Honkai Impact

The spirit sword in her hand trembled slightly, seemingly expressing its dissatisfaction. If Sakura Fubuki could speak, she would probably be cursing right now.

Yaeji casually swung the spirit sword a few times, and suddenly a cherry-colored horizontal wave of sword energy burst forth, slashing directly at the gate with lightning speed!

"Click~"

The main gate of the side hall seemed to be made of paper; it broke in two and crashed to the ground.

Sakura, who was brewing medicine for Rin in the courtyard, glanced over and saw her father rushing off, knowing that something bad was about to happen.

"you!--"

Yae Sakura carried the medicine back into the house, and even from this distance, she could hear her father's "roaring" voice.

"Sister, Father's voice sounds a bit off?"

Yae Sakura scooped out the medicine, blew on the spoon to cool it down, and then carefully brought it to Rin's lips.

After Rin drank the medicine, Yae Sakura stirred the soup in the bowl with a spoon, blowing on it occasionally.

"I'm afraid my brother has angered Father again."

Rin glanced outside suspiciously, but unfortunately, from her angle, she couldn't directly see the side hall where the spirit sword was enshrined.

In the side hall, Yae Ji was not being scolded as Yae Sakura had imagined. Instead, her father looked at his son, who was holding a spirit sword and seemed at a loss, with a shocked expression.

"Did you chop down this door?"

A hint of panic flashed across Yae Ji's face; he was still very afraid of his father, the Yae God Lord, getting angry.

Her big eyes darted around, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the spirit sword's cherry-white hue.

Yae Ji looked up at her father, who stood before her with an imposing presence, and said sincerely, "You might not believe it, but it was the knife that struck first!"

Chapter Five: I Have a Sword Heart

The spirit sword Cherry Blossom Snowflake trembled slightly in its hand, seemingly expressing its dissatisfaction with being blamed.

The atmosphere inside became extremely awkward.

"Father?"

The slightly thin middle-aged man in front of him snapped out of his daze at the cherry blossom blizzard, glanced at Yae Ji, and asked, "Was that a sword wave emitted by the cherry blossom blizzard just now?"

“Yes, yes, yes!” Yae Ji’s little head clicked like a pestle, “It was Sakura Fubuki who did it.”

Yae Ji looked up at her usually stern father, whose surprised yet delighted expression puzzled her greatly.

Could it be that the spirit sword Cherry Blossom Blizzard is really like the legend says, where whoever picks it up becomes its master?

"Ji, anyone can pick up the spirit sword enshrined in the shrine, but to make it unleash its sword wave, only a pure woman with the highest reverence for the gods can succeed. Before that, there is another condition: the person who wields the Cherry Blossom Blizzard must have a sword heart that wants to break free from its shackles."

At this moment, Yae Ji didn't know what expression to wear. Should she have the utmost respect for the gods? Would secretly criticizing the gods count? A pure woman? But he was a man! Even if he inherited his father's position, he would be the new head priest of Yae Shrine, not a shrine maiden.

The last bit of sword heart breaking free from its shackles?

Isn't that absurd? He only vaguely remembers using skill points to activate a branch of [Cherry Blossom Slash] in his dream. Does that mean he possesses a sword heart that has broken free from its shackles?

Should I tell my father about what happened in my dream?

With a heart full of trepidation, Yae followed her father to the open space in the center of the shrine.

"Show your combo in that direction, but be careful not to slash at an angle."

"Ah."

Yae nods. The direction her father is pointing is the gate of Yae Shrine. The so-called gate of Yae Shrine is supported by only two pillars, and you can see the outside scene at a glance.

Below the shrine gate is a set of rather high steps, and the path leading to the shrine steps is planted with trees. However, due to the severe drought, the crowns of those trees have only a few withered leaves. After a gust of wind, the last bit of dignity of the tree crowns is gone, leaving only bald heads.

With a slight concentration, Yae Ji unleashed a swift and fluid six-stage slash. At the fifth stage, known as the watershed moment, the spirit sword in Yae Ji's hand suddenly emitted a cherry-colored blade wave, slashing straight towards the tree canopy on the path outside the shrine!

"Click~"

Now, even the tree's bald head disappeared.

The cherry blossom-colored blade wave gradually dissipated not far away.

"How do you feel?" Yae no Kami asked.

"Uh, the Cherry Blossom Blizzard is a bit too much of a strain on my body. I can't even use something like the Falling Cherry Blossom Slash more than a few times because I can't keep up with the stamina," Yae Ji said truthfully.

"Mm." The Eightfold God Lord nodded: "Put the spirit sword back in its place of worship. From now on, you can go to the side hall to keep the spirit sword company every day."

