Seeing the unyielding resolve in Ei's eyes, the Shogun said nothing more.
She understood it clearly—just as she would never overturn her own will, Ei was the same.
"Then come," the Shogun said calmly, taking one step after another toward Ei.
"Use your blade to tell me the difference between Eternity and Transience—between the past and the present."
Ei did not reply. Like the Shogun, she advanced step by step.
Lumine had initially intended to step forward and help, but when she met Ei's gaze, she ultimately stopped.
This was Ei's battle.
The present Ei correcting the cowardly self of the past.
Blades collided in brilliant flashes of light. At the pinnacle of swordsmanship, their techniques clashed with overwhelming force. Even Lumine—who had seen Keqing and others wield far more mysterious and unpredictable sword arts—had to admit it:
The swordsmanship of these two had already surpassed the limits of humanity.
With Ei and the Shogun fighting at full power, even Lumine dared not rashly enter the battlefield.
She was still only at the mid-stage of Refining Essence into Qi.
The space was filled with exploding lightning. For someone at Paimon's level, being grazed by that thunder would be no different from being struck by Ningguang wielding a Five-Thunder Talisman.
As a result, Paimon had long since hidden herself against Lumine's body.
"You once said that only Eternity could guarantee Inazuma's future!"
The Shogun deflected Ei's strike and thrust her blade straight toward Ei's vital point.
"That was the belief of my cowardly past self!"
Ei blocked, then knocked the Shogun's blade aside.
"Even now, I still don't fully understand what Eternity or Transience truly means. But I do know this—Eternity cannot protect Inazuma! All I want is for Inazuma to survive!"
"Absurd! You are doubting your own strength!"
"If I were truly invincible, then why did Makoto die back then? Why was I defeated by the Conqueror of Demons?"
"You've already lost your belief in invincibility!"
"So-called invincibility was nothing but my own wishful thinking!" Ei shouted back.
"I was never the strongest! Even now, I cannot protect Inazuma! This upheaval can only be resolved through change!"
"Spiritual energy revival can be suppressed with Eternity!"
"What I need isn't suppression—it's Inazuma's future! It's the dream I promised Makoto, and the people—a fleeting yet precious dream!"
Seizing an opening, Ei drove her blade through the Shogun's heart.
Once again, the Shogun fell.
This was already the unknown number of times the Shogun had died at Ei's hands since the battle began.
After centuries of seclusion honing her blade, Ei had grown stronger than before.
The Shogun was the embodiment of Ei's former, complete strength.
Yet each time she defeated the Shogun, Ei's understanding deepened further.
"Nothing in this world is immutable. Over these five hundred years, I've grown stronger—by my very existence, I have already shattered Eternity!"
"The me of the past was cowardly and selfish. To avoid witnessing tragedy again, I sealed Inazuma away with childish methods!"
"I thought that as long as everything remained unchanged, Inazuma would always be Inazuma…"
"But in truth, I myself kept changing. Eternity never existed—at least, it never existed within me!"
"I don't know if I can be called strong now," Ei murmured, gripping the radiant blade of Musou Isshin and smiling faintly.
"But I choose to move forward."
"Even if the road ahead is imperfect, even if I will continue to lose things… as long as Inazuma can endure, that will be my answer—to Makoto, and to the people."
"I am still afraid. But this time, I don't want to retreat anymore!"
As the Shogun reformed once more, Ei smiled softly.
"Come. Let us continue."
"All faults began with me—so they should be ended by my own hands."
"One year. Ten years. A hundred. A thousand."
"Until I can change you. Until I can let Inazuma live in the way its people desire."
"Continue, Shogun!"
"I may not have had the courage to face the past… but now, I believe I finally have the strength to walk forward."
The Shogun stared at Ei. This time, she did not immediately attack.
After a long silence, she spoke softly,
"Is this the will you possess now?"
"Yes," Ei replied, her gaze firm. The childlike mindset of the past gradually faded away.
"At this moment, I know how to shoulder the responsibility of a god."
"This will was left to me by Makoto. It is what I must bear—and what I must accept."
"She represented Transience. I represented Eternity. We were always one."
"If I forcibly impose Eternity upon Inazuma… then I would be strangling the final will Makoto left behind."
"Perhaps she never truly left—she simply chose a way I refused to acknowledge, staying by my side in another form."
"Inazuma is her treasure. It is my treasure. And it is also your treasure."
The Shogun's gaze wavered slightly, her heart inexplicably trembling.
"Must Inazuma… truly change?"
Sensing the Shogun's hesitation, Ei spoke urgently,
"Yes, Shogun! You, I—we cannot save Inazuma as it is now."
"The only path forward lies with Lumine. With Shushan."
"Spiritual energy revival is not just our problem—it's the tide of all Teyvat."
"And protecting Inazuma isn't solely our burden. It's the responsibility of every Inazuman."
At that moment, Lumine also stepped forward.
"Shogun, you don't understand how terrifying spiritual energy revival truly is."
"Do you remember Kaedehara Kazuha—the one who blocked your strike that day? He's a disciple of Shushan, a cultivator at the early stage of Refining Essence into Qi."
"Spiritual energy revival will bring countless ferocious beasts. In Liyue, early-stage Refining Essence beasts have already appeared—Foundation Establishment beasts are beyond counting."
"You and Ei are strong, yes. But how can you guarantee that you'll be able to protect Inazuma as the revival deepens?"
"You are only one person. How can one person withstand the momentum of an entire world?"
