Inside Tenshukaku.
Raiden Shogun sat cross-legged in solitude.
Much had transpired in recent days.
Although she had remained deep within the palace, receiving only fragmented reports from the Tenryou and Kanjou Commissions, as a god, she possessed many means to discern the happenings of the outside world without stepping outside.
"Perhaps what we have steadfastly clung to has indeed been a mistake," Ei admitted within the plane of consciousness.
"You waver," Raiden Shogun's reply was cold.
Ei was silent for a few seconds, then finally spoke, conceding, "Yes, I wavered. But haven't you, too?"
Raiden Shogun fell silent as well.
She was created as an automaton to uphold eternity, with an unyielding principle of never retreating easily.
But as an automaton, her ultimate mission was still to safeguard Inazuma and protect its people.
Yet, the recent events left even her—an unfeeling construct—hesitant.
Before Felina arrived, the hidden dangers across Inazuma were like bombs submerged beneath a placid lake: the threats existed, but from her lofty perspective, the surface appeared calm and untroubled.
With Felina's arrival, however, a mere nudge was enough to ignite all of Inazuma's latent dangers.
If, before, Ei and Raiden Shogun could sit high on their divine thrones, convincing themselves that eternity was beneficial for Inazuma, assuring themselves that at least the nation seemed stable—
Now, the unrest among the populace had laid bare every issue spawned by eternity: disorder, poverty, hopelessness.
Previously, though discontent with eternity and policy simmered among the people, the awe of divine authority stifled their complaints.
From their elevated perch, they misinterpreted the silence as agreement with eternity.
But now, as public opinion erupted, the people's dissatisfaction surged, overwhelming and undeniable. Only now did they realize that the discontent had long been festering beneath the surface.
Once the problems surfaced, they could no longer be ignored.
"If our vision of eternity is correct, why is more than half of Inazuma's populace so dissatisfied?"
"Our pursuit of eternity, after all, was meant to protect Inazuma. Yet, looking at the current situation, Inazuma hasn't improved because of it. Instead, it has grown worse."
They were, ultimately, gods who loved their people. Now, with over half of Inazuma's populace rejecting eternity, and the nation's deteriorated state laid bare, the combined outcry of countless citizens formed an overwhelming roar. This deafening clamor forced even gods to lower their gazes in reflection.
Raiden Shogun stated, "The turmoil in Inazuma's current state is clearly the result of deliberate incitement. Without such provocations, the nation would not have descended to this extent."
"That's true," Ei replied, "but it cannot be denied that these issues and grievances already existed in Inazuma. If there were no underlying problems, there would have been nothing for others to exploit, right?"
"And it's also undeniable that our pursuit of eternity has not brought happiness or stability to the people of Inazuma. Instead, it has made the nation more chaotic and its people more impoverished."
"As it stands, our philosophy is flawed."
The voice of the people was powerful—so powerful that even gods were forced to confront their errors.
"But don't forget, progress entails loss. You, and Inazuma, have lost so much because of progress."
"Yes, that is an undeniable truth," Ei sighed deeply.
"At present, our pursuit of eternity has its shortcomings," she continued, "but the establishment of eternity was meant to prevent Inazuma from further losses."
Raiden Shogun asked, "Then, how should we resolve this now?"
Once again, silence enveloped the room inside Tenshukaku.
Raiden Shogun was a construct created to firmly enforce eternity; she did not know how to change.
Meanwhile, Ei remained haunted by the pain of past losses and the destruction of Khaenri'ah, her hesitations about progress and its potential consequences for Inazuma lingering deeply.
Perhaps they still needed more time.
After some thought, Ei finally spoke, "That sly fox, Miko, always has her own considerations. If she's making such a grand spectacle of things, she must be trying to convey something to us."
"She's likely signaling for us to take notice. Let us wait and observe. Perhaps, in the end, time—and her actions—will provide the answers we seek."
Raiden Shogun chose to wait and watch, but outside Tenshukaku, chaos had already erupted.
After the revelation of the betrayal by the Tenryou and Kanjou Commissions, many opportunists eyeing these positions began to pile on accusations, exposing a multitude of crimes committed by the Kujou and Hiiragi clans.
The publication of these crimes only further incited the outrage of the public.
However, with Raiden Shogun choosing to remain an observer, the Kujou and Hiiragi families had not yet been sentenced.
For now, both families had shut themselves inside their respective residences, posting their loyal retainers as guards around their estates.
Yet, even without official punishment, they had effectively lost their authority. No one was willing to heed their orders anymore.
On another front, Kujou Sara, who had been leading the Shogunate army against the Watatsumi Island resistance, also fell silent.
Sara was a devout follower of Raiden Shogun, loyal only to her.
She had always harbored doubts about this war but refrained from questioning it, trusting in the Shogun's judgment.
