When they were still some distance from Seirai Island, Yae Miko and Raiden Ei felt a heart-pounding fluctuation of power. They could even faintly hear the sound of booming in the distance, as if someone was fighting.
At this moment, the thunderstorm on Seirai Island had reappeared, and its range had already spread to the surrounding waters.
"This is... The Shogun."
Raiden Ei immediately recognized the familiar aura, and her expression changed drastically.
At this moment, the Raiden Shogun's aura was already extremely weak, while the aura on the other person was like a vast ocean.
The Raiden Shogun was like a small boat on the sea, which could be crushed by a giant wave at any time.
Clearly, with such a gap in strength, the battle should have been ended quickly. The opponent was completely playing around.
"Ei, are you saying the Raiden Shogun is there, in that place where they're fighting?"
Yae Miko's expression was equally serious, never having expected that the Raiden Shogun would find this place before they did and have already broken out into a battle with the opponent.
"I sensed the Shogun's aura, it shouldn't be mistaken."
"Miko, let's hurry over."
Raiden Ei hastily urged, and Yae Miko immediately increased her speed.
However, while rushing there, Yae Miko also spoke up to remind Raiden Ei.
"Ei, before that, you have to confirm your choice first."
Yae Miko's words snapped Raiden Ei back to her senses. The other person was right; she had clearly already made a choice that went against the Raiden Shogun's, yet now she was hesitating.
But whenever Raiden Ei thought about how the Raiden Shogun might be completely destroyed in this battle, she found it difficult to remain a bystander.
Even just thinking about the upcoming outcome made her heart feel as if a piece had been carved out of it. This kind of feeling had appeared before when she lost her companions.
Clearly, the Raiden Shogun should only be a useful tool to her, but it turned out that five hundred years of day and night together had already made her treat the other person as a close confidante.
Indeed, the Raiden Shogun possessed nearly all of her memories and a conviction even firmer than her own; Raiden Ei faintly saw a shadow of her own past in her.
"Ei, don't forget that you still have me, your kitsune familiar."
"I have said before, no matter what choice you make, I will support you."
"I think this is also Lady Kitsune Saiguu's wish; her unwillingness to meet you was precisely because she did not want to influence your decision."
Raiden Ei took a deep breath, then slowly spoke.
"Miko, thank you."
Raiden Ei's words were very sincere; she could hardly imagine how cold her heart would have become over these five hundred years without Yae Miko's companionship.
"If... the Shogun is severely damaged, I will do my best to repair her afterwards."
Just as Raiden Ei finished speaking, a figure flew toward them at extreme speed, shrouded in a terrifyingly powerful aura.
When Raiden Ei and Yae Miko saw the figure clearly, their pupils immediately constricted.
It was the Raiden Shogun!
However, the Raiden Shogun at this moment was far too miserable compared to before, missing her left hand and left leg, with her chest also clearly caved in significantly, and her clothes so severely torn that they could barely cover her vital areas.
The Oni Armor made of Electro Element that floated around the Raiden Shogun's body was covered in fine cracks, with large sections missing, and even its main body appeared somewhat too transparent.
The Raiden Shogun just fell straight into the sea like this, the towering waves raised almost covered the entire sky.
Before Yae Miko and Raiden Ei could recover from their shock, a figure emitting an aura as deep as an abyss and as vast as the sea abruptly appeared not far from them, hovering over the sea surface.
Only after the opponent stopped did the ear-piercing sonic boom and terrifying wind pressure belatedly arrive.
The sea surface seemed to have been struck by an invisible giant hand, a section of the sea surface suddenly sank dozens of meters, and the originally relatively calm sea surface now let out a deafening roar.
Then, a powerful shock wave rushed head-on toward Yae Miko. Yae Miko's expression immediately changed, and she hurriedly used her means to offset this shock wave, finally offsetting it to a degree her body could bear after retreating for over a thousand meters.
After the crisis was averted, Yae Miko and Raiden Ei looked with grave expressions at the figure standing between heaven and earth. This was the first time they had truly seen her appearance clearly.
Persephone (No. 3)!
