Raiden Makoto had to admit the oversight teams were effective. Wherever they went, security tightened, progress sped up, and—absurdly—even hygiene improved. She now dispatched them for critical tasks like weapon forging and military training, uncovering issues: shoddy craftsmen substituting materials, apprentices stealing defective blades, and a Khaenri'ahn spy cell pilfering techniques. Fortunately, the spies, stuck as apprentices, missed Inazuma's core secrets—a small mercy.
Reisen Riou marveled, "First time I've seen the master-apprentice system save our tech." Without One System, Ten Thousand Minds restricted to smiths, Inazuma's forging arts would've leaked. This spurred him to develop a permission system for One System, tiered not by technical skill but by ideology and loyalty, with Skylight alignment unlocking sensitive data. Resurrection judged ideology via behavior, speech, and peer reviews. Martial techniques, however, were unrestricted—Reisen Riou saw One System as ideal for training reserves like the Rock-Shadow-Thunderlight Brigade, provided their ideology aligned.
The Brigade's four elites—except Arakawa Jirou, still clinging to Ukiyo ideology—had shifted to Skylight per Resurrection's assessment. Arakawa, under Tsurumi's fog and the Brigade's Skylight unity, wouldn't hold out long.
Tsurumi, Moshiri Ceremonial Site
A ley line surge erupted without warning. Hilichurl Kings, Mitachurls, and mobs, seething with rage and pain, stormed the Khaenri'ahn camp. Some spawned inside, catching guards—ample for stray hilichurls but outmatched by vengeful hordes—off balance. Most defenders were at the site's perimeter, clearing monsters. Camp occupants, mainly scholars and alchemical technicians servicing war machines, scrambled to hide.
A massive shadow emerged, pounding its chest with a roar—a Rockhelm Lawachurl reborn from the ley lines. It pulped a scholar and charged a half-crippled Heavy Unit, the camp's sole defender. The beast's dull mind fixated on the machine, staggering it with a blow. The Heavy Unit fought back, but a rare LV40+ hilichurl archer loosed an Electro-charged arrow into its mono-eye, disabling it.
"Contact the perimeter team!" a scholar shouted.
"No response from comms!" another yelled.
"Magic's too slow to cast—where're the knights?"
"Up front! If the camp falls, we're done. We're on our own!"
"Throw a Pyro potion!"
"That's the archive!"
"Lives or papers—choose!"
Explosions rocked the perimeter. "Reinforcements are back! Hold on!"
"No—a massive monster's with them!"
Lorrel, ornate armor shattered, faced a violet Thunder Manifestation, tasting blood from internal wounds. Wrecked Tillers and Heavy Units littered the ground; surviving knights, like him, were gravely injured. The camp teetered on collapse.
Chirai Shrine
The Brigade listened as a shrine maiden recounted the Thunderbird's lore. "Tsurumi is the Thunderbird's homeland, steeped in its lingering Electro essence and resentment. Its wrath, amplified by ley lines, births Thunder Manifestations—bat-like creatures that shred all with frenzied lightning. Seirai Island's millennial barrier, a floating isle, seals the Thunderbird's malice. Asase Shrine oversees it."
"Khaenri'ahns are screwed," Gensei Jirou said. "Moshiri's a Thunderbird worship site. Their camp there is a death wish."
"Exactly," a maiden agreed.
"Quiet!" another hissed. "The Sensing Barrier's triggered—ley lines are spiking. Ready for respawning monsters. I'll activate the Protective Barrier's suppression to weaken them."
"Let's roll, brothers!" a samurai cheered.
"Finally, some action—rust's setting in!" The Rock-Shadow-Thunderlight Brigade geared up, eager for battle.
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