SailorStar9: After getting Chapter 68 out, this is Chapter 69 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?
Pairings: Albedo/Sucrose, Zhongli/Mitsuko/Kazuha, One-sided Diluc/Mitsuko, One-sided Diluc/Jean
Disclaimers: Genshin Impact and Sailor Moon belong to miHoYo and Takeuchi Naoko-sensei respectively. Me, on the other hand, own absolutely nothing, except the plot, I hope.
Chapter 69: Teyvat Arc: Omnipresence Over Mortals, Part Eight
At the Tenshukaku...
"Halt!" the two guards still conscious at the gates stopped the Resistance group's advance.
"Who are you to keep out the Princess of the Agate Hills?" Mitsuko demanded curtly.
"Greetings to Lady White Token." the two guards knelt in reverence.
"Don't stand on ceremony." Mitsuko responded and led the others in.
"I'll never get used to seeing her in Lady White Token' mode." Gorou muttered in awe.
Inside the Tenshukaku...
"The Raiden Shogun isn't gonna let us off just like that, right?" Paimon asked, worriedly as the Traveler made their way out. "The air feels suffocating, it must be the Raiden Shogun's almightiness."
Signora... is slain. The Traveler's thoughts were on something else.
"One strike from the Shogun, and now Signora's gone." Paimon related. "She got what she deserved, but Paimon still can't help but feel upset. Why are they doing it? Why are the Harbingers collecting all the Gnoses? Traveler, you got a headache?" she noticed her companion rubbing their temple to stave off their headache. "Chin up, let's get out of this place. Paimon feels... unsettled."
The Musou no Hitotachi... the Traveler mused.
"Also, when the Shogun executed Signora with the Musou no Hitotachi, it was unbelievably powerful." Paimon continued. "It seems impossible to defend against, and if so, we've got no hope whatsoever of defeating her in combat."
Yae Miko's plan... the Traveler was still in deep thought.
"So, to recap, Yae Miko wants us to go back inside the Plane of Euthymia by the Statue of the Omnipresent God." Paimon recalled. "But, we'll be like lambs to the slaughter, won't we? Maybe we could put this plan on hold for a while. There's the sound of Electro zapping in the air. Paimon can barely breathe. Traveler, are you okay?" she looked on as the Traveler staved off another headache. "You're so silent."
It's so... noisy outside... despite his headache, the Traveler was able to hear the commotion outside the Tenshukaku main gates.
"It sounds like there's a lot of noise coming from outside Tenshukaku." Paimon noted. "Has a fight broken out or something? The guards seem really nervous. Let's go see what the situation is, shall we?"
With Mitsuko in the lead, the Resistance group ran up the staircase leading to the Tenshukaku when they met the exiting Traveler.
Both Kazuha and Gorou expressed relief when they saw the Traveler was safe, only to be shocked when the Raiden Shogun appeared behind the Traveler from a portal, the Musou Isshin drawn in the Musou no Hitotachi beginning stance.
There will always be those who dare to brave the lightning's glow. Kazuha's unnamed friend's quote echoed in the ronin's mind, as the dead Electro Vision blazed to life. Crackling with Electro energy, Kazuha shot towards the Traveler, blocking the Musou no Hitotachi with his blade.
"It lit up?" Mitsuko breathed in shock, her eyes focused on the two burning Visions on Kazuha's back, the said samurai parrying the Raiden Shogun off.
Regaining her footing, the Raiden Shogun took advantage of Kazuha's slight distraction and pushed him back with a swing of her blade, the relit Electro Vision clattered to the ground with its light dying.
"Attack!" Gorou ordered his troops.
"Well..." Mitsuko droned. "What do you call that?"
"An unexpected development." Kazuha admitted.
"What in the world..." Mitsuko turned to the direction of the Statue of the Omnipresent God, already sensing the reawakening elemental energies from the relit Visions embedded within the statue. "The Statue's Visions... have all reawakened..."
"What do we do!?" Paimon asked as she and the Traveler watched Gorou lead his men to attack the Raiden Shogun. "They're no match for her!"
Decision made, the Traveler turned to the Raiden Shogun and leapt, his Electro-charged sword raised above his head.
"The Plane of Euthymia..." Mitsuko instantly recognized the portal opening. "No choice then." manifesting the White Token, she reverted to her full Nekomata form, complete with twin tails. In a flash of Hydro energy, she teleported in front of Gorou. "Traveler, I'm leaving Ei-sama to you!" she shouted, channeling her youkai energy into the White Token to transport the Traveler before Ei, her milky white aura forced Gorou to back down.
