In Genshin Impact, I'm really not Muzan.

Recently, a piece of news has spread throughout Narukami Island.

A ronin, who is also a fugitive wanted by the Eye Hunt Order, challenged Kujo Sara, a general of the shogunate army, to a duel before the emperor.

Some time ago, Kujo Takayuki was arrested for colluding with the Mujin clan, and Kujo Sara was reinstated as the shogun. Meanwhile, the Kujo family was temporarily managed by the second son, Kujo Kamaji.

A duel before the emperor is no small matter; it has been many years since it was last held.

The duel before the emperor was solemn yet cruel; the loser would face divine punishment, while the winner would gain a chance to turn the tide.

His reason for challenging Kujo Sara to a duel before the emperor was simple: he did not want to see the people's wishes gradually become mere bricks in the building blocks of eternity because of the Eye Hunting Edict.

Therefore, he stepped forward and challenged the executor of the Eye Hunting Order, who was also the one who carried it out.

No one knows what the outcome of this duel will be, but in any case, only one of them will survive after the duel ends, while the other will be reduced to ashes under the punishment of the gods.

Suzumiya Yuu naturally learned of this matter as well, and at this moment he was in his hiding place setting up his plan.

He knew who that person was; it was a character from the game—Kaedehara Manyo's friend.

He also knew the outcome of that duel before the emperor: Kujo Sara would win, while Kaedehara Manyo's friend would die.

"While not as strong as Kujo Sara, he is still a holder of the Eye of God..."

Suzumiya Yu has been searching for a suitable candidate for the Twelve Demon Moons, and the most basic requirement is that the candidate must possess the Eye of God.

Thinking about it that way, Kaedehara Manyo's friend isn't bad; his strength should be considerable, although Kujo Sara is stronger.

However, time is too short. The duel before the emperor is at noon today, and there are less than three hours left before the duel begins. Suzumiya Yu can get to Inazuma Castle before the duel, but there is absolutely no way to take him away quietly.

So, does that mean he has no choice but to openly kidnap people?

It's daytime now, and Wuye and Thomas are unable to move, so he has to rely on himself.

To be honest, Suzumiya Yuzuru wouldn't even consider those guys from the Shogunate a threat, not even including Kujo Sara.

The problem now is that General Raiden will be present during the duel in front of the emperor, and with her there, the nature of the situation will be completely different.

Suzumiya Yu wouldn't be foolish enough to provoke her now, but if he gave up this opportunity, he would have to find someone else, which would waste a lot of time.

It's a real dilemma—to take the risk or play it safe...

Without much time to think it over, Suzumiya Yui finally decided to go and take a look.

He was curious whether the Seven Gods could simply ignore the fact that ghosts could regenerate and eliminate him.

Of course, he wouldn't walk up and let someone chop him; if the attack were lethal, his body could sense it beforehand.

Having made up her mind, Suzumiya Yuu left Usagi at the hideout to keep an eye on Kamisato Ayaka, while she herself, after disguising herself, headed to Inatsuma Castle.

......

Moving at full speed, Suzumiya Yui finally arrived near the castle tower before the end of the duel in front of the emperor.

Because news of the duel in front of the emperor spread, the area around the castle tower was crowded with people, which actually served as a cover.

With the help of the crowd, Suzumiya Yu arrived at a rooftop, where she could see the interior of the castle tower.

The castle tower is very large, and there are more than one building inside. However, now, all of these buildings are heavily guarded. In front of the largest building, there is a fighting arena that can accommodate a hundred people.

The arena was surrounded by flags bearing the family crest of the Thunder General, while in the center of the arena, two figures moved swiftly.

The two of them moved with lightning speed; ordinary people couldn't even see their shadows.

One of them was Kujo Sara, but unlike usual, she was not holding a bow and arrow, but a katana with the Kujo family crest engraved on its hilt.

"So she knew more than just how to use a bow and arrow."

"I think it makes sense," Ryoumi thought to herself. "How could someone who is a general of the Shogunate army and a capable subordinate of Raiden-sensei be only good at using bows and arrows?"

Besides bows and arrows and katanas, Kujo Sara must have been proficient in other types of weapons as well.

As for the person she fought, although she didn't have a particularly deep impression of him, Ryou Miyako could still recognize him at a glance as a friend of Manyo.

The weapon he used was also a katana, and the lightning-attribute God's Eye he wore emitted a destructive light, with each strike accompanied by a thunderous sound.

Looking further upwards, Ryoujiro suddenly froze, and in that instant, he completely concealed his aura.

A bead of cold sweat slid down her temple; Ryou's attention was no longer on the two people in the ring.

His gaze remained fixed on the entrance of a building, where a woman with a powerful presence stood.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The First Encounter with General Thunder

Her long, dark purple hair was braided and hung down her back, the color lightening towards the ends. A beauty mark marked the corner of her right eye, which was purplish. She wore a gentian flower folding fan as a headdress.

She wore a black and gold shoulder armor on her left shoulder and a purple kimono with gentian flower patterns. Compared to traditional kimonos, the front of this kimono was not tightly bound, but rather opened towards the shoulder, and the hem was shorter, only reaching her thighs.

The kimono was secured with a red obi (sash), and a purple sash was tied with a decoration bearing the pattern of the Thunder Triple Tomoe, with two tassels, one gold and one purple, hanging down naturally. She wore black stockings and brown flip-flops.

That is the god who rules Inazuma, General Raiden.

Suzumiya Yu knew that Suzumiya Yu would be present during the duel in front of the emperor, but she didn't expect her to be in such a conspicuous place.

