"Kenshin, the war is going to end soon" Sara arrived at the meeting room in the Tenshukaku and spoke.
"It took a lot more time than expected" muttered Kenshin, scratching the back of his neck.
"Their Supreme Priestess is a great tactician, maybe even better than me" despite saying that, Sara didn't seem to be affected.
"Well, it's not like you will need to work as a General after this" said Kenshin with a pondering look. "I will make the army start cleaning dog shits or something like that".
With the war against the rebels of Watatsumi Island ending, the Army will be rendered useless, and it will only be a liability.
With Ei here and now somewhat happy again, the only army needed was her and her sword.
"I still can't believe the war is ending" sighed emotionally Sara.
The war against the Resistance had lasted for 9 years now, so Sara and Kenshin grew up with it.
Kenshin could have sent Ei to make 2 Watatsumis, North and South, but he knew Ei wouldn't like killing people from Inazuma, no matter how 'resistant' they were.
Knowing that they were probably buying things from the mainland, Kenshin decided to surround Watatsumi to starve them. It was a very effective plan, but he had to admit that he hadn't expected it to last for this long.
When the Resistance couldn't buy anything, they resorted to plundering the Army's supplies.
Sara had no problem fighting this kind of battle, she had the terrain advantage and she only needed to defend, but the quality of the soldiers of the Resistance was way better than that of the army.
And more importantly, disciplined.
The Shogunate Army had grown a lot under the Tenryou Commission, and was so corrupt even a farmer with no idea of what a sword was could be a high-ranking soldier. Soldiers in the Army skipped patrols, were bribed by the Resistance, or simply didn't wake up in the morning after drinking all night.
Sara had a few horrible months trying to solve this, but the corruption was too much.
Kenshin then decided to participate. He could have worked as a sentry, but he was only one, so it wasn't an option.
'If they are surviving with the supplies of our army, the solution is easy. Make the Army disappear' he said to the shocked Sara.
So the Army abandoned the frontlines.
Now the Resistance had no way to plunder for the much-needed food. Some 'smart' people in Watatsumi had the great idea of launching an attack on Narukami island seeing that there was no enemy frontline anymore.
And Ei received them with all the hospitality the Shogunate had to offer.
Ei didn't want to massacre civilians, but hostile enemy soldiers were another thing altogether.
And the Resistance chose not to advance more.
They occupied the other islands and tried to cultivate the land, they couldn't cultivate in Watatsumi after all, but the Army raided those places.
So they had no food and no way to get more and Kenshin still didn't know how they did it, but they lasted for a year without it. Maybe they found a secret stash of food or were saving some. Anyway, they were ready to surrender.
Kenshin and Sara were walking alone to Watatsumi to sign the treaty that would make Watatsumi a part of Inazuma again.
'Heh, as if it hadn't been' thought Kenshin with a scoff. These guys thought that by just saying 'We are not Inazuma', they had now their own nation.
As for why they were walking alone, well, Kenshin was overpowered.
He couldn't split an island in half like Ei could, but with his Plane, he could beat everyone. His Plane had a a big range, which meant that anyone near him had just no chance of escaping or fighting back. He still needed to touch a person to manipulate his or her soul, but he could 'suck' them into his plane and drop a meteor on them.
"Bakuretsu bakuretsu lalala" Kenshin softly sang in a high-pitched voice, making Sara sigh. "Oh, they are here".
Sara's gaze sharpened and looked to the place Kenshin was pointing to.
"And they are hostile" said Kenshin, not worried at all. "They should be some extremists that are trying to make us hostages".
"Will you deal with them?" asked Sara, taking out her bow.
"Why not?" Kenshin shrugged.
And the 3 guys who were running to them, shouting in what a film director would consider a heroic charge of 3 men, willing to die for their ideal, fell to the ground unconscious.
"I'm I not strong?" Kenshin asked Sara with a proud look.
"Well, yes" Sara nodded, looking at the 3 people on the ground. "The moment you were not instantly bisected by the Shogun's sword you were considered to be one of the 1 % strongest people in this world".
"You have learned how to flatter me" Kenshin said with an approving nod. "The Young Masters in Liyue would appreciate your attitude".
"Don't remind me of them" Sara shivered remembering those people. How didn't Rex Lapis bomb them was something she still couldn't understand.
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"Welcome" Gorou said with a defeated expression. He knew what it meant to receive Kenshin and Sara. The end of their fight, one that ended with defeat.
