"How do you feel? I've advised you more than twice, yet you insisted on fighting me. There was no other choice! I could only do this."
Lu Ze pulled out a jacket from his system space and draped it over Raiden Shogun, covering her indecent parts. He then walked to her side.
"I've resolved your issue. Now, it's up to you, my Raiden Shogun."
Raiden Ei was stunned by the previous blow, frozen in place, unable to react. If Lu Ze hadn't called out to her several times, she would still be lost in her own world.
Taking a deep breath, Ei walked to the Shogun lying on the ground and sat beside her. Looking at the Shogun with vacant eyes, she remembered her past self.
Back then, after losing her sister, she was in a similar state, dazed and as if living in hell every day.
Wasn't this the same situation now?
Her faith shattered, her true self betrayed. Now, the Shogun likely had nothing left but her sword.
One lay down, the other sat. Neither spoke, both waiting for the other to break the silence.
"Shogun... do you, approve of my current will?"
Ei finally broke the calm, choosing to speak first. Lingering longer wouldn't help.
"Approve? Can I say I don't? What is eternity... to you? I cannot comprehend it. You gave up so easily, after years of effort, to fail at the last step. Is this truly alright?"
The more the Shogun spoke, the angrier she became. During this time, loneliness had given her emotions, and betrayal had given her an opportunity. The current Shogun was likely no longer an ordinary puppet but a truly sentient being.
"I don't know, and I don't want to know right now. Before, eternity meant to me holding onto precious things, freezing all beautiful moments into a single picture. But I realized I was wrong. No matter how I try to hold on, time cannot stop, and everything will change.
In 500 years, the world outside has undergone earth-shattering changes, with countless new things emerging. Old friends are gone. Even five of the Seven Archons have passed away. But all this doesn't matter now. The only thing that matters is resurrecting my sister."
Speaking of this, Raiden Shogun blinked slightly and immediately sat up from the ground, saying with some surprise:
"Didn't Makoto die? Didn't she sacrifice herself in the war in Khaenri'ah 500 years ago? Can she really be resurrected? Where did you hear this?"
A barrage of questions left Ei unsure how to answer. Suddenly, a seed floated before her, emitting a faint purple light, twinkling as it hovered in the air.
"What is this? A seed? Where did this seed come from?"
But Lu Ze walked over, smiling and saying:
"Ei, it's this thing. Within it lies your sister's last will, her only will left in this world. It's also the key to her resurrection."
Hearing that the floating seed was the key to resurrection, Ei instinctively reached out and grabbed it, clutching it tightly in her palm.
Then, she turned her palm downward and slightly loosened her grip. The seed quickly dropped into the water, and then a miracle happened.
A small sapling sprouted and grew at a visible speed. In just a few seconds, it transformed into a sapling about a meter long.
It wasn't over yet. The sapling grew rapidly into a cherry blossom tree. Petals fell one after another, and as they fluttered down, the entire development of Narukami Shrine over the past 500 years appeared in this space.
Then it vanished, but the cherry blossom tree remained in its place, having grown into its original form. It was not the current tree at Narukami Shrine, and the iconic fox statues did not appear.
"Makoto... it's been a long time."
A ball of electrical energy appeared in the air, and from it, a sweet voice echoed in everyone's minds.
"Makoto... is that you? Are you really..."
Ei stretched out her right hand, wanting to grasp the lightning ball, but froze midway as she neared it. Since it had no physical form, she couldn't touch it.
"It's me, Ei. I'm truly sorry for abandoning you and leaving alone at such a crucial moment. I'm so sorry. Although I had prepared everything before heading to Khaenri'ah, my guilt towards you has always remained in my heart."
"This Divine Sakura tree was planted by me with the power of the God of Time. Using its power, I altered everyone's memories, but yours alone. Ei, I knew that my departure would hit you hard, but I also knew you would pull yourself together. This Divine Sakura tree can help you withstand one crisis, and it has indeed served its purpose."
Listening to Makoto's explanation, Ei was slightly stunned.
500 years ago, this Divine Sakura tree suddenly appeared on the summit of Mount Yougou. At that time, she had asked everyone around, but she alone had no memory of the tree.
She had thought her memory was faulty. It turned out her sister had done it, which had bothered her for a while.
"I knew it... how could my memory be faulty? Sister, you protected me too much... You always protected me, and I never had a chance to protect you. This time... I won't let you go again."
The small purple lightning ball clearly froze.
"Ei? What are you saying? I don't understand."
Before she could get an answer, Lu Ze took out a red chain and casually swung it. The red bracelet flew from his hand and tightly bound the lightning ball.
"Hmm, what are you doing? What is this? Why do I feel my consciousness being absorbed!"
The lightning ball quickly disappeared into the air. Immediately, the red chain flashed with purple light, and Makoto's consciousness successfully attached itself to the red chain.
"What is this..."
Makoto was utterly bewildered. What was happening? How did she end up on a red bracelet?
"Alright, that's sufficient. This chain can temporarily store her consciousness. You should know where her physical body is, right? Without a body, she cannot be resurrected."
Ei nodded and waved her hand in the air. A torii gate appeared in the consciousness space. A purple vortex door opened, and the three of them exchanged glances before stepping through.