Someone in Izumo, Making Honkai Great Again

Regarding this book, I mentioned some things a few days ago, but the most important point is that considering readers who might skip chapters, I'll mention it again.

--How much longer will Izumo be written?

If I update four thousand characters daily, there's still quite a while. This storyline definitely won't be finished in tens of thousands of characters, but I'll certainly finish it this month and move on to the next chapter.

I won't spoil any more than that.

Then, taking this opportunity of the book going on sale, let's talk about it.

I won't ask for votes or subscriptions, etc. The performance is a complete disaster. I have no hope for tomorrow's launch, and the average subscription will definitely not exceed a thousand.

Forget about bounties too; I can't afford to pay them back, and with these numbers, offering a bounty is a bit like humiliating myself.

How should I put it? For this book, I probably have just one obsession: to at least get the full attendance bonus once.

I've been writing books for so many years, but always intermittently for various reasons. I can't update for thirty consecutive days. Even if the word count exceeds 200,000 in a month, I always slip up for a few days. Not having the habit of saving drafts has caused me to miss out on the full attendance bonus.

It's become an obsession for me, so I want to set a small goal here: to get the full attendance bonus once for this book.

In August, I will do my best to overcome all obstacles and try to aim for the maximum full attendance bonus, which is to update 300,000 characters in a month. Although I'm not very confident, everyone needs to have a dream, right?

Chapter Sixty-Four: Whale Monster.

Sirin bought everything on Kiana's shopping list. The remaining unused funds were temporarily stored with Kiana.

Kiana watched Sirin store things using Imaginary Space and wondered inwardly if she could use the space that came with her Phase Shift skill as a warehouse.

She'd try it next time.

"Are you going back today?"

After accepting Kiana's gift, Sirin immediately felt a change in herself, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

"Go back? Go back where?"

"Aren't you supposed to be very busy?"

"Who said that?"

Sirin could only vaguely sense the change, but she wasn't entirely sure what had happened to her. She said, "I can take a vacation whenever I want."

She'd try to figure out what this vague change was in a more open area later.

But when Kiana heard her words, she looked at her with a shocked expression: "You have vacation time?"

Sirin immediately got displeased upon hearing this.

"Is it strange that I have vacation time? Tsumugari no Kami died, and over a thousand years passed before Amatsukami appeared. Then, it was only a little over ten years after Amatsukami died that Takemikazuchi appeared. Only with Oni Gods of this level do I absolutely have to be present. Think about it, that's over a decade. If I were constantly fighting everywhere, I would have collapsed long ago. We Blade Masters are also human, not actual swords. Even swords get worn down from constant chopping, right? So why is it strange that we have vacations? When we're not slaying demons, we're just ordinary people."

She seemed to care a lot about this point, so she spoke non-stop, saying a lot in one breath.

"That makes sense..."

Sirin had said so much in one go that Kiana couldn't get a word in. She didn't dare say more and just gave a dry laugh.

She was out of her mind.

To ask such a question.

"Why don't you stay in Changkong City for a while?"

She suggested, wanting to make amends.

"...I'm afraid I can't."

Sirin's momentum decreased, and she complained, "I have to rush to Shanhai City immediately. The Command Center said there's an energy signature of a top-tier Oni God there."

Kiana: "..."

So, fundamentally, it's still not about leaving today and not tomorrow, but rushing to deal with something urgent?

Sirin bore heavy responsibilities; she didn't have the freedom to take a vacation whenever she wanted or ignore things.

Considering Sirin's reaction just now, Kiana wisely didn't seek trouble. Instead, she became intensely interested in the top-tier Oni God Sirin mentioned and Shanhai City.

She was now like One-Punch Man and was looking for a tough opponent to test her strength. Wasn't this top-tier Oni God Sirin mentioned the perfect touchstone?

"Can you take me with you?"

Kiana asked excitedly, "I've never seen a top-tier Oni God before!"

"But you've met Takemikazuchi."

Sirin lightly retorted.

"Takemikazuchi is Takemikazuchi."

Kiana pouted, "How can that be the same?"

Sirin considered it. Bringing Kiana didn't seem like a problem, as Kiana wasn't an ordinary person without the ability to protect herself.

"You want to go with me?"

"Mei too!"

Kiana added, "I'll go ask Mei if she wants to go later."

"Fine."

Sirin thought that Raiden Mei might also go, and suddenly felt relieved. "If she's willing to go, I'll let her test her blade on that Oni God in Shanhai City."

The top-tier Oni Gods were the strongest rank below the Twelve Oni Gods, and they were perfect for the users of Imperial Blades to test their skills on.

"Leave it to Mei?"

"Don't worry, I'll watch over you both."

Sirin patted her chest confidently. "I won't let you get hurt."

If they could go together, the safety factor would indeed be very high, allowing them to try some bold maneuvers with peace of mind.

"I'll go ask Mei what she thinks."

