Chapter 434: Thousand Star Chronicles PV: 'Fictitious Tale • Three Thousand Worlds, One Sword Sweeping Through' (Part 2)

They were all broken.

Twelve imperial swords instantly shattered into pieces, countless withered hands crawling out of the black abyss grabbed the swordsmen's arms, trying to drag them into the abyss as well.

The price of every victory is all of the mortal world. And in the end, this all is completely lost.

The white-clad girl fell from a height, and in the depths of this black abyss she finally gripped the sole sword in her hand.

"Izumo Nation broke twelve swords, finally forging the 【Burden-World Edict Sword】… two names, one is 【Beginning】, the other is 【End】. Across the world, seventy thousand and forty-seven swords were forged, but only one can save Izumo."

Countless black shadows wielding swords rushed at the girl, but she dodged them all; in the instant her hair was lifted by the sword qi, her long blade traced a crescent arc of light. The shadows split in two within the blade's glow, turning into drifting black mist.

Then came the second, the third——

"But you and I have long known that the path to salvation does not exist. Tomorrow there is no trace to follow; humanity's rebellion against the gods will ultimately turn us into demons. We stake everything, only to exchange it for the destruction of two worlds."

"That High Plain of Heaven where the gods fell—wasn't it once as beautiful as Izumo long ago?"

——

Honkai 3

Kevin, what's wrong?

After looking away from the sky curtain, Ailixiya finally noticed Kevin covering his face with a look of discomfort.

Is it a sense of déjà vu from the content in the sky curtain? I thought you'd gotten a little used to it by now~

"No……" Kevin took a deep breath, "This sky curtain doesn't mention me in a single word, yet I feel every sentence is pointing at me."

Just mentioning the two words 'salvation' makes Kevin uneasy, especially the sentence 'the path to salvation does not exist,' which feels like a knife stabbed deep into his chest.

"Moreover, the 【Beginning】 and 【End】 they mentioned…… Aili, don't you find that familiar?"

"The 【Origin】 and 【End】, duh~ Of course I know, as the 【Origin's Sovereign】 I naturally understood right away. Still, the differences between Izumo Nation and Earth are obvious—though many places are similar, Kevin… you can't lump them together, okay?" Ailixiya laughed coquettishly beside him.

——

Baki

High high high high heaven——!!

Tokugawa was completely dumbfounded. Although he had earlier noticed that many buildings in Izumo Nation resembled those of Japan, upon mentioning the High Plain of Heaven in Japanese mythology, even Tokugawa Mitsunari, who had seen countless grand scenes in his life, felt his mind short-circuit instantly.

The High Plain of Heaven is the legendary realm ruled by the goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami, the dwelling place of the gods—undoubtedly a native Japanese mythological system, clearly recorded in the Kojiki; how could it truly exist outside Earth?

"Miyamoto Musashi, what… what do you think……?" Tokugawa, so nervous he could barely speak.

Although equally shocked, Miyamoto Musashi showed no loss of composure like Tokugawa; upon learning this fact, he even kept a blank expression, resting his chin, pondering for a moment before speaking slowly: "This is quite interesting… isn't it?"

"Interesting? Where is it interesting?"

"This shows that Izumo Nation came to Earth long ago and spread their mythology to us. At that time, we, to the Izumo people, were probably no different from 'primitive people' who had not yet been civilized; but in our eyes, those coming from beyond heaven were undoubtedly 'gods,' and the gods spoken of by those gods…… naturally should be passed down."

"You mean…… our mythology is false, spread by aliens?" Tokugawa felt his teeth chattering, "How… how is that possible??"

Miyamoto Musashi remained expressionless: "So what? Our writing, calligraphy, and tea ceremony also came from a neighboring great power; it's just mythology…… not worth being surprised."

"Furthermore, from their words it seems the gods of the High Plain of Heaven have already fallen. It appears their lofty gods can also be killed." Miyamoto Musashi smiled meaningfully: "A being that can be killed…… does it even deserve to be called a god?"

——

The girl's blade traced a clear, cold arc of light.

That strike was neither flamboyant nor violent, merely light as moonlight brushing over water——yet it caused the entire mountain piled with myriad swords to crumble in an instant.

"So, do you still remember…… why Izumo forged swords?"

"For a lie, for an end that never existed. We have long stepped into His shadow; every step forward makes turning back impossible."

The girl silently gazed upon the ruined Izumo Nation before her, and at the black 'great sun' in the sky; she slowly drew her broken sword, a line of blood and tears sliding down her white cheek to fall on the hilt…… the crimson tear transformed into a long, blood-red blade, which she gripped firmly in her hand.

"Until that final 【blade】 is forged——into 【nothing】."

The girl's crimson horns shattered like weathered red jade, fragment and dissipate; her waist-length hair, as it drifted, lost all color, turning snow‑white. She silently raised her head and, with her long blade, swept forth a streak of vermilion straight at that black sun forever out of reach, forever unattainable.

In a hazy moment, she seemed to see the former appearance of the twelve imperial swords, like ukiyo‑e appearing one after another in the clouds, finally swept away and engulfed by a deeper red.

"I know this world is as fleeting as dew, however, however……"

——

Valkyrie of the Apocalypse

"What do you mean? Susanoo? In the sky curtain, you and your sister Amaterasu Ōmikami and the other gods have all completely fallen, right?"

Loki glanced at the burly, tall man beside him with a teasing expression.

Susanoo——the hero of Japanese myth who slew the eight‑headed serpent Yamata no Orochi, who took the 'Kusanagi sword' from the serpent's tail, one of Japan's Three Imperial Regalia, and naturally his most relied‑upon weapon.

He stood with hands on hips, laughing heartily: "Me? Dead? Hahaha… that could never happen, right? Besides, my sister is doing fine, and I myself have to take the field to fight for the gods."

Susanoo waved his hand, gave a couple of casual ha‑has, then sat back down in his own seat.

Unnoticed, cold sweat…… had soaked his whole body.

(What on earth is this sky curtain? Could it be a doomsday prophecy of the High Plain of Heaven? How could the gods have fallen? Such a baseless prophecy is utterly irresponsible.)

(My sister wouldn't really believe this, would she?! Why spread a prophecy that would cause panic among the gods at this time? Ahhh, even though humanity's momentum looks decent, I really have no chance to win.)

(I remember my opponent is Chongtian Zongsi, a small‑framed person…… could the sky curtain's 'gods‑fallen High Plain of Heaven' be hinting that I'll lose? Tsk, indeed this kind of pre‑match morale‑affecting thing is better not believed.)

A bean‑sized bead of sweat slid down Susanoo's forehead.

The gods have fallen……

It probably isn't referring to him…… right?