Now, with the exposure of the Kujou and Hiiragi families' betrayal, Sara realized the truth.
It was all orchestrated by the Kujou clan, who had acted without the Shogun's knowledge, issuing commands under her name.
With Yae Miko's announcement, the Watatsumi side now bore the banner of cleansing the court of traitors, branding them as the righteous army.
The Shogunate army found themselves stripped of purpose and reason to continue fighting.
Neither Sara nor her fellow soldiers had any desire to continue slaughtering their own people. With the proclamation, Sara decisively declared a ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Yae Miko had already joined the Watatsumi resistance.
As the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine and a trusted attendant of the Raiden Shogun, she was the most qualified leader for this moment.
Upon arriving at the resistance camp, she smoothly assumed command.
The resistance army swelled rapidly within days, as throngs of citizens flocked to join their ranks.
With authority firmly in her grasp, Miko's first order of business was to ally with Kujou Sara to eradicate the Fatui—a foreign enemy.
But how could the Shogunate troops and a hastily formed civilian resistance hope to contend with the Fatui?
This was where Felina's second plan, Inazuma: A Proxy War, came into play.
What is a proxy war?
For example, suppose Felina wanted to destroy Sumeru but did not wish to send Fontaine soldiers into battle herself. Additionally, as one of the Seven Nations, it would be against the rules for Fontaine to directly attack Sumeru.
Instead, to avoid leaving herself vulnerable to criticism and to preserve Fontaine lives, she could simply fund and arm the desert dwellers, encouraging them to fight Sumeru on her behalf.
In this scenario, the desert dwellers become Fontaine's proxies, waging war in her stead.
For Inazuma, the situation was similar. Yae Miko and the citizens of Inazuma alone could not hope to defeat the Fatui or Raiden Shogun.
Meanwhile, Felina, bound by the rules, could not personally intervene in the conflict. Thus, a proxy war was the perfect solution.
From the moment Inazuma agreed to cooperate with Felina, its coastline underwent a miraculous transformation.
The seas of Inazuma suddenly seemed to sprout spears, autonomous combat machines, rocket launchers, and even Archaic Lance short-range missiles.
Strangely enough, the waters also conveniently hosted Oceanids well-versed in the operation of these weapons, acting as military advisors and instructors for the resistance forces.
The storyline of this world had already been significantly altered by Felina's arrival.
Originally, the Fatui Harbinger tasked with retrieving the Gnosis in Inazuma was La Signora. However, because Felina had killed her, the Harbinger assigned to this mission was now the Second of the Fatui, the Doctor.
"Hmph, the Tenryou and Kanjou Commissions? Utterly foolish!"
In one of the Fatui's camps, the Doctor appeared visibly displeased.
He hadn't anticipated that the Kujou and Hiiragi clans would be exposed so easily.
The war had only just begun, and the Delusion factories had barely started operating.
The Delusions had only just begun to be distributed. The Doctor's original plan was to use Inazuma's civil war to spread them further. Those who used the Delusions would become experimental subjects, providing invaluable research data for him and the Fatui.
But with the exposure of the collaboration between the Fatui and the two Commissions, their plan was effectively ruined.
The Inazuman civil war, instead of escalating, was quelled almost immediately after Yae Miko's public announcement. The nation quickly united, directing their ire toward the traitorous officials and the Fatui.
Inazuma would no longer tolerate the Fatui's presence.
"Still, it's truly remarkable," the Doctor muttered. "First, stirring up public sentiment, then stepping forward at the peak of discontent to rally support under the banner of cleansing the court…"
He furrowed his brow. On the surface, it seemed straightforward, but in reality, executing such a plan required an intimate understanding of Inazuma's political landscape. Investigating the dealings between the Fatui and the two Commissions alone would have taken considerable time and effort.
To have not only unearthed these connections but also devised a strategy involving a political revolution and a court-purging campaign… The complexity was immense.
"This Yae Miko is no simple fox. It seems someone truly capable is aiding her behind the scenes."
Despite his words, the Doctor didn't seem overly concerned.
As a Harbinger of the Fatui, even in defeat, he knew Inazuma wouldn't dare act against him.
And besides, aside from the Raiden Shogun herself, there wasn't anyone in Inazuma he feared.
The Fatui forces were equipped with firearms and trained to wield elemental power in battle. Against Inazuma's soldiers, still reliant on outdated melee weapons, the Doctor was confident his forces would sweep through with ease—let alone the ragtag group of hastily assembled civilians Yae Miko was leading.
Those temporary recruits? They probably couldn't even muster a full set of armor per person. The idea that they could eliminate the Fatui was laughable.
"Lord Harbinger, the Shogunate army and the resistance have ceased fighting."