Although she was already very tempted, she didn't agree on Mei's behalf.

Outside, Yae Sakura and Mei's conversation had ended. Mei had learned some new things from Yae Sakura that she hadn't known before.

Things about Kiana.

And about her father.

For example, after Sirin brought the news that Mei's father had been injured on the battlefield and that she had become the master of the Resonating Blade, her father voluntarily retired from the battlefield and transferred to the research institute.

How to put it.

As his own daughter, Mei didn't even know her father had this talent, but perhaps because similar things had happened before, she wasn't surprised at all.

"What were you guys talking about?"

"We've pretty much finished."

Seeing Kiana, Mei smiled. "Are your matters with Miss Sirin also concluded?"

"Let's call it a temporary conclusion."

Kiana strode over and excitedly said to Mei, "Sirin is going to Shanhai City next to slay an Oni. Should we tag along and broaden our horizons?"

"Shanhai City?"

Mei blinked. As a native of Izumo, she had an impression of this city called Shanhai City. It was much more developed than Changkong City, famous as a technological hub, with a permanent population several times that of Changkong City.

It was also a coastal city by the sea.

And its commerce was extremely prosperous.

"Yes, Sirin said there's a top-tier Oni God there, and if we go, she'll let us practice on it."

"According to new reports from there, they call that Oni God a Whale Monster. It's a phantom bony fish larger than a whale. It appeared from the shadows of the seabed yesterday evening, but it seems to have been corrupted by an energy called Honkai. It hasn't made any other moves yet."

Honkai again.

And it was one of the most powerful Oni Gods below the rank of Takemikazuchi.

Kiana suddenly fell silent.

It wasn't because she feared the enemy was too strong, but because a sudden disaster in a coastal city, related to Honkai, inevitably reminded her of similar events.

"Whale Monster?"

An Oni God that required Sirin to make a trip was definitely not ordinary. At the very least, it would be an enemy that required drawing her sword and taking seriously.

And Kiana also wanted to go.

"If it won't cause trouble for them, then let's go together," Mei replied. "Shanhai City is quite well-known in Izumo; it's a place worth visiting."

"It's no trouble. This job was meant to fall on your shoulders anyway."

Mei was speechless.

Yae Sakura had already told her. The reason Sirin said that was because she considered the Honkai that Kiana mentioned, hoping that the Command Center would discover and research Honkai first, and then encounter Kiana, who could provide assistance.

So, she told others that she was extremely dissatisfied with the organization taking away the Narukami and was unwilling to obey the Command Center's orders.

How to put it, what Sirin said earlier was indeed not wrong. This was considered a good thing.

But similarly, she couldn't share intelligence as a Blade Master, such as the most basic information about Oni Gods.

"But don't worry too much. I'll teach you how to do your job well on the way. You just need to remember it."

"...How do I do my job well?"

Sirin picked up her Imperial Blade and complained speechlessly, "Except for not being able to retire and having a terrifyingly high risk factor, what's the difference between this and a job?"

65

Chapter Sixty-Five: Shanhai City.

She had also asked Yae Sakura about Sirin earlier and knew that Sirin claimed she didn't join voluntarily but was forced to join the Oni-slaying operation because she had no other choice.

However, her compatibility with the Imperial Blades was too high. After more than ten years, they hadn't found anyone else with her level of compatibility.

Saying something like that...

It was truly not surprising at all.

"Since we're going together, let's not waste any more time in Changkong City. You two go pack up, and we'll depart immediately."

Sirin had originally planned to stay in Changkong City a little longer to catch up with Kiana before leaving, but Kiana wanted to go to Shanhai City with them.

There was no need to stay any longer then.

They could catch up anytime on the way.

If there were urgent matters to handle, it was indeed better to be as fast as possible, as no one knew if that Whale Monster would stay submerged indefinitely or when it would resurface.

It wasn't far from Shanhai City.

So, the moment it made a move, it would definitely head towards Shanhai City first.

If she didn't hate the feeling of owing money, her itinerary for this trip would have been reversed.

Go to Shanhai City first, then Changkong City.

But she hated owing others, and Raiden Mei was here too?

Alright, when she first came, she had already considered that Raiden Mei might ask to accompany her, especially since she hadn't had a chance to test the Resonating Blade in actual combat yet.

A ghost god of the Whale Monster's caliber wasn't the kind of cannon fodder that could be found everywhere.

In short, with Raiden Mei around, she could openly play support from the side and let Mei fight on the front lines while she slacked off.

Changkong City wasn't too far from Shanhai City; by plane, four hours would be enough.

Kiana, who didn't even have identification, didn't need to buy a ticket and just followed Sirin directly onto the plane's special cabin.

It was truly... a novel experience.

Perhaps it was because she had nothing that made her care so much. As a primary force against ghost gods, Sirin's use of special privileges when encountering trouble was normal before the order world completely collapsed.