Chapter 152. Sacred Sakura
Raiden Makoto resurrected!
This first Raiden Shogun of Inazuma, the benevolent deity who once led Inazuma to a glorious era, had now resurrected within the Plane of Euthymia.
As soon as she resurrected, she was hugged by her sister, while Futsu Mitama and Yae Miko watched silently from the side.
"Alright, alright, there are still important matters to attend to."
After a brief reunion between the sisters, Raiden Makoto patted Raiden Ei's back, telling her to calm down a little.
She had a lot of things to do after her resurrection, so if she really wanted to chat, they could wait until everything settled down.
"Mm."
Raiden Ei, filled with emotion, released Raiden Makoto.
She took a few deep breaths, forcefully holding back her tears.
Because Makoto had already been resurrected, she absolutely couldn't cry.
If she did, she would probably be teased by Makoto and Yae Miko for a long time.
As for Futsu Mitama... well, he had already seen her cry, so she didn't care anymore.
Seeing Raiden Ei and Raiden Makoto separate, Futsu Mitama and Yae Miko also walked over.
Raiden Makoto looked at Futsu Mitama and Yae Miko, a very gentle smile gracing her lips as she chuckled. "Should I say 'long time no see' or 'nice to meet you for the first time'?"
Whether it was Futsu Mitama or Yae Miko, Raiden Makoto had seen both of them.
She hadn't truly met Futsu Mitama in person, and Yae Miko hadn't yet taken on her human form at that time.
So, her words could apply to both of them.
"Alright, alright~ Haven't we chatted for a long time in the Chat Group?"
Yae Miko chuckled, clearly very happy about Raiden Makoto's resurrection.
Futsu Mitama nodded slightly from the side, then looked at Raiden Makoto and asked.
"Makoto, how much of your strength do you feel you've recovered?"
When Guizhong was resurrected, her strength was less than 30%, not even reaching Demon Gods-level power, which was quite tragic.
But Raiden Makoto's aura was different; her aura was very powerful.
Futsu Mitama sensed it slightly and realized that if he fought Raiden Makoto now, he might only be able to achieve a three-seven split.
Raiden Makoto three, himself seven.
This was quite astonishing, considering Raiden Makoto had just been resurrected and was certainly not at her peak.
Under these circumstances, being able to fight him to a three-seven split meant Raiden Makoto had recovered a lot of her strength.
At the very least, after her resurrection, she had a chance to defeat Nahida.
Hmm, Futsu Mitama didn't think Nahida would win, after all, the strength of the two sides seemed not much different, but when it came to experience—
To truly consider Raiden Makoto a 'weak woman unskilled in combat' would be truly foolish.
Didn't Venti often say that he was the weakest of the Seven Archons?
"About 50%~"
Raiden Makoto replied with a gentle smile, answering Futsu Mitama's question.
She looked at Raiden Ei beside her and chuckled.
"This is all thanks to Ei; otherwise, after my resurrection, my strength would probably be less than 20%."
This was no lie; Raiden Makoto knew very well that after Guizhong's resurrection, her strength was less than 20-30% of her peak.
It's important to note that Guizhong's special husk doll was obtained through a sign-in in the Chat Group.
Items from Chat Group sign-ins are always of the highest quality.
Raiden Makoto was very, very clear about this.
Although the special husk doll created by Raiden Ei also had a resurrection effect, its effect was definitely not as good as the special husk doll obtained from a Chat Group sign-in.
As for why she had about 50% of her strength immediately after her resurrection—
On one hand, she joined the Chat Group early enough, and her soul was well-nourished, so after consuming two condensed resin, she felt her soul no longer needed nourishment.
On the other hand, her consciousness space and accompanying weapon were well-preserved.
What makes an Archon powerful, besides their innate authority, are their consciousness space and their accompanying weapon.
Guizhong, needless to say, although her accompanying weapon was still kept by a certain Mr. Zhongli, her consciousness space had been destroyed in the war years ago.
More importantly, Guizhong didn't have a sister like Raiden Ei.
A larger part of the reason Raiden Makoto could possess 50% of her power upon resurrection was her younger sister, Raiden Ei.
As twin Archons, Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei shared a very close relationship, suffering together and prospering together.
When Raiden Makoto passed away, Raiden Ei was affected to varying degrees, not only in terms of erosion but also in her strength and authority.
But now that Raiden Makoto has been resurrected and returned, Raiden Ei has also regained the strength and authority she once lost.
