I have a question.
Why is it always me?
Like genuinely, sincerely, cosmically—why do I keep finding myself in front of angry goddesses who want to erase my existence like I'm some limited-time event?
Oh yeah. Right. Because I'm Shigeru. The human embodiment of bad decisions and worse commentary.
We were back inside the plane again—the same trippy dimensional whatever with floating Torii gates like someone went crazy with Photoshop layers and forgot to turn off the opacity. And there she was. Raiden Ei. Again. Sitting in the middle of the plane in her signature "I-am-so-mysterious-look-at-me-I-am-floating" meditating stance.
Girl was looking like a fancy USB charger that connected straight to the afterlife.
She opened her eyes slowly like she was in a shampoo commercial. Then stood up like she was loading a boss battle animation.
"So, we meet again,"
I sighed. Loudly. Like the sigh of a man who was promised free food but instead got dragged into a divine ass-kicking.
"Here we go again,"
Ei looked at me.
And then Lumine.
And then back at me again like I was the last fry in a box of disappointments.
"Indulge my curiosity," she said, and her voice had that calm fury vibe, the kind that made me feel like I just left the milk outside the fridge for two weeks. "What is the reason that I find you standing here before me once again? Do you hope your foolhardiness will shelter those people? Or... was it simply a means of seeking audience with me?"
Lumine gritted her teeth so hard I swear I heard them squeak.
"The Vision Hunt Decree should never have existed."
Oooh. Cold.
Ei chuckled like we just told her a knock-knock joke.
"Oh? Surely you didn't rouse me from my state of eternal meditation only to tell me this?"
I raised my hand like an idiot in class. Because I am.
"Yep. Not just that," I said with the confidence of a man who's about to die in the next five minutes. "We're also here to beat you up. Like what your pet wanted."
Her brow twitched.
"Pet?"
"Yeah. You know. The foxy one. Smug. Cunning. Hot. Just like your puppet but fluffier."
Ei's eye twitched.
Success.
She muttered something about it being part of Yae's plan. Then chuckled. I wasn't sure if she was amused or seconds away from launching me into orbit.
Lumine, being the sane one, smacked me on the back of the head.
"Ow."
"Your Vision Hunt Decree causes damage to the entire nation," Lumine glared at Ei like a pissed-off school principal. "You know that's not the proper way to achieve your so-called eternity."
Ei crossed her arms.
"So... you're looking for a chance to shake my will... aren't you?"
"I'm not here to debate your ideas," Lumine snapped. "I'm here to demolish them."
I raised my hand again.
"Lumine, I'm here too, you know—"
Her glare could've vaporized my eyebrows.
"Right. You're correct. My comments are unnecessary."
Ei smirked. The kind of smirk bosses do before they pull out their second phase.
"So be it. Well then, you who would defy eternity... time for you to enlighten me."
BATTLE MODE ACTIVATED.
I grinned.
Finally.
Time for some good ol' dumbassery.
Lumine pulled out her sword like a queen.
I pulled out mine like an unpaid intern.
"CHARGE!!" I yelled like we were in a fantasy anime sponsored by potato chips.
My arms glowed. One with Anemo, the other with Electro. Because I'm complicated. Like a math test and an existential crisis had a baby.
I hurled both elements toward Ei while Lumine charged headfirst, elegant and lethal.
And me?
I did what I do best.
CHAOS.
Geo spears rained from above like Mother Nature got drunk.
Geo claymores flew like oversized boomerangs of destruction.
My pillars rose like confused architecture.
Meanwhile, I infused my punches with Anemo AND Electro, because why the hell not?
"WIND SLAP! LIGHTNING SLAP! DOUBLE SLAP COMBOOOO!!"
Ei gracefully blocked Lumine's strike while side-stepping my flying rock hammer with a blink.
"You move well," she said calmly.
"Thanks, I run from responsibilities a lot."
She flicked her blade and launched a burst of purple lightning. I deflected it with my pillar. Which exploded. On me.
"I'm okay! I planned that! Totally meant to tank it for dramatic effect!"
