Chapter 174. Conclusion
In the sky, Raiden Shogun and Futsu Mitama confronted each other, both looking at the other.
Futsu Mitama, who had gained Yae Miko's power, condensed the wishes of all living beings, and created The Omnipresent God's Wheel, was already a very perfect existence in Raiden Shogun's eyes.
He only needed time now, and he would be able to reach her current realm.
Raiden Shogun could clearly sense it—within the Plane of Euthymia, Raiden Ei, who had been silently observing everything, had begun to waver.
This was not erosion, but adaptation.
Futsu Mitama and Yae Miko had not deviated from eternity; rather, they were reshaping it, walking a different path toward the same ideal.
What stood before her was not rebellion, but a collision of principles—a contest between two interpretations of eternity. And in the end, only the stronger will would prevail.
As the guardian of eternity, Raiden Shogun existed to uphold it. That was her purpose—absolute and unchanging. Yet now, the eternity Raiden Ei once pursued no longer appeared so immovable.
Futsu Mitama had carved out a new path, one that had gained the recognition of the people of Inazuma. And because of that—doubt had begun to take root.
For the first time, Raiden Shogun hesitated. Should she acknowledge this new eternity—or continue to enforce the old one?
For a brief moment, she fell into silence.
"Shogun-sama, I have not yet fallen! Please enlighten me!"
Futsu Mitama's voice rang out once more, steady and resolute. The power within him surged, sustained by countless voices—countless wishes.
Most of those wishes were simple: end the Vision Hunt Decree, end the Sakoku Decree, and return Inazuma to what it once was.
They did not understand eternity, nor did they need to. They only knew one thing—Futsu Mitama was fighting for them.
And that alone was enough.
Coupled with Yae Miko's revelation that he was the next Raiden Shogun, the balance of belief had shifted.
Across the battlefield, nearly eighty percent of the people offered their Devotion without hesitation. The remaining few were not unwilling, but simply had yet to awaken.
"Very well."
Raiden Shogun made her decision.Her gaze fell upon Futsu Mitama, calm yet resolute.
"Your will, and the wishes of the people—I have seen. This body serves as both executor and guardian of the law."
She paused briefly before continuing, her voice even and unwavering. "The path of eternity you propose, and the one I uphold—whether either is correct, let it be decided through martial might. If you win, I will cease resistance. If you lose, I will not annihilate the Resistance."
Her eyes shifted toward the battlefield below, if only for an instant.
Something had changed.
Not entirely—but enough. Even she was not completely immutable.
And more importantly—Raiden Ei herself had begun to doubt.
That alone was enough to alter the course of events.
"Phew~"
Futsu Mitama let out a quiet breath. At the very least, the worst possible outcome had been avoided. Even if he lost, the Resistance would survive.
But victory?
Against a being of Archon-level combat power?
Even now, empowered by Devotion, by Yae Miko, and by borrowed authorities, he had no confidence in such an outcome.
This was no ordinary god.
This was Raiden Shogun.
Even Raiden Ei herself had struggled to suppress her, and he—at best—could now contend with an Archon, while at worst, he remained far from that level.
Futsu Mitama tightened his grip on the Seven Thunder of Retribution: Narukami. Lightning flickered in his eyes as the Electro Archon Authority surged to its limit.
Behind him, the Omnipresent God's Wheel rotated slowly, Devotion flowing endlessly into the blade.
Across from him, Raiden Shogun stood unmoving. Musou Isshin rested in her grasp, yet the pressure she exuded was overwhelming—like the weight of eternity itself pressing down upon the world.
"This strike will be the last," she said calmly. "No thoughts. No desires. A single slash—to sever all."
Before the blade even fell, the sky trembled. Countless strands of lightning gathered, converging into one. This was no longer restraint—it was resolve.
Below, the people looked on with reverence. For them, this was not merely an attack, but faith itself.
For centuries, whenever crisis struck Inazuma, this very strike had ended it all—Musou no Hitotachi, the embodiment of their god.
And now, it would decide the fate of their future.
Even Kujou Takayuki, barely conscious, forced himself upright to witness it. Once, such a sight would have filled him with pride. Now, only bitterness remained.
Had he…become the very calamity this strike was meant to erase?
"Old man," he muttered hoarsely, "did I make a mistake?"
No answer came—only silence, and the gathering storm above.
In the distance, Yae Miko watched quietly. This was the final exchange.
"Little one," she murmured, her voice soft, "the rest is up to you."
She had done all she could. What followed would depend on him—and perhaps on the will that still lingered within Musou Isshin.
Above, Futsu Mitama drew in a slow breath.
Everything he had—every fragment of power—was poured into his blade. The Archon Authorities, Yae Miko's strength, and most importantly, the Devotion of the people.
The Omnipresent God's Wheel spun faster, its light intensifying.
