Nazuchi Beach is where the war between the Shogunate and the resistance is currently held.
She hid herself and impassively watched the two forces warring against each other from where she was. The Shogunate Army is doing relatively well in comparison to the resistance army. Her soldiers are better trained, better equipped and better funded. The only reason why the resistance was able to hold on for as long as they did was because of the unparalleled wits of their grand strategist, the divine priestess of Watatsumi.
Her eyes narrowed at the reminder of the current leader of Watatsumi. The Sangonomiya destroyed the local Narukami Shrine and rebelled against the Shogunate. Just any of the abovementioned acts is enough to warrant divine judgement. The most unforgivable act was how Sangonomiya's people had broken the wards at Yashiori Island that resulted in the Tatarigami which she had taken great pains to seal in order for the island to be habitable once more. Countless residents on Yashiori Island had been infected by the Tatarigami that caused irreversible harm to their bodies. Some had gone insane, many more had died as a result of the Sangonomiya's selfish decisions.
As the Divine Priestess representing the Watatsumi Omikami, Sangonomiya Kokomi must be held accountable.
Enough lives had been lost.
The skies darkened upon her will and thunder descended. She reappeared in the sky of stormy clouds high above the battlefield where everyone could see her. By her will, this foolish resistance shall end now.
She should have ended it the moment the ungrateful Sangonimya rebels leveraged upon the Vision Hunt Decree as an excuse to defy the Shogunate.
"Where is Sangonomiya Kokomi?"
Her words came out as barely a whisper but the entire battlefield could hear her as clear as thunder. Nobody moved, nobody dared to make a sound in her presence. Stormy clouds swirled and lightning flashed erratically, promising divine judgement against those who dared to point their weapons at her.
"I will not repeat myself again. Where is Sangonomiya Kokomi?"
Her weapon manifested in her hand as she slowly and calmly walked down towards the ground as if there were a transparent set of stairs in front of her. Her eyes calmly surveyed the battlefield, her divine powers allowing her to differentiate between the devious, the tricked, the innocents, and the fools.
Her gaze eventually landed on one particular soldier from the resistance.
"You destroyed the wards at Yashiori Island."
It was a statement, not a question. As the deity of Inazuma she holds the power to listen to her people's prayers and it was how she could tell who wanted this war to continue for the sake of their own selfish schemes and who were taking part in it because they had no choice. The people of Watatsumi do not worship her. They had killed the previous Shogun, taken the most precious person away from her, but she had treated them as her people for two thousand years nonetheless. She had led by example and let bygones be bygones.
Look at how well that turned out.
She held up her free hand towards that Sangonomiya soldier and made a grabbing motion. The soldier screamed as his body began to float before flying helplessly towards her as if he was being pulled towards her like a puppet on strings. A swing of her weapon ended his life as his corpse fell unceremoniously onto the sandy beach beneath their feet, his filthy blood staining the sands red.
"You, you, and you. You are also responsible for the emergence of the Tatarigami."
The other three soldiers she identified soon met the same end that befell the first. She calmly strode through the battlefield, her mere presence enough to make men drop onto their knees in suffocation. There were some who were brave enough to attempt to fight back. She spared those who were innocent and were dragged into the war against their will, merely knocking them out with a skillful swing of her weapon. She wasn't as merciful to those who were fanning the flames of war for their own selfish gains.
The resistance had seemingly lost all will to fight when it became clear that the Shogun alone could easily wipe out their entire army no matter how hard they tried. The remaining members gave her a wide berth no matter where she strode towards, their hands which they used to hold their weapons trembling visibly in fear. There were fools who felt as if they stood a chance attempting to attack her as they now possess the disgusting trinket known as the delusion. She cut them down without hesitation.
"Is your divine priestess not going to show herself?" She asked aloud and when she didn't receive an answer, continued speaking. "Very well. In that case, I shall proceed to exterminate Watatsumi from Inazuma."
She raised her weapon as lightning gathered. As expected, it was enough to force the divine priestess out of hiding.
"Please wait!"
"Took you long enough," the Shogun coldly spoke as the divine might she exuded burst forth from her body, forcing the resistance to get on their knees whether they like it or not. The Shogun's Army, on the other hand, were unaffected by her might because her rage was not directed at them, but they could all feel her divine might shrouding the atmosphere nonetheless.