Lumine facepalmed mid-fight. She still looked majestic.
I zoomed across the arena with an Anemo burst, tossing random elemental constructs like I was building IKEA furniture on crack.
Ei raised her sword.
Lightning surged.
I ducked.
Barely.
"Wow, that almost trimmed my nonexistent beard."
She didn't respond. She just floated higher.
I hate floaty bosses.
Lumine launched a glowing wave of light toward her.
I followed up by leaping off a pillar and yelling, "SHIGERU SUPREME DIVE ATTACKKK!!!"
...and missed.
I slammed into the floor.
"Nailed it."
Ei finally seemed a little annoyed. Maybe it was the fact I wouldn't shut up. Or the rocks. Or my stupid face. Could be any of the above.
She clashed swords with Lumine again, the two dancing in mid-air like lightning and stars colliding.
I backed them up with Geo bursts, randomly hurling stuff like my life depended on it.
Because it did.
This woman—this absolute goddess of lightning, tofu, and meditation addiction—really wants to blast us into a scenic eternity, huh?
One moment I was flying at her with my chaos-tornado-Geo-spear special, and the next thing I knew, BOOM, we're both sent flying back like we just got hit by a celestial slap.
"Ugh," I groaned, landing on my back with the elegance of a soggy croissant.
Then it happened.
Lumine's back started glowing. And no, not in the oh she's got that pregnancy glow way, but more like anime protagonist about to awaken her inner power after a ten-episode filler arc kind of glow.
She pulls out the charm, and it's glowing like the last boss just activated their final form.
Then I hear the voice. That unmistakably smug, velvety voice.
"Dear me, aren't you cutting it rather close?"
I GASPED.
My eyes sparkled. My jaw dropped.
"FOXY!!" I screamed like a fangirl at a K-pop concert. "You're finally here!"
Then I immediately frowned.
"...Wait a second. How come she gets a charm and I don't?!"
Yae Miko materialized like a queen stepping out of a cloud of sass and superiority.
She looked me in the eye and smirked. "Because you left early. I wasn't able to give you one."
I blinked.
"Right... I chose the Hydro Daddy." I nodded solemnly. "Well... not like I regret it though."
Don't judge me. He's got abs and elegance. Priorities.
Raiden Ei's brow twitched. "Miko... it really was your doing, huh?"
I grinned. "Told you so."
Miko chuckled like the troublemaking deity she is. "Now, now. Don't forget who taught you how to place your consciousness in objects."
Then she leaned toward Lumine like she was about to whisper ancient forbidden knowledge.
"Surely you don't think your ambition alone is enough to shake Ei's will? Do you?"
Lumine kept quiet. Like super anime-protagonist quiet. You could hear the tension.
Miko pressed on. "Though you alone are here... they too have ambitions which they long since entrusted to you."
Lumine's eyes glowed like she just finished grinding all her friendship levels in one sitting. She turned toward Ei, blazing determination in her gaze.
Then Miko said, soft but commanding, "Now then... close your eyes."
AND HOLY MOCHI BALLS—
Lumine started glowing.
Like GLOWING.
She was turning into a walking supernova of friendship power and ambition energy. Literal anime cutscene moment.
I stared.
"FUCK YEAH! POWER OF FRIENDSHIP BOOST!" I pumped my fists. "Fairy Tail and Hunter x Hunter are SHAKING."
And THEN...
A chorus of voices echoed—"Abolish the Vision Hunt Decree!"
Visions lit up around the plane like someone broke into the Celestia fireworks stash. Even Ei was like, "wait a damn second," and turned to see it all. Each light representing someone's hope...
It was beautiful.
And me? I just stood there. Not glowing.
I blinked.
"Wait... why am I not getting any power boost?" I asked.
Yae looked at me and smiled. And I knew. I knew the moment she smiled like that, I was either about to ascend—or get roasted.
"Because you're already strong enough," she said. "You just have to ascend it."
My brain paused.
Then rebooted.
Then went, "Ohhhhhhhh."
"So you knew, huh?" I said, smirking.
I pulled out my phone.
