"Dead or alive, what does it matter? What we need are the most relentless avengers—only they can fully awaken the power of the Evil Eyes and complete the data collection the Doctor demands," Reina said casually, her voice carrying that dangerous confidence. "And in Inazuma, there's no shortage of such people. Haven't we already planted plenty of pieces on the board?"
"But… Lady Reina, we've also been given tasks," someone hesitated. "I heard the Sixth Seat, Mr. Scaramouche, will soon take over Inazuma affairs. If anything goes wrong, it will be very hard to explain."
Reina's lips curved in a faint, calculating smile. "You're right… Lady Reina is manageable, but Scaramouche… hmm. After this, we'll need to accelerate the extraction of Raikou's power, the infiltration of the Three Commissions, the operations around Mikage Furnace… and Nathan. He guided the resistance in unsealing the sealed artifacts admirably. We need to contact him soon and get him out of Seirai Island prison."
Lowering her gaze, Reina pondered how to adjust the progress of her schemes. She had no desire to face the wrath of the Executives.
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice sounded in her ear.
"Seems like you've got quite a lot on your plate in Inazuma. That saves me some effort."
"I… I'm the Naval Lieutenant of the Fatui, of course this intelligence is valuable to me… Wait—you're the gatekeeper of the Narukami Shrine!"
Reina froze. The Fatui had been monitoring the Narukami Shrine all along, planting undercover operatives disguised as members of the End of the World. She immediately recognized Aiden.
Though she didn't know why he was here, his presence alone spelled trouble.
"Luckily, it's just a gatekeeper…" Reina exhaled in relief. If it had been the fox-shrine palace steward, things would have been far more complicated.
Aiden, on the other hand, struggled to keep a straight face.
He had never expected his nickname to sound particularly impressive, but compared to other protagonists being called Dragon King, God of War, or Heavenly Sovereign… he was known as "Gatekeeper Fang." Really, who could keep a straight face at that?
The tone was all wrong!
But duty called, and Aiden ignored the ridicule of his nickname. Drawing his sword, he said, "Since we both know each other's cards, let's skip the pleasantries."
"Hah. We're diplomatic envoys. Are you sure you want to provoke the authority of Inazuma to this extent?" Reina sneered, her disdain palpable. She knew Aiden was no weakling, yet she didn't believe he could truly harm her.
"Oh? You sound very confident," Aiden replied, slightly surprised by the certainty in her tone.
He watched as Reina subtly signaled the Fatui F4 to form a combat array. Clearly, she was no mindless villain.
Though—
Yes, she was… impressive. Her long, shapely legs seemed to have a skill of their own, drawing the eye with an almost magnetic allure. Even more so than her in-game model.
Still, after seventeen years of seeing characters like Yae Miko in various outfits—black silk, white silk, uniform—Aiden's gaze was largely immune.
Reina, however, maintained her taunting smile when he spoke.
"You have no idea where the true suffering of Inazuma comes from," she said.
This land… (1/1)
Was she trying to play riddles with him?
Seeing Aiden silent, Reina quietly charged her Prism with water elemental power, readying her ultimate while stalling with words.
"Do you think we are evil? We are nothing more than a small push. Even if you delivered us to the Raiden Shogun herself, we wouldn't be harmed."
Her words were partly true. In Inazuma, her rank was second only to the Executives. She knew the deepest secret: the current Raiden Shogun was merely a puppet following her own program. And in that program, the diplomatic envoys were relatively low-risk.
The Fatui's actions in Inazuma might seem reckless, but they were cleverly executed using the citizens themselves. Even if caught, she had room to weasel out—a mere expulsion at worst, not death by the Raiden Shogun's hand. Lady Reina had personally assured her of this.
Aiden, however, laughed coldly.
"You provoke wars, conduct human experiments, unseal the power of gods, and slaughter thousands, yet you want to claim justice? Dare to act, yet refuse to face the world? No wonder you hide behind masks, cowards all of you!"
"You—"
Reina, originally trying to provoke him, found her cheeks flush with anger. The Fatui were personally established by the Queen; she could not allow Aiden to insult their honor.
"Words alone! Hmph! Mortals could never comprehend the Queen's grand ideals!"
"I don't know your Queen's ideals. But using those ideals to sacrifice innocents… someday, even her ideals will be trampled by stronger hands."
"You dare!"
Reina could no longer hold back. Her ultimate, fully charged, erupted. Prismatic Refraction! Blue shimmering mirrors appeared, coalescing her water elemental power into countless sharp blades, raining down on Aiden.
Behind her, the F4 had activated their elemental equipment. Rage etched on every face, they surged toward him.
Thunder Hammer charged first, electricity crackling across his massive weapon. Ice Chunk and Water Chunk flanked him, spewing freezing frost to restrain Aiden, while Wind Fist assumed a defensive stance to guard their allies.
Aiden stood motionless. Calm. Focused. Fingers brushing against the sword's blade with reverent intent.
All around, the F4 and Reina momentarily faltered, stunned. Time itself seemed to slow. Raindrops hung in the air; falling maple leaves froze mid-fall. The clashing of swords and thunder faded into the distance. Only one man and his sword remained.
"Slash!"
Lightning erupted along the blade, pure, brilliant, as Aiden swung across in a horizontal arc. The purple swordlight shimmered like a celestial comet, pulling every gaze toward its brilliance, brighter than even the fiercest storm.