Narukami Island's ley lines, tamed by Raiden Makoto and the shrine maidens, flowed smoothly, carrying mostly benign information as Inazuma's capital. But Reisen Riou's cave heaven experiment was like hurling a boulder into a calm lake, stirring a turbulent surge and churning up buried sediment.
In a shadowy corner of Inazuma City, Hilichurls and Mitachurls materialized from faint outlines. "No thoughts! Sever!" A spark of lightning flashed, obliterating the emerging monsters before they fully formed. Still, their appearance sparked panic.
"Monsters!" The Tenryou Commission sprang into action. Reisen Riou's prior warning had tripled city patrols and doubled those in Hanami Ward suburbs. Local samurai clans and sword dojos, the ward's true guardians, mobilized swiftly.
Raiden Ei became a rapid-response captain, her naginata's aura slashing wherever strong monsters appeared. But Inazuma City's threats weren't just Hilichurls—mere fodder compared to the true evils. "Beware, wraiths!" a Tenryou Hatamoto shouted in Hanami Ward, spotting a dark void. Several ronin were seized by monstrous hands from the shadows—Hyakume Oni, far stronger than Hilichurls, acting even as half-revived specters.
"Hyakume Oni! Ready the oil!" the Hatamoto barked, slicing off a hand. Other ronin were saved by civilian swordmasters. "Fire! Any Electro Visions?" The Tenryou Doushin tossed oil jars, igniting them with a torch. Flames revealed a ten-handed, hundred-eyed Hyakume Oni. "I'm Anemo," a dojo swordmaster offered.
"Spread it!" the Hatamoto ordered. The Anemo swordmaster's slashes fanned the flames. "Evil Radiance, awaken!" Ei's cold voice echoed. "The General!" The Hatamoto unleashed a wave of blade aura. Electro, Pyro, and Anemo ravaged the Oni, freshly revived and swiftly felled. Water Vision holders and soldiers doused the flames—Inazuma's second-most common Vision type ensuring quick control. Hanami Ward stabilized, and Ei had already cleansed Inazuma City and Tenshukaku. Makoto, in the Shogunate, obliterated monsters, wraiths, and even Bone Wraiths with divine lightning.
The worst chaos surrounded Reisen Riou's estate, where a dozen wraiths and two or three Hilichurl Kings spawned. Ei, closest, pinned them instantly. "How's it going?" Reisen Riou's voice reached her.
"Shallow ley lines are stabilizing. Without your stunt, I wouldn't have known so many wraiths lurked beneath," Ei said.
"Come help!" he urged, sending a cave heaven token.
Ei scanned Inazuma City and its suburbs via electromagnetic waves, confirming calm before entering the cave heaven. Sensing danger, she slashed a charging Electro Hilichurl King and dozens of Hilichurl Kings in one sweep. Surveying the scene, her lips twitched. A hundred Hilichurl Kings and a dozen Electro Specters "played" with Reisen Riou and his clones, disguised as Specters, harassing the monsters. Most Kings matched Reisen Riou's life force, some boasting boss-tier templates, capable of challenging Great Youkai. Behind them, hordes of Hilichurl Shamans spawned.
The main battle wasn't Reisen Riou's—a separate clash pitted two Great Youkai-level wraiths against a Hilichurl army: dozens of Kings, hundreds of Mitachurls and Shamans, and archers. Rock Shamans erected staggered pillars for ranged attacks. The wraiths, mindless but battle-honed, held their own. Ei arrived to this chaotic melee.
"Fly higher," she told Reisen Riou's Specter-disguised self.
"Got it!" His main body soared.
The Hilichurl Kings noticed Ei, rallying to open a third front. "Where lightning shines, eternal earth endures," Ei declared, manifesting her true form—armored, towering. Reisen Riou felt his Electro control slip, overwhelmed by Ei's mastery: he manipulated elements; she commanded them. Even the Electro Hilichurl King's lightning dimmed. "Rice Light, eternal!" Her naginata's thunder drowned the cave heaven, obliterating all monsters and wraiths, purging their essence into blank nothingness, denying rebirth.
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