The highest form of warfare is to attack the enemy's plans, a game against a god!

"Sorry, Shogun..."

Kujou Sara had clearly anticipated Raiden Ei's anger. She apologized at once, but did not know what else to say.

After all, no matter how much remorse she expressed or how many times she apologized, it would not change the fact that she had betrayed the Shogun.

Besides, at this point, Kujou Sara did not feel the slightest regret.

Back then, the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree had indeed caused the people of Inazuma untold suffering, and the entire nation had been on the verge of collapse.

At first, Kujou Sara had not noticed any of these problems.

That was until the Sword Saint suddenly forced his way into her residence one day.

Because he had previously caused an uproar at the Grand Tournament Before the Throne, Kujou Sara had initially shown the Sword Saint nothing but contempt, believing him to be a loathsome rebel. She had intended to fight him with all her might and prove her loyalty to the Shogun.

But to Kujou Sara's surprise, though he had forced his way into her residence, the Sword Saint did not fight her.

Instead, the man had simply brought a flask of wine and sat down with her for a long conversation that lasted through the night.

The two had debated the state of Inazuma and the benefits and losses the Raiden Shogun's policies had brought the nation.

After a fierce exchange of arguments, Kujou Sara had been forced to admit that the Sword Saint was right.

The nation had indeed reached a critical point where its very survival was at stake. If nothing changed, more people would only be hurt.

In the end, Kujou Sara accepted the Sword Saint's ideas and agreed to help him stand against the Shogun.

But Kujou Sara had never truly wanted to see the Raiden Shogun removed from power. She had only hoped to change the Shogun's stubborn thinking and help her see more clearly the harm the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree had done to the people. Ideally, she had hoped the Shogun would even abolish both decrees of her own accord.

Of course, whether she said any of that now made no difference.

After all, Kujou Sara's betrayal of the Raiden Shogun was an indisputable fact, and there was no excuse for it.

"You people..."

Seeing Kujou Sara lower her head, Raiden Ei felt helpless, but ultimately had no intention of criticizing her.

After all, it was all in the past now, and Inazuma's darkest era had ended.

Rather than dredge up old grievances, it was better to hurry and find out how all of this had happened.

In the video.

The Sword Saint led the rebel army all the way to Tenshukaku's main gate. Rather than going straight in, he shouted inside:

"Ahem, Shogun, listen up! You are now surrounded by us rebels. Drop your weapon and surrender immediately!"

"I repeat, Shogun, listen up! You are now surrounded by us rebels. Drop your weapon and surrender immediately!"

"..."

The Sword Saint's voice spread throughout Inazuma City through a special broadcasting device.

At first, the people in the city were stunned.

Many even wondered if they were still dreaming and had yet to wake up.

Gradually, more and more people realized that a rebellion really had broken out.

Public sentiment began to shift.

Many ordinary people who had long been dissatisfied with Inazuma's present state but had never been able to vent their grievances now stepped forward, following the rebels to attack Tenshukaku.

Those who had been wavering, unsure whether to side with the Shogunate or the rebels, hesitated no longer and all chose to follow the rebels.

The Sword Saint's earlier words had come true once again.

People would always follow the strong, and they would only choose to stand with those who could win.

With that, a rebellion that had once seemed hopeless had gained an even greater chance of victory.

A storm sweeping across Inazuma had fully broken out!

[666, he even used psychological warfare]

[I thought the Sword Saint's plan was just to charge blindly at Tenshukaku, but it looks like he came fully prepared]

[He read the people's sentiments perfectly, used their tendency to follow the strong, and took complete control of the situation in Inazuma]

[The Sword Saint is awesome!!]

[Not only is he incredibly powerful, but his strategy is exceptional too. How can someone so perfect exist in this world!]

"The highest form of warfare is to attack the enemy's plans; winning hearts is paramount."

Sangonomiya Kokomi watched the changes unfolding on the screen, clear admiration appearing on her face. "The Sword Saint truly deserves to be called a strong man capable of leading the people to overthrow the Shogunate. Not only is he immensely powerful, but his strategic thinking is extraordinary as well."

"That's also because the Sword Saint is strong enough himself," Kaedehara Kazuha quietly agreed beside her. "No matter how just the Resistance on Watatsumi Island's cause was or how firm their resolve, the people would have found it hard to believe that such a force could overthrow the Shogunate, so they would not have followed them wholeheartedly. By contrast, the Sword Saint's strength gave people reason to trust him. That, coupled with the fact that he personally led troops into Tenshukaku, was enough to truly sway public sentiment and make people willing to follow him!"

"The Sword Saint once told me that the people's sentiments are fickle, with only one thing that never changes: whoever is winning, they help."

Kamisato Ayaka spoke quietly, clearly recalling many things from the past.

Seeing this, Yae Miko smiled and shook her head. "Ayaka, your understanding is still too shallow. You never heard the whole saying, and that fellow the Sword Saint probably thought you wouldn't understand it, so he didn't tell you the second half."

"Huh? There's a second half?"

"Yes. That boy, the Sword Saint, once talked about it with me."

A nostalgic expression appeared on Yae Miko's face as she smiled. "He said that the people are both fragile and powerful. When the situation is unclear, they won't make a choice lightly. Often, 'whoever is winning, they help.' But once the people make a choice, they unite into a powerful force. Whoever can steer that tide can achieve final victory. So, 'whoever they help is the one who can win.'"

"Whoever is winning, they help... Whoever they help is the one who can win..." Kamisato Ayaka mulled over the two sayings, a look of astonishment appearing on her face. "To think such a simple yet profound truth exists in this world. That's the Sword Saint for you!"

"But could the people's strength alone really overthrow the Shogunate?" Yoimiya could not help looking doubtful. "Even if you gathered everyone in Inazuma together, they couldn't possibly stand against the Shogun, could they?"

"Well..."

At Yoimiya's words, everyone present fell silent.

Even the Raiden Shogun herself said nothing, clearly wondering the same thing: how could a mere rabble stand against her, who possessed the power of an archon and the authority of a god?