"Go somewhere? Where?" Yae Miko was momentarily stunned and asked curiously.
"To find the remnant consciousness of Fox Saiguu. You can't expect me to conjure her out of thin air," Kagami Ren said with a smile.
"You know where Lady Saiguu's remnant consciousness is?" Yae Miko asked.
"I told you—I've observed this world for a long time. I know many things," Kagami Ren replied with a nod.
"Alright then… where are we going?" Yae Miko asked.
In truth, she still had doubts about Kagami Ren's origins. A god from beyond the world who also understood Teyvat… but so far, everything he had done showed no intention of harming Inazuma.
"Konda Village," Kagami Ren said, glancing at her. "Can you fly?"
"Don't underestimate me. I'm still a great yokai," Yae Miko replied, slightly annoyed. Flying was trivial for her.
"Fair enough. Lead the way—I don't know the route in reality," Kagami Ren said.
"Then let's go." Yae Miko was already impatient. The figure she had longed for over five hundred years…
…
A streak of purple light and a streak of golden light cut across the sky.
"Kagami Ren, slow down—I can't keep up," Yae Miko complained faintly.
"…" Kagami Ren twitched slightly at her tone. The next moment, golden light wrapped around her.
"???"
Suddenly pulled into Kagami Ren's arms, Yae Miko froze.
"Kagami Ren! What are you doing?" She struggled. From the time she was a small fox until now, no one had ever dared treat her so boldly.
"I'm already helping you revive Saiguu. Can't I collect a little interest first?" Kagami Ren said, looking at her flushed face. Even this cunning fox could blush?
"Besides, if you fly that slowly, don't you want to see her sooner?"
"…" Hearing that, Yae Miko stopped struggling, only raising a hand to cover her reddened face.
"Tsk…" Kagami Ren smirked inwardly. Her body was soft, almost boneless. He couldn't even imagine how comfortable it would be to hold her while sleeping.
No wonder King Zhou lost himself to Daji. With a fox like this, who wouldn't?
Under Kagami Ren's speed, they soon arrived outside Konda Village, near a weathered teleport waypoint.
"Teleport waypoints… probably only usable by the Traveler," Kagami Ren muttered as he landed, setting Yae Miko down.
For a moment, he felt a strange emptiness as her warmth left his arms.
Not far away, before a fox statue, stood a shrine maiden in red and white robes.
"That's her." Kagami Ren walked forward.
"Her?" Yae Miko looked over, her expression changing. "That's… impurity."
"It is. But it carries Saiguu's memories and mission," Kagami Ren said. "Though corrupted, she has been searching for someone destined to purify her."
"…" Yae Miko slowly approached, her voice trembling. "Lady Saiguu…"
Hearing the name, the shrine maiden turned around. A white fox mask covered her face.
When she saw Yae Miko, her body trembled slightly, but she quickly composed herself.
"Hello… could you help me with something?" she said. "My name is Hanachirusato. I am just an ordinary shrine maiden—not the person you mentioned."
"There is a ward beneath the Heavenly Fox statue. Only Electro can—"
Before she could finish, Yae Miko rushed forward and snatched off her mask.
The moment she saw her face, Yae Miko's eyes reddened instantly, tears streaming down.
Gone was the elegant beauty from her memories. Her face was twisted, her once fair skin now marred by jagged purple cracks, faint black mist seeping out.
"Don't look!" Hanachirusato cried out, covering her face in panic.
"Lady Saiguu!" Yae Miko's voice broke. The woman who once dazzled the world with her beauty had sacrificed everything for Inazuma, only to be reduced to this.
Was there any punishment more cruel?
"I… I am not Saiguu. I am Hanachirusato!" she cried. "Leave! You're not the destined one—you don't need to be here!"
"Lady Saiguu!" Yae Miko shook her head and rushed forward, embracing her tightly. She could already feel that familiar presence.
Despite the corruption, there was no doubt—this was Saiguu.
"Let me go!" Hanachirusato struggled, but in her weakened state, she was no match for Yae Miko.
"Kagami Ren! Kagami Ren!" Yae Miko suddenly turned, her eyes filled with pleading.
"I understand." Kagami Ren nodded. The Abyss Flower: Black and White appeared in his hand and was thrust into the ground.
To be safe, he decided to fully unleash its power to ensure Saiguu's perfect revival.
"Key of Creation: Abyss Flower—Zero Rated Power!"
"Sacred Lance: A Hundred-Year Bloom! Release!"
In an instant, immense life energy surged through the heavens and earth.
"What overwhelming power…" Yae Miko was shocked. Then her expression changed. Such power… the Raiden Shogun would definitely sense it.
Far away in Tenshukaku, the Raiden Shogun opened her eyes.
"Such power has appeared in Inazuma… a variable to eternity."
Her voice turned cold.
"A variable must be eliminated."
The Musou no Hitotachi manifested in her hand as she transformed into lightning and sped toward Konda Village.
Kagami Ren knew this would happen the moment he released the weapon's full power—but that was exactly what he wanted.
"Miko! Step back!" Kagami Ren's eyes glowed gold as his power surged.
Yae Miko released Saiguu and retreated.
"Lost soul—hear the melody of life!"
"By the authority of life and death… I grant you rebirth!"
Blue-white light swirled above Hanachirusato. Endless vitality poured into her body.
"Ahhh!"
A cry of pain rang out as black mist burst from her body—the corruption being purged.