Original God, I am the only designated Red King God Envoy of Xumi

"Don't be so confident. The outcome is still uncertain." The prisoner looked rather disdainful at the jailer's words. He swallowed his food and took a deep breath. "Where's my knife? Where did you put it?"

"Are you still worried about your knife? People are about to die!" The jailer seemed very impatient with the prisoner's words. He threw a long object wrapped in linen to the prisoner, and the prisoner took it.

The sackcloth was untied and the blade was pulled out. The knife must have been taken away by someone during the time he was captured, but fortunately, the person took good care of the knife, so he didn't intend to make a fuss about it.

"Let's go, it's time to keep the appointment." The prisoner stood up slowly, holding the knife and following the jailer out of the prison. When they were near the exit, the jailer glanced at the prisoner for the last time.

"Congratulate yourself on dying at the hands of the General, you shameless traitor."

The prisoner just smiled when he heard this, his eyes flashed with an unprecedented light, and the Eye of God on his waist shone even brighter. All that he had asked for finally came true today.

"-That knife may not be out of reach." After saying that, the prisoner straightened his clothes and strode towards the duel arena. The jailer widened his eyes when he heard the prisoner's words, and it took him a while to react to what he had heard.

"You kid--!" The jailer clenched his fists. In this Inazuma City, the General is the absolute authority and the absolute truth. Whether Wuxiang's sword can be reached is as meaningless as whether lightning can be caught. The prisoner's words questioned the truth that they firmly believed in!

The jailer couldn't help but recall the situation when this man was first caught. At that time, he said confidently that in order to challenge Wuxiang's sword, he would challenge Kujo Sara to a duel in front of the emperor. At first, the jailers thought it was just a reckless threat by the prisoner, but they never thought he was extremely serious.

Lightning cannot be caught, waterfalls naturally fall from top to bottom, these are truths in the eyes of ordinary people. The same is true for Inazuma, Wuxiang's sword is unattainable. The jailer just thinks that the prisoner's behavior is extremely stupid, but this stupidity has damaged his long-standing beliefs. He wants to go on the field and duel with the prisoner himself, but the duel in front of the emperor has been set, and interfering with the duel is a capital crime.

The prisoner strode into the dueling arena. Kujo Sara, holding a naginata, had already stood at the other end of the arena. Raiden Oomikami stood outside the arena, his calm eyes taking in everything here.

The magistrate's office was currently empty of any outsiders. Numerous soldiers stood guard outside, barring any unauthorized personnel from entering. The prisoner, clutching his beloved sword, glanced around, his lips curled slightly as he uttered a pointed remark: "I wonder if these soldiers are trying to prevent outsiders from disrupting order, or if they're afraid that some words from the civilians might reach the general and expose their schemes."

"How dare you!" It was Kujo who spoke. She smashed the end of her naginata on the ground, her voice thick with anger. "How dare a cholera-stricken thief talk nonsense about government affairs! His crime is even more serious!"

"Is that really the case?" The prisoner tossed the linen cloth wrapped around his beloved sword aside. He gripped the hilt and scabbard tightly and slowly drew it out. "If that's the case, then why can't the people's voices reach the general's ears, and why can't the general see the suffering of the people?"

The prisoner threw the knife handle aside. The bright blade reflected the dazzling light. The sun was shining brightly today. It was a day where he would have no regrets even if he died.

"The General's decision must have a profound meaning! How could you, a thief, possibly fathom it? Even now, you're still spouting nonsense. If I risk the General's trust, I'll kill you!"

"Is it that the General is turning a blind eye, or is someone deceiving His Majesty?" the prisoner took a fighting stance. "Lord, O Takenami-jinshu-no-Osho, I beg you to open your eyes and look upon Inazuma as she is now. You have been estranged from the people for too long. Their voices no longer reach your ears, their prayers no longer reach your vision. I still wish to believe that you have been deceived by thieves. Today, I—with this body—will bear witness to the will of mortals."