However, General Thunder did not seem to notice him, which was not surprising, because this General Thunder was just a puppet. The real General Thunder, namely Lei Yingdian, was in the Pure Land of One Heart inside the puppet.

If it were the real Yui Suzumiya, she probably would have been discovered long ago.

After all, the gods have amazing insight; if they wanted to, there would be nothing they wouldn't know within the territory they ruled.

At this moment, the duel on the arena had entered its final stage. Manyo's friend unleashed an elemental burst, which was incredibly powerful, but was ultimately neutralized by Kujo Sara.

Then, Kujo Sara unleashed her final attack, sprouting two pairs of black wings from her back and summoning several lightning bolts imbued with destructive power.

Manyo's friend managed to block all the lightning strikes with great difficulty, but Kujo Sara incorporated the last lightning strike into her weapon.

As the blade in her hand fell, Manyo Yuto's weapon was cut in two.

With his weapons destroyed and himself exhausted, he had already lost the duel.

The atmosphere on the field suddenly became tense, and the crowd that had been watching the excitement from a distance fell silent.

Suzumiya Yu didn't notice that the duel on the arena had ended until he saw Raiden General make a move.

The rule of dueling before the emperor, where the victor gains a chance to turn the tide and the loser faces divine punishment, has remained unchanged from ancient times to the present.

Raiden General stepped forward with his sword, Kujo Sara stepped down from the arena, and Manyo's friend was too exhausted to move.

He gripped the broken sword, raised his head to look at General Thunder who was walking towards him, his eyes showing no fear or regret.

“There will always be creatures on earth that dare to face the glimmer of thunder.”

He murmured softly, then opened his arms to welcome the impending divine punishment.

General Thunder walked up to him and raised his weapon expressionlessly.

In an instant, the world changed color, and even the air became very oppressive. The once clear sky was suddenly covered with dark clouds, and thunder could even be heard coming from above the clouds.

This is the power of the gods; a single thought can change the weather, and if they go all out, they could destroy a country single-handedly.

The weapons in their hands exuded a suffocatingly terrifying aura. As General Thunder brought down his blade, lightning almost completely enveloped the figures of the two men.

Just as Wan Ye's friend was about to be annihilated by this terrifying energy, a figure suddenly flew out from the crowd. If you looked closely, you could see that he was stepping on a twelve-pointed blue snowflake array.

That was Suzumiya Yu. Because she didn't want anyone to see her face, she was wearing a cloak and a demon mask.

He rushed to the center of the arena, and before the soldiers next to him could react, he punched General Lei Dian, who was holding a knife.

General Raiden reacted quickly; almost the instant she was hit, she changed the direction of her sword swing and slashed at Suzumiya Yu's fist.

However, her slash failed to hit Suzumi Yuu; instead, he dodged it with an incredible speed of reflexes.

With one hand grabbing the exhausted Manyo Yuu, Ryou Miyako glanced back at Raiden General, who also glanced at him.

The two stared at each other for less than a breath before the clash resumed.

"Destruction Kill: Chaos Style!"

Suzumiya Yui unleashed a furious punch at Raiden General, each punch almost distorting the air, moving at a speed so fast that it was impossible for an ordinary person to see it with the naked eye.

But General Thunder kept up with his speed, swinging her sword exactly the same number of times he threw punches, and she gained the upper hand in every clash.

Fists are not like metal. In the original Demon Slayer manga, Upper Moon Three underwent constant tempering to make his fists as hard as a blade.

But Suzumiya Yu is different. Although he is very strong, his body is not so tough, so every strike from Raiden General can leave him injured.

But he had already achieved his goal.

After delivering a feint punch that succeeded, Ryoumi Suzumiya, along with Manyo's friend, planned to escape.

The surrounding soldiers finally reacted, and they all rushed forward with their weapons, only to be knocked down by a single punch from Suzumiya Yu.

Kujo Sara fired arrows from behind, but Suzumiya Yuu dodged every single one; even explosive arrows couldn't harm him.

The scene immediately descended into chaos, with the crowd panicking and the shogunate's soldiers at a loss for what to do.

General Lei Dian did not pursue. She watched Liang Gongyou's departing figure, a moment of surprise flashing in her eyes.

Suzumiya Yui escaped just like that, in utter simplicity and helplessness, because no one could stop her. Even the only one who could have stopped her, the Thunder General, did not make a move.

After he left, the scene fell silent. Everyone looked at General Thunder in the center of the arena with a hint of awe and fear in their eyes.

"General..."

Kujo Sara walked up. She was the only one who had seen Suzumiya Yu's face before, but she hadn't recognized her just now.

The reason is simple: that person's fighting style is different from that of Suzumiya Yu. Suzumiya Yu uses swordsmanship, not fist techniques.

"Bring him into the Eye Hunt Order."

General Thunder didn't say much, just uttered those words and turned to leave.

At the same time, a white-haired boy rushed to the castle tower. He had heard that his friend had challenged Kujo Sara to a duel in front of the emperor, so he came to check on the situation.

Now it seems that the duel in front of the emperor has ended. If that's the case, is his friend already dead?

Because Kujo Sara was still alive, she stood in the center of the ring.

But... why is the reaction of the surrounding crowd so strange? It doesn't seem like the end of a duel before the emperor.

Without giving it much thought, he realized that he was also a wanted fugitive under the Eye Hunt Order, and his open presence here would be troublesome if he were discovered.

So soon, the white-haired boy escaped with the help of the crowd, occasionally glancing back at the symbolic building, his heart filled with sorrow.

Chapter Forty: The Warrior Never Surrenders