"An old friend?"
A hint of confusion appeared on Ei's face. The term "old friend" wasn't a pleasant one for Ei, as it always brought a flood of ancient and beautiful memories into Ei's mind, subsequently brewing a melancholic emotion.
Ei's memory wasn't actually bad. Besides her four closest friends, Ei also remembered many humans who served her, such as the tea master Gushan, who followed her his entire life and, though blind, brewed excellent tea.
It was a pity that the battle five hundred years ago left Ei with nothing. Besides the little fox that served as a hand warmer for comfort, she had no other friends or family in the world.
That upheaval also led to Ei's misunderstanding of eternity. After creating Balladeer and Raiden Shogun, she confined herself to the Plane of Euthymia for five hundred years, until she met Miyashiro.
Miyashiro: "Hmm, not necessarily. Maybe it's not a human, but a yokai."
Miyashiro informed Ei of what had happened earlier, along with his own conjectures.
When Ei learned that the incomplete soul hidden within the Maguu Kenki's core might be the direct descendant of Miko Chiyo, a complex expression appeared on her face, and she remained silent for a long time.
Miyashiro knew that she wasn't troubled by Mikoshi Doukei, but rather by the memory of his mother, Ei's closest friend—Miko Chiyo.
Among Ei's three friends, the one who left Ei with the most unresolved feelings was this seemingly delicate and gentle, yet incredibly brave and skilled, Oni Damselette.
Sasayuri died in battle during the Eastern Invasion. For a warrior, this was not a bad end. As for Kitsune Saiguu, she risked her life to purify the defilement caused by the monsters, ultimately being consumed by darkness, but even until her last moments, she was still doing her utmost for Inazuma.
Only Chiyo, a Damselette who was so devoted to Ei, lost her sanity due to the monster's invasion, to the point of turning her blade against her best friend.
Swords clashing between best friends can be said to be one of the most painful things in the world.
In that battle, Miko Chiyo bit through Ei's naginata with her sharp teeth, and Ei, having lost her naginata, used the Musou Isshin, a dream left behind by Makoto, to sever Miko Chiyo's sword-wielding right arm and the horn on her head.
Perhaps out of reluctance, Ei did not pursue Miko Chiyo to the death, but watched her desolate, severely wounded figure disappear into the deep mountains and old forests of Inazuma.
And Miko Chiyo, who fled the battlefield, vanished from Inazuma's history like she had Vaporized since that great battle. No one had seen her since.
Wait!
Miyashiro's face suddenly changed. A bold yet cruel idea suddenly popped into his mind: that soul might not necessarily be Mikoshi Doukei; it could also be Miko Chiyo, who had been missing for five hundred years!
Miyashiro's previous series of deductions and conjectures were all based on one premise: that the Maguu Kenki's strength was due to the blessing of Mikoshi Doukei's soul. If this deduction held true, then the Maguu Kenki should be a unique existence.
But the reality was that there was more than one Maguu Kenki. Besides the one on Yashiori Island, there was also a Maguu Kenki stolen by pirates on Klee's exclusive Golden Apple Archipelago!
The Maguu Kenki on the Golden Apple Archipelago was identical to the one on Yashiori Island. Could Mikoshi Doukei's soul split into two? Or even more?
If this were the case, then the true reason for the Maguu Kenki's inexplicable loss of control was likely that the Maguu Kenki, possessing Mikoshi Doukei's memories, after accidentally killing Miko Chiyo, realized that the ferocious beast he had just slain was none other than his long-lost mother!
If that were the case, this outcome would be too cruel for both Miko Chiyo and Mikoshi Doukei.
While Miyashiro was making bold conjectures, Ei's thoughts in her memory stretched to a very distant past. It took her a full five minutes to recover, and only then did she realize that Miyashiro was not talking about Miko Chiyo, but merely her son.
Ei finally sighed and said, "Sasayuri, Kitsune Saiguu, Makoto, Chiyo, one by one they all left me. After my battle with Chiyo, I became despondent and unwilling to manage worldly affairs, but I failed to realize that the Mikoshi clan was falling apart due to Chiyo's influence.
This led to the complete decline of the entire Oni tribe in Inazuma. This is indeed my fault. Since Doukei's last obsession is me, he must be waiting for my reconciliation with the Oni tribe. If that's the case, then I shall meet him. It will also fulfill his last wish."
With that, Ei actively walked out of the room to meet everyone.
Seeing this, Miyashiro could only silently pray in his heart, for the ultimate outcome would only be clear after Ei met that soul.
Hu Tao, who had been quietly waiting outside the door for Miyashiro's announcement, saw the tightly closed door open again and initially thought Miyashiro had returned. To her surprise, out came another purple-clad woman with a peerless weapon, especially with her stern and cool makeup, her aura was simply captivating.
Hu Tao was once again stunned. She continuously screamed in her heart: Why are all the women I've met in Inazuma recently so curvaceous?
Am I only comparable to children like Klee?
The first thing Ei saw when she stepped out was the little girl standing next to Zhongli. She possessed a unique aura, truly extraordinary, as expected of someone personally chosen by Morax.
Ei slowly walked forward and said, "You must be Hu Tao, the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, as Miyashiro mentioned?"
Hu Tao, seeing a god in person for the 'first time', was so excited that she became incoherent: "Yes… yes… it's me. My name is Hu Tao. Greetings, General."
Ei couldn't help but smile and say, "No need for formalities. Miyashiro has already explained the situation to me. As heroes of Inazuma, you naturally deserve preferential treatment. Miyashiro said you unintentionally acquired a soul whose obsession is related to me?"
Hu Tao: "Yes… yes."
Hu Tao quickly took out the Maguu Kenki's core from her pocket. After making the gesture of the Wangsheng seal, she pronounced each word clearly towards the energy core: "Ina—zu—ma—City—Ei!"
As soon as Hu Tao finished speaking, the incomplete soul appeared before Ei. The moment the soul appeared, it seemed to sense something. Its form automatically turned towards Ei's direction and began to tremble all over.
Ei looked at this unfamiliar soul and said, "I am the Raiden Shogun of Inazuma, Raiden Ei. Doukei, is that you?"
Upon hearing these words, the soul, after difficultly uttering the word "Ei," actually began to dance towards Ei.
Although the soul's dancing posture was extremely uncoordinated and stiff, it was this very dance, as it progressed, that gradually caused Ei to become greatly alarmed.
Ei: "You… you… you are Chiyo?!"
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