"Can you really promise that you alone can fend off every ferocious beast?"
"You could say you'll relocate everyone into Inazuma City and protect them there."
"But… what about the other regions? Will you abandon them?"
The Shogun fell silent. Lumine's words rang true within her reasoning.
"Even if early-stage Refining Essence beasts aren't your match, Teyvat is evolving."
"Sooner or later, there will be peak Refining Essence beasts."
"When that happens, even you won't be able to stop them. Everyone gathered in Inazuma City will die."
"And beyond that—rejecting the tide of the era is the same as rejecting the possibility of growth."
"Shogun, nothing is truly eternal. If there is to be an Eternity, it should be the future."
"An infinite future of possibilities—that is true Eternity!"
The Shogun had not abandoned her pursuit of Eternity.
But Lumine's words struck directly at the core of her governing logic.
If countless beings comparable to Xiao emerged in the future, she truly could not withstand them.
And if she failed…
Inazuma would fall.
A fallen Inazuma—could that still be called Eternity?
At this moment, Lumine had bypassed the Shogun's internal safeguards in the most unexpected way.
After a long silence, the Shogun looked at Lumine.
"Inazuma's Eternity cannot be changed."
Lumine's face darkened, ready to curse—
But the Shogun continued,
"However, if I cannot safeguard Inazuma's Eternity, then I would be betraying the original will Ei instilled in me."
"Then change it!" Lumine said urgently.
"Senior Sister Miko has already joined Shushan. She can introduce you and Ei to cultivate there."
"Once you cultivate, you'll gain the power to protect Inazuma!"
Ei's eyes lit up, excitement surging through her.
"Cultivation… is a variable."
The Shogun frowned slightly, thinking.
"But if a variable is used to preserve Eternity, then the variable itself becomes Eternity."
She lifted her head and fixed her gaze on Lumine.
"Prove it to me."
"Prove… it?" Lumine blinked.
"Prove that cultivation—the variable—can uphold Inazuma's Eternity."
"…So after all that, we're still fighting?" Lumine snapped irritably.
"If you possess the power to completely destroy me, then I will believe you."
Ei's expression changed instantly.
"Shogun!"
The Shogun glanced calmly at Ei.
"If I do not die, Eternity cannot be changed. If I do, then I will believe you."
Lumine pressed her lips together, looking at the Shogun with complicated emotions.
"Ei may have suffered erosion… but she's still willing to protect Inazuma forever."
"Whether I remain or leave doesn't affect Inazuma's survival."
"Let my life bear witness to whether your so-called cultivation can truly save Inazuma—and whether it aligns with the pursuit of Eternity."
Ei lowered her head, fists clenched tightly.
Though she had created the Shogun, over the centuries she no longer viewed her as a tool—but as a companion.
Now, that same loss was about to be reenacted.
Ei felt herself on the verge of collapse, yet she had already resolved to bear the consequences of her choices.
As for whether Lumine could defeat the Shogun—
Ei had no doubt.
She was a cultivator.
Ei might not fully understand the extent of a cultivator's power, but if Lumine lacked that capability, Yae Miko would never have entrusted this task to her.
Lumine hesitated—but the Shogun had already raised her naginata.
"Show me," the Shogun said calmly,
"that this change is enough to safeguard Inazuma's future Eternity."
Once again, Lumine faced a wager made with life itself.
She didn't understand why it had to be this way—but perhaps…
Ideological struggles were the deepest obsessions etched into the human heart.
To some, such obsessions might seem laughable.
Yet there would always be those willing to pay with their lives for them.
And such resolve deserved respect.
Lumine looked at the Shogun, uncertain.
Objectively speaking, both the Shogun and Ei were immensely powerful.
And within this space, where the Shogun was immortal, Lumine seemed to be at a disadvantage.
She admitted it—if this were a spar, she likely couldn't defeat either of them.
Even as a cultivator, the Shogun was still the Thunder God of this world.
But—
A battle to the death was different.
Lumine had far too many ways to end it.
She was no ordinary cultivator.
She possessed a divine body, countless treasures bestowed by Jiang Yan, and the many arts and sword paths he had personally taught her.
"Do it, Lumine," Ei said softly, breaking her train of thought.
"This is the Shogun's will."
"Respect her—and respect the power that seeks to change Eternity."
Ei looked at the Shogun and spoke gently,
"Thank you, Shogun. Over these years, we clashed, our wills opposed one another."
"But I am grateful for your companionship."
"My growth could not have happened without you."
The Shogun's gaze softened as well.
"You no longer need me, Ei."
"If I die, it proves I can no longer safeguard Inazuma's Eternity—and that cultivation is a power capable of changing it."
Ei found it difficult to accept the Shogun's departure.
Though the Shogun had obstructed her, she had always acted for Inazuma—and for Ei herself.
Noticing Ei's wavering gaze, the Shogun spoke firmly,
"Look at me, Ei."
"You are no longer the coward you once were."
"You are the Thunder God who bears Inazuma upon her shoulders."
She then turned to Lumine.
"Strike. Let me witness this power you call capable of changing Eternity."
With a flick of her naginata, the Shogun's aura condensed to its absolute peak—everything Ei once possessed, distilled into a single, final strike.
Lumine pressed her lips together.
"…Alright."
She slowly raised her hand and formed a seal.
The world dimmed.
The entire space seemed to sink slightly, as if weighed down by something vast and unseen.
"This technique," Lumine said softly,
"is called Divine Sword Commanding the Thunder."
"…Farewell."
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