chapter 21

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Chapter 21: Lei Is Alive, But the Armed Puppet

The gates of the Yixin Pure Land were tightly sealed. Raiden Shogun had lost all connection with the outside world. This caused the true Raiden, who had been deep in meditation, to sense an impending crisis.

Unfortunately, without opening the gates, no matter what was happening outside, she couldn't respond. She could only wait for the day when the doors to reality would reopen.

Luckily… that day didn't take too long to come.

But what awaited her outside was something she couldn't have predicted. There were risks in stepping out, but if she didn't, she would remain helpless. In the end, Raiden made her decision—she chose to face the unknown.

"Ying? You're finally awake!"

"General… is that you?" Raiden slowly opened her eyes, only to be greeted by two towering figures.

"Yae…?"

"How did you… become so big?"

Looking at Yae Miko, who was giggling behind her hand, Raiden realized something was off. She stood up, but even then, she found herself far smaller than the kneeling figures before her.

"…"

Raiden stared at her hands and touched her head.

"…"

Something was wrong. No, everything was wrong!

"Hahaha!" Yae Miko finally burst out laughing, pounding the floor in amusement. Even Kamisato Ayaka, standing nearby, couldn't suppress her laughter.

At this moment, Raiden Shogun's consciousness and power were confined within a small, armed puppet—a two-headed, adorable puppet. It looked cute, but the fact that this was Inazuma's Thunder God? Now, that was a big joke.

"What's going on? Why am I like this? Who did this? Yae Miko? Or… this white-haired person beside her?"

Raiden had been isolated in the Pure Land for 500 years, completely cut off from the outside world. Naturally, she didn't know Kamisato Ayaka.

"Isn't it obvious? You look like a little baby now. Do you want big sis to give you a candy?" Yae teased.

If Raiden didn't still have the power of a god, Yae would've scooped her up and hugged her like a doll.

"Enough! If this is some kind of trick, change me back at once!" Raiden demanded, convinced that Yae had used some unknown method to transform her body into this.

"Ahem, Ying, before the Shogun lost contact with you, did you… notice anything unusual?" Yae asked, her expression turning serious.

Raiden was confused. "What? Why was the gate to the Yixin Pure Land suddenly sealed?"

Raiden had many questions. The gate hadn't been sealed by any outsider. Only the Shogun had the power to do that. But before it closed, Raiden hadn't sensed any threats.

Kamisato Ayaka pointed behind her, and Yae Miko's playful smile faded as she too grew serious. Raiden, noticing their shift in demeanor, turned to look.

Not far from them, a strange man sat casually. Next to him was another Raiden Shogun. And surrounding them were… pieces—debris resembling the Shogun?

"It seems you've awakened," said the Shogun as she approached Raiden, who was still trapped in the small puppet.

"You… you're the Shogun? Why did you cut off contact with me?" Raiden was shocked to see her own body standing before her, separated from her consciousness.

The pieces lying on the ground confirmed it. Raiden was the creator of the puppet Shogun, and she recognized her handiwork. The Shogun had been damaged—badly. This could only mean one thing: Inazuma had a powerful enemy.

"What is your purpose?" Raiden's eyes locked onto the man who had been watching the scene unfold in silence—Su Ran.

Though Kamisato Ayaka had elemental power, she was still a mortal. Su Ran, however, was different. Raiden couldn't read him. He wasn't concealed in fog—she could see him clearly, but only his outward appearance. His essence, however, was unreadable.

"My purpose? Does Kamisato Ayaka count? Does Yae Miko count? Or perhaps the Thunder God counts?" Su Ran smirked, looking down at the petite Raiden in her puppet form.

Raiden frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Did he come to assassinate her? But if he was able to defeat the Shogun, it was already akin to a successful assassination. So why repair the Shogun and free Raiden from the Pure Land?

"Isn't it simple?" Yae Miko teased, poking Raiden's small face. "Ying, from now on, the three of us will be sharing the same husband."

"..."

Raiden batted away Yae's hand. "I have one wish, and that is to pursue eternity. I will not allow anyone to become a hindrance or burden to that pursuit."

She would never accept this man as a partner, no matter how strong he was. Unless he was eternity itself, she would not waver.

"Uh… do you think I'm interested in you?" Su Ran raised an eyebrow, trying to understand where Raiden got her confidence.

"Not this body?" Raiden asked, feeling slightly embarrassed. For a moment, she had assumed too much, forgetting her current tiny, puppet form.

"It's me," the Shogun spoke up. "I can't repay you for saving me, so I will offer myself in return."

"But he's the one who broke you in the first place!" Raiden exclaimed. If not for the broken body parts scattered around, she might have believed the Shogun's words. Su Ran was the one who destroyed her—and the one who repaired her. How could that be considered a life-saving grace?

By Raiden's logic, the merits and demerits canceled each other out. In fact, attacking a god was an even greater offense.

"He is the one who can free me from my mission of pursuing eternity," the Shogun declared.

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