On Tatarasuna—
Tens of thousands of rebels who had been sealed away suddenly witnessed a golden radiance descending from the sky.
In an instant, the sealing formations set by Ei vanished one after another.
Soon, every soldier regained their freedom.
"What… whose divine power was that…?"
Freshly freed, Gorou staggered, nearly falling face-first to the ground.
But even the joy of freedom couldn't drown out his worry—
What about Sangonomiya Kokomi, still in the Shogun's hands?
Fortunately, he didn't have to worry for long.
Kokomi came running toward them, safe and unharmed.
Seeing their strategist return, countless rebels burst into tears—
whether from relief, exhaustion, or gratitude, no one could tell.
After spending so many days imprisoned— days where their thoughts remained awake despite their unmoving bodies—
their suffering was immeasurable.
Ei had sealed their bodies, but not their minds.
They had lived through every moment of that torment fully conscious.
No wonder the fear of the Raiden Shogun had carved itself into their bones.
"Everyone… congratulations on regaining your freedom."
Seeing her soldiers alive, Kokomi finally exhaled in relief.
Compared to their suffering under the open sky, her time in prison had been practically luxurious.
"Being able to see you return safely, Lady Strategist…
That alone makes all the hardship worth it."
Gorou trembled as he spoke.
Many in the army nodded with him.
Whether every one of them was truly fighting for Watatsumi's freedom—
it no longer mattered.
What mattered was— Kokomi had become their pillar of hope.
After being easily crushed by Ei, everyone had realized a painful truth:
Gorou was not fit to lead this rebellion.
Only Kokomi could.
"It's good you're all safe."
After offering them some comfort, Kokomi prepared to give her next orders.
"Everyone—this war is not over.
We must continue resisting the Shogun!"
Her declaration should have fired up the troops.
Instead, a wave of hesitation washed over the rebels.
They had been punished by the Raiden Shogun herself.
Many now carried trauma.
Some had lost the courage to resist entirely.
Before this, they dared to fight because Ei had never intervened personally.
They could win skirmishes against the Tenryou Commission.
But once the god herself descended—
They had realized the overwhelming difference in strength.
To a god, crushing rebellion was as easy as exhaling.
And expecting a god to heed the pleas of mortals?
Impossible.
Some rebels were already considering fleeing Inazuma entirely.
Surely Teyvat had another place they could survive?
Seeing their dim expressions, Kokomi's heart sank.
"Lady Strategist," Gorou whispered, "after so much suffering… the soldiers' morale has collapsed.
We need time to recover."
Even he was exhausted beyond measure— how could the others be any better?
"…Very well. We will rest for now."
Compared to what they endured, her own suffering had been nothing.
"But you need not fear anymore."
Kokomi raised her voice.
"For Liyue's Geo Archon has agreed to lend us his strength.
With a god standing at our side, we can move the Shogun with our united will!"
As soon as she mentioned Zhongli, a spark finally returned to the rebels' eyes.
A god equal in status to the Shogun was now supporting them.
This changed everything.
A glimmer of hope returned.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
"It hasn't been long, Miss Ayaka, yet you seem much more exhausted than before."
With Ei's permission, Su Ran's self-imposed confinement had ended.
Not that it mattered—Ei never truly restricted him anyway.
Now he was stretching his legs, strolling through Inazuma City with Kamisato Ayaka at his side.
"Do I…? Perhaps I've simply been sleeping too little lately."
Ayaka pulled out a small mirror to inspect herself.
Seeing that nothing seemed out of place, she finally relaxed.
At least she hadn't shown Su Ran her unsightly side.
"Lord Su Ran,"
Ayaka asked carefully, "in the world outside Teyvat…
did you accomplish even greater feats?"
"A few, I suppose.
But not many people know— just the small circle I'm acquainted with."
His inventions in the outside universe were known only to people at Herta Space Station and a handful of upper-level IPC personnel.
"Could you tell me about them?"
Ayaka leaned forward slightly.
If she knew more,
she wouldn't feel so lacking the next time she had to brag in front of Beidou.
Su Ran casually listed them:
"Oh, nothing much— just a glass sphere capable of containing an entire star system, a device enabling teleportation across the entire universe, and some nanobot swarms that can automatically construct anything.
Small things—barely worth mentioning.
They could shake the whole cosmos, but I simply haven't made a big deal out of them."
Ayaka: "…"
Just those?
Those alone were enough to overturn her worldview.
Having seen the vastness of space, Ayaka could only marvel—
Lord Su Ran was terrifyingly strong.
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