Because obviously, we're not bound by logic here.
And clicked the final ascension for both me and Lumine.
"I was saving this for Sumeru," I muttered. "But fuck it. Let's go."
DING – Shigeru has reached level 90.
DING – Lumine has reached level 90.
My body glowed. Like LED-infused tofu.
I summoned a Geo Claymore, hovered it with Anemo, then amped it with Electro. I was building a sentient blender.
Geo armor wrapped around me.
I pulled out Amenoma Kageuchi, infused it with Electro.
In my other hand? Prototype Rancour, now laced with Anemo.
Behind me? Geo spears whirling in electrified wind like murder kites.
I glared at Ei.
"Even if you're hot," I said. "My job right now is to beat your ass. Good luck, Ei."
Lumine stood beside me, sword glowing like a divine slapstick bat.
Together, we launched forward.
Cue dramatic music. Cue air slicing. Cue camera spinning in seven directions.
The most intense battle of our lives began.
And in my head?
I was just screaming:
"LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOO!!"
Okay. Full anime mode—activated.
Lumine's eyes are blazing like she's channeling the power of every shounen protagonist in existence, and here I am, armed to the teeth, glowing like I got shoved into a blender of Vision elements. The battlefield? An endless plane filled with Torii gates and one pissed-off Electro Archon who probably hasn't had a nap in centuries. This is fine. Everything's fine.
Raiden Ei's stance? Elegant. Dangerous. Regal. My stance? Uh... let's call it Chaotic Swagger.
She launches herself at Lumine like lightning incarnate, and Lumine meets her with a blade of pure conviction. I follow right behind with my Geo-Electro-Anemo-Chaos-infused combo that no game mechanics can properly explain.
"Let's GOOOO!" I yell, throwing a Geo Claymore skyward, riding the shockwave like a surfboard. Stylish? Absolutely. Smart? Ehhhh... jury's out.
Every time Lumine's about to get overwhelmed, I jump in like a dramatic bodyguard in a romance anime.
"BLOCKED WITH MY FACE!" I yell, catching a lightning slash that sends me flying fifty feet back.
"Shigeru!" Lumine yells.
"I'm okay!" I cough. "Just... need to find where my spine landed. Carry on!"
She charges forward with a vengeance, and I teleport back using a conveniently-placed wind tunnel I may or may not have summoned five seconds ago.
The battle's chaotic. Glorious. A true spectacle of particle effects, glowing auras, and enough anime screams to make a VA's throat sore for weeks.
Ei parries Lumine's blade with the last of her strength, but her stance falters. Lightning erupts around her, but it's losing its form—scattered, unfocused. Lumine charges, swift and resolute, her expression fierce. I leap in from the side like a deranged meteor, swinging what can only be described as a glorified lightshow of weapons, elemental bursts, and—was that a frying pan? Don't ask.
"Take this, Technique #404: Chaotic Surprise Hug—Just Kidding, It's A Sword!"
Ei blocks it, but she stumbles back. Lumine presses in. I flip midair, land on my knees, and yell, "Cover me, I need like three seconds to recharge my dramatic flair!"
Ei lunges toward Lumine again, but I barrel into her path, absorbing the impact with a scream of, "DEFENSE MODE: SACRIFICIAL IDIOCY!"
I go flying again, of course. Physics has no mercy.
Lumine doesn't waste a second. She ducks under Ei's swing, twirls mid-spin, and plants her foot square on the ground as if commanding the heavens, her blade glowing brighter than ever.
I skid to a halt somewhere near a broken Torii gate, wheezing but alive. "Totally worth it! Keep going, Lumine!"
Their blades clash one last time—beauty and thunder meeting in a single heartbeat. Sparks fly. The air crackles. Even the shadows pause to witness.
And then, finally, Ei drops to her knees. Boom. The battlefield stills.
Yae Miko steps forward, smug as ever. "You've lost, Ei."
Ei sighs. She's not just tired—she's soul-tired. "Yes... I have."
Yae's voice softens, "Why can you not trust in the power of their ambitions?"
