Ei’s current disheveled state was inevitable.
When Raiden Saku unleashed that spear earlier, he had clearly held back.
After the Spear of Light shattered the Musou no Hitotachi, it didn’t strike Raiden Ei directly.
Instead, under Raiden Saku’s control, it veered slightly and swept past her.
Yet even this glancing blow caused tremendous distress and injury to Raiden Ei, leaving her in this wounded state.
Raiden Ei, who always prided herself as the ultimate warrior, couldn’t help but reveal a trace of feminine vulnerability when facing utter defeat.
Watching Raiden Saku, the victor, Ei pondered inwardly.
He had concealed such profound strength all along.
Indeed, the youth who once needed care from my sister and me had long since completely grown up, transforming into a man who could stand firm between heaven and earth!
Raiden Ei felt deeply gratified in her heart.
Of course, our esteemed Raiden Shogun felt more than just gratification at this moment – there was also the bitterness of defeat and waves of resentment!
Sighing, Raiden Ei struggled to stand upright, maintaining her warrior’s dignity while gritting her teeth: “Saku, you hid your abilities remarkably well.” Raiden Saku showed no victor’s complacency, remaining perfectly clear-headed: “With the Heavenly Principles watching from above and the Abyss stirring below, how could I afford not to conceal my strength?
Until this day, aside from Barbatos and Morax who have some inkling of my true power, no one else knows the truth.
Even Sumeru’s Irminsul only records my golden Electro authority – it knows nothing of my solar power!” Taking a deep breath, Raiden Ei knew how to accept defeat gracefully.
She closed her eyes, tinged with melancholy: “Very well, you’ve won!
The victor becomes king, the loser becomes the outlaw.
Both the position of Electro Archon and the title of Shogunate leader are yours now.” After speaking these words, Raiden Ei opened her eyes, her gaze still shining with divine determination: “Though I’ve lost, even forfeiting my position as Electro Archon, my Eternity remains undefeated!
My defeat merely reflects insufficient strength – it doesn’t prove my concept of Eternity wrong!
As Kitsune Saiguu said: remain unclouded, unwavering, always walking the path I firmly believe in!” Raiden Saku’s satisfaction from his recent victory instantly evaporated!
Winning against Ei was good, and gaining Inazuma from her hands was excellent.
At least this way, Ei wouldn’t lead Inazuma down her misguided path of Eternity.
But his other objective remained unfulfilled!
Victory in battle only forced Ei to concede defeat – it hadn’t changed her perspective on Eternity.
He had only achieved half his purpose for coming here.
The successful half was won through force; the remaining half required winning over her heart through words!
Looking seriously at Ei, Raiden Saku thought to himself: If I can save Inazuma, how could I fail to save you?
Especially when your path is fundamentally wrong.
Softening his tone, Raiden Saku’s expression became confident and persuasive as he slowly told Ei: “Oh?
Unclouded?
Unwavering?
Well, you do seem to have remained unwavering from beginning to end, but are you certain you’ve never been clouded?
Or perhaps…
you haven’t been clouded by yourself?
Haven’t deceived yourself?” “What!?” Raiden Saku extended his hand as he began to articulate, touching the deepest parts of Raiden Ei’s heart: “The present is fragile illusion, progress brings loss, only Eternity approaches closest to the Heavenly Principles.” Time and again, the losses not only seared the nation with pain but also left you physically and mentally exhausted.
Makoto once said: “Just pursue it, even if it’s a fleeting glimmer—at least we have this moment.” But you witnessed a nation running with all its might, losing everything before the Heavenly Principles.
Perhaps only by freezing the Electro light could it never fade.
Ei, this is the deepest thought in your heart, isn’t it?” Ei nodded slowly: “Indeed.
Since you understand me so well, why do you still oppose me?” Raiden Saku shook his head: “I know you, but I don’t agree with you.
It’s precisely because I know your thoughts that I must oppose them.
Your ideas are stubborn, flawed, and self-deceptive.
