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

"And," the boy's eyes gleamed with the last rays of autumn, "I won't die. Don't tell Ying, or she won't agree, just like she wouldn't have told me."

"If we're going to take revenge, then of course we have to do it together."

-

The lady is writing a letter to the Kingdom of Winter.

The letter outlined several developments in Inazuma:

The Evil Eye Factory has already begun construction, and its location is on Bayun Island; the holder of the Heart of God has also been found, a mortal named Qing Nuoyan, who is temporarily under the protection of the Pillar State Palace; and there is also the betrayal regarding the collapse of the country.

Betrayal amidst national collapse...

The lady slightly raised her eyes, gazing at the declaration of war placed on the desk—the country had submitted a request for a 'duel before the emperor' to the castle tower, and after Narukami agreed, the declaration was presented to the lady.

A duel before the emperor...a very clever move.

The woman bit her lip.

Please remember my promise, please give my heart to the collapsing nation.

The last words of Kiyono Kaze still echoed in the lady's ears. Just by closing her eyes, she could see the dark gray beach of Mondstadt, the withered yellow sand, the leaden sky, and the wisps of wind that dissipated in front of her.

She couldn't hold on, she couldn't grasp it. The woman tried her best to hold onto the wind, but it always slipped through her fingers. She desperately searched for something in the wind, and finally, she grasped the heart.

The heart lay quietly in the wooden box before her, its translucent surface reflecting the afterglow of autumn. The clear autumn colors, under its reflection, gained a touch of glass-like texture, exquisite and translucent, filling the room with autumn light.

This was all she had left, and her last solace—her heart was protected by Mondstadt.

She did not follow Kiyono Fuukin's dying wish.

Now, with the country collapsing, she must return it.

From the moment she usurped the heart, she knew this day would come, and she was prepared.

Because she knew that the heart ultimately belonged to her. Despite the many misunderstandings that caused them to drift apart, the lady always looked forward to the moment when they would understand each other. All the hardships they encountered along the way were perhaps just trials and tribulations.

The wind that has dispersed will eventually return, and the ashes that have been burned will eventually be rekindled—this is what the lady believed.

A person always needs to believe in and fantasize about something in order to find the meaning or reason for their journey.

And now, the final trial has finally arrived.

As long as we overcome the collapse of the nation and this greatest tribulation, we can prove ourselves to this heart and show that she is more deserving of it than the collapse of the nation.

To prove her 'love,' to prove her pure ideals, to win back the departed wind, and thus to understand each other, she could continue on her journey to fulfill their shared dream.

Therefore, the lady accepted the duel invitation from the collapsing kingdom.

Another girl named Ying challenged her to a duel.

Ying, the lady still remembers that name, the girl who traveled in Mondstadt with Kiyono Fuue—or rather, Rustan.

When the dragon Dvalin ravaged Mondstadt, it was that girl who saved Kiyono Kazemura and together they fought off the dragon... completing what the lady had failed to do five hundred years ago, what she was too late for, what she had never had the chance to do.

It was she who took away everything that originally belonged to her.

The woman bit her thin lips, blood seeping from the corners, her dark purple eyes gloomy and lifeless.

She gently held the heart in her hands, feeling the warm glow emanating from the crystal.

Let's come together then.

Both of them will be defeated and killed by her.

All enemies who stand in their way, all the thorns on that pure white path, will be burned away by her flames.

She has made sufficient preparations.

As the early autumn sun set, it cast the swaying silhouettes of the leaves onto the windowpane. The woman took out the sand cup, which had stopped flowing. Rustan had once told her, "When the sand has all settled, you will see me again."

But they never met again. Time in the sand cup was forever frozen five hundred years ago, along with the lady's desolate heart, forever remaining in the valley where the wolf cub died.

The sand in the cup was about to start flowing—the lady suddenly had this inexplicable illusion.

The appointed time is approaching. The lady will personally kill the girl before Narukami and reclaim everything she has lost.

Today, the clouds are thicker and more oppressive, and the autumn wind fills every alley. As the lady walks alone toward the castle tower, the long steps are desolate and lonely. At the end of the long steps, a figure stands alone.

He stood in front of her.

His pale hair cascaded in the air, and his azure eyes reflected the woman's face, the depths of his pupils devoid of any emotion. The autumn wind rustled his pure white kimono, the short collar embroidered with snakes and sake making a soft sound, as his fair, well-defined fingers pressed against the kamikiri.

Qingnuo Rock.

That mortal who possessed the Eye of God... he actually walked out of the Pillar State's Mansion on his own initiative.

"A mortal," the woman said with a mocking tone, staring at Qing Nuoyan as if he were already dead. "Is this what they call a duel before the emperor?"

"Ying is waiting for you." Qing Nuoyan tilted his head and revealed a roguish smile. "Before your duel, I need to wear you down a bit."

