He changed Tiwat

Kujo Takayuki opened his eyes wide and slowly fell to the ground.

He never understood until his death how Ayato Kamisato could have made a move inside the castle tower—and how dare he make a move inside the castle tower.

Ayato Kamisato drew his sword and took out a plain white handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe the bloodstains off the blade.

Then, he threw the blood-stained cloth embroidered with the Kamisato family crest next to Kujo Takayuki's face.

“Master of the family…” Zhongxi was somewhat at a loss.

According to his proposed plan, he should have been the one to carry out the assassination, and he should bear the blame for the assassination of the head of the Kujo family alone. Ayato Kamisato should have been "unaware" of the plot.

According to the plan, Zhongxi should now disfigure himself and commit suicide, taking all the blame on himself, an unknown dead man.

Kujo Takayuki held a high position and was usually heavily guarded, with a large retinue when he went out. However, in the castle tower, the residence of the shogun, a place that was "absolutely safe," Kujo Takayuki had no protection whatsoever.

Kujo Takayuki could never have imagined that the castle tower would be completely under the control of the magistrate today, and that the "final chapter" could come and go as he pleased.

Today, the magistrate of the society and the magistrate of the government have joined forces to impeach the two magistrates. They may succeed or they may fail... But regardless of the outcome, the power of life and death over Kujo Takayuki is in the hands of the shogun.

What if the general is "magnanimous"?

Ayato Kamisato was not prepared to give Takayuki Kujo the opportunity to enjoy "mercy".

Therefore, Kujo Takayuki must die here.

But Ayato's actions seemed to leave a signature next to Kujo Takayuki's corpse—the murderer, Kamisato Ayato.

Ayato casually sheathed his sword and patted Nakanishi on the shoulder: "Nakanishi-sensei, a family head who would abandon his family is not worthy of your loyalty... I, Ayato Kamisato, am not that kind of person either."

"Moreover... we are here today to fight for the future of Inazuma. Those parasites that will affect the future of Inazuma should not remain in this world. Even if we all die here today, at least we will leave a cleaner world for the people of Inazuma."

This is his philosophy of life—like playing chess, although he cannot control his opponent's moves, he can control his own hand and make every move carefully considered.

Moreover, once a move is made, there's no going back.

"Let's go. It's time to see the general." Ayato turned and walked out of the "serving seat" first.

“Let us tell the general—how can politics be conducted well when surrounded by such insects?”

Chapter 189 Imperial Duel, True Sword Test [4k]

A moment of silence fell over the main hall of the castle tower. The general did not speak, and no one dared to give an answer on his behalf.

However, the lady's remarks just now do represent the views of some people in Inazuma, especially high-ranking officials of the shogunate—the Raiden Shogun is an "eternal god," and compared to the Shogun's eternal life, a human life is far too short and insignificant. When time is stretched to the scale of "eternity," the lives of a few ordinary people are truly not even worth mentioning.

The "Eternal Kingdom" that the general wants to build must be a grand one befitting his divine status, right?

What are Teppei, Choji... compared to such a grand "eternity," a little sacrifice is insignificant.

Although the officials of the government office impeached the Heavenly Commander and the Investigation Commander, it was based on their embezzlement of national funds, collusion with the Winter Emperor, and deception of superiors and subordinates—but they dared not have the slightest objection to the Thunder General's "eternity".

The Umi-Gi uprising, the Liyue proclamation... ultimately, it was the fault of Kujo Takayuki and Hiiragi Shinsuke.

General Thunder's original intention was certainly good, but it was ruined by the two clerks!

As long as the general continues to issue orders, they will resolutely continue to carry out both the "Eye Hunt Order" and the "Isolation Order," it's just a matter of... having someone else sit in the position of the Heavenly Territory Enforcer to carry them out.

From this perspective, the general's silence was undoubtedly seen as tacit agreement by them.

But one person present had a different opinion.

"Trampling on the lives of the people, depriving them of their desires... General Thunder, is this what your 'eternity' is?"

The blond traveler from a foreign land looked directly at the god who sat high on the throne without fear.

"I don't know what revolution leads to 'eternity'... but I do know that no one should be a 'stepping stone'!"

"Ha, how naive!"

