Chapter 163 A triumphant return, a star of death brings celebration…
Lei's film felt very confused.
She had been quietly isolating herself in her sanctuary, just like every day before.
There will be no loss, no pain, no calamity.
Today was different, because a blond-haired guy barged in from nowhere and looked at him with a surprised expression.
"You are... a true god? What Yae no Miko said is true!"
Hearing her old friend's name again after so long, Lei felt a slight pang of nostalgia, but this was not enough to stop her from hacking at the traveler—for she knew in her heart that standing before her was an eternal enemy.
Then there's no need to think too much, just swing the knife; no hesitation, no thought required.
Just like the past five hundred years.
There's no need to pay attention to those noisy words.
"Do you know what's happened outside? Do you know how much everyone hates your ban... Damn it! Listen to me! Open your eyes and see what everyone wants!"
Desire, too, is an eternal enemy, something that should be crushed along with this traveler.
"..."
But why?
"Can't...win?"
The traveler's own strength was not exceptional; even with the protection of wind and rock, he should not have been able to withstand divine power. So why? Why did countless fireflies of hope cross the barriers of time and space, rushing to converge on that foreign sword? Its light was so intense that it even illuminated this desolate, dark, and serene land that had been lonely for centuries?
"Entrusted with the hopes and aspirations of a nation..."
"Shouldn't it be me..."
"Please abolish the Eye-Hunting Order! Your Excellency!"
Countless sounds pierced through the sacred land, roaring in her ears.
"Isn't eternity good?"
When humanity's desires converge, they transcend time and space, even forcing the supreme gods to yield. But what shakes Lei's film is not only its own defeat, but also...
"Hahahaha! This is the creation Balzeb used to replace me? Pathetic! Weak, weak!!"
Lei opened her eyes in reality and saw a huge mechanical hand piercing through the general's chest. The sound of elemental chaos erupting from the breach was heard. When she looked up again, the Sumeru-style mecha was tattered and broken. A purple-haired boy was laughing wildly in the cabin that had been cut in half. His appearance was seven parts similar to the general's.
"Hahaha! A worthless piece of trash, despised by the gods, has defeated the perfect creation of the gods! How ironic! How ridiculous! My dear sister, why aren't you laughing?"
The mecha's giant hand pierced deeper into the puppet general's chest. Lei Yingdian heard the material inside his body creaking. His body was being pushed back with each thrust. It didn't hurt, but he was losing his balance a little.
"Hahaha..." The boy's lips curled into a wide grin, displaying the smug satisfaction of a villain. "Could it be that you're some kind of mentally challenged doll who can't even laugh, a blockhead? How pathetic, how pathetic!"
His smile faded, revealing anxiety and a hint of emptiness. Lei looked at his face for a while and finally realized something.
"The Kingdom of Thunder and Lightning collapsed."
She called out like that.
What are you doing here?
Shouldn't the pavilion, which borrows the scenery, be waiting there?
"..."
Lei found it difficult to describe the changes in the boy's expression in words. His anxiety and emptiness froze instantly. He looked at the puppet he had passed through, his beautiful eyes revealing astonishment and disbelief. Then, a surge of purer hatred and rage rose up.
“Barzeb…”
"Barzebu!!!"
He yanked the mech's arm out, the broken pieces of the general's material stuck in his wrist, the large hole once again bringing a manic joy to his face.
"Barzeb! Barzeb! How does it feel to have your chest pierced by a loser? How does it feel to be wantonly humiliated by an outcast? Mother, Father, Sovereign, God, I will stomp your face into the ground!"
"Hahaha! Excellent, excellent! I should really thank the Great Tree King for pulling me back from the edge of the World Tree, otherwise I would have regretfully missed such a beautiful sight!"
Lei's movie didn't feel very good. The damage to her chest made the general's elemental flow very difficult, forcing her to bend over and pant like a human.
The mech in front of him was stingy, not even allowing him a moment's rest.
"Speak! Speak up! Barzeb, speak to me!"
