Chapter 384: Musou no Hitotachi (2-in-1 Chapter)

The following was Nolan's own deduction based on the "weakness" displayed by the Eye of Judgement.

It was logically sound, but whether it was correct or not would require confirmation from Raiden Shogun or perhaps Raiden Ei herself.

"Lies."

Raiden Shogun's expression remained as calm as ever as she responded to Nolan's confident explanation:

"This body, even after enduring countless calamities, remains eternal and flawless. It is the embodiment of unchanging eternity, devoid of any weakness. What you claim must therefore be a lie."

"Shogun-sama, what I said is the truth," Nolan replied awkwardly, looking at her.

Just because you claim yourself to be perfect doesn't mean it's true!

I really did see your "weakness." Can't you see my honest attitude here?

From Raiden Shogun's perspective, however, perhaps she genuinely didn't regard Raiden Ei as a weakness. After all, how could a weakness be something stronger than herself?

Did the Shogun genuinely believe he was lying? Nolan sighed internally, feeling wronged with no way to explain himself.

"You insolent fool, how dare you lie to the Shogun-sama!"

Kujou Takayuki and the others also couldn't fathom the idea of a divine being like the Shogun having a weakness. Even if she did, could a random countryside adventurer like him possibly perceive it?

Enraged, Kujou Takayuki ordered the soldiers around him, "Arrest this man for deceiving the Shogun-sama and throw him into prison!"

"Yes, Lord!" the shogunate soldiers responded in unison.

"Ah, what do we do? They're going to take the big flirt away!"

Paimon shook Lumine's shoulders in a panic.

"Should we run for it?" Lumine nudged Nolan with her elbow.

"No need," Nolan shook his head and replied.

It's just me being taken to jail. I can teleport out later—no need to start a conflict with the shogunate soldiers now, especially with Raiden Shogun standing right here.

Lumine nodded, indicating her understanding.

"You don't seem afraid?" Raiden Shogun asked, gazing at Nolan, who appeared calm and didn't bother defending himself.

Of course not. If I want to leave, I can leave anytime.

Typically, hearing that they're about to be arrested would leave most people panicked and flustered.

But Nolan wasn't about to overact in front of a deity far stronger than himself. It would be too awkward, and if he got exposed, it might even provoke her ire.

So it was better to stay calm.

Nolan replied straightforwardly:

"Shogun-sama, I truly did not lie. I indeed saw a weakness on your body. I feel no guilt or fear because I know I have not deceived you!"

"Oh? You have some backbone," Raiden Shogun remarked with a hint of surprise.

But no matter how courageous someone was, it didn't mean they were unafraid of her. This only made the Shogun find him even more suspicious.

Suspicion meant uncertainty, and uncertainty implied variability. Variability was the enemy of eternity!

"Take a strike from me, and I will absolve you of your crime."

Lightning sparked across Raiden Shogun's pristine, snow-white chest as the hilt of her blade, the Musou Isshin, slowly rose into her hand. She gripped it in reverse and drew it upward.

Heaven-splitting, earth-sundering lightning descended with divine authority. The shogunate soldiers froze in their tracks, terrified by the overwhelming might of the thunder, while nearby residents of Inazuma City fled in panic.

"Are you kidding me? This is the Musou no Hitotachi! If we don't run, not only will that guy be reduced to ash, but we'll be too!"

"Taking a strike from a Archon—how is that supposed to be forgiveness? It's clearly a death sentence!" Paimon said anxiously to Nolan.

"How could the Shogun-sama be so unreasonable? We're doomed! I haven't even had the chance to expand my fireworks business yet!" Yoimiya exclaimed in fear.

Nolan sighed lightly. He turned to Lumine and said, "Take everyone and move farther back. Don't worry, nothing will happen."

The Shogun had already drawn her blade. It was clear there was no option to refuse.

This was Inazuma City. Surely she wouldn't unleash the full power of a strike capable of slaying gods, right?

Then again, Raiden Shogun was a master of swordsmanship. It was entirely possible for her to condense the god-slaying power into a seemingly ordinary slash.

He couldn't afford to be careless. Letting Lumine and the others leave first was the safest choice. If things went wrong, he'd have to retreat immediately.

"Alright."

Lumine, who knew Nolan well, understood that their presence would only hinder him.

Especially since Yoimiya lacked the ability "Interstellar Travel." If she stayed here, escape would be nearly impossible.

As Lumine and the others stepped aside to the nearby street, Raiden Shogun made no move to stop them—after all, the one she intended to strike was only him.

