Chapter 24: A New Mission

Territory of the Tenryou Commission

"The attack just now must have been from the Shogun, and in that direction…"

After seeing the skyward sword light, Kujou Takayuki's previously relaxed heart tightened. An uneasy premonition began to rise within him.

And Kujou Takayuki's premonition was correct. Not long after, there was a commotion outside the Tenryou Commission's territory, with people faintly calling out "General".

This made Kujou Takayuki's anxiety grow stronger. He wanted to turn and flee, but he knew that if he ran, he would be truly finished. Now, he hoped that the Shogun wasn't here for him.

After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Kujou Takayuki forced himself to remain composed and quickly walked outside.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw Raiden Shogun sitting in the hall of the Tenryou Commission's territory, her gaze cold. Seeing her like this, Kujou Takayuki panicked and almost fell to his knees.

Oh no! He had already knelt.

"What brings the General to the Tenryou Commission?"

Kujou Takayuki immediately knelt before Raiden Shogun, speaking respectfully. After all, he was just a mortal; not many could face Raiden Shogun without fear.

Raiden Shogun ignored Kujou Takayuki. To her, Liam was extremely important. If it weren't for needing to arrest him, she would have already ended Kujou Takayuki's life.

To Raiden Shogun, Kujou Takayuki was already a dead man, so why bother with a corpse?

Raiden Shogun then glanced around at the people gathered in the Tenryou Commission's hall. As her cold gaze swept over them, everyone lowered their heads, not daring to meet her eyes.

"Very well, everyone is here. Shogunate soldiers, arrest them all."

"Yes, General!"

This time, Raiden Shogun had brought her elite soldiers, the Shogunate soldiers, with her. As Raiden Shogun's personal guards, they had no qualms about arresting the high-ranking officials of the Tenryou Commission. At her command, the soldiers immediately began to control everyone present.

The officials wanted to resist, but the Shogunate soldiers were powerful, their duty being to protect the General, although a god like the General didn't need protection.

These officials were no match for the Shogunate soldiers, especially with Raiden Shogun coldly watching them. No one in Inazuma would dare defy Raiden Shogun, knowing well that she was not one to hesitate in using her blade.

"General, may I ask why you are arresting us? Have we done something to displease you?"

Kujou Takayuki still wanted to struggle, thinking that if the General had no evidence, he might still have a chance.

"The Tenryou Commission has conspired with the Fatui to harm my protégé, and the evidence is irrefutable. Do you have anything to say?"

Raiden Shogun's tone was indifferent as she took out a stack of documents, looking at the officials of the Tenryou Commission below. Some recognized the documents and turned pale, knowing they were doomed.

Her words also clarified to those unaware of the situation that the terrifying sword light earlier was because their people had colluded with the Fatui to harm the General's protégé, and the General had suppressed it with lightning speed before coming to them.

Understanding this, those not involved in the plot looked at Kujou Takayuki with resentment. Why did you provoke that person? Everyone in Inazuma knew how much the General valued him, and now she had come knocking!

Kujou Takayuki recognized the documents' origin and felt despair. He couldn't understand how those documents, which he had confirmed just yesterday, ended up in the General's hands. But it no longer mattered.

At this moment, Kujou Sara returned from her patrol and knelt before Raiden Shogun.

"General, my father…"

Before Kujou Sara could finish, Raiden Shogun stopped her.

"Step back, Sara, this matter does not concern you."

"…Yes, General!"

Kujou Sara was always like this. She never refused Raiden Shogun's orders, even if they were wrong. So, upon hearing the command, she fell silent.

Raiden Shogun then tossed the documents to Kujou Sara. Although the Kujou clan and the Tenryou Commission were corrupt, Raiden Shogun still trusted Kujou Sara.

"Take a look."

Kujou Sara caught the documents and stepped aside to review them.

As she read, her shock grew. She couldn't believe that her father, whom she respected and who taught her loyalty to the General, would do such things. But the evidence was undeniable.

"What do you have to say?" Raiden Shogun asked coldly as she watched Kujou Sara's changing expressions.

"General, may I speak with my father?"

Kujou Sara took a deep breath, suppressing her turbulent emotions, and asked Raiden Shogun.

"You may."

Raiden Shogun wouldn't deny this small request from her beloved general.

"Thank you, General!"

Kujou Sara then approached Kujou Takayuki, who was restrained by two Shogunate soldiers. Her gaze was complicated, but she still spoke.

"Father, why did you do these things?"

"Haha! I did it for the glory of the Kujou clan! Collaborating with the Fatui would bring us more benefits, making our clan more illustrious!"

Kujou Takayuki replied maniacally.

The highest form of deception is to deceive oneself. Driven by selfish desires, he conspired with foreign powers to undermine his own country, yet he spoke as if it were a righteous cause.

"Father, didn't you always tell me to be loyal to the General? Why did you betray her in the end?"

This was what Kujou Sara most wanted to know.

"Betrayal? I merely cooperated with the Fatui to strengthen the Kujou clan, which would in turn better serve the General! As for the Fatui, they are just ants before the General's 'Musou no Hitotachi'!"

Though it was hard to tell how much of his words were true, the fervor in his eyes was unmistakable. He truly revered Raiden Shogun, or rather, the divine punishment symbolized by her "Musou no Hitotachi."

