Chapter 138: Raiden Ei's Choice

The distance was too vast. For ordinary mortals, their limited eyesight could never reach such an unfathomable expanse.

All they could see was a massive rift that had somehow appeared in the sky—sudden, inexplicable, like a wound torn into the heavens themselves.

But Raiden Ei saw it clearly.

Her extraordinary vision pierced through the void, revealing a sight beyond Teyvat—countless broken worlds, each one shattered and scattered like fragile soap bubbles, wrapped in layers of illusion, surreal and otherworldly.

And Eternity… slumbered there, swallowed by endless silence.

Raiden Ei stood frozen, eyes locked on the scene ahead. Her lips moved as if entranced, murmuring to herself.

"So this… is this what they call Eternity…?" Her voice trembled, steeped in disbelief and profound confusion.

At that moment, Shajin caught the falling Engulfing Lightning midair with calm precision. With a flick of his arm, he gently tossed the fearsome blade down to Raiden Ei.

His voice followed, steady but edged with challenge.

"Now, tell me. In a place like this… how do you intend to find the final destination of the Eternity you've always sought?"

Raiden Ei raised her hand and caught the naginata perfectly. But her face remained blank, her head bowed low, lost in thought.

Only after a long silence did she finally speak.

"I've seen the losses that come with moving forward… That pain, that helplessness… I remember it all too well."

"That's why I clung to the pursuit of Eternity, believing that only by remaining unchanged, unmoving, could I protect everything dear to me from being lost."

"But now… is that really what Eternity means?"

"I don't know. I truly don't know…"

Her voice faded, growing softer and softer, until it was barely more than a whisper.

"Only Eternity… only Eternity…"

She repeated the words again and again, as if trying to wring an answer from them—or perhaps, simply trying to comfort herself.

In this moment, her heart was torn in two. The unshakable beliefs she had clung to for so long were beginning to falter.

….

"Where lightning flashes… it casts a shadow."

"I… am that shadow."

"With my blade… I swept away every obstacle in Inazuma's path."

"Yet with every step forward…"

"Something was lost."

"In the end… I even lost her."

"Those memories…"

"Still echo beneath every Sacred Sakura tree."

"But the marks those losses left on this nation…"

"They still ache…"

'Chase it, even if it's only a fleeting light.'

'At least, we still have this moment.'

But I saw a nation strive forward…

Only to lose everything to the Heavenly Principles.

Maybe only if time stands still—

Can the lightning's glow… never fade.

This moment is a fragile illusion…

Only Eternity comes closest to the Heavenly Principles.

"I am no longer the Shadow…"

This body is the most exalted and supreme.

It must wield dominion over the world.

It must grant its people a dream.

It is the embodiment of unchanging, everlasting Eternity.

….

"How utterly boring~"

Shajin let out a lazy yawn, a look of disdain flickering across his face.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, locking his gaze on his opponent.

"Without true strength to back it up, your so-called 'Eternity' is nothing more than a hollow shell—a pretty illusion with no substance."

As he spoke, he casually gestured behind him, toward the vast, boundless sea.

"Right now, it may seem like only you and I are locked in this duel—but make no mistake. My Snezhnayan fleet could breach the gates of Inazuma with ease. One word from me, and they would descend like a tidal wave."

His voice brimmed with confidence, arrogance curling in every syllable.

Then, with a cold sneer, he added,

"And besides… just now, you saw it for yourself—that strange, unknowable outside world. Facing such an immense and unfamiliar frontier, how much chance does Inazuma really stand?"

"The Heavenly Principles slumbers deep in silence. The four shades are nowhere to be found."

As Shajin spoke, he slowly shook his head, as though pitying the situation.

"At the same time, the Abyss stirs once more—its power growing stronger with each passing day. And the script we hold… its final act draws ever closer."

He paused, then fixed his sharp gaze on Raiden Ei, his voice like a dagger.

"As for your Inazuma… I'm afraid it's destined to suffer once more—just like it did 500 years ago. You stand on the brink of disaster. Everything is poised to repeat itself…"

As his words faded, Shajin snapped his fingers with a crisp click.

In that instant, a blinding flash tore across the air—like lightning ripping through the night sky.

And then, as if summoned from nothing, a colossal pair of scales appeared before Raiden Ei.

Unhurried, Shajin reached into his coat and carefully withdrew a gleaming, golden token.

He raised his hand and held it out to her.

"To the left is your 'Eternity'—the path with no room for negotiation. To the right lies Inazuma's 'future'. Join us. Board our vessel… and fight for a true Eternity."

His voice was deep, heavy with gravitas, echoing through the air like a tolling bell.

Raiden Ei's hands trembled as she slowly reached out and accepted the token.

Her eyes remained fixed on the towering scales before her, filled with a turbulent storm of emotion.

For that moment, time itself seemed to freeze. The world had narrowed to just her… and the scales that would decide her nation's fate.

She knew, with painful clarity, what lay before her.

On one side: Eternity, the belief she had clung to for centuries—a vision of peace and stability for Inazuma.

On the other: the future. A leap into the unknown, full of peril and possibility, risking everything.

No matter which path she chose, it would reshape Inazuma's destiny forever.

Her fingers clutched the token so tightly, they began to pale from the strain.

Uncertainty clouded her mind like a dense fog, leaving her groping for direction.

But she understood the weight of this moment. One misstep could plunge her nation into irreversible ruin.

Yet, as Inazuma's ruler, she had no choice but to face this decision head-on—even if it meant walking into a storm of thorns and shadows.

_

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