Genshin Impact, I, a mere mortal, cannot accompany you to the very end.

Fallen beings die and become filth, but immortal martyrs remain heroic souls even after being defiled!

“You…” Kiyono didn’t know what to say. His lips trembled slightly, and he paused. “You didn’t need to come.”

The wind and snow were shimmering.

He looked at Mishima Yoshimitsu, "Did you call him here? But you could rest in peace now."

Kiyono said softly, "You don't need to suffer anymore."

"I..."

The old soldier's body was already mostly gone, but he refused to leave; this powerful belief sustained his body.

He gritted his teeth, and the veins on his aged skin stood out prominently.

“Even if I die, I am still a Pillar of the Nation Army, and my brothers are also Pillar of the Nation Army. We are here voluntarily to follow the Great Pillar of the Nation. We cannot run away.”

Even if we're already dead, we won't run away; we'd rather die than run away.

He muttered to himself, "This simple, unassuming boatman, this honest old soldier, doesn't spout any profound platitudes. He's not very cultured, and he's always been stubborn and principled. The reason is simple:..."

The Grand Pillar of State has not left, so the Pillar of State Army cannot leave.

If the Grand Pillar of State wants war, then the Pillar of State Army must fight.

We can't be deserters, otherwise we'll embarrass the kids.

People will criticize them behind their backs after they die.

"Your Majesty Zhuguo."

A familiar voice.

He was Qingye's adjutant four hundred years ago.

Kiyono still remembered his name, Kishibe Shirono.

"We finally understand the meaning of all this,"

He was covered in wounds, his armor was tattered, and he was staring at Qingye Leiming, staring at the graying temples of his head:

"We have been wandering aimlessly at sea for four hundred years,"

His eyes welled with tears, and after a pause, he said:

"It was all for the sake of reuniting with you."

"This war is not over,"

"Please lead us to continue the fight."

His adjutant drew his katana from his waist; its cold light gleamed, sharp as the wind. The blade, once covered in dense patina, was now peeling away in large patches, revealing its former luster. He held the sword upright before him on the shore.

"The fate of the Pillar Army should not be one of aimless dissipation, like pitiful wronged souls. The Pillar Army should die on the glorious battlefield!!"

"Four hundred years later, on the shore, Shirayuki draws his sword!!"

Mishima Jemin also drew his own sword, a tattered hunting knife. He imitated his adjutant, holding it in front of him: "Four hundred years later, Mishima Jemin, draw your sword!"

"Four hundred years later, Tanaka Morii, draw your sword!!"

"Four hundred years later, Moriyasu Ryota, draw your sword!"

...

Behind me, the sounds of swords being drawn echoed continuously. The cold light gleamed as decaying blades slashed through the chilling night sky, clanging and ringing. The sounds of swords clashing mingled together, suddenly accompanied by a thunderclap!

Thirteen hundred soldiers drew their swords in unison!

Their eyes shone with excitement, trembling as they gazed at the Pillar of State with sincere and pure eyes, as if they had returned to hundreds of years ago, awaiting his command.

Kiyono lowered his head, holding the snake-cutting blade in his hand, feeling the tremor of the blade and the tremor of his own heart.

Trembling, trembling.

The old, cold body began to bleed hot blood.

Finally, he raised his head, lifted the Serpent Cutter, and the heavy snow fell upon him, just as it had four hundred years ago, just as it had in his youthful arrogance. He said:

Soldiers—

"Charge with me!"

It was like thunder echoing above the clouds.

The soldiers responded to the thunderous roar. They lined up, formed ranks, and dispersed, led by the Pillar of State, charging towards the colossal serpent with fearless courage and relentless advance.

The banners reflected in the night sky, their cold light piercing through the snow, moving so fast that they left a trail of black lightning in the forest.

"Ah... mortals...merely mortals, you lot..."

"A mortal who has usurped power!!"

The arrow wound in the serpent's throat had almost healed. Its eyes were filled with gloom and resentment as it stared intently at the ignorant mortal, who seemed like an ant to it. The four people around it had been killed years ago.

How hateful, how hateful! The filth had completely corrupted its mind; it had only one thought:

kill!

"If I kill you once, I can kill you a second time!"

The demonic flames in its mouth were fully charged, and it spewed them out, burning towards the center of the lightning bolt, towards Qingye Leiming.

The front-line warriors raised their shields, but they were instantly engulfed by the demonic flames. The flames burned row after row of soldiers, but they were not afraid. Like moths drawn to the fire, they resolutely perished on the eve of dawn.

