Beneath the Mask
Somewhere near the edge of a forest.
'I just need to get rid of the annoying villages in this area. The Resistance is so useless!' Nathan thought to himself as he hid in a bush. 'I was hoping they would push the frontlines further a bit forward to make it easier for me to act.'
"Now I have to rely on the Ruins Guards lured over to clear those pesky villagers in this area out, and then I can proceed to sabotage the Mikage Furnance …' With a wry notion in mind, Nathan's lips quirked into a smile 'I still have to get into contact with the Orobashi Fanatics in the Resistance to break the seals on Yashiori Island. So much work …'
Luring the slumbering ruin guards over was difficult. Some of his Fatui subordinates had even given their lives to make this happen. But with ten Ruin Guards converging upon the village, it would surely be flattened.
At this moment, he saw two of the huge machinations fall to the ground.
"Lieutenant Nathan, it appears that there is a highly skilled Oni engaging the machinations." a Fatui agent kneeled beside him. "We do not have any information on her identity."
Nathan pulled out a piece of a paper and scribbled on it. "Continue to monitor her. I will include it in the report to be submitted to Lord Harbinger."
They would need to contact the House of Hearth to have them redouble their intelligence efforts as well.
'Their intelligence is usually reliable, quite rare for them to slip up like this.' Nathan pondered, then smiled wryly. 'But it shouldn't be enough to stop our plans and t-'
He felt hands shaking as the ground beneath it trembled.
An earthquake?
He looked back at the scene of battle through a periscope, only for a stunning sight to present itself.
Pillars of rock, shaped like spears, emerged from the earth beneath where advancing Ruin Guards were.
The sharp edges of those colossal geo constructs found their mark with pinpoint accuracy, tearing through the monstrous constructs with shocking ease.
It was as though the Ruin Guards were nothing but a piece of paper.
The strikes impaled the monstrous machinations, and they crumbled into debris, leaving only a cloud of dust in its aftermath.
Nathan looked closely and saw another man casually strolling through the destruction.
Was it the work of that person? He just killed eight Ruin Guards in the blink of an eye as though it was nothing!
Nathan's mind was in a mess when he saw this. The Fatui had been gathering intelligence on Inazuma for a long time. Such power displayed was never mentioned in the reports.
'The House of Hearth. What kind of crappy intelligence network they are!' Nathan cursed inwardly as he prepared to give the order for his subordinates to fall back.
But before he could finish his sentence, something interrupted him.
"Lieutenant! Watch out!"
He turned behind to see the Oni from earlier - she was already within striking distance.
He immediately intercepted the incoming strike with his spear, barely guiding the blow past him as it cut a few strands of his hair.
The other Fatui Agents around him charged at the Oni, their figures vanishing into thin air as they became invisible.
Undeterred, the mysterious Oni continued to fend off the assaulting Fatui. Her swordsmanship was a beautiful sight to behold, but still not enough in the face of overwhelming might as their numbers forced her on the defensive.
The Fatui Agents were elite soldiers who could turn invisible and unleash knife attacks imbued with Pyro. Even a squad of ordinary soldiers would find it hard to match a single one of them in battle.
Yet the Oni continued to hold on against a group of it, seemingly able to predict the incoming strikes, but it was clear it wouldn't last.
A decisive blow finally caught her off guard, shattering the mask she wore as its fragments scattered in all directions.
Behind it was a face of peerless beauty.
'Such incredible skill.' Nathan frowned as he remembered the swordsmanship displayed by the Oni. 'How did she find us? She's also not one of the Sword Saints, what is someone of that level doing here?'
'The Okuzumeshuu should also be in Tenshukaku.' Nathan recalled the intelligence he had received. 'Her appearance doesn't match any of the Inazuma Electro Vision Bearers on the reports.'
"Wreaking havoc on the nation that Ei sought to create and safeguard." The Oni's voice interrupted his thoughts. "I won't forgive you!"
The Oni's sword crackled with energy, and then her figure blended into the shadow of her blade, becoming a blur of motions that unleashed innumerable strikes in space around her. It seemed she was everywhere at once, her attacks leaving no space for any approaching enemy to hide.
"Argh!"
"M-Monster!"
"H-help!"
His invisible allies that were lurking around her were cut to shreds. The Oni's blade then gracefully traced a circle around her, ending off the attack, as if to signify the splendor of the skill that had just been used; her clothes fluttering admist a cool breeze.
Nathan was now left standing alone to face the foe before him.
In an instant, the hunter had become the hunted.
He scowled, recognizing the skill used by the Oni - From the historical records of the War against Darkness 500 years ago in Inazuma.
"You're one of the original members of the Okuzumeshuu founded by the Raiden Shogun." looking at the Oni's face, he scoffed "The rumors were true. You didn't die after all."
"I'm surprised that there are still people who know me." the Oni held his gaze.
"Of course, you're someone who fought the Raiden Shogun and survived." Nathan reached into his bag and pulled out an item. "Mikoshi Chiyo. The shame of the Mikoshi Clan and Traitor of Inazuma."
"..." the Oni kept quiet.
"Lady Chi. Are you alright?" another person had appeared beside the Oni. It was the man who was strolling through the battlefield earlier.
Nathan now recognized the identity of the other foe who appeared beside Chiyo. He was Jason - the man who slew Taheiji and the Hero of Yatari.
'Lord Balladeer activated our agents to investigate him.' Nathan recalled the information he knew. 'But the power he displayed was nowhere near what was mentioned. Was Jason hiding his power all this while? Wasn't he supposed to have been killed by Captain Beidou?'
"Seriously. The House of Hearth messed up with their intelligence, big time. What a pain." Nathan crushed the object in his hand. "Time for all of you to die."
All around his foes, several mirrors materialized seemingly out of nowhere.
With a haunting grace, Mirror Maidens stepped forth one after another from each of their portals. They circled the Oni and her ally like rats caught in a trap.
"Mirror Maidens. Honor guards from Snezhnaya. This is bad!" The Oni's face showed a stunned expression.
"The only fate of your precious Inazuma is that it shall be left in ruins! The power assembled here is comparable to that of an army itself!" Nathan looked at them confidently. "As sure as Her Majesty Tsarista's will shall be done, so sure is your demise."
Nathan was certain his enemies were finished.