A/N: If you haven't yet completed Chapter II: Act III, then be aware this chapter has spoilers. If that is of no concern to you, then carry on.

My first published attempt at writing action in… about five years. I do wonder how it will go.

"Morax, I challenge you to a duel."

All movement suddenly came to a halt as the rest of the Archons looked towards Beezelbub, trying to decide if the alcohol had gotten to them or if they simply heard wrong. When each of them realised the rest had heard the same - that the Kagemusha had indeed challenged the God of War, the strongest of them to a duel - the table erupted into a cacophony of disbelief and reprimands.

Baal - Raiden Makoto - stood from her seat, her face red from embarrassment and anger towards her shadow. But above it all, she was worried for her sister. "Ei, what are you doing?! Apologise for your misconduct immediately!"

But it was too late. Morax's eyes glowed with a fierce gold. Those amber eyes were the last thing the Geo Archon's previous challengers saw before they fell. Now they were fixed firmly on Beezelbub, or Raiden Ei as she called herself.

"Might I ask what is your reason for this sudden request?"

Rather than seeing reason and standing down as her sister hoped she would, Ei stepped forward. "I wish to carry out the Shogun's will eternally. To do so, I must be able to cut through anyone and anything that dares threaten it. I have given it a lot of thought, Morax. You are the strongest of the Archons. The God of War, slayer of thousands. Only when I am capable of defeating you will my ambition be realised."

When. Not if.

"I see." Morax gently placed his tea cup onto its plate before standing from his seat. At his full height, the God towered over the Kagemusha, and yet Ei met his eyes as though they were equals. "What will the terms of this battle be, then?"

"We will fight without holding back. That is all."

Makoto feared her sister didn't understand the implications of her own demands. "Ei, that's enough. Let us resume our meal, alright?" she said as she placed a hand on Ei's shoulder and pushed down.

Morax shook his head. "The terms of a contract must be stipulated clearly, Beezelbub." He shot a pointed look towards Makoto. He understood her worry, and would accommodate it. "Both combatants are allowed to use every tool at their disposal during the duel. Both combatants will fight using their full strength, though they cannot cause wounds that would be fatal. The duel ends when one combatant is incapable of standing, or has conceded. At the end of the duel, both combatants are to seek healing from the Hydro Archon. Do you agree to these terms?"

"Yes."

The rest of the Archons that were watching let out a collective sigh of relief. Makoto shot a grateful look towards Morax. Her sister's stubbornness would get her killed one day, but thankfully, today was not that day.

"Uhm y-you two will find an arena to do battle in, right?" Barbatos spoke up, his voice shaky. "You're not gonna wreak havoc right here, r-right?!"

A subtle nod from Morax was the only warning given before massive pillars of stone were erected from the ground. Jade shields separated Morax and Ei from the table where the rest of the Archons sat, and the ground shook as a platform of the densest rock formed the ground for the battle.

With a deep breath, Ei jumped into the air, flipping back such that she landed a distance away. From her side she unsheathed a katana forged with the finest steel. "Morax. Shall we begin?"

The Archons watched with barely-contained concern as Morax transformed into his preferred clothing for doing battle and manifested a polearm of pure Geo energy. The God of War didn't speak. Instead, he dashed forward with incredible speed, closing the distance between him and Ei in the blink of an eye. With a mighty swing, he brought his weapon down upon Ei's head.

In the split second before it made contact, Ei brought her katana up to block the attack. The force behind Morax's attack cracked the ground beneath her and brought Ei down to one knee. Gritting her teeth, Ei bent nature itself and willed a storm into existence. A sinister crackling filled the air as the sky turned purple. At her command, a wave of lightning pierced the heavens and struck the ground where she stood, causing a deafening explosion and enveloping the area in a blinding light.

