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wromnovel 200 . xyz
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Inazuma had yet to recover from its previous plight, and now, it was plunging into an even deeper abyss. No matter how much Kamisato Ayato revered the Raiden Shogun, this latest chain of events left him utterly speechless.
"Ayaka, why have you returned?"
It was normal for humans to fail to grasp the mind of a god. After all, human life spans barely cross the century mark; how could they compare to a divine being who has witnessed the passage of eons? But why had Ayaka returned like this? Was she not supposed to be serving the deity?
"Lord Su Ran sent me back to visit my family. I must return to serve him in one day's time."
Even after leaving Tenshukaku, Kamisato Ayaka still referred to Su Ran with the honorific of Lord. It was not just because she had been swayed by his unfettered, visionary ideas these past few days; she was genuinely awed by his ability to remake the Shogun herself. Seeing her face flushed with such open admiration, however, only made Ayato's heart feel tangled and frayed.
That man was a Fatui Harbinger! He had even personally admitted to conspiring with the Tenryou and Kanjou Commissions to manipulate the Raiden Shogun into enacting the Vision Hunt Decree and the Sakoku Decree. Did Ayaka not find this blatant adoration completely contradictory?
"Little sister, did that… Lord Su Ran truly praise your appearance?"
Ever since learning of Su Ran's identity, Ayato had been filled with resentment toward him. Yet, constrained by the knowledge that the man possessed strength equal to a god, he dared not speak his mind too loudly. Of course, what bothered him most was whether things were as Yae Miko had suggested. Had that man really praised Ayaka's looks? Was he truly harboring designs on her?
"This…"
Seeing the serious expression on her brother's face, Ayaka felt at a loss. She shielded her lower face with her fan, unwilling to let him read her true expression. "Lord Su Ran did indeed praise me."
It felt as though something had shattered. Ayaka understood exactly what her brother was worried about. "But he is a divine being, brother."
Regardless of whether he had any hidden intentions, for Ayaka, it was not a losing proposition. Gods were inherently unreachable existences. If one were standing right before them, within arm's reach, would any ordinary person be willing to let that chance slip away?
"Besides, it is not as if I fell in love with him at first sight."
She bowed her head, seemingly in denial, but the unmistakable warmth in her eyes betrayed her. Watching her, Ayato felt a pang of profound grief. He had let his guard down for only a moment, and already his little sister was being snatched away. It hurt more than any physical wound. The sister he had raised from childhood had run off with an outsider after only a few days of separation. Even if that man did possess god-like power, did Ayaka have to fall for him so quickly?
If not love at first sight, then it must be love born from proximity over these past few days, he thought bitterly. For a fleeting second, Ayato entertained the notion of taking the entire Kamisato Clan and fleeing abroad. While the clan was not as prosperous as it once had been, they still possessed significant assets. A camel, even when thin, is still larger than a horse. They could live quite comfortably in Liyue. Not only would they escape the chaotic mess that Inazuma had become, but they could also protect Ayaka. They might even be able to remain detached from the eternal dream that the Raiden Shogun craved. It was a strategy with multiple benefits.
The more he thought about it, the more tempting it became. Especially now that the thunderstorms surrounding Inazuma had vanished—if they didn't run now, when would they? Ayaka might still be fantasizing about how to stop the plans of the Raiden Shogun and Su Ran, but Ayato had already seen the writing on the wall. They had been unable to mount any effective resistance against the initial Sakoku and Vision Hunt Decrees. What chance did they have of convincing a god to abandon a plan that would more effectively realize her dream of eternity? If they ran now, there was still time. If they waited, they would have no chance at all.
The siblings harbored vastly different thoughts, yet both were acutely aware of one truth: if they did not act quickly, it would be too late. Once a god wove a dream, mere mortals could not simply choose to wake up from it.
***
Within the Watatsumi Island headquarters of the Sangonomiya, a young lady with an ethereal, dream-like beauty sat staring at the letter in her hands with a furrowed brow. The more she read, the more frantic her heart grew, and the more absurd the situation seemed.
The thunderstorms surrounding Inazuma had disappeared, catching them entirely off guard. Rumors circulated that the Raiden Shogun had been defeated and that the Shogunate forces had fallen into disarray. She had initially remained cautious, fearing it was some sort of ploy, and chose to hold her ground. Yet, as it turned out, it was all true. Now that the Shogunate forces were rallying, Watatsumi Island's chances of achieving a greater tactical advantage were nothing more than a pipe dream. And to make matters worse, the Raiden Shogun was planning something even more ridiculous than the Vision Hunt and Sakoku Decrees?
Kokomi (Sangonomiya Kokomi) slumped against her desk, wanting to give up on everything. A single, minor miscalculation had led to such a terrifying outcome.
"The Raiden Shogun… she has gone too far!"
To drag every person in Inazuma into a dream? A dream from which no one would ever wake? Was this the eternity that the Narukami pursued? The hands holding the letter trembled. There was no need to doubt the authenticity of the message; it came from Kamisato Ayaka. Nobody dared question the word of the Shirasagi Himegimi. From the earliest days of the war, Ayaka had maintained a connection with Kokomi. If Watatsumi Island had not been crushed by the Shogunate forces, Ayaka's influence had played no small part in that. Therefore, Kokomi trusted the news implicitly.
But even with this advance warning, they lacked the power to resist. The resistance army could not even breach the gates of Inazuma City, let alone reach Tenshukaku. How could they persuade the Raiden Shogun to abandon her path? And even if they tried, Watatsumi Island was not small—how could they avoid the influence of this dream? Unlike the Kamisato Clan, which could leave Inazuma at any time, Kokomi had nowhere to retreat.
"No! Watatsumi Island must open negotiations with the Shogunate!"
Watatsumi Island was not meant to be governed by the Shogunate in the first place. Even if this was the Raiden Shogun's version of eternity, it should not apply to the people of Watatsumi Island who worshipped the Great Serpent. This was a promise the Narukami had made to them long ago.