"As long as one's compatibility with the Edict Edge is high enough, they won't be corrupted or turned into an Oni by the Kami's curse."
Hearing Kiana's concern, Sirin explained casually, "Just like me."
She had slain many Kami, yet unlike Yae Sakura, Sirin showed no visible signs of Oni corruption.
However, in the normal timeline, Raiden Mei was undoubtedly influenced by the Edict Edge's power—her body bore clear marks of Oni-like corruption.
The [Acheron] that had appeared in the PV shared some similarities with the complete Herrscher of Thunder—both bore red Oni horns on their foreheads.
Speaking of which… once the Honkai Energy concentration rises, will Mei become the Herrscher of Thunder?
"By the way, Sirin," Kiana asked curiously, "do we really have to use Narukami to slay Almighty Thunder in order to forge the Edict Edge? Can't we kill it first and then infuse its power into Narukami afterward?"
"There's only one chance to forge a blade. If possible, it's best not to do it that way," Sirin shook her head. "The vessel matters."
"Poor-quality materials won't affect the Narukami's power directly, but they'll make it more aggressive. That's true for ordinary Kami—but for one of this level, the backlash would be far worse. It would become a true cursed blade."
So it was really necessary to use the twelve incomplete prototypes left behind to slay Kami and forge a complete Edict Edge?
Some had doubted it before—but a millennium of verification had already proven it true.
Those twelve prototypes were the optimal vessels created by ancient pioneers a thousand years ago, each crafted specifically to bear the power of one of the Twelve Kami.
The blade's materials and its compatibility with the Kami would influence the final form of the Edict Edge.
The most crucial factor was reducing the wielder's burden—so that those without Sirin's absurdly high adaptability wouldn't be so easily eroded.
Using Narukami to slay Almighty Thunder and forge the true blade was done with the wielder's safety in mind.
Before the forging succeeded, no one could guarantee that another person like Sirin—someone with an almost impossible level of compatibility, who could resist the Kami's curse within the Edict Edge—could be found in all of Izumo.
"An inferior vessel?"
Kiana immediately recalled the octopus Kami she and Mei had slain by the riverside a few days ago. After its death, the Kami's essence had attached itself to Mei's blade, turning it into a low-grade cursed sword.
Her memory was good—she clearly remembered the blade's description, which had mentioned, 'A flawed sword that magnifies the cost of its power.' Because of that, the cursed sword inflicted double the usual rate of erosion upon its wielder.
"So if the vessel is stronger, Narukami will become stronger too?"
Sirin shook her head. "The blade's power won't change much. The vessel mainly affects how strongly it erodes its wielder. The most important thing is compatibility. Narukami was made specifically to counter Almighty Thunder. There's no blade in Izumo more suitable to serve as its vessel."
There might be… but I'm too poor.
Kiana once again felt the sting of her lack of Honkai Cubes. If she had enough, she would've bought a seven-star blade on the spot for Narukami's forging.
But now, she couldn't even afford four-star equipment. Instead of daydreaming, she might as well think about when the blade Sirin mentioned would arrive—or when Sirin would finally pay her back.
She was itching to go on a shopping spree!
"Kiana."
Mei, who had unknowingly stepped closer to Almighty Thunder's body, suddenly called out to her, her eyes filled with tension and uncertainty.
"What's wrong?"
Hearing her tone, Sirin also turned her attention toward Mei. To walk that close to Almighty Thunder's corpse—her courage really was impressive.
Mei frowned slightly. She looked at Sirin first, clearly wary of her presence.
She did have something to say.
"Want to tell a secret?" Sirin lifted her chin slightly, a hint of pride in her expression. "Go ahead, talk over there. I won't eavesdrop."
What could girls their age possibly have to whisper about? Probably jealousy—maybe Mei didn't like how much fun Kiana had talking with her, so she wanted to pull her aside for attention.
But Raiden Mei wasn't that childish.
Although… she did feel a little uneasy.
"Did you find something?" Kiana followed her for a short distance, walking about a few dozen meters before Mei finally stopped.
Staring at the enormous dragon corpse beside them, Raiden Mei spoke softly, "I feel the power of my Stigmata slowly getting stronger. At first, I thought it was just my imagination—but after focusing for a while, I realized it's real. And the growth is still increasing."
She paused, searching for the right words. "It's like… winning one battle after another. The growth each time isn't much, but when they add up, it becomes significant."
The problem was—she hadn't fought anyone.
When she had first approached Almighty Thunder and noticed something unusual, she hadn't paid much attention. After all, even when the Kami was still in the distant sky, she had vaguely sensed that Almighty Thunder's power wasn't pure.
It carried traces of Honkai Energy—and that wasn't surprising. She had already noticed that much earlier.
"Honkai Energy?"
Kiana's expression changed instantly. She turned toward the heavily wounded Almighty Thunder, her gaze tracing the strange markings that covered its massive body.
She and Mei were thinking the same thing—it wasn't particularly shocking for Almighty Thunder to contain Honkai Energy. They had already been surprised once before, even finding it a bit absurd.
After all, the Honkai concentration in this world wasn't that high. Logically speaking, it shouldn't be able to corrupt a Kami of Almighty Thunder's level.
But the truth was right before their eyes. Whether they believed it or not no longer mattered.
When they had just arrived, Kiana had noticed that the Honkai concentration here was slightly higher than in ordinary areas. But seeing the Kami's corrupted form, she'd assumed that was normal—after all, a dying Almighty Thunder leaking Honkai Energy would naturally cause an increase in local density. She hadn't thought much of it.
But after Mei's reminder, she, too, realized something was wrong.
Compared to when they'd first arrived, the Honkai concentration here had definitely risen—and if she focused carefully, she could feel that it was still climbing.
That frightened Kiana enough to immediately open her personal panel, worried that her Herrscher of Finality progress might have secretly increased by several percentage points without her noticing.
Name: Kiana
Faction: Honkai
Talent: Authority of Finality
Skill: Phase Shuttle (Void)
Finality Progress: 7.4% (↓)
Honkai Energy Concentration (Izumo): 11.5046% (↓)
Summary: Your existence has already triggered a certain change.
Good news—her Herrscher assimilation hadn't increased, meaning this Honkai fluctuation wasn't caused by her.
Bad news—the rise in Honkai concentration was connected to the dying Almighty Thunder beside them.
Worse news—her panel's summary had changed!