HI3: I Don't Want to Be a Valkyrie

Gazing at the slain Honkai Beast, Kallen approached and retrieved the Honkai Crystal.

While the crystal had limited use for her, it was far too dangerous to be ingested by animals or obtained by humans.

Either scenario would be nothing short of a catastrophe.

Those capable of controlling Honkai energy would always be a select few.

For others, acquiring it meant either complete physical breakdown, transforming into a monster, or becoming a suicide warrior.

Even becoming a suicide warrior wasn't an option for just anyone; only girls with exceptional aptitude could do it. If you were a boy?

There's no hope for you. You'd be better off waiting to die!

Unless you were one of those rare men who could harness Honkai energy.

But such beings were exceedingly rare...

-

After retrieving the Honkai fragments, Kallen continued on her journey...

These things can be experimented with later. The most important thing is to get to Shinano first.

Everything else is secondary.

-

Shinano...

The nation of Shinano, with its perilous mountainous terrain, was an ideal stronghold in a sea of surrounding lands. It found itself coveted by its ten neighboring provinces, all of whom eyed it like hungry tigers looking at an uninhibited lamb.

In the era of civil wars, Shinano had always been the focal point of contention between the Kai Takeda clan and the Echigo Uesugi family.

This era would never know peace.

Due to Shinano's unique geography, which lacked rivers, rainfall had always been the primary source of water for its agricultural fields.

In recent years, however, inexplicably, a widespread drought had gripped the region. The villages surrounding Shinano found themselves increasingly burdened by this prolonged dry spell.

This year's crop practically turned into nothing.

-

In Shinano, there lay a village steeped in legend. It was said that by offering a village maiden to the fox spirits, these divine beings would manifest and bless the village with rain.

The villagers, true believers in this tale, had for generations worshipped a fox spirit that existed only in their imaginations.

This village... was called Yae Village!

A place of extraordinary "beauty."

The village was blessed with exceptional talent and a favorable environment. Its inhabitants were known to be particularly "pure" and "thick-skinned."

At the heart of the village stood an ancient cherry blossom tree. Come spring, delicate petals would drift gently down the roads, creating an ethereal atmosphere, as if one were dreaming.

It was as if the entire village had been painted with a layer of gauzy, otherworldly mist.

The pale pink blossoms fell softly, like light snowflakes, carrying a faint fragrance that wafted on the breeze, whispering away all worldly worries.

On the mountain bordering Yae Village stood a shrine: Yae Shrine. This sacred ground was not only the spiritual center of the village but also the place where the villagers communicated with the fox spirit, offering prayers and devotion.

The head of the Yae Shrine at that time had a daughter named Yae Sakura. Sakura had a younger sister, Yae Rin. Sakura loved her younger sister dearly, but Rin had been frail since childhood. Thus, as the eldest daughter, Sakura was trained as a miko from a young age, preparing to inherit her family's duties at the shrine.

Though it was called shrine maiden training, this world lacked any other supernatural forces. If there was one presence to be reckoned with, it was the energy of Honkai.

It was clear that an ordinary shrine in the Far East would have no such Honkai energy, nor the genes of any Honkai beasts.

So, what the shrine maiden training actually consisted of were normal etiquette rituals and... ordinary sword techniques.

-

Due to another devastating drought, the crops were left parched and as the granaries stood empty, the villagers of Yae Village sprang into action.

The villagers gathered and approached the shenju — the head priest of Yae Shrine and father of the Yae Sakura sisters — to seek a solution to their plight.

Among them was young Yae Sakura, barely ten years old, who sat respectfully beside her father as an apprentice miko.

"My lord," one villager pleaded, "it hasn't rained for three months now. Our fields are turning into dust."

"This can't go on," another chimed in, clearly worried. "And what's worse..."

The villagers engaged in heated discussion, their voices filled with lamentation and complaint. Yae Sakura knew she had no place in this debate and simply sat beside her father like a well-behaved kitten.

The shenju closed his eyes, pondering deeply. "We performed the ritual just a month ago. Why is this happening?"

An elderly woman, overhearing this, cursed and said, "It's because the last sacrifice wasn't virgin blood! The gods were angered. This happened ten years ago too. Only the sacrifice of a pure miko's blood can quell the divine wrath." As she finished, she shot a barely perceptible glance in Yae Sakura's direction.

At these words, Yae Sakura felt a inexplicable chill. Like a frightened young animal, she looked at the speaker with bewilderment and terror, then cast a helpless, slightly pleading gaze at her father beside her.

In truth, she wasn't seeking mercy for herself. She knew well that the long-term benefits she could bring to the village far outweighed a mere rainstorm. Her father knew this too, as did the villagers.

But what if, by comparison, there was another option – someone chronically ill, physically frail, whose passing at any moment would be regarded as unremarkable? Someone who also met every other condition?

Human desires can be amplified infinitely.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Yae Sakura stared uneasily at her father, who had fallen into contemplation.

Everyone had stopped their discussions, awaiting the godly king's decision.

The oppressive silence weighed heavily on Yae Sakura's chest. Her mouth, unused to speaking for so long, felt parched. At that moment, all she wanted was to escape the meeting swiftly and return to her sister, Yae Rin.

Yae Sakura's father remained silent for a prolonged period, his face etched with an unshakeable weariness. As he stood up, all eyes in the room focused on him.

Yae Sakura looked at him anxiously. In that moment, her usually formidable father seemed to shrink in stature, becoming small and vulnerable.

"I understand now," he continued. "Rin's long illness has not abated; her health grows worse with each passing day. If she knew she could make a contribution to our village in her final moments, I'm sure she would find joy in it."

These words left Yae Sakura's mind utterly blank. Her face turned ashen, and a heavy blow seemed to have struck her chest, making even breathing a struggle. She gazed at her father, bewildered—never before had he seemed so distant to her.

Desperately, she glanced at the others, hoping someone would speak up and withdraw this decision.

But...

"Really? Then we don't need to worry anymore."

"That's wonderful..."

Not a single person responded to her unspoken plea.

Yae Sakura felt utterly isolated. Amidst the crowd, she appeared so frail and tiny, like a delicate flower trembling on the brink of being swept away by the storm. Overwhelmed by a powerless sense of being at odds with the entire world, she felt her tiny face drain of all color, leaving her looking suddenly aged.