Seeing Su Han's fearless expression, Yae Miko resigned herself to fate.
She feared no one.
Only that person. (TL/N: If you know, you know.)
Forget compensation. When the time came, even if she got spanked, she would have to accept it.
Realizing she would get no compensation, Yae Miko angrily slumped onto the table and could not help but complain, "What a boring man. I really don't know what Lady Saiguu saw in you."
Su Han chuckled.
Trying to squeeze benefits out of him?
No chance.
After quite a while,
Yae Miko finally regained her usual composure. She straightened her back and asked, "You still haven't answered what I asked just now."
"What?"
"Whether we should tell Ei about Lady Saiguu."
Right now, Inazuma was in complete chaos.
And the root cause was that Ei had shut herself away too much.
The reason she became like this was because of the deaths of her friends.
Yae Miko was thinking that if they revealed the news that Lady Saiguu was still alive, it might have an unexpected effect.
Su Han shook his head. "Stop dreaming. Not in the short term."
"Why?"
Yae Miko could not understand at all.
Su Han explained, "I admit your idea might have some effect, but right now Lady Saiguu can't handle any strain. Also, she doesn't have memories about Ei. What are you going to do about that?"
"I..."
Yae Miko originally wanted to say that even without memories, they could still recognize each other.
But she quickly calmed down.
Indeed.
Lady Saiguu was still alive and right here.
That was good news.
But then what?
Ei would come out of the Plane of Euthymia, then start fighting her own puppet. That would just be absurd.
Moreover, although Lady Saiguu's current condition was stable, it was only barely so. If she were stimulated, who could guarantee nothing would go wrong?
Besides, the reappearance of an old friend did not necessarily mean Ei would realize her mistakes.
So this method simply would not work.
After thinking for a long time, Yae Miko still could not come up with a perfect solution. In the end, she threw the question back to Su Han.
"Then what do you plan to do?"
"We'll follow the plan. How is the matter we discussed earlier progressing?"
A few days ago,
the two of them had discussed this issue.
In the end, they reached a conclusion: let the people resist the so-called "Eternity."
Only by standing against everyone, even facing opposition from former friends, would Ei finally realize she was wrong.
And now, with Lady Saiguu as a trump card, Yae Miko already had the advantage of people on her side.
What remained was timing and favorable conditions.
At the mention of this, Yae Miko held her head and sighed. "That big idiot is unbelievably dumb. He's already grown up but still acts like a child. He's completely disgraced the oni clan. I was just about to talk to you about this."
Regarding the will of freedom,
and the will of dreams,
the appearance of the Adventure King manga had awakened the longing for freedom in the hearts of many people.
Although it was still not enough to make them resist Ei, it was gradually having an effect.
Su Han thought for a moment and suggested, "Then have someone invite Arataki Itto out. Let me train him for a few days. It might produce unexpected results."
"What are you planning to do?"
"You'll know soon enough."
Yae Miko did not bother to guess. Since Su Han was willing to take over, she was happy to relax.
At that moment, a figure approached.
It was Lady Saiguu, who had just woken up.
"From what you were discussing, did something happen in Inazuma?"
Faced with her question,
Yae Miko decisively looked at Su Han.
She had no idea how to explain it, so she left it to him.
Su Han immediately helped Lady Saiguu sit down and said, "It's nothing much. After you left, your nation's god couldn't think straight and did a lot of foolish things."
"What foolish things?"
Lady Saiguu felt this might be related to corruption, so her expression became serious.
Su Han sighed softly and began recounting everything that had happened since her departure.
When she heard that Ei had retreated into the Plane of Euthymia and handed the country over to a puppet, even Lady Saiguu, who lacked many of her memories, was stunned.
"A puppet? Has she gone mad? What kind of Eternity is this? It's nothing but stagnant water. No wonder every time I wake up, I feel so much corruption. So she's actually making things worse."
Yae Miko covered her head, already imagining how troublesome things would be for Ei in the future.
