On Watatsumi Island,
Sangonomiya Kokomi was hosting a banquet for Beidou.
This time, Beidou had once again brought plenty of supplies , especially alchemical potions, which were exactly what the resistance army needed most right now.
However, the resistance wasn't doing well financially. They couldn't afford to pay much Mora.
So for now, Beidou had come to Watatsumi to see what valuable goods could be offered as collateral , something to trade first and settle later.
As for haggling…
Kokomi wasn't that heartless.
After all, Beidou had come out of goodwill to provide support.
Otherwise, matters involving the resistance and the Shogunate , essentially Inazuma's internal affairs , were not something any foreign captain would dare involve herself in openly.
You can't just refuse to let someone profit from the deal , that wouldn't even count as a proper transaction.
And this wasn't just business; it was about trust.
"These past few days, things in the resistance camp seem rather peaceful," Beidou said, taking a hearty gulp of wine and grinning at Kokomi.
Kokomi shook her head helplessly.
"I'm not exactly sure what's going on. A few days ago, Kujou Sara came to the front lines, saying that Her Excellency, the Shogun, had ordered both sides to cease fire."
"I don't really understand the reason, but I doubt Kujou Sara would ever falsify an order from the Shogun."
"These days, the Shogunate army really hasn't advanced. They've pulled back to Kannazuka."
"The resistance finally has a chance to catch its breath… but the soldiers are still uneasy."
"They're not afraid of fighting , they're afraid of endless attrition, afraid that the Shogun herself might eventually take the field to crush them."
"Besides, even without moving the troops, maintaining a standing army consumes astronomical amounts of resources every single day."
"It looks peaceful on the surface, but if this continues, morale in the resistance will start to collapse sooner or later."
Military campaigns can't simply be paused indefinitely ,
there are countless factors that affect the army's discipline and morale.
And right now, the resistance was starting to lose its sense of direction.
Kokomi had been trying to contact Kujou Sara these past few days, but the only news she received was that Sara had been absent from her post.
Even the Shogunate side seemed leaderless , no one knew what to do next.
Neither side was having an easy time.
"So, you think this might be Kujou Sara's plan?" Beidou asked casually.
Kokomi shook her head firmly.
"Impossible. Others might do something like that, but I understand Kujou Sara , she's absolutely loyal to the Shogun. She would never scheme like this."
"That's exactly why I'm troubled , because I don't understand, I don't know what to do."
"If this stalemate drags on for another month, the resistance will mutiny."
"But here's the irony , within a month, the Shogunate's troops might mutiny too."
"That's why I can't comprehend what Kujou Sara is thinking right now."
Beidou smirked and waved her hand dismissively.
"So many twists and turns… I can't make sense of it either. Forget it."
"I'll be heading back to Liyue in a few days anyway. There's still plenty waiting for me there, so I won't be coming back anytime soon."
Kokomi looked slightly disheartened and nodded softly.
"I understand."
"Don't worry too much," Beidou said, waving her hand dismissively.
"I've brought the Traveler here. She's in Inazuma now. With her around, things might get a bit better."
She grinned, adding, "Who knows? Maybe this ceasefire is thanks to her."
Kokomi had heard Beidou mention the Traveler several times before. Her curiosity about Lumine had only grown stronger.
If it weren't for the current situation that kept her trapped here on Watatsumi Island, she would've gone to meet the Traveler herself.
Just as she was about to ask more, Gorou stumbled in, panic written all over his face.
"Lady Sangonomiya! Something's happened!"
"Kujou Sara… Kujou Sara is leading a terrifying army this way!"
Kokomi immediately stood up, her expression grave.
"Outside. Now!"
What kind of army could make even Gorou call it terrifying?
And how had she bypassed the resistance's frontlines to reach them?
Things were spiraling completely out of Kokomi's expectations.
Her pace quickened, and Beidou, curious, followed closely behind.
The moment they stepped outside, Kokomi saw resistance soldiers everywhere, tense and trembling, eyes locked onto the sky.
Some could barely hold their weapons steady.
A suffocating, violent aura rolled down from above.
Kokomi slowly looked up, and in that instant, her face turned pale as snow. Her knees nearly gave out.
An army.
A dark, endless army in the sky.
That… that was an invincible enemy.
No matter how many soldiers the resistance had, they could never hope to defeat something like this.
This wasn't a matter of tactics or battle formations anymore.
It was a difference in absolute power, the kind that rendered all strategy meaningless.
As the old saying went: One overwhelming force can crush ten thousand clever plans.
Raiden Shogun herself hadn't even come, yet the oppressive might in the air made it feel no different.
Because Kujou Sara…
had brought over a hundred dragon riders.
Dozens upon dozens of massive dragons filled the sky, their wings beating like thunder, their shadows blotting out the sun entirely.
"Lady Sangonomiya… what should we do?"
For the first time, Gorou's voice trembled. He, who was always calm and steady in battle, looked utterly shaken.
He was a master of tactics, of coordinated combat,
but this? How could their fewer-than-ten-thousand soldiers possibly fight such monsters?
Even ignoring numbers, how could they reach them?
The enemy flew high above, raining arrows and dragonfire from the heavens.
And the knights upon their backs, surely they, too, could wield bows and spears imbued with elemental might.
Each dragon radiated power comparable to a Demon God's familiar.
That kind of strength couldn't be overcome by mere numbers.
Kokomi clenched her fists tightly… then, after a long silence, let them go.
A weary sigh escaped her lips.
"Call off the resistance… We can't win."
"To fight them would only lead to needless deaths."
Gorou bit his lip, wanting to protest, but when he looked up at the dragons and felt their crushing presence, all words died in his throat.
He, too, knew Kokomi was right.
Just as she said,
this was not a battle they could fight.
~~----------------------
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