Man in Izumo, Making Honkai Great Again

"Adaptability, huh..."

Mei stopped between herself and Takemikazuchi, gazing at the colossal being before them.

"If even I, who resonates with Takemikazuchi, am not the one who can wield the Whispering Blade, then I doubt anyone in Izumo could be suited for it."

Sirin's eyes widened slightly. "You? Resonate? Are you joking?"

Mei shook her head. "Didn't Miss Sirin just say that the quality of the carrier only affects how aggressively the curse erodes the human body?"

Mei is here for...

Kiana frowned, wanting to say something to Mei, but then saw Mei shake her head slightly, a faint smile on her face.

Sirin pondered, conflicted.

Mei silently conveyed to Kiana, "I believe in you."

She believed that Kiana's Stigmata were no weaker than the power of the Oni Gods, and she believed that once Takemikazuchi was completely corrupted, it would trigger a Honkai disaster.

Kiana dejectedly lowered her head.

If the Imperial Blades had side effects like the previous one, causing double backlash with just one use due to an unsuitable carrier, she could just sell it to Mei and get better equipment.

Mei stepping forward now, voluntarily saying she could bear the consequences, meant they should prioritize killing Takemikazuchi and forget about other options.

There was nothing wrong with this plan.

Yet, she still felt a pang of unease. Just two days ago, she had said she wouldn't let Mei get hurt, nor would she build her ambitions on Mei's sacrifice.

But wasn't this exactly what was happening now?

She was still too weak. If she had enough strength, Mei wouldn't have to step forward.

"You really intend to use that broken sword in your hand as the carrier for the Whispering Blade? Even if the forged Whispering Blade erodes your body and turns you into something neither human nor ghost?"

Sirin's hesitation to immediately agree with Kiana was mainly due to considering the future wielder of the Whispering Blade, but Raiden Mei's intention was clear: she absolutely would become its wielder.

And she didn't care.

Regardless of whether this was true or not.

Sirin just needed an excuse now.

Because she also leaned towards Kiana speaking the truth; Kiana had saved her, there was no reason for her to lie.

This wouldn't benefit anyone.

If she only represented herself, she wouldn't have to overthink and consider this and that.

Sirin felt depressed too.

Another day of not wanting to continue.

"...This isn't a broken sword," Mei retorted, and then arcs of electricity wrapped around the blade. "Just trust me. I'm willing to bear all consequences."

"And me! I'm willing to bear the consequences with Mei. If it doesn't work out, I'll at worst buy you a piece of equipment no worse than the Imperial Blades!"

Ignoring Kiana's offer to compensate, Sirin's gaze fell upon the sword in Mei's hand.

"You..."

What Raiden Mei held wasn't a Demon Blade.

Then this electricity...

Could her adaptability be even greater than her own? Was she truly the chosen one for the Whispering Blade?!

Chapter 48: Slay!

Chains extending from the void tightened their grip on Takemikazuchi, and Sirin helped Raiden Mei suppress it.

"I'll trust you this once."

Since she'd said she was willing to bear all consequences, Sirin said no more, selectively ignoring the impropriety of the situation and preparing to help her.

"Thank you."

Mei walked up to Takemikazuchi, fearlessly meeting its pair of crimson vertical pupils.

Is this the most powerful Oni God?

The feeling it gave off was completely different from the other Oni Gods she had encountered.

"It's time to end this."

Perhaps sensing danger, or perhaps sensing an affront, the heavily restrained Takemikazuchi struggled against Sirin's confinement, its body twitching as if wanting to kill the human before it.

Mei's speed was faster than the lightning it used, and she rapidly closed in on Takemikazuchi as she moved.

"Its weakness is its head."

Sirin reminded her upon seeing this.

Takemikazuchi, in its incomplete transformation state, severely wounded and spatially confined by Sirin wielding the Imperial Blades of Heaven, was like meat on a chopping block.

But Takemikazuchi was, after all, one of the strongest Oni Gods. Crimson lightning crackled around its body, and some of the chains binding it shattered under an unknown power.

"It's actively transforming towards Honkai, preparing to completely abandon..."

Kiana could feel the Honkai energy within it converting faster and faster. The Oni God's power, which had originally been resisting the Honkai's erosion, was now actively embracing the Honkai, cooperating with the energy conversion.

This discovery was truly terrible.

You know what the Honkai is, and you're embracing it?

There was nothing more to say.

Without hesitation, Kiana bought a rocket launcher, slung it over her shoulder, and moved away from the head where Mei was located. She aimed at Takemikazuchi's body and fired several shells.

Sirin, who was maintaining the spatial chains, saw Kiana pull out a rocket launcher and thought she was mistaken. Only when the ammunition exploded on Takemikazuchi's body did she widen her eyes and look at the rocket launcher Kiana was holding.

Where did Kiana get that from?

Healing potions were small, which she could barely understand. But something this large, unaffected by the blood-red currents around Takemikazuchi, that directly hit Takemikazuchi's rocket launcher, where did Kiana get it?

The hot weapons at the base weren't this sophisticated, portable by one person, and yet so incredibly powerful.

Takemikazuchi's defense was astonishing. The shells hit its body without causing the kind of flesh-tearing wounds.