The others, who had covered their eyes with their arms, peeked out and squinted their eyes to try and see what happened. Was it over already? Had the battle ended before it even began? Had Ei, after realising that she had no chance of winning after Morax's show of power, decided to try her luck in an all-out attack? Surely one of them must have fallen; even Morax's Jade wall cracked containing the sheer energy.

But as the light faded and their sights returned, the Archons were shocked to find that not one, but both of the combatants remained standing. Morax was encased in his shield with his arms folded and a satisfied smile upon his face. Ei had taken the opportunity her attack provided to create space between them, and she looked none the worse for wear.

"You caught me off guard, Beezelbub." Morax said, "It won't happen again."

Ei scoffed. Readying her blade once more, she considered her options as she stared down the waiting God. She was faster than him with her element - his first attack didn't count because she wasn't ready. But speed was the only advantage she had; Morax was stronger, more durable, and had thousands of years of experience she didn't. An insurmountable obstacle that represented all that went against her and her sister's will. But where there was will, there was a way.

Ei called upon lightning once more to infuse her blade with electro. With a roar, she charged at Morax and posed to strike. Morax countered by bringing his polearm up to intercept just like she wanted him to. Ei swiftly sidestepped the God and swung her blade. Her reward for her efforts was a painful screech as her Katana scraped across a stone pillar, and the sight of a golden polearm as it sent her flying back and onto the ground. One strike, and the wind was knocked right out of her.

"A good try, but I've faced enough opponents with your speed to know not to leave my back exposed."

Her instincts warned her of an impending doom. Ei rolled to the right with a grunt, pushing herself to her knee with her katana just in time to see Morax embed the sharp end of his polearm into the dirt where she laid.

"Morax!" she heard her sister shout, "No fatal wounds!"

The accused God frowned in response. "Rest assured, I will not break my contract."

Despite saying this, he was already poised to strike again. Knowing she couldn't risk confronting him head on, Ei brought her blade down, calling forth a circle of thunder and lightning to push back Morax and buy herself some time as she gasped desperately for air.

To her shock however, the God of War didn't retreat. Instead, he jumped right into the field of crackling energy. Morax unleashed a fury of strikes that had Ei struggling to maintain her distance and keep her balance. Just when she thought she had an opening, Morax pulled his arm back and launched the polearm towards her. Ei barely had time to repel the projectile, the action sending shockwaves up her arm that left it numb.

Morax wasn't done however. Behind him, dozens of polearms as thick as oak trees formed in the air. Morax clenched his fist and brought it down as though he was sentencing her to death.

Ei barely registered the voices of her sisters and the rest of The Seven yelling for Morax to stop. She forced her body to move out of the way as each individual polearm crashed at her feet with enough force to dig into the earth.

The deadly rain came to a halt as a shadow descended upon the Kagemusha without warning. Ei's eyes widened as she looked up to see an actual meteor enter the atmosphere, headed straight for her. She tried to move only to realise that she had fallen to her knees, and that she couldn't feel anything anymore. Her body was done.

So this… is how weak I am…

With a sad smile, Ei closed her eyes and accepted her defeat.

The meteor caused a massive cloud of dust on impact, though the debris was kept within the Jade shield. Only when it appeared safe did the stone pillars that formed the arena erode into the ground. The Archons rose to their feet and rushed onto the arena, with Makoto leading the charge with furious screams.

"Morax! I swear I will have your head even if it's the last thing I do!"

The other five Archons could scarcely believe what they had just witnessed. It was practically a murder, and though they knew they couldn't stand against the Geo Archon, they were ready to try.

But as the dust settled, relief flooded the Gods one by one as out stepped Morax and Ei, the latter with one arm around the other's shoulder for support and a Jade shield protecting them both. Makoto was the only one who didn't slow down, rushing towards her sister's side to help carry her.

"You idiot! You could've killed her!" Makoto said with a look that could kill, yet Morax was not the least bit ashamed.

"The contract stated that no fatal wounds were to be made. And I do not break my contracts, Baal."

"You sure seemed ready to, blockhead!" Barbatos came up and took the Electro Archon's side. "What was all of that about?!"