Sara nodded, and blocked Kenshin's mouth with her hand, knowing that he was going to tell some dog joke.
"Please, let us end this fast" Sara said, pulling Kenshin with her. "I don't know for how long will I be able to stop him from offending all minorities on this island".
Gorou sighed, not daring to think about what Sara's words could mean, and guided them through the beautiful Watatsumi island.
"Is this even an island? The water level is higher outside this place" asked Kenshin once Sara released him. "Whoever designed this place, he must have been drunk".
"Kenshin..." Sara threatened seeing Gorou's fist clanch.
"I mean, how is this even possible?" asked Kenshin, watching the small waterfalls all around Watatsumi. "Water is getting in, how does it come out?. Does it have something to do with the mysterious and potentially catastrophic whirlpool of death in the middle?".
"Watatsumi is an island our deity created, and the corals you see around were branches that fell off his body" explained Gorou, trying to stop Kenshin from insulting them even more. "It was his last work before he was killed by the Raiden Shogun" he added gritting his canine teeth.
"My Ei is strong" nodded Kenshin, asking Sara deadpan. "But you are forgetting something".
"What?" asked brusquely Gorou.
"It was your god who attacked Inazuma" replied Kenshin with a smile.
They spent the rest of the travel in silence, each one thinking about their own things.
'I hope this meeting goes well, and we can retain some degree of independence' hoped Gorou.
'I hope Kenshin doesn't rile up the rest of the people in the meeting' hoped Sara.
'.....' Kenshin didn't think.
"Welcome to the Sangonomiya Shrine" a beautiful woman with pink hair and a dress that resembled a mermaid greeted them. A group of people behind her with frustrated expressions.
"Hello, it's the first time we've seen each other" greeted Kenshin. He knew how frustrated people here were, and how delicate was their situation so he wasn't going to joke around. Not now at least.
"I never heard of a person who could regain his sight" commented Kokomi in a neutral tone.
"I recovered" shrugged Kenshin. "And I was never normal to start".
Kokomi nodded, acknowledging how bizarre the now young man was.
Kokomi guided them to a meeting room with an open wall, so they could see the entirety of Watatsumi.
"It's beautiful" commented Kenshin. He knew the other islands like the palm of his hand, except for the radioactive one, that one was dangerous. And now, this was the last one left, together with Tsurumi that he felt had something weird. He will explore it after everything in Inazuma is settled.
"Yes" Kokomi acknowledged Kenshin's comment and proudly nodded.
"How about we start?" suggested Sara, sitting next to Kenshin. "I don't think the people with are going to be happy with our idle chatter".
The people accompanying Kokomi were reaching the end of their patience seeing the 'enemy' calmly admiring the landscape they were so proud of, and the one they shed sweat and blood to protect.
"I will help you deal with this quickly" said Kenshin. He had met Kokomi before, and he knew that she preferred to calmly approach the situation, dancing around the issue to get as much advantage as she could. "You surrender, we accept".
The group from Watatsumi, including Gorou, were about to start shouting, but Kokomi stopped them with a hand.
"What about the conditions of our surrender?" she said, hoping that their defeat wouldn't be an absolute one.
"Conditions?" asked Kenshin in confusion. "You have no power to put conditions. We only need to wait for you to starve and take Watatsumi for ourselves, what conditions are you talking about?"
"There are civilians here!" shouted Gorou in indignation.
"Then we will accept them in Narukami" it was Sara who spoke. "It was never our intention to massacre your civilians".
"Or you wouldn't be here" said Kenshin with a pointed look. "We have a weapon of mass destruction on our side".
Kokomi sadly sighed. She didn't know why the Raiden Shogun had never attacked them directly, but the moment the extremists from Watatsumi who dared to attack Narukami were vaporized, she knew that they had lost.
The Shogunate army could hide in Narukami, and the Raiden Shogun would protect them, so they only needed to wait.
The Shogunate had more fertile land, more people, more space, more resources, and a God. It was a matter of time.
So all she could do was try to get some advantage so the surrender wouldn't leave them enslaved.
"I see some of you aren't convinced" said Kenshin, sensing that the souls of the people here were angry and not resigned to surrender. Except Kokomi's, that Kenshin knew was resignated. "What about a show of strength? I will beat all of you, right here, right now. Alone and unarmed. Without moving from my seat. Without moving a finger"
"Are you mocking us?" said quietly Gorou, clenching his teeth.
