A Person in Izumo, Making Honkai Great Again

Kiana briefly lost focus, dodging the question. Once she opened Pandora's Box, there was no turning back.

"But those with Honkai resistance can use the power of the Honkai, like me, and Mei..."

Mei said upon hearing this, "The power I just used to isolate the Oni Gods' corruption was exactly that."

"Those without Honkai resistance will be corrupted by Honkai energy and turn into Honkai beasts. Like Takemikazuchi just now, perhaps it came into contact with Honkai energy voluntarily. More than half of its power was corrupted by the Honkai, and its power lost balance, so it didn't seem very dangerous. But if it were completely corrupted by the Honkai and turned into a Honkai beast, it would be a disaster beyond your imagination. The Honkai outbreak caused by its transformation alone would be enough to corrupt ninety-nine percent of Changkong City's population into death gods."

"It's dangerous, more dangerous than the Oni Gods, but if used properly, it might not be impossible to become an aid in saving Izumo."

"The potions I used to heal you, and the equipment just now, are manifestations of Honkai power. If you have to say it, Honkai energy is omnipotent."

Kiana rambled on to herself, nodding in agreement with her own views.

Since the equipment from Honkai Impact 2 could appear, wasn't she, the Honkai, omnipotent?

Sirin listened to Kiana's long speech and only remembered the last sentence, 'Honkai energy is omnipotent.'

She had intended to pick a fight, but Kiana seemed to have said that the potion she used to heal herself was the so-called Honkai power.

Sirin shook her head, clearing the incomprehensible thoughts from her mind. She was too lazy to think, and everyone had their own specialty. These things were better left to those who researched the Oni Gods.

"Oni Gods and Honkai aren't the same thing, are they?"

Kiana's expression turned awkward, her guilty eyes darting away, "...At least not right now."

Sirin, who had intended to ask Kiana why she needed the power of the Oni Gods from the Demon Blade if they weren't the same thing, paused.

"What do you mean, 'at least not right now'?"

Mei, who had encountered the Honkai earlier, understood Kiana's meaning. She held up the Resonating Blade in her hand and showed it to Sirin, "Because Honkai energy can corrupt the Oni Gods."

Both the spider from before and Takemikazuchi were in an awkward stage of half-transformation.

Mei felt some pressure regarding the Honkai beasts Kiana had mentioned. But she wasn't standing still either.

Whether it was the improvement brought by the Stigmata's evolution after slaying Takemikazuchi, or this Resonating Blade that allowed one to use Takemikazuchi's power, both were significant advancements for her.

Sirin fell silent.

For a long time, it had been the Oni Gods' curse that corrupted humans, turning them into demons. Apart from the Imperial Blades, other blades had strong side effects. Humans had no choice. To slay the Oni Gods, the power of Oniification was also a crucial part of their ability to do so.

To slay the Oni Gods, humans had to pay the price of eventually becoming mindless demons in exchange for temporary power.

ps: I went to bed early yesterday, and my sleep quality was really bad.

I woke up this morning feeling dizzy and nauseous, unable to even stand steadily. After confirming I wasn't suffering from heatstroke, I panicked.

The doctor said it was due to cervical spine compression of nerves and blood vessels...

I felt a bit better in the afternoon after taking medicine. It was truly indescribable. 1

Chapter 51: It's Not Bad to Make Use of Waste

"Those ghostly things can be corrupted too?"

How to put it.

She wanted to say it was impossible, but with such a large Takemikazuchi right there, she couldn't help but believe it.

So it was true.

The invaders from Takama-ga-hara were finally getting their comeuppance. Sirin's mood was a mix of complexity and satisfaction.

"Letting them taste corruption and degeneracy, it's not a bad thing, is it?"

"It's not a good thing either," Kiana said softly, lowering her head. "Honkai beasts attack all living creatures and destroy civilizations."

"Wouldn't those Oni Gods still kill people and do evil, and retreat to Takama-ga-hara if they didn't change?" Sirin scoffed.

The Oni Gods always kill.

"Between us and the Oni Gods of Takama-ga-hara, there has never been any option other than you die or I die."

What she said was not wrong. It was just that after being completely transformed, the destructive power of the Oni Gods combined with the Honkai might increase, causing a greater disaster.

"Do you need assistance?"

Kiana made up her mind. Those Oni Gods would be corrupted by Honkai energy, expanding the scope of the original disaster, turning it into what she had feared from the beginning.

But she wasn't completely helpless. One person's strength was ultimately limited. If Honkai energy could strengthen the Oni Gods, it could naturally strengthen these demon-slaying blade wielders as well.

Izumo would die sooner or later anyway. Adding a bit of Honkai was merely leveling up the battle, increasing the upper limits of both the enemy and allied forces.

This was a good thing. The Oni Gods were just the immediate difficulty, not the final death sentence. Their goal should be to defeat... no, to escape the shadow of the Void.

"I can provide you with assistance."

Kiana's thoughts gradually took shape. Although she was still a bit nervous, she maintained a smile.

"We can provide comprehensive assistance related to the Honkai, and the price... is simply for you to pay some energy crystals."

She showed Sirin the dark crystal in her hand, speaking more and more smoothly: "Healing, weapons, or enhancements to your strength, I can provide all of that for you."

Kiana's words were very tempting.

However, Sirin had a brain of her own. Amidst Kiana's temptation, she managed to maintain her sanity.

"It's truly hard to refuse."

"After all, the Honkai..."