"People of Watatsumi, was I being too merciful, or are you simply ingrates whose greed can never be satisfied?" She spoke with suppressed anger but the lightning and swirling storm clouds above told a very different story.
"You… You killed our God!" One of the braver soldiers shouted out despite how his entire body was trembling in fear. She would acknowledge his bravery, but not his intellect.
"Killed your God? Hmph, that's true," she let out a mocking laugh at the mention of that damned snake. "Two thousand years ago the Shogunate and Watatsumi were at war. It was on this very same beach. I was just an eight year old girl then, being drafted to war under the rally of the previous Shogun. You think Narukami wanted war?"
The skies trembled and thunder roared.
"Do not forget, people of Watatsumi, that your God was the instigator of the war. He waged war on Narukami, killed thousands of brave men and spilled the blood of innocents, leaving their loved ones at home weeping upon the news of their deaths. Do not forget, people of Watatsumi, that your God killed our God due to his greed for the position of Electro Archon. Do not forget, people of Watatsumi, that I was the one who spared the lives of your ancestors because I believed grudges can be buried and that bygones can be bygones. Do not forget, that it was upon my mercy that you are still allowed to worship Orobashi despite the fact that I am the deity of Inazuma. Do not forget, it was upon my will that Narukami continuously offered economic aid to Watatsumi for two thousand years despite the numerous conflicts we had, asking for nothing but peace and understanding in return. The people on your precious island would have starved to death a thousand years ago otherwise."
The silence that greeted her was deafening.
"And what do I get in return for the mercy I had shown? Rebellion against the Shogunate. One-sided hostility for a two thousand year grudge despite my best and sincere efforts to bury the hatchet. Unleashing the Tatarigami that led to the deaths of so many innocents and irreversible consequences to the survivors. Each individual transgression is enough to warrant divine judgement by my hands and Watatsumi had the gall to accuse me that everything arose because I killed your God. Answer me, people of Watatsumi, who started this war? Answer me, Watatsumi, was I not being merciful enough? Answer me!"
"The Vision Hunt Decree… is wrong…"
"And that justified starting a war?" She challenged the weak rebuke from Kokomi. "Only you know whether this war is truly for the sake of opposing the Vision Hunt Decree or to overthrow my rule. You say that Watatsumi had lost too much in the war? Narukami had lost even more. I lost everybody in that senseless war that your God waged: my comrades, my friends, and the person who I cherished most in this world, forcing me to endure the pain of loneliness for two thousand years. Yet, I never once blamed you for the mistakes made by your ancestors."
The look in her eyes turned cold as they glowed violet.
"But this time, you had taken things too far."
Thunder fell and the heavens groaned in pain.
"I shall no longer show any mercy because you have proven by your actions over the course of two thousand years that Watatsumi is not worthy of such mercy. This is your last chance, people of Watatsumi. Submit to my rule, or die by my hands."
She was about to carry out her threat when she felt an acute pain in her heart. She immediately turned to face in the direction of the Tenshukaku, her eyes wide in disbelief.
"Sh-Shogun?"
"Something had happened at Tenshukaku. I will leave this to you," she hurriedly told the commander of the Shogun's Army of this particular battlefield, Kujou Masahito, the heir apparent of the Kujou Clan and a General of the Shogun's Army. She's not worried about the resistance making their escape or putting up a meaningful fight because they had all lost the will to fight after her showing of divine might.
She's more worried about what had happened back at Tenshukaku. The only reason for the feeling she had just now could only be…
Damn it, just what happened back in the city while she was briefly away?
"Um, Paimon doesn't know if this is a good idea…"
"Her Excellency's plans had always brought about the tides of victory. I have full faith in her plans," Gorou assured the Traveller and his floating companion with a confident pat on his chest. Their intel suggests that there is a very valuable object that the Shogun carefully kept in great care in her private chambers. Whatever that might be, it could possibly be used against the Shogunate to turn the tide of the battle.
Kokomi had predicted that the Shogun would head to the battlefield in person. Thus, the three of them were tasked to infiltrate the Tenshukaku while she's away and retrieve said object. Personally, Aether has no idea if it's right to infiltrate a woman's room in the first place, not to mention that their target has the power to force an entire nation into lockdown with storms and lightning.
For a person of her stature there's surprisingly little in her private chambers. That is, until they entered a separate room.