"Even more" Kenshin added, looking directly at Kokomi. "I will beat all the Resistance with the same conditions. If I lose, the Shogunate will accept Watatsumi's independence. If I can't convince you, we will resume the war, as I don't intend to accept a surrender from people who are lusting for a fight".
"And if you win?" asked Kokomi, trying to find a way out of Watatsumi's dire situation.
"It's not about me winning" Kenshin shook his head. "It's about proving how powerless you are"
Kokomi looked at Gorou, who resolutely nodded.
"I won't kill anyone" added Kenshin sensing Gorou's determination. "No need to prepare to face death".
"Then we agree" Kokomi nodded accepting Kenshin's proposal. "I will fight too".
Sara sighed, knowing what was going to happen. She hadn't seen Kenshin fight, but after she talked with Makoto, she knew what kind of things Kenshin and her Excellency were up to.
On the lower level of the island, in the largest plain, an army of 300 people was looking at Kenshin with murderous expressions, armed with Visions, spears, swords, catalysts and bows.
And Kenshin was sitting on the ground. He took the cushion from the meeting room to 'keep his seat', and was sitting in seiza, talking with Sara.
"Hey Sara, want to come in?" he asked to his lover.
"Will it be dangerous?" asked Sara a bit nervous.
"No".
"Then, yes" Sara was a bit excited to see what kind of things Kenshin was able to do.
"I'm ready!" Kenshin shouted to the army 50 meters ahead of him.
"Then, charge!" Kokomi didn't know anything about Kenshin. She knew he had something prepared, and that they would lose anyway, but she wanted to get some advantage for the negotiation that would follow.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!" the army charged, but was confused when a blue space surrounded them, Kokomi the first one.
The blue space expanded and surrounded them completely, now they were in Kenshin's Plane.
"Welcome" said Kenshin opening his hands. "To my soul"
A green plain covered everything they could see, with no mountains in sight or any sea. Only short grass acted as the horizon of this mystical space.
There was only one thing in this Plane aside from the short grass and the human amazed humans.
A Sakura tree.
It was enormous, taller than what they could see, with purple and golden leaves swaying almost as if they were alive. The treetop was so big that the sky couldn't be seen due to the mesmerizing leaves obstructing their view.
Big fruits the size of a beach ball were dangling out of the lower branches, 7 exactly, their appearance mystical as they didn't seem to be made of matter.
One was golden and seemed like pure fire, radiating warmth.
Another was purple, made of pure lightning, sending violent arcs of electricity to the surrounding areas and even the ground, but it didn't harm anything.
Another was pink, and its form didn't stop changing. Rounded, thin, big, squared, small.
Another was pink but of a more intense tone than the previous one. It was similar to the purple one, but the arcs of electricity could be seen swirling inside the fruit.
Another was blue, but a translucent kind of blue. Inside could be seen a red spot, moving vigorously around.
Another one was also purple, but it was floating in the air, moving around and leaving a trace of purple following its movements.
And the last was shining with a deep red light, almost crimson. It was the more intense one, almost like it was the sun itself, but was staying still in the branch. Its light illuminated the surrounding area, giving it a red hue.
"What is this?" asked Sara, stunned by the space she found herself in. She had an idea of what the 7 orbs represented, but she had no idea of why or how. And the enormous tree was too mesmerizing for her to ignore.
"This is my soul" explained Kenshin, looking at the confused and scared Resistance. "My Plane. This is the same technique the Raiden Shogun uses".
Kokomi could only look around in dismay. This place didn't seem to be something a human was capable of doing.
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Kenshin had one ability, manipulate souls.
And for that, his own soul needs to be strong enough. When a person survives a life-or-death encounter or steels his determination to fight for his ideals the soul is strengthened, that's why Arlecchino's soul was so beautiful.
And Kenshin had survived a few of them.
In the first one when his soul touched the hilichurl curse, his eyes were modified because his soul had strengthened, and it manifested in his eyes.
When he peered into the Being, his eyes lost the ability to sense the light. But his soul was once again strengthened beyond belief, after all, he survived facing something so 'BIG' that 'danger' couldn't even be applied, and he gained the ability to sense with microscopic precision the changes in someone's soul.
