Raiden Mei frowned slightly.
A strange, ominous aura coiled around the blade in her hand. Without hesitation, she plunged it into the ground before her and stepped back two paces.
Kiana was still here.
Better to keep their distance from something so unpredictable.
"Kiana, are you alright?"
Mei hurried over, worry evident in her tone, reaching out to check her condition.
Kiana shook her head. "I feel fine… but what's going on here?"
She had never seen anything like this.
Could it be that the forging of Izumo's sacred blades really worked this way? That slaying a Kami caused its power to be absorbed by the sword—just like that? No rituals, no refining process?
"I didn't realize it before," Mei said, analyzing the battle's aftermath. "These monsters actually have weak points. Somewhere inside their bodies, there's likely a core. If that core is destroyed, they die instantly."
It was a post-battle reflection—a valuable discovery.
If they encountered similar creatures again, they wouldn't have to waste time in drawn-out combat.
But locating that core would take experience—something only gained through many fights.
Kiana nodded thoughtfully.
The Kami of Takamagahara were strange indeed. Were these things truly born of nature?
"They may not be intelligent," Mei continued, "but they're very cunning."
Her gaze fell on the sword. The once-ordinary blade was now transforming, its metal dyed in a blackish-red hue, as if tainted by blood and malice. "After realizing it couldn't win, it split part of itself off—a fragment of its body—to flee toward the river."
But she had noticed in time.
Creatures like this Kami must belong to the lowest ranks among the Yaoyorozu no Kami.
"Good thing you were here, Mei," Kiana said with a relieved grin. "Otherwise, it would've gotten away."
With the battle over, Kiana finally found the time to ask the question that had been on her mind.
"But Mei—why are you here?"
Still watching the blade, lost in thought about the possible connection between Kami and swords, Mei blinked at the question. "I… actually followed you," she admitted softly.
"Oh, I see." Kiana scratched her head. "I didn't want to trouble you by making you come all this way, but I guess I just made things worse, huh?"
Mei exhaled in quiet relief and shook her head. "It wasn't a bother."
If she hadn't followed Kiana, she wouldn't have been here to see this danger unfold.
If Kiana had been injured—or worse…
She was grateful she had come.
"But, Mei," Kiana asked curiously, "why did you bring a sword with you?"
Kiana noticed that all the dark energy around them was being absorbed by the blade Mei had carried from the shrine. Stepping closer, she picked up the katana—it now emanated an unsettling aura, its blade wreathed in malice, transformed into what could only be described as a cursed sword.
The moment she held it, a chill seeped through her body—a coldness that pierced her soul and mind.
This blade could heal its wielder, restoring injuries by feeding back life energy… but at the cost of corruption.
How did Kiana know that?
Because a message window appeared before her eyes the instant she picked it up:
[Cursed Blade (C)]: A flawed sword that magnifies the cost of its power. Every strike, every use of its strength doubles the rate of corruption.
Special Effects:
Rebirth of the Broken Blade – When the blade breaks, it consumes life force to instantly restore itself.
Life Drain – Upon killing a living being, absorbs its life energy into the blade's core; stored energy can be used to heal the wielder.
And beneath that message was a single line of advice:
[Recommendation: Recycle and dismantle immediately.]
"So that octopus couldn't actually regenerate infinitely," Kiana muttered. "If it could regrow hundreds of limbs in an instant… just how many people had it eaten?"
She drove the blade back into the ground.
While Mei was still trying to think of a proper explanation for why she had brought the sword, Kiana's words drew her attention back to it.
"Did you notice something?" Mei asked.
"After killing that Kami, the sword turned into a cursed blade," Kiana explained, pressing down on Mei's hand to stop her from drawing it. "This thing has a nasty side effect."
"A cursed blade…" Mei murmured, intrigued.
As a practitioner of swordsmanship, she couldn't help but want to see what made this weapon so special.
"Don't worry." Patting Kiana's shoulder reassuringly, Raiden Mei stepped toward the cursed blade and wrapped her fingers around its hilt, pulling it from the ground once more.
The moment she held it, a wave of discomfort washed over her—both physical and mental. Yet, she could immediately sense what made this blade different.
It could heal its wielder.
"So this is the cursed blade…" she murmured softly.
Her gaze drifted toward the direction where the thunder had struck earlier that day. The shrine's sacred blade, Narukami—would it also become like this after striking down the one called Almighty Thunder?
Kiana tensed up instantly. Seeing Mei's curiosity, she moved closer, ready to snatch the sword away the moment Mei tried anything reckless. "You can't use it carelessly! It's extremely corrosive to the body—and its healing effect isn't even worth it."
It could only heal the user, not others. And when it healed, it doubled the rate of corruption.
What kind of 'support' was that?
It was like drinking poison as medicine. Using it meant saving your life only to lose your humanity—turning into a monster in the process.
"Don't worry, Kiana," Mei said with a small, helpless smile, sensing her concern. "I won't use this sword."
"That's good…"
Kiana let out a breath of relief.
As long as Mei didn't go looking for trouble, everything would be fine.
They retrieved the scabbard and sheathed the cursed blade again. What to do with it, however, was still up for discussion.
At least the Kami's body had completely disappeared after its death, dissolving into energy that the blade had absorbed. Otherwise, its massive corpse—useless for food and horrifying to behold—would've been quite the problem to deal with.
With the crisis over and no further danger in sight, Kiana and Mei made their way back the way they came. On the way, they also picked up the unfortunate man who had passed out during the fight—still unconscious.
"Mei, you still haven't answered my question," Kiana said casually as they walked.
"…It's nothing," Mei replied after a brief pause. "I brought the sword because I had a bad feeling lately. I thought things might get dangerous… so I wanted you to have it for self-defense."
Kiana blinked, surprised, then smiled in admiration. "That's so like you, Mei!"
A gentle smile curved Mei's lips, but beneath it was a shadow of worry.
How many more of those Kami were still out there?
Would they continue attacking humans?
And if Kiana encountered danger like this again—when she wasn't there to protect her…