The projection in the diary faded.
Every woman reading fell into stunned silence.
A traveler from beyond this world had just… defeated Inazuma's God.
No matter the nation one belonged to, this revelation struck like a bolt of lightning.
Jueyun Karst — Liyue
A great blue-white crane stared at the now-still diary, her eyes unfocused.
Cloud Retainer, who had lived since the Archon War and witnessed countless eras, understood Raiden Ei better than most.
After the War, when the Seven rose to power, the nations' Archons would sometimes gather in Liyue Pavilion to share wine.
Back then, Ei had not yet assumed Inazuma's throne—
yet she alone sat among the Archons as an equal.
"Of all the Archons, she was one of the strongest.
Aside from Morax, few could match her blade."
Cloud Retainer's feathers trembled.
And such an Archon—
had been defeated so cleanly?
The power from beyond this world was truly terrifying.
Back Over the Sea
Only when Ei's body fell into the ocean did Su Xuan snap out of his horrified realization.
He scanned with his psychokinesis, located her instantly, and lifted her from the water with a flick of his hand.
She floated beside him, limp, hair and clothes clinging to her.
He didn't even have time to look away from the amount of exposed skin—
he was too busy checking if she was breathing.
Only when he confirmed she had merely lost consciousness did he exhale.
[Thank the stars she only fainted.]
[I panicked just now.]
[When a god dies, they leave behind a catastrophic burst of lingering will—怨念—a destructive shockwave.]
[If Ei had actually died, the island—and possibly half the sea—would've been gone.]
[But she was too quiet… I should've realized she wasn't dead.]
Grand Narukami Shrine
Yae Miko—who had been holding her breath for several long, agonizing minutes—
finally exhaled hard when she read that sentence.
"Good. Good… She's still alive…"
She pressed a hand to her chest, adjusting her breath.
She had come very close—very close—to having a heart attack.
[The duel is over.]
[Looking back… I might have gone a bit too hard.]
[Ages wear down even gods—Ei's strength and spirit are not what they once were.]
[In retrospect, it feels like I somewhat bullied her.]
Every woman reading:
"…Bullied… a god??"
[But this world runs on strength.]
[Teyvat itself was seized from the Dragons by Celestia.]
[Power decides everything.]
[Since Ei lost to me, that means—]
[She is now my spoils of victory.]
[So thinking of it that way… nothing seems wrong.]
Silence.
Deep, speechless silence.
Shogunate Military Encampment
Kujou Sara shot to her feet, wings trembling.
"That insolent outsider—!
To call the Shogun a trophy— I'll—!!"
But then—
She remembered Ei losing.
Her voice collapsed into silence.
The proud tengu sank back into her seat, strength draining away like air from a punctured drum.
There was anger.
But also fear.
And helplessness.
She looked again at the diary—
and froze all over.
[Fallen Lightning.jpg]
The image:
Su Xuan, smiling brightly, flashing a peace sign—
while holding the unconscious Raiden Ei around the waist like a casual travel souvenir.
Sara:
"YOU—YOU ABSOLUTE—!!"
Her wings bristled like thunder in feathers.
Grand Narukami Shrine
Miko, in contrast, did not explode.
She set down her teacup and sighed softly.
"…It was supposed to be just a blade test."
"One thing led to another and he's carrying her off like a prize."
Her gaze lingered on three words in the diary:
[Sky Island]
(Celestia.)
He claimed he would continue to grow stronger.
And Miko felt a faint static ripple down her spine.
This man was not simple.
Not at all.
She breathed in slowly.
Then she saw the photograph—and noticed that Ei's exposed chest area had been covered with a neat snowflake-shaped blur.
Miko's lips curved.
"At least he has some restraint."
"As long as he brings her back alive, with all limbs attached and mind stable—"
She lifted her teacup again.
"—I don't care what else he does."