He stared intently at the woman. "It would be even better if I could seriously injure you."

Qing Nuoyan would not choose to die. He understood that he could not defeat the lady by himself. From beginning to end, his only goal was to wear her down. He would retreat when he could no longer hold out.

He wanted to protect Ying.

This was Kiyono Iwa's plan, simple yet ruthless—which is why Kiyono Sara said it tarnished the honor of the samurai.

Therefore, the Pillar State's army cannot take action. If the army does take action, it would be a provocation by the Winter State—a provocation that is wrong on their own side, and could even... trigger a war.

It is not honorable to exhaust your opponent's strength outside the arena before a sacred duel before the Emperor.

But Qingnuoyan was neither an Inazuma woman nor a soldier.

He had no intention of discussing 'warrior honor' with the fools, nor of discussing 'fairness' with the livestock that could be used for human experimentation. The Evil Eye Factory had already begun construction, yet she still wanted to talk about so-called glory with the enemy?

Fairness is for people, not for the inhuman—Qingnuoyan instinctively loathed everything the lady did.

“A very low-level game of attrition.” The woman’s violet eyes were deep and calm. “I can ignore you.”

“But you want my heart, don’t you?” Qing Nuoyan tilted his head. “You want the heart of God, and I’m right here in front of you.”

"If I miss this chance, I'll just hide in the Pillar of State's mansion again. This is your only chance. Will you stop?"

The answer is no.

A woman who wants to keep her own heart must go and steal the hearts of others.

"This is an open conspiracy."

Qingnuoyan smiled, and the Divine Slash flashed through the air with a cool light. The scabbard trembled slightly, and the serpentine lightning hissed in the air, "Lady!"

This place is closest to the castle tower and the place closest to Narukami. Under the sway of thunder's authority, even the power of the Winter Empress cannot penetrate it. Therefore, the lady cannot receive the Empress's blessing as she did last time.

This is the best place.

"I'll just kill you."

The woman understood Qing Nuoyan's plan, but she didn't care. The cold light in her eyes grew ever more ancient and sinister as she calmly said:

"mortal."

The surrounding temperature dropped rapidly, and even the thick clouds were quickly frozen, condensing into an ice ocean. The woman lifted the ice ocean and smashed it straight towards Qingnuo Rock, plunging the world into darkness in an instant.

But at the very last moment of its fall, it abruptly stopped.

Beneath the iceberg... the magnificent twelve-layered kimono unfolded in the wind, as dazzling as red maple leaves.

Yuyu Qiandai.

Chiyo's injuries from that day had not healed, and the filth still lingered, but she was still able to put up a fight—this was one of the reasons for Kiyono Iwa's confidence.

creak-

Thunderclaps collide between the ice layers, and the rock element begins to surge and boil. One mountain after another rises from the ground. Qingnuoyan grips the Divine Slicer as if he were holding a flashing bolt of lightning. The dazzling light travels through the ice bed, cracking layer after layer of ice.

The divine cut shattered the icy sea, and lightning flashed by, heading straight for the lady's neck. Qing Nuoyan instantly appeared in front of the lady. They had never been so close before, and their eyes could reflect each other's faces.

In that instant, the ice shards shattered in the air reflected the desolate light of autumn, and the red maple leaves rose with the wind, pausing in the air. Everything in the world seemed to stand still, and they were so close together.

So close.

"I hate you."

They capture heroes who once fought against corruption, only to conduct experiments with the Evil Eye; they interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, secretly promoting isolationist policies and Eye Hunting orders to incite class conflict; they deploy troops in other countries; they arbitrarily deprive ordinary people of their bounties; they establish the most disgusting Evil Eye factories—

Qingnuoyan felt disgusted.

Qingnuoyan shattered the ice layer and stared at the woman with indifference and calmness. "Whether it is your methods, your character, or your so-called pure white dream, I deny it all and I deeply despise it all."

I hate you.

He was so authentic.

I hate everything about you.

There was not a trace of emotion in his tone.

"You are the person I hate most in this world."

I don't know why.

—These are merely the words of mortals, the insignificant emotions of insects.

For some reason, the woman's heart skipped a beat when she heard these words.

It was like an illusion.

-

P.S.: Phew, time for a nap!

Within about ten chapters, the lady will be permanently removed from the story, and she will not appear in the subsequent plot. Let's ask for everyone's opinions on her ending.

1. He was directly killed by being struck.

2. After understanding the whole truth, he completely lost everything, gave up his dreams, left the Fools, and spent the rest of his life in regret, remorse, and suffering.

Both endings are acceptable and won't affect the subsequent outline. After all, regardless of the ending, the lady will be gone forever. It just depends on which ending everyone prefers. Whichever ending has more follow-up posts, that's the one I'll write.

Results announced

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