Traveler Aether was sweating. None of these guys were pushovers. Even the "easiest" shrine maiden left him cursed to high hell, and he couldn't help but gripe—those maidens looked sweet but fought dirty.
The curses were a pain to shake off.
But the rest? Even tougher.
Especially that oni samurai. Holy hell, the guy opened with a shield, nearly making Aether gag.
Who fights like that? Starts with a Dominator Body, slaps on a shield, then unloads elemental blade auras.
Aether should've been grateful for his ignorance—the oni had no Vision.
He was just channeling elemental power through bloodline talent. With a Vision, that guy's shield and Dominator Body would've been next-level.
These were tricks Inazuma's samurai honed fighting monsters.
Polished by the One System, Ten Thousand Minds Machine, perfected, and elevated by Raiden Ei herself.
Not your average combat style.
But Aether wasn't one to mess with either—he'd made Ei feel a twinge of threat. At the clutch moment, he unleashed his mastered trio: Dendro, Electro, Geo.
Chaining elemental reactions, he broke the oni's shield just as the sandglass ran low, knocking him out cold. Unconscious, the oni was ruled a loss by Revival.
Aether held the arena.
"Outworld Traveler Aether completes defense, awarded Mora voucher."
Everyone got spat out of the domain.
Only then did they realize both losers and the victor got Mora—not much, but enough for a meal.
The defender's payout was naturally fatter.
"Pretty generous," Aether said, eyeing the 30,000-Mora voucher. Enough to live on for a bit.
But thinking about the thirty tough-as-nails fighters he had to beat for it, he gave a wry smile.
"This 'Sage's Private Competition' is no joke."
"Sure, not many are stronger than me, but the number of slightly weaker badasses? Way too many. I swear, you don't see this many in Sumeru or Khaenri'ah."
It wasn't quite as bad as he thought. Inazuma City, Narukami's seat and the heart of Inazuma's martial culture, was crawling with powerhouses.
Aether was worldly, but he had blind spots.
Take Khaenri'ah—its capital actually had more heavy hitters than Inazuma City, but most died fighting the Seven Archons.
That's why Aether thought they were scarce.
Sumeru? Heh, its powerhouses were split extremes—either researching in the Akademiya or scrapping in the desert. Aether, sticking to the rainforest, missed their top dogs.
Inazuma City was different. The Tenryou and Yashiro Commissions stationed tons of elites here. Even the weaker Kanjou Commission had strong guards. The Grand Narukami Shrine had its own outpost.
Then there were the Shogunate's elite Okuzumeshu, plus major dojos directly tied to Narukami and their master swordsmen's offshoot schools.
Beyond those, smaller dojos were everywhere, their competition fiercer than anyone could imagine.
To hold ground in Inazuma City, a dojo needed at least one swordmaster. Multiple swordmasters or a great swordmaster made you notable.
Only LV8 Sword Saints were true big shots here.
Beyond dojos, hidden factions and legalized "vitalist" gangs set up shop too.
Noble private armies stayed discreet.
Vitalist gangs didn't dare act out. Even their strongest bosses followed the Rock-Shadow-Thunderlight Brigade's rules: Inazuma City and most of Hanamiita were safe zones—no fighting allowed.
Years of enforcement left a shadow over the gangs. Outsiders didn't know what, but the rules kept multiplying.
Life got better for regular folk. Vitalist gangs faded from daily life, fighting in shadows.
Only those with martial skill to sell—like samurai second sons or bastards—joined gangs after vetting.
Back in the day, they'd have been pirates or Kairagi, far worse for Inazuma. Now, legalized, they did grunt work, their fights no longer disrupting the public. Less harm overall.
Over the next ten days, Aether got a real taste of Inazuma's "hospitality."
As expected, more heavyweights joined the Invite Defense Battles as word spread. Who wouldn't want a custom One System, Ten Thousand Minds Machine?
And a 10.2 version at that. Most Machines out there were 8.4.
The 8.5 version needed hardware upgrades, and Reisen, strapped for time, only updated key labs and training grounds.
Those Machines were at 10.4, each rivaling a solid mid-tier supercomputer.
The 10.2 version wasn't as advanced but was perfect for personal customization, so Reisen offered it as the prize.
The tweaks weren't for raw power but for independence—like adapting the energy system to Teyvat's ley lines.