And then, the blade in his hand changed.
No longer did it shine with lightning.
It burned with golden radiance.
"This is no longer Musou no Hitotachi," Futsu Mitama said quietly, his voice steady. "I carry their wishes. Though I am not a god—I will answer their prayers."
He raised his blade, gaze locked onto Raiden Shogun.
"I call this strike—Musou Shinsetsu."
To cast aside all thought. To bear the dreams of all.
"It is time for Inazuma to step into a new era."
"SHOGUN-SAMA! COME!"
With that, he stepped forward and swung. Golden light erupted, tearing across the sky like a falling star.
"Musou Shinsetsu." Raiden Shogun's gaze sharpened slightly. "This strike—cannot be underestimated."
She raised Musou Isshin, prepared to answer in kind.
But in that very instant, a powerful resistance surged from within the blade.
A rejection—absolute and undeniable.
Her pupils contracted.
For the first time, she could not swing her sword. The very weapon that defined her—refused her will.
And in that fleeting moment of stillness, Futsu Mitama's attack arrived.
To those below, it appeared as though Raiden Shogun had simply lowered her blade—and accepted the strike.
There was no clash.
No counter.
Only impact.
Silence followed.
Then shock.
Across the battlefield, disbelief gave way to emotion—then to tears.
"She… didn't strike back…"
"Shogun-sama… she chose not to break our wishes…"
"I was wrong… she was never heartless…"
Voices rose one after another, anger shifting, blame redirected. But beneath it all, something deeper emerged.
Faith—restored.
Above, the golden radiance gradually faded. Raiden Shogun still stood, unmoved and unshaken.
She looked at Futsu Mitama, her expression as calm as ever.
"This strike was powerful," she said evenly. "But not enough. Devotion is formidable—yet you remain its vessel. External power is still external."
Her gaze sharpened slightly, carrying a quiet, undeniable authority.
"If you wish to wound me—then learn to condense your strength—rather than scatter it."
As Raiden Shogun saw it, Futsu Mitama's final strike had been fundamentally flawed. Rather than dispersing his power outward, he should have condensed everything into a single point—gathering all strength upon the blade before delivering a decisive strike. Only then would he have had any real chance of wounding her.
However, given that Futsu Mitama had grown accustomed to borrowing external power, she did not dwell on it. At most, she offered a brief critique—nothing more.
"Thank you for your guidance, Shogun-sama, but—" Futsu Mitama exhaled, his expression subtly complicated as he looked at her—completely unharmed despite everything he had unleashed. "What should we do about this battle?"
Truthfully, he didn't even know how to define the outcome.
From beginning to end, he had been overwhelmingly suppressed. That much was undeniable. The gap between them wasn't something that could be bridged with effort alone—it was an absolute disparity in power. If measured by the Chat Group's standards, then Raiden Shogun before him would undoubtedly stand at the highest tier at Lv. 5, while he himself remained far below at Lv.3. The only reason he had managed to exchange blows at all was because she had deliberately held back, wary of crushing him outright.
Even setting that aside, the comparison was clear. Kunikuzushi, as one of the Fatui Harbingers, had been reduced to ruin by a single serious strike. Futsu Mitama's current strength wasn't much different from his. Without prior assistance and the ability to draw upon the Gnosis, even his own outcome might have mirrored that.
Because of this, he had never truly considered the possibility of victory.
"You won."
Raiden Shogun's voice was calm, without hesitation.
Futsu Mitama paused, momentarily stunned. He hadn't injured her. Not even slightly. By any conventional measure, there was no reason for her to concede.
But Raiden Shogun did not explain immediately. Her gaze lingered faintly, as if tracing something beyond the present moment. At the final exchange, Musou Isshin had resisted her will. That alone was enough. Whether it was the lingering will of Raiden Makoto or something deeper within eternity itself, the result remained unchanged—she had failed to deliver her strike.
And to her, that constituted defeat.
A loss was a loss. There was no need for further interpretation.
Futsu Mitama slowly let out a breath, the tension finally easing from his body. Only now did he realize how close he had been to complete exhaustion. If the battle had continued even a little longer, he likely wouldn't have been able to remain standing.
In contrast, Raiden Shogun showed no sign of fatigue. With a smooth motion, she returned Musou Isshin to her chest, as though sheathing not a weapon, but a part of herself. After a brief pause, she spoke again, her tone unchanged.
"She wishes to see you."
"Huh?"
Before he could process the meaning of those words, the world shifted. There was no sensation of movement, no visible transition. One moment he stood upon the battlefield, and the next—
He was already within the Plane of Euthymia.
The transition was faster than ever before, so abrupt that it left no room for reaction. Clearly, Raiden Ei's state of mind was no longer as composed as it once had been.
Within that silent, boundless space, Raiden Ei stood waiting.
