Beneath the great tree in Araumi.
Ei set down her teacup and let out a soft breath.
The expression on her face looked much more relaxed.
It seemed that this encounter with Furuyama had given her something more to take away.
She smiled at Ellin, her smile easy and relaxed.
"Thank you, Sky-Clearing."
"You must have a lot of questions for me. I'll answer them later. For now, let's find the Rifthounds first."
"According to the information I gathered, there should be another pack of Rifthounds nearby."
"Our encounter with Furuyama took up some time. Now we should get back to business."
"All right."
Having finished repairing the Sacred Sakura Roots, Ellin stood up. "Let's go."
In an underground space within a cliff beneath Araumi.
Ei and Ellin found the last pack of Rifthounds.
These were larger, fully grown Rifthounds, with far more powerful attacks. There were also more of them than in either of the previous two packs-a full thirteen.
The Sacred Sakura was crucial to Inazuma. Seeing the Rifthounds attacking the Sacred Sakura Roots, Ei and Ellin did not hesitate and immediately moved to strike.
But just then, something unexpected happened.
As Ei prepared to attack, her body stalled again. Like a robot suffering a system error, she froze in place.
"What's wrong, Ei?"
Startled, Ellin hurried over to her and asked with concern.
"It's nothing."
Ei held a hand to her forehead and explained the cause to Ellin as quickly as she could.
After their last battle, Ei had realized that the eternity she pursued was wrong.
However, the Puppet Shogun was still operating according to the eternity previously programmed into her.
The Shogun had been granted the authority to rule an entire nation. Her every action could have a profound effect on Inazuma.
Since Ei