"I think... I've already given you my answer."
Mei stared unblinkingly at the despondent Kiana. Her reason and her trust in Kiana clashed fiercely—but in the end, her trust won out.
They had only known each other for a few months. Mei's understanding of Kiana was barely the tip of the iceberg.
She didn't know Kiana's past, nor why she had come to Izumo in the first place.
A person so full of mysteries, who had suddenly appeared in her life, had somehow, in just a few short months, come to occupy the most important place in her heart.
So important that Mei was willing to risk everything—to hold to her own beliefs and trust Kiana completely.
"He suspects that this was all orchestrated by me, doesn't he?"
Mei stayed silent. She didn't know exactly what Welt had been thinking just now, but the possibility was real.
Kiana had been too composed when subduing the Honkai-corrupted Everbreath, reacting instantly even to high concentrations of Honkai energy.
Too many coincidences cease to be coincidences.
"It's true—it's related to me."
Mei's eyes widened in surprise.
Fortunately, Kiana didn't leave her in suspense. "From the moment Almighty Thunder appeared, I knew Honkai energy could infect Kami, transforming them into Honkai creatures. The Honkai came because of me. I expected this might happen—and fortunately, I wasn't wrong. I do have the ability to deal with every being born from the Honkai."
"So yes, these events are connected to me—and I've always been aware of it. That's not a lie."
Mei's throat felt dry. "Because of what you said before—about Nihility?"
"Yes. To deal better with Nihility."
Kiana's voice carried a hint of resignation. After this battle, witnessing firsthand the devastation wrought by the Honkai, she finally understood something: a perfect victory was impossible. Whether Nihility or Honkai, she couldn't save everyone. If she could save even one more person—it was already a gain.
"What exactly is Nihility?"
"…Once we've slain all the Kami, you'll understand what Nihility truly is."
Kiana herself didn't know how to explain it. She only knew that Izumo had perished to Nihility—but not how that destruction had occurred.
Mei clenched and unclenched her fists, her voice trembling slightly. "Welt suspects you. He'll tell the others what happened here. More people will begin to doubt you."
She wanted to believe in Kiana.
She believed in the Kiana she knew.
"It's alright."
Kiana shook her head. "I can bear it. Besides… I was never innocent to begin with."
From her perspective, she hadn't done wrong. If she did nothing, these people would still die. By doing this, at least she gave Izumo a chance—a sliver of hope.
But others wouldn't see it that way.
She wasn't even a native of Izumo—what right did she have to make decisions for this world, without its people's knowledge or consent?
"You didn't have to do any of this."
Mei placed both hands on Kiana's shoulders, her voice strained. "You could've hidden your connection to the Honkai—or done nothing at all. There was no need for you to sacrifice anything. Why?"
"…Because I like you."
Kiana said it calmly, the truth laid bare.
This was something she had originally planned to say at a better time.
Mei's eyes widened. Her hands slipped from Kiana's shoulders, her mind going blank. "L-like me?"
It wasn't as if no one had ever confessed to her before—but she had always been indifferent, even cold, rejecting every confession from both men and women alike.
Training. Swordsmanship. The search for her missing father.
That was her whole life for the past seventeen years.
Raiden Mei had suspected it—but actually hearing Kiana say the words still left her flustered and shocked.
So she hadn't been wrong after all…
It was true.
"Yes. I like you."
Kiana lowered her head slightly, her tone calm—so calm it didn't sound like a confession at all. "That's why I foolishly wanted to change this world's fate, believing that whatever I did couldn't possibly make things any worse. So I brought a variable into this world on my own accord."
"The Honkai gives rise to Herrschers—beings capable of wielding various Authorities. Just as the Twelve Kami are special among the Kami, the Herrschers are just as unique among Honkai beings."
"I was born as a Herrscher. Although I haven't completely transformed yet, I can still use a weakened form of my Authority—the Power of the Saint."
"It's the same power I used earlier to suppress Everbreath—the power to restrain, to strip away, to perfectly control Honkai energy."
"It doesn't obey my will, nor is it weak. Rather, it grants me an insurmountable dominance over all beings born of the Honkai."
"Perhaps, to them… I am like a god."