"W-Wow… Paimon had never seen such a huge electro crystal before! Hey Aether, Aether, how much mora do you think we can sell this for?" Paimon excitedly asked as the three of them marvelled at the size of the electro crystal in the room. This is already beyond the question of how much mora they could sell this for, but rather just where on earth did the Shogun mine such a huge electro crystal from.
"W-Wait, am I seeing things, or is there a person…"
"E-E-Ehhh?!" Paimon shrieked when she also realised that there's somebody encased within the crystal. "O-Oh no! This… Should we get him out?"
"If I were in your shoes I would suggest not. After all, being encased within that crystal is the only reason why he's still alive."
The three of them immediately spun around after hearing that unexpected voice. Aether's eyes narrowed dangerously when he spotted Signora strolling into the room with that usual cocky look on her face. Did she follow them here?
"I supposed that there's some use in keeping the three of you alive, your assistance made my work so much easier. I never expected this was what the Shogun was hiding all this time," Signora remarked as she observed the huge electro crystal in the centre of the room. "For the Almighty Shogun to spare no effort in keeping him alive within that crystal meant that he is someone important to her. Heh, now this is useful."
"You… You despicable…!"
"Oh? Are you not harbouring the same thoughts when you sneaked into the Shogun's private chambers?" Signora challenged Paimon's accusation. "No matter. I shall be magnanimous for once. Step aside, and I shall let you leave this place alive."
Both the Fatui and the Shogunate are his enemies and Aether was undecided on what to do. The crystal obviously holds something of much greater value than the person encased within. Just when Aether was torn between letting Signora have her way or to prevent her from laying her hands on the crystal, Signora was ambushed.
"Signora, you have stepped out of line."
"Shikanoin Heizou, you have been quite a pain in my neck."
Anemo swirled around the detective of the Tenryou Commission as his quick-witted mind tried to find the best possible solution to resolve this situation. He was tasked to keep an eye on the Fatui and imagine his shock when he received news that the Fatui Harbinger had barged into Tenshukaku the moment the Shogun stepped onto the battlefield. He had immediately proceeded to track the harbinger down but the current situation is not to his favour as well. He's being sandwiched by the Sangonomiya forces and the Fatui. He might still stand a chance if he could persuade the rebels to help him out since it's obvious there's hostility between them, but he wouldn't count too much on that possibility.
"Should… Should we help him?" Paimon whispered nervously to Aether and Gorou as the battle between Heizou and Signora started in earnest. They could just use this opportunity to leave before the commotion attracted unwanted attention or they could use this opportunity to aid either party. However, neither the Fatui nor the Shogunate are their allies.
"We could try taking the electro crystal with us?"
"Do you think we are able to sneak this huge electro crystal out with us undetected?" Aether retorted. "Maybe we should just leave-"
A huge crash caught their attention. Heizou's body was flung forcefully, crashing through several walls until he rolled and crumpled into a heap by Aether's feet and Paimon screamed in fright. Gorou and Aether held their weapons up in defence as well, incensed by Signora's violent treatment towards Heizou.
The Eighth Harbinger cockily walked into the room once more, the power of frost slowly covering the room with every step she took. Gorou and Aether shared a look. Decision made, the both of them lunged at Signora as one. They have no idea what Signora is here for but it couldn't be anything good. Who knows what devious schemes the Fatui might pull if they ever got their hands on that electro crystal.
Their fight destroyed a good part of Tenshukaku and the Crimson Witch of Flames finally showed her true powers. Aether gritted his teeth. This situation had developed into something beyond anybody's expectations and control.
"The… The crystal! It's breaking!"
Paimon's cry attracted everyone's attention. Without knowing it, the power released by their fight had resulted in cracks slowly spreading across the surface of the crystal. Signora vanished in a swirl of flames and headed for the crystal. Aether disappeared in a bolt of lightning and got in her way.
Then, the skies darkened. Thunder crashed in between them as a powerful slash of electro had everyone ducking to the ground to escape the wrath of lightning.
"How dare you."
"Sh-Shogun…"
The rage is clear in the eyes of the exalted ruler of Inazuma. She took another look back at the crystal which was barely able to keep her most precious person alive and pressed her palm against it. Some of the cracks had mended, but many others remained and despite her best efforts all she did was to prevent the cracks from spreading further. She felt cold sweat breaking out in afterthought. If she was any later, if she hadn't arrived when she did, Kyo might have…
How dare they.
"Now, perish!"