Su Han nodded. "Exactly. So we were just discussing how to handle this."
He explained his plan to Lady Saiguu.
After hearing it, she nodded repeatedly.
"Su Han, your method is excellent. First break her confidence, then let former friends appear to shake her resolve, and finally defeat her to secure victory completely. I agree with this plan. However, I have a suggestion. When I fell, it seems the Hakushin Clan all turned into statues to guard various places. If some familiar faces were to appear, she would likely become even more confused."
Yae Miko thought to herself that this was truly stimulating.
As expected of her senior, she really knew how to mess with people.
This was clearly meant to make Ei doubt herself.
Unfortunately, her senior had lost her memories. Otherwise, she would not need to worry about such matters at all.
Su Han asked in surprise, "Awaken the Hakushin Clan? Can you do that in your current state?"
"Let me try first. It should be possible."
As the king of the Hakushin Clan,
even without her memories,
the spells engraved in her soul were not forgotten.
As long as she used those spells to call upon their bloodline, she should be able to awaken some of her former subordinates.
Yae Miko stood up. "In that case, let's act now. There's a statue nearby."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."
The three of them flew down the mountain together.
In the forest,
a massive fox statue appeared before them.
Lady Saiguu closed her eyes to sense it and confirmed that it belonged to the Hakushin Clan.
"Alright, let's start with this one. Su Han, help me."
The Flame of Longing could transfer power.
So if she wanted to use her spell, she needed Su Han's assistance.
Otherwise, in her current condition, she might collapse before completing the summoning.
Su Han nodded gently. "Be careful."
"Don't worry. I know my limits."
Lady Saiguu bit her finger and flicked a drop of blood onto the statue. Then she chanted, "In the name of fried tofu, I summon you to return."
Su Han's face darkened. That was the summoning incantation? It was absurd.
Yae Miko.
Impressive.
As expected of the leader of the divine fox clan.
Fried tofu really was her favorite.
Golden light burst from Lady Saiguu's hand. Upon contact with this power,
the massive stone statue began to tremble.
Crack.
Crack.
As stone fragments continuously fell away,
the fox sealed within finally emerged.
She wore white clothing, with white ears and a white tail. Her body was curled up tightly.
Seeing her, Lady Saiguu instinctively threw a punch.
Bang.
The fox was smashed straight into the ground, and a cry of pain rang out.
"Ouch, don't hit my head. Wuwu…"
"Wait, Lady Saiguu already passed away. Who would dare hit me with such a familiar technique…"
The white-haired fox stood up.
When she saw the person in front of her, she froze.
"You are…"
"This… this can't be…"
"I…"
Bang.
Another punch.
The fox beauty teared up from the pain.
Yet she excitedly hugged Lady Saiguu, laughing and crying at the same time.
"The clan leader is alive, hahaha…"
"Hit my head again. Let me make sure this isn't a dream."
Without a word, Lady Saiguu threw another punch.
This action felt strangely familiar.
It felt quite nice.
When the fox lay on the ground for the third time, she was finally certain that the clan leader had returned.
This feeling,
this strength,
this familiarity,
could only belong to the clan leader.
"Wuwu… Lady Saiguu, your return is too wonderful."
"Tenkou Clan, Captain of the Guards, Yu Luo, greets you." (TL/N: I have no idea who she is, probably an OC.)
The fox knelt on the ground, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Five hundred years ago, when she learned of the clan leader's death, she was the first to refuse to believe it.
Under the black rain,
Yu Luo's eyes turned red.
"Impossible!"
"The clan leader is wise and resourceful. How could she die in that black sludge? You're all lying to me!"
She held her weapon, intending to kill those who spread such rumors.
Unfortunately,
the truth was exactly that.
Even after searching every battlefield, Yu Luo could not find Lady Saiguu.
In the end, in despair, she came to this place she had long guarded and chose to turn into a stone statue, remaining here forever to protect Inazuma alongside her lord.
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