When he revived Makoto, his soul didn't grow that much stronger because he had avoided looking at the 'somethings' on purpose. But he had dragged Makoto's soul out of 'that' place, and that allowed him to form a Plane, just like Ei was able to thanks to Yae's teachings and her strength as a god.
He had been able to fight with Ei for a while in the Plane of Euthymia, and his control over that space only grew with time.
What would be able to do inside his own soul?
Kenshin was very weak physically, a hilichurl could beat him.
Kenshin was one of the strongest beings in Teyvat when souls were involved, his own path made sure of it.
He had been sealing curses in the Shrine.
He had been sealing Remnants in Liyue.
He had been observing human souls to the slightest of details in Inazuma.
He had peered into 'that' place and the Being.
He had crafted a new body for Guizhong and helped her by sharing a part of his own soul.
He had been fighting with Ei for years inside the Plane of Euthymia.
So the moment Kenshin was able to bring his opponent inside a soul, a Plane, he had transformed into one of the strongest beings.
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"Head Priestess!" a soldier shouted, asking for orders.
"Charge!" Kokomi shouted, visibly deflated seeing this wondrous landscape.
"I was saving this for a future spar with the Boss of the Lands" calmly said Kenshin, looking at the 300 people running towards him, having conquered their fears.
The Resistance felt their silhouettes being covered in shadow, and looked up. Only to scream in fear.
A huge mass of incandescent molten rock approached them, eclipsing the sun and dispersing the few white clouds.
And it was growing bigger the more it approached.
Even Kokomi couldn't process what this meant.
As the meteor approached, the wind started appearing, and the closer the huge rock was, the stronger it became.
Soon, the Resistance had to grab to the ground to avoid being blown away by the intense wind, now resembling a hurricane.
"Stop!" Kokomi shouted, trying to be heard under the wind and the crackling sound the meteor was making in its approach.
Kenshin didn't reply and watched calmly how the meteor approached, while Sara hugged his back to avoid being blown away.
Some people in the Resistance started being blown away, and Kenhsin made some ropes to tie them to the ground.
"Stop!! Stop!!!" Kokomi desperately shouted.
But Kenshin didn't stop.
The meteor was now covering the whole field of view, and only a few soldiers were still in the place they had previously been in, the rest getting blown away in the hurricane.
And yet, neither the tree nor the fruits were affected in the slightest.
The moment the meteor was a kilometer away, Kenshin moved everyone to the place they started in and retracted his Plane inside him.
Now the panicking army was looking around, trying to find the smoldering ball of death.
"Kenshin" Sara said, combing her messy hair with a pale face. "What the fuck".
"You think that's impressive?" asked calmly Kenshin standing up. "Ei would have split it right in the middle, sending a beam that would vaporize everything in the way. But be proud, you are the first one to see my Plane".
"I got another first then" Sara absent-mindedly commented, still pale.
"Seems like it" nodded Kenshin, walking to the scared Kokomi. "So, I think I win".
Kokomi calmed down with a few breaths, something admirable in Kenshin's opinion, and nodded.
"We surrender" she said with a bitter expression.
"Just so you know, Ei is even stronger" explained Kenshin. That meteor was very 'flashy', it was supposed to scare them after all, but if he used that with Ei, he would have been destroyed. The 5 minutes the meteor took to arrive at the ground were more than enough for Ei to attack a thousand times.
"Sigh" Kokomi bitterly sighed.
Kenshin left with Sara to the meeting room, where they waited for 15 minutes for the rest of the people to arrive.
After the higher-ups of the Resistance calmed down, they slowly came into the room, where Sara and Kenshin observed them with appraising stares.
"Well, you aren't that hostile anymore" Kenshin said seeing their resigned faces. "Very well, we accept your surrender, now I will tell you your new situation".
Kokomi nodded. They could only listen and obey after all.
"I have no interest in annexing Watatsumi" revealed Kenshin under the shocked gaze of the rest, except Sara who knew about it beforehand. "But I am trying to solve the problem from the root. Surely you understand what a repressed population can do in a few years".
Kenshin feared that let it be 10, 20, or another 500 years, Watatsumi would collide with other parties like the Fatui, or even the new rulers of Liyue, who knows?
Nobody can say how society will evolve, and leaving a nearby island like Watatsumi alone can cause trouble in the future.
Kokomi nodded, understanding where Kenshin was coming from.
