Chapter 14: The Raiden Shogun | Thunder and Steel

Sara stood before Kyouya, ready to take him to the Shogun.

"Alright, General," he said while getting off the railing.

She tilted her head upon seeing the talisman in Kyouya's hand.

"What's that strange device?" she asked.

"Oh this? I uh.. communicate with our archon using this."

Sara looked at the projection through the device.

"So, this is Lady Furina? It's an honor," her voice carried a tone of respect as she lowered her head to bow before the projection.

"Oh, my! Such a well-mannered General. And you're so pretty too!" Furina's playful voice came through the talisman.

"Ahem, well if you'll excuse us. I have to borrow your Captain. He has an audience with the Shogun. Her time is extremely precious so we must not wait any longer."

"Very well. I won't keep you here any longer. Good luck, Kyouya," Furina said, wishing him the best as he prepared to face off against the Shogun.

Kyouya wanted to say something but couldn't as Sara was right next to him.

He simply nodded as he closed the talisman and placed it into his pocket.

The corridor leading to the Raiden Shogun's dojo was adorned with majestic designs, symbolizing the authority of the ruler of Inazuma.

Kyouya's heart raced with both anticipation and nervousness as he walked alongside Sara.

Finally, they arrived at the entrance of the dojo.

He couldn't help but be in awe of its magnificence. As a child, he had only heard tales of the great Shogun.

Tall wooden doors embellished with exquisite carvings towered before him. The warm glow of lanterns cast gentle shadows, adding a mystical aura to the surroundings.

Sara stopped at the entrance, as she motioned for Kyouya to proceed.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward, entering the Shogun's dojo.

Inside the dojo there were elaborate tapestries which adorned the walls, depicting scenes of mythical creatures and ancient warriors locked in epic battles.

At the heart of the room, the Raiden Shogun sat upon her throne, exuding an aura of immense power that sent shivers down his spine, her cheek resting on her hand with a serious expression.

Her presence was as electrifying as the thunder that echoed through the skies during a storm.

The Shogun stared at him. He felt as if she were peering into the depths of his soul.

He took a deep breath, trying to hide any trace of nervousness from his voice.

"Greetings… I'm Kyouya. I was sent h…"

He stopped speaking as the Shogun made a gesture with her hands.

"I've read the letter. You need not repeat your story to me. You wish to spar with me, yes?"

"That's right. I'd like to train with you."

"Very well, draw your sword," she ordered as she got up from her throne.

"Wait? We're fighting right away?"

"Of course. Time is of the essence."

Kyouya unsheathed his sword and held it with a firm grip.

His eyes were fixed on the Raiden Shogun as she gracefully drew her own sword.

Her blade blazed with a fierce violet light, casting an ethereal glow around her.

The purple hue of her sword contrasted beautifully with the dark hilt, as the electro insignia adorned on the blade sparked ominously.

Kyouya assumed a stance, his sword brimming with the power of cryo.

The Shogun gazed back at him with an empty expression, as if she was unimpressed by him.

Kyouya swiftly dashed forth, materializing before her in an instant.

His frosty blade sliced through the air with immense force, only to be effortlessly deflected by the Shogun's swift parry.

Kyouya staggered back but regained his composure instantly, launching yet another chilly strike.

The Shogun parried him once more, the clash of their blades echoing in the dojo.

She charged forth and in the blink of an eye, appeared behind Kyouya, her sword poised to strike.

However, Kyouya sensed her presence and dodged the attack, leaving her blade to slice through empty air.

The fluidity of their motions turned the dojo into a meticulously arranged play.

"Shit, I could've died right there," he thought to himself as he kept trying his best to dodge her incoming strikes.

Despite his swift tempo, Kyouya found himself unable to land a single strike on the Shogun. After all, the Shogun was known for her thunderous speed as well.

This was the specialty of electro as a whole.

Her strikes came like lightning, one after another, forcing him to desperately parry and dodge, his heart pounding with each near miss.

"FUCK! FUCK! DID SHE FORGET WE'RE JUST SPARRING HERE? SHE'S OUT TO KILL ME!"

His inner voice shouted at him as he frantically parried each strike.

Kyouya knew he could not keep up the defensive for much longer, especially since he's up against an archon.

He slipped up momentarily, and the Shogun's blade found its mark, connecting with his abdomen.

This sent jolts of electricity through his veins, hurling him backwards.

Gasping for breath, Kyouya struggled to rise, but the Shogun approached him slowly.

"Inferior," she scoffed.

As the Shogun's blade descended, Kyouya, lying defenselessly on the ground, had no choice but to act on pure instinct.

He rolled over, narrowly escaping the deadly arc of the Shogun's blade, the sparks of electro brushing past his skin.

His heart pounded rapidly, as his cryo vision began glowing.

The Raiden Shogun moved to strike again.

Kyouya dashed towards the other end of the dojo with immense speed, his nimble figure dancing with the wind like a fleeting shadow.

He could hear that voice in the back of his head again.

"KILL! KILL! KILL!" was all he could hear.

"Fuck! There it is again. It's been like this since I absorbed that damn delusion..," he thought to himself as he kept sprinting.

The Shogun's face contorted with disgust, as she surged towards him, tracking his every move.

She closed the gap between them almost instantly, her ominous presence glooming over him like a storm ready to engulf its prey.

Kyouya leaped onto the wall, scaling it nimbly, focusing his strength as he jumped off using the momentum.

As he soared through the air, his sword started pulsating with a frosty aura.

Time seemed to slow around him, granting him clarity.

He closed his eyes briefly, gathering the remaining bits of his strength.

"Disappear."

His movements were as swift as a fleeting gust of winter wind.

The Raiden Shogun, taken aback by his unexpected assault, couldn't help but smile.

She didn't try to fight back, nor did she try to run.

Kyouya, inches away from striking the Shogun, watched as she simply stood still.

As he charged forth, the world around him seemed to twist, and he felt an electrifying sensation coursing through his veins.

Reality itself seemed to bend, allowing him to traverse dimensions.

He finally landed back on solid ground, his blade poised to strike.

But to his astonishment, the Shogun was no longer there. He had crossed into a mysterious realm, leaving him disoriented and bewildered.

His keen eyes caught sight of a distant figure bathed in an ethereal glow.

Upon squinting his eyes, he noticed a woman in deep meditation, her presence exuding an aura of divine authority.

He got closer, only to realize that there was an uncanny resemblance between the distant figure and the formidable archon he had clashed with moments ago.

"What the!? Then who was I…"

The realization struck him. The Shogun he had been battling up until now was merely a decoy.

He recognized that the figure before him was the genuine embodiment of the Electro Archon, a sight reserved for only the most fortunate souls.

The woman meditating within the realm floated gently in the air. As her eyes opened, her feet touched the ground gracefully.

"Focalors was right about you," she said in a gentle tone.

"Are you…?"

Kyouya seemed unable to get the words out as his mind was filled with too many questions.

"Yes, it is as you have guessed. I am the Electro Archon. You may call me Ei."