As the first thunderclap exploded across the heavens, life was suddenly born within this once-dead space.
The ashen sky condensed in an instant, forming thunderclouds that blotted out everything.
What was truly terrifying was that Ei and the Shogun—both gods of thunder—felt fear rise in their hearts as they faced this brewing lightning.
This…
Was not something they could control.
It transcended laws and concepts alike.
It was the embodiment of the will of heaven and earth.
"Ninefold Heavenly Lightning,
Transform into divine thunder."
Lumine's voice grew vast and majestic, like that of an immortal descending into the mortal realm. Divine resonance shook antiquity, her words echoing from every corner of existence.
The Shogun, facing this attack head-on, suddenly realized—
All her movements were locked.
Under the suppression of world will, thunder refused her command. Her limbs would not obey. Even her bones began to creak under unbearable pressure.
"Radiant heavenly thunder—
Drawn forth by the sword!"
Lumine raised her sword finger high. The lightning condensed into a single sword that pierced heaven and earth. Bathed in blinding radiance, everyone could see Lumine's unsteady form—and her deathly pale face.
This was a technique she could not fully control.
Even a simplified version of Divine Sword Commanding the Thunder was still a simplified immortal art.
In a sense, it was more terrifying than any Heaven-tier cultivation method.
Such a technique was never meant to be used casually.
With Lumine's current strength, even going all out, she could at most unleash perhaps one percent of the power of the simplified Divine Sword Commanding the Thunder.
But the cost was immediate and absolute—her true essence would be drained in an instant.
Still, as a final trump card, it was more than enough.
The thunder-forged divine sword descended as if to redivide earth, fire, wind, and water themselves—carrying the will to annihilate all existence.
The Shogun slowly lowered her naginata, relief appearing in her eyes.
It wasn't that she didn't wish to resist—
But in that fleeting instant, every calculation, every possible outcome she could foresee led to a single conclusion.
Certain death.
This was a sword she could neither resist nor comprehend.
A power no human or god should possess.
Once this strike was unleashed, the result was already decided.
At last, the Shogun truly believed—
Cultivation was a force capable of changing Eternity.
With cultivation, Inazuma would one day reach an even greater Eternity.
To witness that brilliant future in her final moment was enough.
None of this betrayed the original will of Eternity Ei had embedded within her. And under this overwhelming power, Ei herself glimpsed what true Eternity for Inazuma looked like.
Just as she had said—
This time, she would move forward.
The naginata fell to the ground.
The Shogun spread her arms, ready to embrace her glorious end.
To fall beneath such unimaginable swordsmanship was an honor.
Death, too, could be a form of Eternity.
And now—she would pursue her own.
"Shogun!"
Ei cried out. Gritting her teeth, she finally acted.
She transformed into a bolt of lightning and stood before the Shogun.
Gathering every ounce of her lifelong understanding of swordsmanship, her divine power, and her will, Ei unleashed a transcendent strike toward the thunder sword.
There was no evasion possible.
Only resistance.
But how could one possibly withstand this?
Even though Ei had grasped a deeper realm of Musou no Hitotachi at this very moment, it still fell short of countering a power that transcended swordsmanship itself.
"Ei! Get out of the way! You can't block it!"
Paimon shouted in panic.
This was madness!
That was Divine Sword Commanding the Thunder! Even a non-original version was still terrifying.
Lumine—a Lapis Swordheart Divine Body—had been completely drained by this single strike.
She herself couldn't control it.
Paimon had heard Zhongli mention that when Jiang Yan once unleashed Divine Sword Commanding the Thunder—
If he hadn't restrained its power, Teyvat would have shattered before the sword even descended.
Immortal arts existed to transcend mortals.
Yet Ei did not waver.
Her desperate, all-out strike slammed into the thunder sword.
"You—"
"Enough talking! I made a promise to myself!"
Ei clenched her teeth, watching her sword aura shatter inch by inch, failing to buy even a moment.
"A new era of change will inevitably bring more loss—but if I can, I'll do everything in my power to prevent even a single loss!"
"And you too!"
"Shogun—you are my friend!"
The Shogun's pupils contracted as she stared blankly at Ei.
In the distance, space had already collapsed into black voids, spreading outward toward them.
"Stop standing there—help me!"
Ei urged.
The Shogun immediately lifted her naginata, unleashing an equally dazzling strike toward the thunder sword.
"It's useless!"
Paimon cried out anxiously.
"This is the will of heaven and earth! Defying it means certain death!"
The two massive sword auras merged.
In a daze, Ei recalled an old folk saying—
That there were beings on the earth who dared to face the majesty of thunder.
It had once described the power of her Musou no Hitotachi.
Now…
It described her own actions.
Her blade represented personal will.
But Divine Sword Commanding the Thunder—
Was the will of the world itself.
And that will—
Ei refused to accept it.
Reality, however, was cruel.
Even combined, even unleashing the strongest power of their lives, Ei and the Shogun could do little more than slightly reduce the pressure.
The subsequent thunder sword energy would still erase them with ease.
Human will might be infinite—
But cultivators stood above infinity itself.
"This is the end."
The Shogun smiled faintly, gazing at the lightning now within arm's reach.
She had never imagined that as a thunder god puppet created by Ei, she would one day die to thunder itself.
