Kitsune Saiguu lowered her head and quietly wiped away her tears.
She knew she had lost her composure.
After a long breath, she finally asked softly,
"What kind of fate?"
Gu Chen cast her a sidelong glance, his expression heavy.
"An endless calamity," he said. "The land will be swallowed by a black tide. Countless lives will be torn apart, countless homes destroyed…"
"So…"
Kitsune Saiguu's eyes widened in shock, disbelief flickering in her gaze.
"So everything you're doing right now… is all to prepare for that fate?"
"Naturally."
Gu Chen lowered his gaze.
"That's good, then."
Kitsune Saiguu exhaled softly and forced a smile.
"Seems I worried about that fool for nothing. But… that calamity you speak of—"
As she pictured it, a tremor ran through her body before she could finish asking,
"—Can it be stopped?"
"Don't worry." Gu Chen nodded, lifting his eyes to the sky before saying slowly,
"I can't stop it from happening. But what I can do for the people of Inazuma… is to lessen its impact as much as possible—
at least to a degree the nation can barely endure."
"Unavoidable… but mitigated."
Kitsune Saiguu sighed.
If it could not be avoided, then it had to be faced.
And if Inazuma as a nation could survive it, then it meant the blow would not shatter its very bones.
"Have you finished your preparations?" she asked, a hint of hope in her tone.
"No."
Gu Chen shook his head.
"It's too important a matter. Go back and tell her this: once it's done, I'll return immediately."
Kitsune Saiguu opened her mouth.
She wanted to ask if he couldn't spare even a moment to see her again…
But thinking of the countless lives at stake, she swallowed her words.
And so, the two parted ways.
[Wendy]: It's confirmed then. But… Can he really reduce the losses all by himself? (Paimon: shocked)
[Tighnari]: The calamity from centuries ago, yes? I've read about it in old texts—though the accounts were vague, they all described it as unspeakably dreadful. Still, if Mr. Gu Chen foresaw it, Inazuma must've fared far better in his timeline.
[Raiden Ei]: I… wrongly blamed him. (I'm sorry.)
[Yae Miko]: Sigh…
That disaster still haunted Yae Miko's mind.
Kitsune Saiguu had fallen in it—so had Chiyo, in her tragic fate.
The more Yae Miko thought about it, the heavier her heart grew.
"Gu Chen… my god, my friend—my dear friends… I entrust them all to you, my brother-in-law."
She whispered those words to the wind.
"Ah, I see…"
Raiden Makoto (Raiden Jin) finally understood.
"Did he say what I must do?"
Seeing Makoto's face regain a trace of color, Kitsune Saiguu smiled faintly.
"He didn't say. But knowing him, he already has a plan. You don't need to worry."
"I understand."
Makoto nodded.
Even though she couldn't see Gu Chen, her heart had found peace.
Time flowed on.
Two decades passed in the blink of an eye.
The scene shifted back to Gu Chen.
He stood at the foot of Mt. Yougou, eyes fixed on the mountain as though they could pierce the soil to its depths.
"A fine location… but the filth will spread from here to all directions. It must be guarded carefully."
With a murmur, his figure vanished.
When he reappeared, he was in Tenshukaku.
He walked quietly into the great hall—there, seated upon the dais, Raiden Makoto was writing busily, completely absorbed.
The sound of his steps didn't make her look up.
Gu Chen came to stand behind her and glanced at the paper.
"Year 120, Seventh Month, Seventh Day.
Still no news of him today… but I've stopped worrying. I know he'll never abandon me.
He treasures the lives of the people—I mustn't ruin his plans just because I miss him.
…Though, I do miss him so much.
There's a lot to handle today! If only I could leave it to someone else—but no, I must do it perfectly!
Jin, you have to work hard! When he comes back and he's satisfied, then you can boldly declare your wish—to marry him!
Come on, you can do it!"
"I wonder when he'll return…"
That was where her pen had paused.
Gu Chen's lips softened into a faint, gentle smile. Then, just as quickly, his expression calmed.
