The Hatamoto stationed on Ritou, Kujou Sei, was originally named Hisajo Sei, from the Hisajo branch of the Kujou Clan. After promotion to Hatamoto, the main Kujou Clan granted him their surname, renaming him Kujou Sei.
In his mid-forties, he'd served Ritou for seven or eight years. Dutiful, he trained a disciplined cadre of elite Foot Soldiers and frequently cleared monsters and pirates.
Having fought at Kujou Encampment in his youth, he dismissed unenhanced Hilichurls as beneath him.
So, the Miko of Martial Rice's report of a large Hilichurl camp barely fazed him.
He mustered half his camp's elite Foot Soldiers, most low-ranking samurai, and conscripted Foot Soldiers from nearby villages, leading nearly a thousand men to storm the camp.
He didn't realize this camp was no ordinary setup.
At its heart stood a small elemental discharge device—unknown in origin—spewing Electro energy. Hilichurl Shamans, Archers, and Mitachurls basked in its electric "massage," their faces blissful.
The device's rich Electro energy fueled the tribe's rapid growth.
"Yaaa!" A Hilichurl sentry spotted Kujou Sei's forces.
Sleepy Tribe or not, the thousand-strong Shogunate army wasn't subtle. The Hilichurls, not blind, easily noticed the advance.
An Archer on a watchtower signaled.
Hilichurls poured out, forming ranks.
Their military discipline was impressive. Mitachurls and Bruisers took the front, Archers and Shamans the rear. Geo Shamans summoned stone platforms, elevating Archers and Shamans for high-ground attacks.
The Shogunate army was orderly: spear-wielding Foot Soldiers upfront, samurai with katanas interspersed, archers in back.
The conscripted village Foot Soldiers were a mess—crooked lines, patchy armor, some wielding mere sticks, worse-equipped than Hilichurls.
"Everlasting glory, Narukami eternal!"
The Shogunate's battle cry rang out as they charged.
At range, Mitachurls rushed, toppling soldiers. Samurai among the Foot Soldiers countered, blocking Mitachurls while spears struck vital points, felling them. Shamans healed or attacked, while Archers traded volleys with Shogunate bowmen.
Bruisers, Mitachurls, and Foot Soldiers took heavy losses early.
Suddenly, an armored samurai leapt from the unremarkable Foot Soldiers, charging the Shamans. A village warrior, newly promoted to low-ranking samurai, his blade blazed with Pyro—a Vision bearer.
"A Vision holder!"
He cut down seven or eight Shamans but took heavy arrow fire from Archers.
Kujou Sei's forces seized the gap in the enemy's rear, pushing forward. Samurai unleashed iaijutsu slashes, dropping Mitachurls effortlessly.
Foot Soldiers advanced, bowmen focusing fire on hillside and tower Archers.
Two Shogunate Vision bearers charged, blocking elemental-wielding Mitachurls.
The Pyro Vision village warrior, energy charged, showboated. His elemental skill let him blitz Shamans, cutting down more.
The canyon's entrance was breached.
Monster deaths barely dented their numbers. More Hilichurls surged from the Ley Lines.
Monsters felled in stagnation points often returned to the Ley Lines, their energy likely birthing new ones.
These newborns, lacking growth time, were weaker in experience and physique.
The Shogunate was prepared. Storming the camp, they split to hunt emerging Hilichurls.
Elite Foot Soldiers and samurai escorted a Ley Line Suppression Stone to the camp's center.
These stones, crafted with adeptal techniques from Liyue's Geo Archon Morax, were high-end but widely known across Teyvat.
Inazuma's Tri-Commission and Grand Narukami Shrine could make them.
They were standard for tricky stagnation points, though Ritou's weak Ley Lines rarely needed them.
They hadn't expected to use one this time.
The stone activated, instantly quelling the stagnation point's energy.
A guarding samurai's face paled. The stone's action triggered a new birth—a Mitachurl Thunderhelm emerged from the Ley Lines.
"Thunderhelm!" he shouted, drawing his blade and charging.
A freshly spawned Thunderhelm was too much for a regular samurai. It smashed him flat.
"Damn it, a Mitachurl?!" Kujou Sei sweated.
His Vision bearers could handle a Mitachurl with him on a good day, but they'd fought for hours. Exhausted, low on stamina, he was too far to react. The Thunderhelm stirred memories of Kujou Encampment, his legs trembling.
A purple thunderbolt streaked across the sky. A massive Electro spear pinned the Thunderhelm in place.
Figures appeared on the canyon's heights.
One shadow blurred downward.
A dazzling blade flash—then the pinned Thunderhelm's head slid off, its body collapsing.
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