V1 Chapter 9: Void Blade

Why does no one seem to mention it?

Could it be because she's the protagonist?

The silver moonlight bathed every corner of the mountainside.

Under its radiant glow, a beautiful woman with long, cherry blossom-pink hair stood outside a dilapidated shrine. She wore a simple yet strikingly elegant white top and red skirt.

"Does it fit?" Kikyō asked as she emerged from the shrine, observing Yae Sakura standing in the moonlight. The outfit seemed to suit her perfectly.

"Yes, it fits well," Yae Sakura replied, turning her head. If not for the pair of fox-like ears atop her head, she could easily be mistaken for a genuine miko.

But those long ears shattered the illusion.

"Perfect! Here, take this cloak. You barely possess any demonic energy. Just cover your ears, and no one should realize you're a half-demon."

With that, Kikyō handed Yae Sakura a cloak she had retrieved from somewhere and turned to re-enter the shrine.

"Thank you..." Yae Sakura accepted the cloak, her gaze fixed on Kikyō's retreating figure as she murmured her gratitude.

Kikyō paused briefly at the sound, then continued back into the shrine.

-

Yae Sakura picked up her discarded Gyakushinn Miko outfit and, instead of throwing it away, stored it directly in her Warehouse Space.

Though it was late at night, Yae Sakura felt no trace of drowsiness. Instead, she eagerly began sorting through the items and equipment in her Warehouse.

Just like her game account, it was crammed with weapons, Stigmata, and miscellaneous items whose purpose she had long forgotten.

However, the weapons and Stigmata currently equipped by her Valkyries no longer appeared in the Warehouse as they had in the game. Only unequipped items remained.

Among the stored items, a 5-star Tachi caught her eye: the Void Blade!

Only Yae Sakura and Mei could wield Tachis, and both their primary Valkyrie forms already had their own signature weapons. The Void Blade served as a backup, occasionally proving more effective than their main weapons. That was why it hadn't been permanently equipped on any Valkyrie.

Yae Sakura drew the Void Blade from the Warehouse. The deep blue Tachi's hilt and blade were shaped like two serpents biting each other's tails, forming the infinity symbol.

Now that she was no longer in the game, Yae Sakura couldn't be certain whether the weapon still granted stat boosts. However, the difference between wielding it and fighting barehanded remained undeniable.

Just like in the game, the weapon also possessed its own active skills.

First, there was the power of the Spiritual Blade...

The Spiritual Blade reduces damage to humans by 50% but doubles damage to non-human creatures.

While it can still kill humans, its effectiveness is significantly diminished, given its status as a revered artifact of humanity.

However, against monsters, yokai, and even gods, it doubles the wielder's damage.

Then there are its two innate skills...

[ Blazing Sakura Chaos ]: Increases damage to divine beings by an additional 250%. If the target is marked with Sakura Sword Force, it also inflicts a stun.

If the target is unmarked, a Sakura Sword Force mark is applied.

The Sakura Sword Force is a residual form of Sword Force originating from Yae Sakura's own energy.

Yae Sakura's attacks naturally carry traces of Sword Force. After just a few strikes, enemies will be left with a lingering wisp of this force.

By harnessing this wisp, Yae Sakura can transform into a Nuclear Sword Immortal, unleashing Shunmetsu! for devastating explosive damage.

The second skill...

[ Rondo ]: The Spiritual Blade emits Sword Force waves. When wielded by Yae Sakura, a mere swing can release a Sword Force wave without consuming any of her Spiritual Power.

However, channeling her own Spiritual Power into the blade greatly amplifies the wave's damage.

Combined with the Spiritual Blade's inherent power, these abilities represent the blade's full capabilities after escaping the game.

In summary, this is a blade forged to slay demons and gods.

As the graduation weapon of the Gyakushinn Miko, it is a weapon specifically designed for combating "gods."

If the Spiritual Blade is a weapon against gods, then the Void Blade is the ultimate weapon for everything else.

The Void Blade deals consistent damage to enemies of all races, and both of its skills directly increase damage output:

[Ouroboros: Creates a localized spacetime deceleration field that follows the wielder's movements for a limited duration, enhancing their attack power within the zone.]

[Energy Devour: A passive ability that absorbs portions of enemy attacks, converting them into increased attack power for the wielder.]

Simple and direct...

It seems... I, Yae Sakura, will have to learn dual-blade combat now.

Besides weapons and Stigmata, there are numerous other items with unknown uses.

Take the thousands of Honkai Fragments, for example...

In the game, they could be exchanged for useful items, but now...

[Honkai Fragment: This fragment is saturated with Honkai energy.]

That's all the description provides. Its purpose remains a mystery.

Apart from these items, the Warehouse is overflowing with instant noodles and mooncakes gifted by the Valkyries—they should be edible, at least!

And then there's the countless Hanna Stigmata in the Warehouse. These should be equippable by others, right? Otherwise, they're completely useless to me.

"Can I withdraw this gold...?"

Looking at the gold counter, it reads one hundred million...

It doesn't seem like much in the game, but if it were converted into a hundred million real gold coins...

Yae Sakura hastily tried to withdraw five gold coins.

Instantly, five gleaming gold coins, each about the size of a one-yuan coin, materialized in her palm.

The front of each coin bore the three large characters "Mihoyo," while the back featured an image of a Homu.

"Real gold?"

Yae Sakura quickly bit into one. A tooth mark appeared, and it felt like pure gold...

At that moment, only one thought echoed in her mind: I'm rich!

-

The next morning...

Having barely slept, Yae Sakura, who had only closed her eyes to rest, was already outside the shrine practicing the Falling Cherry Blossoms Style of swordsmanship.

Falling Cherry Blossoms Style!

Although she had acquired all of Yae Sakura's abilities, she felt like someone who had suddenly struck it rich. She knew the techniques, but she hadn't mastered them yet.

Therefore, this "Yae Sakura" needed to practice diligently. While she didn't need to reach the divine perfection of the original Yae Sakura, she had to become proficient enough to wield the style fluidly.

Unlike the other two Yae Sakura versions, where True Flame Sakitama wielded fire and Goushinnso Memento manipulated ice—Gyakushinn Miko focused solely on her peerless swordsmanship, dealing no elemental damage.

Gyakushinn Miko's primary damage output came from the explosive power of her Shunmetsu! counterattack.

Her single-target burst damage was devastating!

This power stemmed from the strategic use of the Cherry Blossom Mark and Shunmetsu!

However... in this world, most yokai didn't even require a Shunmetsu! One blade strike was enough to slay them.