She also wanted to know whether the people here could detect anything unusual. After all, she lacked that ability herself and could only guess that all of this was caused by the Honkai.
The doctor took the spray and left.
After the doctor was gone, Kiana finally turned to look at Welt from this world, who was lying on the bed.
Another 'familiar face.'
Was there really no Otto in this world?
Looking at Welt, Kiana began to doubt—but she was too embarrassed to ask directly.
After an unknown amount of time, the doctor returned with a report, his expression full of excitement. "Miss Himeko, this healing spray's effect is excellent! Especially on light injuries—it can achieve rapid recovery!"
Good news indeed.
"Then let's give it a try."
Himeko's trust in the spray came mainly from Sirin; otherwise, the verification process alone would have taken at least half a month.
"The injuries are too severe. One bottle might not be enough."
Kiana watched the doctor use the spray, touching her chin in thought. "Just a reminder."
"Please don't worry," Himeko replied. "No matter how much it costs, I'll reimburse you."
After her reminder, Kiana said nothing more and quietly watched as the doctor applied the spray to Welt.
The spray she had given Himeko was a two-star upgraded healing spray—far stronger than the one she'd first used.
After all, she had already earned more than enough.
Two full bottles were used before the man wrapped like a mummy was finally healed. The first thing he did upon waking was tear off the bandages that had nearly suffocated him.
"Where am I?"
Welt frowned. He hadn't been completely unconscious—he knew he'd been badly injured—but now he found himself utterly confused.
Sirin, seeing him awake, turned and left immediately, clearly unwilling to speak to him. Seeing this, Kiana hesitated for a moment before quietly following.
Compared to Welt, she was more curious about why Sirin's attitude toward him was like this.
Once outside, Sirin didn't go far. She walked a few steps down the corridor and stopped.
"Sirin?"
"Oh, it's you."
Sirin turned to glance at the one who'd followed her. "Why did you come out too? You don't like that guy either?"
Was it really okay to say that so bluntly?
"You don't seem to like him much. Do you have some kind of conflict?" Kiana asked curiously.
"Conflict… hmph."
Sirin gave a cold snort, clear disgust showing on her face. "No conflict. I just purely dislike him as a person."
"A self-righteous hero complex. He and I are not the same kind of people."
After venting, she seemed to feel a bit better. The irritation on her face faded slightly.
"…I didn't expect you'd be willing to offer the healing spray," Sirin said, shifting topics rather than wasting time on someone she disliked.
"Well, only by using it like this can it serve its greatest purpose. Don't worry, I'm not losing anything. I've earned far more than you'd imagine."
She smiled. "Just the consultation fee you paid me already made me a fortune."
"You know that's not what I meant."
"But you and Mei will help me, right? And besides, I've got my fists."
Kiana playfully raised a fist and shook it. "Not many people can take a punch from me."
Sirin instantly recalled the scene where Kiana had taken down the Transfiguration Whale with a single blow. Remembering that, she looked at Kiana's fist and fell silent.
Kiana was right.
Anyone plotting against her had to consider not only Raiden Mei—but also that punch.
Even if someone harbored ill intentions, they'd have to weigh the consequences first.
And who knew what other tricks Kiana had up her sleeve?
To others, she wasn't from Izumo and had no obligation to risk herself for the nation's sake.
"I'll help you," Sirin said. "If something bad really happens."
"I believe you."
Kiana didn't think much about it. Unless the leader of the Godslaying Corps turned out to be Otto himself, there was nothing to worry about.
Before long, Himeko and the others came out of the room, Himeko still chatting animatedly with the excited doctor.
When Mei saw her, she immediately came over.
"Mr. Welt's injuries have almost completely healed. Miss Himeko will probably purchase a large quantity of the healing spray."
"So that means starting tomorrow, we'll have to see that annoying guy all the time again?" Sirin said with clear displeasure.
"I suppose there's nothing I carry that others wouldn't want," Kiana replied, pretending not to hear Sirin's grumbling.
"Well, that's true."
Once the healing spray was verified, Himeko immediately brought them elsewhere to test the katana's performance.
