(The following plot is not in somatosensory mode. Author just wrote it in normal narration.)
Narukami Island.
Hanamizaka, the most prosperous commercial street in Inazuma City, was where the Adventurers' Guild, alchemy shops, and various other stores were located.
In the past, it was the liveliest place in all of Inazuma, but today, there wasn't a single pedestrian on the street.
Every household had tightly shut doors and windows, with only pairs of fearful eyes peeking out from the cracks.
On the streets, under Yilan's orders, all the important figures — Kaedehara Kazuha, Kujou Sara, Gorou, Thoma, Kamisato Ayaka, and Sangonomiya Kokomi — were tied to wooden stakes on either side of the road with thick ropes, displayed as proof of his military prowess and tyranny.
Yilan sat in a luxurious eight-car sedan, moving slowly along Hanamizaka under the hateful and fearful gazes of countless people, heading towards Tenshukaku, the castle tower.
After meeting General Raiden, he would personally strip the captured Vision bearers of their Visions to demonstrate his loyalty to General Raiden's policies.
A high-ranking member of the Tenryou Commission — a man who had defected to Yilan's side immediately after the war — marched in front of him with a loud voice, showing off his authority as he shouted:
"The civil war has brought great suffering to Inazuma, but under the wise leadership of Lord Yilan, it has finally ended! Lord Yilan has brought you peace — why don't you unruly people come out and welcome him?"
"Enough, Kujou Kushihara," Yilan waved his hand lightly, signaling him to stop.
"Yes, Lord Yilan," said Kujou Kushihara respectfully, bowing his head and stepping aside.
Low murmurs broke out from both sides of the street:
"What do you mean 'brought peace'? Wasn't it him who started the war?"
"Arresting anyone who disagrees… isn't this a complete dictatorship?"
"Shh… Don't let him hear you. I heard an entire family was imprisoned just for speaking against him."
Yilan ignored the whispers and didn't glance at the familiar faces tied along the roadside.
Those hateful glares… he feared that if he looked, he might be disgusted enough to vomit.
He rested his chin on one hand, sitting casually in the sedan, his slightly cloudy black eyes fixed on the towering Tenshukaku ahead, but his mind drifted back to the scene when he left the military camp.
He hadn't allowed his "rabble" army into Inazuma City. Today, he needed to be formally appointed by the Shogun, and the Shogun, who admired martial prowess, would not refuse him after his overwhelming victory.
After receiving the appointment, he had planned to bring the army into the city for a grand celebration.
Of course, the real reason was that he knew that without an enemy to restrain them, his unruly army would surely cause massive destruction inside the city.
Thus, he poisoned the wine at the celebration banquet.
Once he died, Yae Miko would immediately summon the Shogunate's forces to counterattack, eliminating these lawless elements in one decisive strike.
As Yilan walked out of the barracks toward Tenshukaku, a few Iwakura-ryuu swordsmen who had followed him from the start — Vision bearers — knelt solemnly before him.
"Farewell, Leader!" they cried in unison.
"You guys…" Yilan looked at them with some confusion.
"Leader, you must have poisoned the wine," said Yanagiha Arashi, a Menkyo Kaiden (master) of the Iwakura-ryuu.
"But don't worry, we won't tell anyone," added Okazaki Toraemon, another master of the Iwakura-ryuu.
"In order to atone for my sins, I have already drunk the poisoned wine," said Iwakura Mitsutane, leader of the Iwakura school, turning an empty wine cup upside-down.
"You… don't hate me?"
In the past, when watching dramas, Yilan had always found this line overly dramatic. But now, he couldn't help but blurt it out.
"Our lifelong dream was to make the name of the Iwakura-ryuu known throughout Inazuma," said Okazaki Toraemon and Yanagiha Arashi as they bowed deeply.
"Now, following you, we defeated divine envoys, overcame the Shogunate, and fought enemies we never dared dream of defeating. The Iwakura-ryuu's name resounds across Inazuma. We have no regrets!"
"I was originally a spy for the Shogunate," said Iwakura Mitsutane, also bowing.
"But the longer I stayed by your side, the more I came to believe in your lofty ambitions. Mitsutane chose to follow you willingly — and today, I'm willing to follow you to the grave!"
"We are willing to accompany our Leader to the afterlife!"
One after another, more than a dozen disciples of the Iwakura-ryuu knelt on the ground.
None rose again — they had all passed away silently, fulfilling their oath.
From the distant air, a faint voice echoed:
"Safe journey."
——
"Hahaha, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Yilan suddenly burst into wild laughter. He didn't know why he was laughing — he just laughed.
The laughter was so maniacal that the residents shut their windows and doors even tighter, fearing he might launch a bloody rampage.
As his mad laughter drew everyone's attention, a girl quietly prepared to act.
She didn't know why, but the ropes binding her seemed looser than the others.
It didn't matter.
The enemy was right in front of her.
The chance had come.
The right time, the right place, the right people.
The girl, who had been secretly preparing, suddenly broke free of the ropes. She stamped the ground hard, conjured a blade of frost in her hand, and charged at the distracted Yilan with hatred burning in her eyes.
Yilan watched, stunned, as the ice sword grew rapidly larger in his vision.
His body was still weak from the earlier battle, where he had overdrawn his elemental powers by fusing three elements.
He had left his strongest guards at the camp.
Only a few weak underlings accompanied him.
Injured and drained, he tried to muster what little elemental energy he had to resist — but in front of her determination, his feeble defense shattered like paper.
Pfft!
The girl withstood the weak attack, closed in, and drove the ice-blue blade straight through Yilan's chest, piercing him from front to back.
(Is this the punishment the world gives a sinner like me…?)
(Knowing that I won't truly go to hell, the world punishes me with this ending for my countless sins.)
Yilan stumbled back a few steps, blood gushing from the hole in his chest.
With his already dimming gaze, he looked at the girl in front of him, and gently spoke the name that he missed the most from the bottom of his heart:
"…Ayaka?"