"Shut up!" Kujo swung her naginata, ready for battle, her eyes full of anger - she had already vowed to follow the general's footsteps forever until the end of time, and no matter what decision the general made, she was willing to implement it. So, how could she tolerate the prisoner in front of her questioning the general?

However, in the face of the current dispute on the duel field, General Lei Dian did not make any response, as if she had not heard it at all. Seeing that both of them were ready, she drew out the divine sword named Meng Xiang Yi Xin and announced that the duel in front of the emperor had officially begun. She would only wait for the duel to end before executing the divine punishment.

The two people on the duel field rushed towards each other at the same time. For a moment, the sound of metal clashing and

Kujo's best skill is archery, but her naginata technique is equally superb. In her hands, the naginata is both an extended blade and a sharp spear, and it seems like an extension of her limbs. The prisoner's swordsmanship is also superb. Each blow is the most ordinary chopped blow, but it contains a hundred kinds of exquisiteness, and has the charm of simplicity and returning to nature.

Both of them were holders of the Eye of Thunder. When their blades collided, violent arcs of electricity burst out. The sounds of fighting continued to be heard from the Ministry of Justice, attracting the full attention of the crowd and also attracted the attention of the civilians outside the Ministry of Justice who could not enter at all.

Half of Inazuma Castle seemed to have fallen into silence, with only a white-haired young man dressed as a ronin running on the street, rushing towards the magistrate's office at the fastest speed. The young man used the elemental power of wind to increase his speed, which also exposed his identity as the owner of the Eye of God.

The young man was none other than Manye, and the prisoner who was about to duel in front of the Emperor was his most important friend. Therefore, after hearing the news of the duel in front of the Emperor, Manye rushed to the magistrate's office without stopping.

"The duel in front of the emperor is taking place ahead! No outsiders are allowed to enter!" The guards naturally noticed the young man who had made no attempt to hide his intentions. They immediately became alert and tightened their weapons, but the young man simply jumped onto the roof and then sped across it. The guards saw that he was not a good person and quickly gathered their men to chase after the young man.

Chapter 18: "The Madman"

It was a dream, a deep and dark dream. The Goddess of Thunder and Lightning looked at the frozen figure that appeared among the falling cherry blossoms. She knew very well that it was a dream.

The frozen figure looked the same as her, but was much softer. General Lei Dian held a sharp blade, while she held an oil-paper umbrella with brightly colored Ukiyo-e paintings. The general looked more like a mighty warrior, while she looked more like a passionate girl.

Everyone knows that there is a great god of thunder and lightning in Inazuma, whose name is Baal. Wuxiang's sword is the full manifestation of her powerful martial arts, but few people know that there are not one but two gods of thunder in Inazuma.

The Thunder Demons are a pair of twin demons. Wherever lightning appears, there will be a shadow. The Great God of Thunder and Lightning is that "shadow", and his name is: Baalzebul.

Baalzebul believes in eternity and thinks that eternity is beauty, but Baal is obsessed with the moment. Human life is extremely short for the demons, but they can perform many unimaginable feats in such a short life, just like the brilliant fireworks rising into the sky, extremely dazzling.

"Just pursue it, even if it's just for a moment of light." Memories of the past surfaced in Baalzebul's mind, burning her heart. "At least we have this moment."

However, Baalzebul witnessed with his own eyes that the country that was running at full speed lost everything in the face of justice, and even "her" died in that war.

Baalzebub once used "No Thought" to clear all obstacles for Inazuma's progress, but with every step forward, he would lose something.

In Inazuma, there are many legends. According to legend, there were once three generals gathered around the Thunder God: Great Tengu Sasayuri, Ghost Clan Torachiyo, and White Star Fox Clan Kitsunarimiya. They were the most capable assistants of the Thunder God and tried their best to protect Inazuma.

