Facing the engulfing darkness, Yuuko showed no panic and made no attempt to dodge.
Because he knew that the God of Inazuma was about to pull him into the Plane of Euthymia.
In almost an instant, Yuuko was swallowed by the pitch black.
Then, he arrived in a new space.
This was the Plane of Euthymia.
It was the place where the God of Inazuma had been hiding.
This space was very dim and chaotic, with only rare flashes of light.
Here, one could even see a massive Blood Moon, casting a crimson glow over the area.
It gave off an incredibly oppressive feeling.
In front of Yuuko, a purple figure was suspended in mid-air, maintaining a special seated posture.
That purple figure looked exactly like the Raiden Shogun.
However, in terms of aura, she possessed a more worldly and human feeling.
Furthermore, this person also gave off a sense of being completely detached from desires.
This woman was the true deity of Inazuma, Raiden Ei!
More accurately, her name was Beelzebul!
As Yuuko entered the Plane of Euthymia, Raiden Ei descended from her suspension, her feet returning to the ground.
She met Yuuko's gaze and said:
"Yellow Fox, I only have one question: Who are you?"
"Asking such a boring question right off the bat." Yuuko sighed softly:
"What's important isn't who I am, but rather the purpose of my coming here, right?"
After a pause, Yuuko continued:
"In that case, let's talk about the Vision Hunt Decree."
Raiden Ei shook her head: "There is nothing to discuss about that matter."
"Even if the citizens of Inazuma oppose it so strongly, even joining the resistance, it still won't change your mind?" Yuuko asked again.
A flash of light crossed Raiden Ei's eyes.
She tilted her head slightly, showing an expression of recalling the past, and sighed softly:
"No matter what, as long as it maintains eternity, I will see it carried out."
Yuuko frowned slightly. He had asked the Raiden Shogun the same question, and the answer was similar.
This also showed that Inazuma's current state...
...was heavily related to Raiden Ei's tacit approval.
"What exactly does eternity mean to you? Enough to make you ignore the wishes of your people? Even if Inazuma has become like this, you won't relent?"
Constantly talking about eternity while ignoring the thoughts of others was truly incomprehensible.
Yuuko, at least, could not understand it.
Raiden Ei sighed again, her eyes revealing a deep sorrow:
"Chasing after wishes ultimately only leads to losing more."
"But you can't just strip your people of their wishes!" Yuuko exclaimed, slightly angered.
Raiden Ei sighed softly once more, and said:
"There are some things you would not understand."
"I, too, once chased after ephemeral light, believing I could at least possess the present moment."
"But... until I witnessed the nation, striving with all its might, lose everything before the Heavenly Principles."
"I understood then that only by freezing time could the lightning not be extinguished."
"This is how Inazuma's eternity is maintained."
"Heavenly Principles?" Yuuko noticed the term in Raiden Ei's words and furrowed his brow.
This was the first time Yuuko had heard this term in the more than a year he had been in this world.
To his surprise, Raiden Ei also looked at Yuuko with a surprised gaze. After a long moment, she let out a soft sigh:
"I see. So you are not one of them..."
Whether it was an illusion or not, a sense of relief seemed to appear on Raiden Ei's face.
This, once again, caught Yuuko's attention:
"It seems you've mistaken me for someone belonging to a certain faction all this time?"
Yuuko finally understood something—why this deity had been constantly avoiding him before.
Raiden Ei remained silent, simply looking at Yuuko quietly before sighing softly:
"Your existence might bring disaster upon Inazuma. Leave now, and I will treat your previous actions as if they never happened."
These words made Yuuko frown again.
It seemed that even after meeting face-to-face, this reclusive deity remained incredibly stubborn.
It was unlikely that mere conversation would be enough to make her change her mind.
In that case, there was only one course of action left.
Yuuko's aura suddenly surged, and at the same time, dense Geo Elemental Power wrapped around his body!
Seeing this, Raiden Ei closed her eyes and said softly:
"This power... it seems Rex Lapis did not merely bestow the Gnosis upon you."
Hearing this, Yuuko fell silent.
Based on Raiden Ei's words, he had received a considerable amount of information.
Because of this, Yuuko gave a wry smile:
"So that pauper really was Rex Lapis? No wonder the Fatui were swarming around him back then."
The fact that the earthen yellow chess piece in his pocket was actually the Geo Gnosis...
...Yuuko had already suspected this for a long time.
After all, this item allowed him to use Geo Elemental Power much more freely, which explained a lot of things.
It wasn't a Vision, yet it was more useful than a Vision. There was no other possibility besides it being a Gnosis.
He just hadn't confirmed it because he lacked concrete evidence.
Raiden Ei showed a thoughtful expression again:
"Rex Lapis is a highly respectable Archon, and the effort he put into you is indeed worth investigating."
"In that case, come. Didn't you intend to shake my will and make me change my mind?"
Having said this, a cold expression appeared on Raiden Ei's face.
She reached out and placed her hand in front of her chest, where a pitch-black hole appeared. She then slowly drew a deep purple sword from within.
Aside from being a little awkward, it was quite cool.
The sword she drew from her chest was no longer the naginata usually held by the Raiden Shogun.
Instead, it was a sword that gathered the desires of the Hundred Eyes and could cleave through all curses.
This sword was musou isshin.
For Raiden Ei, it was an extremely important item.
At the same time, a chain of circles composed of the lightning element appeared behind Raiden Ei.
Hanging on them were several talismans resembling lightning eyes.
Overall, the feeling she gave off was no longer the placid demeanor from moments ago.
The current Raiden Ei truly possessed the majesty fitting a national deity!
This was something the puppet outside did not possess!
In the next instant, within this pitch-black, void space...
...the earthen yellow and purple figures transformed into blurs and collided!
At the point of impact, fragmented lightning and rock fragments scattered.
In the first exchange, neither side sustained any damage.
After the clash, Yuuko looked at his palm in surprise.
If it had been the Raiden Shogun outside, that exchange should have resulted in her defeat against him.
But Raiden Ei was actually able to take his attack beneath that power without suffering any ill effects.
Sure enough, dealing with Raiden Ei could no longer be as easy as dealing with the Raiden Shogun.
Nevertheless, a smile appeared on Yuuko's face.
He had actually wanted to test for a long time what his limit would be if he only used Geo Elemental Power.
At this moment, as the thought arose in his mind...
...the earthen yellow chess piece inside Yuuko's clothes—or rather, the Geo Gnosis—began continuously emitting light.
Yuuko intended to activate the Geo Elemental Power to its maximum extent, to see what he could achieve using only Geo Elemental Power.
Exactly what he could accomplish.
"Starfall."
For some reason, Yuuko blurted out... these four words.
He didn't know what the phrase meant, nor had he ever heard it mentioned anywhere else before.
He simply said it subconsciously.
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