Under the terrified gazes of the Nobushi and the hopeful eyes of Hiiragi Chisato, a figure surrounded by faint golden light slowly descended from the sky.
Akira Shindo's face was cold.
These Nobushi really were the plague of Inazuma.
In less than half a day, he had already encountered them causing trouble twice.
He floated calmly in midair, the space around him slowly twisting and distorting. With a gentle wave of his hand, Abyss Flower flew back into his grasp.
The next moment—
The Kairagi's corpse disintegrated into dust and scattered into the air.
"Monster! You monster!"
One of the Nobushi finally snapped, raising a crossbow and firing at Akira Shindo.
But before the bolt could even reach him, a black hole swallowed it.
The next instant, another black hole appeared beside the Nobushi.
The same bolt shot out—
Piercing straight through his skull.
"Ahhh—!"
Akira Shindo's strange methods completely shattered their courage. These bandits who normally burned, killed, and plundered without hesitation now scattered like frightened animals.
"Weak. Insignificant. Laughably overconfident."
"Your desperate struggle merely hastens your deaths."
Akira Shindo snorted coldly.
Above the fleeing Nobushi, black holes opened in the air.
Golden energy poured down like a storm.
In an instant—
They were blasted into complete annihilation.
"…Why do I suddenly feel like I've become a bit chuuni when using the Herrscher of the Void's power?" Akira Shindo muttered inwardly.
He slowly descended to the ground and turned to look at Hiiragi Chisato.
At that moment, Chisato stared at him blankly.
Akira Shindo was already quite handsome to begin with. Combined with the effect of the "Teyvat's Most Devoted Man" title and the golden divine light surrounding him…
To Chisato, he looked exactly like a god descending to the mortal world.
For a moment, she was completely mesmerized.
Akira Shindo frowned slightly.
He noticed a large wound on her thigh—probably caused when she had been dragged earlier. Blood was still flowing steadily.
With a gentle wave of his hand, the power of creation enveloped her body.
In an instant, all her wounds were healed.
"A-Are you… a god?" Chisato asked as she came back to her senses.
Looking at Akira Shindo bathed in golden light, her voice trembled slightly.
She believed in the Raiden Shogun.
But at this moment—
Akira Shindo was the god who had saved her.
"Are you a citizen of Inazuma?" Akira Shindo asked calmly.
"You should leave this place quickly. The Nobushi are rampant. For a weak girl like you, you're little more than prey to them."
After saying that, Akira Shindo turned to leave.
"W-Wait, divine lord!"
Chisato's voice called out from behind him.
Akira Shindo turned back.
"My name is Hiiragi Chisato, daughter of the head of the Kanjou Commission," she said, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"Please honor me with your presence at the Hiiragi residence. I wish to thank you properly for saving my life."
"…"
Akira Shindo shook his head.
"We can talk about gratitude another time. I have something to do today."
"The Kanjou Commission is on Ritou, correct?"
He glanced around.
"This place isn't far from Ritou."
After a moment of thought, Akira Shindo used the Herrscher of the Void's power to compress space into three small golden crystals.
"Take these."
He handed them to her.
"If something like what just happened occurs again, throw one of these crystals at your enemy."
"They will explode automatically."
"The power should be enough to kill them."
"Use them carefully. They can only be used three times."
"If you don't use them all, keep the rest as a means of self-defense."
"…Alright."
Hearing that Akira Shindo had declined her invitation, Chisato felt a little disappointed.
But she also knew she couldn't interfere with whatever important matters he had.
She took the crystals.
"If you ever have time, please come visit the Kanjou Commission."
Akira Shindo nodded.
His figure transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the distant sky.
"Divine lord…"
Chisato reached out her hand slightly.
But Akira Shindo was already gone.
"Hiiragi Chisato, you fool!" she muttered to herself in frustration.
"Why didn't you even ask for the divine lord's name?!"
"In Inazuma, the only god has always been the Raiden Shogun… If another god has arrived here…"
Her expression grew worried.
When an unknown god entered another god's territory, it could easily lead to a war between gods.
"But he was so gentle and kind… surely he must be a good god," she thought.
"I hope he and the Shogun don't come into conflict."
Suddenly—
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed nearby.
"Who's there?!"
Chisato immediately gripped one of the golden crystals tightly and looked toward the source of the noise.
When she saw who it was, she finally relaxed.
Dozens of retainers from the Kanjou Commission had arrived.
Leading them was a soldier named Shinjō.
When he saw Chisato's slightly disheveled appearance, his face changed drastically, and he quickly ran forward.
"Milady, are you alright?!"
His voice was filled with panic.
Looking at the corpses of the Nobushi scattered around, he feared the worst might have happened.
"Shinjō? I'm fine…" Chisato murmured absentmindedly.
Her thoughts were still filled with the image of that radiant figure from earlier.
Shinjō quickly removed his cloak and attempted to drape it over her.
Her clothing had been damaged during the struggle.
Although nothing improper was revealed, she was still the daughter of a noble house—she shouldn't appear in such a state.
"Ah!"
When Shinjō approached, Chisato instinctively stepped back.
"Thank you, Shinjō. I'll handle it myself."
She took the cloak and wrapped it tightly around herself.
Then she looked at him curiously.
"How did you find me here?"
Shinjō felt a slight sting seeing her distance herself from him, but he still smiled.
"Milady, the lord was worried about you."
"He ordered us to patrol the surrounding area."
"We heard a loud explosion just now and hurried over."
"I see," Chisato nodded.
"Then please bring back the bodies of those men."
"They died protecting me."
"They are benefactors of the Hiiragi family."
Her expression grew sorrowful.
Those guards had been young men with families and loved ones.
And now…
With a quiet sigh, Chisato silently made a decision.
The Hiiragi family would take responsibility for caring for their families.
"Understood, milady," Shinjō said, nodding as he directed the others to handle the aftermath.
Before long, he returned.
"Milady, everything is ready. We should head back."
Chisato was still gazing blankly toward the distant sky.
"Ah? Oh… yes. Let's go."
She withdrew her gaze, pressed her lips together slightly, and left with the soldiers.
"Turns out that was Hiiragi Chisato…"
While flying through the air, Akira Shindo recalled her role in the game's story.
Wasn't she the girl who was deeply in love with Kujou Kamaji, the second son of the Kujou Clan?
If he remembered correctly, they had almost gotten married—though it never actually happened.
"But the way she looked at me earlier seemed a little strange…"
"Am I just being narcissistic?"
"Or…"
Akira Shindo suddenly shivered.
"Oh no… don't tell me I'm about to inherit the Prime Minister's legacy."
After all, she already had someone she loved.
She probably only felt reverence and admiration toward him as a god.
Akira Shindo clicked his tongue.
"Maybe it's just because I haven't been in a relationship for too long. Am I getting spring fever or something?"
Then he shook his head.
"Still… I'm a modern, upstanding young man."
"As for becoming the Prime Minister…"
"Well… it's not impossible."
In the end, he decided to let things happen naturally.
After all—
He didn't really mind either way.
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