In Izumo, Make Honkai Great Again — Chapter 8

"It had better be."

Having calmed down, Kiana glanced at the group and had no intention of wasting any more time on them.

She still needed to send the children hiding in the grass home for dinner.

"Seeing you annoys me. Stay away from the river if you've got nothing to do, and take all this trash with you."

After turning around, Kiana accidentally kicked a liquor bottle. Thinking of the river beside them—and suspecting these people might actually have drowned her—she gave them a reminder.

"Yes, yes, yes! We'll clean this place up spotless. We won't leave a single piece of trash behind!" The group, now completely sober, hurriedly agreed.

"It had better be."

Kiana muttered as she headed toward the grass where the children were hiding, intending to take the three little ones back to Zhuohua Street.

But after only a few steps, a hair-raising sensation suddenly crept up her back.

Her instincts sounded the alarm.

Kiana's body reacted faster than her mind. Without hesitation, she spun and charged forward, crossing her arms before her to block the heavy blow.

Chapter 12: Power, I Need Power!

Such incredible force.

What kind of monster was this?

Kiana blocked the strike aimed at the crowd, her body driven backward across the ground, carving two deep tracks into the earth under the crushing force.

Never mind the pain in her body for now.

Her heart pounded furiously as she stared at the octopus tentacle that had lashed out from the river.

It was as thick as two arms.

Slimy mucus coated its surface.

"Why aren't you running?!"

Seeing the men she had knocked down standing there like they had been scared stupid, Kiana roared at them in exasperation.

The river boiled as the tentacle withdrew, and its owner revealed its true form. It was not truly an octopus, but a monster that vaguely resembled a human while also looking like an octopus. More than a dozen tentacles of varying thickness extended from its head and body, and several pairs of scarlet vertical pupils sat atop its head.

"M-Monster..."

Scared out of their wits, the men's limbs went weak as they scrambled and crawled away. Kiana, however, showed no fear as she lowered the arms that had blocked the attack and fixed her gaze on the monster.

This was Izumo.

So this ugly creature before her should be one of the so-called Eight Million Gods from Takama-ga-hara.

She had only learned of the Eight Million Gods from Yae Sakura today, yet she had run into one that same night.

One could leap out of any random stretch of river.

If these monsters were this widespread, how did Changkong City maintain even basic order? How did so few people even know of the existence of these Kishin?!

The arm she had used to block the attack hurt terribly. Steadying her breathing, Kiana said, "Go. Take those children with you too. I'll cover you."

The octopus-like Kishin let out a shriek unlike anything a normal creature could make, and the excess tentacles on its body lashed out in several directions.

Kiana nimbly dodged the tentacles sweeping toward her. Noticing that they were not particularly fast, she still had the attention to spare to interfere with its attempt to capture the other humans.

Driven by terror and the instinct to survive, those people had adrenaline surging through them as they ran at full speed.

But some idiots tripped over themselves.

"Ah, ah!!! Stay away from me! Save me, save me!"

The fallen young man screamed in terror. Seeing this, Kiana kicked a liquor bottle at the tentacle curling toward him.

The Kishin displayed no other terrifying abilities. The bottle she kicked sent the tentacle slightly off course.

The young man scrambled to escape.

But time had not stopped, and she did not possess the power to destroy a tentacle in one blow. The Kishin's tentacles still wrapped around the young man—one coiled around his ankle and dragged him toward the creature, while another tightly bound his hands and body.

Without a weapon, she could not hurt it, much less kill this Kishin. Was she supposed to stand by and watch this monster kill a human right before her eyes?

No, she could not watch someone die.

She could not turn a blind eye to a life fading away.

Just as Kiana dodged the tentacles attacking her while preparing to charge in and save the young man, Mei's voice came from behind her like an illusion.

"Kiana! Catch the sword!"

"Mei?!"

Mei's voice snapped the hot-blooded Kiana out of it. She turned back in delight and saw a katana flying toward her.

It was not an illusion!

It really was Raiden Mei.

Her face was filled with anxiety. Behind her were the three children running toward town, along with the young men who had just scrambled away, fleeing with every ounce of strength they had.

There was no time to wonder why Mei was here or why she had a sword with her.

Kiana leaped up and caught the blade Mei had thrown her. Upon landing, she rolled aside, dodging another octopus limb that slammed down heavily where she had just been standing.

She drew the blade and swung it at the Kishin.

Silver flashed as the blade left its sheath. Though the resistance was immense, she still forcibly severed the obstructing octopus limb and charged toward the young man the Kishin had dragged to its side.

These people were no saints.

But neither were they heinous criminals deserving of execution.

She could not just stand by and watch someone get eaten by a Kishin right in front of her. As a normal person, she could not remain indifferent to a life slipping away when she had the power to save it!

"Put him down, you monster!"

Ignoring the pain in her hands, Kiana gripped her longsword tightly and cut through one octopus limb after another.

With Kiana cutting down the octopus limbs and drawing all of the Kishin's aggro, the man it had ensnared and dragged away finally had a brief chance to catch his breath.

