Honkai Impact 3rd: Yumeji Satsuki's lies

The battle continued without finding an end, although overwhelming Chiyou in many ways, Yumeji's group had no way to break through Chiyou's solid armor to defeat her.

Yumeji was getting slower and slower due to her increasing exhaustion, even the others were starting to show signs of fatigue.

"This won't get us anywhere."

Yumeji spat out a small mouthful of blood onto the ground, her eyes looking blankly at Chiyou.

They had tried many methods but none of them worked.

Even using the thermal expansion between hot and cold didn't make any difference to the armor.

It seemed like it wasn't just a simple iron armor like its appearance.

And it seemed like she didn't need to breathe either, when testing to drain the oxygen from where she was standing with fire and smoke, she seemed completely unharmed.

Thinking about it, even if she felt pain, she was originally like a Death Warrior who was awakened by Honkai energy to fight.

So the only way left was to destroy that armor with pure violence.

Thinking about it, wasn't it Kiana who caused a crack on the shoulder of that indestructible armor, perhaps they needed a more powerful physical attack to destroy it.

That armor was a variant of the Hien Vien sword, which could manipulate six elements, so simple elemental attacks probably wouldn't be very effective.

Then the only way left was to fight head-on.

Thinking about that, Yumeji immediately grabbed Kiana who was rushing forward to attack.

"Wait a minute."

"What's this again, can't you see the battle is getting intense!?"

'Yeah, I know, I'm not blind!' - Yumeji wanted to scream like that but held back and asked Kiana.

"That Neko-charm of yours, don't you have any way to make it stronger? Like compressing the power?"

"I've already done it! Do you know how hard that is!? To be honest, just releasing the Honkai energy and forming it is already exhausting. Strengthening the attack, I've already tried it but do you know how crazy it is to try it in the middle of a battle? Just keeping up with the battle is already hard enough, and I've never succeeded in any of my training sessions"

"Huh, you've practiced it?"

"Huh, yeah. The class president taught me but honestly I don't understand anything, what about transporting and circulating energy, if I thought about all that while fighting, I would have died long ago."

"Huh, why do I have to think, that has to be based on feeling?"

"I haven't done it once!? And what about feeling!"

"Huh? So you just lack experience?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Then I have a way."

"What way?"

Kiana looked at me in confusion. Then I grinned and said.

"Have you forgotten, I am the Master's true disciple?"

"You mean to be a living punching bag?"

'That's not wrong but don't say it so bluntly!' - I shouted that in my heart.

"Alright, turn your back here"

"What are you going to do?"

"Don't ask too much, just turn your back here, we don't have time!"

I watched the battle as Mei and Himeko-sensei used their swords together to deal with Chiyou while waiting for Bronya to fire artillery bombardments at her and then stared at Kiana.

"Alright, alright I know, don't look at me with that look"

After saying that, Kiana turned her back to me. Then I reached out and touched her back.

"Kyahh! What are you doing!? You pervert!"

"Calm down, I'm not doing anything stupid."

"It's not stupid"- Kiana whispered that but she said it so softly that I didn't hear it and didn't pay attention.

I ran my hand down Kiana's back and placed my palm on her back.

'Looks like this is the right place'- the place I touched was the place where the Kaslana Stigma Mark was imprinted on Kiana's back.

Then, I activated Boost and focused my mind to transfer its energy to Kiana's Stigma Mark.

I've done the transfer of Boost energy many times before, but that was on inanimate objects. I've never tested it on a living creature, specifically a human.

But I guess it feels like transferring power in swordplay movies.

With this, I think I can stimulate the energy in Kiana's body, adjust and divide the flow of energy so that Kiana can recognize and grasp the power flowing through her body more easily.

"Ugh! What did you just do? My back is tickling~"

"Shut up and focus on feeling it. This is not the time for such trivial matters."

"I know, you tactless thing!"

After saying that, Kiana closed her eyes and began to feel the flow of energy in her body.

**************

Kiana's Pov

What is this feeling…?

Something warm, gentle, creeping up her spine, as if every muscle, every nerve in her body was awakened from its slumber. It wasn't the powerful explosion or the violent wave like what she had experienced with her Honkai power before. No, it was like soaking in a hot spring in Hokkaido, or drinking a cup of hot milk in the middle of a freezing winter. The feeling was something she couldn't describe in words, but… it was so pleasant that it made her forget the chaos of the battlefield around her.

"What did you just do?" she turned to look at Yumeji with a suspicious gaze.

"My back is ticklish!"

"Shut up and focus on your senses," he said sternly, his tone mixed with a hint of nagging but not a hint of joking.

"We don't have much time."

His reminder pulled her back to reality. Yes, this was not the time to lose focus. Her enemy, Chiyou, was still fighting like an invincible god of war right in front of her. Her breathing slowed, drowned out by the sounds of battle. Mei and Himeko-sensei were still trying to hold her back, while Bronya focused on firing from afar

.

Alright, you have to focus, Kiana. Focus.

She closed her eyes, letting her entire consciousness sink into the energy flowing through her body. At first, it was chaotic, like a murky stream flowing rapidly, without any order. But then, miraculously, the energy gradually became clearer. Tiny rays of light intertwined, forming a dense network that she had never noticed before.

"Is this my power?" she whispered, almost not believing her senses.

Every heartbeat, every breath, every little movement she made was interacting with this flow. It was like a piece of music that she was the conductor of, able to control the melody as she wished. She remembered the training sessions with Class President, the times she tried but failed. She had thought that she was not good enough, that this power was too complicated to control. But now, thanks to Yumeji's intervention, everything suddenly became clear.

"So that's how it is…" She opened her eyes, a pale blue light flashing in her vision.

Yumeji stood right next to her, looking at her with a half-smile.

"How is it? Do you understand?"

"This feeling... is strange," she said, a sense of confidence rising in her chest. "But I think I understand."

"Then good, go ahead"

"No need for you to remind me"

She grinned confidently, holding her weapon tightly in her hand and launched it.

It was strange, but right now she felt stronger than ever. The feelings, the stiff movements that didn't match her will were gone.

Never before had she felt the world and her body so clearly like now. It felt like she was being born again.

All the uncomfortable and urgent feelings had disappeared. Her body was now light and it moved exactly as she wanted without any inconvenience.

Then, she accelerated even more with just a breath and....

-Neko-Charm.

The Honkai energy that had normally erupted indiscriminately when she used it until now was slowly adjusted to just enough and circulated that powerful flow of energy in her veins.

Exhaling lightly, Kiana rushed right in front of Chiyou and swung her fist. The Neko-Charm's will power condensed into Kiana's fist and slammed into Chiyou's face like a sledgehammer.

-Crack!

A crisp crack sounded and Chiyou was sent flying by Kiana dozens of meters away. Although it was only a little, a few cracks appeared on Chiyou's helmet after Kiana's punch.

As soon as she sent Chiyou flying with a punch, she snorted enthusiastically and declared with a confident expression.

"Now let this young lady save you, old lady."