"Fortunately... the damage isn't severe. The Yashiro Commission can handle the root maintenance from here."
Ei let out a slight sigh of relief as she examined the exposed section of the Sacred Sakura's roots.
Paimon stared curiously at the glowing blue liquid seeping from the damaged roots. "Is this... the Sacred Sakura's sap? It's all sparkly and... squishy?"
Her eyes widened as mist suddenly surged from the sap. In an instant, the smoke dissipated, revealing several figures—some standing, others collapsed—appearing before the group and the god.
"Wh-What's this?"
"Are they injured?"
"Are they... dead people? Like the ones we've seen before during our travels. But why here?"
Responding to Paimon and Lumine's questions, Ei said, "Why don't you two go check on them?"
Lumine and Paimon nodded, heading toward the sole standing figure while Sen'emon and Ei remained behind.
At that moment, watching their backs, Ei suddenly spoke. "Sen'emon... do you understand your current condition?"
Sen'emon closed her eyes slightly. "Your Excellency, of course I'm aware."
"I doubt that. Otherwise, you wouldn't have ignored my warnings. If I hadn't run into you today, I'd have received news of your death within days."
Ei's gentle voice carried a hint of reproach.
Sen'emon chuckled. "I'm tough. Not so easy to kill, Your Excellency."
"From the moment you were born, I've used the power of the Sacred Sakura to suppress the viruses within you. For twenty years, all of Inazuma's faith has been poured into you—just so you could move freely like this."
"I'll never forget your kindness, Your Excellency."
"I did this so you could live longer."
"And I've been doing my best to live as long as possible."
Ei sighed helplessly. "You're the only human I've seen in millennia who can only be described as 'cursed by heaven.' Your talent made you the strongest from birth, but it also burdened you with hundreds of millions of lethal viruses. For anyone else, even one of these would be fatal. Yet you survived—not because I saved you in time, but because your talent refused to let you die. Even with all those viruses ravaging your body, your ability forced you to endure, no matter how close to death you were."
"Thanks to that, and my blessing, you've stayed alive and active until now."
"But as your power grew, so did the viruses. Now, you host over a billion lethal strains. Even the collective faith of Inazuma's people can no longer suppress them."
"Sen'emon, your body is crumbling. If you don't stop—if you keep pushing your limits—you will fall soon."
Sen'emon's smile didn't waver. "Your Excellency... I can't win unless I go this far."
Ei sighed again and said no more, walking over to join Lumine, Paimon, and the long-deceased man they were speaking with.
Livestream Reactions:
Brother Da: "Wait, is this a death flag?!"
"Don't do this! Out of all Genshin characters, Sen'emon's my favorite! You can kill Venti if you have to, but not Sen'emon!"
[Venti: Excuse me?]
[Venti: How very polite of you.]
[Venti: crying]
"But seriously, Sen'emon's strength is insane."
Brother Da pondered. "Ei's words just raised Sen'emon's hype to another level. Her only limit is the viruses in her body. Without them... just how strong would she be?"
As he mused, the screen showed Lumine and Paimon conversing with the inexplicably manifested man—Kitamura.
Kitamura: "Ugh... I can't... fall here... My comrades... still need me..."
Paimon: "What happened here? Can you tell us?"
Kitamura: "Who... are you? Why are you here? Run! The beasts will return... Once they mark you, escape is impossible! We... must protect Inazuma to our last breath!"
Lumine: "What's going on?"
Kitamura: "You... don't know? Inazuma's been swallowed by darkness. Beasts are everywhere... and worse monsters. They're merciless, devouring everything... Erasing all traces of humanity."
Paimon: "But... there's nothing around now?"
Kitamura: "Not yet... but they will come back. Go! There's no time! With the Shogun gone... Lady Saiguu gone too... We're all that's left."
As the dialogue unfolded, the livestream chat flooded with:
[Saiguu! My Saiguu!]
Ignoring the spam, Brother Da focused intently. As a lore analyst, he never missed dialogue—there might be crucial clues hidden here.
Kitamura: "I don't know how long we can hold out... But if we abandon hope, we lose everything."
Just then, Ei finally approached, having finished her talk with Sen'emon.
Ei: "Calm yourself. I am here."
Kitamura: "Sh-Shogun?!" His shock melted into relief. "You've returned! Please... save Inazuma! Without your lightning, we can't dispel this darkness... If this continues, the beasts will consume everything!"
Ei (gently): "Be at peace. That war... is already over."
Kitamura: "Over? Your Excellency... what do you mean?"
Ei: "Look around. The land is green, the winds are calm. This is the Inazuma you remember—safe, untouched. No monsters. No threats."
Kitamura (dazed): "But... why? They were just here... I saw my comrades torn apart..."
Paimon (urgently): "Hey, calm down! It's okay now!"
Kitamura: "Ah..." His breathing steadied as realization dawned. "I see... So it was you, Your Excellency. You saved Inazuma... Putting our faith in you was right. As long as the Shogun lives, Inazuma will endure... Thank you... Thank you..."
As the man faded away with gratitude, Ei's expression finally cracked with sorrow.
In the end... she had protected nothing.
She had abandoned Inazuma in its hour of need for the sake of "education," yet failed to save even that. Lady Saiguu and all who fought for Inazuma had perished because of her choices. And afterward, she had only escaped into self-imposed exile, forcing her flawed ideal of "eternity" upon her people...
Indeed... I was simply too immature.