In the Plane of Euthymia...
"So, we meet again." Ei stood from her mediating pose to address the Traveler. "Indulge my curiosity. What is the reason that I find you standing here before me once again? Do you hope your foolhardiness will shelter those people? Or was it simply a means of seeking an audience with me?"
"The Vision Hunt Decree should never have existed." the Traveler stated.
"Surely you didn't rouse me from my state of eternal meditation only to tell me this?" Ei wondered. "If so, then you underestimate me. I am quite well-informed about the Vision Hunt Decree."
"You know everything that's going on outside?" the Traveler was surprised.
"Not so." Ei corrected. "Only everything that pertains to eternity. The Vision Hunt Decree has my tacit approval. The Fatui's actions thus far do not constitute a threat to eternity, otherwise they would have been purged long ago."
"It comes at a great cost to the people of Inazuma." the Traveler argued.
"Individual ambition is inherently incompatible with eternity." Ei stated. "What you might not realize is that all too often: people have far more to lose by chasing their dreams. Consider this — no one will lose their life on account of having their Vision taken away. Rather, those who have lost their lives are the ones who insisted on pursuing their own aspirations, are they not?"
"Teppei..." the Traveler realized.
Traveler, your existence is unique in my eyes." Ei admitted. "There seems to be limitless uncertainty in you. To put it another way, you are the furthest thing from eternity. So, I won't insist that you comprehend the meaning of my actions. What matters is that I tread the path of eternity on my people's behalf."
"This is your Plane of Euthymia." the Traveler remarked. "It is created by your consciousness, yes?"
"That's right." Ei replied. "I'm surprised you understand it so well. Anyway. You're looking for a chance to shake my will, aren't you?"
"I'm not here to debate your ideas." the Traveler stood firm. "I'm here to demolish them."
"So be it." Ei readied herself for battle. "Well then, you who would defy eternity: time for you to enlighten me."
Panting to catch their breath after Ei parried their blade off, the Traveler then noticed the Grand Narukami Shrine Omamori from Yae shining.
"Dear me," Yae appeared. "Aren't you cutting it rather close?"
"Miko," Ei was surprised to see the fox envoy. "This was your doing?"
"Now, now." Yae chided. "Don't forget who taught you how to place your consciousness in objects. Surely you don't think your ambition alone is enough to shake Ei's will? Do you?" she asked the Traveler. "Though you alone are here, they too have ambitions, which they long since entrusted to you. Now then, close your eyes."
The Traveler did was told, Mitsuko's White Token flooding the Inazumans' ambitions into the Plane of Euthymia and illuminating the realm.
Ei stood in shock as the Traveler took on a glowing golden aura and the fight restarted.
"You've lost, Ei." Ya stated, after the Traveler defeated Ei.
"Yes, I have." Ei admitted.
"Why can you not trust your people, and in the power of their ambitions?" Yae rebuked. "These ambitions have transcended space and time. They are something that no one can snuff out."
"When people move forward with all their might, they can surpass the gods' expectations." the Traveler added.
"Is this the lesson you learned from your journey in Liyue?" Yae inquired.
"Yes." the Traveler responded.
"There are nations where humans cast their god aside and stride forward?" Yae was intrigued. "So, are we to just abandon the notion of progress for the sake of wishful thinking?"
"You and I have both witnessed the great loss that progress can bring." Ei reminded. "Eternity... eternity is the only way. When lightning flashes, it casts a shadow." she recounted her story. "My name means shadow; with my blade, I purged all obstacles to progress. And yet something was lost, with each step forward: in the end, I even lost her. The tales are still retold in the shade of every Thunder Sakura. But the wounds left on our nation by that terrible loss still ache. 'Never stop searching, even if only for a brief flash of light. If nothing else, we have the present moment.' she said that once. But I've seen a nation stride forward and lose everything to the Heavenly Principles. Perhaps only if time stands still, will the lightning's glow never fade. The present moment is a fragile illusion. Only Eternity can bring us closer to the Heavenly Principles. I am no longer the shadow: mine is the most supreme and noble form. Let power over the realm be vested in me, in this form shall I honor my subjects' dream, for a land of Eternity, unchanging forevermore."
"The Heavenly Principles." Yae scoffed. "Irrelevant nonsense as far as I am concerned. When all's said and done, all you really want is to protect your beloved Inazuma, forever and ever. Isn't that right?"
