The mix of one good and two bad pieces of news carried an unpleasant message to Kiana.
Her existence was causing changes.
And the Almighty Thunder before her was the greatest of those changes—the result of Izumo's rising Honkai Energy concentration.
It had been corrupted by the Honkai.
And the corruption was still deepening.
Realizing what that meant, Kiana made a quick decision and strode toward Sirin.
"Sirin!"
Sirin, who had been pondering how to deliver the five-thousand-Kami reward she owed Kiana after dealing with Almighty Thunder, blinked in surprise.
Why the rush?
Curiously, she looked at the running Kiana—and at Raiden Mei following close behind.
"Done talking already?"
Kiana shook her head and said firmly, "Everything else can wait. What matters most right now is killing Almighty Thunder immediately!"
Forget waiting for the Edict Edge, or worrying about side effects from Kami corruption!
Kiana believed that if she had enough time, the power she could unleash would surpass even that of any Edict Edge.
If Mei fully awakened her Thunder Soul Engraving, the strength she could display would rival Almighty Thunder—and even surpass that of the Narukami once it was forged!
From the moment she appeared in this world, the Edict Edge was no longer essential to Izumo.
Whether they accepted it or not, one thing was certain:
The Edict Edge could not save Izumo.
Honkai was the true theme of the future.
And the only path for Izumo to find life through death.
"What were you two talking about?" Sirin asked suspiciously, glancing between them—especially at Raiden Mei. Her tone stayed calm as she said, "Didn't I just say it? Narukami is already on its way. It'll be delivered to Nagazora City within thirty minutes."
"I know you're both anxious. I am too," Sirin continued. "But we can't rush this."
"Half an hour…"
Kiana's expression wavered. Judging from the signs of Almighty Thunder's corruption, in half an hour…
"No, we can't take that risk!" Kiana shook her head sharply, meeting Sirin's gaze with firm resolve. "The situation's bad—we have to kill it here and now!"
Sirin frowned. If Kiana hadn't been helping her all along, she might've lost patience already.
"Give me one reason," Sirin said, restraining her irritation.
"It's being corrupted."
Kiana took a deep breath. "I don't know when it'll fully transform into a Honkai creature—but once it does, what we'll be facing won't be the weakened Almighty Thunder we see now. It'll be at full strength again—maybe even stronger!"
What kind of Honkai beast would it become?
Kiana didn't know.
Even though the Honkai concentration in Izumo was only around ten percent, if it all gathered in one place…
That was no small amount.
"Honkai? Corruption?"
"I'll explain everything about the Honkai later. But right now, we have to kill it—before the transformation completes!"
A term Sirin had never heard before.
But 'corruption'…
Her mind flashed back to all the irregularities during her battle with Almighty Thunder—the sudden shifts in its power.
"I'm not lying to you!"
Seeing her hesitation, Kiana quickly pressed on.
Sirin wavered.
If it were just her decision alone, she might've agreed immediately.
But this wasn't about her alone.
The Edict Edge concerned the future wielder of Narukami—it was key to the campaign against the remaining Kami.
Neither her Sky nor Welt's Truth were meant as purely offensive Edict Edges.
Narukami, once forged, was destined to be the main weapon in slaying the Twelve Kami.
"…If it completely transforms into a Honkai creature, the resulting chain reaction will be catastrophic. Not just this area—the entire Nagazora City will be affected."
There was no escaping Nagazora's fate.
If the Herrscher of Thunder didn't appear, and Nagazora was destroyed by a corrupted Almighty Thunder—that would be one cruel joke of destiny.
"In that case, let me do it."
Raiden Mei drew her Yamato NS Katana from its sheath.
Mei walked slowly toward Almighty Thunder, her voice calm. "Miss Sirin, didn't you say before that the Narukami Shrine has worshipped Narukami for generations—and that I should be the one to deliver the final blow to Almighty Thunder?"
"Narukami isn't yours yet," Sirin said sharply, her voice lowering as she warned, "The fact that you might be able to wield it is only my speculation. Until the completed Narukami is forged, there's no proof that you'll be its wielder!"
"Compatibility…"
Mei stopped between Sirin and the massive dragon corpse, gazing up at the colossal being before her.
"If even I, who can resonate with Almighty Thunder, am not the one meant to wield Narukami—then there may be no one in all of Izumo capable of doing so."
Sirin's eyes widened slightly. "You? Resonance? You're joking, right?!"
Mei shook her head. "Didn't Miss Sirin just say that the quality of the vessel only affects how strongly the curse erodes the user's body?"
Mei was doing this…
Kiana frowned, wanting to say something—but she caught sight of Mei's small, calm smile as she shook her head.
Sirin hesitated, her thoughts tangled.
Silently, Mei mouthed to Kiana: "I believe you."
She believed what Kiana had said—that the power of the Stigmata was no weaker than that of the Kami. And she also believed Kiana's warning: if Almighty Thunder were fully corrupted, it would trigger a Honkai Eruption.
Kiana lowered her head, frustration written across her face.
If the Edict Edge's vessel was too poor and caused the same double backlash as the previous cursed blade, she could just sell it later to get Mei a better weapon.
Now Mei was stepping forward, volunteering to bear the consequences—so there was no reason to stop her from killing Almighty Thunder first.
There was nothing wrong with that.
And yet, Kiana still felt a knot in her chest. She had just sworn a few days ago that she wouldn't let Mei be hurt—that she wouldn't build her actions on Mei's sacrifice.
But wasn't this exactly that?
She was still too weak. If only she had more strength, Mei wouldn't have to stand in harm's way for her.
"You really intend to use that broken sword as Narukami's vessel? Even knowing that once it's forged, it could corrupt you—turning you into something neither human nor Kami?"
Sirin still didn't immediately agree with Kiana. Her hesitation stemmed from Narukami's future wielder. But Raiden Mei's words carried absolute conviction—she was certain she would become Narukami's wielder.
And she didn't care about the risks.
Whether it was true or not no longer mattered.
Sirin just needed an excuse.
Because deep down, she leaned toward believing Kiana's warning. Kiana had saved her life—there was no reason for her to lie. It would benefit no one.
If this were only about her, she wouldn't have to think so much or weigh so many things.
Sirin's mood darkened.
Another day where she didn't feel like doing this anymore.
"…This isn't a broken sword," Mei replied firmly. Lightning began to coil around her blade. "Just trust me. I'm willing to bear all the consequences."
"And me! I'll share the consequences with Mei! If it doesn't work out, I'll just compensate you with a weapon even better than an Edict Edge!" Kiana added.
Ignoring Kiana's comment about paying compensation, Sirin's gaze settled on the sword in Mei's hand.
"You…"
The blade in Raiden Mei's hand wasn't a cursed sword.
Then that lightning…
Could this girl's compatibility really surpass even my own? Could she truly be Narukami's chosen one?!