With that final strike, the Plane of Euthymia began to collapse. Its fragments shattered and reformed, returning them all beneath the Statue of the Omnipresent God. No one knew how much time had passed—but the people who had been there remained, including Thoma and Paimon.
The sky had darkened, and a light drizzle began to fall. Thunder rolled in the distance, its flashes occasionally illuminating the stormy heavens.
"Aether!!"
Paimon looked up to see the Traveler lying motionless on the ground before her. Rain washed over his battered, smoke-scorched body. Panicking, she flew over and clung to him, crying out in despair.
"Aether! Wake up!!"
The sight of his crimson blood mixing with the rain made her tremble uncontrollably. It was the first time she had ever seen Aether bleed like this. Why was the Raiden Shogun so ruthless?!
"!"
Thoma gritted his teeth at the sight. He quickly crouched down beside one of the fallen soldiers, grabbing a spear and sawing desperately at the ropes binding his wrists.
"Come on… almost there…"
He muttered under his breath, cutting frantically while glancing toward the battlefield. Every second counted. The Traveler had saved him—there was no way he could just stand by and watch him die. Even if it meant defying the Shogun herself.
Across from them, the Shogun's cold gaze lingered on the blood-soaked Traveler. Her amethyst eyes narrowed slightly as she began to walk forward, each step radiating a crushing, deathlike pressure. In her hand, Engulfing Lightning dissolved once more, transforming back into Musou Isshin. The brilliant blade hung loosely by her side, its pure violet glow leaving deep, searing grooves in the ground wherever she stepped.
Her eyes gleamed with divine lightning as she stared down at Aether's broken body, ignoring the stares of nearby soldiers and terrified civilians.
"Aether! She's coming!! Please, wake up!!"
Paimon tried to lift him, but he was far too heavy. Tears welled in her eyes as she shook him desperately, her voice breaking.
Tap… tap…
Crackle…
The heavy echo of the Shogun's footsteps mingled with the low hum of static, each sound reverberating like the toll of a death knell. Paimon struck Aether's chest with her small hands again and again, but there was still no response.
Finally, the Shogun stood over them. She lifted her hand slightly, pointing Musou Isshin toward Paimon's face—a silent warning not to interfere.
"Eek!!"
Paimon squeaked in terror, fluttering backward as her tiny hands flailed like wings.
Then, with calm precision, the Shogun clasped the blade in both hands and raised it high above her head. Her cold eyes fixed on Aether's throat, the blade gathering a storm of radiant energy that hummed with killing intent.
Crackle!
As the energy built up, the very air trembled under its weight. Even the soldiers nearby could feel the suffocating bloodlust; sweat dripped down their temples despite the cold rain.
"NOOO!!"
Paimon's tears streamed down her face as she screamed.
"Tch!"
Snap!
At that very moment, Thoma's ropes snapped apart. In one fluid motion, he seized the fallen spear and rose to his feet, his expression fierce with determination. Pouring every ounce of strength into his throw, he hurled the weapon straight at the approaching goddess.
The spear whistled through the rain, spinning in a fiery vortex infused with his Pyro power. It cut through the air like a bullet, aimed directly at the Shogun's forehead.
"…"
Sensing the gust of wind, the Shogun halted her swing mere centimeters from Aether's neck. Her gaze shifted upward, cool and unflinching, locking onto the incoming weapon—and the man behind it.
Her brows furrowed slightly. Then, with an elegant yet swift motion, she turned her wrist and swung Musou Isshin horizontally, intercepting the spear mid-flight.
Swish!
When the two weapons met, the blade of Musou Isshin twisted like a vortex, tearing apart the spear's metal shaft. The weapon crumpled and splintered into fragments, its remains spinning chaotically through the air. The cross-section of the broken spear warped unnaturally, as though space itself had been distorted.
Boom!
The impact unleashed a shockwave powerful enough to tear up the ground beneath them. A raging gale swept outward, and the sky itself split open—a rift several meters wide forming in the air like a black hole. It began to suck in everything nearby: weapons, debris, dust, even soldiers—and the three of them as well.
"Uwaaaahhh!!" ×N
The soldiers screamed as they were lifted into the air, pulled helplessly toward the growing void.
"Shogun-sama… s-save us!!" ×N
"We don't want to die!!" ×N
The soldiers of both the Tenryou Commission and the Orobashi forces were all swept upward into the air, dragged helplessly toward the gaping rift in the sky…
Thoma and the others were caught as well, pulled higher and higher, on the verge of being swallowed into that terrifying void beyond the world!