Fitting, perhaps.
Using her final strength, she knocked Ei away with a single strike.
"Shogun!"
Ei stared in despair as lightning engulfed the Shogun. The latter closed her eyes.
At least she had resisted this irresistible will.
In that instant—
Perhaps that, too, was Eternity.
But suddenly—
Musou Isshin erupted with an unprecedented radiance, soft and gentle, soothing all ripples in the heart.
"Please help me… Lady I…"
A whisper Ei knew all too well echoed in her ears.
The next moment, the power of time flowed through the surroundings.
Time became threads, binding the thunder sword—but this alone was not enough.
Then—
Time itself erupted.
Invisible and colorless, a black裂隙裂缝 opened before the Shogun.
The thunder sword descended—and was swallowed entirely by the rift.
The Shogun stared at herself in disbelief.
"I… didn't die?"
At that moment—
Primordial Jade Cutter shot out from Lumine's waist on its own.
An aura sharper than anything before exploded outward.
In a single instant, the space was riddled with countless cracks.
The chilling edge made everyone feel as though they were being pierced by ten thousand arrows.
The Primordial Jade Cutter was furious.
Ignoring Lumine's control, it effortlessly sliced through space itself.
Even the time authority—one of the supreme powers of all realms—was severed like fragile silk.
A reversed river of time appeared.
This was a closed temporal loop.
At its center sat a lone figure, indistinct, vaguely feminine.
Though her face could not be seen, her shock was unmistakable.
She had never encountered a sentient weapon capable of cutting through a time loop.
And from that weapon, she sensed a lethal threat.
"Sister Istaroth!"
Paimon cried out instinctively—then froze.
She didn't know why she had said it.
At the sound of her voice, the Primordial Jade Cutter's aura finally calmed.
It pointed distantly at Istaroth.
The figure quickly bowed, her lips moving as if saying something, before sealing the time loop once more.
She hadn't expected that helping an old friend would nearly cost her life.
That weapon…
Was terrifying beyond measure.
The Primordial Jade Cutter circled Lumine, as if inspecting for lingering anomalies.
Only after a long while did it finally settle back at her waist.
The entire scene left everyone stunned.
After a moment, Lumine stared at Paimon in shock.
"…You just called her Sister Istaroth?"
"I…"
Paimon opened her mouth, feeling inexplicably close to the name, but finally shook her head.
"Paimon doesn't know…"
Lumine gave her a deep look.
She had always known Paimon was mysterious.
She had heard of Istaroth from Venti—one of the Primordial Four Shades, the Shade of Time.
Paimon calling her "sister" meant—
Paimon was connected to the Shades.
Perhaps she herself was one of them.
If Lumine remembered correctly, among the Four Shades was also the Shade of Space.
That would explain why Paimon possessed a divine body, why her strength grew so quickly—and why Jiang Yan had said Paimon was recovering her power.
Still—
No matter what, Paimon was her partner.
That was all that mattered.
Lumine swallowed a pill, dragging her weakened divine body over to Ei.
"Ei… are you alright?"
She had countless questions.
The mysterious voice, Istaroth, time authority—
Inazuma was far stranger than she'd expected.
Still, she wasn't worried.
If she wasn't mistaken, Primordial Jade Cutter had sensed danger and issued a warning to Istaroth.
As long as the sword was with her, nothing could happen.
But Ei didn't answer.
She wasn't even looking at the Shogun.
Her trembling hand reached toward the dimmed Musou Isshin.
"Makoto… is that you?"
The space fell silent.
After a long while, the voice returned—this time weary.
"That was close… I almost dragged her into it…"
"What a terrifying power."
A gentle pink glow emerged from Musou Isshin.
It flickered before Ei, then a soft, joyful voice spoke.
"It's been a long time, Ei. Or perhaps… a very long time."
"I'm sorry. Your unreliable sister left you to shoulder Inazuma alone."
"It must have been hard…"
Ei finally knew.
Tears instantly blurred her vision.
"Makoto… I…"
"I…"
After five hundred years of longing, her sister stood before her—
Yet Ei didn't know what to say.
She had so many questions.
Why Makoto hadn't waited for her.
Why she existed within Musou Isshin.
How she had betrayed Inazuma in pursuit of Eternity.
She wanted to apologize—
But none of it felt like the right moment.
Makoto didn't speak.
She simply waited, gently, just like she always had.
Gradually, the turmoil in Ei's heart subsided.
At last, tears streamed down her face.
"Makoto… I missed you so much…"
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Translator's Thoughts
Hello everyone,
This wasn't an easy decision to make, but after giving it a lot of thought, I've decided to discontinue this fan-fiction on both public and private platforms due to the lack of support on Patreon.
I truly appreciate everyone who has read the story, left comments, added it to their collection, voted, and supported me. Your support has meant a lot to me. However, translating and editing each chapter takes a significant amount of time and effort, and without enough Patreon support, I can no longer justify continuing the project.
The remaining chapters that are currently available can still be read on my Patreon.
If the story receives enough support on Patreon in the future, I may continue translating and releasing the fan-fiction again on both public and private platforms.
Thank you all for your understanding and for being part of this journey. I sincerely appreciate every one of you who gave this story a chance.