Nolan took a deep breath, his body glowing faintly gold—this was the power of the "Lumine's Sword God."

However, he didn't fully summon "her." Instead, he channeled the pure essence of sword intent, wrapping it around himself.

This technique essentially involved using the "Lumine's Sword God" as an external shell to strengthen his defenses even further.

"Are you ready?"

Raiden Shogun's voice was calm, her gaze sharp. The light in her violet eyes grew sharper as she sensed Nolan's pure sword intent, so sharp it felt as though it could slice through anything.

This man's skill is astonishing. Within all of Inazuma, only I surpass him. Truly, a variable!

The sky had turned black the moment Raiden Shogun unsheathed her blade from her chest. Thousands of bolts of lightning danced in the heavens.

Suddenly, all the lightning in the sky gathered on the blade of her sword, Musou Isshin. The world fell into utter silence. At that moment, her long purple braid, bound tightly like a rope, began to sway on its own.

Sensing danger, Nolan wasted no time. He immediately summoned the Rose Witch's Time Hourglass and locked the surrounding space, activating Time Freeze.

The energy stored in Nolan's Battery Body rapidly drained, losing two-thirds in an instant. At the same time, the blade of Raiden Shogun's sword hovered a mere centimeter from his forehead.

The razor-sharp blade, which could cut through space itself, was so close that Nolan could see his reflection on its surface. As he stared, he caught a fleeting vision—within the blade was a silent, dark void where someone sat cross-legged.

It was a figure identical to Raiden Shogun herself, seated in the void.

The vision vanished before Nolan could focus, but he understood. That space must be the Plane of Euthymia, and the person residing there was Raiden Ei.

Perhaps she had glanced out of curiosity, interested in who was the target of Raiden Shogun's Musou no Hitotachi.

The exact reason remained unclear, but Nolan had no time to dwell on it.

The danger hadn't passedTime Freeze only lasted a second, and that second was nearly up.

Nolan needed to weaken the power of this strike quickly; otherwise, there was no way to survive it.

He could, of course, dodge during this moment of stillness. But he worried that Raiden Shogun might not acknowledge such evasion as acceptable. If possible, it was better to face it head-on.

After all, earning her approval required convincing her completely!

As the first second of Time Freeze ended, Nolan immediately extended it by another second. This time, the effect targeted only the Musou no Hitotachi, leaving the surrounding space untouched.

Even so, this consumed the last of his Battery Body's stored energy. On top of that, his elemental power, harmony energy, and physical stamina were all reduced by more than half.

No time remained for hesitation. Nolan made a move that left everyone around him dumbfounded.

He reached out with his bare hand and grabbed the blade of Musou Isshin, the weapon carrying the full force of Musou no Hitotachi.

In an instant, the lightning energy capable of splitting space surged into Nolan's Battery Body.

The energy was immediately used to replenish his depleted reserves, restoring his strength.

Then, as his Battery Body filled to capacity once more, Nolan activated the hourglass again, dropping another grain of sand to freeze the blade for an additional second.

Energy was drained, time was frozen, energy was drained, time was frozen...

This cycle repeated over sixty times.

At last, Nolan sensed the energy of the Musou no Hitotachi weakening to a level his body could endure.

When the final second of Time Freeze ended, he chose not to extend it further.

The tip of Musou Isshin finally resumed its movement. But rather than its initial, lightning-fast speed that Nolan could barely perceive, it now moved as though sluggish and reluctant.

The blade lightly tapped against Nolan's forehead. A faint white mark was left, but not a single scratch marred his skin as the blade slid down.

Raiden Shogun casually withdrew Musou Isshin from the spatial tear it had cut through. She stared silently at the blade.

If not for the fact that her chest concealed only one sword, she might have wondered if she'd drawn the wrong weapon.

"That was the power of time..."

The onlookers—both the crowd of residents and the soldiers of the Shogunate—were left utterly speechless.

They hadn't understood the intricacies of what had occurred. All they had seen was Nolan stopping the Musou no Hitotachi with his bare hand, freezing it in midair for a full minute.

Had they not witnessed it with their own eyes, no one would have believed such a thing. Even now, having seen it, they struggled to accept it.

"H-how is this possible? The Musou no Hitotachi—stopped by bare hands?!"

Behind the wooden platform, Kujou Takayuki, the Tenryou Commissioner, shouted in disbelief.

His faith in the Musou no Hitotachi was blind and unwavering. No one revered it more than he did. Yet, seeing it stopped barehanded, he felt as though his entire belief system had shattered.