"Haa…"
Watching the chaos, the Shogun exhaled softly. Then, with a light flick of Musou Isshin, she closed the rift she had torn open.
Thud! ×N
"Urgh—ahhh!!" ×N
Countless soldiers—and Thoma among them—fell back to the ground. Miraculously, no one was seriously injured, though the entire scene was utter chaos.
"Cough! Damn it… Go! Hurry!"
"Y-Yeah!!"
Tap, tap…
Thoma, trembling and drenched in sweat, forced his body to move despite the fear still gripping his heart. Adrenaline surging, he took advantage of the confusion to scoop the unconscious, bleeding Aether into his arms. With Paimon clinging close, he leapt from the cliff's edge, escaping that thunderous battlefield of divine wrath. Stumbling and staggering, he fled down a side path, putting as much distance as possible between them and the Shogun.
The civilians didn't dare intervene. Who in their right mind would? They could only stand frozen in silence, watching the trio flee.
"…"
Tap… tap…
The Shogun sheathed Musou Isshin and stepped toward the edge of the wooden platform. The cold wind swept across her, rustling her hair, her kimono, and the wide sleeves of her garb. She raised her gaze to the distant figures disappearing into the storm—her expression cold, her eyes unreadable.
She made no move to pursue.
The gale carried strands of her hair through the air, her lightning-filled eyes dimming faintly. Behind her, the Chakra Desiderata slowly faded away.
"Huff… Shogun-sama, those three—"
"Insignificant. Not worth mentioning."
Her voice, calm and final, cut off the soldier before he could finish. She knew what he wanted to ask—and chose not to answer. There was no need to mention that she recognized Thoma.
"U-understood. Then, what about that Traveler?"
The soldier's voice quivered slightly under her oppressive presence.
"Add him to the Vision Hunt Decree."
Her cold decree silenced the air. Without another glance, she turned and walked toward the grand doors of Tenshukaku.
"The next time we meet… I will strike him down again."
Her words hung heavy in the air as she disappeared beyond the gates—leaving only her commanding presence and the weight of her authority behind.
"Yes, Shogun-sama!" ×N
The soldiers knelt as one, bowing their heads in reverence.
Rumble!
A bolt of lightning tore across the sky, signaling the abrupt end of the Vision Hunt Ceremony—and reflecting the turbulent emotions hidden behind the violet eyes of the woman who stood at its center.
...
Before him stretched a deep, chaotic darkness—like walking endlessly down a road with no end and no light. His body throbbed faintly with pain.
What… happened to me?
"Aether! Are you okay?!"
A familiar voice echoed faintly in his ears—loud and anxious as always. Paimon?
"Don't worry… He's still alive, just unconscious."
Another voice followed—it sounded like Thoma's.
Both voices were muffled, distorted by a hazy echo. Aether frowned instinctively.
Unconscious? I was… unconscious?
"Ugh…"
He groaned softly as awareness slowly returned. His eyelids fluttered open to a dim, familiar ceiling—and two familiar faces hovering above him. Beneath him, he felt the soft texture of a futon mattress.
"Yo… You're awake?"
Thoma smiled in relief, greeting him lightly.
"Aether! You finally woke up! You scared me half to death—I thought that woman had actually… uh…"
Paimon's eyes were red, and she threw herself against his chest, trembling as she shouted.
"What… what happened to me?"
Aether blinked in confusion, rubbing his forehead. He tried to sit up—but pain shot through his side, draining the color from his face. Looking down, he saw his abdomen wrapped tightly in white bandages, the fabric darkened with dried blood.
"I'd suggest you don't move around too much," Thoma warned. "You forgot? You were knocked unconscious by the Raiden Shogun. Your abdomen took a cut."
Though it was a wound from her blade, it wasn't very deep. The strike had been precise—controlled. That alone told Thoma the Shogun had deliberately held back.
"Oh… right… now I remember."
Aether pressed a hand to his head, grimacing as fragments of memory returned.
"What happened after that?"
Paimon asked nervously.
"I… She dragged me into some kind of separate space. There was no way out."
"Eh? A separate space? That makes sense—you vanished along with her for a while," Paimon murmured, tapping her chin in thought.
"A separate space, huh…? That's new to me," Thoma mused, giving a wry smile. "Maybe Lady Kamisato would know something about it. But… we've got another problem."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Paimon asked.
"We're wanted. The entire city's hunting for us right now," Thoma said, pulling a crumpled wanted notice from his pocket. Their drawn portraits stared back at them.