Raiden Makoto also gained immense benefits from Raiden Ei, which is why her strength recovered so much.
—
"So now, is it time to leave the Plane of Euthymia?"
Yae Miko looked at Raiden Makoto and chuckled.
"It's also time for you to witness Inazuma as it is now with your own eyes. After all, what you saw in the Chat Group is a different feeling from what you see with your own eyes. And... the commotion caused by your resurrection is still waiting for us to handle."
Last time in Liyue, Yae Miko had personally witnessed how huge the commotion was when Guizhong was resurrected.
According to Guizhong, at that time, every Adeptus in seclusion in Liyue, without exception, came out to see her.
The return of a Demon God's authority; any strong individual could feel this unusual situation.
Even if Yae Miko had given orders beforehand to give the Tri-Commission a heads-up, if they didn't appear quickly, chaos would still ensue.
"No, there's no hurry yet."
Raiden Makoto smiled and shook her head.
She reached out her hand, grasping Musou Isshin, and slowly said.
"Speaking of which, do you still remember? I said in the Chat Group back then—If Venti, that is Barbatos, also couldn't find the Power of Time, then I would provide clues."
A hint of surprise flashed in Raiden Ei and Yae Miko's eyes.
Raiden Ei was surprised,
Power of Time? Makoto still knew clues about this?
Yae Miko was surprised why Makoto would bring this up at this time.
The condensed resin matter, wasn't that all in the past?
Only Futsu Mitama was not surprised, because he had read the plot and naturally knew what Raiden Makoto intended to do next.
"It seems Mitama has realized something."
Raiden Makoto looked at Futsu Mitama's unastonished expression and chuckled.
"Indeed, you are different from us."
Futsu Mitama, however, smiled and replied.
"No, I just remember that you said that 'thing' was very precious at the time. The fate of Inazuma rested on that 'thing', so you wouldn't offer this clue unless absolutely necessary."
At this point, Yae Miko also remembered that Makoto seemed to have said something like that at the time.
She was curious for a while back then, but only for a short while; later, she stopped being curious because she was busy with the resistance and subsequent Inazuma matters and forgot about it.
In fact, if Raiden Makoto and Futsu Mitama hadn't reminded her, this matter would probably have long vanished from her mind.
"You remember quite clearly."
Raiden Makoto chuckled.
She didn't say much, only tightened her grip on Musou Isshin and said seriously.
"Today is the day."
"In the past, I entrusted Musou Isshin to Ei, not only to make her understand my painstaking efforts but also to leave a gift for Inazuma to alleviate its suffering. But I originally intended for Ei to plant this gift herself, but now—"
Raiden Makoto's gaze turned to Futsu Mitama, maintaining her gentle smile as she said.
"The future should be in the hands of future generations. We are all old relics; there's no need to care too much about these things."
Saying this, Raiden Makoto tossed Musou Isshin towards Futsu Mitama.
"?!"
Futsu Mitama instinctively grasped Musou Isshin.
Before Seven Thunder of Retribution: Narukami was forged, Futsu Mitama had always used the "Pseudo-Musou Isshin" to fight, which was unexpectedly handy.
But now, Musou Isshin was emitting a soft purple light, and an ineffable power flowed from within it.
"This is?!"
Raiden Ei seemed to have discovered something, her eyes widening slightly.
"What a mysterious power."
Yae Miko quietly retreated a few steps, coming to stand beside Raiden Ei and Raiden Makoto.
Raiden Makoto, however, said very calmly.
"This is the Power of Time, and it is the power granted to me by 'that one shade'. When I entered the Chat Group, I asked Futsu Mitama to show me Inazuma as it is now. Among them, what was most striking was naturally the Sacred Sakura at the Grand Narukami Shrine. To be honest, when I saw that picture, I knew my plan had succeeded."
Just as Raiden Makoto finished speaking, a seed floated out from within Musou Isshin, imbued with a very strong Power of Time.
But Futsu Mitama, holding the seed, felt a different sensation; the Power of Time on the seed's surface was nothing.
The Power of Time within it was the true "authority."
And this authority came from Istaroth, the Shades of Time, one of the Four Shades under the Heavenly Principles.
If the Power of Time within condensed resin was a part of Istaroth's power, then this seed was a tangible portion of Istaroth's authority.
Were Raiden Makoto and Istaroth on such good terms?
