KRSH CH1-5 (Patreon)

KRSH CH1-5

Chapter 1: Henshin! Become a Kamen Rider! Kiana!

Eastern Siberia is full of beauty that has not been trampled by modern civilization, but this area is also considered extremely cold—so cold that even civilization does not want to set foot here.

Especially near the Arctic Ocean, the temperature at night can easily drop below minus 30 degrees Celsius.

In such a sparsely populated snowfield, a white-haired little girl who looks only twelve or thirteen years old is running with a bag larger than herself on her back.

According to the development of previous stories, such a scene usually depicts the little girl going out alone to a nearby village to buy items. On the way back, she encounters a wild beast living in the snowfield, prompting her to run desperately.

Or perhaps, a little kid who ran away from home is being chased by an adult...

But—what is chasing the girl is more ferocious than a wild beast.

As the little girl runs desperately, she glances back and sees that about ten or twenty meters behind her is a huge white monster, five or six meters high, rushing toward her with an extremely terrifying momentum. Next to this enormous white monster, there are four or five smaller white monsters flying, each about one meter high and as white as mosquitoes.

Every time the huge white monster moves, the ground shakes slightly, and splashes of snow shoot up to more than ten meters high.

This white, silicon-like giant monster is the specialty of this world: the Honkai Beast.

In this world, there is a natural disaster called Honkai, and the Honkai Beast is one of the products of this disaster.

The fact that the little girl does not panic at this moment also proves that this is not the first time she has encountered a Honkai Beast. The snow under her feet, which almost covers her calves, does not hinder her pace at all.

"It's almost here..."

The little girl whispers softly, then suddenly brakes, throws off the big bag behind her while turning around, and takes out a metal iron rod from her back.

"Although I don't know why you are so close to the village..."

"But for the sake of the Kaslana family, I will never let you Honkai beasts hurt anyone!"

Even when facing a monster several times larger than herself, the girl's blue eyes, as pure as the sky, do not show any fear. Just like her given name and surname, Kaslana is a knight who protects humans.

And she, Kiana Kaslana, is also a knight who protects humans.

Little Kiana lets out a determined cry and uses the not-so-skilled melee moves of the Kaslana family's signature gun fighting technique, managing to hold her ground for a while.

Even with the strange power inherited from the Kaslana family, little Kiana manages to beat the flying Honkai beasts back step by step.

Perhaps because she does not have a proper weapon in her hand, or perhaps due to her inexperience, she ultimately pays the price of her baseball bat being completely damaged, but she manages to take down three flying Honkai beasts.

However—there are still two flying Honkai beasts and a huge Honkai beast that looks like a chariot.

Little Kiana is already panting, and the iron rod in her hand is now only as long as a handle.

Although as a member of the Kaslana family, little Kiana possesses extremely high Honkai resistance and adaptability, giving her several or even ten times the combat power of ordinary adults at her young age, her physical strength is not unlimited after all.

What's more, she has just turned twelve.

Little Kiana's physical strength is almost exhausted; her fingers are trembling, and the heavy breaths escaping her mouth turn into white mist in front of her face.

But as a member of the Kaslana family, as Kiana, who was named by her father and promised to become a knight to protect the people, she does not choose to give up.

Even though her arms and calves are already sore, and even without weapons in her hands, Kiana still waves her small fists and strikes at the Honkai beasts in front of her.

'It would be nice if I had a weapon...'

Little Kiana can't help but think of her father's dual guns. Although they are usually used to make toast and are easy to burn objects, they can be fired one by one in battle.

At least, if her stinky father were here, he would be able to shoot one by one.

When she thinks of her missing father, little Kiana's attention wavers for a moment.

But at that moment, the flying Honkai beast charges at her. Little Kiana instinctively retreats and dodges, but in doing so, she stumbles backwards and is about to fall into the snow.

At the same time, the huge chariot Honkai beast raises its massive forelimbs and stomps down like an elephant.

'Sure enough... Am I still too weak...?'

In that moment, the little girl's mind flashes with memories.

In her mind's eye, she sees herself thrown to the ground again and again, but there is always a figure in a blue windbreaker encouraging her to stand up once more.

Kiana knows that it is her father, Siegfried.

"The Kaslana family is a knight who has always protected the people! Do you understand, Kiana?"

At the moment she is about to fall, the familiar voice seems to echo in her ears again. A surge of power courses through her body. Her little right foot stomps down hard on the ground, and she steadies herself in a very flexible posture, preparing to punch.

