Back to Peace

Forget being an arms dealer and all that.

She felt that setting up logistics and medical treatment would suit Kiana perfectly. It would not require any risk, and she could save other people as well.

"Great! Let's do as Mei said!"

Turning sales into rentals was indeed more suitable for the situation. Kiana picked and chose among the one- and two-star equipment, selecting a few items as products for sale.

If those were not enough to stabilize the situation, she could sell even more powerful equipment outside. Surely that would do the trick.

Besides equipment, there were also Stigmata.

Because the Honkai Energy Concentration had reached a record high, the Honkai had given her another gift, pushing her progress toward becoming a Herrscher to a new peak as well.

That also unlocked something new for her.

The right to purchase Stigmata.

At a glance, all those Stigmata were grayed out, and they were all familiar ones.

For example, "Starlight Dream."

This was the Stigmata belonging to Sirin from Honkai 2.

Well... she meant the game character.

All the Stigmata were unavailable for purchase, but obtaining them was quite simple. She only needed to pay one million Honkai Crystals.

Thinking about how Sirin still owed her five hundred thousand, Kiana felt that one million for a Stigmata was not only reasonable, but might even be a little cheap.

There were only a dozen or so Stigmata in total, and beneath them was a limit of 1/1.

But after studying it, Kiana discovered that the Stigmata shop also offered an inconspicuous but practical function.

—Customization.

That was right, customized Stigmata!

But using the customization function once required ten million Honkai Crystals as startup fuel.

For that price, she could buy a full set of max-star equipment. Why would she need Stigmata?

Moreover, ten million crystals was only the basic cost. If she wanted various effects, she would have to add all kinds of materials herself.

Kiana examined each of the material slots and even found that she needed to add abstract things like "memories" and "belief."

When she needed it, she could not afford it.

When she could afford it, she did not need it.

Useless.

Kiana gave her sharp verdict in her heart.

"I'm finally back!"

After returning to the shrine, Kiana could not be bothered to continue studying the Stigmata function she currently could not afford to use. She stretched luxuriously.

She had only been out for a little while.

Yet she had the strange illusion that she had been gone for a very, very long time.

"Tired?"

"No, no. It just feels like so much has happened over the past two days."

First, she had made up her mind to press the button that might destroy the world. Then there had been the Thunder Calamity caused by Takemikazuchi, followed by battle after battle against the Kishin.

She had even rescued Sirin from the Imaginary Space.

Takemikazuchi had truly fallen into Changkong City, and there had been signs that it was about to be transformed into a Honkai Beast. Frightened, she had hurriedly asked Sirin and Mei to deal with Takemikazuchi.

She had only activated the system three days ago, yet it felt as though three months had passed.

"Yeah."

Mei placed the Resonating Blade on the table and looked at the sword, which had changed because of Takemikazuchi's power.

She vaguely recalled the "Narukami" enshrined at the shrine.

Then she remembered the peaceful daily life she and Kiana had shared before "Narukami" was taken away.

The things they had experienced together over the past few months were not even as thrilling or unforgettable as these past two or three days.

Closing her eyes, all she could think about were the events of the past few days and the things Kiana had said to her.

"It does feel as though a long time has passed, but the dark clouds have already disappeared," Mei said. "So get some good rest. There are still other things waiting for us afterward."

Even if it was not for Kiana.

For the Resonating Blade before her, for the others, or for her father... If he was still alive, he should come, right?

Returning to Peace

"What happened to Takemikazuchi? What about the Resonating Blade?"

"There was an unexpected complication. As for the Resonating Blade..." Sirin paused for a moment before saying, "It was taken away by its Blade Master."

"You're joking, right? The Resonating Blade was only just forged. Where did it get a Blade Master?"

"I'm not that bored." Sirin rolled her eyes and explained Raiden Mei's situation without holding anything back. Under everyone else's disbelieving gazes, she said, "That's how it is. She's the Resonating Blade's natural Blade Master. Her compatibility with it is probably on the same level as the first true Edict Blade's Blade Master."

The comrade who had hurried over to deliver the blade was utterly dumbfounded. Holding the Narukami that had been brought from afar, he asked, "Then what do we do with this unfinished product?!"

"Give it back to her," Sirin said indifferently. "Her shrine has enshrined it for hundreds of years anyway. Give it back to her. If she wants to keep enshrining it, let her."

"How can we do that?!"

Someone immediately objected. The unfinished Edict Blade was the pinnacle of Izumo's technology. Even though the Resonating Blade had not been forged from the unfinished product because of an error, the unfinished product was still an excellent material.