"Writing your diary again?" he asked.
"Mm-hmm."
Makoto nodded—then froze.
She turned her head, wide-eyed in disbelief.
The man she had longed for day and night stood right before her.
"Y-you—you—"
She stammered, then quickly hid the papers on the table, her face burning red.
"You didn't peek… did you?"
"Only the beginning," Gu Chen replied.
"Th—that's fine then!"
She hurriedly gathered her diary and tucked it away, pretending calm.
"You're back."
[Nilou]: He totally read the whole thing! Makoto was so bold in her diary~
[Yaoyao]: I saw his expression too! When he read it, he looked so gentle… then suddenly serious. Weird—doesn't he want to be with her already? (Kaveh: scratches head)
[Collei]: Aaaaah! I want all the other Archons to attend their wedding!
[Wendy]: No need—I'll just fly there myself! (claps hands)
[Zhongli]: The earth shall witness this bond… though even I cannot fathom Gu Chen's thoughts. (sips tea)
"Have you finished what you needed to do?" Makoto asked.
"Not yet."
Gu Chen shook his head.
"The Tenryou Commission's military exercises are urgent, and there are other places that need close attention… There's no end to it."
"Ah… I see."
Makoto's voice dimmed slightly.
He didn't even have time to see the fruits of her efforts.
Still, she knew what mattered more—Inazuma's safety.
Gu Chen began issuing orders.
A hundred and twenty years passed.
Generations came and went.
To all but the long-lived, the Regent Gu Chen had faded into legend—known only as "Raiden Shogun."
Yet Gu Chen cared little for fame.
He issued commands in the name of the Shogun, arranging and adjusting everything in silence.
Even Raiden Ei grew puzzled, though she had long since learned to trust his orders without question.
Only Raiden Makoto, secluded in Narukami Shrine, felt an unshakable unease.
"Can even the fate of a god not be calculated?
He foresaw calamities that could ruin a nation… yet not his own fate?"
She remembered the divination he'd once cast for her—and the worry she had pushed aside after Kitsune Saiguu's comfort.
Now, that worry returned stronger than ever.
In Tenshukaku, Gu Chen sat upon the throne with eyes closed.
Around him, countless sigils glowed, swirling like a vast ocean.
A faint vibration stirred from his chest.
He opened his hand—the purple Gnosis within trembled violently, as though yearning to escape.
Gu Chen's face hardened, veins bulging along his hand as he held it tight.
But the Gnosis pulsed stronger and stronger until, breaking free, it burst through layer upon layer of formations and shot outward—
toward Raiden Makoto.
He watched it go, silent for a long while before sighing deeply.
On Mt. Makoto was speaking with Kitsune Saiugu when a bolt of violet light streaked toward her.
It slowed as it approached—then settled gently into her palm.
"Gnosis? But wasn't it with him…?"
She frowned, confused.
Then, a message flowed into her mind.
"A crusade… against Khaenri'ah?
…Why?"
Her eyes clouded with bewilderment.
She knew of Khaenri'ah—
a godless nation.
Why would the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles command her, through the Gnosis itself, to lead such a crusade?
Kitsune Saiguu's face tensed.
"Can you not refuse?"
"I can't." Makoto shook her head.
"Then what do we do?!"
"Bring Gu Chen and Ei with you," Saiguu urged. "You're not a warrior—if they go, it'll be safer!"
"No."
Makoto's refusal was immediate.
"He's foreseen Inazuma's coming calamity. Only with him here can countless lives be spared.
If he and Ei both leave, who will protect Inazuma?"
She sighed heavily, gazing at the faintly glowing Gnosis.
"Then what shall we do…"
Before they could decide, Gu Chen entered from outside the shrine.
"So you've heard?" he asked.
"Yes!" Makoto nodded.
"You can't go." Gu Chen's tone was firm.
"But if I don't, we'll all—"
"I'll go."
"No!" she cried instantly. "It's too dangerous—you can't!"