I haven't found my stinky father yet; how could I give up here—

"How could I fall down in a place like this!!!!"

At the moment she roars, Kiana's small fist seems like a mere baby’s compared to the forelimbs of the Honkai Beast.

But in that moment, an action that feels like hitting a rock with an egg somehow manages to block the attack of the Honkai Beast...

No, it was not Kiana's fist that blocked the attack of the Honkai Beast, but something that struck the Honkai Beast just as the little white-haired girl raised her fist.

"BOOM!!!!!"

Amid the electric sparks, perhaps due to the adrenaline coursing through her veins, all the scenes in front of little Kiana gradually slow down.

She sees a flash of fire, like a meteor, racing through her sight, hitting the chariot Honkai Beast in front of her like an arrow from a bow, knocking the Honkai Beast away just as her fist is about to connect.

A wave of heat that feels familiar washes over her.

That is the temperature brought by flames, just like the two fire-breathing dual guns of her stinky dad.

"Dad?" little Kiana shouts subconsciously.

But the voice that responds to her is not a familiar one; it is the voice of a strange young man.

"Dad? Sorry, I was not married when I was alive, so I shouldn't have a daughter as old as you."

This strange voice stuns Kiana, for it does not come from behind her but from in front of her, amidst the flames. The fire that had just repelled the Honkai beasts seems to possess a life of its own, twisting and turning in the air before shooting down the flying Honkai beasts and flying directly to Kiana's eyes.

Kiana sees clearly that it is not a ball of fire, but...

"A sword?"

Yes, it is a sword with incomprehensible words engraved on it, and the guard bears a symbol that seems to be burning with fire.

"Although I don't know why I am still alive, my awakening means that your courage has awakened this sword."

"Little girl, hold me! If you have the courage to protect others!"

The young voice sounds again in front of her, and little Kiana is sure that it is the sword that is speaking.

"The sword... is talking..."

She has never heard of such a thing...

But... never mind. Since it is a weapon, she will accept it without hesitation!

Little Kiana thought to herself, disregarding the flames burning on the blade as she gritted her teeth and reached out directly.

The moment her slender little hand grasped the hilt, the scorching flames ceased to be painful.

A warm current flowed from her palm to her limbs, dissipating her fatigue and replacing it with an unprecedented surge of power.

Simultaneously, the flames on the blade began to fade, as if condensing into something new and gathered towards Kiana's other hand.

Almost instantly, Kiana felt a shift in her hands as two completely different weights emerged. The flaming blade shrank and deformed into a ball of light, transforming into a special device that stored a small dagger. At the same time, a strange voice resonated in Kiana's ears.

[Seiken Swordriver!]

In her left hand appeared a red book, the size of a mini comic book, adorned with a red dragon spewing flames and a line of words that Kiana could understand.

[Brave Dragon!]

Almost instinctively, Kiana opened the red book. Text appeared inside that she couldn't comprehend, yet somehow, she knew the meaning

.

[There was once a God Beast possessing a great power that would destroy everything...]

The moment she opened the book, Kiana understood the meaning of the special text on the Swordriver in her right hand.

"Put the driver on your belly!" the young man's voice instructed.

Without hesitation, Kiana pressed the driver against her lower abdomen. The red belt unfolded from both sides of the driver, buckling tightly around her waist.

"Now put the Book of God Beast into the slot on the right!"

"Got it!"

Kiana closed the Book of God Beast, which was still slightly too big for her, and pressed it into the slot of the Seiken Swordriver, grasping the hilt with her right hand simultaneously.

The moment the hilt was in her grasp, a wonderful melody emanated from the driver, and images flooded Kiana's mind. She envisioned brutal battlefields, populated by many robed figures. In each scene, a character stood out: they all wielded a Seiken emblazoned with a burning fire emblem.

The figures flashed through Kiana's mind, repeatedly drawing the Seiken from the driver and wielding it with the same posture.

Finally, the image froze on a black-haired young man wearing a black swordsman's uniform.

As he drew the blade, a voice resonated in both reality and illusion:

[Rekka Battuo——!]

Then the black-robed young man shouted, "Henshin!"

"Henshin!"

Kiana instinctively echoed this classic line, using her right hand to draw the blade. The moment she did, the dagger transformed back into a one-handed sword.

Little Kiana then turned her wrist, drawing two cross-shaped slashes in the air. Her movements were so fluid that it seemed as though she had performed them countless times before.

[Brave Dragon——!]

