Indeed, it was true that Jiang Qiao, currently manifested in the form of [Mei], possessed an aura and appearance so similar to her sister that it was difficult for Ei to harbor hostility towards her—even if there were reasons for animosity, Ei was unwilling to be her enemy.
However, this 'tolerance' clearly had its limits.
Its limit was whether the other party would touch her bottom line, something she absolutely could not compromise on.
And undoubtedly—the intention revealed by [Mei] at this moment was something Ei absolutely could not accept.
"Do you wish to become an enemy of Eternity?" She didn't have much hostility, but her tone was tinged with a certain coldness, and her body also distanced itself slightly.
The Eternity that Ei upheld signified that which is unchanging—having witnessed the fate of Khaenri'ah, a highly advanced technological civilization, she absolutely could not allow Inazuma to take great strides forward, lest it repeat the same mistakes.
The Shogunate, such a backward ruling institution, and the Sakoku Decree, although partly due to Miss Raiden Shogun's own questionable governance abilities, were generally formulated with the aim of 'preventing Inazuma from advancing' and slowing its progress.
Under this policy, compared to the other six nations which were gradually developing, Inazuma five hundred years ago and Inazuma five hundred years later had almost no substantial changes, and perhaps even regressed somewhat.
All of this was brought about by the Raiden Shogun, following Ei's will.
Only Inazuma could not be compromised.
Because of an Archon's extreme love for humanity, and so that the blood of the samurai heroes who fought and sacrificed for Inazuma, and even her former friends, would not be shed in vain.
"Although I don't want to preach too much, you should also open your eyes and look at the outside world."
"I know, because of Khaenri'ah, because of Makoto, you fear the Heavenly Principles, fear Khaenri'ah's fate. For this reason, you seek an eternity consistent with the Heavenly Principles, to ensure Inazuma's survival."
"On this point alone, I have no objection, nor should it be questioned by me."
"But, you should also understand—being an ostrich with its head buried in the sand is just self-deception that benefits neither you nor what you love." [Mei] raised her hand, saying so.
And such words, however, somewhat broke the latter's defenses.
"Shut up! What do you know!" Ei was angry, very, very angry.
In her eyes, [Mei]'s lecturing at this moment was just like her sister's.
"You're just an imitator, don't spout nonsense here!"
That feeling was nostalgic, but it also made Ei very annoyed—after all, just like their past division of labor, as a warrior, she was completely unskilled in verbal sparring. Her sister would often lecture her on this issue, but the more she lectured, the less Ei cared.
...If it were my sister saying it, fine, but a mere 'fake'! How dare she speak to me in such a tone—who do you think you are? I am the Shogun! I call the shots in all of Inazuma!!
"If you wish to become an enemy of Eternity, then further words are useless!"
Although Ei might have had a fleeting thought that perhaps she was indeed making many mistakes—after all, there was the example of Scaramouche, and through Jiang Qiao's revelations, she also knew that the Tri-Commission assisting the Shogun in governance was now fraught with hidden dangers—but, it had to be said, Mr. Jiang Qiao indeed possessed a remarkable talent for striking where it hurt most.
The righter you were, the angrier Ei became.
So what to do with that anger?
A single slash would suffice!
"Alas, it seems some more hardcore solutions are still needed."
Seeing through Ei's thoughts, [Mei] sighed. This good-for-nothing hikikomori, who has a face that looks like she's great at cooking but can't cook at all, why is she acting like a petulant child?
Oh well—[She] raised her hand, and a blade forged from Electro extended, its body made of lightning, crackling and sizzling.
And Ei, in turn, showed a hint of excitement.
—In the past, she was her sister's Kagemusha, in other words, a complete warrior.
Governing a nation, she couldn't do.
But fighting was her specialty.
Therefore, as an out-and-out 'God of War,' Ei was undoubtedly bellicose. And during these five hundred years, staying in this tedious Plane of Euthymia, although time here wasn't perceived as clearly as in the outside world, it did indeed feel somewhat dull.