"So we will take some measures so it doesn't happen" added Sara. She fears that Watatsumi will make the 'deal' because of Kenshin's individual power, and forget that it's the Shogunate they are surrendering to, not Kenshin.
Kenshin nodded, and not caring about what people could think, he stood up and changed seats with Sara, letting her 'negotiate'.
A few people wore grimaces seeing this. There was no shame in surrendering against a man who could drop a meteor on their heads but surrendering to the Shogunate...
"What did you think of?" asked Kokomi.
"We have a double-layered plan" explained Sara. "You will buy things from Narukami. You won't be able to buy things from Liyue, Mondstadt, Fatui, Sumeru or Fontaine. You can make deals with them, but all exchanges will be made in Narukami, where we will check the commodities so we can be assured there is nothing weird".
Kokomi nodded bitterly, not having any other option. She wasn't planning on revolting, but this would cause a lot of anger in Watatsumi's people. It was humiliating, you needed to be watched over like a rabid dog.
"I understand what you may feel" Sara empathetically explained. "But it was this or introducing our army in your chain of command".
"That's....." Kokomi now felt grateful. This other option is directly an insult.
"And the second plan, we will open the rest of Inazuma to your people" said Sara, making a few brows raise. "We hope that with this measure, your children will be able to grow with Inazuma's people side by side".
"I don't think it will change anything" an old man behind Kokomi sighed while shaking his head.
"For you it won't" interrupted Kenshin. "You are old, and your ideas too rigid. But the children won't have the bias you have. If a war happens in the future, they will question why they need to fight the same people they have been playing with. That's what we hope for at least".
"What will you do if someone tries to take advantage of this?" asked Kokomi, thinking about the most extremist people. "A few groups here are too angry about having lost their friends or families in the war, and they may be riled up by outsiders".
"That's your problem, not ours" replied Sara. "And remind those people that it was your people who started the war, not us. Even if it sounds harsh, you looked for it yourselves, and I still don't understand why those people are complaining. You saw what Kenshin did, and the Raiden Shogun can do the same. They should be grateful they are still alive".
Kokomi sighed but spoke with a firm voice.
"We had no other option. We can't grow anything in Watatsumi, and we can't sell enough things to buy food. We tried talking with the Shogunate, but no one answered, and we even got mocked back. What could we do?" she bitterly revealed.
"We were too young for that, so we can't answer" replied Kenshin. He was the Shogun after all. "But the fact that I'm ready to compromise means that I understand your plight. We will rent you some land in Yashiori, it will be dangerous, but we are looking for a solution for that".
"Thank you" gratefully said Kokomi. "We accept those terms".
"Of course you do" scoffed Kenshin. "They are like a dream to you. You retain your independence, you get land to farm at a cheap price, your people get to visit our territory and you can be sure our army won't conquer this place. Honestly, I don't know who surrendered here".
Kokomi blushed and looked at the ground hearing that. When Kenshin put it like that, it was indeed a bit incredible.
"Now, sign those papers and we will go" Kenshin said, handing Kokomi a few papers she carefully read. "Woman, hurry up. If we wanted something we would have taken it".
But Kokomi ignored him, and carefully read the rest. After seeing that everything was okay, she signed it with a smile.
"Look at you, happy of surrendering" Kenshin scoffed, but carefully stowed the contract. "Sara will be the one to take care of these things, so talk to her as I don't have the intention of doing anything else for you. I've done enough".
Kenshin and Sara left and relaxedly walked back to Narukami. They took some stops, wandered around, and had some innocent fun.
"How did it go Kenshin?" when he arrived at his room in the Tenshukaku, Makoto asked with a smile and a hug.
"Exactly as you could expect" replied Kenshin, returning the hug. "Something important for me to do?".
"You have a letter from Jean" replied Makoto, handing him a white envelope.
Kenshin opened it with a smile.
He had been 2 years and some months in Inazuma, and he hadn't been able to see Jean as she was also busy in Mondstadt. He wanted to see his Radiant Knight again.
"What does it say?" asked curiously Makoto, seeing Kenshin's serious face.
Kenshin kissed Makoto, and made Ei surface after a bit. Ei was surprised by the sudden change but returned the kiss after she processed the situation. She was more or less used to Kenshin's antics.
Kenshin then ran to the exit, leaving a parting shout.
"My Knight needs me!"
On his hand, a white letter with an elegant writing shone in the sunlight. There was one special word that was repeated a few times.
'Stormterror'.