Chapter 97

The other few Archons exchanged glances. Since they needed to return to their respective nations to handle their own affairs—having left their countries for so long, they were surely overwhelmed—they could not follow the Geo Archon and the Anemo Archon.

Of course, there was no need for all six Archons to go together.

Having reached a consensus, the six Archons had no heart for idle chatter. After confirming there were no remaining monsters in the vicinity, they silently parted ways.

Barbatos and Morax were left alone on the spot, looking at each other in silence.

"What kind of mess is this?!"

Barbatos smiled bitterly. If one were to speak of the longest acquaintance and the deepest bond, it would be between him and Hearing Luo Li, followed by Morax.

"Let's go. After we return these items, there are many troubles in our own nations that need to be dealt with."

His tone grew more weary; the warmth on Morax's face dissipated once again.

The hearts of Archons are extremely strong; even though their friend had just "passed away," they could immediately pull themselves together to worry about other matters.

…………

Inazuma! Tenshukaku!

Kneeling at her desk, Raiden Dianying was carefully reviewing reports sent from various regions.

Although there were more and more monsters outside, defending Narukami Island was not difficult, and the losses caused were within an acceptable range.

Lady Kitsune Saigu was by her side, explaining what she had seen and heard, verifying it against the reports submitted by subordinates to see if there was any concealment or omission.

As the two were discussing, they suddenly heard a nervous report from the guards outside the door.

"General, the Geo Archon and the Anemo Archon are here to visit!"

At first, Raiden Dianying and Lady Kitsune Saigu almost thought they had misheard.

Why would the Geo Archon and the Anemo Archon suddenly come to Inazuma?

They looked at each other, feeling that something was extremely wrong.

But regardless, they had to meet them first to find out the purpose of their visit.

Raiden Dianying immediately had the guards invite the two Archons in, while she herself stood up to prepare for the reception. According to her status, she was merely a shadow warrior; her sister, Raiden Makoto, was the true Electro Archon, so naturally, there was no reason for her to put on airs.

After only a moment, Morax and Barbatos, whom they had met at the gathering of the Seven Archons over a year ago, appeared before Raiden Dianying and Lady Kitsune Saigu.

Seeing the two, Ying was just about to perform the proper etiquette when, the next moment, she was drawn to the object floating in the Anemo Archon's hand. Her heart shook violently, and her mind went blank.

"This is... Sister's blade?! And... the Gnosis~!"

There was no need to say anything; Ying recognized the two items she was most familiar with at first glance.

The blade without an edge, representing the power of the Electro Archon, and the chess piece that governed a nation were so striking.

Her sister had once jokingly said she would pass the position of Electro Archon to her, and had playfully given her the Gnosis to play with.

But she never imagined that she would see them again in such a situation.

Such important items—Makoto would never entrust them to others unless an accident had occurred.

"Where is Makoto? And what about Hearing Luo Li?"

Even though she knew the answer in her heart, Ying was unwilling to believe it, longing to hear the whereabouts of the two people she relied on most from the two Archons.

Barbatos pursed his lips and said in a dry voice, "I'm sorry, Baal and Hearing Luo Li have unfortunately been buried in the Abyss. We could only bring these things back. Before parting, Baal hoped that you would take the position of the second Electro Archon."

The last sentence was something he and Morax had discussed. Losing the Electro Archon would undoubtedly cause huge turmoil in all of Inazuma. At this time of monster invasion, someone had to stand up to lead the nation.

As it happened, Ying and Makoto were twin Archons, so they could perfectly fill the position of the Electro Archon and stabilize the situation in Inazuma.

Having been struck by the news, Ying felt her mind go into a trance.

She was completely unprepared to accept the double tragedy of losing both her beloved sister and the man she liked, and her face turned slightly pale.

Even though her martial prowess was unmatched in the world, she was still just a little girl who had always been sheltered under her sister's wings, not yet mature.

PS: Seeking flowers! Seeking evaluation tickets!

The five-hundred-year-ago arc is coming to an end; after this, it will likely be the start of the main storyline.