"Where's Almighty Thunder? And where's Howl?"
"There was an unexpected situation," Sirin paused briefly before continuing, "As for Howl… it was taken away by its Sentinel."
"You're joking, right? Howl was just forged—how could it already have a Sentinel?"
"I'm not that bored," Sirin rolled her eyes and explained Mei's situation openly. Facing the others' incredulous stares, she added calmly, "That's how it is. That girl was born to be Howl's Sentinel. Her compatibility with the blade is likely on par with the first Sentinel of Truth."
The comrade who had rushed over to deliver the weapon was dumbfounded, holding the unfinished Narukami and asking, "Then what do we do with this half-finished blade??!"
"Give it back to her," Sirin replied indifferently. "Her family shrine has been enshrining it for hundreds of years. If she wants to continue the offering, let her."
"That's unacceptable!"
Someone immediately objected. Even if it was an incomplete Edict Edge, it was still the pinnacle of Izumo's craftsmanship. Though Howl had not been forged using Narukami, the material itself was incredibly precious.
With it, they could slay a top-tier Kami—it could easily become an exceptional god-slaying weapon.
"Then take it back and let Command decide."
No one objected to that suggestion.
How this blade would be handled had to be discussed by the Command.
If they'd known things would end up like this… they might as well have left Narukami here instead of bringing it to the battlefield!
"By the way, what about Raiden Mei?"
Finally, someone asked why Sirin's Sentinel wasn't nearby.
"Howl wasn't given by me," Sirin said evenly. "She wielded a broken sword—and slew Almighty Thunder herself."
Someone immediately expressed disbelief. After all, they had all seen Almighty Thunder's might with their own eyes when they rushed over from the battlefield.
"How could that be possible?"
How could an ordinary person, with just an ordinary sword, slay Almighty Thunder?
Even if it were possible, surely Sirin had helped her.
Sirin boldly presented her reasoning: "She can command lightning even without Howl. And if people in the past could do it, is it really so strange that someone can now?"
Strange?
It was impossible!
Wait—maybe not entirely impossible. If things were truly as Sirin said, and Almighty Thunder had already been suppressed by her…
"Then where is she now?"
"She left," Sirin folded her arms. "She's wielding the attacking Howl. I can't beat her."
The reinforcements exchanged confused looks.
What did she mean by that?
They only asked where the girl went—why say she couldn't beat her?
Had they actually fought?
Then one of them spoke up, "Does that mean Howl's Sentinel refuses to fulfill her duty as an Edict Edge wielder?"
"I never said that," Sirin replied coolly. "She just doesn't want to work with us. Yae Sakura took Raiden Ryoma's request and forcibly seized the shrine's sacred blade without explanation, even injuring her friend. Would it be strange if she doesn't like you all?"
Sirin had no intention of letting anyone disturb Raiden Mei and Kiana at the shrine. She planned to use this time to let Command research the Honkai that Kiana feared.
As for claiming she was covering for Mei? Well, Mei probably wouldn't refuse anyway. Sirin was doing her a favor—helping her secure the freedom to disobey orders.
What?!
So that's what happened before?!
Some faces darkened. The battle against Almighty Thunder had cost them far less than expected.
It should've been a moment of triumph.
A great victory—one worthy of being celebrated and recorded in history.
Yet before they could celebrate, news broke that Howl's Sentinel disapproved of the Sentinels and refused to join them.
The situation had just stabilized—and now there were signs of internal strife?
"What should we do then?"
"Return to Command," Sirin said simply. "It's not our problem. We just need to focus on slaying Kami. The rest is for Command to handle."
Hearing Sirin's words, those who had been hesitating gave up thinking altogether.
After all, their opinions didn't matter—they couldn't change Raiden Mei, nor could they influence Command's decision.
"You're right about that, huh!"
Relying on her authority as an Edict Edge Sentinel, Sirin easily gained the trust of the others. She led the group to sweep the surrounding area once more, and after some rest, finally contacted Command and returned to headquarters.
At the shrine.
Mei, having taken Howl—a weapon crucial for slaying Kami—knew that the Sentinels would certainly come to contact her.
So she steadied herself and waited at the shrine.
Waiting for their arrival.
But that wait stretched into three whole days.
For three consecutive days, everything remained calm. The residents who had taken refuge underground began returning to the surface, and the once-silent city gradually regained its bustle.
With Almighty Thunder slain, the worst disaster had passed. The next morning's sun still rose as usual.
As long as the world hadn't ended, people still needed to work—to earn money, to support their families, to live.
Aside from a few companies whose buildings had collapsed during the battle, most safe zones had already resumed operations. Office workers were back on the streets, and life began to flow again.
"Today's the third day, right?"
A new day had arrived. Watching Mei practice new sword techniques, Kiana asked uncertainly.
After days filled with one crisis after another, this sudden calm felt almost unnatural to her.
She'd even prepared for whatever might come next—yet there was no sign of movement from Sirin's side.
Was it that her offer wasn't tempting enough? Or was Howl simply not that important to them?
How could they be so slow at this?
It was Howl, for crying out loud!
Didn't they want to at least talk about it?
Ridiculous!
Kiana had no idea that those who wanted to approach her had already been diverted by Sirin, who had shifted everyone's focus toward investigating the newly detected substance.
"Yes, it's the third day," Mei said as she sheathed her sword, dissatisfied with her last strike. She decided to rethink her form from the start.
"Are you feeling bored, Kiana?"
"Well, maybe a little," Kiana admitted, raising her right hand and making a small gesture.
"I already planned out how we could cooperate with them—how we could fight against the Honkai together. But they're still completely silent."
The longer they dragged it out, the more passive their situation became, didn't they understand that?
Kiana sighed heavily.
"And there's still that five hundred thousand Sirin promised me."
She had already thought through exactly how she'd spend that money—just waiting for Sirin to pay her back.
The thought of that massive boost to her unarmed strength made her restless; the more she thought about it, the more impatient she became.
Mei, walking over, couldn't help but laugh softly.
Kiana had said so much, but in truth, what she cared about most was the reward Sirin had promised her.
Still, Sirin's side really was acting strange.
Most likely, that woman had dragged the Command's people into researching whether the Honkai truly existed—what Honkai Energy was, and what kind of future it might bring to Izumo.
On the first day, even Mei had been puzzled.
But she soon realized why this was happening.
Before the truth was made clear, it wasn't wise for them to contact Kiana—or even her, who had clearly taken Kiana's side.