A disdainful smile curved the corners of the "lady's" mouth.

"General's ideals are the same as those of our Empress, which are the noblest and purest things in the world. Compared to them, what you have mentioned... are nothing more than insignificant 'necessary sacrifices'."

Ying had reached her limit: "I won't allow you to insult their sacrifice! 'Madam,' come and settle this with me!"

The "woman's" response was an even more arrogant laugh: "Ha, a settlement? Hahaha..."

"I'm getting a little tired of your face too. But I never expected you to be such a reckless and impulsive person."

She slowly narrowed her violet left eye—her right eye, covered by a mask, had been unable to see for five hundred years.

"Before you spout such nonsense, did you realize... that you are still Inazuma's number one wanted criminal! Think about your situation first. Breaking into the castle tower and spouting nonsense in front of the Emperor, isn't that just walking into a trap? I hope you can realize the difference between us, whether it's status or strength."

Ying's right hand, gripping the sword, was so tight that it almost crushed the hilt of the bladeless sword.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

Before she left, the divine child had told her something, something she must remember to do before she "drew her sword" to the Thunder General.

The tip of the bladeless sword was raised high, pointing at the "lady's" arrogant face.

"I want--"

"—I challenge you to a 'duel before the Emperor'!"

The woman was stunned.

Not only the "lady," but also the civil officials in the hall and the Thunder General himself on the throne were momentarily stunned.

Soon, the general's response came from the throne.

"Ah."

She nodded silently.

The general has approved this "duel before the emperor".

"Duel before the Emperor" is a way for the people of Inari to risk their lives to demonstrate their will to the Shogun, and it is also a right bestowed upon humanity by the Shogun.

Since insignificant humans are willing to pay the price of their most precious lives in exchange for a chance for the general to hear their advice, then the general should demonstrate the corresponding magnanimity to respond to humanity's enlightenment.

Ying is a wanted criminal and someone the general himself said he would "build into the statue of the god." But when she initiates a "duel before the emperor," the general will act as the referee to ensure the duel proceeds smoothly and a result is reached.

In other words, the Shogun will not attack Ying before the "Duel in the Imperial Court" is over.

Moreover, she would even use her divine authority to protect the duel between Ying and "Lady" from any external interference.

The general lightly raised his wrist, and in the next second, a semi-circular lightning elemental barrier enveloped the hall, with only the Thunder General, Ying, and "Lady" within its range.

The civil officials and Paimon were all repelled from the barrier by the general's power; they could not even make a sound within it, except to watch.

"...So, you even have this trick up your sleeve... You've also learned to exploit the 'rules' of this country?"

The woman covered her forehead with her hand, concealing the fleeting look of annoyance on her face.

In the general's "rules," or rather, in the puppet general's "rules of action," "eliminating the 'eternal enemy'" is the highest priority.

She originally intended to use this rule to provoke Ying into showing her opposition to "eternity"—and then Ying would be executed in court by the general as an enemy of "eternity".

In fact, "Lady" has already succeeded.

When General Thunder questioned Ying about the path of "eternity," she had already made a silent decision: even with the "Primordial Eternal Rule Matrix" blocking her way, she would definitely eliminate this "eternal enemy" this time.

But at that time, Ying proposed a "duel before the emperor".

There is only one exception in the general's rules of conduct—the priority of "duel before the emperor" is on par with "eliminating the 'eternal enemy'".

This rule was deduced by "Lady" from intelligence from various channels during the nearly six months that Inazuma served as the diplomatic ambassador... But this guy has only met General Raiden once, yet he can still use the rule to this extent.

The woman realized she might have underestimated her defeated foe.

"I admit, it's somewhat unexpected that we've been brought to an equal footing. But the loser... will die, you know? Have you thought this through?"

Ying didn't answer, but responded with her eyes.

Those golden eyes were filled with unwavering determination—a fighting spirit, and a murderous intent.

"Hehehe...then let me condescend to dance with you until the end of our lives."

The "lady" waved her hand, summoning her magical artifact, the "Immaculate Flower," which was formed from the "Evil Eye."

The "Immaculate Flower" floated beside her, its pure white form mirroring the Ice Queen's immaculate ideal.

The "lady" walked towards her opponent with graceful, dance-like steps.

