A Person in Izumo, Making Honkai Great Again

Yet Kiana suddenly made a move against her, trying to snatch the blade by surprise, only for Yae Sakura to catch her attacking hand in a firm grip.

"Why the sudden assault? This Humble One has already told you the truth as promised."

She had cut down countless gods and demons—she wouldn't fail to react in time. She simply couldn't understand.

She had plainly told Kiana the truth, so why was Kiana still attacking her?

Did she not believe it?

Kiana's other hand continued to strike out, reaching for 'Narukami'.

Yae Sakura flung Kiana's hand aside, shielding the Resonating Blade as she caught the blow, her heart sinking.

Such immense strength.

She had slain countless demons, and in the process, her own body had been tainted by their power, turning her into a half-demon.

On the path of slaying demons, being a half-demon wasn't necessarily a bad thing. As long as one kept watch over the corruption and didn't fall into mindless monstrosity, one's techniques and strength far surpassed what they had as a human.

Yet her half-demon body, when pitted against Kiana in a contest of pure strength, was actually losing ground. This defied Yae Sakura's imagination.

"Whether what you say is true or not, I'm taking Narukami back today!"

As they exchanged blows, Kiana could feel that Yae Sakura was only defending, with no desire to attack her.

Kiana believed her words, but 'Narukami'—she had to bring it back to Mei today.

"The Shrine's master now is Mei!" Kiana threw another punch at Yae Sakura, speaking with conviction. "If you want to take Narukami, then go to the Shrine openly and talk to Mei about it! Don't sneak off with the blade—only Mei can decide where this sword belongs!"

"You really are..."

Yae Sakura frowned. She had already explained herself clearly.

"It's not that I don't want to, but Mr. Ryoma doesn't want Raiden Mei to learn the truth of the world too soon."

"Then if you're going to drag Mei into this, just tell her everything from the start!"

Kiana's punches had no form; her foundation was still what she'd learned from Mei. Aside from brute force, she had little technique. She had only just finished her basic training and was still practicing forms, nowhere near ready for real combat.

Against Yae Sakura, a battle-hardened swordswoman who had slain countless gods and demons, she couldn't gain any advantage.

"You've risked life and limb slaying evil gods, haven't you?"

But Yae Sakura only dodged and parried, never striking back, so at a glance, Kiana seemed to be putting up a decent fight.

"If you don't tell Mei now, are you waiting until someone's dead to deliver the news?"

Yae Sakura remained silent. She didn't understand Raiden Ryoma's choice, but she respected it.

"Give Narukami back to me!"

"Leaving without a single word for Mei. If he wants to take Narukami, let him come back and get it himself!"

Yae Sakura hadn't expected Kiana's combat instincts to sharpen so quickly. Just as she was distracted by Kiana's words, Kiana's hand slipped through an awkward angle and seized the hilt of 'Narukami'.

Got it!

Kiana's heart leaped with joy.

"Boom—!"

The moment she grabbed the hilt, Yae Sakura finally stopped merely dodging and parrying—she struck out on her own.

Kiana didn't even see Yae Sakura's movement. She only felt a searing pain in the arm gripping 'Narukami', then a dull impact on her opposite shoulder, and her whole body was sent flying backward.

Yae Sakura stood unharmed, watching Kiana, whom she had pushed away with a single palm strike, and sighed. She bowed and said, "My apologies. But the Resonating Blade cannot be given to you. If I can return alive, I will apologize to you—and to Raiden Mei."

With those words of apology, Yae Sakura turned and prepared to leave.

"Don't go!"

But Kiana was like a cockroach that wouldn't die. Her face pale as paper, she staggered back to her feet.

To shake off Kiana's persistence once and for all, Yae Sakura had used a bit of technique—it wouldn't cause serious injury, but it would make one feel as if their limbs were breaking apart from the pain.

"Leave Mei's Narukami behind!"

Chapter 6: Yae Sakura: If I Can Return Alive...

A flicker of emotion crossed Yae Sakura's face.

"Why?"

"What 'why'?"

Her hand ached as if it were about to snap. Cold sweat beaded on Kiana's forehead from the unbearable pain.

But even so, she didn't give up. She wouldn't just watch Yae Sakura take 'Narukami' away.

"What is she to you?" Yae Sakura couldn't understand her persistence. "Why go this far for her?"

She paused, then placed her hand on 'Frost Blade' and drew it partway from its sheath.

A chill radiated from Yae Sakura, and frost—normally only seen in winter—instantly coated the dry grass around her.

Though the Frost Blade had yet to slay Amatsuyu and seize his power to become a true Edict Blade, she had killed countless demons, and both her blade and her body had absorbed the residual power of those gods and demons.

"I could kill you at any moment."

"I know you wouldn't do that." Kiana shook her head at first, then grew resolute: "And even if you really were going to kill me, I'd still stand here and stop you from taking Narukami! Because, because Mei has been searching for her father's whereabouts all this time."

"...Why would you go this far for her?" Yae Sakura paused, then continued: "Staking your life on the table, betting that I'm a good person who won't kill you. You have nothing to do with this, and you could just go back and tell Raiden Mei what I've told you—that's your freedom."

Raiden Ryoma only said not to tell Mei the truth; he never said others couldn't tell Raiden Mei the truth.

So Yae Sakura spoke without burden.

"Because she's important to me." Kiana took a deep breath and said: "So I will never let the chance for her to see her father slip away right before my eyes!"

Whether or not Raiden Ryoma would sacrifice himself in the campaign against Takemikazuchi, she refused to leave what might happen to uncertainty.

What if Raiden Ryoma really did fall in the campaign against Takemikazuchi?

Then Mei... wouldn't even get to see her father one last time.