The Yae God Lord turned around and took two steps, then turned back again. "There's a ritual to be held the day after tomorrow. Take Sakura with you and let her learn more."

The image of the ritual from her childhood and the offerings made to the gods flashed through her mind, and Yaeji's body trembled almost imperceptibly.

"Yes!"

Yaeji placed the spirit sword back in its place in the side hall, filled with many questions. Why could he, a man, unleash such incredible power with the Cherry Blossom Blizzard? Why did he suddenly possess the "sword heart" his father spoke of?

Yaeji sat on a futon in the middle of the side hall, his eyes closed in deep thought.

Before long, someone was repairing the wooden door of the side hall. Seeing Yaeji sitting there, and glancing at the spirit sword that emitted a faint glow, the two villagers first bowed to the spirit sword before carefully starting to repair the wooden door.

"Squeak~"

With a soft click, the carpenter, having repaired the wooden door, bowed once more to the spirit sword before closing the door and leaving. Meanwhile, Yaeji remained seated, motionless.

I could picture that eerie blue panel in my mind, but I couldn't press it at all; it didn't feel real at all.

'Does this only happen in dreams?'

Yae Ji was unsure of what to do. The blue panel that appeared in his dream was somewhat similar to the image on the Evil Long Box. He had also encountered that strange world of steel and cement in his dream. In that world, it seemed that everyone had an "Evil Long Box," which was a strange entity called a "cell phone."

After lunch, Yaeji casually made up a story to appease the two curious kittens and returned to the side hall where the spirit sword was enshrined to ponder deeply.

evening.

Yaeji pushed open the wooden door of the newly renovated side hall and found a dark figure entering the main hall where the gods were enshrined.

Frowning, Yaeji sensed that something was amiss.

Even when villagers come to worship, it's usually in the early morning, or at the very least in the afternoon. But this is the first time in all these years that Yaeji has seen someone come to worship the gods in the evening when it's getting dark.

As Yaeji passed by the entrance to the main hall where the fox god was enshrined, he vaguely saw a familiar figure.

"Daisuke?"

The distance was too great, and the young man named Daisuke didn't hear him at all. Instead, he knelt down devoutly on the ground, and then...

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Daisuke seemed to have gone mad, banging his head against the hard floor again and again.

That sound

“He’s gone mad.” Yae Ji shook his head. Daisuke was a few years older than him, and the two weren’t very close. Yae Ji didn’t intend to interfere in his affairs.

Walking back to the room on the left side of the shrine where he was resting, Yae Ji saw Sakura and Rin, the two little girls staring at him with their big, bright eyes.

Touching her face, Yaeji smiled and asked, "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

Yae Sakura, dressed in a small shrine maiden outfit, came up to him, sniffing his scent like a little fox.

"The legend is true; the Spirit Blade Cherry Blossom Blizzard really does emit the fragrance of cherry blossoms."

"Huh?" Yae Ji was a little confused.

"Brother, I also want to smell the fragrance of cherry blossom snow!" Yae Rin said expectantly as she sat in the shop.

Yae Ji walked over and patted Rin's head. "What are you thinking about? If Rin is curious, I'll bring the Cherry Blossom Blizzard over tomorrow so you can see it to your heart's content."

"Really?" Sakura and Rin asked in unison.

"real."

"Really? Really?"

"Really, really!"

"Brother is the best!"

"Long live the elder brother! ≧▽≦"

Just as the three siblings were playing, a knock on the door suddenly sounded.

Sakura and Rin immediately sat there obediently like good children.

Usually, it's my father who comes here at this time.

"Bang bang bang~"

Yaeji was puzzled. Her father would usually just knock on the door and come in, but today?

Isn't it the father?

Yae-ji immediately thought of Daisuke, who had previously visited the shrine to worship the gods.

Step forward and open the door.

Sure enough, it was the tall and thin Daisuke.

"May I come in?"

Looking at Daisuke's forehead, which was covered in blood, Yae nods with difficulty.

"Sakura, go get some linen."

Chapter Six Seeking Help

"Eight elements!"

The usually eloquent Daisuke opened his mouth and reached out to touch Yaeji's shoulder. But as soon as his arm was halfway out, Daisuke hesitated, unsure whether to reach out or not.

"What's wrong?" Yae Ji looked at Daisuke suspiciously. Daisuke was two years older than him and taller. From his angle, he had to look up to meet Daisuke's gaze.

Daisuke guiltily looked away, "Nothing, nothing."

Yaeji was even more puzzled. Yesterday, when he ran back to the village from the back mountain, he saw Daisuke sitting alone on the riverbank, looking like he had something on his mind. At the time, he didn't pay any attention to him because of the monster incident.