"What?! How could this happen?! What do we do now?!" Paimon panicked, flailing her hands.
"Where… are we?" Aether finally realized their surroundings—the place looked familiar.
The soft glow of paper lanterns, the warm tones of the wooden interior, the tatami flooring, the low tea table… it was unmistakably Komore Teahouse.
"For me, hiding here is the safest option," Thoma explained. "It's the one place nearby where the Commission won't think to look immediately."
"But still… sigh."
He stood, rubbing his neck with a troubled expression.
"For now, I won't be able to leave. Whatever happens next… will be up to you two."
"Hey~! Aether's still injured!" Paimon protested, puffing up in indignation.
"Ahaha… Right, right. You should rest here until he's healed. Once you can walk properly again, then we'll move."
"It's fine… this isn't that bad."
Aether slowly sat up, standing with some effort. He stretched his limbs gingerly—thankfully, the pain had dulled. The cut on his side wasn't severe; the real cause of his collapse had been the lightning strike that had paralyzed his body during the fight.
"She's… incredibly strong. No, that's not even the right word—she's absurdly strong."
Aether frowned, recalling the battle. He hadn't managed to seize a single advantage. Every move he made was predicted, every attack countered before it even began. The speed, the power, the suffocating divine pressure—it was unlike anything he'd ever faced. It felt as though his very thoughts were being read.
"Yeah… She is a god, after all," Thoma nodded. "Even I could barely breathe when she released that aura."
A few minutes later—
The three stepped out of the room and into the courtyard behind Komore Teahouse. The blue sky stretched beyond the wooden fence, sakura petals drifted softly through the air, and the streets of Inazuma City had returned to their usual calm. Everything that had happened felt like a fading dream—leaving behind only the lingering fear of those who had narrowly escaped death.
"So… what should we do next?"
Aether frowned, his gaze fixed on Tenshukaku towering in the distance like an unshakable monument. Turning toward Thoma, he sought an answer.
"We head to Tatarasuna—to find the Resistance," Thoma said decisively.
"The Resistance? You mean the one Ayaka mentioned before?" Paimon asked.
"That's right. At this rate, once the Shogunate's wanted orders spread, there won't be many who'd dare shelter you. The Resistance is the only exception."
As Thoma spoke, his eyes drifted westward—toward the vast ocean and the distant island beyond it. That was the direction of Tatarasuna, and beyond it, Watatsumi Island.
"I remember Ayaka saying something… that the Resistance was organized by someone named Sangonomiya?" Paimon continued, following his train of thought.
"Exactly. It was originally formed by Sangonomiya Kokomi, the 'Divine Priestess' of Watatsumi Island. It's currently led in battle by her subordinate, Gorou."
Thoma crossed his arms thoughtfully before continuing. "But Miss Kamisato also mentioned that our Yashiro Commission has little contact with them. The two sides don't trust each other. In her words: 'What exactly is it that the Resistance fights against?'"
After all, the Sangonomiya forces had never stated a clear goal for the war. All Kokomi had said was that they fought 'for the future of Inazuma.' That alone was reason enough for Ayaka—and most of the Yashiro Commission—to remain cautious.
"But you two are different," Thoma added with a faint smile. "I doubt the Resistance would turn you away. You're both wanted by the Shogunate, just like them. Fellow outlaws, you could say—haha…"
"That's not funny…" Aether muttered dryly.
"Sorry, sorry," Thoma chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "The only real issue is that we don't know exactly where the Resistance is stationed. You'll have to ask around as you travel."
The only person who knew their exact location was Kujou Sara, who commanded the front lines—but asking her was out of the question. In their current status as fugitives, that would be suicide.
"Oh, right—your route will probably take you through Shogunate-controlled territory. Be careful out there," Thoma warned.
"You too," Aether said. "Don't take unnecessary risks."
"Haha, don't worry. I'm pretty good at staying out of sight. They won't catch me that easily," Thoma said proudly, hands on his hips—though, given recent events, his confidence was questionable.
"...Sigh."
Aether exhaled quietly.
"If we stay here any longer, the Tenryou Commission might track us down. Let's get going, Aether," Paimon urged.
"Yeah… let's go."
Whoosh!!
Aether and Paimon waved goodbye to Thoma before vaulting over the fence. Their Wings of Azure Wind unfurled, carrying them into the open sky. They soared westward, toward the distant horizon—toward the border of Narukami Island and the endless sea beyond.
"…May you both make it safely," Thoma murmured under his breath, watching their fading silhouettes disappear into the clouds.
—
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