Beneath the Grand Narukami Shrine, the night was shrouded in mist.
Within the Raiden Shogun’s consciousness, Ei controlled her puppet’s body, standing at the entrance to Raiden Makoto’s inner domain.
After a long moment of hesitation, determination flickered across her face. She raised her hand gently, reopening the portal.
Since Makoto’s death, she had sealed this space and never summoned the courage to enter again.
But because of Luo Qing, she now had no choice but to return and reshape the puppet’s body.
Ei placed her right hand over her chest, her thoughts stirring.
In an instant, a deep purple glow emerged, and she slowly pulled a katana out from her chest. The blade shimmered with lightning as it was plunged into the ground.
Taking a deep breath, Ei stepped forward, letting the light of the portal swallow her whole.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in an infinite expanse of pristine blue.
This was Raiden Makoto’s inner domain.
Beside her stood another figure—an exact replica of herself.
Raiden Shogun crossed her arms, staring coldly at Ei. Her tone was calm yet sharp.
“So, what is it you intend to do?”
Only here, within this domain, could the two of them exist independently, unshackled from the puppet’s body.
“Our memories and emotions tied to him are embedded in this puppet,” Ei began, clasping her hands together. Her expression twisted with pain, and her body trembled.
The next moment, a deep purple sphere of light tore free from her form, causing her body to collapse like a stringless marionette.
“The physical form is the vessel of the soul. If I erase all memories connected to him, then those unnecessary feelings should vanish along with them.”
From within the glowing orb, Ei’s voice echoed faintly. She had severed her soul from the puppet’s body, leaving behind an empty shell.
“Will you do it, or shall I?”
“…”
Raiden Shogun fell silent, her gaze fixed on the lifeless puppet on the ground.
She was a fragment of Ei, the embodiment of order and eternal resolve.
In the past, she wouldn’t have hesitated to eliminate anything standing in the way of eternity.
But now, her conviction wavered. Could she truly erase all memories of Luo Qing?
“This is a necessary step to achieve eternity,” Ei murmured softly. “Just as I let go of others before, I must let go of Luo Qing as well.”
The purple orb extended fine threads of light toward the puppet’s head, intent on erasing every trace of Luo Qing from its mind.
The threads penetrated the puppet’s consciousness, searching for memories of Luo Qing.
As the process began, Raiden Shogun’s expression twisted in discomfort.
Being of one mind and body with Ei, their memories were shared. The act of erasing them felt as if someone was performing surgery directly on her brain.
Soon, Ei located a memory—one where Raiden Shogun and Luo Qing had been entwined so intimately that it was a miracle the heavens themselves hadn’t struck them down.
“Tch.”
A derisive snort echoed from the glowing orb. Whether out of jealousy or mockery, it wasn’t clear.
Watching an exact copy of herself locked in such moments with someone else—wasn’t this a twisted form of humiliation?
“If I hadn’t stopped you, he would’ve gotten exactly what he wanted, wouldn’t he?”
“…”
Raiden Shogun’s face flushed crimson. Her irritation was evident as she snapped, “Why do you always bring this up? Just erase it already.”
“Hmph.”
Ei said no more, focusing on erasing that scandalous memory.
Yet, only a few seconds later, she realized something was wrong.
Even though the memory was gone, the inexplicable fondness for Luo Qing remained.
“This…”
She attempted to erase more memories—moments of their shared kisses, their stolen intimacies. One by one, she removed every recollection of Luo Qing from the past month.
But no matter how many she erased, the inexplicable warmth in her heart refused to fade.
“…”
“What’s wrong?”
Sensing Ei’s frustration, Raiden Shogun couldn’t help but ask.
“His influence seems to stem from a higher existence,” Ei said thoughtfully. “Even with the memories removed, the inexplicable affection remains intact.”
“This…”
Raiden Shogun closed her eyes, attempting to sense for herself.
Just the mere thought of Luo Qing’s name made her heart race, her cheeks flush, and her body yearn to hold him close.
“…”
“So what now?”
Raiden Shogun’s voice was calm, but her heart clenched with tension.
Deep down, she hoped Ei wouldn’t succeed in erasing their feelings for him.
“There’s another way,” Ei said after a moment of silence.
“While I can’t erase the feelings directly, I can redirect them… into something else.”
“Redirect?”
“Yes. If we suppress our affection for him and implant a suggestion, we can transform that affection into a desire to kill him.”
“Will that work?”
Raiden Shogun’s expression dimmed with a hint of sadness. Was she truly destined to forget Luo Qing and destroy him in the end?
“Even if the suggestion is discovered over time, it doesn’t matter,” Ei replied with a scoff. “In the short term, the urge to kill will remain. As long as we eliminate him during that time, nothing will stand in the way of eternity.”
“…”
“Are you having second thoughts?” Ei asked sharply.
“Of course not.”
Raiden Shogun turned her back, her voice devoid of emotion. “Do it.”
“Hmph.”
Ei resumed her work, erasing the final remnants of Luo Qing from their memory.
Before removing the last memory of their first meeting with him, she planted the suggestion.
The feelings of affection and warmth toward Luo Qing were redirected into a consuming thirst for his blood.
In essence, whenever they thought of Luo Qing, their hearts would still race—not with love, but with an intense desire to kill him.
The deeper the blade plunged into him, the more exhilarated they would feel.
Converting their emotions required time, especially as beings of divine existence. Fortunately, within the consciousness space, time flowed differently—what felt like centuries passed, though only days transpired in the outside world.
At last, Ei’s work was complete. The memories were erased, and the suggestion firmly planted.
Several days later, beneath the Grand Narukami Shrine, Raiden Shogun emerged from the light.
Her eyes returned to their usual calm and detached state as she retrieved Musou Isshin from the ground, returning it to her body.
As she prepared to return to Tenshukaku to resume her duties, a strange tremor coursed through her heart.
She stared at her hand, her expression momentarily clouded with confusion.
It felt as though she desperately needed to find someone…
…and cut them down with a single strike.
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