The first one was Sasahiri, the Tengu general under the God of Thunder. He died at the hands of the demon god Orobas, who was killed by the angry Baalzebul. Even today, the traces of that knife can be seen on the Bayun Island.

After that, it was Torachiyo, who was infected by the Dark Disaster and went mad. He drew his sword against the God of Thunder, but had his arm and horn cut off. He fled into the deep forest and died miserably.

The last one is Kitsai Palace. She is a fox demon from the Baichen clan. The dark ancient country has brought about a dark disaster. In order to quell the disaster that is raging in Inazuma, Kitsai Palace stepped forward to fight against the disaster. The battle was finally won, but Kitsai Palace was also swallowed by the disaster and died from then on.

The dead Baal turned into a sacred cherry tree, which has been protecting the land of Inazuma to this day. The stories of those generals are also being transmitted under each sacred cherry tree.

——But the scars left by those "losses" on this country still bring burning pain for a long time. Perhaps only by freezing time can the lightning not disappear.

"This moment" is a fragile illusion. Only "eternity" is closer to the laws of nature, and only eternity can bring eternal peace to Inazuma.

Baalzebul was determined to turn Inazuma into an eternal paradise. She made a doll that was identical to herself, and she herself lived in the divine sword "Dream One Heart" left by Baal. She meditated for a hundred years in this pure land to resist wear and tear and achieve eternity with all her heart.

However, this pure land also blocked the connection between God and man. The puppet general carried out Baalzebul's will and stepped onto the stage to realize eternity. However, Baalzebul had not appeared in the world for a hundred years. People's wishes could not be transmitted to this pure land, and people's suffering could not enter her eyes.

"Ding!" The long sword and the naginata collided, making a crisp collision sound. The prisoner and Kujo separated from each other in an instant, and then collided again after keeping some distance. The two turned into swift thunder shadows, shuttling through every corner of the duel arena.

Another collision, the dazzling lightning illuminated every corner, the prisoner and Jiujo distanced themselves from each other, and the prisoner took a deep breath to suppress the slight fatigue.

"General Kujo is really as powerful as the rumors say. It seems that this duel will not be over for a while." The prisoner swung his long sword, which had a slightly bent blade. The same was true of the naginata in Kujo's hand.

"Stop talking nonsense. I'll keep you company no matter how long the fight lasts." Kujo gripped her naginata tightly, and she was about to rush towards the prisoner again, but the prisoner just raised his hands high.

"...What do you mean?" Jiujo stopped and the scene fell into a brief silence for a moment. No one had imagined this situation.

"Literally, I give up." The prisoner spoke in a relaxed tone, with a slight smile on his lips, as if what he was doing was just a friendly exchange, not a duel in front of the emperor where his life was at stake.

"Are you insulting me? Or are you insulting the General?!" Kujo could no longer suppress the anger in her eyes, and her voice became much louder. "This is a duel before the Emperor! Do you know what the loser will face?!"

"The loser will have to face Wuxiang's sword and the pinnacle of the general's martial arts." When mentioning Wuxiang's sword, the prisoner's tone became a little more serious.

"Then you still have to make..."

"—This is my purpose, General Kujo."

"..." Jiu Tiao was silent. Everyone present was stunned. What was he talking about? This person was actually going to face Wuxiang's sword head-on?

——Was he going to die? Or was he going to make fun of this sacred duel before the emperor at the cost of his life?

"...I don't care whether you live or die, rebel thief, but I will not allow you to sully this sacred duel before the Emperor with your playful attitude." The naginata in Kujo's hand was wrapped with strands of violent lightning. "I'll give you one last chance. Grip the blade tightly and attack me!"

The prisoner didn't react at all. He simply looked at General Lei Dian, who was observing everything. "General, there's no rule against admitting defeat in a duel before the Emperor, right?"

"You--!" Jiujo gritted his teeth, anger almost bursting out of his eyes, but General Lei Dian just nodded silently in response to the prisoner's question.

