I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

As Kiichi Hougen loosed her awe-inspiring arrow, the longbow in her hands rapidly splintered, fractures spreading like spiderwebs before it shattered into dust and scattered into the air.

That arrow wasn't a Noble Phantasm; it was the result of crudely compressing an immense amount of magical or elemental energy before releasing it in a single burst.

Nor was the bow itself a Noble Phantasm. Though forged by Kiichi Hougen's hands, it was merely a durable weapon—nothing extraordinary, lacking mystic enchantments or rare materials. It was a casual creation, akin to the projected weapons of Servant Emiya: functional but breakable, often destroyed in combat with formidable foes.

Shooting that arrow had been the absolute limit for the bow.

The Abyssal King Rifthound's body was now wreathed in a shroud of purple-black mist. It had seemingly redirected all its abyssal energy to bolster its defensive shell.

Even so, the storm-like fang of wind burrowed deeper into its body.

The furious wind elemental energy clashed against the abyssal force, each trying to overpower the other. For now, they were locked in a stalemate, neither yielding ground.

"You didn't really think that would be enough, did you?"

A teasing voice rang out. Above the Abyssal King Rifthound, Kiichi Hougen appeared, casually resting a naginata on her shoulder. Beside her, another version of herself stood, hand gripping the hilt of a katana.

These two weren't alone. On the ground, a third Kiichi Hougen held a tengu fan, and the one who had fired the arrow floated nearby. In total, there were now four Kiichi Hougens.

This wasn't the first time this phenomenon had occurred. When using her Noble Phantasm, "Rikutō Sanryaku - Maō Sondai Usen", Kiichi Hougen split into four distinct entities, each commanding a specific elemental force: wind, ice, thunder, and fire.

The icy chains that had bound the Abyssal King Rifthound earlier? They had been conjured by the Kiichi Hougen wielding the tengu fan.

"I've been testing your defenses for a while now, and I've got a decent read on that turtle shell of yours. That arrow might hurt you, but it won't finish you off," the Kiichi Hougen with the naginata grinned, golden lightning dancing in her eyes.

"But add thunder and fire into the mix, and the outcome changes," said the katana-wielding Kiichi Hougen. She unsheathed her blade and gently ran her hand along the edge, igniting it with a crimson flame.

"Wind spreads the thunder and fire," mused the Kiichi Hougen on the ground, casually resting the tengu fan on her shoulder. "And thunder overloads fire. Is that how it works? Since we're in Teyvat, maybe I should study its advanced elemental theory..."

"Don't bother! I didn't even like reading the books in Genshin Impact when I played. The recipes were way more interesting," chimed in the bow-wielding Kiichi Hougen.

"Forget the recipes! Aren't the characters the real highlight of the game? Ganyu and Xiao must still be around during this timeline, right? And Inazuma's got that shut-in and that sly fox," another retorted.

The Kiichi Hougens began bickering amongst themselves. The sight of someone arguing with themselves was as surreal as it was chaotic.

"Enough! Can't you focus on the task at hand? That arrow I shot is about to give out!" the bow-wielding Kiichi Hougen yelled, exasperated. "You're acting like some lazy wind god!"

"If anyone's like a wind god, isn't it you?" snapped the fan-wielding Kiichi Hougen. "You're the one using wind! I'm more like the ice god… even though the ice god isn't out yet. Maybe it's... Herrscher of Reason? No, that's Herrscher of the Duck?"

Meanwhile, the naginata and katana-wielding Kiichi Hougens exchanged a glance.

"Shall I go first?" asked the katana-wielder.

"Go ahead," replied the naginata-wielder, twirling her weapon with a flourish.

Though playful and irreverent, they weren't irresponsible. With the reminder from their counterpart, they got back to work.

The naginata-wielding Kiichi Hougen stepped forward, taking a deep breath before exhaling slowly.

Her eyes snapped open, and her golden irises glowed with the power of lightning. Her expression turned solemn and awe-inspiring, exuding an aura akin to a wrathful Buddhist guardian deity. Divine energy radiated from her, compelling respect and fear.

"Foul wretch of the abyss, prepare to face your end. This lightning does not carry the grace of Indra, Thor, or Zeus—it is the fury of my demonic might. Be crushed beneath the wrath of the Demon Lord!"

She reversed her grip on the naginata and took a throwing stance. Her voice pierced through the raging winds, and the golden lightning coiling around her weapon surged to its peak, concentrating at its tip.

When the energy reached its zenith, she hurled the naginata with all her strength. The weapon split the storm apart, blazing with golden lightning so intense it almost seemed liquid, striking the Abyssal King Rifthound squarely.

In that instant, amidst the swirling gold and green light, a fiery crimson glow erupted.

Above, the katana-wielding Kiichi Hougen raised her flaming blade high, her expression cold and resolute.

"Five hundred years of karma, five hundred years of sin... it ends here."

With those words, the crimson flame surged, overtaking the golden lightning and green wind, engulfing the Abyssal King Rifthound entirely.

The world turned red, as if consumed by an apocalyptic inferno. The landscape and all its sins were painted in fire.

---

There were no stars in the sealed space.

This was normal. Even the sun and moon were illusions. Perhaps clouds existed, but a starry sky did not.

The last time she had seen the stars felt like an eternity ago—long enough for all pain to be forgotten, for old dreams to turn to dust.

Stars... A beautiful word.

Whoever painted this masterpiece of the cosmos must have been a genius, to adorn the tranquil night with countless glittering lights, crafting a canvas both mysterious and profound.

Once, the memory of stars existed only in faded drawings and distant recollections. Now, it overlapped with the scene before her.

"Papa… Mama… and everyone else… You've all been waiting for me out there, haven't you?"

The girl stretched out her hand. Her gaze easily passed through her increasingly transparent palm, fixing on the stars above. They seemed to tell her tales of the past, praising her for her perseverance.

From her perspective, countless tiny motes of light floated upward, as if becoming part of the stars themselves.

The stars welcomed her, rejoicing at her return.

"Chika... has been a good girl, right?"

Her eyelids grew heavy. Sleepiness washed over her.

After all, the night had come. It was time for good children to go to bed.

This time... Papa and Mama will wake me up, right?

Then… let Chika sleep for a bit.

If she doesn't sleep well, she won't be a good girl...

---

T/N: im actually so tilted rn, i made an alt account on marvel rivals and holy shit are people in lower ranks so fucking stupid

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