For someone who had been searching for her father all along, how cruel and regretful would that be for the rest of her life?

"An important friend?"

Yae Sakura withdrew her Frost Blade, and the freezing ground and dry grass stopped changing, but the white frost did not vanish with the blade's return.

She suddenly felt a little envious of Raiden Mei.

Whether Raiden Ryoma's actions were right or wrong, she had a father who bore everything alone, slaying demons to protect the world while hoping his daughter could live like an ordinary person.

And she had a friend who wasn't afraid to die to fulfill her wish, who refused to give up even when injured, standing in front of a dangerous person like herself.

"I acknowledge your conviction."

Kiana's face lit up with joy. "Are you going to give Narukami back to me?"

Yae Sakura shook her head.

No matter what, she wouldn't leave the Resonating Blade behind, because the campaign against Takemikazuchi was imminent, and there was no more time to waste on retrieving the blade.

Kiana's face darkened, and she said pragmatically: "Then don't say things that get my hopes up. And no matter what you say, I'm taking Narukami back—that's my promise to Mei!"

If Yae Sakura refused and insisted on taking Narukami away, then she'd have no choice but to use her trump card.

Izumo was beyond saving anyway.

"Don't rush. I want to tell you that I'm willing to relay your and Raiden Mei's thoughts and convictions to Mr. Ryoma, and persuade him to meet with Raiden Mei."

"Really?"

Kiana's eyes widened. If that was the case, then it might be acceptable.

Her chances of wresting Narukami back from Yae Sakura were still too slim. Even if she pulled out a cheat right now, she probably wasn't a match for this woman.

Because the system wouldn't hand her the big account password from the start and let her become her full form.

And Yae Sakura was no ordinary opponent.

"I'm willing to relay for you, and I'll do my utmost to persuade Mr. Ryoma, to help you change his mind."

Kiana nodded, then remembered something and asked hesitantly: "Mei said her father has been missing for two years. I want to know, in those two years, why didn't he ever come back to see Mei? Two whole years, over seven hundred days—didn't he have even a moment to go home and look in on her?"

"Mr. Ryoma has returned to Changkong City." Yae Sakura's answer caught Kiana off guard.

"But—"

"As for the reason he didn't meet her."

Yae Sakura hesitated, then slowly lowered her hood, revealing her face.

Cherry-blossom-pink hair matched her pretty features, but atop her head were a pair of long fox ears.

"Those who slay demons are cursed by them. The more demons you kill, the deeper the curse. The cursed body irreversibly transforms toward becoming a demon, turning into a half-demon, until finally falling completely into a demon, becoming a monster no different from the demons we slay."

Yae Sakura's voice carried no fluctuation as she spoke these words, but Kiana could feel the sorrow in her tone.

The demon slayer becomes the demon.

How absurd?

But for Izumo's survival, to completely eradicate all demons under heaven, even if they were doomed to fall into demonhood, they would kill as many and as dangerous demons as possible before that day came, contributing one more effort to save Izumo.

The gods of Takama-ga-hara came not to rule, not to plunder, but solely to kill.

So the gods of Takama-ga-hara and Izumo...

were destined for only one side to survive.

"I'm lucky. I have decent resistance to erosion. You've seen where the Oniification has taken hold."

Yae Sakura covered her ears with her hood again and explained: "Mr. Ryoma showed symptoms of Oniification two years ago, but his resistance to erosion isn't as good as mine."

"He came back but didn't meet her... He probably didn't want his daughter to see what he's become—neither human nor demon."

Kiana saw the shadow on her face and suddenly said: "It's not scary at all—it's beautiful!"

"...Thank you."

Yae Sakura was momentarily stunned by Kiana's compliment, then revealed a faint smile.

She knew Kiana meant well.

After looking at this white-haired girl for a moment, she followed her heart and spoke: "I'm taking the Resonating Blade. What I promised you, I'll see it done. If—I mean, if after we successfully campaign against Takemikazuchi, I can come back alive... could I become your friend?"

"Of course I can!" Kiana jolted at those words and quickly said, "I believe you'll come back alive, and you'll definitely succeed in slaying Takemikazuchi! But it's better not to set up flags like that before a fight—bad luck!"

Yae Sakura didn't quite understand what she meant, but figured it was some kind of taboo, so she made a mental note of it.

"I'll remember that." Glancing at the horizon, Yae Sakura lingered no longer. She waved to Kiana and vanished into the forest. "Then let's part ways here, Kiana. Farewell."

Slaying a god was no easy task.

Even if Izumo had already succeeded in cutting down Tsumugari no Kami and Amenotokotachi, that victory was bought with lives and wealth—every resource Izumo could muster, pushed to its limit.

This campaign against Takemikazuchi, with the help of a blade master recognized by 'Heaven,' should reduce some of the cost, but the brutality wouldn't lessen by much.

It was still a war that would drain everything from Izumo. Even she couldn't guarantee she'd come back alive.

Chapter 7: Mei: Yae Sakura, is it? I'll remember you.

She's gone.

Kiana wasn't too worried about her dying in this battle against Takemikazuchi. As one of Mihoyo's famous leading ladies, even if she had to die, it wouldn't be at the start like this.

"It hurts so much..."

Both arms ached unbearably.

Once Yae Sakura had left, Kiana's face, which she'd been forcing to stay calm, crumpled into a grimace. "That fox really doesn't hold back."

It hurt so much she wanted to cut her arms off.

She had no idea how Yae Sakura had applied her strength. Not only could Kiana not use any force now, but the relentless pain was truly hard to bear.

One arm throbbed like she wanted to chop it off, while the other shoulder ached just as badly. Yae Sakura had effectively crippled both her hands.

She really didn't hold back.

"Relying on brute force alone really won't cut it."