Chapter 7 The confusion of EI

　　A long time ago, when Kiyonoya Sara was still not called Kiyonoya Sara and was still a little girl, she lived in a quiet mountain forest.

　　It was a very beautiful birch forest.

　　Thin morning mist covered the mountain forest, and tthe fine, broken leaves filtered the sunlight. Here and there, spots of light fell on the edge of the soil bag.

　　Under the sun of the mountain forest, climbing ivy, dandelion, moss, small thorny roses, and various plants grew.

　　Sara lived in this mountain forest.

　　Perhaps it was the nature of the tengu to stay away from the world, and to be accompanied by the spirits of the mountains and wilds, to sleep with the mountains, and to rise with the dawn. These days were also easy and free.

　　But one day, everything changed.

　　Filth came to this mountain forest from an unknown source. The birch trees blazed like fire and turned yellow, the sky was covered in lead, and the plants withered and decayed. Animal corpses decomposed in the soil bag, emitting a damp and cold humus odor.

　　It was from that day onwards that the little tengu knew how small her power was.

　　She couldn't do anything.

　　She fought with monsters to the end, her wings were already broken, and her whole body was covered in blood, and she was forced off the cliff.

　　Falling from the sky, the girl only saw the leaden sky, the burning forest, her hometown... everything was being destroyed.

　　"It shouldn't be like this... " she murmured in the air.

　　"It shouldn't be like this... I thought, with my abilities, I could always protect this mountain forest..."

　　Everything in front of her was quickly retreating, gray dust, upside-down sky, blood-red flames, and that overwhelming...

　　It was a thunderous lightning mark!

　　Above the wilderness, within the mountain forest, all the filth, all the suffering, all the monsters, in that almost pure white sword world, were all cleared away!

　　With one stroke, everything was destroyed in an instant, and all things fell silent, leaving only the sound of Kiyonoya's thunder ringing in her ears!

　　It was a magnificent world that the girl had never seen before.

　　It was also the world she would pursue in the future.

　　The last thing the girl saw was the man standing on top of the sky.

　　White smoke leaked from between his teeth, and silver-gray pupils sparkled with thunderous light. His thin shirt rustled in the wind, and he slowly pushed the still-thundering sword into its scabbard.

　　The thunder subsided, the light wind cleared the moon, and the gentle breeze blew.

　　"Tengu...?"

　　"My old friend was also a tengu... you've worked hard..."

　　"You've worked hard... little tengu."

　　"You've worked hard."

　　In a daze, she heard the man's voice, heard his laughter, hearty, free, and resonant in the clear sky. That was the laughter of the Hashi kuni, giving endless courage to the cowardly.

　　"But my home has already been destroyed..." Sara murmured. "I have nowhere to go."

　　She felt herself being held in his arms, the man's chest was broad and had a faint smell of tobacco, and he gently stroked her broken wings with his large, rough yet gentle hands.

　　He held her tenderly and said nothing, just held her and walked out of the mountain forest.

　　...

　　Since then, the tengu whose home was destroyed has had a new name.

　　Kiyonoya Sara.

　　She joined the army, practiced martial arts day and night, only to catch up with the pure white world she saw that day, only to not be abandoned by him, who was powerful and magnificent...

　　But now, Sara finally understands:

　　That one stroke from that day was the only stroke Kiyonoya Raimei had made in ten years.

　　It was also the final blow he struck in his remaining years or in his glorious life of 500 years as a Hashi kuni.

　　His hair turned white, he often coughed, and he was awakened at night by pain. The Hashi kuni was aging rapidly.

　　The pure white world was finally born for her,

　　and in this life, she would never see that world again, nor hear Kiyonoya Raimei's thunder.

　　"Kiynoya-dono..."

　　A voice calling out to her echoed in her ears.

　　Kiyonoya Sara was startled, slowly coming back to her senses.

　　The morning sun shone through the massive torii gate, illuminating the stairs. Along the long stairs, there was an ancient and solemn palace at the end of the road.

　　This was the residence of Narukami, the pinnacle of power in Inazuma - tenshu.

　　"Almighty Shogun has granted you an audience," the soldier in charge of the announcement said respectfully.

　　Sara slowly exhaled, her golden eyes reflecting the palace at the top of the mountain. She slowly tightened her grip on her katana - she could hear the sound of her own heartbeat.

　　She had been waiting at the foot of the stairs for a long time.

　　Ascending with the snowflakes, climbing step by step along the stairs, passing through heavy towers and jade pavilions, crossing one corridor after another,

　　she arrived at the deepest part of the Tenshou.

　　It was spacious and silent.

　　With the sound of the heavy door opening - the winter sun filled the silent palace.

　　The sunlight was shallow, with particles of light floating in the air.

　　Raiden shogun sat cross-legged on a cushion, slowly opening her eyes.

　　The slender mokou lightly treaded on the palace floor, her dark purple hair trailing behind her, gently swaying in the wind.

　　She wore a purple kimono with dragonfly flowers embroidered on the collar. The two sleeves on the left and right were of different lengths, hanging down and trailing behind her. The purple and gold tassels also hung down.

　　In her beautiful lavender eyes, lightning seemed to strike and fall, reflecting Sara's figure.

　　Majestic. Solitude.

　　Sara slowly bowed, placing her katana on the ground, kneeling down and bowing.

　　"Kiyonoya...Sara. I remember you, you are a warrior of the Kiyonoya."

　　Shogun spoke slowly, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

　　"Yes." Kiyonoya Sara raised her head, her golden eyes also reflecting the General. She said seriously,

　　"Yes, I have decided to do this."

　　"Is this his will, or your own will?"

　　Shogun's voice was calm, without any waves.

　　"This is the order of the Hashi kuni. It is also my decision."

　　Silence.

　　In the almost suffocating silence, time slowly passed, the sun slowly shifted, and the reflection of the pine and cypress trees on the palace walls climbed up and finally fell on Raiden shogun.

　　During this time, shogun lowered her head slightly, and after a long time, she seemed to come back to her senses and said:

　　"...Let him come find me himself."

　　...

　　In a place that does not exist in the world, in the eternal depths, in the boundless pure land, there is a desolate shrine and a setting sun hanging upside down. This is the domain where time stops.

　　Narukami, who wields the thunder of authority over Inazuma's eternity, the warrior who pursues eternal solitude, slowly opened her eyes.

　　For the first time in many years, she felt a hint of confusion.

　　This was something she had not experienced in a long time.