion. So she added one last safeguard…"
"If she ever betrayed Eternity… the puppet must stop her."
"By force."
"The puppet inherited all of Ei's martial might. In some conditions, she may even surpass Ei."
"Shenhe just finished a divination for me."
"Ei has finally changed her mind. She wants to lift the Isolation Decree and prepare Inazuma for spiritual revival."
"She understands the tide cannot be stopped—only embraced."
"But the puppet… already has independent thought. And that thought is rigid."
"She believes Ei is becoming unstable. She is attempting to seize control of the body."
"If this continues… she will completely suppress Ei's consciousness in the Plane of Euthymia."
"That idiot—she's really managed to corner herself this time."
The group was stunned, reeling, minds blank.
Their god—
their absolute ruler—
was a puppet?
Even Ei… wasn't the original Raiden Shogun?
The real one—Makoto—had already died?
It was too much. Their brains lagged behind, refusing to process it.
But soon, Kujou Sara's eyes sharpened with urgency.
"Regardless of everything—Lady Guuji, Her Excellency is in danger, isn't she?"
Miko nodded wordlessly.
"A battle in the mindscape spans a thousand years in an instant. If Ei is dragged into the puppet's domain, she will have no chance at all."
"She will be erased… as a corrupted fragment."
"And after that? To lift the decrees, you would have no choice but to kill the puppet."
Sara staggered, almost fainting on the spot.
"General Kujou, calm yourself," Kokomi said firmly. "Lady Guuji… Ei intends to lift the decrees?"
"Yes," Miko said. "She loves Inazuma. She would never allow it to be destroyed."
"So our only task is to save her consciousness—but…"
Kokomi sighed helplessly.
"Even the puppet Raiden Shogun is far beyond us. We can't fight her."
At once, everyone turned toward Miko.
Sara dropped to one knee despite her trembling.
"Lady Guuji—I beg you. Please save Her Excellency. Inazuma cannot lose Ei, and we cannot let the puppet imprison her."
"Only you have the strength."
Her voice cracked with desperation.
Miko quickly motioned for her to rise.
Truthfully, she had not planned to interfere.
Even if Ei lifted the decrees, their relationship couldn't go back.
But now it wasn't about emotions anymore.
If Miko didn't intervene—Ei might actually die.
Miko bit her lip.
"In that case, I can only—"
"You cannot go."
A calm voice cut through her words.
Jiang Yan.
He and Zhongli had finished speaking at some point, quietly returning to Miko's side.
Miko's fox ears nearly stood up.
"Sect Master… Ei is my friend. She's in danger—I can't just sit here—"
Jiang Yan's voice was gentle.
"Precisely because she is your friend—you must not go."
"Why? With my strength, I only need one day—"
He shook his head.
"For Inazuma's safety, you must stay away."
"You, Yae Miko, have reached the absolute peak of the Refining Essence stage. At any moment, you may undergo the tribulation to ascend to Spirit Transformation."
"If you go to Inazuma… and lightning tribulation descends mid-battle—what then?"
"Ganyu and Xiao have both been forbidden from traveling for the same reason. You are no different."
Miko pressed her lips together.
"Sect Master… I have confidence in enduring my tribulation."
"I believe you."
His smile was warm… but his head still shook.
"But success in tribulation is not the concern."
"It is the effect of the tribulation."
"Even if you survive, Inazuma will not."
The room fell silent.
Jiang Yan continued quietly:
"For you three at peak Refining Essence, tribulation looms. And tribulation… destroys worlds."
"When I crossed my tribulation in Teyvat, had the ancestors not shielded me, a single bolt—just the first—would have annihilated all of Teyvat instantly."
"Because the world was too weak to withstand it."
"Even the nine-fold tribulation of the Spirit Transformation stage would obliterate Inazuma. Every living being would die in an instant."
"Mortals cannot witness the Dao.
The mortal world cannot withstand the immortal."
"If your tribulation falls over Inazuma… even if you survive, Inazuma will be erased from the map."
"One bolt would level the entire region."
His voice dropped.
"You are the true walking catastrophe."
"Can you guarantee your tribulation won't descend at the worst possible moment?"
"Dare you gamble Inazuma's existence on that?"
Miko opened her mouth.
Closed it.
And fell silent.
She couldn't gamble.
She wouldn't gamble.
Losing meant annihilation.
Zhongli finally spoke.
"Sect Master is correct. Yae Miko, if you set foot in Inazuma, you will become its doom."
"When the Sect Master transcended tribulation, even under ancestral protection—the pressure alone nearly killed me."
"Your tribulation would be apocalyptic to mortals."
Miko was defeated.
Ningguang frowned, worry crossing her delicate features.
"Sect Master… if tribulation is this destructive, we have three peak Refining Essence experts here. Will Liyue not—"
Jiang Yan lifted a hand.
"No need to worry. Liyue is no longer like Inazuma."
Ningguang blinked, then suddenly understood.
Her eyes lit up.
"The spiritual energy?"
"Exactly."
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