The Statue of the Omnipresent God was a product of the Vision Hunt Decree; the statue had pre-prepared grooves for embedding and specifically holding the confiscated Visions.
The statue was located on high ground in Inazuma; to its left and right was the Raiden Shogun's Tenshukaku, and to its back right was the Kujou Estate. Erecting such a tall Raiden Shogun statue in such an important location, the killing intent it exuded was imaginable.
This was also why, even though there were no guards around the statue to watch over the Visions, no one dared to steal them back. Daring to harbor evil thoughts near the Tenshukaku? They weren't afraid of being struck dead by heavenly lightning. Those thieves were only after money; they weren't fools.
In this atmosphere, even local residents of Inazuma would unconsciously stop talking when passing by, then quicken their steps to pass through rapidly.
But at this moment, the originally solemn occasion was surrounded by onlookers. The reason was simple: this was a Vision Hunt Ceremony that the Raiden Shogun herself would attend. For ordinary citizens, the confiscation of Visions was just a spectacle; nothing was as important as seeing the Raiden Shogun herself.
It must be said that, even though the Raiden Shogun had governed Inazuma in such a way, her prestige and popularity within Inazuma City remained as high as ever. Perhaps it was because the Raiden Shogun was their faith, or perhaps it was her astonishing martial arts; there was always a reason for them to idolize her.
However, among the crowd of onlookers this time, there was also a group of spectators with different thoughts. Their gaze never left the majestic Statue of the Omnipresent God, or more specifically, a certain groove on the statue where their wishes were embedded.
Teshima from Konda Village, Kurosawa Kyounosuke of the Tenryou Commission, Domon of the Meikyou Shisui style, and Arataki Itto and Kuki Shinobu of the Arataki Gang... everyone's face was solemn, staring blankly at the statue.
Forcing those whose Visions were confiscated to attend this Vision Hunt Ceremony was a proposal put forth by Kujou Sara, the general of the Tenryou Commission, and approved by Kujou Takayuki.
The reason was simple: as the enforcers of the Vision Hunt Decree, the Tenryou Commission had faced considerable resentment from those whose Visions were confiscated and their friends during this period.
Having them attend the ceremony was to make them realize that this was the Raiden Shogun's command, and they were merely acting on orders. If anyone was to be blamed, it should be the Raiden Shogun. 'We, the Tenryou Commission, are not taking the blame.' Kujou Takayuki was also happy to see this method of shifting blame succeed, so he let Kujou Sara proceed. But he would never have imagined that this very action would doom the Kujou Clan's future.
When Aether and Paimon arrived at the ceremony site, they saw Thoma kneeling directly below the statue, surrounded by fully armed Shogunate Army soldiers. The onlookers were discussing animatedly, but the focus of their conversation seemed to be the Raiden Shogun who would appear later. As for Thoma, who was kneeling below, he was not discussed much.
Just as Aether was about to step forward to rescue Thoma, the onlookers suddenly shouted, "The Raiden Shogun has arrived!" Immediately after, the atmosphere and excitement of the entire ceremony reached its peak.
Aether turned her head at the sound and looked up, only to see a mature woman with blue-purple braids, dressed in a loose purple kimono, walking step by step towards the statue. Her figure was incredibly exaggerated, but paired with her ascetic, emotionless face, it gave people a feeling that she could only be admired from afar, not profaned.
Paimon murmured beside her, "Is that the Raiden Shogun? She's a great beauty, but the aura around her is so terrifying."
The Raiden Shogun walked to the statue, glanced at the statue full of Visions, then imperiously flicked her sleeve, turned around, and surveyed the Inazuma residents cheering for her.
Finally, she cast her gaze upon the person kneeling directly below her, or more precisely, she only stared at the Pyro Vision on his waist. As for who the kneeling person was or what he looked like, she did not care.
She extended her left hand, and lightning gathered in it. Thoma's Vision, as if guided by something, moved on its own and flew towards the Raiden Shogun.
Aether, watching from the crowd, could no longer hold back at this sight. She instantly teleported, intercepting Thoma's Vision in mid-air. By doing so, she herself became the focal point of the ceremony.
The surrounding Shogunate Army soldiers, seeing someone dare to disrupt the Vision Hunt Ceremony, immediately rushed forward to subdue the intruder. But lightning flashed in Aether's hand, and she directly unleashed three swift lightning-shadow blades, striking down the advancing Shogunate Army soldiers.
Seeing this, Aether quickly rushed to Thoma, intending to untie him. However, an even swifter flash of lightning directly intercepted Aether's subsequent actions.
Aether turned her head and saw the Raiden Shogun on the high platform descending step by step. However, there were no supporting steps beneath her feet; she was walking directly in the air.
"To be able to wield elemental power without a Vision, you... are an exception. Exceptions are the enemies of eternity."
The Raiden Shogun's clear, cold voice rang out, and a lightning ring suddenly appeared behind her. At the very top of the lightning ring, it was as if an eye had appeared, and a booming thunder instantly echoed, causing Aether and Thoma, who faced it directly, to feel immense pressure.
A large amount of lightning gathered at her chest, and a katana slowly floated up from her full chest. The Raiden Shogun directly drew a shining katana from her chest, its blade imbued with infinite thunder, creating an extraordinarily grand spectacle.
"I will embed you within the statue!"
Just then, the Raiden Shogun seemed to sense something and turned her head to her right. A colossal dragon-headed fireball shot directly towards her. The Raiden Shogun took up the [Musou Isshin] in her hand and, with a casual wave, split the dragon-headed fireball in two.
However, what happens when lightning meets fire doesn't require advanced elemental theory, does it? That's right, an Overloaded explosion occurs!
The fireball exploded violently in the air, and the resulting heatwave and shockwave threw the Vision Hunt Ceremony venue into disarray. The onlookers, no longer daring to gawk, quickly fled the scene.
Seeing this sudden change, Aether also turned her head to her right and found that the person who had acted was none other than her friend, Yuto.
The Raiden Shogun's expression became even uglier at this moment, and she said coldly, "Another exception?"
The Raiden Shogun raised Musou Isshin and swung it forcefully in front of her. Immediately, the space near the Raiden Shogun shattered like a mirror, and a purple-black domain enveloped Aether and Yuto.
Seeing this, Aether had no time to react and was enveloped by the domain. But when the domain spread to Yuto, he remained unmoving, allowing the domain to swallow him. At this moment, Yuto revealed a slight smile.
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