Chapter 420: Converstaion in the Plane of Euthymia

The Plane of Euthymia, in its entirety, was a space surrounded by stone pillars, but when one looked up, all that met the eye was a deep red. It easily evoked thoughts of evil spirits, curses, and other such terms.

However, Li Mo's mind was entirely occupied with the battle he had just fought against the Raiden Shogun.

The collision between "Musou" and "Musou" had undoubtedly exceeded Li Mo's understanding. The terrifying output of power that had emerged in that moment now surfaced in his memory, leaving him in disbelief.

*Could I really have unleashed such power?*

*Am I dreaming?*

But if this were a dream, why did it hurt so much? Since mastering "Pseudo-Immortality," Li Mo had thought his tolerance for pain had reached a new level. Yet now, his entire body felt as if it had been shattered. He didn't even have the strength to move a single finger.

This was far more painful than when he had used "The End of the Fourth Night" during his encounter with Aureolus in Academy City.

Since this wasn't a dream, then...

Recalling the brilliance of that strike, Li Mo found it hard to believe that his "Musou no Hitotachi" had been on par with the Shogun's.

It still felt surreal, so he tried to dig deeper into the reasons. But...

"Thinking is pointless. It hurts too much."

Li Mo began to observe his surroundings. The dark sky was tinged with a deep red. At first glance, it reminded him of the ominous red hair that symbolized misfortune in old age.

"With everything around in such colors, wouldn't living here be depressing?"

The entire space was dominated by dark tones. If it were him, he wouldn't last a day here before wanting to leave.

"Hmm, is that what you're concerned about?"

Just as Li Mo lay there, contemplating about how oppressive the Plane of Euthymia seemed, he suddenly noticed part of his vision being blocked.

"Lady Ei, good morning."

"According to the time, it should be nearing dusk outside, right? Are you unable to stand?" Ei asked.

"Yes, I can't stand. Look at the state of my fox tail and ears."

Li Mo complained.

His once pristine white tail and ears were now covered in soot, a result of the shockwaves from the final clash.

"The End of the Fourth Night" was truly a last-resort ability. In that final strike, it had drained everything, elevating the power of "Saint Form: Raiden Shogun" to unimaginable heights. It had allowed him to hold his own against the genuine "Musou no Hitotachi."

What he didn't understand was why, after the initial purple Electro energy, it had shifted to a yellow hue.

But that wasn't important.

What mattered was that after the clash, the duration of "The End of the Fourth Night" had expired, leaving him completely drained. It was as if he had been revived once... However, after exiting that strange state, Li Mo found himself pulled into the Plane of Euthymia.

Throughout this process, he had maintained his celestial fox form, mainly because he didn't have the energy to change his appearance. Lying down was just more comfortable, wasn't it?

"Hmm... How surprising. You were able to fight the Shogun to that extent. That final 'Musou no Hitotachi'—how did you do it?" Ei crouched down and asked. "At first, I could still understand. It didn't exceed my capabilities. But that final strike was different from the Shogun's version."

"I don't know," Li Mo gave an excellent answer.

"Huh? Why wouldn't you know?" Ei was puzzled.

Ei's voice was similar to the Raiden Shogun's, but their tones were vastly different. The Raiden Shogun's tone was devoid of any emotion, like a cold machine, while Ei's tone was gentle, like that of a kind older sister.

Li Mo was more than willing to explain to Ei.

He first explained the foundation of his "Saint Form: Raiden Shogun" technique, though he didn't go into detail about how it was achieved, simply attributing it to the versatility of Onmyodo. Then, he focused on describing his experience when using "Musou no Hitotachi."

"In my plan, 'Musou no Hitotachi' was never supposed to be like that. But during the process, I seemed to understand the land of Inazuma and even connected to the Sacred Sakura at the Grand Narukami Shrine?"

Mt. Yougou was some distance from Inazuma City, so the Sacred Sakura shouldn't have been able to influence things here... But then again, if there were Thunder Sakura trees representing the Sacred Sakura's roots on Kannazuka, it made sense that Inazuma City was within its range.

"I see... I think I understand now. The Sacred Sakura, huh?"

Ei pinched her chin, lost in thought for a moment.

After a while, she asked, "By the way, your name is Li Mo, right?"

"Lady Ei, have you been observing the outside from the beginning?"

"Yes. You were holding something left behind by Lady Saiguu, so I had to pay extra attention," Ei said. "I want to ask, why did you try to persuade the Shogun to end the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree?"

"Because the harm outweighs the benefits," Li Mo replied.

"But those are methods to pursue eternity. A little pain shouldn't matter, right?"

"Lady Ei, how long has it been since you last visited Inazuma City?"

"Probably... several hundred years."

"Several hundred years is enough to change many things," Li Mo sighed. "Let me tell you what I've seen. Because of the Sakoku Decree, foreign merchants and domestic trade have drastically declined. Goods that were once sold abroad now have no market, leading to the bankruptcy of related businesses. The collapse of these businesses has reduced industrial jobs. People in Inazuma who work in these businesses, unlike those in rural areas who have their own land, rely on wages to survive. Losing their jobs is akin to losing their lives.

Take Konda Village, for example..."

Konda Village had once been a hub for raw materials in the textile industry. It had declined due to the Sakoku Decree. In Li Mo's explanation, he broke down the entire supply chain, from the upstream raw materials to the downstream textile workers.

Ei listened attentively. The opponent who had unleashed "Musou no Hitotachi" had earned her recognition. Since he had gone to such lengths for this cause, she felt she owed it to him to listen.

Seeing Ei listen so seriously, Li Mo decided to pour out everything he knew. In short, the best way to solve Inazuma's current predicament was for the Raiden Shogun to step in. However, the Shogun's underlying logic was rigid, and to change that, Ei's intervention was necessary.

After a long while, when Li Mo finally stopped speaking, Ei asked, "I want to ask you, if I insist on maintaining these two decrees but make some adjustments, would you still oppose them?"

"Yes," Li Mo replied. "Lady Ei, I don't believe the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree will help Inazuma achieve eternity."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because even if the decrees are implemented and Inazuma continues to function smoothly, external conditions are always changing. Take the Vision Hunt Decree, for example. Visions don't just represent people's wishes; they also represent strength. Take Konda Village again. I lived there for a while. It's relatively close to Inazuma City, but the Tenryou Commission still takes too long to respond. If monsters attack, especially something like a Hilichurl mage, it would be troublesome without Vision holders..."

Li Mo's stance on the Vision Hunt Decree was that while it had some necessity, not confiscating Visions was more important. Monsters wouldn't stop attacking just because Visions were confiscated and people became weaker. The random spawning of monsters also made preemptive measures difficult. Moreover, external conditions were constantly changing...

One was willing to share his views, and the other was willing to listen. In this vast, empty space, the conversation continued. Ei, the supreme ruler of Inazuma, absorbed the perspectives of another.

Until a certain fox stepped into the Plane of Euthymia.