After finishing her task, Hiiragi Chisato turned to the Kanjou Commission samurai and said, "Take these bodies away. Don't leave them at the entrance of the Kanjou Commission and disrupt the citizens' business."
"Yes, my lady!" The samurai nodded and quickly moved to carry away the ice sculptures. The Taniguchi family was essentially wiped out, so it didn't matter where they were dumped.
With a calm expression, Chisato walked into the office. But the moment she saw Akio, her face turned pale. This was the first time she had killed anyone, and in one go, she had annihilated the entire Taniguchi family.
"Chisato, you did well. As someone in a position of power, you can't afford to be too kind," Akio praised her.
"Being too kind will only make others see you as weak and easy to bully," Akio said calmly.
"I understand, my Lord," Chisato nodded, showing that she grasped his words.
"How does this power feel? Pretty useful, right?" Akio asked with a smile.
"Mm-hmm," Chisato nodded, then hesitated for a moment before saying, "My Lord, this power is too overwhelming. I'm afraid I might not be able to control it."
"I understand what you mean," Akio nodded. As a mortal, suddenly gaining such immense power would naturally make anyone feel unstable. But there was no need to worry too much. The power from the system had almost no side effects.
"Don't worry, it's completely normal. Just relax and take it easy," Akio said soothingly, comforting Chisato.
"With you by my side, I'm not afraid of anything," Chisato said tenderly.
…
While Akio was accompanying Chisato, Lumine and Paimon had set out early in the morning. After completing the task Akio had given them and meeting the Raiden Shogun, they could finally relax a bit.
They had heard that Akio's Divine Coronation Ceremony was approaching, and a grand event would be held, with representatives from the other six nations attending.
"Ugh! How annoying! Akio didn't even give us a map when he sent us to Watatsumi Island!" Paimon grumbled, as she and Lumine huddled under a large rock to take shelter from the rain.
After asking for directions, they had been walking for a whole day. Since they didn't know the way, they had only made it to Tatarasuna.
And the weather in Inazuma was just ridiculous! It changed in an instant! One moment it was clear and sunny, and the next, a fierce storm was raging.
"Lumine! Should we hide in the Serenitea Pot to escape the rain?" Paimon suggested.
"No, Paimon," Lumine shook her head. "I just saw a bunch of those wandering samurai nearby. What if they find the pot while we're resting inside?"
"I've heard that these Kairagi and Nobushi are no good people!"
"Whoa! Then let's just stay here and wait out the rain!" Paimon was startled and quickly agreed.
"Lumine! People say that thunder is the will of the Raiden Shogun. Do you think she's angry right now?" Paimon, feeling bored, started chatting with Lumine.
"Probably not," Lumine waved her hand. "Gods don't get angry that easily!"
"Really? But last time Akio got angry, it was really scary! Remember those light spears that could pierce through space? That Hiiragi Shinsuke guy was skewered like a pincushion!"
"But I think Akio held back, right?" Lumine thought for a moment. "Look at Osial! A sealed Overlord of the Vortex has such immense power, capable of moving mountains and seas. If Akio were truly angry, wouldn't he be even more terrifying than Osial?"
"Definitely," Paimon nodded. "The power of gods is immense, Lumine. Don't you remember? The Anemo Archon once blew away the snowstorms and cut down mountains to create Mondstadt. And Guyun Stone Forest, where Osial was sealed, was formed by the spears Zhongli threw."
"Oh, and I heard something else," Paimon suddenly remembered. "The Raiden Shogun of Inazuma also has some incredible feats."
"According to the person who gave us directions earlier, we're close to Yashiori Island. I just remembered," Paimon said seriously. "Akio mentioned that the Great Serpent Orobashi once invaded Yashiori Island. The Raiden Shogun struck it down with her Musou no Hitotachi, and the aftermath of that slash split Yashiori Island in two, creating Musoujin Gorge."
"Once the rain stops, we'll head forward to Yashiori Island and see the Musoujin Gorge created by that slash," Paimon said.
"Alright," Lumine nodded. When she had shared a drink with Zhongli, he had openly admitted that he was no match for Akio in terms of combat power. It was hard to imagine the level of destruction Akio could unleash if he went all out.
Just then, a bolt of lightning struck from the sky, splitting a tree in half and sending it crashing toward them.
"Run!" Lumine grabbed Paimon and dodged the falling tree, but the pouring rain instantly drenched them.
However, the lightning seemed to have a mind of its own, as bolts continued to strike toward them.
"???" Lumine dodged left and right, avoiding the lightning.
"Lumine! Did you do something bad behind my back?" Paimon shouted, dizzy from being jostled in Lumine's arms.
"How should I know why the lightning is chasing me?" Lumine was also frustrated. She was a good person! Why was the lightning targeting her?
"Did you make the Raiden Shogun angry?" Paimon asked.
"What are you talking about?" Lumine was baffled. "If I knew the Raiden Shogun, would we be suffering like this?"
"Then what do we do?" Paimon yelled. In the heavy rain, you had to shout to be heard.
"I don't know! Find a cave!" Lumine continued to dodge the lightning as she ran for her life.
At that moment, a group of Kairagi suddenly appeared. They had been starving for a long time and, seeing people, naturally wanted to rob them.
"Get out of the way!" Lumine transformed into lightning and quickly dashed past the Kairagi. But the Kairagi weren't so lucky.
A massive bolt of lightning struck from the sky, directly hitting one of the Kairagi. Since they were standing close together, the lightning caused a chain reaction, instantly electrocuting several of them. They were charred black before they could even scream, collapsing on the spot.
"How tragic!" Lumine glanced back at the charred Kairagi, silently mourning for a second. But when she saw another bolt of lightning coming down, she panicked and continued to flee.
"Raiden Shogun! Please stop striking us!" Paimon's wails echoed. Even though she was being carried by Lumine, the constant jumping and dodging made her dizzy!
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