"Are you sure you want to admit defeat?" The divine sword in General Lei Dian's hand flashed with brilliant light, as if the sword would chop down as long as the prisoner nodded.

The prisoner clenched his sword. Just as he was about to nod, he was interrupted by Jiu Tiao. Jiu Tiao half-knelt on the ground facing General Lei Dian, speaking in earnest, "General, please understand! We must not fall into this villain's scheme! He chose to surrender when we were evenly matched. This is a naked insult to me! It is also an insult to the duel before the emperor! And it is an insult to you, General!"

"—I have absolutely no such intention." Facing Jiujo's words, the prisoner simply said this calmly, "Everyone says that Wuxiang's sword strike is the pinnacle of the Thunder God's martial arts, a symbol of the strongest power, a miracle that can only be witnessed when divine punishment is descended."

"But is that strike truly unattainable?" The prisoner's gaze was resolute. He removed his Divine Eye from his waist, which now shone brightly. "Since birth, I've been obsessed with martial arts. With that thoughtless strike as my goal, I practice swordplay daily, never slacking off."

"Perhaps my longing attracted the attention of the gods, and I obtained this Eye of God."

The prisoner's firm voice echoed in the duel arena. Jiujo was horrified when he heard it. He had thought that the prisoner was a warrior who would insult the emperor and duel in front of him at the cost of his life, but he never expected that he would be a madman with a lofty ambition.

"There are always creatures on earth who dare to face the might of thunder. That blow may be as powerful as the legend says, but it's not necessarily unattainable." The prisoner casually stuffed the Eye of God into his pocket, his hands tightly gripping the long sword. "To conserve as much energy as possible to deal with the general's blow, I choose to surrender."

There are always creatures on earth who dare to face the power of thunder. They are madmen in the eyes of ordinary people, walking on a path that is destined to be rarely understood from the beginning. Their actions will be regarded as meaningless - just because when thunder strikes, the creatures on the earth will turn into ashes, and nothing will be left.

But is all this truly meaningless? If no one dares to challenge what ordinary people consider impossible, then when will the impossible become possible? If no one explores what ordinary people consider unknowable, then when will the unknowable become knowable?

Just like the madman who tied fireworks to a chair and hoped to make it fly into the sky, how could his actions be meaningless?

Just as the dead Baal turned into a sacred cherry tree to protect the land of Inazuma, even if these "madmen" died, their wills will be passed on forever. This is "eternity", this is the eternity that belongs only to mankind.

"I bear the hopes of my companions, the demands of ordinary people, and my only wish." The prisoner spread his legs and assumed a firm stance. "With this body—I will demonstrate my will to you."

"The winner can win a turning point, and the loser will face divine punishment. This is the rule set from the beginning of the duel before the emperor." General Lei Dian, holding the divine sword, slowly walked towards the prisoner. The light on the divine sword in her hand became more and more blazing, emitting unparalleled pressure.

Faced with such pressure, everyone present felt an almost suffocating pressure. The sky darkened at this moment, with faint rumblings of thunder. However, the prisoners faced all this without a trace of fear, and did not retreat even a single step.

"Catch him--!" A slight commotion came from the door leading to the outside world of the duel arena, but all that could not affect what was about to happen in the duel arena. General Lei Dian raised the magic sword in his hand high, and the surging divine power gathered on the magic sword. At this moment, the sky was shaking and the earth was terrified.

With a flash of the divine sword, the purple blade shadow tore through the space, separating dusk and day. The prisoner only felt that his vision was filled with endless purple light. Everything seemed to be still, and all sounds disappeared.

The white-haired ronin rushed into the duel arena, but what he saw was his friend flying backwards with his back to him. His sword broke, and his body was evaporated by this huge energy, first his hands and feet, then his torso, and finally his head.

