flstandardbreds Chapter 112: We're going to fight Thor!!
Chapter 112: We're going to fight Thor!!
The goddess's words silenced everyone, but she herself didn't seem to notice.
The Divine Child: "Heh, instead of pondering such questions, you should be thinking about how to repay me... shouldn't you? Or perhaps, there really is something wrong with your thought process..."
Kong immediately expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you very much, Lord Yae no Miko."
"There's no need to be so formal. What I need is your action, heh." The divine child spoke as if he could see right through him: "You're probably still thinking about the 'Evil Eye,' aren't you?"
Upon hearing this, Kong immediately tensed up. The Divine Child continued, "Don't worry, the navigator of that Sea Spirit Island has already led his men to wipe them out and has issued a strict military order to the entire army, prohibiting the use of the Evil Eye. That Scatter Soldier wouldn't risk his comrades' futile resistance when their stronghold has been exposed, would he?"
After saying this, the Divine Child looked regretful: "Alas, if I had time, I would really like to see those fools suffer... They did a really good job, that woman named Coral Palace Heart Sea. I really want to have a good talk with her in person, but unfortunately... differences in faith are such a hindrance."
Xuan Qing: "Disagreement on beliefs?"
“Yes,” the goddess said, looking troubled. “The island of Haiqi worships the demon god Orobas, but he died at the hands of the goddess Inazuma. That’s how the conflict arose.”
"Hey, Orobas!" Xuan Yue immediately looked worried.
Xuan Qing: "Hmm? Is there a problem?"
Xuan Yue was on the verge of tears (╥﹏╥): "You weren't there at the time, so I couldn't use much of my 'Space' power to trap Orobas. I chased him all the way from Liyue to Inazuma. Before I could even log in, Balzebub stopped me... I've been laughed at by Gui Zhong and the others for centuries!!"
Paimon (embarrassed): "So... you were chased here from Liyue by Xuan Yue..."
"Sigh..." Xuan Qing sighed, then rubbed his little bird's head to comfort it, before turning to the others and saying, "You guys continue."
The Divine Child: "Well then, let's get straight to the point. I'm telling you all this just to put your mind at ease, so you can focus... on doing something for me."
Kong: "What is it?"
"You...have you seen her?" the goddess asked in a mysterious tone.
Kong: "You mean General Thunder?"
The divine child shook her head, still hinting at something, and said, "I'm not talking about that 'doll,' I mean... you should have seen 'her,' right?"
Empty: "You mean..."
Divine Child: "The true Thunder General, who engages in endless meditation in the [Pure Land of One Heart] in order to maintain his 'self'..."
"—Its name is 'Shadow'."
"You mean, the figures that appeared at the ceremony were just dolls, and the real General Thunder was the one the traveler met later?" Paimon realized as well: "In other words, not only the 'battlefield' changed, but the 'opponent' also changed?"
“I also noticed some subtle differences…” Kong touched his chin with his hand, recalling some details from that time.
"This is the 'eternity' of that Thunder General. Before pursuing the eternity of this kingdom, one must first touch upon eternity oneself." The divine child explained to them in a mysterious tone.
Yae no Miko: "The physical body will eventually return to dust, so it will be replaced by the body of a 'puppet.' The spirit, too, cannot escape wear and tear, so she places her consciousness within her sword, using meditation to avoid all disturbances."
Paimon: "So, the space she slashed open with the knife is..."
Yae no Miko: "The 'Pure Land of One Heart' is a space similar to her 'inner world,' generally only allowing the existence of the 'self.' She remains enclosed in her own world, leaving the complexities of the outside world to be handled by that puppet who relentlessly strives for eternity..."
"This is the eternal path she discovered."
Kong: "Zhongli also mentioned 'wear and tear.'"
"Are you referring to Morax? It's been a long time. So the gods of Liyue have made such a choice. Truly an interesting god." The shrine maiden smiled slightly, as if the matter had genuinely pleased her. "Speaking of which, these two gentlemen are also among the gods of Liyue..."
Kong and Paimon both focused their attention on Xuanqing, eagerly awaiting his answer.
Seeing their expectant expressions, Xuan Qing immediately felt uncomfortable: "What do you want me to answer? First, let me clarify, General Lei Dian's actions could indeed avoid a problem like Zhong Li's... but she overlooked 'time'."
"Heh, indeed... doesn't her behavior resemble that of a child throwing a tantrum and locking themselves in their room?" The divine child gazed up at the enormous cherry blossom tree and continued slowly, "Moreover, her so-called 'eternity' has long since become what she perceives as 'eternity.' In the end... it's nothing more than a fear of loss..."
Empty: "I'm not sure what you want me to do yet."
Yae no Miko: "Actually... we share the same stance. You want to save the Inazuma people under the Eye Hunt Order, and so do I. It's just that I also want to save this country and her as well."
"The key lies in this: since 'Pure Land of the Heart' also represents Shadow's inner world, defeating her there could potentially 'reverse' the will of the Thunder General."
"Is this the method you came up with to abolish the Eyehunting Order?" Paimon (*???)!!: "Not by refuting her with words, nor by using the power of the resistance to stage a coup, but... directly changing the inner world of the Thunder General?"
"You understand very quickly. In short, this is the only way to get Inazuma back on track before he falls into 'eternal darkness'." The Divine Child was quite satisfied with their efficiency in understanding.
“Then…” Xuan Qing considered going to fight Balzeb himself. After all, his current divine power was enough to last for another battle, he would just need to sleep for a few more days afterward…
Xuan Yue seemed to sense his thoughts and stared at him directly, saying, "What are you planning to do now? Don't blame me for not warning you, although your divine power is slowly replenishing, according to your habits... after fighting the Thunder God, will you still have the strength to repair the ley lines here?"
Xuanqing had no choice but to give up the idea and turned to Kong and Paimon helplessly: "I really can't help you now. It seems that you can only rely on yourselves to fight Thor."
The divine child seemed to suddenly remember something, and smiled at Xuan Qing and Xuan Yue, saying, "Who said we can't help? As fellow 'gods,' you two must already know each other. Why don't you two go and chat with Ying, and offer her some guidance? —That way, perhaps we can lift the 'Eye Hunting Decree' without much effort."
Xuan Yue shivered and whispered to Xuan Qing: (Has this little fox from the Thunder God's family gone astray? I always feel a chill down my spine when she's watching me...)
Xuanqing: (Maybe... because she's a fox?...)
Xuan Yue: (That makes sense... the little fox isn't cute anymore when it grows up...)