Kujou Sara took Higashiyama-no-Ou's two slashes experimentally, and feeling the irresistible power, she immediately teleported backward, her body transforming into a bolt of lightning as she moved several meters away in nearly an instant, leaving only a few crow feathers at her original position.
Kujou Sara raised her bow to counterattack, but before the arrow could even be fired, the sword light followed her like a shadow, once again crossing a distance of several meters and slashing directly toward Kujou Sara.
Higashiyama-no-Ou could not use Elemental Power; each of his attacks was a perfect demonstration of speed and strength, and his swordsmanship was so profound that it could make a grandmaster of the way of the sword feel ashamed of himself.
As the one facing him, Kujou Sara felt a suffocating pressure, and the continuous sword strikes meant she could not lose her focus for a single moment, while each strike required her to defend with all her strength, making Kujou Sara feel as if she was on the brink of life and death.
But right at this moment, a bolt of lightning of a much deeper color directly descended from above, bypassing Kujou Sara and precisely hitting the sword-wielding figure. Immediately, Higashiyama-no-Ou's movements stopped, as his entire body fell into a short-term paralyzed state from this astonishing lightning.
Kujou Sara also seized the opportunity to swing her bow forward, sending Higashiyama-no-Ou flying out, and followed up with several more arrows.
By the time these arrows were about to hit Higashiyama-no-Ou, he had already barely broken free from the paralyzed state, but his movements were still a bit awkward. Ultimately, he was still pierced by the arrows, and the Electro Elemental Power erupted violently once again.
When Higashiyama-no-Ou fell to the ground, the injuries on his body were already healed, but his aura was much more withered than before.
Of course, this could not have been caused by Kujou Sara, but by the bolt of lightning that contained the power of the Sacred Sakura Tree from before.
As the main body for suppressing evil spirits and ghosts, the Sacred Sakura Tree had an extraordinary restraint on souls, which was why Higashiyama-no-Ou suffered a heavy loss under the circumstances of a momentary lapse in vigilance.
"I didn't expect that even you would be resurrected."
Yae Miko walked slowly from the other side of the battlefield, the usual flippancy completely gone from her face, which had become unusually serious.
"In that case, Ei has no other choice at all."
Yae Miko looked at the violent lightning continuously brewing in the sky, and in her heart, she basically had the answer to Raiden Ei's choice.
Raiden Ei's greatest regret was loss. She had lost almost everything. Under these circumstances, when she learned that there was a possibility of recovering it all, as long as it didn't ask her to give up all the people of Inazuma, she would be able to make the choice.
The reason why Raiden Ei had not appeared until now was not because she was hesitating, but simply because she was afraid.
She was afraid that the hope in her heart would be shattered, and she would once again feel the despairing pain that had once left her heart dead.
Raiden Ei, who had taken a full five hundred years to barely heal the scars in her heart, had begun to fear being hurt the same way again.
At this moment, Yae Miko's heart was also far from calm. After all, Raiden Ei's sister was also her friend, was she not?!
The pain that Raiden Ei had suffered, had she not also suffered it?!
But someone always has to step forward, someone always has to stand in front and urge the one who cannot step out to keep moving forward!
Ever since Raiden Makoto died, both she and Raiden Ei had changed a lot. They had both built thick walls around their hearts, but she chose to forget, while Raiden Ei chose to completely seal her heart.
When a possibility appeared that could bring Raiden Makoto back to their side, both she and Raiden Ei were willing to risk everything.
"You are..."
Higashiyama-no-Ou looked at Yae Miko, his expression slightly more serious, holding his katana horizontally in front of him to remain on guard, then spoke again.
"I don't think I've seen you before, but you have an aura that makes me feel fear and disgust. It seems you should be the Electro Archon's familiar, or at least someone very close to her."
After speaking, Higashiyama-no-Ou paused before speaking again.
"A pity. I should have used you today to settle the score with the Electro Archon for the sword strike from back then. But my energy is too depleted right now, so I can only save this opportunity for next time."
Yae Miko knew the other party wasn't bluffing. His strength was indeed greater than hers.
Although the Sacred Sakura Tree strongly countered him, Higashiyama-no-Ou would never give her a chance to strike while he was on full guard.
Even now, if Kujou Sara hadn't maintained a certain level of combat effectiveness, he might not have waited for next time and would have attacked directly.
But you think you can just leave this easily? Heh, I'm afraid it won't be that simple!