Manye stretched out his hand towards his friend, but what finally fell into his hand was only a dimmed Eye of God. A naginata was thrown at Manye who broke into the duel arena, but was subconsciously blocked by Manye, and the naginata finally only knocked off his hat.

"You bold thief, how dare you trespass into the duel venue in front of the emperor! Guards, follow me to capture him!" Kujo Sara picked up the long sword beside him and pointed the tip of the sword at Manye. Seeing this, Manye gritted his teeth, tried his best to dispel the power of the wind, and fled out of Inazuma Castle.

——He could never tolerate his friend's ardent desire being built into a cold statue.

Chapter 19: Escape from Inazuma

"Boy, do you really want to follow my fleet and leave Inazuma? Let me tell you first, life on the ship is much harder than you imagined." In a corner of the island, a tall and mature woman dressed in Liyue clothes was talking to the ronin. Hearing this, the ronin habitually pressed the edge of his hat and nodded silently.

"Well, my ship is indeed in need of someone like you who has the ability to listen to the wind and observe the clouds. Although I don't know what you have done here..." The generous woman looked around. It was relatively secluded here, and there were no wanted posters posted, but she had seen them clearly on the notice board on the outlying island before.

Maple Leaf - He trespassed on the scene of the duel before the Emperor, communicated with the rebels, disobeyed the Emperor's orders, injured law enforcement officers, etc. He is now listed as a wanted criminal.

But the generous woman didn't care about these things. She was called Beidou, the captain of the Southern Cross Fleet, Beidou, and the legendary who killed the giant sea monster "Haishan" when she was young. She traveled in the waters of various countries all year round and had seen too many things. She would not blindly believe what anyone said. Compared to those, she believed in her own intuition more.

Just like the wanted criminal in front of him, Beidou intuitively felt that he was not dangerous. In addition, this man also had the ability to listen to the wind and observe the clouds, and he was determined to leave Inazuma, so it would be a good idea to take him along.

"Okay, let's go back to the ship. We are also planning to set sail and leave Inazuma." Beidou did not delve into Manye's past thoughts. It was not uncommon to see people with such mysterious pasts on her ship. Manye followed Beidou in silence all the way to the Death Star. After many days of hiding, he got some peace at the cost of leaving the land where he grew up.

Many people on the boat wanted to say hello to the new guy, but Wan Ye just sat cross-legged at the bow with his eyes closed. After the first two or three people tried without success, the rest of the people didn't want to bother themselves - it would be better to wait until the young man had let go of his worries before talking to him.

Wan Ye felt the sea breeze blowing in his face and looked at the calm sea surface. He couldn't help but recall the past and his first meeting with his friend.

It was an accident. Wan Ye encountered vagrants who blocked his way to rob him. There were so many vagrants that he couldn't deal with them for a while. At this time, there was a swordsman who saw injustice and drew his sword to help. They fought side by side for a short time and drove away the vagrants. Both sides left a deep impression on each other because of their strong strength.

They traveled together for a short while and then separated, but finally met again at their destination. It seemed that fate was particularly kind to them. The overlap of their journeys was unusually high. After they got to know each other, they decided to tour together. During this period, they called each other brothers and formed a deep friendship.

The two people have different personalities. The friend is enthusiastic and optimistic, with a chivalrous heart, but he seems to have a physique that attracts trouble. Wan Ye usually does not want to get involved in things that are too troublesome. He prefers to keep himself out of trouble, but he always follows in the footsteps of his friend unconsciously. At that time, the two were like the heroes in the Liyue story, and they also had some fame.

My friend likes small animals, especially cats, and also likes noise. He likes to talk with Manye about dreams, the future and the meaning of life, things that ordinary people don’t care about at all. Perhaps this is what makes him unique.

"If one day, the land of Inazuma is eroded by disasters and the people are no longer watched over by the gods, what will you choose and what will you do?"