It wasn't just Kujou Takayuki who couldn't believe it. Even Kujou Sara, who had accompanied Raiden Shogun, was stunned.

Her most revered General's ultimate strike had been caught by an ordinary-looking adventurer. How could this be possible?

For once, she found herself aligned with the Tenryou Commissioner. Furious, she shouted at Nolan:

"No one can withstand the General's strike! You must have used some sort of illusion to deceive us!"

Kujou Sara's words were echoed by many of the Shogunate soldiers and Inazuman residents.

To the people of Inazuma, the Musou no Hitotachi was an unstoppable force, capable of cutting down even the most fearsome gods.

Believing that Nolan had truly caught it was harder than believing he'd used a trick.

Unless General Raiden herself admits it.

"Yes, exactly! This foreign adventurer must have used some sort of trickery. General, please strike him again!"

"General, please strike him once more!"

The nearby Inazuman residents and even the Shogunate soldiers were not convinced by the result.

"Hey! How can you say that? He clearly took that strike head-on!"

Paimon crossed her arms angrily, glaring at the surrounding crowd.

"I can guarantee you that this was absolutely not some sort of trick!" Lumine added angrily, responding to the growing skepticism.

These Inazumans, who clearly didn't understand what had happened, still clung to their blind faith in the Raiden Shogun!

"While I also find it hard to believe that someone could withstand the 'Musou no Hitotachi,' I feel that Nolan is an honest person. He wouldn't deceive anyone," Yoimiya said sincerely, her tone serious as she spoke based on her intuition.

At the same time, the sight of Nolan taking on the 'Musou no Hitotachi' head-on had left a strong impression on Yoimiya. She thought he looked quite cool and felt a budding sense of admiration:

[Yoimiya Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 330 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.5 (480/500)]

Seeing the notification pop up on his character panel, Nolan couldn't help but smile. He wasn't bothered by the crowd's doubts and could even understand them.

After all, stopping the 'Musou no Hitotachi' with bare hands was such an extraordinary feat that skepticism was only natural. If no one doubted it, that would have been more surprising.

Still, the final verdict on whether it was real or not would need to come from the Shogun herself.

So, Nolan chose not to argue. Instead, he looked toward the dignified, violet-haired woman standing on the opposite platform, radiating an aura of endless authority and divine power, and asked:

"General, was my performance in taking your strike acceptable?"

Hearing Nolan's question, the crowd fell silent, their attention now focused entirely on the Shogun's response. They, too, were eager to know her verdict.

The Raiden Shogun returned "Musou Isshin" to its place within her chest.

True to her word, she did not contradict herself. With a calm expression, she looked at Nolan and replied:

"Not bad. You are forgiven."

After saying this, the Raiden Shogun turned away, her long legs, wrapped in deep purple thigh-high stockings, moving with grace. As she passed by Thoma, she paused, glanced back at Nolan, and said:

"Come to Tenshukaku in three days."

Her violet eyes, calm like a still lake, carried a tone that left no room for refusal.

Without waiting for a response, she departed the Statue of the Omnipresent God's plaza and returned toward the Tenshukaku without a word about Thoma, the supposed focus of the "Vision Hunt Ceremony."

"General..." Kujou Sara called out hastily, then hurried after the Raiden Shogun.

The remaining crowd exchanged uncertain looks, processing the events that had just unfolded.

The Shogun had praised Nolan's performance and pardoned him. This meant that she acknowledged the fact that the young adventurer had indeed taken the 'Musou no Hitotachi.'

This... this was simply unbelievable!

One could only imagine how the story of "A foreign adventurer stopping the 'Musou no Hitotachi' with bare hands" would send shockwaves through Inazuma!

"Impossible..."

Kujou Takayuki muttered like a man who had lost his faith. Seeing the 'Musou no Hitotachi,' which he revered so blindly, actually being stopped had dealt a heavy blow to him.

For the moment, he even forgot about the ongoing Vision Hunt Ceremony.

Lumine, Paimon, and Yoimiya quickly gathered around Nolan, asking, "So what's going on now? The Raiden Shogun left—does that mean the ceremony is over?"

"Uh, I'm not sure either. But since the Shogun's gone, she must not care about Thoma anymore. Isn't this the perfect chance to get him out of here?"

Though Nolan wasn't entirely sure, it was clear to him that the Raiden Shogun's departure had shifted the focus away from Thoma. Now was the perfect opportunity to rescue him!

(End of Chapter)

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