"Shouldn't you react to seeing that long-lost monster? How does it feel to be defeated by something weak? Speak up, Balzeb!!"
What do I want to say?
In a noisy field of vision, Balzeb once again sees the face of the Thunder Kingdom after five hundred years.
Innocence vanished, leaving only distortion; purity was annihilated, leaving only madness; even the once tearful, crystalline pupils were burned dry by rage.
So ferocious, so painful, so... pitiful.
So, in response to his request and out of compassion, Lei Yingdian spoke his mind at that moment.
"With the nation in ruins, I somewhat regret creating you."
Upon hearing this, all was silent except for the sound of Yae no Kamiko gasping in terror.
"Idiot! We're doomed..."
"No, no! This is not what I want!"
The boy in the cabin trembled violently upon hearing this, his expression a mixture of crying and laughing, hysterical and on the verge of death.
"This is not what I wanted!! Shut up!"
With a hoarse roar, the mech raised its leg, its toes stomping towards General Thunder, as if to crush the divinely created body like mud.
"Get out of here!!"
"Hiss!" Wait, holy crap! This kid's gone mad!
Orobas was completely terrified, and he launched himself to intercept the skirmishers.
If Lei's movies really cause problems that shock the heavens, wouldn't I have to repay the sins again?
It was too late. He could only watch helplessly as the God of Justice stomped down with all his might, causing elements to scatter and splash straight onto... the fox's pink fur?
"Sino! The Traveler!"
The fox priest, revealing his true form and amplifying his demonic appearance, stood in front of the doll with his fur standing on end.
"I have already redeemed the Shadow's life with information. Do you really want Inazuma to become a chaotic country without divine protection? This place borders the Dark Sea!"
"Scattered soldiers! Calm down!"
A brilliant purple light shone, and wolf shadows appeared. Seno quickly jumped into the cabin to stop the skirmishers from continuing their attack.
But as soon as he entered the cabin, he froze, trembling, because the black-clad, purple-haired boy had stopped operating the mecha and was now sitting with his legs bent in the pilot's seat, his arms wrapped around his knees, his hat pulled low so that his face could not be seen.
"Scattered soldiers? You've stopped?"
Sino looked at the small group of people.
"This is not what I want... This is not what I want..."
A low murmur came from under the straw hat, carrying a sense of emptiness after all strength had been drained, a stark contrast to the hysterical madness of before.
well.
Sino approached him, stood beside his chair, and asked softly.
"So what do you want, skirmisher?"
"You want the Heart of God? But isn't the feat of defeating a god more precious than the Heart of God?"
"Do you want revenge? But now you've stopped attacking."
"Or do you just want agreement and approval?"
"Get out of here... Disciplinary Officer... Get out of here..."
The doll's knuckles turned white from the force applied, and after a while, they seemed to fall apart as if powerless.
"Revenge, retribution, destruction, bloodshed—fool, how would you know what I want!"
Intermittent sobs could be heard coming from under the straw hat.
"Damn it! I wasn't programmed with this kind of program when I was created! No! Waaah! No way!"
...
Lei listened quietly to the sobs coming from inside the cabin for a while, then looked at the castle tower that had been reduced to ruins.
"I feel like I've done something wrong again, Divine Child, but I haven't done anything at all."
"Ancestors!"
The great fox rolled its eyes, then transformed back into a charming woman. "Your biggest mistake was doing nothing! Eternal God!"
"..."
The goddess frowned in confusion. She didn't quite understand the meaning of those words, but when she thought of how she had been completely defeated in every way, she felt that Yae might have a point.
"I do nothing, just to stop losing."
She explained herself.
“Look, Sasa Yuri, Mikoto Chiyo, and Kitsuri-no-miya, in the past five hundred years, I have never lost a friend as important as them.”
Yae no Miko didn't speak, but just looked at her as if she were an idiot.
"..."
Lei turned his gaze away from her.
After a long while, she finally sighed in resignation.
"If my sister were still alive, Inazuma would be a million times better off than he is now."
