"This is…"
The Dragon Sovereign rose smoothly to his feet.
"I made it. I assumed you wouldn't want your rest disturbed by the lightning."
Understanding dawned on her face.
"No wonder I slept so well. Nicely done, Neuvillette."
She flashed him a quick thumbs-up.
A faint smile touched his lips before fading just as quickly. He stepped forward, dispersing the Hydro barrier, and came to stand beside her, both of them facing the vast sea of lightning ahead.
Clearing her throat, she cupped her hands around her mouth and called out,
"Hey! You two! Ever think about how we feel? You've been at this for five hundred years—isn't that long enough?"
At her voice, the two violet figures halted and turned toward her.
"Lora…"
Noticing she had awakened, Ei glanced briefly at her counterpart before walking over.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I didn't expect that even after five hundred years, we still wouldn't be able to settle it."
There was no trace of excuse in her tone—only sincere regret for making them wait half a millennium.
The Shogun regarded Ei in silence.
"This duel… feels strangely familiar. As though we've returned to the moment Eternity was first forged. The resolve you carry now is no less than it was then."
"In clash after clash, you never fell. You never faltered. No matter how mercilessly I tested you in the name of Eternity, you did not waver."
Ei held her gaze.
"Your unwavering devotion to the law is worthy of respect. You truly deserve the title 'Guardian of Eternity.'"
"Inazuma cannot exist without the Raiden Shogun. Let this final clash bring our five hundred years of conflict to an end."
With that, she lifted her naginata.
"A final clash?" Ei frowned slightly.
She motioned for Lora and Neuvillette to step back, then raised the Musou Isshin and met her counterpart once more.
"They're still going? It's not over yet? Five hundred years wasn't enough?" Lora blinked as the thunderous collision resumed.
Neuvillette replied evenly at her side, "Do not be concerned. This will decide everything."
"Ah… should've brought popcorn. Guess we're stuck waiting." She sighed and settled back into her seat.
This exchange was fiercer than any before—brighter, more relentless. Lightning consumed the entire space, wild and blinding.
Lora had only one verdict.
Noisy.
Far too noisy.
At last, it ended.
The two violet figures separated, standing several meters apart.
"Done?"
Lora straightened immediately and moved to Ei's side, glancing across at her counterpart.
The Shogun studied Ei for a long moment before releasing a slow breath.
"It ends here. You have prevailed. I believed you could not move beyond your past. It seems I was mistaken—I underestimated the depth of your spirit. A will that refuses to change can never truly step into the future."
Ei answered softly, "You don't have to bear the future alone."
"I know your strength better than anyone. If this had been decided by power alone, I would have fallen." She paused. "But the reason one unsheathes a blade shapes the path it can take."
"What I carry now are the countless hopes fixed upon the light. Whenever I remember them, I can feel the Musou Isshin respond. This blade, left to me by my sister, urges me forward… reminds me who I must be."
The Shogun's gaze lowered to the sword as well.
"I felt it. In our clash, it awakened something greater."
Ei looked down at the weapon in her hand.
"It was my sister's blade. Perhaps only when I release my rigid fixation on Eternity and truly understand her will will it answer me completely. Just now… it felt as though she were still beside me."
The Shogun stepped forward.
"Your resolve is recognized. These new ideals were not born of erosion or weakness. I will no longer oppose you. This form remains your aide."
Ei inclined her head.
"And I will no longer bind Inazuma with unyielding laws."
At the side, Lora clapped lightly.
"Beautiful. Truly beautiful. So now that we've wrapped up five hundred years of emotional conflict, can we finally deal with the reason we came here?"
"Of course," Ei replied at once. "That was always our purpose."
"To revive the former Electro Archon… is that correct?" the Shogun asked, turning her gaze toward Lora.
Lora nodded. "Yes. She's your… sister, right?"
"Why must we confine ourselves to human definitions of kinship?"
The Shogun's brows knit faintly, as if the very label displeased her.
Noticing that stubborn streak—so reminiscent of Ei's former self—Lora cleared her throat softly. She stepped closer and lightly tapped the Musou Isshin in Ei's grasp.
A thread of blue radiance intertwined with soft pink light, spilling from the blade and gathering before them. The two hues coalesced into a gentle sphere of pink-violet glow.
"This is…"
Ei stared at it. From within the light, she felt a presence she knew beyond doubt.
That power—It was her sister's.
Lora spoke first.
"Hi, Makoto."
"…Hello, Egeria. Ei."
The voice drifted from within the sphere, warm and serene.
"It has been a long time."
"Yes. Several centuries now." Lora nodded lightly.
"I never thought I would see you again." Makoto's voice remained as gentle as ever. "What remains of me is little more than a fragment of lingering awareness. And yet… you have fully returned. That alone brings me joy."
Even at the brink of fading away, she spoke with nothing but quiet happiness for Lora's restoration.
"Makoto," Lora said softly, her gaze resting on the sphere, "we came here to bring you back."
"Bring me back…?"
A hint of surprise colored her tone.
"But I perished completely in Khaenri'ah. Even this consciousness has nearly dissipated. How could someone like me return?"
Before Lora could respond, she continued gently,
"I know your intentions are kind. But death is death. Your own return is already a miracle beyond reason. Please… do not endanger yourself for my sake."