...

The news of the General's purge of the Tenryou Commission spread quickly.

Although it was one of the Three Commissions, the Tenryou Commission had a reputation for tyranny, so most of Inazuma's residents celebrated the news.

To reach this point, it was only a matter of time before the Tenryou Commission faced such consequences.

"Have you heard? The Tenryou Commission colluded with the Fatui to harm the General's personal disciple, but the General found out and struck them down with lightning!"

"I heard that Kujo Takayuki took a liking to a Fatui Harbinger and conspired with the Fatui to win his favor!"

"I heard the Fatui Harbinger fancied Kujo Takayuki and actively helped him eliminate rivals!"

"Hiss... Could it be a mutual affair?"

"Hmm... That actually seems possible!"

"I also heard another version where both the Fatui Harbinger and Kujo Takayuki had ulterior motives toward the General. Since Lord Liam is close to the General, they both got jealous and teamed up against him!"

"Hiss... Whoa! Aren't you afraid to gossip about the General like this? Don't you value your life?"

"No worries, no worries! We're just talking casually. The General isn't so petty!"

All of Inazuma was abuzz with rumors about the Tenryou Commission's downfall. There were all sorts of bizarre versions of the story, proving that people's love for gossip is universal across worlds!

"Hahaha! This is getting more and more interesting."

Yae Miko watched the growing rumors in Inazuma City with a contented smile.

At Tenshukaku,

"Liam, now that Kujo Takayuki has been brought to justice, what are your plans?" Raiden Shogun Ei

asked with a smile in her room.

"First, we need to thoroughly clean out the Tenryou Commission. The Three Commissions have existed for many years, and abolishing them overnight would plunge Inazuma into chaos. We need to replace those with issues and bring in new, morally upright leaders to oversee the Tenryou Commission."

In the presence of a deity, the exact form of government isn't crucial, since the deity's word is law. Inazuma's problems primarily stem from Ei's previous inactivity.

Liam then addressed Ei, "Besides the Tenryou Commission, I've heard that the Kanjou Commission is also colluding with the Fatui. Like the Kujo clan, it's led by Hiragi Shinsuke. Now that we've dealt with the Tenryou Commission, the Kanjou Commission should be next!"

Liam glanced at Ei, noting that two of the Three Commissions were involved with the Fatui—the military-focused Tenryou Commission and the economically-focused Kanjou Commission. The only clean one, the Shuumatsuban, held little real power. Liam couldn't help but admire Inazuma's resilience despite its dire situation.

"Why are you looking at me, Liam?" Ei asked, puzzled by Liam's gaze.

"What else? Ei, both I and Makoto are cleaning up your mess! Don't you have any opinions to share?" Liam teased, seeing Ei's confused expression.

Ei was left speechless, realizing that Liam's words were true.

"Haha, alright, I'm just teasing you. Makoto and I don't blame you. We know this isn't your forte!"

Liam laughed, ruffling Ei's hair, feeling a sense of triumph that he could now casually mess with her.

"What's past is past. We can't change it, but now Inazuma's chance for change lies in our hands!"

[Ding! Long-term mission issued: Resolve Inazuma's internal and external crises!]

[Mission rewards: 4000 Imaginary Points, Summon Companion Honkai Beast]

Suddenly, the system's voice echoed in Liam's mind.

"System, why didn't you give me a mission when I fought Scaramouche?"

[Ding! The system was on a break and forgot!]

The system replied shamelessly.

"System, do you need rest?" Liam asked, puzzled.

[Ding! No, I was just teasing you!]

Liam: "..."

Fine, system, you want to play like this? Once I've accumulated enough points, I'll unlock the system's avatar and show it what human cunning is!

[Ding! Mission triggers are random. Don't be surprised!]

The system then gave a standard answer.

The system always had the final say. There was nothing Liam could do about it now, so he checked the mission rewards. The 4000 Imaginary Points were half of the last long-term mission, but that wasn't important. What caught Liam's attention was the companion Honkai Beast reward. He opened the details.

[Summon Companion Honkai Beast: Though you may still be weak, as the Herrscher of the End, you deserve a flashy companion Honkai Beast. The system suggests a grand manta ray!]

"A manta ray..."

Liam felt a sense of foreboding. If he remembered correctly, the well-known ray in the Honkai series was the end-stage Honkai Beast, Ganesa, which was mentioned briefly in the lore.

But the other was even more significant, Jyahnar, a planetary-class Honkai Beast that had destroyed civilizations, extremely powerful, highly intelligent, and most importantly, completely devoid of empathy, viewing humans with absolute indifference.

And the system just mentioned summoning the companion Honkai Beast of the Final Herrscher. Given his identity as the Final Herrscher, it was likely to be Jyahnar!

"System, tell me, is the summoned beast Jyahnar?"

[Ding! Exactly as the host thinks!]

"Damn! System, can I change the reward? I can't control Jyahnar now!"

Just thinking about Jyahnar descending upon Teyvat made Liam's scalp tingle. If Jyahnar came, Teyvat would be doomed. Moreover, he hadn't fully awakened as the Final Herrscher and couldn't control Jyahnar. The beast would likely rebel!