"..."
While gnawing on the berries, Akira Shindo seemed to notice something. A trace of coldness flashed through his golden eyes.
"Hey, kid! Why are you eating our berries?"
A teasing voice sounded from behind him.
Akira Shindo raised an eyebrow and calmly turned around.
Sure enough, several wandering samurai stood there. Judging from their attire, they were clearly Nobushi, just like the ones in the game.
"Since when do wild berries like these belong to someone?" Akira Shindo asked lightly as he looked at them.
"Of course they do," the leading Nobushi sneered. "Everyone knows this is our territory. That means the berries belong to us."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over Akira Shindo.
White hair. Golden eyes.
And the strange clothes Akira Shindo was wearing—he had never seen that style before, but the material clearly looked expensive.
Probably the young master of some wealthy family.
The Nobushi leader's eyes lit up slightly.
A fat sheep had just delivered itself to the door.
Hmm… no Vision, soft-looking skin… probably some rich young master who got lost in the wilderness.
"..."
Seeing the way the Nobushi were looking him up and down, Akira Shindo felt a bit disgusted.
"Kid, you ate our food," the Nobushi said with a wicked grin. "You should pay for the meal, right?"
He could already imagine the days ahead where he'd be spending money freely.
"And if you don't pay?"
"Then don't blame the brothers here for getting rough."
"Getting rough?" Akira Shindo smiled faintly. "I'd quite like to see what that looks like."
"In the land under the rule of the Narukami, people like you still exist?"
"Narukami?" The Nobushi scoffed. "I haven't heard of the Shogun showing up in a long time."
"How would someone as high and mighty as her bother with people like us?"
"The Inazuma she treasures can barely take care of itself right now!"
"Hahahahaha—!"
"As citizens of the Narukami… you've already lost faith in your own nation?" Akira Shindo clicked his tongue, sensing the disdain—and even hatred—the Nobushi held toward Inazuma.
Ei was a warrior.
But she was not truly a capable ruler.
"How tragic," Akira Shindo murmured softly before sighing.
"But that still isn't a reason for you to bully ordinary people."
"I don't have any Mora."
"No Mora?" The Nobushi's expression darkened instantly.
With a sharp clang, he drew his katana.
"Then have your family send it over!"
"Otherwise I'll chop you up and feed you to the dogs!"
Feeling the killing intent from the Nobushi, Akira Shindo's expression didn't change at all.
"Ants," he said calmly. "Are you ready to face death?"
Originally, he hadn't planned to make a move.
But the moment the other party revealed killing intent, his patience vanished.
The real Teyvat was nothing like the 12+ rated game he once played.
Here, death and corruption were everywhere.
Akira Shindo gently raised a hand.
The Nobushi suddenly felt as though something had grabbed them. Their bodies were yanked into the air and dragged toward Akira Shindo.
The next instant—
They were blasted dozens of meters away.
Akira Shindo clenched his hand slightly.
Around the Nobushi, several massive purple energy walls suddenly appeared.
The next moment—
The walls slammed together violently.
BOOM.
Their bodies were crushed instantly into pulp.
"...Haa."
Akira Shindo took a deep breath.
It was his first time killing someone.
And yet… he felt absolutely nothing.
Had the Herrscher of the Void template affected his mind as well?
Suddenly, Akira Shindo's expression changed.
His body flickered as he warped through space, appearing more than ten meters away.
"Lightning Falls Silent!"
Just as he moved—
A bolt of purple lightning struck the exact spot where he had been standing.
Akira Shindo frowned slightly.
That voice sounded very familiar.
Looks like someone he knew had arrived.
Right?
You sly fox.
Akira Shindo looked over.
A familiar figure slowly appeared.
Pink hair.
Large fox ears drooping gently.
It was Yae Miko.
"...Troublesome woman," Akira Shindo muttered with slight helplessness.
In his previous life, he had adored this pink-haired fox—constantly calling her his wife.
But in the current situation…
Yae Miko was absolutely one of the most difficult people to deal with.
"Miss Fox," Akira Shindo said lightly, "attacking from behind isn't a very good habit."
He glanced at the five white fox tails that had appeared behind her. The golden glow in his eyes grew slightly brighter.
Three Void Lances materialized behind Akira Shindo.
The space around him began to twist subtly.
Golden wings of light floated gently at his back.
The Herrscher of the Void form.
Facing the unpredictable strength of this sly fox, Akira Shindo didn't dare relax even slightly.
Yae Miko, meanwhile, had completely lost her usual lazy and teasing expression.
A solemn look appeared on her face.
As a great yokai—and Inazuma's second strongest being—she could clearly sense the terrifying power emanating from the unfamiliar man before her.
It was a power she had never seen or heard of.
Yet the faintly distorted space around him made her heart tremble.
What kind of power could warp space itself?
Yae Miko clenched her teeth slightly.
The person before her was absolutely not someone she could handle alone.
Did she need to awaken that god of Inazuma?
"So this is the power of the Herrscher of the Void… absolute control over space?"
Feeling the endless power coursing through his Herrscher form, Akira Shindo finally understood just how terrifying the Herrscher of the Void truly was.
Even if an S-rank Herrscher of the Void template couldn't defeat top-tier gods like Raiden Ei…
They wouldn't be able to do anything to him either.
"Who are you?" Yae Miko asked in a low voice. "And what business do you have in Inazuma?"
"I mean no harm," Akira Shindo replied after a brief pause.
"I am a god from beyond this world. My arrival in this realm was not by my own intention."
Might as well bluff Yae Miko a little.
After all, she had no way of knowing his origins.
Besides, someone with the authority of the Herrscher of the Void being called a god wasn't exactly wrong.
"A god from beyond this world…"
Yae Miko narrowed her eyes slightly, clearly weighing the truth of his words.
"For certain reasons, most of my power is sealed," Akira Shindo continued with a faint sigh.
"So I will remain in this world for some time… until I recover."
"I can see the decline of this nation."
He looked directly at Yae Miko.
"You… are one of this nation's leaders, aren't you?"
"You know that?" Yae Miko's suspicion deepened.
This man even understood the current state of Inazuma.
"One of my abilities allows me to glimpse parts of the world's future," Akira Shindo said, tapping his eye.
"I see."
Yae Miko nodded slowly and dismissed the lightning gathered in her hand.
"If you truly mean no harm, then my earlier attack was indeed rash. Please forgive me."
"As an apology, I would like to invite you to visit the Grand Narukami Shrine."
She looked at Akira Shindo with a faint smile.
She intended to learn more about this self-proclaimed god from another world.
"That works for me," Akira Shindo nodded.
The Herrscher form dissipated around him.
If he planned to stay in Inazuma long-term, gaining Yae Miko's support would make many things far easier.
"No need to call me 'sir,'" Akira Shindo said.
"My name is Akira Shindo. Just call me that."
"I am Yae Miko, Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine."
She nodded slightly before stepping aside and gesturing forward.
"Akira Shindo, this way please."
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