If the resisting power hadn't weakened, Sirin would have thought these shells had no effect.

"Kiana, keep going!"

If it's effective, then keep going.

"You got it!"

This was Kiana's first time using this type of weapon, but she had to admit, the firepower was incredibly stress-relieving.

It was also exceptionally effective against large creatures like this.

Kiana aimed at the same spot and fired the remaining ammunition, all of it sent towards the black dragon.

Explosions sounded one after another.

Moving in sync with the explosions were Mei's afterimages. With single-minded focus, she charged forward with her blade.

The closer she got to Takemikazuchi, the stronger the inexplicable pressure became. Enduring the discomfort, Mei leaped forward.

The excessive Honkai energy on Takemikazuchi's body, at this moment, became an aid to her drawing her blade.

In the high Honkai concentration zone, under the enhancement of Stigmata and her conviction, she leaped high and, facing the gaping maw of Takemikazuchi, unleashed her most brilliant slash yet.

"Mei!"

All that could be seen was blinding lightning erupting from Takemikazuchi's body, lightning powerful enough to tear everything apart, obscuring everything.

Kiana couldn't see Mei and couldn't remain calm. She tossed the rocket launcher aside and rushed towards the place where the lightning was flashing.

Sirin, still in shock, heard Kiana's voice and snapped back to reality. She quickly grabbed Kiana as she ran, saying, "Don't rush, she's fine."

If she hadn't seen wrong just now, Raiden Mei had actually turned Takemikazuchi's power against it, using it as a means to kill Takemikazuchi.

She was truly convinced by this.

She believed Raiden Mei's previous words.

The chosen lord of the Chirping Blade.

Sirin let out a long sigh. If she was infinitely close to the first wielder's adaptability to the Imperial Blades, then Raiden Mei possessed the same talent as the first true blade wielder.

Resonance...

Sirin couldn't be bothered to think about why this phenomenon was occurring. She was just a blade follower; slaying Oni was enough.

If the first wielder from a thousand years ago also had such resonance ability like Raiden Mei, then it would be understandable how they could slay the most troublesome Tsumugari no Kami without the help of the Imperial Blades.

"Let go of me first."

Kiana shook off Sirin's hand.

It was at this moment that the blinding lightning disappeared, and she could finally see the situation clearly.

The lightning had actually come from Raiden Mei's blade. She stood on top of Takemikazuchi's head, and the katana in her hand, now wreathed in lightning capable of tearing everything apart, had relentlessly broken through the black dragon's defenses and directly destroyed its core.

With Sirin's help, Takemikazuchi had nowhere to escape. Moreover, because it was in a critical period of transformation, the Honkai power it couldn't control, and the Oni God's power rapidly assimilated by the Honkai energy, could no longer serve as the final resistance for the heavily wounded Takemikazuchi.

Takemikazuchi, which had invaded from Takama-ga-hara a thousand years ago and was one of the twelve most powerful Oni Gods in the world, thus died at the hands of Raiden Mei, who had just embarked on the path of slaying Oni.

This Takemikazuchi could be said to have been completely screwed over by Honkai energy.

Without Honkai energy, it wouldn't have been defeated so miserably and so quickly.

Once it fully accepted the Honkai energy and reappeared as a Honkai Beast, Izumo's power might not have been its match.

But it chose to tear through its confinement and forcefully descend at the most awkward, in-between time.

Takemikazuchi died. Only half of the Oni God's power remained in its body; the other half had been twisted and assimilated by the encroaching Honkai energy.

There seemed to be some kind of rule in the unseen world.

The blade that slew Takemikazuchi had its form distorted by the Oni God's power. Takemikazuchi's power, mixed with the lingering Honkai energy, merged into the sword on its head.

Mei decisively let go and leaped off the corpse, which was shrouded in black energy, her eyes watching what was happening.

Just as had happened when slaying Oni before, Takemikazuchi's corpse disintegrated, transforming into the purest, most uncomfortable power, which madly poured into the blade.

Black energy swirled around the blade, forming a vortex. Perhaps due to the immense power, the sky-obscuring dark clouds were also drawn by this energy, forming a massive vortex with the eerie aura and residual Honkai energy, looking incredibly awe-inspiring.

"Are you hurt?" Kiana rushed to her side, grabbing her and asking with concern.

"Don't worry, Kiana."

Freeing herself from that strange feeling, Raiden Mei patted Kiana, indicating she was unharmed.

How to put it...

It was true that she had just slain Takemikazuchi, but she felt that the way she drew her sword was a bit strange.

Although she had been prepared to slay Takemikazuchi, she had never imagined that she could kill that terrifying Oni God with a single blow.

This was something she dared not imagine.

And yet, it happened.

Moreover, after slaying Takemikazuchi, the normal amplification of her Stigmata on her had increased severalfold.

It seemed... she had undergone a metamorphosis?

Chapter 49: The Singing Blade

[You have brought an undeniable influence to Izumo (World), Honkai Energy Concentration (World) has permanently increased by 5%]

[Received the Gift of Honkai, Finality Process has permanently increased by 5%]

[Finality Process has reached 10% (Permanent), eligibility to acquire Stigmata has been unlocked]

Name: Kiana

Faction: [Honkai]

Talent: Power of the End

Skill: Phase Shift (Void)