After slaying a top-tier Kishin, this blade could also become a rather impressive demon-slaying weapon.

"Then take it back and let the Command Center decide."

No one objected to this suggestion.

How to arrange for this blade really did have to be discussed by the people at the Command Center.

If they had known things would end like this, they would have been better off leaving the Narukami here instead of taking it to the battlefield!

"Um, what about Raiden Mei?"

Someone finally asked Sirin why the Blade Master of the Resonating Blade was nowhere to be seen.

"I wasn't the one who gave her the Resonating Blade," Sirin said calmly. "That woman killed it herself with a broken blade."

Someone immediately refused to believe her. After all, they had rushed over from the battlefield and witnessed Takemikazuchi's might with their own eyes.

"How could that be possible?"

How could an ordinary person use an ordinary blade to kill Takemikazuchi?

Even if she could do it, Sirin must have helped her.

Sirin boldly presented her evidence. "She could control the power of lightning even without the Resonating Blade. Besides, if people in the past could do something, is it really so strange that someone can do the same thing now?"

Strange?

That was completely impossible, wasn't it?

Wait, it seemed it might not be impossible. If things really were as Sirin said, and Takemikazuchi had been suppressed by Sirin...

"Where is she, then?"

"She left." Sirin crossed her arms. "She has an offensive Resonating Blade. I can't beat her."

The people who had come to provide support looked at each other.

They had no idea what Sirin meant.

They were only asking where the woman was.

Why did Sirin have to say that she could not beat her?

Had the two of them fought?

Only when someone finally spoke did they understand. "Could it be that the Resonating Blade's Blade Master is unwilling to fulfill the duties of wielding an Edict Blade?"

"I never said that." Sirin continued, "She simply doesn't want to work with us. Yae Sakura followed Raiden Ryoma's orders, took the blade enshrined at that woman's shrine without even explaining anything, and injured her friend. It would be strange if she showed you any kindness."

Sirin did not intend to let too many people disturb Raiden Mei and Kiana at the shrine. She planned to take this opportunity to have the Command Center first investigate the Honkai that Kiana feared.

As for making things up about Raiden Mei?

If she thought about it, Raiden Mei definitely would not refuse. She was doing this to help Mei gain the freedom to ignore orders.

What?

There had been something like that before?

Some people's expressions changed. In the battle against Takemikazuchi, their losses had been far lower than expected.

That had originally been a wonderful thing.

It was even a historic event worthy of widespread celebration and a boost to morale.

But before they could celebrate, they had discovered that the Resonating Blade's Blade Master had a grudge against the Blade Masters and did not want to join them?

The situation had only just improved, and now there were signs of infighting?

"What do we do?"

"Go back and find the Command Center," Sirin said. "This has nothing to do with us. We only need to think about slaying demons. Everything else is for the Command Center to worry about."

Hearing Sirin's defeatist attitude, those who did not know what to do gave up thinking as well.

What they thought did not matter anyway. They could neither change Raiden Mei nor influence the Command Center's decision.

"That does make sense!"

Relying on the prestige of being an Edict Blade's Blade Master, Sirin easily won the others' trust. She led them in sweeping the surrounding area once more. After resting for a while, she contacted the Command Center and returned there.

At the shrine.

Mei had taken the Resonating Blade, which was crucial to demon slaying. She knew that the people involved in demon slaying would definitely come looking for her.

So she stayed alert and waited at the shrine.

She waited for them to come calling.

But she waited for three whole days.

For three days straight, everything remained calm. Some of the residents of the underground shelters had even moved back to the surface, making the silent city lively again.

Takemikazuchi had been slain. The most terrifying disaster had passed, and the sun would rise as usual the next day.

As long as the world did not end, people still had to work, earn money, and support their families and themselves.

Apart from some companies that had collapsed in the aftershocks of the battle, many safe places had already resumed operations. Office workers had also returned to their routines.

"Today is the third day, right?"

It was another new day. Kiana watched Mei test out a new sword technique, her tone uncertain.

The calm that had lasted for several days made Kiana, who had encountered one event after another, feel unaccustomed to it.

The main thing was that she had already prepared herself, yet there had been no movement from Sirin's side.

Was what she had offered not tempting enough, or was the Resonating Blade simply unimportant?

Was their efficiency really this poor?

That was the Resonating Blade!

Weren't they even going to come and discuss it?

Ridiculous!

Kiana did not yet know that Sirin had redirected the people who wanted to come over, shifting their attention to the new substance they had detected.

"Today is the third day."

Mei sheathed her blade. She was not satisfied with the move she had just performed and decided to rethink it from the beginning.

"Are you bored, Kiana?"