"They've agreed to collaborate against us."
"No matter," the Doctor waved dismissively. "A rabble of backward yokels. They dare oppose the Fatui?"
"Let them come. If they wish to fight, then we shall fight."
A smirk of disdain spread across the Doctor's face.
He had no aversion to warfare. In fact, given the current situation, he welcomed it.
All he needed to do was occupy the Raiden Shogun while the Fatui forces devastated Inazuma's troops with their overwhelming advantage.
If the battlefield turned against Inazuma, and the death toll mounted, the Raiden Shogun would inevitably have to capitulate.
At that point, he could still claim the Electro Gnosis.
The Doctor was confident in his own power. As the Second Harbinger of the Fatui, he might not be able to defeat the Raiden Shogun outright, but he was certain he could hold her off.
However, as the Doctor reveled in his imagined victories, assuming the situation would unfold as he envisioned, a sudden, deafening roar filled the air.
Perplexed by the sound, he frowned—only for one of his subordinates to rush into the tent in a panic.
"What's going on?" the Doctor snapped, irritation evident in his tone.
The subordinate, visibly shaken, stammered, "Something's wrong, Lord Harbinger! There's… something in the sky heading straight for us!"
"What?!"
Alarmed, the Doctor rushed out of his tent.
The moment he stepped outside, his expression shifted drastically.
For the first time in his life, the so-called "Doctor," the renowned researcher and Harbinger, found himself staring at an unprecedented sight.
In the clear blue sky, a sharp, conical metal object was hurtling toward them—from the direction of Watatsumi Island.
It was like a falling meteor, or a divine punishment descending from the heavens!
The object streaked across the sky, dragging a long tail like a colossal dragon soaring through the heavens.
It emitted a deafening roar, akin to the bellow of a furious dragon.
"This is bad!"
The Doctor didn't know what this thing was, but even if it was just a meteor, falling from such a height at such incredible speed, its impact would be enough to turn several kilometers into rubble.
Everyone present, aside from him, would die. Even this fragment of himself would suffer grievous injuries at the very least.
This was the only fragment of himself he had in Inazuma. Given the current situation, if this fragment were destroyed, the entire plan to obtain the Gnosis in Inazuma would be ruined.
Without hesitation, the Doctor mustered his power and unleashed a full-force attack at the descending object!
A brilliant beam of energy shot into the sky, targeting the oncoming "meteor," attempting to intercept it.
However, the Doctor had overestimated his own capabilities—or underestimated the speed of the object.
What he didn't realize was that what was hurtling toward him wasn't a meteor.
It was justice from the heavens—a short-range Arkhe—Primordial Strike Missile, traveling at Mach 10!
Mach 10. Ten times the speed of sound.
What does that mean? Put simply: 3.4 kilometers per second.
Something that seemed far away on the horizon would be right on top of you in moments.
The Doctor's attack might have been powerful and swift, but hitting a Mach 10 missile was a fool's dream.
"BOOM!!!"
The missile, with an ear-splitting roar that threatened to rupture eardrums, reached the Fatui camp in an instant. With unstoppable might, it descended directly onto its target.
BOOM!!!
The earth quaked violently!
Even before the shockwave from the impact could spread, the warhead detonated, releasing an intense burst of blinding light. Then, in an instant, a massive fireball erupted, spreading destruction.
Blazing fire consumed the entire area, and the massive shockwave and searing heat enveloped everything within range.
BOOM!!!
Rebels stationed at Nazuchi Beach and the Shogunate forces at Kujou Encampment both looked toward the source of the explosion. In the distance, a colossal mushroom cloud was rising over the Tatarasuna region!
The terrifying shockwave expanded outward for over ten kilometers, and the massive mushroom cloud engulfed the entire Tatarasuna area.
The explosion sent waves five meters high surging in all directions, crashing toward the shores.
No one knew how much time had passed.
Tatarasuna—once a complex landscape of rugged mountains and ravines, home to the Mikage Furnace and tainted remains of a bygone god—was no more.
The mountains had been obliterated in an instant. The once-imposing peaks seemed to have been erased from the map by an enormous hand, leaving behind a flat expanse of shattered rocks and scorched earth.
The former Fatui camp was gone, leaving only a single figure standing.
As for the rest of the Fatui forces, the moment the warhead exploded, they were instantly reduced to ashes under the intense pressure and temperatures exceeding 3,000 degrees Celsius.
Only the Doctor remained, having used every ounce of his power and every trick at his disposal to survive the blast.
But survival was all he managed.
Standing amidst the rubble and scorched earth, the Doctor, now completely hairless and naked, was a pitiful sight. His clothes and hair had been incinerated, and his charred skin was covered in cracks and burns. He looked like a piece of meat left too long on a grill, burnt to a crisp.
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