The atmosphere within the consciousness space was frigid and tense, heavy with killing intent.
Both sides were determined to prove that their will was the right one. A long, grueling battle was inevitable.
Even as they exchanged words, the Puppet General's form began to change.
A pair of massive mechanical hands lifted her from the ground, her braids unraveling as strands of violet hair whipped wildly in the air.
Behind her, countless mechanical arms unfolded. The largest gripped a massive purple tachi, which she slowly raised and leveled at the two standing before her, her gaze full of unshakable dominance.
Lu Chen knew exactly what this was—the final form Ei had designed for the General. It only appeared when "Eternity" faced its greatest threat.
Primal Form — Magatsu Mitake Narukami no Mikoto (Musou Isshin)
"All obstacles—must be cut down!"
The enormous purple blade came slashing forward with a force like a thunderclap, unstoppable and absolute.
The entire consciousness space shook violently. The ground split into massive chasms, like the great rift that scarred Yashiori Island.
Lu Chen glanced back at where he had been standing a moment earlier, a flicker of lingering fear in his eyes.
Even with his current power, he wasn't sure he could survive a direct hit from that.
But retreat was not an option.
Staring at the figure floating in the air, his fighting spirit only burned brighter.
"Flank her!" he barked.
An attack that powerful couldn't cover every angle—and they had numbers on their side.
Ei nodded in silent agreement. In the next instant, they vanished, reappearing to the General's left and right.
Musou Isshin rose high in Ei's grasp.
Lu Chen poured all five elements into the Skyward Blade. Within his demigod domain, he called on every scrap of elemental energy he could muster. In this battle, he would hold nothing back.
The Puppet General's response was swift. Lightning erupted around her, and countless vertical blade waves shot outward in every direction.
"Divide and Destroy!"
The shockwave was one Lu Chen could take. He didn't dodge—he drove straight into it, meeting the incoming strike head-on.
Three different forces clashed in an instant, unleashing a chaotic elemental maelstrom that tore through everything.
Had this been the real world, such a fight would have shaken the sky and sea.
The power they expended was enough to drain oceans, to snuff out the sun.
The battle lasted long enough for seeds to sprout, plants to flourish, and then wither away.
An hour.
A day.
Ten days...
Half a year.
A year...
Three years.
The battlefield was scarred with ravines like the pits of hell itself—yet in this space, everything would quickly heal.
Again and again, Lu Chen and Ei tore the Puppet General down, shattering her mechanical body—only for her to restore herself moments later.
And with every revival, she gained another pair of arms, becoming even deadlier.
A true thousand-armed, thousand-eyed god.
...
Over the three years of this relentless clash, Lu Chen kept his focus razor-sharp.
Somewhere along the way, he began to grasp something new about his domain.
Every Archon had a specialty, but his was not a single element—it was the fusion of all five:
Cryo, Pyro, Anemo, Geo, and Dendro.
In his hands, the five elements flowed like obedient spirits, merging and shifting at will, weaving into one another or transforming instantly as needed.
And then—
In the heart of this endless battle, his will caught the notice of Teyvat's laws themselves.
A sixth element answered.
A brilliant violet Vision appeared in his hand.
The system chimed in his mind:
[Obtained Golden Item: Electro Vision]
[Achievement Unlocked: Eternity and Vigilance]
Remain true to your heart, steadfast in yourself; pure and unsullied. Without relying on this system, you have gained an Electro Vision under the gaze of Teyvat's laws.
[Achievement Reward: 10,000 Primogems; Skill Pool Exchange Ticket ×1]
Lu Chen was taken aback. This sixth Vision had not come from the wish system, but because his will had truly touched the laws set at the dawn of the world.
A Vision is granted by the "laws." It is both a vessel for elemental power and a key to Celestia—a power, and a burden.
Dodging the Puppet General's strikes, Lu Chen studied the newly acquired Vision.
In his past life, he had already wielded an Electro Vision—it was with this very power that he had earned the title of "Inazuma's Number One Swordsman."
He had assumed that after losing his strength and starting over, he would reclaim it quickly.
He hadn't expected it to come so late.
Feeling the familiar thrum of Electro, he sensed his sealed abilities loosening. Skills buried deep in memory—long unusable without the Vision—rose to the surface once more.
Seizing an opening while the General's focus was on Ei, he gathered his strength and struck at the mechanism on her back.
"Raimei—"
"Break!"
It was a simple slash, yet it carried a force rivaling Musou no Hitotachi itself.
With a harsh crack, the Puppet General crashed from midair, deep fractures splintering the massive arm behind her.
For the first time, her icy expression faltered in surprise.
"This is..." Ei glanced at Lu Chen, astonished.
"Now..." He gave her a tired smile. "You won't have to hold back. I can face you in a proper duel before the throne."
"Of course." She nodded, then added with a small grin, "But I still think I'm stronger than you, Chen."
"Hmph! Still stubborn!" Lu Chen thought back to their spar beneath the sakura tree in his past life. Back then, they had been evenly matched—and he could edge out a win on instinct alone.
Now, he not only had his Electro Vision again, but also five others.
Six Visions against her one.
The advantage was his.
Seeing his smug look, Ei smirked back. "Don't forget—I've been honing my sword for five hundred years, while you slept under a seal."
Her meaning was clear: while he'd stagnated, she had only grown stronger.
"Talk is cheap!" Lu Chen snorted. "Prove it when we get back—"
"No matter where we go, I'll still be better than you!"
"..."
"You two..." Lumine's exasperated voice came from the distance.
They both turned.
Far away, Lumine and Paimon had set up a small stove. A wisp of smoke rose as the two "spectators" busied themselves with cooking.
Though food wasn't needed here, boredom had driven them to find their own entertainment.
Fortunately, Lu Chen could occasionally rotate out of the fight to chat and swap jokes with them—otherwise they'd never have lasted this long.
"They're still fighting—stop showing off over there!" Lumine called.
"Yeah, seriously!" Paimon scolded, hands on hips. "Focus!"
Lumine wasn't just a bystander, either. She often joined the fray to ambush the Puppet General—
Only to get battered, retreat to recover, then dive back in for another try.
It wasn't just Lu Chen who'd grown stronger here—Lumine's abilities now far surpassed what they were at this point in the original story.
"You..."
"Your time is up!"
The Puppet General's voice cut through their banter. Her figure vanished.
"Chen, watch out!" Ei's gaze shot upward, her eyes narrowing.
Lu Chen turned—and saw the sky split open where the General had disappeared.
The rift widened, and from it emerged a colossal arm clutching a tachi hundreds of meters wide, swinging it down toward them.
"My Archons—!" Even Lumine and Paimon, far from the battle, scrambled to grab their pot and food before fleeing farther still.
"Final... Judgment—"
Ei moved to dodge as she had countless times before—but froze when she saw Lu Chen standing perfectly still.
"Chen, you—"