"That would be something of an oversimplification." Ei chided.
"But is this nation worth existing for eternity?" Yae inquired. "Stripped of ambitions, stripped of the potential for change, it does nothing more than simply... exist. It is a hollow shell of a nation. I wonder what loss would it really be to anyone if such a nation were destroyed?"
"Miko, retract your words." Ei ordered. "Never-changing eternity is the promise I made to my people."
"But what your people need from you is not your promises." Yae scolded. "They want your attention... your divine gaze."
"You mean Visions?" Ei echoed. "Humans have a lifespan of barely a hundred years. They cannot afford to bear any extra losses.: But I have experienced it all. That is why I have chosen to guide them along the correct path toward eternity."
"But eternity is far too cruel a fate for you, Ei." Yae sighed. "Not only have you stopped paying attention to the world, but you have stopped paying attention to yourself. It must have been terribly lonely here, all alone, for centuries on end."
"But it is necessary..." Ei argued.
"You will miss much by refusing progress." Yae pointed out. "You seek to prevent loss, but have you considered all you are losing by remaining here in stasis for all eternity? You are obviously lonely, and yet for the sake of eternity you choose to stretch your loneliness out to infinity. Tell me this. Why is the sky here that was once so dark glowing again? Why now? This is your Plane of Euthymia. It's your inner world. So, it can only mean that you are happy to see me again. You have found the loneliness here unbearable for a long time now, haven't you?"
"I... have nothing to say to that." Ei looked away.
"But I have so much to say to you." Yae giggled. "Let me and Fuji-chan's great-granddaughter tell you all that has happened over the last few centuries."
"How long will that take?" Ei asked.
"As your right and left hands, we have an excellent memory." Yae reminded. "Not only do the Nekomata preserve detailed history records, I, too, recall every detail of the last few centuries with perfect clarity. So, it will probably take us another few centuries to relay it to you."
"Miko, I never thought I would have the chance to meet with you like this again." Ei chuckled. "Seeing you again is a change to eternity and a very nice surprise."
"Since you are willing to admit that, I suppose that means we can still be friends?" Yae's eyes twinkled.
"What a childish conversation this is." Ei scolded. "Anyway, now that I have been defeated by you and your plan, I will honor your wish to abolish the Vision Hunt Decree. But with regards to eternity and the question of whether this nation should move forward, I need time to give it some thought."
"You are the one who's been acting like a child from the very beginning." Yae giggled.
Outside...
Mitsuko had reigned in her youkai aura once she sensed the fight was over. "Finally..." she whispered in relief. "It's finally all over..."
"Is it true, Mitsuko?" Gorou pressed.
"Yes." Mitsuko nodded. "Yae-dono's plan pulled through. Welcome back, Ei-sama." she sobbed. "Us, the Nekomata, have been waiting for the last 500 years..."
Shortly afterwards...
"As promised, the Raiden Shogun abolished the Vision Hunt Decree." Yae narrated, the cutscene showing Ei sending a messenger off with a sealed scroll. "Finally, her people's wishes penetrated her locked heart."
"Beyond the Plane of Euthymia, she saw what eternity means in the eyes of the world." Mitsuko continued, two servants from the Nekomata were sending baskets filled with historical scrolls to the Tenshukaku upon Noriko's orders.
"When one's fervent ambition burns brightly, the gods will cast their gaze upon you." Yae added, standing in front of the Sacred Sakura. "Some ambitions have the power to heal wounds." a cutscene to the victorious Gorou returning to the Sangonomiya Shrine. "To bring victory. To inspire hope." another cutscene to Thoma exiting the Komore Teahouse and greeted by Ayaka, Sayu and Kano Nana. "But some ambitions outlive their masters," another cutscene to Kazuha and Mitsuko visiting Kazuha's dead friend's grave. "Long after the soul ascends." another cutscene to Kokomi praying outside Teppei's house. "They remain as they were in the beginning, burning bright and true." another cutscene to Kazuha placing the once relit Electro Vision at his dead friend's grave, Mitsuko had already left an origami chrysanthemum beside the sword that was used as a grave holder. Taking Mitsuko by her hand, with entwined fingers, the couple left the unmarked grave. "For all eternity."
SailorStar9: Any OOC-ness is regretted. *Grins* Don't you just love plot bunnies sometimes? Reviews are much appreciated.