The last story tells of a swordsman who seemed to have gone mad.
A swordsman whose resolve had never wavered, who single-mindedly sought to become the world's greatest—how could such a man suddenly collapse? In the past, he had never shown even a hint of hesitation.
In the story, Paimon and the Traveler, under the pretense of seeking apprenticeship, managed to converse with a disciple of the Meikyou Shisui Art and learned some details.
Domon, who had once aimed for the title of the world's greatest and had never tasted defeat, became a completely different person after his Vision was taken away. He muttered strange words and forbade his disciples from practicing swordsmanship.
The disciples believed their master must have been possessed by evil spirits and had already invited a shrine maiden from the Grand Narukami Shrine to perform an exorcism.
[Paimon asked curiously: "The Grand Narukami Shrine? What's that?"]
[Junya: "You don't know the Grand Narukami Shrine? It's the largest shrine on Narukami Island. The head shrine maiden who oversees it is said to have a very close relationship with Her Excellency, the Raiden Shogun."]
To tell the truth, indeed—more than just "very close," it was practically inseparable.
When the Traveler and Paimon arrived at the dojo that night in the story, the ritual was already underway.
Domon was still in his frenzied state, muttering names under his breath and appearing deeply tormented.
Fortunately, the shrine maiden employed some "physical exorcism" methods, knocking Domon unconscious outright. Now he was sleeping soundly, no longer mad.
While waiting outside, the Traveler and Paimon noticed a suspicious figure lurking about and gave chase.
[The figure, panting heavily after being caught: "...How are you so fast... Are you really Domon's disciples? You feel even quicker than him..."
[Paimon: "Hmph! Sneaking around like that—you don't look like a good person at all!"
[???: "Not a good person? If anything, Domon should be calling me his senior brother."]
Only then did the Traveler learn that this man was Domon's senior brother—Anzai.
Anzai recounted his history with Domon. Though he had entered the school earlier, his skill had never matched Domon's.
This senior brother had lost in their duel and fled the school in shame.
The Meikyou Shisui Art emphasized a "mind free of distractions." At first, Anzai had always believed Domon fell short of him.
Because Domon's heart was set on becoming the world's greatest, Anzai saw this as his "distraction."
Yet Domon had proven with his actions that his desire to become the world's greatest was, in fact, free of all distractions.
Even their master had been no match for him. Without a doubt, Domon was the one who had embodied "Meikyou Shisui" to its absolute limit.
But now, such a man had gone mad. As his senior brother—and as the "loser"—Anzai couldn't accept that the one who had defeated him had been defeated so easily.
That was why he had come to investigate, hoping to understand the truth.
Once it was clear Anzai meant no harm, the Traveler let him go and returned to the dojo, where the exorcism ritual had already concluded.
[Inaba Sumi: "My apologies. With my abilities, I truly cannot discern any possession affecting Domon."]
Inaba Sumi admitted her limitations but shared good news: Lady Yae Miko had agreed to see Domon.
This was none other than the head shrine maiden of the Grand Narukami Shrine—the Raiden Shogun's personal hand-warmer!
To borrow the Traveler's words: "Isn't fluffy just the cutest?"
When the group in the story arrived at the shrine to meet Yae Miko, Lucian had even drawn an illustration of the wise and beautiful Yae Miko.
"Not bad at all~. When the little author arrives, should I give you a reward~?" Yae Miko was quite pleased.
Arataki Itto scratched his head—this pink-haired woman looked familiar...?
Ah! He remembered now—she was the one who tricked him into eating tofu!
What he didn't know was that the Tenryou Commission had been so lenient with him not just because of Kuki Shinobu and Kujou Sara, but also because Yae Miko had intervened.
As one of the few remaining great youkai, Yae Miko had a soft spot for little youkai like Arataki Itto and had naturally protected him.
Oh, and Kamisato Ayato also had good relations with him—perhaps he had pulled some strings too.
When you thought about it, Arataki Itto was practically the "King of Connections" in Inazuma. The only one who didn't know him was Ei herself.
Whose fault was that? Who was "committing crimes," and who was "doing their best"? The answer was obvious.
Returning to the story, Yae Miko immediately saw the problem: Domon wasn't possessed by evil spirits—he had simply collapsed under the immense pressure in his heart.
Losing one's ambition usually didn't lead to this, but Domon was a man free of distractions.
His heart had only one vision—to become the world's greatest. This ambition was like a load-bearing pillar, supporting him.
He defeated one strong opponent after another, building the tower in his heart higher and higher. Back then, he only wanted to raise it further—he wanted to be Zhao Gao (scratched out)—no, he wanted to be the world's greatest.
But when his ambition was taken away, the pillar collapsed.
The tower he had built crumbled in an instant, leaving only ruins in his heart.
Buried beneath the wreckage, the people he had "used as stepping stones" pressed down on him, complaining, blocking out all the "light" he could perceive.
Under such psychological pressure, his madness was hardly surprising.
[Yae Miko: "When this ambition disappears, he begins to doubt himself, struggling in fear, becoming what he is now..."
"Hehe, just like that hopeless friend of mine."]
Yae Miko made a veiled reference to Ei, though few could understand the metaphor.
Ei was currently in a state of self-isolation—refusing to see Yae Miko, rejecting all attempts to reach out, and unaware of this book's contents.
[Domon: "It's all my fault... Father, Master, Senior Brother..."
[Anzai: "Enough!!"
"I don't want to hear your apologies!"
"You did nothing wrong. I believe most of those you defeated never blamed you."
"On the contrary, we entrusted our ambitions to you, hoping you would go even further."
"I know your ambition was taken, so you can no longer answer our expectations..."
"But you shouldn't take away theirs! Have you ever asked what they think?"]
These words left Yae Miko in silence—wasn't this also a message to Ei?
Ei was probably thinking, "It's all my fault..."
Yae Miko wanted nothing more than to say, "You did nothing wrong. None of us blame you."
But Raiden Ei was too stubborn. She had locked herself away, unwilling to speak with anyone—even Yae Miko rarely had the chance to talk to her.
This only led to her making mistake after mistake, still believing she had everything under control.
Yae Miko had sent her two books, and now she was even more obstinate.
Now, with the Vision Hunt Decree in place, Yae Miko also wanted to say:
"Ei, you shouldn't take away their ambitions. Have you ever asked what they think?"
You took their Visions because you feared they would risk their lives for a future you couldn't protect—but you ignored their feelings.
If Kamisato Ayaka knew Yae Miko's thoughts, she would wholeheartedly agree.
The people of Inazuma were not fragile canaries to be kept in cages.
And the Narukami they revered in their hearts should not become the cage that imprisons them.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice – Kamisato Ayaka: On "Cages"
"Present-day Inazuma is like a cage for birds. The thunderstorms surrounding Inazuma are its iron bars—but Inazuma was never meant to be this way."