Raiden Mei wasn't thinking too far ahead.
All she wanted was to protect the people around her—to make sure no one she cared about got hurt. After all, she was still only seventeen.
Saving the world…
That sort of thing wasn't part of her life plan.
But her concern for Kiana was perhaps a little unnecessary—especially since she seemed to forget that Kiana was someone who could literally use a Kami as a punching bag.
"Kiana!"
As they neared Zaohua Street, a few children who had yet to return home spotted them and ran over excitedly.
"So it's you little ones."
Kiana loosened her grip on the unconscious young man she was carrying and reached out to ruffle the children's hair.
"Did you get scared?"
"No way!" the bravest one, Yoshi, shouted. "We weren't scared at all! Right, Maple?"
The bespectacled boy, Maple, sighed and adjusted his glasses. "You were trembling so hard your legs gave out. Hayuki and I had to drag you away after the lady with Kiana told us to run."
"Exactly!" Hayuki added.
Yoshi's face flushed bright red, whether from shame or anger, no one could tell.
"You guys are the worst! You promised not to tell! Fine, I'm not playing with you next time!"
"I know you too well, brat," Kiana said, giving him a light tap on the head. "Anyway, that giant octopus has been dealt with—Mei and I took care of it. But listen, about the river… make sure to warn everyone not to go near it."
"Got it, got it," Yoshi muttered, rubbing his head.
After a pause, Kiana added seriously, "Also, tell everyone to avoid remote areas for now, and stock up on essentials—especially medical supplies."
"Never mind, I'll tell Granny Zaohua myself. You kids just forget what happened today and go home for dinner."
"Forget it? But Kiana, you just killed a giant octopus! That's so cool!"
"No more questions. That's not something kids like you need to think about. Now scram."
"Oh, and get someone to take care of this guy," she said, pointing at the fainted young man. "I went through a lot of trouble saving him, so make sure he doesn't die on Zaohua Street."
Having irresponsibly dumped the task on the children, Kiana turned toward the heart of the street, planning to find the one in charge—Granny Zaohua.
This was Izumo.
And the fate of Izumo could be pieced together from Acheron's story.
The more they fought, the more lives were lost.
Every battle was a pyrrhic victory.
By the time Izumo finally triumphed, few survivors would remain—and then Nihility would descend.
Everything would be devoured.
In the end, only Acheron would survive.
Come to think of it…
"This city is Nagazora, right?" Kiana suddenly asked, turning to Mei.
"...Huh?" Mei blinked, puzzled. "Yes, we're in Izumo's Nagazora City."
Kiana nodded grimly.
Even the name felt cursed.
In Honkai Impact 3rd, Nagazora City had been destroyed by the Third Honkai Eruption . So would Izumo's Nagazora be any different?
The chances… were almost zero.
As she pondered the fate of Nagazora across worlds, a sense of urgency tightened in her chest.
If the city bore the same name, it might share the same destiny—its destruction linked to Almighty Thunder.
But Yae Sakura had taken Narukami elsewhere to confront Almighty Thunder.
That meant it wasn't here.
Not in Nagazora.
"Mei, I have a feeling," Kiana said, gripping the only connection she had in this city. "The calamity of the Kami might soon reach Nagazora."
"Reach Nagazora?"
Raiden Mei frowned. If anyone else had said that, she might not have believed it. But since it came from Kiana, she couldn't ignore it.
"Almighty Thunder…"
Recalling the scene from the PV, Kiana remembered its dragon-like form. Its domain was the sky itself.
That meant trying to contain it—to trap it within a single area and destroy it—was practically impossible.
Whether victory or defeat awaited them, one thing was certain—the calamity could easily reach Nagazora City. In the world of Honkai, there had never been a Nagazora untouched by disaster.
There might be no Herrschers here, but there was Almighty Thunder.
"Kiana, what are you saying?" Mei asked cautiously.
"Does Nagazora City have underground shelters?"
"Underground… shelters?" Mei repeated, confused. It was the first time she had heard the term. In Izumo, weapons were built to slay Kami, not for war between humans—there had never been internal conflicts.
"You mean underground refuges?"
"Yes, that's it!" Kiana said quickly.
"There are," Mei recalled after a moment. "Nagazora City has underground shelters. There's even one nearby."
"That's good." Kiana exhaled in relief, then added firmly, "I have a feeling—Almighty Thunder might attack Nagazora. We need to prepare in advance."
"You want me to notify the others?" Mei asked after a brief pause.
"Can you?"
Mei had connections.
This was only Kiana's intuition—there was no concrete proof that Almighty Thunder would come to Nagazora. Even the information about it came secondhand, from people Kiana claimed to have heard it from.
Still, after thinking it over, Mei nodded decisively, even if it meant gambling her reputation. "I can."
Even if Almighty Thunder never came, the worst outcome would be her losing face. But if it truly attacked Nagazora, her warning might save countless lives.
A single person's reputation was nothing compared to the fate of an entire city.
Especially since it was Kiana who asked.
However, for her warning to work, people needed to actually believe in the existence of the Kami. Otherwise, even if she risked the name of her family and the shrine, it might not have any real effect.
"At least this way, we can save some people," Kiana said quietly.
Saving everyone was impossible. She wasn't 100% synchronized with the Authority of Finality—she didn't have the strength to annihilate a being of that level in one blow.
Still, saving as many as possible was enough.
As long as she did her best, she would have no regrets.
"I'm almost home," Kiana said as they turned a corner, stopping at the base of an old apartment building.
"Aren't you going to invite me up?" Mei asked casually, showing no sign of leaving.
"Huh? You want to come over?" Kiana blinked, surprised. She thought of her small rented one-bedroom apartment and scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"You really want to?"
It wasn't exactly messy… but she hadn't cleaned recently, which made her a bit self-conscious.
"Are you saying I'm not welcome?" Mei teased.
"Of course not!" Kiana quickly grabbed her hand. "Alright, come on—this way!"
"But first, we need to stop by Granny Zaohua's downstairs," she added. "I have to tell her what happened today and have her spread the word. Everyone on Zaohua Street should stock up on supplies."
"I'll go with you," Mei said softly.
Having realized earlier that she knew very little about Kiana's personal life, Raiden Mei wanted to understand more about the people around her.