Boom!
The violent gust blasted the bangs of the three girls upward, forcing them to squint instinctively. Even with the ice shield in front of them, it was nowhere near enough to withstand such an overwhelming shockwave.
Crash!
Under repeated impacts, the ice crystals gradually began to fracture, producing crisp cracking sounds.
"Miss Kamisato!"
From behind, Kokomi hurriedly called out to Ayaka at her side, urging her to reinforce it.
"!"
Crash!
Ayaka flicked her fan gently forward. The cracks in front of them sealed once more, restoring the ice shield to its original, unblemished state.
"Miss Sangonomiya, could you lend a hand as well? Simply hiding behind me and watching isn't very admirable, you know?"
Ayaka narrowed her eyes and shot a slightly exasperated glance at the girl behind her, who was holding her shoulders and peeking out to observe the battle beyond the ice wall.
"Eh? How can I help you?"
Kokomi froze for a moment before asking in confusion.
"Haa... Could you add some water to my ice wall? It would reinforce it further."
She answered wearily.
"Oh... I see."
Realizing what she meant, Kokomi withdrew her head awkwardly. She lifted her sleeve lightly, and a streak of azure Hydro energy spread across the ice wall. Ayaka waved her fan again, releasing a chill.
Crash!
The wall became sturdier, thickening slightly from within.
"..."
Throughout it all, Pandora remained on the other side, peering outside without saying a word.
Boom!
Soon, another shockwave erupted.
Crash!
The ice wall rattled violently again, and the girls' silky hair was swept upward once more.
"So fast..."
Pandora stared at the flashing streaks of light weaving and clashing with one another from start to finish and could not help but sigh in awe.
I can't see anything at all... I can't follow either of their movements. But from the arcs of power bursting out, it's clear this is a realm no ordinary being could ever touch. Even witches—no, even if all witches came together, they probably wouldn't stand a chance...
Not to mention me, a witch who's completely unsuited for combat.
"Miss Kamisato, can you see their movements clearly?"
Kokomi frowned and looked toward the ice-blue girl beside her. Ayaka's profile was solemn. Her lips were pressed together tightly, her pale blue pupils shrinking slightly as though straining to discern every motion.
"...Only a fraction. Most of it flashes by in an instant. I can't react in time at all."
Ayaka closed her eyes briefly to ease the strain on them before answering.
Before the three of them, the battlefield was nothing but colliding lightning—intertwined and entangled. No human figure could even be seen.
"We're completely useless here..."
Pandora withdrew her head and slowly lowered herself to the ground, sighing at the other two.
"We can't help Mother, and we can't save the Shogun. We can't do anything."
"..." ×3
The three fell silent.
"At the very least, our feelings have reached Shogun-sama. That's enough."
Ayaka lifted her gaze, a trace of firm determination returning to her smile. She looked at Kokomi on her right and Pandora on her left.
As subjects, this was the furthest they could go.
"Miss Kamisato, you've truly impressed me."
Kokomi smiled at her.
"The feeling is mutual, Miss Sangonomiya."
Ayaka returned the smile.
"...?"
Pandora looked at the two of them, puzzled by their sudden mutual praise.
Elsewhere, within two dazzling streaks of lightning, two violet-haired women were locked in fierce combat. One wielded a naginata, the other a katana. Their blades clashed without yielding, their cold eyes reflecting only each other—as though the entire world contained no one else.
Bang!
The Shogun deflected Ei's strike and leapt backward. Engulfing Lightning spun around her slender waist before she drove it into the ground.
"Bury the Thunder!"
Her ethereal voice resounded throughout the Plane of Euthymia.
Crackle!! ×N
Thunder particles in the sky gathered instantly, forming a roaring tidal wave of lightning that howled toward Ei, who had just landed.
"...!"
Seeing the sea of thunder powerful enough to swallow her whole, Ei bit her lip slightly. She held Musou Isshin vertically before her chest, gripping it in reverse, her free hand sliding along the blade to form its sheath.
Hummm!
Divine light flared within her eyes.
"This is... the moment of annihilation!!"
In that instant, Chakra Desiderata manifested behind her. The next second, the blade was drawn in a sweeping slash, cutting horizontally through the oncoming lightning tide.
Crash!
The invisible thunderous wave was cleaved apart by the violent arc of her blade, shattering like glass and dispersing into nothingness. Just as she sought the Shogun's position—
A frigid killing intent erupted from behind her.
"!"
A warrior's instinct made her tilt her head at once. The tip of the naginata sliced through her hair, grazing past her ear.
"Too slow..."
The Shogun mocked coldly from behind her.
"..."