She was not meditating this time. Instead, her gaze rested directly on Futsu Mitama—quiet, yet layered with complexity, as though countless thoughts were colliding beneath the surface.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
"Ei."
Futsu Mitama broke the silence first. His voice was steady, though his thoughts were already moving ahead. This was the moment. If he could bring her into the Chat Group now, everything that followed would become far easier.
However, before he could continue, Raiden Ei spoke.
"There is no need to explain. Through the Shogun, I have already seen your intentions—and Guuji's as well."
A faint sigh escaped her lips, her gaze lowering slightly.
"I never expected that the decrees I issued would lead Inazuma to this state. I was aware of the Resistance long ago, but I did not think it would develop to such an extent—where even the Tenryou Commission could no longer suppress it."
She paused, her expression turning more introspective.
"Perhaps…this is what my sister once called the 'tide of the times.' If I had allowed the Shogun to suppress it by force, then how would I be any different from the tyrants of the Archon War?"
Her voice softened, though the weight behind it only grew heavier.
"My pursuit of eternity—blinded me. I forgot the responsibilities of a deity."
Futsu Mitama hesitated. This level of clarity—this admission—was not something he had expected so directly. She understood, at least to a certain extent. And yet, he also knew that the situation she had witnessed was not entirely natural. Without external interference—without the Chat Group, without the weapons and support provided by others—the Resistance would never have reached this point so quickly.
But in the end, that distinction no longer mattered.
Because what Raiden Ei had seen…was real.
And it had been enough.
"I know what you're thinking," she continued, lifting her gaze. "The Tenryou Commission. The Kujou Clan. I will send the Okuzume to investigate. The matter of the Fatui will also be handled."
Her tone steadied, regaining the composure befitting an Archon.
"As for the Resistance, I will leave it to you and Guuji. With her methods, I doubt she acted without planning the outcome from the beginning. After this—Inazuma will be reborn."
She drew Musou Isshin once more, her fingers lightly brushing along the blade, as though acknowledging the will within it.
"Perhaps—that is what my sister intended."
Futsu Mitama nodded slightly, then paused before speaking again.
"Ei—there's something I need to tell you."
She looked at him, a trace of curiosity appearing. "If it concerns your involvement with the Resistance, there is no need to explain. Without you, I might never have realized any of this. As long as it does not involve other Archons attempting to take you away, I can accept it."
He gave a faint, helpless smile. "It's not that."
"Then what is it?"
He took a breath.
"I want you to go somewhere. Once you're there—everything will make sense."
Raiden Ei blinked, clearly confused, yet she did not question him further. After everything that had happened, she trusted him enough to follow through.
"Very well."
The moment she agreed, a voice suddenly echoed within her mind.
"Ding! Are you willing to join the Teyvat Continent Loving Family Chat Group?"
Her expression changed instantly.
In a single motion, Musou Isshin was already in her hand. Before Futsu Mitama could react, she stepped forward, shielding him behind her as a sharp, vigilant aura spread outward.
"Who? Show yourself."
Her voice was cold, precise, filled with unmistakable hostility.
Because this presence had appeared within the Plane of Euthymia itself—her domain. To intrude here without her awareness meant only one thing: the opponent was extraordinarily dangerous.
And in his current condition, Futsu Mitama would not survive such a threat.
She would not allow that.
The voice sounded again, unchanged, mechanical, indifferent.
"Ding! Are you willing to join the Teyvat Continent Loving Family Chat Group?"
Raiden Ei's gaze hardened, lightning gathering along the edge of her blade.
"Not coming out?"
The surrounding space began to distort under her will, the Plane of Euthymia itself shifting as she prepared to force the hidden presence into the open.
"Stop—!"
Futsu Mitama immediately raised both hands, urgency clear in his voice.
"Ei…that was me."
She turned to him, confusion finally surfacing in her eyes.
"You?"
"Yes." He exhaled, clearly resigned. "You just need to accept it. Think 'yes.' That's all. I can't explain it properly here—but once you enter, you'll understand."
For a moment, Raiden Ei said nothing. Then, ever so slightly, a faint blush appeared across her face before she looked away.
"I see."
Without further hesitation, she closed her eyes and gave her answer.
Yes.
And in that instant, the world before her transformed.
A translucent interface unfolded, lines of text appearing one after another, forming a space that did not belong to the Plane of Euthymia—nor to Teyvat itself.
Within it…voices echoed.
Familiar voices.
Impossible voices.
Alive.
For the first time in a long while, Raiden Ei found herself at a loss for words.
[Group Announcement: Ding!!!]
[Welcome Raiden Ei to the Teyvat Continent Loving Family Chat Group.]
[Raiden Makoto: "Pfft, hahahahahahaha~~~"]
[Raiden Makoto: "No, it's too funny."]
