"Chen, you...?"
Ei didn't think Lu Chen was frozen in fear—she could see the deep furrow in his brow, the quick, deliberate calculations in his eyes.
"This is her strongest attack. If we can defeat her under this strike, then I think..."
Lu Chen stepped forward instead of retreating. The Skyward Blade in his grip shimmered with the resonance of six elements, flashing in turn like a magnificent rainbow.
"She'll have no choice but to yield."
"Good!" Ei's gaze lifted to the heavens, fighting spirit surging. She wanted to take this blow head-on.
...
"No thoughts, no desires—the four seas return to silence!"
Her form blurred into an afterimage, soaring skyward.
After Lu Chen gained the Electro Vision, the multicolored light on his blade began to merge, blending into a single dazzling and strange hue.
In the end, only one color remained—white.
It seemed plain, but within it was a deeper understanding of elemental power.
Teyvat was made of three realms: the human realm, the void realm, and the light realm—the realm of the dragon-lizards.
Before the arrival of the First Throne, Phanes, Teyvat was ruled by the Seven Elemental Dragon Lords. Back then, the human realm did not yet exist, and the light realm was the purest, most primordial world of elemental beings.
Daylight can be split into seven colors.
Likewise, when the seven elements are unified, the resulting force can be called the "power of the light realm."
"Light" is an elemental force independent of the seven elements—or rather, it is the pure, original power born from their perfect union.
Right now, Lu Chen held only six elements. The most fundamental form of "light" was still beyond his reach.
But even so, this pure power of the rules had already touched a higher tier of existence in Teyvat—strong enough to outshine even the mighty lightning glaring down from the heavens above.
White and violet light surged together. The collision of the three forces nearly obliterated the consciousness space.
...
When the brilliance finally faded, Lu Chen descended slowly. He raised his hand and saw a hairline crack on the Skyward Blade.
The crack spread.
With a sharp crack—
All light vanished from the Skyward Blade. It shattered like scrap metal into countless fragments, scattering across the ground.
"Chen, are you all right?" Ei appeared instantly at his side.
"I'm fine..." Lu Chen shook his head, gazing with regret at the broken pieces. "Shame about my only golden weapon. Think the Inazuma Bakufu can reimburse me?"
Seeing him still able to joke, Ei's tension eased.
That impossible clash had made her heart skip a beat, but the disaster she'd feared hadn't come to pass—Lu Chen stood there without a scratch.
"You can request any weapon you want," she said with a faint smile. "With Prince Lu's word, every official in Inazuma and every clan head will trip over themselves to please you."
"Really?" Lu Chen mused. "The Kamisato clan might not be so eager..."
Now that peace had returned, the Kamisato clan—having gained great merit—would surely avoid showing too much favor. Both siblings were masters of political tact.
The system chimed again:
[Achievement Unlocked: Power of the Rules (Light Realm)]
[Achievement Reward: 10,000 Primogems; Skill Pool Exchange Ticket ×1]
Lu Chen was pleasantly surprised. This trip hadn't been a waste of tens of thousands of Primogems after all—he hadn't expected an extra reward like this.
It had been a brutal fight, but the gains were enormous. Not only had he obtained the Electro Vision, but he had also touched upon the power of the Light Realm.
If he could one day gather all seven Visions, he could command the complete Light Realm power—and step into a higher existence. The thought alone filled him with anticipation.
...
"Let's leave that for later. When I have the time, I can forge you another..." Ei's gaze shifted to where the battle had raged. The Puppet General's body, scattered into pieces, was slowly knitting itself back together—though far more sluggishly than before.
The two approached.
She finally reformed, but this time, she simply stood still.
Her eyes fixed on them as she sheathed the Engulfing Lightning.
"You can wield... a higher order of power?"
"And you learned it here..."
Those purple eyes, identical to Ei's, turned to Lu Chen. At last, he saw a ripple in their usual stillness.
"I have seen your will."
"This ends here. You have won."
Lu Chen and Ei traded a glance, both exhaling in relief.
The long, drawn-out battle was finally over...
"I thought you could not surpass the past," the Puppet General admitted. "It seems I was too hasty—too dismissive of your will."
"This power... it lies beyond my knowledge. I believe that, given time, even without me standing in your way, you could change all of Inazuma..."
She let out a soft sigh. "An unyielding will cannot guard the future forever..."
Lu Chen smiled faintly. Had they truly beaten her into conceding?
"You need not belittle yourself." Ei looked at her finest creation and spoke gently. "You are my past, and I am your future. The future always overcomes the past. That's not just a pretty ideal—it's the truth."
"I acknowledge you," the Puppet General said. "Your new will is not born of erosion. I will no longer resist your changes to the rules. This body..."
"This body is yours to command—whether you choose to alter the rules or discard it entirely..."
Ei smiled, cutting her off. "I've already changed your mind—meaning I've already changed your rules. While I'm gone, you'll still handle some of Inazuma's affairs. You're still my aide—why would I abandon you?"
"Ei really is a pragmatist..." Lu Chen thought of Scaramouche, knocked out and tossed outside the door, and imagined the look on his face when these two finally met again.
"Is that so?" The Puppet General clearly hadn't expected such an answer.
"I will set no more immutable laws," Ei continued. "I'll learn from Liyue and Mondstadt—give more power to humans. You can serve as the bridge between us."
Seeing her confusion, Lu Chen explained, "We'll grant the Evaluation Council real authority. It won't just handle petty disputes—it will debate all matters that affect the livelihood of Inazuma's people.
And you, when we're away, will preside over it—keep those cunning old foxes in line."
"I see..." the Puppet General murmured.
"Don't worry, the Kamisato clan will assist with the details," Lu Chen added with a grin. "You just focus on fighting."
Even though the Gate of Teyvat allowed travel back and forth, neither Lu Chen nor Ei could stay here forever. And Inazuma couldn't remain as it had been.
Following the examples of Mondstadt and Liyue, even Inazuma—surrounded by peril—was beginning to show signs of human governance.
...
As they spoke, Lu Chen noticed Musou Isshin in Ei's hand glowing strangely.
Ripples spread through the space above them.
His heartbeat quickened. Finally.
Moments later, a voice they knew all too well—a voice they hadn't heard in so very long—drifted down from the sky.
"My, it's lively here~"
"Long time no see, Ei, Chen. Oh? Other witnesses, too—hello to you all!"
"Makoto!?" Ei's eyes widened as she looked skyward.