"Listening to all this, Watatsumi Island really seems pitiful," Paimon sighed as they watched the old woman hobble back to the village.
"Yeah, in wars, it's always the ordinary people who suffer the most," Lumine nodded.
"Archons love their people," Paimon said. "Even though the Resistance is technically betraying the Shogunate and Inazuma, they're doing it for the sake of the people on Watatsumi Island.
While betrayal is unforgivable, I hope the common folk aren't punished for it."
"I trust Akira. He wouldn't raise his blade against the innocent," Lumine suddenly said, looking at Paimon.
"Huh? You trust him that much?" Paimon was stunned.
"Yeah, my intuition tells me he's trustworthy. Akira loves his people too," Lumine nodded.
"Alright then, I don't think Akira is a bad god either," Paimon huffed. "It's all that jerk Tartaglia's fault! He made us misunderstand Akira."
"That poor guy got beaten up pretty badly, didn't he?" Lumine chuckled.
"Humph! I think we should beat him up every time we see him!" Paimon crossed her arms.
"Lumine! Next time you see Tartaglia, give him a good thrashing! He tricked us so badly."
"Alright," Lumine smiled and nodded. She was also very unhappy with Tartaglia's actions.
"Achoo..." Far away in Zapolyarny Palace, Tartaglia sneezed, feeling a wave of malice from behind.
"Up ahead is the village. Should we go ask around? I think the thoughts of these villagers are what Akira would want to know most, right?" Paimon asked.
"Of course, let's go," Lumine led Paimon into the village.
About an hour later, Lumine and Paimon walked out with a joy on their faces.
"I didn't expect the villagers to be so against the war! Many elders just want their children to come home," Paimon sighed.
"Let's go check out other places, see what they think, and then head to Sangonomiya Shrine to meet Sangonomiya Kokomi," Lumine said.
"Alright," Paimon and Lumine walked off into the distance.
Meanwhile, at Tenshukaku, Akira was looking over a list compiled by La Signora and Kitsune Saiguu. He discovered that many families were still secretly hoarding Delusions and even purchasing them in secret.
"Some people's base nature is just like this," Akira sneered. "They dare to defy even the decrees of the gods."
"If that's the case, they don't deserve to live in this world," Akira turned to Raiden Makoto.
"Makoto, you've seen it too. Some people just can't change their ways. Keeping them around is just asking for trouble."
"Sigh..." Raiden Makoto nodded. Such duplicitous people were rare before her death. How had things gotten so bad after all this time?
"Okuzumeshuu!" Akira called in the Okuzumeshuu.
An Okuzumeshuu samurai entered and bowed. "Lord Akira! Lady Shogun! What are your orders?"
"Take this list and go clean them out," Akira threw the list to the samurai. "Remember, leave no one alive... bloodbath."
"Yes!" The Okuzumeshuu immediately understood Akira's meaning. No one... Tsk, Lord Akira is ruthless, sparing no one.
"Be careful. Many of them carry Delusions," Akira warned. It wasn't impossible for some to lash out in their final moments. The Okuzumeshuu were his people, and he didn't want them getting hurt.
"Take these," Akira waved his hand, and a dense cluster of golden crystals flew to the Okuzumeshuu. "Each of you on this mission gets one. Crush it in an emergency to save your life."
"Thank you, Lord Akira!" The Okuzumeshuu's eyes were filled with gratitude. Who would have thought the lofty god would care about their safety?
"Alright, go," Akira nodded.
"Yes!" The Okuzumeshuu bowed and left with the golden crystals.
"It seems a storm is about to sweep through Inazuma," Raiden Makoto sighed.
"Hmph," Akira snorted. "Before that, there's still a fool waiting to die in the prison."
"I've been itching to crush that idiot with my own hands," Akira said.
"Kujou Takayuki? I've been so busy I almost forgot about him," Raiden Makoto suddenly remembered.
"Sara! Go fetch Kujou Takayuki and bring him here," Raiden Makoto handed the Narukami Decree to Kujou Sara, who was standing guard nearby.
After all, without the Narukami Decree, even Kujou Sara wasn't allowed near Kujou Takayuki.
"Yes, Lady Shogun!" Kujou Sara had long since made up her mind. The man she once admired as her family head now only filled her with hatred for the harm he had done to Inazuma and the deception he had practiced against the Shogun.
Kujou Sara took the Narukami Decree and headed to the prison where Kujou Takayuki was held. This was where Inazuma's most dangerous criminals were kept, guarded personally by the Okuzumeshuu. It was a place devoid of sunlight.
"Halt! General Kujou!" The Okuzumeshuu samurai guarding the entrance stopped Kujou Sara. "This place holds the most dangerous criminals. No one is allowed to enter without permission!"
"I am here under the orders of the Shogun and Lord Akira to bring Kujou Takayuki to Tenshukaku for trial! Here is the Narukami Decree!" Kujou Sara presented the decree.
After carefully inspecting the Narukami Decree, the Okuzumeshuu bowed and led Kujou Sara through a maze of corridors to the deepest part of the prison.
Kujou Sara had never been here before. Each cell door was made of refined iron, crackling with electricity. The layout was complex, and every five steps, there was an Okuzumeshuu guard. No one could escape.
At the deepest part of the prison, the Okuzumeshuu opened the cell door and led Kujou Sara inside.
Inside, under the dim light, Kujou Sara saw Kujou Takayuki, who had been tortured to the point of being unrecognizable. Endless pain and numbness had driven him to the brink of madness. Every time he was about to break, a strange force would restore a bit of his strength and sanity, only for the torment to continue.
He couldn't eat or drink, and the Okuzumeshuu had to force-feed him. If he dared to speak, he'd be beaten with whips.
This man, who had lived a life of luxury, was now completely broken. He never wanted to experience this hell again.
When he struggled to open his eyes and saw Kujou Sara, a glimmer of hope flickered in his gaze.