The octopus limbs were cinched so tightly they seemed ready to squeeze him in half. His face had turned bluish-purple as he gasped weakly for help. "Help... help..."

With octopus limbs blocking her one after another, Kiana could neither approach the Kishin's humanoid body nor get close to the young man it had bound above that body.

This Kishin possessed an utterly terrifying regenerative ability. The instant an octopus limb was severed, it could recover completely the next second.

"Kiana!"

Raiden Mei had already arrived at the battlefield. While Kiana held off most of the octopus limbs' attacks, Mei broke through from a weak point and closed in on the Kishin's main body.

But she had only brought one sword.

Once she reached the proper position, Mei said nothing else. She merely called Kiana's name.

Understanding immediately, Kiana found an opening amid the octopus limbs' attacks and threw her sword. Then she shifted from offense to defense, fleeing beneath the Kishin's attacks.

Mei caught the sword with a sharp gaze. Unlike Kiana, who had to rely on brute force to sever the Kishin's octopus limbs, Mei's movements were incredibly smooth.

Amid the chaos, Raiden Mei dodged the necessary attacks while swiftly cutting through octopus limb after octopus limb. She broke through the Kishin's defenses at tremendous speed and attacked its main body.

So this was what they called a Kishin.

Was this the kind of thing Father had fought?

With a sword in hand and no injuries to hinder her, Mei unleashed far more power than Kiana. The bloodthirsty Kishin no longer had the mind to keep pursuing Kiana, and Kiana could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Mei... she's so strong!"

Her attacks were smooth and her movements seamless. Under the Kishin's relentless assault, her figure seemed almost to dance gracefully. Kiana wondered when she herself could become as skilled and composed as Mei.

A lightning-fast slash severed the octopus limbs binding the barely conscious young man. Kiana had been following behind Mei all along. Seeing this, she rushed forward, grabbed the man, and retreated explosively. Once they reached a suitable distance, she threw him toward safety.

At last, she had gotten all these people out.

Kiana did not dare blink as she stared fixedly at Mei, who had closed in on the Kishin yet remained locked in a stalemate with it.

"Does this damned regeneration have no limit?" There were already hundreds of octopus limbs scattered across the ground!

This could not go on.

If the Kishin's absurd regeneration had no upper limit or restrictions, Mei's stamina would eventually be exhausted.

But Yae Sakura had never told her how to deal with a Kishin!

She wanted to go help, but after relaxing just now, her hands—injured several times today—hurt so badly she could not even lift them.

I'm so useless!

To let myself fail at a time like this!

Kiana took a deep breath. Watching Mei continue to fight, she gritted her teeth and brought up the system panel.

She needed power.

Power that could help Mei and save others!

"Honkai..."

Kiana stared intently at the summary section, then glanced at Mei. The hesitation vanished from her eyes as she reached out and selected Activate.

She would have to use this power sooner or later.

"It might not be that scary after all."

This Is the Complete Me!

[Activation successful]

[New world 'Izumo' detected. Binding in progress.]

[Compatibility test in progress...]

[Warning: This world has reached 87.9% compatibility with Honkai. For every 1% growth you gain, Honkai Energy Concentration (World) will automatically increase by 0.879%.]

[You have received the Gift of Honkai. Finality Process permanently increased by 5%. You have received one skill draw reward.]

[Automatic skill draw in progress... You have obtained the Blessing of 'Void' and gained the skill—'Phase Shift'.]

Name: Kiana

Faction: [Honkai]

Talent: Power of the End

Skill: Phase Shift (Empty)

Finality Process: 5%

Honkai Energy Concentration (Izumo): 4.395%

Summary: Your existence will bring about some unknown changes. After beginning your journey, remember to keep a close eye on the Honkai Energy Concentration.

Her speed, slowed by pain, recovered as the shackles binding her heavy body came undone. A ceaseless stream of power surged from within her, giving her the illusion that her stamina would never run dry. Beyond that, there was another strange sensation.

She could sense the existence of another space and freely transfer her body into it anytime, anywhere.

Trivial pain was no longer an obstacle. Kiana clenched her fist as her strength returned.

"This is the complete me!"

She marveled at the feeling of having Honkai Energy. It was like a machine that had run out of power finally being plugged in—she was no longer remotely comparable to her former self.

Savoring her newfound strength, she charged at that demon so ugly it made people lose their minds, shooting forward like a cannonball. "Mei, move!"

Raiden Mei had no idea what had happened to Kiana, but her trust in her made her react at once. Even without knowing what had changed behind her, she immediately stopped attacking and dodged aside.

The instant Mei moved away, the white-haired girl slammed in. She was so fast that she broke through the tentacles' blockade, her fist crashing into the demon and sending it flying seven or eight meters before it smashed into a pile of rubble, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.

This was monstrous strength beyond human comprehension.

Kiana, who had sent the Octopus Demon flying with one punch, was exhilarated. But when she thought of the price of her power, her excitement was mixed with complicated feelings.

So stop thinking about it. Just beat it up!

She clenched her fists again and charged into the rubble.

"From here on out, this is my stage!"