"This embodies the power and elegance of an executive, just as you wish."

This sentence became the signal for the start of the duel.

Almost the instant the "lady" finished speaking, Ying's bladeless sword was already in front of her.

Its speed was almost comparable to daylight.

During the "Anti-Lightning General Training," Ying's greatest improvement was in her movement skills—the electric shocks from the Divine Child not only enhanced the sensitivity of her skin but also improved her adaptability to lightning and the speed of her nerve reactions.

At this moment, Ying unleashed the "Thunder Shadow Sword," and her movements were no different from those of a real Thunder General, completely surpassing the realm that the human eye could perceive.

With a crisp "click".

Ying's blunt sword stopped a few inches from the "lady".

A barrier of frost suddenly appeared, blocking Ying's view.

As the "Lady" summoned the "Immaculate Flower," the ice elemental barrier "Frosty Winds" was also created at the same time.

The barrier met the sword tip, producing the sound of ice shattering. Ying's lightning-fast sword strike almost shattered the barrier—but ultimately fell short.

Before she could even react in surprise, the "lady" instinctively unfolded the cloak behind her.

"Fall into the abyss, you rude fool!"

She simultaneously unleashed both the Frosty Aura and the Undying Fog.

Dozens of icicles surged from the "Lady's" cloak, piercing towards Ying's body like javelins, while circular "wheels" made of ice spikes rose from the ground, rolling towards Ying with the intent to crush everything.

At the same time, an invisible mist of ice element had quietly surrounded Ying's side—this "Undying Mist" would continuously lower the body temperature of the person it enveloped until their blood was completely frozen, relentlessly until death.

Without hesitation, Ying raised her sword and thrust it down, and a whirlwind of wind surged from the tip of her sword.

"The wind is surging!"

The fierce blue wind dispersed the invisible ice mist, and Ying narrowly avoided the icicles.

She even had time to make a sarcastic remark: "Did you learn these moves from 'Ice Impermanence'?"

Hmm, that big iceberg on Dragon Ridge Snow Mountain uses almost the exact same moves as "Lady".

The core of the "Ice Hypostasis" was used by Luminous as materials and sold to the Adventurers' Guild for money. Merely imitating the moves of the "Ice Hypostasis" is nothing.

The "lady" was once again taken aback—these moves were indeed developed by her during her studies at the Sumeru Church, based on the "Daleth" (?) recorded in the Church's records.

Before he could think further, the "lady" beckoned to the sky and suddenly shouted: "The authority and power of the Ice Queen shall not be overstepped!"

The Shackles of Deep Freeze activated instantly, and a massive ice spear descended from the sky, landing on Ying's head.

Ying easily dodged the falling ice spear, but the ice spear suddenly exploded the moment it hit the ground, shattering into hundreds of fragments that flew in all directions.

This combo has helped "Lady" defeat many of the Queen's enemies.

pity……

"I've seen this trick before."

With a swift movement of her lips, Ying waved her left hand, and the "Starfall Sword" descended from the sky, completely covering her body and blocking the flying ice spear fragments.

She even had the leisure to mock, "Are you going to turn into an ice wall and push this over? Or throw ice hockey pucks at people? I'll hit them all back, okay?"

As she spoke, she even made a swinging motion, as if she were going to demonstrate a "home run" to the "lady".

Her gesture wasn't just a simple intimidation—another meteor fell from the sky, crashing into the "Lady's" icy barrier and causing it to shake.

The "Starfall Sword" is the best weapon against opponents who hide in their shells.

Ying had made up her mind to keep circling around "Lady" and smashing her icy shell bit by bit.

"whispering sound……"

The lady clicked her tongue, a rare moment of unease. This guy had actually done research on elemental life forms... Compared to when they met in front of the West Wind Cathedral, Ying seemed to have become much stronger.

Her attacks, unleashed in Evil Eye form, were completely ineffective against Luminous.

The information about the Fools definitely needs to be updated.

The lady felt that Ying had at least reached the level of the lowest-ranking executive officer of the Fools, and might even be a little stronger than that foolish "young master".

Damn it, don't think that the eighth seat of the Fatui Executive is only this good!

“The executive officer’s powers are becoming a burden. I want my destiny to be revealed once again.”