At this moment, a look of disdain suddenly appeared on Yae Miko's face, and she waved her hand at Higashiyama-no-Ou as if shooing away a little puppy.
"Tsk, if you're going to leave, just go quickly. Don't get in my way while I'm cleaning up the rest of the grunts."
Higashiyama-no-Ou, who was about to withdraw, immediately stopped in his tracks upon hearing Yae Miko's words.
"You underestimate me?!"
A fish has taken the bait!
A cunning smile spread across Yae Miko's lips, but it quickly vanished, replaced by a look of utter disdain as she spoke.
"Not at all. I admit you are very powerful. I don't even dare to fight you."
"That's why you should leave quickly, so I can easily clean up the other grunts."
"Look at you, you can intimidate me all by yourself. You are truly too strong (completely unfazed)."
Seeing this, Kujou Sara's lips twitched slightly, and her gaze toward Higashiyama-no-Ou revealed a hint of sympathy.
How could a simple old antique from over a thousand years ago ever outplay Yae Miko, this contemptible fox? He would probably be sold and still help count the money.
Sure enough, Higashiyama-no-Ou immediately turned red with rage at Yae Miko's obvious attitude of fooling a child.
He was Higashiyama-no-Ou, the God of War and hero in the hearts of everyone on Watatsumi Island. Now he was being looked down upon by a mere woman, and a woman whose strength was not even greater than his. How could he swallow this insult?!
Higashiyama-no-Ou immediately tightened his grip on the katana in his hand. His gaze toward Yae Miko carried a cold killing intent, and his body radiated an incredibly thick scent of blood from having fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Higashiyama-no-Ou was a hero on Watatsumi Island, but to the Shogunate, he was an absolute demon and a monster. His name was forged in the blood of countless people!
"One strike is all it takes."
Higashiyama-no-Ou silently uttered a few words, and the next second, Yae Miko felt a terrifying killing intent!
Fortunately, although Yae Miko's combat power was average, her evasion was fully maxed out. With her advance preparations, at the critical moment, her body turned ethereal and shifted several meters to the left. It was these few meters that allowed her to dodge this world-shaking sword strike.
Seeing the gash extending from Higashiyama-no-Ou's feet all the way to over ten thousand meters, Yae Miko couldn't help but swallow hard.
Good grief, she almost became a slice of sushi.
Yae Miko never expected that the opponent would still hide such terrifying strength, and that last strike of his also seemed strangely familiar.
Wait a minute, could he have comprehended it from the Musou no Hitotachi that was struck down upon him in life?!
He's a monster, isn't he!
Yae Miko stared blankly for a long while before coming back to her senses, then immediately released three Sesshou Sakura, finally placing a finger gently on her crimson lips, her lips curving slightly upward.
"The lightning is so tragically beautiful!"
Because she was wary of his talent, Yae Miko even drew upon a portion of Raiden Ei's power this time. Four terrifying bolts of lightning descended from the sky toward Higashiyama-no-Ou, reaching his head in the blink of an eye.
Higashiyama-no-Ou had not expected Yae Miko to dodge his previous attack. That strike had used up almost all of his strength, and now faced with this crisis, he was powerless to evade.
However, at this moment, several other bolts of lightning appeared, striking first and colliding head-on with the four bolts. The violent Electro Element exploded in mid-air, covering the entire area within a radius of dozens of meters in lightning.
Although the affected area was relatively small, each bolt of lightning was deep purple, and the Electro Elemental Power contained within was much stronger than Kujou Sara's attacks.
By this time, Higashiyama-no-Ou finally reacted, using his last shred of strength to escape the blast radius of the colliding attacks.
When he broke free, his body was already charred black, barely retaining a human shape.
A flash of white light passed, and Higashiyama-no-Ou restored to his original appearance, though nearly half of his body had just reformed only to collapse again.
"Hmph, what a useless piece of trash!"
Hearing these words, Higashiyama-no-Ou's face clearly showed a hint of anger, his fists clenching with a "crackle," but in the end, he still did not argue back.
Because the opponent's strength was indeed far above his.
At this moment, a figure wearing a purple straw hat slowly walked over. When Kujou Sara saw this scene, she immediately felt a suffocating aura wash over her, and she even sensed the shadow of the Raiden Shogun from this figure. Meanwhile, a look of obvious surprise appeared on the face of Yae Miko, who was not far away.
