Yae Sakura's expression softened slightly, touched despite herself.
"Why?" she asked quietly.
"What do you mean, why?"
Kiana's arm throbbed with unbearable pain, cold sweat beading across her forehead. Her hand felt as though it might snap in two. But even so, she didn't back down—she wouldn't just stand there and watch Yae Sakura walk away with Narukami.
"Who is she to you?" Yae Sakura asked, genuinely puzzled by Kiana's determination. "Why would you go this far for her?"
As she spoke, she drew a few inches of her other blade, Frost, from its sheath.
A biting chill spread from her feet, covering the ground in a layer of rime. Frost gathered on the dry grass, turning the earth around them white as winter.
Though Frost had yet to slay Heaven's Winter Cloak and claim its divine power to become a true Edict Edge, Yae Sakura had already killed countless Kami. Both blade and body carried traces of their lingering essence.
"I could kill you at any moment."
"I know you won't," Kiana said, shaking her head, her tone resolute. "And even if you do, I'll still stand here and stop you from taking Narukami! Because Mei has been searching for her father all this time."
"…Why go so far?" Yae Sakura's gaze softened, though her voice remained calm. "You're wagering your life—trusting that I'm a good person who won't kill you. You don't have to do this. You could go back, tell Raiden Mei everything I told you. It's your choice."
Raiden Ryoma had told her not to reveal the truth to Mei—but he had never said she couldn't let someone else tell her.
That was why Yae Sakura spoke freely, without guilt.
"Because she's important to me," Kiana said, taking a deep breath. "I won't let her lose the chance to see her father again—not while I can still do something about it!"
Whether Raiden Ryoma survived the coming battle or not, Kiana refused to leave that reunion to chance.
If Ryoma died fighting Almighty Thunder… then Mei would never even get to see her father one last time.
For someone who had spent her life searching for him, that would be unbearable—a wound that would never heal.
"A precious friend, then?"
Yae Sakura slowly slid Frost back into its sheath. The spreading frost halted, but the thin layer of white on the ground remained.
A strange warmth flickered in her heart.
She found herself envying Raiden Mei—envying her for having a father who bore the burden of slaying Kami alone so that his daughter could live as an ordinary girl.
And for having a friend like Kiana—someone willing to risk her life, unafraid of pain or death, to protect her dream.
"I acknowledge your resolve."
Kiana's face brightened. "Then you'll give Narukami back?"
Yae Sakura shook her head.
"Don't say things that get people's hopes up," Kiana muttered darkly. "No matter what you say, I'll bring Narukami back. That's my promise to Mei!"
If Yae Sakura still refused to hand it over, then she'd have no choice but to use her last resort.
After all—Izumo was doomed anyway.
"Don't be hasty," Yae Sakura said calmly. "What I mean is—I'll deliver your message. I'll tell Lord Ryoma what you and Raiden Mei believe in. I'll do my best to persuade him to meet her."
"Really?" Kiana's eyes widened in surprise. That… might actually work.
Her chances of taking Narukami by force were slim. Even if she went all out, she wasn't confident she could win.
The system hadn't given her any cheats or full-strength abilities—not yet, anyway.
And Yae Sakura was no ordinary warrior.
"I'll speak to him," Yae Sakura promised softly. "I'll do everything I can to change his mind."
Kiana nodded slowly, then hesitated before asking, "Mei said her father disappeared two years ago. I want to know… why hasn't he come back to see her even once? Two whole years—over seven hundred days. Did he really never return home, not even once?"
"Lord Ryoma has returned to Nagazora City," Yae Sakura said quietly, her answer catching Kiana off guard.
"But…"
"As for why they didn't meet," Yae Sakura paused, hesitating before lifting the edge of her hood.
Her long hair, a soft shade of cherry blossom pink, flowed freely around a beautiful face—but what drew Kiana's eyes were the two long fox-like ears atop her head.
"Those who slay Kami suffer their curse. The more gods one kills, the deeper the curse seeps into their flesh. The body slowly turns, irreversibly, toward onihood—until, at last, they lose their reason and become no different from the monsters they once destroyed."
Her voice was steady as she spoke, yet Kiana could feel the quiet sorrow within it.
Those who slay Oni… become Oni.
How cruelly ironic.
And yet, for the sake of Izumo's survival—for the hope of a world free from the Kami—they continued to fight, knowing full well their fate. Even if they were destined to fall, they would slay as many as they could before that day came.
The gods of Takamagahara sought neither dominion nor conquest—only slaughter.
Thus, between the gods of Takamagahara and the people of Izumo… only one side could survive.
"I've been fortunate," Yae Sakura said. "My resistance to the corruption is relatively strong. The marks of my transformation—you've already seen."
She pulled her hood back up, concealing her ears once again. "Lord Ryoma began showing signs of corruption two years ago. But his resistance… is far weaker than mine."
"He came back," she continued softly, "but he didn't want his daughter to see him like that—a man caught between human and Oni. So he stayed away."
Kiana looked at her, eyes dimming with sympathy. Then, suddenly, she said, "It's not scary at all. You look… beautiful."
"…Thank you."
For a moment, Yae Sakura blinked in surprise—then smiled faintly. She knew Kiana meant it kindly.
She studied the white-haired girl for a while longer, then spoke from the heart. "I'll be taking Narukami. But I'll keep my promise—I'll speak to Lord Ryoma on your behalf. And… if we succeed in slaying Almighty Thunder—if I can return alive…"
Her gaze softened.
"…may I be your friend?"
"Of course!" Kiana exclaimed, eyes lighting up. "I know you'll come back alive—you'll defeat Almighty Thunder for sure! But, uh, saying things like that before a battle? That's kind of like… jinxing it. Not good luck!"
Yae Sakura tilted her head slightly, not quite understanding, but decided it must be some kind of superstition. She nodded solemnly. "I'll remember that."
She looked toward the horizon, her expression returning to calm. "Then I'll be going now, Kiana. Until we meet again."
And with that, she vanished into the forest.
Slaying a god was never easy.
Even though Izumo had once succeeded in killing Sovereign of Revelation and Eternal Zenith, those victories had been won through endless sacrifice—paid for with blood, lives, and everything Izumo could offer.
This coming battle, with the aid of a blade master recognized by the heavens, might cost fewer lives—but it would still be brutal beyond measure.
Even Yae Sakura could not say for certain that she would survive.