"……snort."
Yae no Miko relaxed her body. She knew that although Lei Yingdian, who had been forcibly awakened, still found the pain unforgettable, he would no longer abandon his people and hand over the country to the general to manage.
Unless she wants to be beaten again!
Exhausted, Miss Fox covered her mouth and yawned, lazily watching Shadow drag his broken body to find the boy who had been pulled off the mecha by Seno. She opened her mouth as if to say something.
"roll!!"
Oh, she got scolded right away, and she looks so down. I hope she doesn't start crying and making a scene.
Serves you right! I'm exhausted!
With the mission accomplished and no casualties, Ayato Kamisato breathed a sigh of relief and asked Manyo beside him with a smile.
"It seems we can hold a grand celebration banquet tonight. I should bring out the best wine glasses I have at home..."
"No, thank you."
"Hmm?" Ayato asked, puzzled. "There's no reason not to celebrate a great victory in this world."
"No, I have to go back quickly."
Wan Ye turned around and revealed a slightly smug smile.
"Because there are still cats waiting for me."
"..."
Before Ayato could say anything, Thomas, who was standing next to him, chimed in with his eyes lit up!
"Oh! We really need to hurry back! Who can resist a warm, fluffy hug when they open the door at home?"
Ayato: "No, I think your two cats are quite different... but never mind."
At least in terms of being well cared for, they are the same.
*
Some people stayed behind to handle the remaining matters concerning Inazuma, while others rushed to Liyue.
The stragglers chose to go to Liyue without hesitation, ignoring the lightning bolt reaching out behind them.
The trip to Inazuma was not as enjoyable as he had imagined, and the pleasure that pierced the general's chest was short-lived, making his strong self-recommendation to Nasita to go to Inazuma with Seno seem like a joke.
Damn it! Why do I have to live such a contradictory and painful, ironic and empty life? Excitement is always followed by emptiness, and outbursts are always followed by exhaustion! Why, why!
The skirmisher sat atop the ship of the Death Star, pounding the ground with his fists, pulling out his hair, and whipping his straw hat, venting his emotions like an infant. What difference was there between him and an infant? He had never been taught by adults how to properly alleviate his suffering before he was kicked into the world!
The traveler almost had his ahoge (cowlick) shaved off by a falling straw hat when he climbed onto the top of the ship.
"Wow!"
Paimon screamed in terror, "Friendly troops! Don't fire!"
"Get out of the way!" The skirmisher showed no mercy to anyone. "Get lost if you don't want to get electrocuted!!"
"His temper is as bad as ever..."
Paimon murmured, while the traveler used wind to recall the flying hat, jumping onto the ship's roof and handing it back to its owner.
"Give."
He didn't answer, his eyes slightly red, and he said rudely, "Didn't I tell you to get lost? Are you deaf! Watch out, or I'll..."
"Be careful of what? Will you shock me?"
The traveler, without batting an eye, slapped his straw hat back onto his head. "The celebration banquet hosted by Big Sister Beidou has already begun. Come down and eat."
"Invite me? Are you all insane?... Who wants to eat your human food? Get out of here!"
Paimon was shocked and felt sorry for him: "This guy doesn't like to eat? He's missing out on so many delicious meals!"
"...Your focus is so absurd it's laughable. Get down here right now, don't force me to say it again..."
As the skirmisher was threatening in a low voice, he suddenly saw two white heads peeking out from the top of the ship.
“He’s chasing people away. Did we come at the wrong time?” Yu-Jin asked Man-Ye.
"Hey, how many times have I told you? You can't just listen to what people say; you have to listen to what comes from their hearts too."
Man-yeo climbed onto the top of the ship and walked towards the scattered soldiers with a smile.
"Are you really going to kick me out, my friend? We just went through a great war together."
"We can barely be considered comrades-in-arms," Youren added.
"..."
The Tokugawa Tomohito soldier didn't care at all, but when Kaedehara Manyo stood in front of him, the soldier's gaze was fixed on the tuft of red hair on his head, and he couldn't utter any harsh words, as if he were bewitched.