"It's actually you?!"
"The Gnosis has already been given to you, so what are you doing in Inazuma again?"
That's right, the one appearing before Yae Miko at this moment was precisely Scaramouche.
After hearing Yae Miko's words, Scaramouche spread his hands and burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, how could the Gnosis be enough?!"
"I have returned from hell, and I will take revenge on all those who betrayed me!"
"Inazuma is just the beginning!"
Hearing this, Yae Miko's heart jolted in surprise.
"You... were already dead?"
"What nonsense are you talking? Am I not standing right here in perfect health?"
Scaramouche raised his hand and clenched it tightly into a fist.
"The death of my body has allowed me to be reborn through nirvana. My divine soul shall forever stand between heaven and earth!"
After throwing out these words, Scaramouche waved his hand mockingly toward Yae Miko.
"Get lost, little fox. I have no interest in ants."
"Although this is a transaction, since you gave me the Gnosis, I will spare your life this time."
"But if you dare show your face before me again, I will not hesitate to crush you to death!"
Scaramouche grasped the air with his right hand, and a terrifying circular thunderbolt gradually formed within it. Then he casually hurled it toward the center of the battlefield. Instantly, the people in the target area all felt an aura of death.
Seeing this, a fox tail appeared behind Yae Miko, and a massive phantom of the Sacred Sakura Tree also appeared behind her. Yae Miko even invoked Raiden Ei's power to block the attack. However, the lightning sphere, so dark purple it seemed black and brimming with terrifying Electro Elemental Power, fell among the Shogunate Army without the slightest hindrance. The next second, a light that no one could look at directly erupted on the battlefield.
As the commotion subsided, the Shogunate Army beheld the massive crater spanning over a hundred meters and the hundreds of men who had vanished without a trace, their will to fight utterly broken.
Just then, the lightning in the sky finally descended, and in an instant, a magnificent waterfall of thunder seemed to cascade between heaven and earth!
"Hahaha, you're angry, you're angry now!"
Scaramouche bathed in the lightning, completely unafraid, as a purple chess piece emerged before his chest.
"But compared to the pain you have caused me, this is far from enough!"
Scaramouche's aura surged steadily, quickly surpassing the threshold of a god. The phantom of Shouki no Kami gradually enveloped him and began to solidify.
Although Scaramouche's power was still no match for the Raiden Shogun, this was after all just lightning summoned by the Raiden Shogun from a distance. Even with the strength he had in his previous life, he would have been completely unafraid, let alone now that he had broken his own limits after dying in a state of extreme rage and resentment and finally surpassed the threshold of a god.
However, while Scaramouche could face the Raiden Shogun's fury head-on, everyone else could only flee the scene desperately, even halting the war because of this.
"Go!"
Higashiyama-no-Outook a final, deep look at Yae Miko and Kujou Sara, then led the others in a retreat.
Kujou Sara wanted to pursue them, as Higashiyama-no-Ou was now extremely weak, and such a good opportunity might not come again, but because Scaramouche was standing right between them, she had to temporarily give up.
"Retreat!"
At Kujou Sara's command, the Shogunate Army began to pull back, yet there was no order to be seen.
The image of Higashiyama-no-Ou's appearance, followed by the terrifying Electro ball Scaramouche had thrown, and now the sight of Scaramouche laughing wildly amidst the raging thunderstorm, had all left an indelible mark on their hearts.
It wasn't that the Shogunate Army feared death; rather, they realized that this war probably no longer had much to do with them.
In such a situation, would throwing away their own lives really be worth it?
Yae Miko stared warily at Scaramouche. After obtaining the Gnosis, his strength had become so terrifying that he had even joined the ranks of the gods.
However, this also completely proved that resurrecting a god was feasible. She hoped Raiden Ei would not be led by the nose by him because of this.
Yae Miko's only concern now was that if Raiden Ei's old friends truly returned to life, whose side would they take?
From the current situation, it seemed not only the Shogunate, but Watatsumi Island might also have been attacked.
Obviously, the opponent possessed the means to control these long-dead souls. If they were to use this as a threat to force Raiden Ei into doing something excessive, she feared Raiden Ei would completely stray down a wrong path.
It seemed, she absolutely had to call for backup!
After figuring out her plan, Yae Miko took one last look at the Shouki no Kami, whose aura was growing stronger as it was bathed in lightning, and immediately turned to leave.