[When the dragon of valor and Kaenken Rekka intersect, the crimson sword will penetrate evil!!!]

The dragon surrounded the young girl with flames, forming red armor around her. The flying slashes melded into her head, creating eyes that could see through evil. A sharp blade protruded from the top of her head, and excess flames transformed into a skirt fluttering at her side.

The swordsman, clad in red armor and empowered by the red dragon on her right shoulder, emerged from the flames. In her right hand, the Seiken—known as the flaming sword—radiated a brilliance of hope, highlighted by runes that seemed to defy existence.

The fire swordsman admired her sword, and upon catching a glimpse of her own reflection in the silver blade, her handsome appearance was instantly overshadowed by her exclamation.

"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!!! Is this what I look like now?!!!"

"What is that on my head? A sword? Why is there a sword on my head???"

The little girl made sounds of excitement, touching her face... or rather, the mask of the Flame Swordsman.

"But—so handsome!!! Really so handsome!! And what was that sound effect just now? It sounds so awesome!!!"

"Oh, oh! You know a lot! I thought girls liked pink and shiny things!"

The Seiken in the Fire Swordsman's right hand seemed to express approval, as if it understood Kiana's feelings perfectly.

"Of course! Dad said that great swords and armor are the romance of men! And that magic sword and—what—Ara!" Little Kiana proclaimed proudly, hands on her hips and chest puffed out.

"And—I've grown taller! I think I'm as tall as my stinky dad!"

Not only did she grow taller, but her vision also sharpened. She could see clearly through her compound eyes anything hundreds of meters away, and her hearing seemed to sharpen as well.

Simultaneously, a force surged within her. At that moment, little Kiana felt as if she could achieve anything.

"This is the true form of the Flame Sword Kaenken Rekka, the Swordsman of Fire, Kamen Rider Saber!"

The voice echoed again. Little Kiana caressed the Seiken in her hand, whispering, "Kamen Rider... Saber? It just so happens that my dad said our family is also a family of knights."

"And Flame Sword... Rekka? Is that your name?"

"That's the name of the sword—but there's no time! Hurry up and defeat the monster in front of you! The new Swordsman of Flames!"

Upon hearing the young man's words, little Kiana flipped her wrist, struck a determined pose, and grinned.

"Okay! Then—Kiana, attack!"

With that, the new Swordsman of Flames swung the Seiken in her hand, slashing at the Honkai Beast before her.

At the same time, a new story began...

---

Chapter 2: Did the Kamen Rider Who transmigrated as the Sword Spirit Meet the White-Haired Dumpling?

After dealing with the Honkai Beast, the little white-haired dumpling transformed back..

At the same time, a young man wearing a black dress with gold edges, who looked like an elegant gentleman from the Victorian era but whose figure was somewhat transparent like a ghost, appeared in front of the little girl holding the flaming sword.

The young man had medium-length black hair that did not match his formal dress, and his cheeks were soft, but there was a hint of indifference between his eyebrows. A pair of cold, light golden eyes were looking at the blue eyes of the white-haired dumpling.

The young man's name was Hatsune. He was once a Swordsman of Flames and later became a full-time Swordsman of Darkness for some reason. He was also the last person to appear in the pile of pictures that the little white-haired dumpling saw when she transformed.

He was the only one who shouted, "Henshin!"

"You just said... your name is Kiana?"

Hatsune looked at the white-haired girl in front of him. Her voice was obviously a little surprised, as if she was recalling a distant memory, and there was a trace of melancholy in her eyes.

"My name is Kiana Kaslana!"

As if emphasizing something, little Kiana repeated her name.

"This is a name that I am proud of!"

Then she looked at the ghost in front of her curiously.

That should be the name, right?

After all, in Kiana's cognition, no human would be in a translucent state like the guy in front of her, or even floating in the air...

And... this guy's eyes are actually golden!

And—what's the matter with it being a little beautiful?!

"Is that so... My name is Hatsune. Judging from the current situation, I should become a sword spirit-like existence."

Or it should be like Yuri's state of human-sword integration, but much weaker than Yuri...

Hatsune added in her heart.

At the same time, he cast a complicated look at the little white-haired girl in front of him.

Kiana Kaslana... He was very familiar with this name, or he used to be very familiar with it.

It seemed that he had transmigrated again, and he had traveled to a mobile game world.

This was not the first time that Hatsune had transmigrated.

He used to be just an ordinary college student with a relatively rare surname, but because of an accident, he traveled to the world of Kamen Rider Saber.