The fact that the opponent had caused such a terrifying commotion just by moving her body at high speed made Yae Miko's eyelids twitch.
If the opponent were to throw a punch, she would probably be crying for a long time.
"It's you, little fox."
Persephone shifted her gaze from the Raiden Shogun, whom she had just placed on the seabed, to Yae Miko, the corners of her mouth curving slightly as she spoke.
"To be able to find this place on your own, not bad."
Persephone's gaze brought a tremendous sense of pressure to Yae Miko, and she did not feel the slightest relief in her heart because of the opponent's praise.
"It was quite difficult. Lady Kitsune Saiguu didn't tell me about this place before, so I spent a long time searching in Kannazuka."
"Heh."
Persephone chuckled softly, and then Yae Miko suddenly felt an incredibly strong sense of crisis, and Raiden Ei's somewhat urgent shout also came from her Mental World.
"Miko, be careful!"
Just as Yae Miko's body was about to move, Persephone, who had been over ten thousand meters away, crossed that distance in an instant, completely blocking Yae Miko's field of vision.
The next moment, Yae Miko felt her chin gripped by a hand like an iron vise, and the power she had been preparing to unleash immediately subsided.
"Then explain this: why did you bring an outsider here when you came?"
"Miko!"
Raiden Ei shouted urgently, immediately striking out to rescue Yae Miko from the crisis. A terrifying wave of Electro Element then surged outward from Yae Miko's body.
"Be quiet."
Persephone frowned slightly and spoke softly. A terrifying pressure, like a mountain, descended upon Yae Miko, suppressing the turbulent Electro Elemental Power within her. Yae Miko's vision went black from the backlash of her own power, and the taste of rust filled her mouth.
After forcibly suppressing her churning blood, Yae Miko's eyes revealed a look of profound terror.
Too terrifying!
The opponent's strength was actually this monstrous!
"You know, I despise those who betray me."
A dangerously sharp smile spread across Persephone's face. The hand gripping Yae Miko's chin extended a thumb, prying her mouth open and gently smearing the bright red blood across her delicate lips.
"Tell me, how should I punish a naughty little fox like you?"
At this moment, Yae Miko felt the bone-chilling killing intent emanating from her opponent, and her body grew utterly rigid as if plunged into an ice cellar.
Seeing this, Raiden Ei's heart tightened with urgency.
Though doing so was extremely dangerous, Raiden Ei could no longer afford to hold back. She exerted her spiritual power, attempting to pull Persephone into the Plane of Euthymia.
"Heh, interesting."
Persephone felt the tugging sensation on her body, smiled faintly, and then allowed herself to be drawn into the Plane of Euthymia.
Finally escaping the threat of death, Yae Miko gasped for air in great gulps. This was the first time she had ever encountered death at such close range.
Before Persephone's overwhelming strength, all her tricks felt like a mere joke, completely ineffective. In the other woman's eyes, she was probably no stronger than an infant in swaddling clothes.
The thought of Raiden Ei forcing Persephone into the Plane of Euthymia just to save her caused a wave of worry to surge through Yae Miko's heart.
What panicked Yae Miko even more was that after Persephone entered the Plane of Euthymia, her connection with Raiden Ei seemed to be completely severed.
Ei, you absolutely cannot let anything happen to you!
Inside the Plane of Euthymia, Persephone's confidence and overwhelming power caused Raiden Ei's expression to turn profoundly grave. She immediately went on high alert upon seeing the other woman's figure appear.
Yet Persephone seemed to completely ignore Raiden Ei, her gaze sweeping all around as she appraised the world of the Plane of Euthymia.
"A world formed entirely from spiritual power. The power that can be used here is related to one's will and conviction..."
Persephone's instant insight into the Plane of Euthymia's true nature made Raiden Ei's expression grow even more solemn.
"Interesting."
Persephone finally turned around, her gaze falling upon Raiden Ei who stood not far away, and a slight smile played on her lips.
"But not much."
"A world so fragile it cannot withstand even a single strike from me."
Raiden Ei knew Persephone's words were not an exaggeration at all. Even now, she could faintly feel the Plane of Euthymia on the verge of collapse, and this was with the other woman holding back a portion of her power.
