At this moment, more than eighty percent of the nobles and dignitaries of Inazuma City were on their knees before the looming statue of the Thousand Hands and Hundred Eyes. Their postures were pitiful—faces pressed into the dirt, clothes stained with fear and humiliation. Behind them stood the warriors of the Shogunate, blades drawn, their expressions cold and indifferent as though they were executioners waiting for the signal to strike.
"General," one warrior reported after shoving another line of prisoners into the plaza, "the last batch of offenders has been brought here." He dropped to one knee as he spoke, his voice steady, but his body trembling.
Though the Raiden Shogun herself had not yet descended into the square, all of her soldiers—especially those chosen as her personal guards through the annual martial arts tournaments—knew that their ruler's gaze was ever-present. Her silent wrath lingered over every corner of Inazuma like a thundercloud.
Among the gathered crowd, there were two who were not kneeling with the others: Sangonomiya Kokomi, the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi, and Kujou Sara, the general of the Tenryou Commission. Both stood apart on the steps of the castle tower, directly behind Yae Miko, who regarded them with her trademark playful smile. Kokomi's face was as pale as the moonlight itself, her body trembling uncontrollably. Sara, by contrast, carried a heavy guilt in her eyes, bowing her head in silence.
Yae Miko glanced backward, her foxlike eyes glinting with amusement as she addressed the two.
"Kokomi, Sara—stay here for now. The General will deal with you after the rest of these matters are finished."
Kokomi lowered her gaze, her lips trembling. "I… understand."
But inwardly, her heart was a frozen ocean. If the others were dealt with now, and she was left for last, it meant only one thing—she was to be the main course of this bloodstained feast. She could already imagine her head severed and hung high upon the banners for all Watatsumi to see. Nothing would break her people's spirit more than the sight of their priestess displayed as a conquered traitor.
Yae Miko chuckled softly, tilting her head as if she could hear Kokomi's thoughts. "Oh, don't look so pale. You're imagining it all already, aren't you? The fear on your face is just delightful."
Her voice was mocking, yet there was an unsettling truth in it.
Just then, Mathew approached, carrying a platter of freshly cut fruit prepared for him. He took a piece and bit into it casually, surveying the square with detached interest.
"Not bad," he remarked, chewing slowly. "For all the rot in this land, its fruit is still sweet enough."
"Oh, Lord Mathew," Yae Miko quickly shifted her tone, bowing with calculated respect. "As long as it pleases you, be assured—the General will resolve Inazuma's affairs soon enough. Just a moment's patience."
Her heart was uneasy, but she knew how to play this game. Though the god from Celestia was as unpredictable and demanding as the Raiden Shogun herself, he still carried a distinctly human streak of vanity. That meant he could be appeased, so long as she played her role wisely.
Mathew smirked. "You seem bolder today, little fox. Yesterday you trembled more."
"If it pleases you to see me trembling, then I shall tremble," Yae Miko said with exaggerated helplessness, lowering her ears in feigned fear. "But first, the General must settle these traitors before she can entertain such a distinguished guest."
She knew well what kind of being she was dealing with. To resist him would only fuel his interest. The best way to survive was to give him something else to focus on—namely, her Shogun.
"Tsk, tsk." Mathew shook his head with a mocking grin. "Raiden Shogun is truly fortunate, to have such clever retainers."
As he spoke, the air shifted. From the towering steps of Tenshukaku, the Raiden Shogun herself emerged, descending with deliberate grace. She held her legendary blade, the Musou Isshin, glowing faintly with stormlight. Her face was expressionless, a mask of divine indifference.
The crowd erupted at the sight.
"The Almighty Shogun!"
"Her Excellency descends!"
"The path of eternity is eternal!"
Their voices boomed in feverish worship, a stark contrast to the desperate pleas of the kneeling nobles.
"Mercy, General!" one cried.
"It was not my idea! I was forced!" shouted another.
"Spare me—I will never disobey again!"
But the Shogun's eyes were cold lightning. "Silence. I will hear no excuses. Each of you is guilty. Now, speak the crimes of your neighbors aloud—everything they have done in secret. If you conceal even a single truth, I will erase not just your name from history, but your entire bloodline."
The threat sent tremors through the nobles. In desperation to save their families, they began to turn on each other, their voices clashing as they confessed every vile deed.
Annexing land. Manipulating food prices. Forcing girls into brothels. Selling children to the Fatui for experiments. The atrocities spilled forth like a flood of filth long dammed behind gilded doors.
Kujou Takayuki and Hiiragi Shinsuke, once pillars of Inazuman nobility, spat accusations at one another, even revealing the corrupt roots of the Vision Hunt Decree and the Sakoku Decree. They admitted that they had twisted the Shogun's will for their own gain, driven by jealousy of those blessed with Visions.
The Shogun's expression did not change. She listened in silence, her blade resting calmly at her side.
Mathew scoffed, his voice dripping with contempt. "Pathetic creatures. They lust for the Eye of God, yet know nothing of its truth."
The square fell silent as he spoke, all eyes turning to him. His tone carried the authority of a being from Celestia itself.
"To obtain a Vision," Mathew explained, "one must harbor a moment of pure, unshakable desire—a wish so powerful it drives their entire life's course. That wish, when carried into the world, creates change. It is this contribution to the world that draws the recognition of the heavens. A Vision is not granted by chance, but by the weight of that desire."
He let the words hang in the air.
"When such a wish is finally fulfilled," Mathew continued, "the bearer of the Vision gains the right to ascend—to claim a throne among the gods themselves. That is why they are called allogenes—seeds of divinity."
His words shook even Yae Miko, who prided herself on knowing the hidden workings of the world. She whispered, almost to herself, "So that is the truth… The Eye of God is not a gift of the Shogun, but of Celestia itself. It is born of human will, yet tied to the promise of ascension."
Kokomi's heart, however, was far from such philosophical revelations. She could not care about divine secrets while standing on the edge of death. Every noble's confession ended the same way—with their bodies dragged forward, their heads taken cleanly by Shogunate blades. The square was becoming a river of blood, and her turn crept closer with every passing moment.
Her breath came faster, her body trembling violently. Fear consumed her as she realized the truth: eternity under the Shogun was not stillness, but silence—the silence of the grave.
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