"Kiana." Mei suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder, interrupting what she was about to say.

She knew what Kiana wanted to say.

It was nothing more than that the Honkai was brought about by her, that all of this had something to do with her, and therefore she should step forward.

Her heart was a bit conflicted, but she supported Kiana's thoughts and actions, and had long been prepared to help her.

But thinking is one thing, doing is another.

Living alone from a young age had made Raiden Mei more mature than most people her age.

Sometimes, there was no need to say things too clearly, and no need to give people an opportunity to vent their resentment onto you.

It was enough that she and Kiana knew the truth; there was no need to tell anyone else.

"Let me talk to Miss Sirin."

She acted normally, and her words flowed smoothly, as if she hadn't intentionally interrupted Kiana.

Kiana thought for a moment and nodded: "No problem, I'll leave it all to Mei."

"After all, the Honkai is something completely unknown, unlike the Oni Gods which have form." Mei looked at Sirin, repeating Kiana's previous words: "The Honkai has many forms of manifestation. What Kiana mentioned is just one of them. Even more terrifying are natural disasters, plagues, and many other means we don't know about."

"Hasn't something like this already disrupted your balance? Kiana... she can use the power of the Honkai to create items to fight against the Honkai. To counter the combination of the Honkai and the Oni Gods, only by using the power of the Honkai to defeat the Honkai is the correct choice."

Kiana looked at Mei with a shocked expression.

"I believe Kiana," Sirin said, shaking her head. "But Raiden Mei, even I cannot fully believe what you're saying."

To be clear, she was quite willing to believe the two of them, but she wasn't the only one making the decision.

The Honkai, something they had just come into contact with.

Whether it was as terrifying as they described was still up for debate.

It was better to be cautious about something completely unknown. Their war with Takama-ga-hara had lasted for so long, yet even so, they couldn't claim to truly understand these Oni Gods from Takama-ga-hara.

What exactly were they here for?

To this day, no convincing truth had been reached.

"I believe Kiana, but the others... they will ask why Kiana has the power to use the Honkai against itself."

"Because of the Stigmata!"

Mei, afraid Kiana would reveal the truth, waited for Sirin to ask a question like this and then told Sirin without hesitation.

"Don't you also wonder how I got my power? It's because of the Stigmata, the Stigmata gave me the power to control lightning. I don't need the Imperial Blades; I can make lightning the power to slay evil spirits and protect everything I want to protect."

"The Stigmata is a gift from the Honkai."

She was lying through her teeth, just to keep Kiana out of it.

Although her father was one of them, Raiden Mei was highly wary of unfamiliar organizations and unfamiliar people.

"Everything has two sides, and the Honkai, this double-edged sword, is no different."

Mei's words weren't wrong.

But how to describe it.

Kiana felt a little embarrassed and guilty, yet also a little happy.

"You also know what kind of person Kiana is. She and I don't want to see any more casualties in Izumo."

Sirin nodded: "You have a point. Kiana is indeed a good person."

"Good person or not..."

Kiana smiled awkwardly, feeling undeserving. It was true that she had saved Sirin, but she had also scammed Sirin out of 500,000 with just a little effort.

Her morals weren't that low yet.

She needed more practice to face the behavior of a crooked merchant without batting an eye.

"Don't be so modest, Kiana." Sirin smiled. "I believe in my judgment, and I believe in you."

"Forget it, I won't ask any more questions. My head hurts, it feels like I'm interrogating a criminal. Yet one of you is my savior, and the other is recognized by the Resonating Blade and will be my future comrade."

There was no point in asking further. After being saved by Kiana and having her injuries quickly healed by Kiana, her heart had already leaned towards Kiana.

She couldn't bring herself to doubt them after asking so many questions. The main reason she asked so much was her concern that others might question Kiana.

"I believe in you," Sirin said. "It doesn't matter if others don't believe. I am willing to be the one to commend and buy things from you."

"Anyway, Oni Gods are just things that should be killed off. It's not bad to be able to make use of them."

Others are others, and she is she.

Sirin thought, even if others doubted Honkai, doubted Kiana, and were unwilling to communicate deeply for the time being, she could still be Kiana's buyer.

She killed much faster than the average blade wielder.

Oh, and there's Yae Sakura.

Judging by her previous attitude, Yae Sakura also had a pretty good impression of Kiana and surely wouldn't mind reusing a resource and supporting Kiana.

Chapter 52: Do You Want to Become an Arms Dealer?

"You spoke too hastily just now."

On the way back, Mei walked beside Kiana, sharing her thoughts.

"Whether it's about Honkai or your decision to sell things to them, there's no need to rush to announce it."

Being too hasty would make you seem like you had ulterior motives. Mei felt it would be better to ease things a bit, pique others' curiosity, and have them come to you when they needed something.

Fortunately, Sirin had a very good impression of Kiana, and no matter what Kiana said, she only raised some unclear questions.

"Because the situation has gotten worse."

Kiana knew she had been a bit hasty, but who knew how much time Izumo had left? She was just waiting for Sirin to give her the treatment fee, and then, based on that, she would wholesale a large batch of practical badges and weapons to sell to others.

Never mind the damage.

Weapons with automatic ammunition recovery, what's the difference between that and new weapons that refresh daily?

If Honkai didn't operate on a planetary scale, making the battlefield too large, Kiana wouldn't dare to sell low-level equipment from the system on a large scale.

Wait, maybe she should control the quantity of ranged weapons.

...Or maybe she should just sell low-level badges and melee weapons?