These items held great significance for Izumo.
The spray could drastically reduce casualties among the lower-ranking Sentinels, while the katana could help expand the Godslaying Corps' numbers.
A day later, Himeko and Kiana signed a cooperation agreement, with Himeko purchasing large quantities of supplies and putting them into use.
For certain reasons, Kiana chose not to reveal the existence of Stigmata just yet.
Together with Mei, and based on the Godslaying Corps' intel, she began traveling the world, hunting down the high-ranking Kami that appeared one after another.
Time passed quickly—three months went by in a blur.
Then, one day, a terrifying natural disaster struck Izumo, shocking the entire nation and making it impossible to conceal the existence of the Kami any longer.
A continent in the west of Izumo was flattened by a storm—every structure and living being on it was obliterated.
When the news reached them, Kiana and Mei had just returned to Nagazora.
"An entire continent swallowed by a storm?!" Mei was stunned, unable to believe that such news could be real.
"…Not only that," came the report, "the entire landmass is now moving. In less than an hour, it will collide with West Continent."
"Is it Everbreath?"
"Uncertain. Before the storm began, we detected no spatial anomalies. In any case, prepare yourself—Sirin is already on her way to pick you up. We have no time to waste."
"…Understood."
Even before they approached the disaster, the news alone left Mei in shock.
She had seen the power of Almighty Thunder before, but the catastrophe it caused was nothing compared to Eternal Zenith or the storm raging now.
Everbreath… could it truly be this powerful?
An entire continent's population—almost none survived—and the wind even drove the whole landmass toward West Continent.
"…It's the Honkai," Kiana murmured beside Mei, her head lowered so that Mei couldn't quite see her expression.
"The Honkai has erupted."
Months of peace had almost made Kiana forget that the growth of the Honkai was beyond her control.
Taking a deep breath, she dared not imagine what that place had become. "A Herrscher… there must be a Herrscher."
...
On the way to the site of the disaster.
Kiana couldn't calm herself no matter how she tried. The news she had just heard was far too horrifying—an entire continent of people.
Not just a city or a province, but over a hundred million lives.
Though it didn't feel real, the moment she thought about that astronomical number, Kiana felt as lost and helpless as a child who had done something terribly wrong.
"Ten minutes until we reach the site."
Mei glanced at the clock, her own thoughts just as chaotic.
The news had come too suddenly, too violently—she still hadn't fully processed it.
Especially since Kiana looked so guilty, as if convinced this was all her fault, that everything had happened because of her. That expression made Mei, whose own mind was already in turmoil, even more unsure of what to say.
"It's the Honkai…"
They hadn't even approached the devastated continent yet, but Kiana could already feel it—the closer they got, the denser the Honkai energy became.
On her display, both her Herrscher transformation progress and the world's Honkai energy level were slowly increasing.
The glowing '↑' symbols stabbed at her eyes, and she couldn't make herself stay calm.
Was this disaster her fault? Did it happen because she had brought the Honkai here?
She knew that without her, Izumo wouldn't have lasted much longer—but being destroyed by the power of Nihility and being destroyed by her own hands were two entirely different things.
The suffocating guilt made her feel like a murderer, barely able to breathe.
"Kiana, this isn't your fault," Mei said softly, pressing her lips together. "No one wanted this to happen."
"But the Honkai came because of me."
Standing before Mei, she spoke out the pain and confusion in her heart, even though Mei herself was likely even more shocked and lost right now.
The Honkai was brought by Kiana.
Mei fell silent for several seconds. The damage this disaster dealt to Izumo was greater than the combined destruction caused by Eternal Zenith and Almighty Thunder—it had surpassed everyone's worst fears.
The losses were already comparable to the calamity a thousand years ago, when the Kami first descended.
"…Do you remember that question you once asked me?"
Mei took a deep breath. "I… believe in you."
She believed that Kiana must have thought everything through—that she had a reason for bringing the Honkai into this world.
But the tight fists at Mei's sides revealed just how shaken she really was.
"I thought I was prepared—or maybe I just convinced myself that I could stop something like this before it got so bad."