He turned into a ten-year-old child and found himself in the Industrial Revolution period more than a hundred years before the beginning of the Saber plot. While wandering, he was attacked by wild Megid. After being rescued by the Swordsman of Flames of that generation, he was brought back to the Northern Base to become a reserve swordsman.

Perhaps it was his own talent, or it was the golden finger brought by transmigating, but Hatsune found that his talent in swordsmanship could be called a demon.

To use a more middle school second-year statement, he was born as a sword. Since he held a sword at a young age, everyone knew that he would be the pinnacle of kendo.

As the saying goes, who is the peak at the end of the sword road? Once you see Hatsune, the road becomes empty!

It was about this level of talent.

After being accepted as a disciple by the previous Swordsman of Flames, he defeated all opponents in the training camp of the North Base in less than three years. At the age of fifteen, he inherited the Kaenken Rekka from his master and became the new Swordsman of Flames.

At the same time, all swordsmen believed that Hatsune was the most likely candidate to become the new generation of the Master Logos or the Four Sages.

But at the age of eighteen, Hatsune's master defected after obtaining the Sword of Darkness Ankokuken Kurayami. When Hatsune arrived, his master was already dying. Before his death, he handed the Sword to Hatsune.

After that, Hatsune changed his job from the Saber or Justice to the Evil King Calibur and declared war on the Sword of Logos.

To be precise, he raised the Sword of Rebellion against the current Master Logos, the great Storius, who had lived for nearly a thousand years.

If I were to elaborate, it would probably take more than 100,000 words, so I will just mention it here.

In short, with the assistance of various forces, including but not limited to the swordsmen and chambers of commerce under his command, and even the assistance of the Lord of the Wonder World, Hatsune defeated all those who blocked his way and fought a decisive battle with the Master Logos. In the end, after the Master Logos took out the Book of Half Knowledge and Hatsune summoned Xross Saber at the cost of his life, both sides died together.

Or, it was Hatsune who unilaterally used the power of Xross Saber to cut out countless Swords of light and darkness to permanently seal the Master Logos and regain all the power of the Almighty Book.

Hatsune, who had exhausted all his power, slowly closed his eyes under the gaze of the Lord of the Wonder World.

When he opened his eyes again, Hatsune was awakened by Brave Dragon and found that he had merged with Kaenken Rekka into the form of a sword spirit. Then he felt that someone was summoning Kaenken Rekka, and then the scene just now happened.

The Flame Sword that came to the other world was awakened by the little girl who mustered up the courage to protect others, and wrote her own miracle.

"Sword spirit? What is that?"

The innocent and tender voice brought Hatsune back to reality, and he cast his eyes on the little white-haired girl in front of him.

Little Kiana at this time had already carried a bag that was almost as big as her, holding the flaming sword in her hand, and her big round eyes were looking at him without blinking.

It actually felt a little cute!

Hatsune resisted the urge to reach out and poke the little white-haired girl in front of him and began to sort out his memories of the past before he transmigrated over.

Although it was a bit too long ago, judging from the other party's height and dress, the current Kiana should have just embarked on a journey to find her missing father.

At this time, Kiana was obviously lacking in experience and common sense, but it was such a little girl who crossed Europe and Asia alone in just a few years and ran all the way to the Far East.

While Hatsune was thinking about how to use words that even a paramecium could understand, the little girl looked at the young man in front of her with some curiosity.

The current Kiana was not the paramecium who would be familiar with everyone in a few years and shout loudly for instant noodles with the flavor of a beautiful girl. The little girl now was just a little girl who had never met a stranger.

What's more, sword spirits were beyond the scope of Kiana's knowledge.

Hatsune put down his hand and thought about how to express it in simple and easy-to-understand words and sentences.

"Well... it's probably... the ghost attached to the sword?"

"Oh..."

The little white-haired girl blinked cutely and replied obediently with one word.

If you ignore the muttering that she thought was very quiet, but was actually clearly heard by Hatsune.

"It's still a ghost..."

"A ghost is a ghost... and you're talking about the ghost of a sword... It makes me feel like I'm an idiot..."

Hiss—

Don't be angry...

Don't be angry... Be nicer to human cubs!

Don't do it... If you break Kaenken Rekka, you have to find a new host!

Hatsune took several deep breaths to calm down his soaring blood pressure (if there was any).

Then he raised his hand, with his index and middle fingers slightly protruding, and "slapped" the little white-haired girl on the forehead.

"Ouch! Why are you hitting me!"