She swung her weapon once and her attack had everyone scrambling for cover. The wrath of a God is not something that everyone could face. Huge fireballs rained upon Tenshukaku as Signora continued to resist, confident that she's able to complete the task that she was sent here for.
"Futile."
The fireballs were blown apart with a forceful swing of the Shogun's weapon and she even had the time to grab the unconscious body of one Shikanoin Heizou and place him aside by the crystal so that he would not come to harm. He is her subject and as such, it is her duty as his ruler and deity to protect him. She could tell that he was trying to prevent Signora from laying her hands on Kyo until she arrived and for that, he has her gratitude.
Signora soon realised that the disparity of strength between her and the Raiden Shogun is too large a gap that could be possibly bridged. Her eyes spotted the electro crystal behind the Raiden Shogun that she's trying to protect and a plan formed in her mind.
Large fireballs rained on the electro crystal this time and the Shogun had no choice but to place herself in front of the fireballs to protect the people behind her. Signora used this brief moment of distraction to reappear before the Shogun in the blink of an eye and struck a forceful palm strike to the Shogun's gut, causing her to cough in pain.
"Was this how you stole Barbatos' Gnosis?"
Signora's eyes widened in shock when she found nothing to steal from the Raiden Shogun. Instead, the Shogun had used this opportunity to grab onto Signora's wrist despite the liquid fire covering her entire body. That cold and merciless look in her violet eyes promised certain demise as her free hand swung her weapon down.
Signora met her end in a violent spray of blood. The Shogun used the back of her free hand to wipe off the blood covering her face, her eyes coldly surveying the burning Tenshukaku. Was Signora so naive to think that she could have stolen Barbatos' Gnosis if the Anemo Archon wasn't allowing her to do so? Barbatos was planning to give up his Gnosis to begin with and she herself had given up on it centuries ago.
"There is no escape."
She made another grabbing motion in Gorou's direction and his Geo Vision flew into her hand. She needed just one more Vision and she wouldn't deny the free gift that the General of the resistance had so generously given her. She will deal with their transgression later, now she has something much more important to deal with.
"Give Gorou's vision back!"
The traveller lunged at her with his sword drawn but the firing of an electro infused arrow forced him to back off.
"I leave him to you. Do not allow anyone to disturb me."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
She took the electro crystal and left, leaving Sara to deal with the traveller. She soon reached the Statue of the Omnipresent God where the Visions taken by the Vision Hunt Decree were inlaid. The Geo Vision she ripped from Gorou shone as she inlaid it into the final empty slot.
"Soon, Kyo, very soon," she whispered with a faint smile on her face, kneeling down and carefully caressing the cracked surface of the electro crystal. With the power of the Gnosis and the visions, he could return to her side once more. She could finally show him the Inazuma that they had envisioned and fought for.
"You kept me waiting for two thousand years. Nobody but you had the audacity to keep me waiting for so long."
The statue shone in a bright violet as thunder burst forth from the statue and shot into the skies, parting the clouds and the heavens. The divine item that wars had been waged for in the past slowly revealed itself as it appeared from within the electro crystal, the Gnosis that Kyosuke had risked his life to obtain for her to end the war with Orobashi.
The people of Inazuma had always believed that they had only one archon. That's false. She had always been sharing half of her powers with him for over two thousand years in order to keep him alive. Inazuma always had two archons. He's the guardian of the Gnosis which their divinity were derived from. Two thousand years were more than enough for them to transcend the limits of mortality and attain Godhood by being in constant exposure to the Gnosis' influence. Strictly speaking, they ceased to be humans a thousand years ago.
However, he was fated to die despite already possessing the body of a God. As such, she needed one more final step for her to reverse his fate as written in the stars and that was where the power of Visions came in and with it, the Vision Hunt Decree. Her intentions in allowing the Vision Hunt Decree to remain in effect for the past year was not only to weed out the corruption in her Tri-Commission, but to bring him back to her as well.
They no longer need the Gnosis the moment they attain Godhood, and he no longer needs it now that her plans had finally reaped the results she had pined for so long.
"I'm not letting you go before me this time. As punishment for leaving me alone for two thousand years, I hereby sentence you to stay by my side –"
Divine thunder fell upon them, bathing the city in an everlasting glow.
"For eternity."
AN: AU for those who wish for a happier ending. Only just remembered that it had been sitting in my google drive for almost an entire year when I was doing one of my periodical cleaning ups of my google drive to get rid of any unneeded documents.