Kiana didn't dare look at Mei's face, her eyes fixed rigidly on the window.
"Izumo is sliding toward an irreversible abyss. Even if all the Kami were slain…"
She paused, her expression twisting with pain as she covered her face. "No… that's not an excuse for me to justify myself."
An entire continent—no survivors.
The scale of this Honkai Eruption was beyond Kiana's imagination.
The world's Honkai level hadn't even reached fifty—so why had such a devastating outbreak occurred? Why was this Herrscher so powerful?
Had the Second Herrscher, Wendy, manifested directly here?!
"Izumo is sliding toward an irreversible abyss?" Mei echoed, slightly stunned. In her view, their battle against the Kami had already turned in their favor—victory was only a matter of time.
"…The Kami aren't your true enemies."
Kiana's voice was low and heavy. "Both Takamagahara and Izumo have long been consumed by the shadow of Nihility. In the end, they will be swallowed completely."
"I've seen your ending."
"I don't want that fate to come to pass. That's why… I brought a new variable to this planet—Honkai."
Yes, it was for the sake of a better ending.
Kiana trembled as she lowered her hands, forcing strength back into her confused heart. Clenching her fists, she said firmly, "If we can't escape the power of Nihility, then all of Izumo will sink into nothingness and disappear without a trace. I want to change that fate."
The Honkai had already erupted; she could no longer turn back. The only thing left was to believe in herself.
That she could bring Izumo a better ending.
Only then would the sacrifices caused by the Honkai have meaning.
"Kiana…"
"You don't have to say anything. I understand."
Kiana still didn't dare look at Mei. Having told her everything, all she could say was, "I'll prove it. I'll prove that every sacrifice caused by the Honkai has meaning!"
It was a vow—not to Mei, but to herself.
As she spoke, they arrived at the area closest to the Honkai Eruption. The moment they got off, they saw Sirin waiting in full combat gear.
"No time for talk. I'm here to take you there."
Sirin's face was grave. The situation had come too suddenly for idle words. She spoke quickly: "I've already pinpointed the location of the storm's outbreak. I've roughly confirmed Everbreath's position."
"The movement of the continent has caused too many complications. We must eliminate Everbreath in the shortest possible time!"
She didn't mention what had already happened—this wasn't the moment for pity. Even her self-blame had lasted only a few seconds before she threw herself fully into planning the operation against Everbreath.
Monitoring the sealed Twelve Kami was part of her duty, but this time, Everbreath's appearance had come with no warning at all.
They were completely caught off guard.
Sirin activated the spatial transfer and, without further explanation to Kiana—who still had countless questions about Everbreath—stepped into the portal. Kiana and Raiden Mei hurriedly followed after.
On the other end of the long-distance teleportation, they emerged directly inside the storm's heart, surrounded by a raging cyclone of brilliant blue winds.
"The wind wall cuts off all possible support. Everything here depends on us," Sirin said as she walked forward. "You can feel it too, right? The oppressive air—it's saturated with Honkai energy."
She paused, glancing at Kiana. "The first group to arrive suffered terrifying side effects. They completely lost their ability to fight. No one can operate in this environment. We have no reinforcements—no help at all."
"Is it Everbreath? There's no Herrscher?" Kiana asked urgently.
"Herrscher? No—it's Everbreath. But it's acting abnormally," Sirin said grimly. "Even the Kami in this area were slaughtered by it indiscriminately. Don't celebrate, though—something new has appeared here."
As she spoke, several half-meter-long monstrous birds flew steadily through the raging storm, seemingly adapted to its winds, swooping straight toward them.
Kiana reacted instantly—drawing her gun, she shot each one down before they could attack.
The slain creatures vanished in an eerie way, leaving not even a trace behind.
"Honkai Beasts," Kiana murmured.
"Exactly," Sirin nodded. "When Welt and I were tracking Everbreath, we found many creatures completely infected by Honkai energy, transformed into these monsters. 'Honkai Beasts' is a fitting name. They're similar to the Kami, though for now, I haven't encountered any particularly troublesome ones."