Now, she could warm up!
"!!!"
The somewhat excited Ei wanted to take the initiative and test [Mei]'s strength. After all, aside from Fontaine's Hydro Archon, whether it was the pink-haired girl or this girl who so resembled her sister, she actually couldn't discern their strength at all—especially the latter. Looking at her felt like seeing an ordinary person.
This was one of the reasons she felt a sense of familiarity; after all, her sister Makoto was also a complete weakling.
But she didn't doubt whether the other was truly weak. Just that earlier move—bringing the damaged Scaramouche into her exclusive domain, the Plane of Euthymia, which theoretically was very difficult to enter unless she allowed it—was enough to show that the other was no ordinary person.
However—Although her methods were extraordinary, Ei didn't feel she would lose in the slightest.
After all, she was an out-and-out 'God of War.'
Especially as a warrior, she had already reached the pinnacle of perfection.
Even among the many Archons, she believed herself to be a leader in terms of strength.
So... victory was assured!
Just as Ei was about to strike, even contemplating whether to go easy on her—after all, it was her sister's face, she couldn't bear to be too harsh—but the next moment, [Mei], who had drawn her blade, had already arrived.
An incredibly simple slash.
To most people, it was just a light cut. From a professional standpoint, it would be criticized, as this incredibly casual slash completely disregarded the proper use and force application of a weapon, lacking any规范 (standardization)—any master swordsman seeing it would declare this person an absolute novice, perhaps even a child randomly swinging a sword.
But Ei couldn't think so.
Because in her eyes, as the one directly facing it, this slash seemed to have locked onto her, utterly unavoidable.
Clearly, that speed looked like a grandmother pedaling a tricycle.
Time and space seemed to freeze, forever suspended in this moment.
This sense of déja vu made Ei's brain somewhat short-circuit.
This 'Musou no Hitotachi' (Thoughtless One-Slash) technique... wait, isn't this her own... cough cough, 'Musou no Hitotachi'?
Although indeed somewhat of a good-for-nothing, Ei's eye for skill wasn't bad. She could see at a glance that the prototype of this slash should be the same as her own Musou no Hitotachi—except, the other party was even stronger in this aspect.
Ei's 'Milky Blade' (a self-deprecating term for her own technique) could barely cut through space, and that was about it.
But Jiang Qiao—[Mei]'s slash, was actually a 'conceptual cut.'
Just like when Dottore was cut, he instantly lost his future and past. Because after being hit by this move, those two concepts were stripped away, leaving only the present, only that moment.
It was like a film reel, cutting away everything and magnifying the only remaining frame, transforming it from one to all.
Time, life, death... there was nothing it couldn't cut.
At this moment, Ei felt herself drenched in sweat.
Can't dodge, can't dodge at all!
Not even a little bit, okay!
Looking at the blade so close, its slow speed was like an execution, testing one's psyche. And Ei—logically, she shouldn't be afraid. As a reckless warrior, she didn't know what fear was.
Or rather, in this world, there weren't many things worthy of her fear, especially in battle.
But, at this moment... fear arose in Ei's heart, just like five hundred years ago—an inevitable change after witnessing a power that was difficult to contend with.
However, as the blade covered in electricity gradually approached, and she had no strength to resist, even her well-tempered blade felt so difficult to lift, completely unable to keep up, she began to grow nervous.
Of course, she wouldn't be like some newbie, closing her eyes. Not to mention that as an Archon, she wouldn't die so easily. Even if she would die, Ei, as a Kagemusha, wasn't so afraid.
In this process, the blade stopped, just barely, at the tip of Ei's nose—allowing her to even feel the chill of the incredibly sharp blade and the numbing sensation of the electricity wrapped around it.
The next moment, [Mei] directly sheathed the blade.
"Alright, that should be about enough, right?" The blade in her hand instantly vanished without a trace, replaced by a fair palm pressed against Ei's face. Amidst Ei's astonishment, the girl showed a cheerful smile.