"...What are you doing up here? If you have nothing to do, go down. The victory celebration isn't on the roof."
Paimon: "Whoa, he's not fierce anymore all of a sudden!"
"Shut up! You're being noisy!"
"So it was just preferential treatment!"
"Alright, alright," Wan Ye said with a smile, trying to smooth things over. "Of course I know the celebration banquet is downstairs, but we can't be allowed to eat our fill while our heroes go to bed hungry... Here you go."
He handed what Youren was holding to the soldier, who opened it and was immediately struck by a thought.
"...Tea-soaked rice?"
“Yes.” Wan Ye nodded without changing her expression. “It’s light and refreshing, it’ll help cool you down.”
"..." The stragglers were a little disappointed.
"Okay, just kidding. Actually, before I said goodbye to Sesos, he told me that you liked this dish, and he also told me to get along well with you."
“...a talkative fellow.”
The purple-haired boy picked up his chopsticks expressionlessly, his expression neither showing liking nor disliking, but he did swallow a grain of rice.
"I've eaten. You can leave now if you have nothing else to do... Traveler! What are you doing?!"
"There's no reason for you to eat alone."
In the blink of an eye, Kong had set up a pot on the top of the boat, and amidst the fragrant aroma, he tore off a large chicken leg and stuffed it into Paimon's mouth.
"There's no table to put the food on, it's so inconvenient."
"I'll go downstairs and get it; I'm just killing time anyway," Youren volunteered.
"Very good, very energetic! Here, you can have the rest of the chicken leg!"
"Wait!? It's not you guys!"
The stragglers got up to stop him, but Youren was as swift as the wind. In no time, he actually came up with a chicken leg in his mouth and a table on his back, followed by a newcomer.
"Well done, traveler! I've heard from Xiangling that you're a good cook, but it turns out you've been secretly cooking for others behind my back!"
A jar of wine slammed onto the table. Beidou, feigning anger, pointed and said, "Hurry up and make up for it with a plate of stir-fried pork slices, boiled fish... Oh dear, just bring out the spicy dishes!"
"Wait, there are more and more people!?" The stragglers were shocked and furious. "Get down here, all of you! Don't you know what politeness and distance are!?"
"The captain has the authority to be present anywhere on the Death Star, including on the top deck!"
"..." The stragglers looked around, trying to find a quiet spot, but the ship was only so big, and the surrounding area was all sea. How many quiet spots were there?
"Traveler, do you know how to make Sumeru Cuisine?"
Looking around, another person climbed up – it was Seno. He naturally started ordering food, as if eating on the roof of the ship was a matter of course.
"You don't know how? Then I'll show you..."
"...Are you all idiots?" The skirmisher could hardly believe his eyes. "There are lights and stoves on the deck, it's bright and warm, and there are lots of people there. Why don't you all go there? Why do you all have to come to the top deck and fight with me for the cold wind, the darkness, and the quiet? Are you all crazy?!"
"But the victory celebration is for everyone who participated in the war."
The traveler spread his hands, looking completely innocent.
"As long as even one meritorious official has not yet arrived, even if the victory banquet is held at Yujingtai, it will still feel somewhat incomplete, won't it?"
"..."
Frustrated and helpless, the soldier shoved a mouthful of rice into his mouth, turned away, and said nothing more.
Because his back was to everyone, he didn't notice the knowing smiles on everyone's faces.
'This should make him feel better, right? It'll at least distract him a little.'
Paimon whispered, leaning close to Seno's ear: "Speaking of which, aren't you the Grand Disciplinary Officer? I thought you and the Executive... even the former ones, should be at odds."
'The situation in the land of Sumeru is unique.'
Sino explained to her in a low voice.
'We tend to observe and tolerate foreign teenagers who... well... are sharp-tongued and seem rebellious and unapproachable more than we should. It's a legacy issue from recent years, I suppose. Sigh, seeing him like this, I doubt he'll break this habit anytime soon.'
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