Wan Ye still remembers that day, which was the eve of his separation from his friend. It was the time when the policy of closing the country to the outside world caused great changes in the family and the country, and it was also the time when the disadvantages of eye hunting began to appear. His friend was unusually silent at that time. He looked at the slowly setting sun in the distance and asked Wan Ye this question.

Wan Ye fell into deep thought. After a long silence, he finally spoke, "I think I should choose to live in anonymity, withdraw from this chaotic vortex, and keep myself safe."

The friend just smiled when he heard this. He patted Manye on the shoulder and said, "That's good. As long as we live, there is hope."

"The coming era will be an unprecedented era of turmoil, Manye. You are different from me. You are calmer and smarter than me. Often you can see through things that I cannot understand at a glance. But perhaps this is also your shortcoming, because you have seen so much that you don't know what decisions to make."

"Anyway, as a close friend, I sincerely hope you can be happy from now on. Our journeys won't cross for a while, so take care."

The friend left his last words and strode towards the distance, as free and easy as ever. Wan Ye bid farewell to his friend, hoping that the turmoil would end and the two would meet again one day, but he never thought that this farewell would be forever.

"..." Wan Ye raised his hand and looked at the crystal in his hand that should have been the Eye of God. It was none other than his friend's Eye of God. It had always been extremely bright when his friend was alive, but now it was dim, just like his friend's life that disappeared in the divine punishment. There was no trace of his existence in this world.

Wan Ye recalled that day, and the days when they often practiced together. His friend was a complete martial arts fanatic and was always extremely devoted at this time. They would talk about various things in the intervals between practices. One time, his friend asked Wan Ye if he had heard of Wuxiang's sword.

Manye answered naturally, saying that there must be no one in Inazuma who had not heard these things. Manye repeated the well-known stories, and his friend just smiled meaningfully after listening.

"That knife may not be out of reach."

"..." Wan Ye closed his eyes and put away the lightless Eye of God. He recalled everything about his friend in his mind and his heart could not calm down for a long time.

His friend strode towards death without any regrets - he was deliberately arrested by the shogunate army, Manye heard this from an insider in the resistance army.

Giving up everything to prove something, only to lose his own life in the end, was it all truly meaningful? Manye didn't know that his friend's death was like a pebble sinking to the bottom of a lake, or a fleeting firework in the night sky. After the initial ripples faded, no trace of him could be found.

His death seemed to have changed nothing. Inazuma was still in chaos, the gods returned to the castle tower and never appeared again, and life continued to get worse day by day.

The seagulls flying with the Death Star were calling beside Manye, sounding very noisy. Manye finally turned around to take a look at Inazuma, who had become a little blurry, and at the place where he grew up.

"Stop crying, seagull... From today on, I am also a wanderer." Wan Ye lowered the brim of his hat to cover his eyes. He spoke for the first time on the Death Star. His voice was a little hoarse and trembling. Drops of liquid fell on the bow of the ship. It was not just sweat, but something else.

……

"This is for you." Amber handed a coral branch that seemed to be made entirely of jade to Xinhai, along with the key to Yueyuyuan.

"Thank you for your hard work." Xin Hai took the things with a gentle smile on her face. "How is the situation in Yuanxia Palace? What have you discovered?"

"There are deep-sea dragon lizards lurking in the Abyss Palace, which is very dangerous for ordinary people. It is dark there, and the only light there is an artificial light source called the 'Great Sun Carriage'." Amber and Xinhai sat on either side of the table. Amber held a cup of tea in her hand and told Xinhai about what she had discovered in the White Night Kingdom.

Amber omitted the more dangerous knowledge and only talked about the history of the White Night Country. She mentioned Abe no Yoshihisa, the Son of the Sun, and Umi no Daimikami.

Amber describes how Umi-Omikami led the people of Baiye to the land, allowing them to see the sun again, but it omits that Umi-Omikami attacked Raiden-Omikami and planned a "head offering ceremony."