"I let you touch this face just now~ Now, it's my turn... Hmm, it really is a very good-looking... cough cough, very beautiful, very 'Mei'-like face."
Hearing this, Ei, who was still somewhat dazed, blushed slightly, subconsciously turning her head away. Her small struggles were like those of a 'tsundere cat' unwilling to be petted.
"But... if you're too stubborn, she won't be happy if she finds out."
Gently pinching her cheek—the girl's words sounded beside her ear.
With the threat gone, Ei instantly relaxed. At this moment, she felt drenched in sweat, her entire back soaked. However, she wasn't thinking about these things, but staring at the former, staring intently.
"Are you... really not my sister?" she asked hesitantly. It couldn't be helped. Although she could distinguish between Makoto and [Mei], this feeling... Ei felt that if Archons couldn't distinguish by essence and if [Mei]'s appearance wasn't different from her sister's, she really wouldn't be able to tell.
—Of course, there was another explanation.
Ei knew.
When people in Teyvat died, they would re-enter the ley lines and then be 'reincarnated' as new individuals. Although Archons might be somewhat special in this system, accidents happened. Even if an Archon reincarnated as a human, it wouldn't be strange.
Knowing this, looking at [Mei] before her, she couldn't help but suspect, could the other party be Makoto's reincarnation?
"Asking such a question, if she knew, she would be very sad."
"Although five hundred years have passed, Ei, as her own sister, can't distinguish between her sister and a girl who looks very much like her sister—hmm, what do you think she would think?"
Although she knew it was impossible, that it was wishful thinking, being exposed like this, with no room for luck, still made Ei's mood somewhat low.
However. For some reason, recalling what the former had said earlier, she felt that something was wrong.
Proficient in martial arts, Ei was not good at thinking. She could only recall the other's words, carefully pondering what was wrong with them.
Finally... A bold idea flashed through Ei's mind.
Although the other party wasn't her sister, but... what did she mean by constantly mentioning her sister?
Could it be that her sister wasn't dead?
To this, Ei, of course, didn't believe it from the bottom of her heart. After all, she had witnessed Makoto's death with her own eyes; the other had even died in her arms.
But... even so, she couldn't suppress this thought, this idea.
Instead, a host of explanations arose.
For example—why did [Mei] come to Inazuma?
This girl who looked so much like her sister, did she come here just to deal with Kunikuzushi's problem? As for the issue of Inazuma opening up, it was even more thought-provoking.
Although Ei, who firmly believed Inazuma should follow the path of Eternity, was somewhat resistant, she understood very well that the other party was definitely thinking for Inazuma's sake—on this point, the other party had almost no selfish motives.
But she definitely wasn't Inazuman. Ei was very sure of this.
Inazuma was such a tiny place. Even if it was proportionally enlarged like in the game, it wouldn't be much bigger, and there were still several broken islands uninhabitable by people.
In this situation, with [Mei]'s appearance, the Shogunate and the Shogun would have discovered her long ago—not Inazuman, yet harboring feelings for Inazuma and wanting to change its current state...
Connecting all these dots, a bold idea gradually formed in Ei's mind.
[Mei]... she was Makoto!
As for how she reached this conclusion, Miss Ei, whose single-core CPU performance wasn't high, chose the formula substitution method.
[Mei] looks like sister + personality and temperament are very similar + couldn't bear to be harsh on herself + clearly not Inazuman, yet very familiar with Inazuma's situation = ?
?=Ei!
As for why her sister, who was clearly a weakling, had become seemingly even stronger than herself—she had already come back from the dead, what could be more outrageous than that?
Since it was her sister, there was definitely no problem with her becoming so strong!
The Archon essence could be explained by reincarnation; the difference in appearance could be explained by reincarnation.
As for [Mei] constantly denying she wasn't Makoto.
Since she 'reincarnated,' wasn't it fine to say that?
At this moment, Ei's mind suddenly cleared, as if her entire head had become smooth, without any furrows.
[Mei] = Makoto (Confirmed)!