Though her words sounded arrogant, there was no pride on Kiana's face—only a bitter smile. "But I can't stop the disasters the Honkai bring to this planet. I can't control all Honkai energy. In fact, the stronger I become, the stronger the Honkai in Izumo grows—creating more catastrophes and more Honkai creatures."
"That's what you wanted to know, isn't it?"
Kiana pressed her lips together and lifted her gaze with effort, meeting Mei's slightly dazed eyes. Those amethyst irises—so pure and beautiful—were unfocused, staring blankly at her.
"So… it's because of me?"
"No."
Kiana hesitated, then shook her head. "More importantly… I can't just stand by and watch a world fall into ruin before my eyes, when I have the power to change everything."
She could never live her whole life suppressing the use of her system. Whether she began early or late—it had only ever been a matter of convincing herself she could wait a little longer.
This had never been about anyone else.
Mei didn't believe her denial. Kiana's previous words—"Because I like you"—still echoed vividly in her mind.
The Kami hadn't yet shown signs of destroying Izumo, but the Honkai had already annihilated an entire continent.
They were standing upon that very dead land right now—perhaps the only two living people left upon it.
…Did she even have the right to hold the Edict Edge, a blade meant to slay Kami for the sake of Izumo?
"What will you do next?"
"…Preserve as much of the remaining life as I can—and then find a way to cut through the shadow of Nihility that has covered Izumo."
Though invisible now, that shadow already loomed over all of Izumo.
They simply hadn't realized it yet.
By the time they truly did, it would already be too late.
"They won't believe you."
"I don't need anyone to believe me!"
Kiana's reply was firm and absolute.
"Kiana…"
"Mei, I've already figured it out. I just need to do what I believe is right. Whether it's truly right or wrong, and how others judge me for it—I don't care."
Thinking too much only consumed her from the inside.
She was no longer the ordinary person she had been before crossing worlds. It was time to adjust her mindset—and her place in this world.
"The only opinion I care about is yours."
As time passed, the golden light in Kiana's eyes faded, returning to the pure blue that Mei had come to know.
So unfair… truly unfair.
"I…"
Before Mei could finish, Kiana covered her mouth with her hand—afraid to hear something that might shake her conviction.
"Even if you come to hate me, I won't stop."
She couldn't stop.
All she could do was keep walking forward.
She cared about Mei's opinion, but once this had begun, it was a snowball that could never again be halted.
...
"Maybe there's some connection, but I don't think Kiana is that kind of person. I think she genuinely wants to help us," Sirin said, voicing her thoughts.
"But the greatest crisis we face right now is the one she brought upon us. We haven't even defeated all the Kami yet, and she's already dragged us into another quagmire."
"She? What proof do you have?"
"Do we even need proof? Her reactions, her origin, everything she's brought—all point to a deep connection with the Honkai."
"How do you know the Honkai didn't appear first—and that Kiana came afterward, bringing us the means to resist it?"
"Just because she saved you once, you're willing to ignore Izumo's survival and put your faith in a suspicious outsider?"
"Yes!"
Sirin's voice rang out, sharp and firm. "Yes, because she risked her life to save me from a collapsing Imaginary Space! That's why I trust her unconditionally! Is that enough for you?!"
She glared fiercely at the man before her, her voice rising even higher. "She went through all that effort to help us slay Everbreath—and all she gets in return is suspicion! Don't you find that ridiculous?"
"You're ignoring the evidence and believing she's a good person—have you forgotten your duty as a Sentinel?"
"Questioning my loyalty, are you?!!"
Sirin let out a short, bitter laugh. "Ha! That's rich. You—who sits safely in the rear while I'm out there risking my life—what right do you have to question me? I've fought on the front lines, bled for Izumo, and I can't even have my own thoughts now, is that it?!"
"Sirin, stop being unreasonable! This isn't the same thing!"
"Not the same? Heh… you think I don't know? To you, I've always just been a tool. I endured it before—for Izumo's sake—but today, I've had enough!"
"Do you even know what you're saying? You've been brainwashed, haven't you?! You don't understand that outsider at all! Just because she saved you, you blindly trust her?!"
