Chapter 116. Battle Part 6
Raiden Ei lamented.
She knew that sometimes she was simply too soft-hearted.
As a warrior, she should not have been this merciful. But when it came to Scaramouche, her feelings were complicated.
On one hand, he was a being she had created herself.
He was a failed prototype of the puppet, because Ei had never intended to create a puppet with emotions in the first place. Yet, for some reason, she had ended up making one anyway. That had made her want to destroy him at the time.
But when she saw the tears on his face, Ei ultimately could not bring herself to destroy a life for no reason. And yet, she also could not simply set him free. In the end, she could only seal away his power and leave him with a token.
Even now, Ei was not sure what she had felt at that moment.
But Kunikuzushi's actions now only proved that her decision back then had been wrong.
That realization left Ei feeling helpless. She could not shake the feeling that everything she had done over the past five hundred years had been a mistake.
The only thing she could still consider commendable, perhaps, was having placed Futsu Mitama in the position of Raiden before.
After all, Futsu Mitama was now extremely sought after. Every Archon seemed to want him. At first, Morax and Maha Rukkhadevata had both said they would not compete for him.
But now Morax had completely abandoned his dignity and openly joined the competition.
As for Maha Rukkhadevata, she claimed she did not want him, but in practice she had already made Futsu Mitama assist Nahida and help with Sumeru.
Ei even wondered whether, if Nahida proved unable to govern effectively, Maha Rukkhadevata would ask Futsu Mitama to temporarily act as Dendro Archon to support her in managing Sumeru.
If that really happened, Futsu Mitama might not even be able to refuse.
After all, on the surface, he was already the next Raiden Shogun. And since Ei herself had not yet retired, helping Nahida govern Sumeru would only seem reasonable.
Thinking this, Ei turned to Yae Miko and asked seriously,
"Miko, what do you think?"
She was very direct about it. If she could not think of a better solution, then she would let someone else think of one.
In the past, she had always acted alone, believing that given enough time, she would eventually find a better path.
But the result had been that she made many mistakes, and her sister, Miko, and Futsu Mitama had all had to step in and clean up after her.
Now, Ei no longer wanted to face everything alone. Calling Miko over was her way of seeking advice.
As for why she did not ask her sister instead?
It was because Makoto had just told her that she should resolve this matter herself.
But Ei was not sure whether her own judgment was right or wrong, so she had called Miko to listen to her thoughts.
As expected, Miko immediately pointed out that this was not much different from Ei's original way of handling things.
"Are you asking for my opinion?"
Yae Miko looked at Ei with obvious interest, smiling as though it were rare for Ei to ask something like this.
If this had been before, Miko would have teased her endlessly. But now, the two ongoing group live streams were too entertaining, and Miko did not want to miss them.
So she focused on the main issue instead. Looking at Ei, she said seriously,
"Ei, you should be very clear about the sins he has committed."
Ei nodded. She had already learned everything about Scaramouche's actions.
Not only the Raiden Gokaden incident, but also the various things the Fatui had done in Inazuma, could not be separated from him.
Although La Signora and Dottore had also caused trouble in Inazuma many times, the two could not be lumped together.
Kunikuzushi was a puppet created by Ei. In a sense, what he had done was inseparable from his creator.
Some might argue that Scaramouche was Scaramouche, and Ei was Ei. You could not blame the blacksmith for forging a knife just because someone later used that knife to kill people.
But what if that knife had self-awareness?
And what if the blacksmith knew the knife was dangerous, yet remained indifferent anyway?
Then could the two really be separated so cleanly?
"Actually, I have two solutions," Yae Miko said, her tone calm. "The first is to destroy him directly."
Simple and blunt. No matter what Kunikuzushi had done before, once he was destroyed, all the sins tied to him would vanish as well.
After all, the dead deserve respect.
"Feasible."
Ei nodded slightly, showing no objection. What Kunikuzushi had done was enough to warrant death.
Even though she had very complicated feelings toward him, if she made up her mind, she would not hesitate to kill him.
"But that would be too easy for him," Yae Miko said, resting her chin on one hand. Then she continued, "I have another suggestion."
"Let him work for Inazuma instead. Have him repair the Raiden Gokaden properly. The Tenryou Commission is also short on hands right now, and Kujou Sara is already overburdened. Honestly, if he were willing to serve Inazuma wholeheartedly, that would be a good thing in itself. It would also give him a chance to atone for his sins."
A faint light flickered in Ei's eyes.
That was because Inazuma really did lack capable people right now. Kujou Sara was one, Kamisato Ayato was another.
But beyond them, there were very few truly reliable people left.
Sangonomiya Kokomi was also capable, but after all, she was the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island. Whether politically or otherwise, it was unlikely she would become deeply involved in Inazuma's core administration.
Of course, that was only on the surface.
As a group member, Kokomi's suggestions could still reach the highest level.
So if Kunikuzushi came to Inazuma, he might be able to resolve many scattered troubles in a short period of time.
That was indeed beneficial.
Yae Miko narrowed her eyes slightly and spoke slowly.
"But the premise is that he must actually do the work seriously. Frankly, the first option is better. The second is a little unrealistic. After all, the way he behaves whenever he comes near you is exactly like a cat whose tail has been stepped on."
Ei fell silent.
That was an undeniable fact. The moment Kunikuzushi heard her name, he would become instantly agitated.