Although they were fading away, they felt no pain; instead, a relieved and proud smile graced their lips. Although it was death, it was as if they were being reborn.

They passed over our corpses.

"Your Excellency, advance!"

They seemed to be talking.

Kiyono pressed down on the snake-slaying serpent, keeping his body low. One after another, the remains passed by him, but Kiyono didn't look at them. His eyes were empty, with only the giant snake spewing flames.

The rear ranks unleashed another barrage of arrows, hundreds of arrows whistling through the air, weaving a dense net of arrows in the night sky as they swarmed down upon the giant serpent.

The serpent's body trembled, and demonic flames rose. It uttered a venomous curse from the pain: "Mortals! Mortals! How dare you usurp my authority!"

One hundred, two hundred, three hundred... half the soldiers were wiped out.

The demonic flames engulfed the archers, and the billowing flames licked the dark night sky. The boatman was also dead long ago; he was not much of a fighter to begin with, and this honest and simple man vanished in the glow of the flames.

He sailed the ship for four hundred years, but he never saw his family before he died. He never even made a midnight snack for the "Fangzi" he spoke of. But he was still smiling because the Pillar of State General was smiling.

Then there's nothing to be afraid of.

Kiyono was smiling, a smile unique to the Pillar of the Nation, a smile that could be sad, painful, or as compassionate as snow.

But all of this was buried in laughter, buried in that melodious and unrestrained laughter, and all four hundred years of upheaval and displacement were laughed away!

The adjutant also died; when he died, he turned his head to look at Kiyono.

Your Excellency, the Pillar of State, advance!

We are just mortals, unable to accompany you for four hundred years.

So even if you're the only one left, please keep going.

You must leave this battlefield; you must survive.

True death is being completely forgotten.

Please remember us, and even if it's difficult, please try your best to live on.

My heart remains unmoved, my loyalty will endure for a thousand autumns.

The giant snake's flames were almost exhausted, leaving it wide open. Under cover, Kiyono also reached the last position.

He pressed down on the scabbard of the snake-slicing sword, lowered his body, and white mist escaped from between his nose and teeth.

With an unmoved mind, a clear and tranquil world remains, with only a line and a dot remaining. The dot is the knife in his hand, and the dot is the throat of the demon god.

His aged heart pounded eagerly; he heard the voice that had been silent for four hundred years—it was the voice of his own heart:

Four hundred years later—

"Thunder roars through the fields."

"Draw your sword."

Volume 1: Chapter 18 How did he... end up there?

He pressed down on the scabbard of the snake-slicing sword, lowered his body, and let white mist escape from his nose and teeth. His mind was calm and clear, and the world was reduced to a single line and a dot. The line was the sword in his hand, and the dot was the throat of the demon god.

The last time I truly pulled out this knife was ten years ago.

The art of drawing the sword, or more specifically, the art of iaido.

Iaido is a technique that wins instantly by striking and cutting the opponent from a static position, unlike Kendo where victory is decided before the sword is drawn and the sword is exchanged.

Kiyono only had this one last strike left.

The snake-slaying sword had been sheathed for ten years, its edge unseen. The spirit of that strike had been accumulating for a decade; though the man himself had aged, that spirit had only grown stronger.

The soldier vanished before him, blood splattered on his cheeks, the stench of blood filling his nostrils. The giant snake was within reach, yet he slowed down.

Narukami possesses her "unfettered mind," while the Pillar has his "unwavering mind."

Unmoved.

A pure mind, as described in the Diamond Sutra, is a mind that "dwells nowhere and yet gives rise to the mind." Wang Yangming also described this state as: moving without intention, moving according to circumstances.

The swift strike without thought is the path of no thought, no desire, the eternal way, a rejection of the fleeting illusions of the world, a yearning for the pure land and the constant way, shattering attachments with the merciless light of rice, therefore it is extremely powerful and fierce, unstoppable.

But the swordsmanship that Kiyono pursues is not without thought. A monarch can be alone, she wants to create an eternal paradise, but he is a pillar of the country, he wants to try to support this paradise, so he must remain still.

In the emptiness of Zen, the world was clearly defined, and everything quickly faded away in his silver-gray eyes.

The vast snow-capped mountains, the crimson earth, the leaden sky, and even the snowflakes suspended in the air all melted into his eyes.

Therefore, eyes are not needed.