"Yee–oww—!"
At the shrine, the head shrine maiden gently applied a special healing ointment to the little fox's backside. Each touch brought a tingling mix of pain and numbness that made Yae Miko yelp.
"Little Miko, our agreed time's already up. Why haven't you changed back to human form?" the shrine maiden teased with a smile.
"Or do you just prefer being a cute fox?"
The little fox opened her large, alluring eyes and said softly, "I just wanted to relive the feeling of being a fox. Those were the carefree days of my youth."
The shrine maiden chuckled. Back then, everyone had been alive; the little fox didn't need to do much of anything.
Inside the Serenitea Pot, Eula slowly propped herself up in bed, clothes scattered messily around.
"How are you feeling, Eula?" Lumine asked with a grin.
Eula blushed hard and shot her a glare. "Honestly, I regret knowing you people."
Her body still ached; she would need a couple of days to fully recover.
"Don't be shy. We're all family now. Once you join us, you'll be like a little sister," Lumine said playfully.
"Koji's… endurance is endless. You shouldn't have to handle it alone—you need help."
Koji chuckled, hugging his two companions. "I've granted you both a few blessings."
Blessings could be shared with others, and he never held back from those beside him.
"What kind?" Lumine asked curiously.
"Blessing of Evasion: long-range attacks will always miss you."
"Blessing of First Sight: the first attack you can see will never hit."
"Blessing of Return: the second and all following visible attacks will also miss."
"Blessing of Unbound Seal: no form of seal or restraint can restrict your movement."
As Koji listed them, Eula and Lumine's expressions grew increasingly strange.
"Wait, wait—this is a few blessings?" Lumine muttered.
That wasn't "a few." That was billions of blessings. With them, it would be almost impossible to die—and even if they somehow did, the Blessing of Undying would revive them.
"Not enough?" Koji asked innocently.
He still had hundreds more he could bestow; these were just the defensive ones.
"It's enough," Lumine sighed. "I can't imagine anything that could hurt us now."
Their man truly was the god of blessings incarnate.
Even without Koji nearby, they both felt perfectly safe.
Lumine even toyed with the idea of charging straight to Celestia. I can't die, I can't be sealed—what could the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles even do to me?
"Koji, giving us all these blessings—doesn't it weaken you?" Eula asked, worried.
"No. What I give you is a copy. My own blessings remain untouched."
He already had hundreds on himself, and that wasn't even his limit. If he wanted, he could obtain countless more.
"No wonder you're so strong," Eula said dryly. "Are you sure you're not some kind of Blessing God?"
Koji actually paused to think. "If I wanted to be, I suppose I am. I can even gain blessings tied to other gods."
Each of his strongest blessings was divine-tier—some rivaled the Archons themselves.
After dressing and tidying up, the three left the Serenitea Pot. Eula's body recovered quickly—walking wasn't a problem.
"Makoto, I'm going to settle things with the Shogun. Don't worry about me."
Raiden Ei's voice was calm but firm. She regretted ever setting up such complex logic layers inside her puppet; now, unraveling them would be troublesome.
"I understand. After the fight, make peace with her," Raiden Makoto said gently.
She held no ill will toward the Shogun. Though stiff and overly logical, that puppet's consciousness was born from Ei herself. Makoto only hoped both could coexist.
"Hmm. Lumine, come with me."
"Me?" Lumine raised her hand, excited. "I've never fought one of the Seven properly before."
She wasn't lacking in anything—five elements, countless blessings—death itself was off the table.
"Fine," Ei said, agreeing easily. She brought Lumine into her Plane of Euthymia.
The battle would need a witness, and Lumine was perfect for that.
In the physical world, Koji sat cross-legged on the tatami beside Makoto, who had her eyes closed.
"You're not worried?" he asked.
"I trust my sister," Makoto replied. "Even if the Shogun is her equal in power, victory will come down to will."
Koji smirked. "Ei's clever, but compared to you… she's kind of dense."
Makoto chuckled. "We're twin gods. Our path is pure martial perfection. Distraction has no place there."
"Don't be modest. You're still a god. That little grass goddess from Sumeru is weaker than you."
"The successor of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata?" Makoto frowned. "I don't know much about her. She was born after my fall."
"Yeah. Poor thing—locked away by her own sages. What a pitiful little god," Koji said, shaking his head.
He felt sympathy for Nahida, but also amusement. To be imprisoned by mortals for centuries… how naïve could a god be?
"She was imprisoned?" Makoto was shocked. "How pathetic must a god be to let humans do that?"
"If it were you, anyone who tried that would already be erased from existence," Koji remarked dryly.
No matter how gentle a god might be, excessive mercy only bred rebellion.
(End of Chapter)
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