In my view, you, rigid and unyielding, have driven yourself into a dead end!
It’s true that progress brings loss—I admit that.
But moving forward and advancing doesn’t only bring loss; it also brings more beautiful things.
We press on amidst loss, and what we lose should make us stronger, not trap us in stagnation, refusing to move.
In your eyes, freezing the Electro light ensures it never fades.
But in my view, the brilliance and power of Electro lie in that fleeting, dreamlike instant.
Freezing, stagnating, closing off, refusing to advance—these do not bring so-called eternity.
These…
only bring decay!
The world is in motion, humanity moves forward, nothing remains unchanged.
If you forcibly suppress it, if you force it to stop, you will inevitably ruin it.
Like a river flowing thousands of miles into the sea, it brings vibrant life!
While a stagnant pool slowly rots, eventually turning into a foul-smelling swamp!
In pursuit of our goals, in moving forward, both you and I have lost many beautiful things.
But if we stagnate here, closing ourselves off, where can we go?
If we don’t move forward, we will also miss many beautiful things.
Just like you, remaining still here—aren’t you also constantly losing?” These words, Raiden Ei had never heard before.
These words stirred turmoil within her heart.
She furrowed her delicate brows, her face showing struggle, then slowly shook her head: “I…
No, this body is the most noble and exalted, destined to hold the great authority of the world.
This body must grant its people a dream—an eternal, unchanging, and unwavering eternity spanning thousands of generations!” Raiden Saku smiled faintly: “I have never doubted eternity; I, too, walk the path in pursuit of it.
But is eternity truly unchanging and unwavering for thousands of generations?
Ei, do you want to know what I believe eternity is?” Raiden Saku’s words clearly piqued Ei’s interest.
Her eyes flickered as she asked: “Oh?
I don’t think I’ve ever asked about your eternity.
Tell me.” “In my view, eternity should be about continuous progress, constant surpassing, and endless evolution.
A human life is but a brief hundred years, a fleeting dream, gone in an instant.
Yet, humanity has descendants, has a future.
We strive to live out our short lives, passing our achievements on to the next generation.
And the next generation inherits the knowledge of their predecessors, using it as a foundation to advance further, to surpass those who came before!
When that generation grows old, they pass their achievements to the next, and so the cycle continues, ever moving forward.
This is eternity!” Ei seemed stunned, her eyes widening, a myriad of lights flashing in her purple pupils: “This…
this is your path to eternity?
I…
I’ve never considered such an eternity.
But…
is this truly eternity?” “Of course it is eternity—an eternity that belongs to humanity!
A hymn to mankind!” Never before had she heard such a soul-stirring theory.
Raiden Ei was momentarily stunned, her heart thrown into turmoil as violent as a raging storm.
Raiden Saku took a few steps forward, his expression softening.
Gently, he brushed aside the strands of hair near her ear: “To us Gods and deities, human lives are far too fleeting.
And what of ourselves?
We seem to possess endless lifespans, but that is only in comparison to humans.
The fortunate and powerful ones, like Morax, live for thousands of years.
Yet even he now faces an erosion he can no longer ignore.
The less fortunate, like Makoto, perished with regrets in the calamitous war five hundred years ago.
And of course, there are those like you—Gods who seal themselves within the Plane of Euthymia to resist erosion.
No matter what, time will eventually pass, and we must all face that day.
My path to eternity mirrors that of humanity.
If that day comes when I can no longer defy the fate of decline, I will accept it peacefully, bid farewell to my friends, and jest about meeting again in the next life.
In my final moments, I will entrust my power and achievements to those I deem worthy.
Of course, I have no desire to simply fade away and die.
I would also choose another path—one of continuous progress.
For a God, the road ahead remains endless.
I can strive to cultivate myself, explore higher realms, even transcend the mundane to reach the pinnacle of perfection.
Then, my life would be elevated, my essence transformed, my lifespan extended by thousands of folds—granting me more time to witness new vistas and seek new possibilities.”