In the dining hall of the Grand Narukami Shrine, Akio, Lumine, and the others sat together for a meal.
"Lumine, how did your conversation with the Shogun go?" Akio asked with a smile.
"Hmm..." Lumine thought for a moment. "I learned a lot from Ei, but I still don't have much more information about my brother."
"However, Aether and I have already made a promise. I'll travel through the seven nations, and we'll reunite at the end of the journey," Lumine said seriously.
"Good," Akio nodded, his eyes deep and thoughtful. "The end of the journey..."
"Lord Akio, try this," Kuki Miyuki said, placing a bird egg on Akio's plate.
"By the way, Akio, we're planning to go to Enkanomiya," Lumine suddenly said.
"Oh? You're going to Enkanomiya?" Akio looked curious. "So you've already heard about the soil degradation on Watatsumi Island?"
"Yes! But according to Sangonomiya Kokomi, there seems to be some kind of change in Enkanomiya," Lumine nodded. "It seems like a power similar to the Abyss has appeared there."
"The Abyss?" Akio frowned slightly. "Tell me more."
"Alright," Lumine nodded. "Miss Kokomi said that for the Watatsumi Goryou Matsuri, she's sent people to Enkanomiya many times to retrieve the Bloodbranch Coral. But now, Enkanomiya has been corrupted by a mysterious Pyro energy. This Pyro energy is so powerful that even those with Pyro Visions can't resist it. It also has a strange infection property—those infected lose their minds and turn into monsters. I think this might be similar to the power of the Abyss, so I want to investigate it."
"Pyro energy that even Pyro Vision bearers can't resist? And an infection property?" Akio frowned, feeling a sense of familiarity. Suddenly, his eyes widened slightly. "What you're describing sounds a lot like Honkai energy."
"Hon... Honkai energy?" Lumine was stunned, looking at Akio in confusion. Even Paimon, Ei, and the others were completely baffled.
They had heard of elemental energy, Abyssal energy. But none of them had ever heard of Honkai energy.
"Well..." Akio paused for a moment before explaining. "Ei and the others know this, but I'm a god from beyond this world. The power I'm using now is Honkai energy."
"Wait, Akio, you're also from beyond this world?" Paimon exclaimed in surprise.
"Paimon, let Akio finish," Lumine said. While it was surprising that Akio was from beyond this world, the focus now was on Honkai energy.
"Honkai energy is complicated to explain. You can think of it as a higher-level energy that far surpasses elemental energy. It has incredible power, but it's also extremely dangerous," Akio said.
"Honkai energy is highly corrosive, especially to living beings. If a living being can't withstand the corrosion of Honkai energy, they'll transform into mindless monsters that only know how to kill," Akio explained. "We usually call the monsters created from infected humans 'Zombies.' They're not very strong."
"In my daily use of Honkai energy, I almost completely control its corrosive properties, so this kind of situation doesn't occur," Akio said. "Only when uncontrollable Honkai energy suddenly appears in a specific area on a large scale do we call it a 'Honkai Eruption.'"
"A Honkai Eruption can cause immense damage, but theoretically, Honkai energy shouldn't appear in Teyvat," Akio said, puzzled. "From what I've seen, there's a theory that Teyvat is a world on the 'Imaginary Tree,' wrapped in something like an eggshell by the Primordial One, forming the false sky of Teyvat."
"If Honkai energy has appeared, there might be some trouble," Akio said.
"Ah? What should we do then?" Paimon looked at Lumine worriedly. "Lumine, should we still go? It sounds really dangerous."
"..." Lumine also fell silent.
"But there's no need to worry too much," Akio shook his head. "It probably hasn't reached a severe level yet, or I would have sensed it. Since I haven't felt anything, it likely means there's only a small amount of Honkai energy."
"However, since this concerns the safety of Inazuma, I think I'll have to go myself," Akio said, looking at Lumine. "This time, I'll go to Enkanomiya with you."
"Really?" Paimon was overjoyed. With Akio along, they would definitely be safe.
Akio's decision to go personally was also out of caution. If it really was Honkai, it would mean that Teyvat's boundaries were becoming unstable. Moreover, Akio didn't know how well Lumine and the others could adapt to Honkai energy. If they were infected and turned into Zombies, he'd be heartbroken—after all, he still had his eyes on Lumine.
"Akio, is it dangerous?" Yae Miko asked with concern, and Ei and the others also looked at Akio worriedly.
"If it's Honkai energy, then for me, it's as safe as it gets," Akio said with a light smile. "Because I am Honkai!"
"Ah~ that's so scary," Paimon was startled by Akio's last sentence.
"You little show-off!" Akio was amused by Paimon's reaction and pulled her over to tease her.
But obviously, Paimon was used to being teased. She looked utterly resigned, letting Akio have his way since she couldn't escape his clutches anyway.
Knowing that Akio would accompany them to Enkanomiya, Lumine felt much more at ease. After all, having a god by your side was the greatest sense of security.
"By the way, Akio, do you have a solution for the soil degradation?" Lumine asked.
"Soil degradation is just the influence of Enkanomiya's power. It's simple—if we erase Enkanomiya, the soil degradation will be completely resolved," Akio said casually.
"Erase Enkanomiya?!" Paimon broke free from Akio's grasp and flew up, shaking her head. "Sangonomiya Kokomi would never agree to that. After all, she said it's the place where their ancestors lived."
"I didn't say I'd help them," Akio said, taking a sip of his porridge. "Watatsumi Island still has to atone for its crimes. Why should I care about their soil degradation?"
"Once they've atoned for their crimes, if they can offer something that interests me, I might consider helping them," Akio said. As for what could interest Akio, that was entirely up to him.
"Alright," Lumine and Paimon nodded. After all, Akio was the god of Inazuma, and the Resistance had rebelled against the Shogunate. They weren't about to naively urge Akio to show mercy.
"Let's eat. After the meal, we'll head to Enkanomiya," Akio said. He wanted to see for himself—if it really was Honkai, what could have caused it?
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