Ei's eyes turned icy. In less than a second, she transformed into lightning and appeared at the Shogun's side. She feinted a straight slash, withdrawing her blade at the last instant to deceive her opponent. As the Shogun instinctively moved to block, Ei lowered her stance and swept her leg, hooking the Shogun's ankle and throwing her off balance.
Crack!
The Shogun hurriedly adjusted her footing, but Ei had already drawn her blade again. She reflexively gripped her naginata horizontally to defend—however—
Ei suddenly pressed down on the fingers gripping the naginata's shaft, forcing her hand downward and preventing the strike. At the same time, she kicked again, tripping her fully.
Hummm~
In the next instant, as the Shogun lost balance, Ei's weight bore down on her, slamming her to the ground. Musou Isshin was pressed against her throat.
"..." ×2
Neither of them spoke. Locked in upper and lower positions, they stared at each other coldly.
Crack...
Ei pushed the blade closer to the Shogun's neck. One hand pinned down the hand gripping the naginata. One foot stomped firmly on her other wrist, while her knee pressed against her thigh, leaving no room to resist.
"!"
The Shogun beneath her struggled instinctively, a trace of impatience appearing within her otherwise indifferent expression.
Tap!
"Mm!"
Seeing this, Ei hardened her heart and drove her knee downward against the Shogun's shin. The muffled groan that escaped her made Ei's chest ache sharply—but she suppressed it at once. The Shogun had not yet returned. She could not afford softness.
"Too slow? Who were you speaking to? Hm?"
She pressed the blade against her throat in return mockery.
The edge nicked her pale skin, and a single drop of crimson slid down.
"...Could you really treat me like this, Ei?"
The woman beneath her let warmth flicker in her eyes, a fragile smile forming as she asked softly.
"Silence. Don't use her face to say such things to me."
Ei rebuked coldly.
"I am her. Have you still not realized that?"
The Shogun smiled faintly.
"Of course I know. But you are not the one I know. And she would never say something so nauseating at a time like this."
Ei retorted.
"Haa... How ignorant. Even you are like this. It seems I must replace you in pursuing eternity. The law will never permit itself to be broken!"
Crackle!!
"!"
Seeing this, Ei immediately flashed away from her. In the next instant, violent thunder erupted all around. Even she would be injured if caught in that power.
Tap—tap!
Landing once more upon the ground, Ei fixed an icy glare on the figure who had risen back into the air.
"Just as I thought. Your heart still hesitates. You do not wish to damage this body—you do not wish to destroy it. You are bound by the shackles of emotion, Raiden Ei."
Tap...
The Shogun descended flawlessly to the ground and walked slowly to the center.
"A heart tainted by distractions is a fatal weakness for one who wields Musou no Hitotachi. As you are now, you cannot possibly defeat me—who stands without attachment."
Hummm~
Chakra Desiderata behind her shone even more brilliantly than Ei's, her presence gradually overwhelming Ei's own.
"Heh... without attachment?"
Ei lowered her gaze, laughing at herself softly.
"...?"
The Shogun frowned slightly.
"Perhaps you are not entirely wrong. After experiencing my sister's passing... and nearly losing the Shogun as well, my heart is no longer without attachment."
"But precisely because of that, I learned what it means to long for someone. I learned what it means to cherish something. And because of that... the Shogun became my one and only treasure."
"You say I have defied eternity. In truth, I have not. I am merely protecting the eternity that belongs to the Shogun—an eternity we share. An eternity that exists for the wishes of our people, for mutual support, for reliance upon one another, and for moving forward together."
Hummm~
She tightened her grip on Musou Isshin as it flared with dazzling light once more. The glow of the blade resonated with her eyes, and Chakra Desiderata behind her shone with equal brilliance.
"You claim to be my past? The guardian of eternity?"
Ei lifted her eyes resolutely.
Crackle!
The radiance around her surged to its limit.
"And I... am the Raiden Ei who grants her people a dream!"
"...!"
The Shogun's eyes narrowed sharply, clearly angered.
Boom!
The two transformed into streaks of lightning and collided once more. This time, the shockwave was even more violent than before, causing the entire Plane of Euthymia to tremble.
...
No one knew how much time had passed, nor how many exchanges had already taken place. Yet one thing was certain—no victor had emerged. Though Ei suppressed her opponent nearly every time, the Shogun would immediately be restored by the power of the Plane of Euthymia and resume battle as if nothing had happened.
Like an endlessly repeating program.
Well... she was, in fact, a program.
Boom!
They repelled each other again and landed on opposite sides, staring across at one another.
"..." ×3
Even merely watching from afar, the three girls were drenched in sweat. Kokomi's face had grown pale, as though her body could scarcely endure it any longer.