"The contract stated that we were to use our full strength."

Six voices disagreed. "You could've held back a little bit you-"

"Thank you." said one of them, silencing the others despite being the quietest whisper of all. "I know now that my body is not as strong as my resolve. I will work on remedying that."

Morax seemed to smile. It was hard to tell from the calm in his voice. "Perhaps we can duel again in time."

To the surprise of her sister and her fellow Gods, Raiden Ei chuckled. "I will defeat you one day, Morax. Wait for me, and I shall prove my resolve."

…

Zhongli stood on the edge of Windchill Isle, overlooking the rest of the islands. The traveller's residence within the Serenitea pot had grown even more beautiful since he last paid a visit. It must have taken hours if not days of work.

The Traveller was currently in the mansion that stood in the middle of the island, tending to a few guests. Zhongli had excused himself as he wanted some time to himself to reflect on the day. It would seem that wasn't his fate however, as the sound of another's footsteps came from behind him.

"So it's true then," a familiar voice said, "You still live, albeit in this… mortal form."

Zhongli turned and found himself staring into the eyes of Raiden Ei, rather than the puppet which assumed her form for so long.

"Beezelbub. It is good to see you again."

"Just Ei will do Morax. Ah, wait, you go by Zhongli now, correct?"

Zhongli smiled. "How have you been?"

Ei hummed as she came to stand at his side. The Shogun's expression was a puzzle, one that Zhongli couldn't decipher due to his limited experience. He turned his attention back to the islands in the distance, waiting for Ei to answer in her own time.

Eventually, she sighed. "Progress comes at a cost. We have all faced terrible losses in our time, and we each deal with our losses differently. I thought Eternity was the answer, for an unchanging eternity meant we would never have to pay a cost."

Zhongli looked up when Ei paused, and was surprised to see his fellow retired Archon's eyes glimmer.

"My sister once told me, when I expressed my concerns of what change would cause, that 'it is precisely because we know that this scene is but a fleeting shadow that we should enjoy it all the more.'

When the Traveller gave me a… 'tour' of Inazuma, I saw that it - that my people - had changed despite my best efforts. And yet, they were enjoying themselves, living their lives and pursuing their ambitions. I realised that to seek Eternity is to sacrifice ambition. To sacrifice ambition is to sacrifice my sister's will. I… I cannot do that any longer."

Ei had squeezed her eyes shut as she quoted her sister. Opening them again, her eyes showed a steely resolve.

"Change is inevitable. Even you, the oldest of the Seven, have stepped down. If that's the case… then I shall bend the change to my will. Progress made will be under my command, and no longer shall the price be too heavy to bear."

Zhongli nodded slowly. "I see."

The two stood in companionable silence and watched the light of the artificial sun swirl and paint the realm in a warm glow. It was Ei who broke the silence after what felt like eternity.

"I never did beat you, did I?"

Zhongli smiled despite himself. "You haven't."

"I even lost to the Traveller, despite keeping up my practice. Tell me Zhongli, how did you fare?"

"Unfortunately, I didn't fight the Traveller, so I couldn't say."

A polearm radiating Electro energy flew into his face, stopping just before it hit.

"Then, what do you say to a friendly duel?"

A polearm of pure Geo manifested in his hands.

"We wouldn't want to make a mess of the Traveller's abode. We'd need an arena."

"Please, allow me."

Within Ei's Plane of Euthymia, the two fought for what felt like an eternity, and the sky within which was once so dark now glowed with a brilliant light.

A/N: Ei's blade, The Musou Isshin, was only given to her after Makoto died. That's why she only uses an unnamed katana here. Similarly, it is implied that Zhongli always/mostly used polearms he manifested with pure Geo energy rather than a single polearm, i.e Vortex Vanquisher. Though it was annoying always writing it as "the katana" and "the polearm", I ultimately decided it was more accurate than just naming their weapons.