"Let's tally up today's haul!"
The day's hunt had finally come to an end. If not for being able to sense time through other means, they wouldn't even have known what hour it was under the dark clouds that had long swallowed the sun.
Kiana was in high spirits.
Today, she and Mei had split up, following the marked coordinates others had given them. In just a few hours, they had slain six Kami.
Of course, they were the lowest-tier kind.
Still, that was six hundred Honkai Cubes earned—her balance had once again surpassed one thousand.
"This is mine."
Raiden Mei untied the temporary cloth pouch hanging from her waist and spread it open on the table.
Inside were twelve black crystals. The sight stunned Kiana.
"How did you manage this, Mei?"
"On the way to one of the marked spots, I ran into a group of Kami gathered together," Mei explained.
It had only taken a single strike.
Those Kami had turned into the very crystals Kiana needed.
"Let's sacrifice them."
"Alright, I'll recycle them now!"
Kiana picked up the crystals and began the recovery process. While she worked, she asked, "Mei, do you feel there's any area you want to improve in?"
"Me?"
Raiden Mei thought for a moment, realizing that Kiana was asking for her input—probably to enhance her sword or boost her abilities.
In every battle, she could feel herself growing stronger.
If there was anything lacking…
"Speed," Mei said. "If I could move faster, I wouldn't waste so much time just getting to places."
If she ever faced an enemy she couldn't take down in a single strike, higher speed would let her wear it down through endurance.
Just like what had happened earlier…
"This is—!" During the recovery, Kiana noticed a crystal worth a thousand points—B-rank. She slapped the table. "You ran into another high-tier monster like that spider Kami?!"
An extra thousand Cubes all of a sudden.
But Kiana didn't feel the slightest bit happy.
She looked at Mei anxiously, her hand half-raised as if to check for injuries, but she couldn't bring herself to pull at Mei's clothes.
"Are you hurt? I've got healing potions—don't try to tough it out, Mei!"
Mei's heart softened at her concern, her gaze gentle. "Don't worry, Kiana. It's just a minor wound."
"Even minor wounds shouldn't be ignored!"
Kiana hadn't been injured the whole day—she hadn't run into any monsters as tough as the Spider Kami.
And the low-tier ones? She could take those out with a single punch.
Since she still had some healing potions left, Kiana smashed one on the ground. A green healing mist enveloped Mei.
"This is a healing potion—it continuously restores anyone standing inside the mist for five seconds. It's the same thing I used to heal Sirin."
Kiana's movements were so quick that Mei couldn't refuse before she was already shrouded in the mist. But trusting Kiana completely, she didn't flinch.
Feeling a ticklish sensation from the wound on her hand, Mei continued speaking calmly, her tone warm as she recounted what had happened after they'd split up.
She had encountered a massive two-headed wolf—faster even than Raiden Mei herself.
Forced onto the defensive, she had eventually counterattacked and slain the beast, though not without sustaining an injury.
In that moment, she realized that her speed might be a major weakness in battle.
Fortunately, she had her katana.
Its bleeding effect triggered several times, slowing the wolf down and allowing Mei to find an opening to strike decisively.
"…It's my fault," Kiana muttered, guilt filling her voice. "If I'd thought of this earlier, you wouldn't have been hurt."
"I wouldn't have realized speed could be such a weakness until I faced something faster than me," Mei replied with a gentle shake of her head. "You've already helped me a lot, Kiana. It's because of this katana that I could kill that Kami with minimal injury."
"So speed it is, huh?"
Adding the 2,100 Cubes Mei had given her to her own 1,200, Kiana's total now stood at 3,300.
Still not enough for a high-grade piece of equipment—three-star gear wasn't particularly powerful, so she'd have to keep buying two-star upgrades for now.
"Something that boosts speed would be ideal."
In terms of strength, Mei could already break through defenses, and her Stigmata only made her stronger as battles went on—so that wasn't an urgent concern.
What Kiana needed most now were the Kami's death crystals. If Mei's speed increased, her efficiency in slaying Kami would rise as well.
"I got it!"
Among the speed-boosting badges, there was only one she could currently afford.
[Wind Gust (First Stage) ★★: Increases user's base speed by 19.49% and melee attack speed by 3.39%. Effect scales with Honkai Energy intensity, up to 24.97% speed and 5.39% attack speed boost.]
She bought four of the same badge, combined them into two two-star badges, and even purchased another Yamamoto Nightshade Katana, upgrading Mei's blade by one level.
"This spray is for healing—you should carry one too, Mei."
The funds weren't anywhere near ten thousand yet—let alone a hundred thousand—so Kiana spent freely without hesitation.
She already had a goal in mind for the badge she wanted most.
That was "A Knight Does Not Die with Empty Hands"—
A badge that dramatically increased unarmed combat damage. Kiana thought it was far more useful than any gun or cannon.
Once Sirin paid her back and she got rich, she'd also prepare the "Savior's Insignia", which multiplied barehanded attack power by six hundred times.
With those badge bonuses, Kiana was brimming with confidence—she truly believed that by then, she'd be a one-punch powerhouse.
Even if she stayed modest about it, it wouldn't be impossible to punch that black dragon right out of the sky.
Her thoughts wandered, but her hands moved quickly, passing the new equipment to Mei.
"Want to test it outside?" Kiana suggested.
After equipping the two new badges, Mei felt the difference immediately. She nodded. "I should get used to it."
With her speed increased, her moves would need adjustment too.
Her swordsmanship still wasn't perfect; she'd heard that the legendary masters could adapt their techniques freely, each strike flowing naturally with their movements.
But she believed she'd reach that level soon—and it wouldn't take her long.
"I'll go with you. After we test it—"
A flash of color—something other than lightning—illuminated the edge of the sky. The water-blue glow was so bright it outshone the thunder.
"What's that?"
Kiana's gaze locked onto the unusual light. She remembered that direction clearly—it was where Almighty Thunder was.
That strange glow…
A battle?
No.
The distance was far too great—they could only see the section of sky dyed blue by the light. But Kiana's sharp eyes didn't deceive her: something was falling from the clouds.
It was hard to make out from so far away, but there was no doubt—something large enough to be seen even from this distance had fallen from the sky.