"You can't wait to condemn someone on baseless accusations—branding her an enemy with nothing but your own delusions. Tell me, who's more ridiculous here?!"
"Everything we do is for Izumo's safety! Do you even realize how serious this has become—how many people died because of it?!"
"That's not her fault—it's ours! Our incompetence!"
Sirin's words were sharp as blades, cutting through the entire room. "I warned you again and again to watch for Honkai anomalies! If we'd acted earlier, fewer people would've died!"
"…"
The whole room fell silent. Everyone knew she was right. Eternal Zenith and Almighty Thunder had both been detected early, and preparations made in advance.
Only Everbreath.
An entire continent had been annihilated before they even realized it had descended.
Welt took off his glasses with a sigh, rubbing his temples. "Let me say a few words—"
"Shut up!"
Sirin turned her furious gaze on him. "Kiana shouldn't have wasted a Stigma to save a thankless traitor like you!"
Welt: "…"
The sharp sound of Himeko striking the table broke through the tension. Her face was stern. "Watch your words, Sirin."
"Am I wrong?!" Sirin's chest heaved with anger. "Without Kiana, he'd be dead—and so would everyone else sitting here!"
"Even I couldn't handle Everbreath. None of your methods worked against it!"
"And that's exactly what makes her suspicious, isn't it? That she could so easily kill Everbreath?"
Someone spoke up.
"Shut up! You narrow-minded frog who sees nothing beyond your well!" Sirin snapped, her fury boiling over. "What makes you think the Kami are the strongest in the universe? Do you really believe they're invincible beyond this world?"
"If Takamagahara's Kami are truly so powerful, why are they fighting us to the death instead of invading other worlds?"
Someone slammed a hand on the table, standing up sharply. "Sirin! Do you even remember who you are? Do you still have any loyalty to Izumo?!"
"No!"
Sirin slammed her Edict Edge onto the table with a resounding clang that echoed through the chamber, making everyone's hearts skip a beat. "Anyone who wants this title of Sentinel can have it—I quit!"
She turned to leave.
"Sirin!" Himeko stood up, her voice stern and commanding.
"Today, you all doubt the one who slew Everbreath without hesitation. Tomorrow, you'll doubt me—the one who fights beside you against other Kami. I refuse to work with people like that."
"What nonsense are you spouting? Are you going to betray Izumo for some outsider?!"
Everyone's faces twisted in shock and outrage. Those words—if they spread—could shatter the Godslaying Corps from within.
It was a statement that struck straight at the heart.
"You all know exactly what I mean. Don't pretend otherwise."
Sirin's voice turned cold as her gaze swept across the meeting room.
A thousand years.
They claimed to be fighting the Kami with the strength of the entire nation—but among these people, many coveted the Kami's immortality.
And at the same time, they feared the Kami's curse.
Over a thousand years, only a small portion of their resources had gone into developing anti-Kami weapons. The majority of their funding had been secretly diverted into researching the power of immortality itself.
Everything, given enough time, rots. A millennium was more than enough for people to forget how painful the scars of the past truly were.
She had long despised all of it.
And now, under the pretext of Kiana's incident, she tore the facade apart—calling out, by name, the selfish motives of those sitting around the table.
Control Kiana?
Ha. Only those gluttonous, power-hungry fools drooling over Kiana's medicines could come up with something so ridiculous.
"Enough."
Welt tried to put an end to the chaos. This meeting wasn't meant to target Kiana—or to push Sirin into rebellion.
"Enough? You've got some nerve! Wasn't it you who started all this? You fought beside me—you know perfectly well what kind of person Kiana is!"
"You want me to gamble Izumo's safety on chance?"
"Then you should also know—Kiana's strength isn't something that needs to be gambled on!"
Sirin's combat prowess was overwhelming. Her sheer presence silenced the entire room. After all, she wielded the Edict Edge of Sky—the only one capable of resonating with it. Her position was far too important.
No one dared truly defy her. They feared she might actually walk away—and take her power with her.
Suddenly—
"Bad news! We've detected abnormal energy fluctuations from Heaven's Winter Cloak!!!"
The doors to the conference room burst open. A bespectacled young man rushed in, his panicked voice cutting through the air like a blade, shattering the tense silence.