Or did they make some kind of deal for Istaroth to split off a portion of her authority, turning it into the Sacred Sakura seed and giving it to Raiden Makoto?
Everything was too complex, but Futsu Mitama couldn't overthink it at the moment, because the instant he held the seed, he saw many visions.
Whether it was under the interference of the Plane of Euthymia or a portion of Istaroth's authority, Futsu Mitama's eyes saw various past scenes, scenes from Inazuma's past.
A beautiful Oni maiden in a kimono was swallowed by an otherworldly beast with a tiger's body and a snake's tail.
Soon after, she burst out of its belly, leading numerous Shogunate Army soldiers in a counterattack.
A fox maiden with a large white tail led a host of Shogunate Army soldiers and Daiyokai, charging fearlessly towards the Abyssal Tide.
Soldiers carrying Visions seemed to be roaring.
They looked at one dark monster after another, drawing their swords and charging at them.
Inazuma's sky was enveloped in dark mist, people were crying, and Inazuma was about to be swallowed by darkness.
In a trance, Futsu Mitama had already thrown the seed down.
The moment the seed landed on the ground, it began to grow at an extremely rapid pace.
Soon, a Sacred Sakura tree, covered in cherry blossoms, appeared within the Plane of Euthymia.
—
"This is... the Sacred Sakura?!"
Raiden Ei seemed stunned for a moment upon seeing this Sacred Sakura.
When she returned to Inazuma from Khaenri'ah, Inazuma had been engulfed by darkness.
But the Sacred Sakura saved Inazuma, devouring this darkness, which allowed the people of Inazuma to breathe a sigh of relief.
It was this moment of respite that lasted until Raiden Ei's arrival.
Once she returned to Inazuma, it was, of course, a one-sided slaughter.
However, in the hearts of Inazuma's people, the Sacred Sakura had existed since ancient times, and even Yae Miko thought it was so.
But Raiden Ei was different; she had no memories of the Sacred Sakura from the past, but at that time, she had lost Raiden Makoto, and she had an inexplicable fondness for the Sacred Sakura.
At that time, Raiden Ei firmly believed that this was a contingency left by Makoto, although she didn't know how she had done it.
But since Raiden Ei believed this was a contingency left by Makoto, she naturally didn't think too much about it.
But now, Futsu Mitama had planted the Sacred Sakura seed in her Plane of Euthymia.
At this moment, Raiden Ei felt her brain seemed to be accelerating and overloading.
In other words, the Sacred Sakura was a contingency left by Makoto, but this contingency was planted now.
So what about the Sacred Sakura in the past or present?
Was this what Makoto and Futsu Mitama were just talking about?
Suddenly, too many things were happening.
Raiden Ei, who had almost given up using her brain, was now completely frozen.
However, Raiden Ei quickly regained her usual calm expression and didn't bother with it.
She decided to ask Makoto after all this was over.
Yae Miko, on the other hand, immediately understood everything.
She looked at Raiden Makoto with a smile and said.
"Makoto, you left Ei so many contingencies. How little faith did you have in her?"
"It was just to buy time. I never thought I would be resurrected back then."
Raiden Makoto sighed helplessly.
If a disaster were to occur in the future, the Sacred Sakura could only stop it temporarily.
She had placed all her bets on Raiden Ei, believing that she would understand the "truths" she wanted to teach her, as she had envisioned, and eventually become a qualified Archon in the true sense.
Then, unexpectedly, a Chat Group completely disrupted all her plans.
But it was a good disruption!
If she could, Raiden Makoto didn't want to die. She still wanted to accompany Ei and walk alongside her, to see the future of Inazuma with her.
"That's true."
Yae Miko nodded, then she looked at Futsu Mitama, who was standing there motionless, and said somewhat strangely.
"The Sacred Sakura has already been planted. Why is Mitama standing there motionless?"
"Hmm?"
At this moment, Raiden Makoto also reacted.
Why was Futsu Mitama motionless?
Once the Sacred Sakura was planted, everything would be accomplished.
Although the Sacred Sakura seemed to be planted in the Plane of Euthymia, it actually transcended time and space, traveling to the past Inazuma to be planted.
The Sacred Sakura remaining here would probably gradually disappear from the Plane of Euthymia before long.
"Mitama?"
Raiden Ei came in front of Futsu Mitama, waving her hand at him, her expression a little strange, not understanding what was wrong with him.
"..."
Futsu Mitama, however, said nothing, only stared straight ahead, as if looking at something.