Lumine, bless her righteous heart, adds, "When people move forward with all their might, they can surpass the gods themselves."
I clap, like a polite but impatient waiter. "ANYWAY, since the monologues are done, what's next, Lady Booba Archon—uh, I mean, Raiden Ei. Honorable Supreme Lady of Zap Zap."
Ei glares, but she's too emotionally worn down to zappy-fry me.
"You and I..." she begins slowly, looking at Yae "-we both witnessed the great loss that progress can bring. Eternity... is the only way."
I sigh.
A real sigh. Not a sarcastic one.
I step toward her, and for once in my chaotic, braincell-lacking life, I get serious.
"You're not wrong to grieve, Ei," I say, brushing a few strands of her hair out of her face. "Losing Lady Makoto... your friends... those you hold dear... I know that pain. It's heavy. Crushing. But what you're doing? This 'eternity' thing? It's not healing. It's hiding. Stagnation isn't peace. It's slow death."
She closes her eyes. Silent.
"I'm not smart," I continue. "You know this. Everyone here definitely knows this. But I know what it's like to carry something alone. To pretend you're okay when you're not. So listen to me—really listen. You're not alone. Not anymore. We're here. Your people. Everyone in Inazuma. Let us carry some of that weight, okay?"
And then I hug her.
Yeah. Me. Hugging the literal God of Eternity. Honestly, I half-expected a thunderbolt through the heart. Instead?
Tears.
Real, actual tears slip down her face.
Lumine walks over and wraps both of us in a hug, and says, "He really is an idiot... But he's my idiot."
Yae Miko watches from the side, arms crossed, a small, genuine smile on her face.
Lumine whispers gently, "If you ever need someone to rely on, think of us first. We'll always come back."
Ei nods, face buried into us, shoulders shaking.
She mutters, voice low and cracking, "All this time... I thought bearing the pain alone was strength. But now... I see it was fear."
Her gaze flickers between us, the grip on our clothes tightening. "Makoto... would've wanted me to walk with them, not ahead of them. Not behind... Not alone..."
She lets out a breath, shaky but real, then whispers, "Thank you... both of you."
She trembles.
The storm has passed. The plane falls silent.
And for the first time...
The Electro Archon—
No...
Ei...
Finally allows herself to breathe.
____________________
End of Chapter 65
Quests Completed:
*Challenge the Raiden Shogun, survive her wrath, and help her accept that true eternity lies in moving forward, not standing still.
*Stand by Lumine's side through thunder and torment, proving you're not just a comedic relief but someone worth trusting with her heart.
*Escape a realm where time stands still using nothing but grit, chaos magic, and a little emotional damage.
*Earn the sly approval of a certain kitsune priestess by not dying and, surprisingly, making a god cry (in a good way).
*Successfully execute an untested technique mid-battle that confuses both allies and enemies and ends with a bonding moment.
*Stop incoming divine strikes with your face, spine, and good old-fashioned bad decisions. Repeat until friendship is achieved.
*Deliver an impromptu speech to a grieving god that makes everyone, including yourself, feel something deep. Probably tears. Maybe trauma.
Rewards:
*+100 Primogems (Or probably just tears from an Electro God Waifu)
*+2500 Adventurer Exp
*+100 Mora (Pickpocketed from a fox's purse. Yae Miko doesn't have much)
*+1000 New Reputation in Inazuma (Now known as "that idiot who punched God's trauma in the face and hugged the consequences.")
*Artifact Acquired: Makoto's Whisper
*Title Unlocked: "Electro Hug Survivor" (Grants +10 resistance to lightning-based tsundere characters.)
*+100 Bond Level Increased with Lumine
*Passive Skill Gained: "Chaotic Compassion"
*Temporary Elemental Sync: Tri-Elemental Overflow
Achievements:
"Therapy, But Make It Explosive"
-End an eternal god's emotional lockdown with a frying pan, elemental overdrive, and an actual heartfelt monologue.
"Sacrificial Idiocy"
-Throw yourself in front of divine lightning multiple times and somehow inspire everyone in the process.