Yet the two locked in battle remained expressionless—neither panting nor perspiring.
"..."
This cannot continue.
Ei glanced at the three spectators in the distance, calculating silently.
Her opponent appeared utterly unaffected. She could endure—but the three of them could not. This fight might drag on for a year... several years, even.
It seemed she would have to send them out. Only then could she fight without restraint.
"I spoke too soon earlier. Your martial skill has not declined."
The Shogun rested her naginata behind her and offered calm acknowledgment.
"..."
Ei said nothing, though her fingers tightened slightly around Musou Isshin's hilt.
"But how long can your will endure?"
The Shogun regarded her skeptically.
In the distance, Ayaka's eyes widened at the sight.
"How can this be? Was I mistaken?"
She murmured.
"No... you were not mistaken, Miss Kamisato. It is exactly as you think."
Kokomi answered solemnly.
"The Shogun... is she like Pandora? No matter how many times she is defeated, she rises again—completely unharmed?"
Pandora asked in confusion.
"Eh? Like Miss Pandora?"
Ayaka looked at the silver-haired girl beside her.
"This is not the time for that. I suspect that within this realm, Shogun-sama cannot be defeated at all."
Kokomi rested her chin on her hand in thought before calmly voicing her conclusion.
"Cannot be... defeated?!"
Ayaka's eyes widened before she forced herself back into composure.
If that was true, then Lady Ei—
"That is correct, as Kokomi says..."
Ei's voice cut in.
"...Lady Ei?"
They turned toward her in unison.
"This is her consciousness space. Her existence here is exceedingly difficult to shake."
Ei explained.
"She was born from the law of eternity itself. In terms of will, she can surpass all living beings—including you... and even me."
She looked at the emotionless puppet before her as she spoke.
"Then... this battle—"
"Has no end."
Kokomi finished Ayaka's sentence in quiet understanding.
"Shogun... Mother... you intend to—"
Pandora's gaze grew complicated as realization dawned.
"Perhaps. She is a program I created. The 'eternity' she follows now runs counter to the eternity I believe in. To defeat her, I must prove that my will is not the product of erosion. The future I forge must be a legacy capable of withstanding erosion."
"If I do not do this... the law she follows will never change. If the law does not change, the program remains. If the program remains, the Shogun will not return—and Inazuma will have no 'future.'"
Her voice was filled with unwavering resolve.
"Lady Ei—! Please don't—!"
Ayaka cried out in panic, tears spilling from her eyes as though she had already foreseen what Ei intended.
"This disaster was born of my own making. The one who tied the knot must untie it. This is my responsibility—my duty. No matter how long this battle lasts—months, years, even hundreds or thousands of years—I will defeat her. I will defeat the law she follows. If I do not, the Shogun will never return. And if she does not return... I will not return alone. You know that."
Ei turned to them and offered a gentle smile.
"..."
Ayaka lowered her eyes in silence. Kokomi looked at her with worry. Pandora seemed at a loss. She had only just arrived, yet she understood what it meant for a nation to lose its god.
"Then... what of Inazuma? Without you, what are we to do?"
Kokomi voiced the question for Ayaka.
"Five hundred years ago, humanity proved its strength through struggle. Now, humanity—you—have reformed the old ways through your wishes. Just as an ancient sakura tree grows new branches."
Ei lifted her gaze to the pale blue sky of the Plane of Euthymia. Falling cherry blossoms drifted down, and a trace of relief entered her expression.
"I must learn to trust you."
She turned back to Kokomi and Ayaka.
"I trust you, Ayaka. Kokomi. You are both capable. While I am gone, Inazuma will be entrusted to you—and to Yae as well."
"Temporarily... you said 'temporarily,' didn't you? Not 'forever.' Please do not break your promise!"
Ayaka looked up at her through tearful eyes, almost pouting.
"Mm... I know. I promise my people that one day I will return with the Shogun. You shall bear witness to that vow."
Hummm~
In the next moment, darkness gradually enveloped the three of them.
"Lady Ei—!" ×2
"Go. Deliver my words."
Ei cast them one final glance and spoke decisively. With a lift of her hand, she forcibly expelled the three from the Plane of Euthymia, returning them to reality.
If, as Makoto once said, 'dreams' are the true eternity, then the nonexistent 'fleeting moment' her opponent clung to held no terror for her.
For the boundless future of Inazuma, no matter how distant or prolonged her battle might be, within eternity it would be but an instant.
Shogun...
Looking at the figure before her once more assuming a battle stance, she spoke silently within her heart.
I will bring you home.
This shall be the final trial I must face—as a mother, and as an Archon.