[Raiden Makoto: "Miko, did you record that? That scene just now?"]
[Yae Miko: "It's all recorded, Makoto. Don't worry, I will save this video even if I die."]
[Azhdaha: "Oh, so you've come in, Beelzebub."}]
[Maha Rukkhadevata: "Long time no see, Beelzebub. It's been a while."}]
[Venti: "Eh heh Beelzebub We meet again No more fighting and killing this time And don't try to find me; all of this was planned by your sister."]
[Kamisato Ayaka: "Shogun-sama, you've finally joined this Chat Group."]
[Sangonomiya Kokomi: "Hello, Shogun-sama. I am Sangonomiya Kokomi, the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island, and currently the fourth-in-command of the Resistance. The leaders of the Resistance are Lady Makoto, Guuji, and Lady Guizhong. If Futsu Mitama also joins, then I'm the fifth-in-command?"]
[Guizhong: "Hm? When did I become the third-in-command? I'm just offering friendly assistance~ Not the third-in-command of the Resistance."]
[Yae Miko: "I'm the third-in-command, and you're the second-in-command. When are you coming to Inazuma as a guest? And perhaps lend your name?"]
[Azhdaha: "You little fox, I can hear the sound of your abacus clearly all the way from Mt. Hulao."]
[Albedo: "Is Raiden Shogun not speaking? Everything here is real; you don't need to doubt anything."]
[Maha Rukkhadevata: "This is also quite normal. When I first joined the Chat Group, I was also shocked for a long time before I recovered."]
[Venti: "@Zhongli, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Consultant, come out and greet our guest. Quickly tell Beelzebub what's going on here."]
[Zhongli: "..."]
[Azhdaha: "Barbatos, why do you always seem to like bossing Zhongli around?"]
[Guizhong: "Perhaps their relationship is better?"]
[Raiden Makoto: "Let me, your elder sister, explain. @Raiden Ei, are you there? If you're truly shocked, why not ask Futsu Mitama what exactly is going on?"]
[Futsu Mitama: "Hm?"]
[Raiden Ei: "What exactly is going on? I, I..."]
Within the Plane of Euthymia, Raiden Ei's pupils suddenly constricted. For a brief moment, her mind went completely blank, as though all thought had been forcibly stripped away.
The names appearing within the interface struck her like thunder.
Zhongli, Morax's name.
Venti, Barbatos' name.
Maha Rukkhadevata.
Each one carried a weight that no ordinary being could comprehend. The Geo Archon. The Anemo Archon. The Dendro Archon. Figures who stood at the pinnacle of Teyvat—beings who governed nations and upheld divine authority—were all gathered within this single, inexplicable space.
And they were…speaking to one another.
Casually.
As though such a thing were only natural.
But even that was not what shook her the most.
It was another name.
A name she had not allowed herself to dwell upon for five hundred years.
Raiden Makoto.
Her sister.
Her…lost sister.
And yet, here she was—speaking, laughing, even directly calling out to her.
For an instant, Raiden Ei's breathing faltered.
What…was this?
Was it an illusion?
A trick of the mind, born from a moment of weakness?
No.
That answer came almost immediately.
This was no hallucination. The clarity, the presence, the undeniable sense of reality—it was all too vivid, too precise. Nothing about this felt false.
Which only made it more incomprehensible.
"tsu… Futsu Mitama… is this real?"
Her voice trembled.
It was faint, but unmistakable.
In the five hundred years since Makoto had died in her arms, Raiden Ei had never once allowed herself to sound like this. Her emotions had long since been sealed away, buried beneath the unyielding stillness of eternity.
And yet now…they surfaced all at once.
If this was real—if Makoto was truly here—
Then what did that mean?
Was she alive?
Where was she?
Was she safe?
Was she—
Countless questions surged through her mind in an instant, but none of them could pass her lips. It was as though her voice itself had been seized, held captive by the overwhelming tide of emotion crashing within her.
On the interface, Raiden Makoto was still calling her, still speaking in that familiar tone—gentle, teasing, telling her not to get too emotional.
Not to cry like a child.
"Ah."
A soft sound escaped her, barely audible.
Then—
"Drip."
Futsu Mitama instinctively raised his hand, catching something as it fell.
There was no water within the Plane of Euthymia.
There never had been.
Yet upon his palm, a single droplet rested—clear, trembling, reflecting the faint light of that silent world.
A tear.
Raiden Ei stood motionless, her expression unchanged at first glance, yet her eyes had already betrayed her.
For five hundred years, she had remained unwavering. Detached. Untouched by the passage of time or the erosion of emotion.
And now—She was crying.
Whether it was joy, disbelief, or something far deeper, even she herself could not say. Only that, in this moment, the eternity she had clung to so desperately—had finally begun to crack.
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