Chapter 32: Farce
"Chodo koei, Narukami yuko."
This is the battle cry of Inazuma's soldiers as they march to the front lines.
Narukami refers to the esteemed and exalted Narukami Ogosho.
From the moment of birth, humans harbor intense longing and curiosity about the world. This forms the anchor of their understanding and the foundation of their rationality.
The world of Inazuma's people is no different.
There have always been wind, rain, thunder, sunlight, and the sea... and the Raiden Shogun.
It was the Shogun who brought down heavenly thunder, igniting trees and bringing fire to the people.
It was the Shogun who summoned rain, nourishing the land and bringing abundance to the people.
It was the Shogun who protected Inazuma, defeating gods and bringing peace to the people.
The Shogun's prestige has long transcended the limitations of life, becoming an eternal faith passed down through generations in Inazuma.
Under this prestige and power, people have reason to believe that their descendants will witness the same scenery, construct their inner worlds with the same faith, and continue this legacy.
This is the eternal paradise promised by the Shogun!
Even though two of the Tri-Commission have been infiltrated by the Fatui, the Shogun's thunder remains as dazzling as ever.
The woman emerging from Tenshukaku wore a fitted purple kimono adorned with gentian flowers.
Compared to traditional kimonos, this one had an open collar and a shorter hem, reaching only to the thighs, making it suitable for combat. It was both beautiful and practical, not restricting the wearer's movement.
Her long dark purple hair was braided and hung down her back, getting lighter towards the ends.
While such a hairstyle might remind one of a village woman, it suited her perfectly.
Her headwear was minimal, consisting only of a combination of a gentian flower and a folding fan.
Golden tassels hung behind her ears, adding a touch of nobility.
The most striking feature was the beauty mark at the corner of her right eye, which did not mar her beauty but rather tempered the coldness in her gaze.
"Chodo koei! Narukami yuko!"
After the Raiden Shogun appeared, led by Kujou Sara, the crowd chanted this slogan that had echoed throughout Inazuma.
The Raiden Shogun's face showed no expression, and her light purple eyes seemed to flash with faint lightning.
Bai Luo squatted on a cherry blossom tree near the training ground of Tenshukaku, not daring to make a sound.
He was uncertain whether the Raiden Shogun would detect his presence.
Fortunately, after she appeared, her gaze was mostly on the young man who had challenged Kujou Sara to the duel before the throne, seemingly unaware of Bai Luo's stealth. This allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Mm."
There were no long speeches or pre-battle mobilizations.
The Raiden Shogun stood high in front of Tenshukaku, responding to her people's fervor without any emotion.
As the puppet pushed to the forefront by the Electro Archon, the Raiden Shogun only had things she must do and things she must not do.
A duel before the throne was just a matter of nodding for her, with no third option.
Kujou Sara, familiar with the Raiden Shogun's style, took a deep breath, stepped down the stairs, and entered the training ground.
Seeing this, the young man put down the white cat in his arms, gently stroking its head to signal it to wait elsewhere.
Coincidentally or not, the cat ran towards the only cherry blossom tree in the training ground.
This made Bai Luo, who had been hiding there, extremely nervous.
"It's too late to regret now. Do you have any last wishes? I will do my best to fulfill them," Kujou Sara said, drawing her sword and sighing inwardly.
"Last wishes?"
The young man spat out the blade of grass in his mouth, gripped his sword, and looked up at the Shogun with intense eyes.
"I have eaten the delicious food I wanted, and I have seen Tenshukaku. Aside from witnessing that Musou no Hitotachi, I have no other desires."
"I understand," Kujou Sara replied.
Seeking death, are you?
With the fall of Tokimoto officer Shima Masayuki's arm, the duel before the throne officially began.
Both participants were wielders of the Electro Vision, and their combat styles were similarly swift and fierce.
Kujou Sara took the lead, swinging her sword with a flash of lightning, aiming directly for her opponent's head.
The swordsmanship of Inazuma, when traced back to its origins, all comes from one person.
That person is the Raiden Shogun.
Naginata, kenjutsu, and even forging techniques were all directly passed down by the Raiden Shogun.
Over time, different branches emerged, depending on the individual
But fundamentally, one can still see some similarities.
Therefore, apart from the influence of the Vision, the duel also tested each person's understanding and application of swordsmanship.
Kujou Sara's swordsmanship was honed in the military, characterized by bold and decisive movements, imbued with a sense of deadly intent.
After training under the Raiden Shogun, it gained an additional aura of divine authority.
The young man she was dueling with was different.
Having wandered the world for years, his sword strikes always retained some degree of reservation.
This initially put him at a disadvantage against Kujou Sara.
However, this didn't mean he would inevitably lose.
In another sense, Kujou Sara was an explosive-type fighter, while the young man was more enduring.
Though her momentum was fierce, once it waned, the battlefield would belong to the young man.
First rush, then decline, and finally exhaustion.
If she couldn't defeat the young man in this initial rush, it would be his turn to counterattack.
But as the duel progressed, Kujou Sara sensed something amiss.
The representatives of the Tri-Commission watching nearby were not seated in their chairs.
After all, with the Raiden Shogun standing, how could they dare to sit?
Among those who sensed the anomaly, along with Kujou Sara, was Kamisato Ayato.
To outsiders, he might seem merely knowledgeable in some self-defense swordsmanship due to his long tenure in governance.
Few knew that he was also a Vision holder with considerable combat prowess.
He could see that Kujou Sara's momentum was almost spent, yet the young man had not seized this opportunity to counterattack.
Most of the time, it was Kujou Sara on the offensive, while he only responded leisurely.
Even when opportunities arose, he seemed to deliberately miss them.
Rather than a duel before the throne, it resembled a farce.
Ding—
Finding a slight opening, Kujou Sara deftly flicked her blade, disarming the young man and pressing her sword against his neck.
The young man did not resist at all, even obediently throwing away his weapon, allowing himself to be subdued.
At this point, not only Kamisato Ayato, but even Hiiragi Shinsuke, who was not known for his martial prowess, could see something was off.
"Do you even understand what you're doing?!"
The cold blade against his neck trembled in Kujou Sara's hand.
She had never believed her swordsmanship could surpass his, given her primary proficiency with the bow.
Her plan had been to use her sword to lower his guard, then switch to her bow to catch him off guard and win the duel.
But she never expected the duel to end in such a dramatic manner.
"I still need to save my strength to face the Shogun's blade," the young man said, his eyes apologetic.
He understood what this duel meant to her.
But he had undermined the solemnity of this duel.
"You can't withstand it."
Kujou Sara sheathed her sword, her expression serious.
Having followed the Raiden Shogun in countless battles, she had witnessed the Shogun's strike.
That blade, embodying the pinnacle of the Raiden Shogun's martial prowess.
It had reached a state of nothingness, thoughtlessness, and unparalleled might.
No one could survive under that strike.
Not even a god could withstand it.
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