If she were to strike without restraint, the Plane of Euthymia would likely be utterly destroyed in an instant.
Yet even so, Raiden Ei's heart did not waver in the slightest.
She was a warrior, and she had the honor of a warrior.
A warrior could die in battle, but she would never retreat!
"So you are the true God of Inazuma."
"Completely different from that superficial toy from before."
Hearing Persephone's words, Raiden Ei's expression turned cold. She slowly raised the Musou Isshin and pointed it at her, saying,
"Persephone, you have invaded Inazuma without cause and are causing all sorts of trouble here."
"What exactly is your purpose?"
"Since you already know my name, it seems the others will be arriving soon."
Persephone did not answer Raiden Ei's question, but spoke slowly.
"Indeed, I have sensed a few somewhat decent presences appearing in Inazuma."
"I hope you can bring me a little amusement."
Hearing Persephone's words, Raiden Ei's heart sank.
"Persephone, are you deliberately exposing yourself to attract reinforcements from other nations?"
"Deliberately? It seems you still don't understand me very well."
Persephone smiled faintly.
"I despise making plans. All of this is for a single purpose."
"War."
Persephone paused here, then continued speaking to Raiden Ei.
"I love war."
"I love the slaughter, the scent of blood."
"I love the wails of the weak and the roars of the strong."
"The law of the jungle, where the weak are prey to the strong, this is the essence of war, and the essence of the world."
"War can utterly crush the original, rotten, and utterly filthy order, and construct a new one."
"I will personally crush the things you cherish, and awaken everyone from their false and beautiful dreams."
Persephone slowly raised a hand toward Raiden Ei, then clenched it tightly. Terrifying power condensed in her fist, and even the space around it began to distort.
"And then I will become your nightmare, your enemy, the existence you fear the most!"
Persephone's smile gradually became bloodthirsty and mad, as an astonishing battle intent rose in her eyes.
Raiden Ei's heart grew heavier and heavier. She realized that Persephone was a complete and utter lunatic.
"Although I alone am enough to ignite this war."
"But war is always more interesting when played by a group, isn't it?"
Persephone's smile at this moment became breathtaking and terrifying, and Raiden Ei's hand gripping Musou Isshin even trembled slightly.
In the Plane of Euthymia, she could clearly sense how firm and terrifying the other party's beliefs and will were. She truly believed this from the bottom of her heart and would unswervingly carry it out.
To destroy this world!
Raiden Ei could not understand why the other party would start a World War for this reason.
She indeed could not understand the thoughts of a madman...
"You should understand me."
"There are always some things more important than this world."
"Don't you agree?"
Looking at the slight upward curve of Persephone's lips, a massive amount of fear welled up in Raiden Ei's heart.
At this moment, it seemed that the secrets on her body had been completely seen through by the other party, and she felt as if she had been stripped naked, with nowhere to hide.
"I know the reason you came to find me."
"Here, I can also give you a definite answer."
"Your sister, I indeed have the power to resurrect her."
After hearing Persephone's words, Raiden Ei could no longer hold back.
"What do you want me to do? State your conditions!"
"I don't need you to do anything for me. You just need to do your best to please me in the time to come."
Persephone lowered her hand and slowly walked toward Raiden Ei.
With each step Persephone took, everything behind her completely vanished into nothingness, a darkness capable of swallowing all light.
The Plane of Euthymia gradually collapsed due to her power, while Persephone's words echoed throughout all of Inazuma through some means.
"I have prepared a small stage for the strong of this world, intending to select the most powerful one as my next opponent."
"The winner may make a wish to me. I can grant any wish, the extent of which will depend on their performance this time."
"I am never stingy with the strong, and I will never show mercy to the weak!"
"Of course, you can also give up the reward I've offered you, use this opportunity to unite completely, and declare war on me directly."
"The choice is yours. Whatever choice you make will bring me immense pleasure."
"As for the time limit, you will understand when the time comes. If there is more than one winner after the time is up, then all of you will be considered failures."
"At that time, as failures, you will receive no special treatment. I will personally come and crush you one by one."
"Now, please begin your performance."