"You're Inazuma's god. If you fall, what becomes of this nation?"
"If I die, Ei still remains!" she countered fiercely.
It was their first true confrontation.
"Ei isn't fit to lead Inazuma," Gu Chen said calmly. "Only you can guide it down the right path."
Makoto bit her lip.
"Then take Ei with you!"
"No. Ei must stay. She's part of the plan."
"I don't care! You can't go! If you must—then take me too! Even if I die, I'll die with you!"
Her eyes were filled with desperate resolve.
Kitsune Saiguu bowed her head in silence. After a long pause, she whispered,
"Then… let me go instead."
"Saiguu…"
"Enough."
Gu Chen's gaze swept over them, his presence pressing down like a mountain.
"Come here."
Makoto flinched, hesitating before stepping forward.
He reached out—and drew her into his arms.
Before she could react, her body went limp.
Kitsune Saiguu's eyes widened.
Holding the unconscious Makoto, Gu Chen said quietly,
"Tell Ei to guard Inazuma. She is not to leave, no matter what."
"But you—"
His cold stare silenced her.
Then, with a weary sigh, he added,
"We've no time left to argue. This is war—
against gods, against power itself. I'm the only one strong enough to stand in that storm.
You can't go. Neither can anyone else.
And I will never let that foolish Ei walk into danger."
He turned away.
"Mt. Yougou's depths are special—they both spread and gather filth, yet its lower layers are safe.
Seal our god there… lest she chase after me.
At least until this war ends, she must not awaken."
Kitsune Saiguu closed her eyes.
"…I understand."
She took the Gnosis from him.
Gu Chen carried Makoto into the mountain's heart, where layers of formation rose like dreamlike petals.
After one last lingering look at her peaceful face, he turned and departed.
Time passed.
The calamity struck—an endless tide of darkness flooding Inazuma.
Under the Tenryou Commission's banner, samurai fought valiantly.
Led by Kitsune Saiguu, the yokai joined the battle against the invading monsters of the abyss.
Upon the Tenshukaku desk, a pink pearl glowed faintly.
Across the islands, formations flared, blessing warriors and yokai alike.
Under Raiden Ei's leadership, it took three years to quell the disaster.
When peace finally returned, the land lay scarred but unbroken.
The pink pearl upon the desk shattered, its last power seeping into the earth.
Thanks to Gu Chen, Inazuma's core endured.
Within three years, the nation recovered to its former strength.
On Narukami Island, within Mt. Yougou,
Kitsune Saiguu descended into the mountain's depths.
There, a dreamlike realm had formed—
at its heart, a sakura tree bloomed eternally, bathing the space in soft pink light.
Beneath it lay a woman, serene as if in sleep.
Kitsune Saiguu knelt beside her.
At the corner of Makoto's eye… a faint trace of tears.
"This is…?"
Kitsune Saiguu noticed a folded sheet clutched in her hand.
She gently pulled it free and unfolded it.
Delicate handwriting danced across the page.
"I actually awoke once… but I was too late.
We should've known—his first divination had already foretold this.
But why… why couldn't I stop him? Why couldn't I even find his body…
He always wished to return home.
Unable to, he made this land his home.
Now he can never go back—and my home is buried in foreign soil.
Saiguu, you haven't told Ei, have you?
If she still doesn't know, please… don't let her find out.
And if she ever learns the truth—
tell her to forgive her selfish sister.
Let me sleep here… forever."
[Wendy]: In the records of this era—Makoto fell there.
[Zhongli]: Gu Chen once wrote: "Fate—broken by life itself." He kept his word.
[Kaeya]: Gu Chen's a legend!
[Mona]: He actually shattered fate… gods above!
The chat erupted in awe.
[Hu Tao]: Thanks to the lords for the moon tickets! (winks)
[Fufeng County Storm]: 1000 V-tips! (Hu Tao: "Thank you, boss!") (Nahida: excited!) (Dehya: send flowers!)
"Don't forget to claim your Primogems after the preview event! Mwah~"
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