"I only have these two plans,"
Yae Miko said with a small chuckle, glancing at the group live stream.
"But Futsu Mitama and Makoto might have better ideas. You can ask them later."
"Personally, I still think killing him is the safer choice, because in my view, he will always be a menace. And now that menace has become a greater menace. Unless there is conclusive proof that the past incidents had nothing to do with the people of Inazuma, otherwise—"
At this point, a cold glint flashed in Yae Miko's eyes.
What happened back then had been settled too hastily. It was an old historical issue.
At the time, Yae Miko did not have enough influence. She was indeed the Raiden Shogun's retainer, but back then she was still just a miko who stayed faithfully at Grand Narukami Shrine.
When Kunikuzushi personally came to her for help, she did act immediately. But due to certain circumstances, by the time her people were sent out, it was already a little too late.
And when she later tried to investigate further, the people involved in the case had mostly died.
Those who were still alive knew very little and answered in vague terms.
In the end, she found nothing useful at all.
Raiden Ei fell silent for a long while.
She knew Yae Miko was right.
Yae Miko saw the change in Ei's expression and did not press further. Instead, she turned her gaze back to the group live stream.
—
At that very moment, the battlefield on the other side was still raging.
Scaramouche's breathing was unsteady, but the anger in his eyes only grew stronger. He felt Futsu Mitama did not fight him seriously.
However, he said nothing more, only silently swore that he would give Futsu Mitama a "surprise" later — enough to make him regret underestimating him.
In truth, Scaramouche had not guessed wrong.
Futsu Mitama was indeed using this battle to sharpen himself.
Among the many Archons and Demon God Realm powerhouses in Teyvat, truly stable opponents were rare.
Within Futsu Mitama's chat group, only Albedo — and perhaps a fully grown Klee — could be said to have that kind of potential without reservation. As for Yae Miko, Sangonomiya Kokomi, and Shenhe, they all had the qualifications to reach that realm, but no one could say it was certain.
Albedo, who appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary alchemist and painter, actually hid a power that was far more terrifying than his appearance suggested.
Futsu Mitama had not thought much of it before, but after truly entering the Demon God Realm and meeting Albedo, he could clearly feel that hidden danger.
If that power were fully unleashed, even Zhongli would likely need to take him seriously and seal him rather than simply defeat him. As for Raiden Ei, she would probably just slash once, then again, then again, until Albedo stopped moving.
And Klee, who was jokingly called the "Strongest Knight of Mondstadt," was not completely without reason.
Her mother, the Great Adventurer, the Witch A of Hexenzirkel, Alice, was an even more frightening existence in the background.
The bombs she had left behind for Klee's self-defense had already left a deep impression on the Abyss Order's higher ranks. If Futsu Mitama remembered correctly, Alice's guide in Liyue had even been Morax himself.
Mondstadt's strength was hidden everywhere, which was part of why Barbatos could afford to be such a slacker.
Of course, most of those hidden experts were not even native to Mondstadt, which made the situation slightly awkward.
So, since he rarely had a true Demon God Realm opponent, and Scaramouche happened to be one who still lacked the polish of a real powerhouses, Futsu Mitama naturally wanted to use this fight to further refine his blade.
If Aila and Nahida's battle also turned into a stalemate, then this whole matter might take several more hours to resolve.
For that reason, Futsu Mitama kept fighting Scaramouche with complete calm, using him as both an opponent and a whetstone while adjusting his own state for the battles still to come.
If Scaramouche knew what he was thinking, he would probably explode with rage on the spot. He had not even lost yet, and Futsu Mitama was already treating him like preparation for the next fight.
Was that not looking down on him far too much?
"Crack—! Crack!!!"
The seven Electro barriers were forcibly shattered by the giant Seven Thunder of Retribution: Narukami. A terrifying blow landed squarely on Shouki no Kami, the Prodigal.
In midair, Shouki no Kami was struck hard and exploded in a burst of sparks, its massive body sent crashing to the ground.
"Boom!!!"
The earth trembled. Cracks spread outward, and purple lightning flickered across the mech's surface. Its movements were no longer as fluid as before, and the damage was becoming increasingly obvious.
Inside Shouki no Kami, Scaramouche remained unharmed, but his expression was cold with fury.
"I have to admit, you're troublesome," he said. "I acknowledge your strength, but you'll pay the price for your arrogance."
Futsu Mitama blinked from the spatial rift, genuinely puzzled.
Arrogance? What arrogance? Where had he been arrogant? Wasn't this just a normal way to fight?
If he could defeat the enemy normally, why would he waste extra energy doing it any other way?
Scaramouche continued, speaking more to himself than to his opponent.
"I know this level of battle isn't enough to make you take me seriously. But at least I'm glad you didn't go all out at the beginning. Otherwise, I'd be troubled."
His eyes burned with resentment.
"Now, Futsu Mitama, you'll pay the price for your conceit!"
With that, Shouki no Kami condensed two Electro spears in its hands, each one surging with terrifying power, and thrust them straight into the ground.
Futsu Mitama's expression changed slightly.
Something was wrong.
But it was already too late.
"Sizzle sizzle sizzle sizzle—!! Boom!!"
The spears plunged into the earth and blasted open a massive hole. Shouki no Kami immediately descended into it, dragging the battle downward into the depths below.