The little girl covered her head with one hand and looked at Hatsune with an aggrieved expression.

"Nothing, I just wanted to see if I could touch you." Hatsune savored the sensation from before and attempted to divert the little white-haired girl's attention.

Just now... was that Honkai energy?

Kiana may not have noticed it, but the moment Hatsune touched her, his spirit involuntarily absorbed a stream of energy from the little girl. At that moment, the part of Kiana that he touched transformed into a physical body.

So... I can absorb the Honkai energy emitted by this little girl to materialize myself?

Thinking of this, Hatsune raised his hand and grasped a handful of Honkai energy emanating from Kiana while simultaneously trying to redirect her attention. "By the way, why are you alone in a place like this? Where are your family?"

"My stinky dad ran away from home a month ago, and I'm looking for him now."

Kiana's attention shifted immediately, and she lowered her eyes in disappointment.

As for her mother... Kiana had never seen her since she could remember, but she occasionally heard her father mention her.

"Have you seen my dad? His name is Siegfried Kaslana! He has white hair and blue eyes like me, and he's a bit sloppy! Plus, he carries two very cool guns that can spit fire like your sword!"

The little girl's emotions came and went quickly, and she soon used the adjectives from her memory to describe her father.

"My sword doesn't spit fire." After responding to Kiana's description, Hatsune shook his head. "I just woke up, and I haven't seen anyone other than you."

He searched the memories still sealed in the depths of his mind. Siegfried... If he remembered correctly, he had been injured by the Herrscher personality residing in the little white-haired girl. He was probably recovering from his injuries and would secretly protect her later.

Otherwise, when Kiana was in danger just now, Siegfried would have intervened instead of waiting for Kaenken Rekka to awaken.

From tokasatsu dramas to mobile games... my journey through multiverses is really complicated.

"Is that so..." After hearing Hatsune's answer, little Kiana still lowered her head, feeling somewhat disappointed. After all, Siegfried was the only familiar person she had known since she could remember. Kiana must have felt confused and scared. This was the first time she had left her family, and she was now embarking on a journey to find her father all alone. She was only twelve years old. It was hard to imagine how she would navigate her way from this snowy field to the Far East in the future.

Thinking about this, Hatsune couldn't help but raise his hand and rub the little white-haired girl's head.

It felt nice.

"In that case, I'll accompany you to find your father."

"Really?"

Hearing this, little Kiana lifted her head, her beautiful sky-blue eyes shimmering with joy and a hint of fear as she looked at Hatsune.

"Well, to be honest... I can't do without you in my current state, and you are the recognized user of Kaenken Rekka."

Hatsune nodded and pointed to Kaenken Rekka in Kiana's arms. He felt that his maximum range of activity was about fifty meters from the Seiken of Fire, although he could also control this Seiken.

But he couldn't transform.

This was likely related to his loss of identity as a swordsman and as a human being.

"Besides... you don't know how to use it properly, right? Before you completely master the true power of Kaenken Rekka, I'll be responsible for teaching you how to become a qualified swordsman."

In addition to teaching Kiana how to use Kaenken Rekka, Hatsune also planned to share the swordsmanship traditionally passed down by the Swordsman of Flames, along with some useful knowledge.

After all... he didn't want the new generation of Flame Swordsman to be a fish that slipped through the cracks of a nine-year compulsory education system. If people found out that his successor was a fool, it would be his great shame...

"In the days to come, you can call me Hatsune, or you can call me teacher."

"I know, Hatsu!"

Little Kiana nodded excitedly, as if afraid that Hatsune would change his mind.

"Did you just give me a name?" Hatsune covered his face in exasperation, but when he saw the little girl's happy smile, he couldn't help but smile back.

Whether it was because he had become the spirit of Kaenken Rekka or due to his affection for the human girl, Hatsune couldn't ignore the little white-haired girl before him.

After all, the Seiken had chosen her.

And Hatsune once loved Kiana and felt pity for the girl who would have to be strong in the future.

"At least... I was also a Captain..."

Though he would have to step back for a year due to college entrance exams later—

"Let's go find a place to spend the night before it gets dark."

Looking out at the vast white snowfield, Hatsune said softly.

"You should know the route to the nearest town or village from here, right?"

"Yeah! I encountered those Honkai beasts on my way to the town. To prevent the town from being destroyed, I led them here and then met you."

The little white-haired girl nodded, raised her short arm, and pulled a map from the side of her backpack.

"I found some things at home—food, sleeping bags, and other supplies. I've been carrying these around for a month..."

"It seems that your father is quite reliable. At least he knows to leave something for you before running away from home."

"No! He is not reliable at all! He even burns the toast—but even so, he is the best father! So I decided to beat him up after I find him!"

"Beat him up?"

The first thing she wants to do upon finding her father is to beat him up? What kind of father is this...

Although, in a sense, Siegfried does deserve a beating.

"When I woke up, I found that he was gone, and I was so angry that I wanted to find him and punch him hard!"

"But now I’m not so angry; I’m just a little worried about him..."

"Don't worry. He's old enough; he can take care of himself."

"I hope so..."

"Rather than that, you should worry about yourself first. It will be dark soon, and the nights in the snowfield are very cold."

"I know, I know! I’ll get moving now!"

---

Chapter 3: Idiots Don't Catch Colds

In the end, even when it was dark, Kiana still hadn’t reached the nearest town.

Kiana had no choice but to rely on her limited experience and Hatsune’s help to set up a tent under a snow hill in a leeward area.

Afterward, Hatsune helped Kiana find some relatively dry branches and wood strips and started a bonfire.

"Huh~ It's finally warm~"

Once the fire started, the little white-haired ball, who had been shivering like a pitiful child, suddenly transformed into an energetic calf, warming herself by the flames, a happy smile on her rosy little face.

"Hatsu, you’ve got some skills! You actually lit a fire!"

Thinking back to how Hatsune had just asked her to pick up Kaenken Rekka and light the fire with a few strokes, little Kiana was amazed.

"So, how did you get by before?" Hatsune asked, a little helpless. If it weren’t for the fact that the white-haired ball had lost the flint at some point, she wouldn’t have used Kaenken Rekka for lighting a fire.

"Hehe, as long as we set up the tent and get into the sleeping bag before dark, we won’t be cold when we fall asleep!"

The little white-haired ball smiled foolishly, seeming a little proud.

"And I’m very strong! Don’t worry about me getting sick!"

Idiots don’t catch colds...

For a moment, Hatsune didn’t know whether to complain or feel sorry for this white-haired cub.

But there was one thing Kiana said that was very true—her body was indeed strong.

This strength didn’t refer to how exaggerated Kiana’s muscles were, but rather her extraordinary physical fitness.

It was hard to imagine that at such a young age, Kiana’s muscle fiber density was higher than that of national athletes. Her fist, which wasn’t even half the size of Hatsune’s palm, could give an ordinary adult a concussion with a light punch.

This might be why the Kaslana family is always at the forefront of the fight against the Honkai...

If Hatsune had the physical fitness of the Kaslana family, he probably could have beaten all the Northern Base swordsmen at the age of ten.

Thinking about it, Hatsune couldn’t help but sigh. Then he saw little Kiana take out a cup from her backpack, stuff a ball of snow into it, and place it next to the campfire to melt.

Then she took out a piece of hard bread, as big as two adult palms, strung it on some branches, and skillfully placed it over the fire.

"Do you eat this every day?" Hatsune couldn’t help asking.

Little Kiana nodded. "Yes, when my stinky dad was here, we occasionally had other delicious food, but now..."

Perhaps thinking of her missing dad again, the little white-haired ball became a bit depressed.

Seeing this, Hatsune pursed his lips and said, "Actually, I used to eat bread often."

"Back when we were training at the base, most of my companions were orphans, so we didn’t complain about only having bread and fish soup every day. It was good just to have something to eat."

"But just like in the plots of novels, although most swordsmen are orphans, there are always a few children who come from swordsman families, like your Kaslana family."

When the Kaslana family was mentioned, little Kiana’s attention was quickly drawn to Hatsune, and her mood gradually improved.

"Those children from swordsman families were used to eating a lot of meat and fish, so when they had to eat bread, they made a lot of noise, wanting something more delicious."

"As a result, they were caught by the instructor and locked in a small dark room. There were no lights or windows, just four walls, with only a small window to deliver food every day. Are you afraid?"

Hatsune threatened Kiana seriously, but the little white-haired ball wasn’t afraid; she just looked confused.

A small dark room? What’s that? Is there delicious food?

Hatsune could read such doubts from the little white-haired ball’s innocent eyes.

"Ahem—after that, I took advantage of the breaks in training to sneak those kids out to eat some good food, though I ended up getting caught and locked in the small dark room myself..."

In Kiana’s wide-eyed wonder, Hatsune began recounting his adventures running around with a group of mischievous kids, playing hide-and-seek, and sneaking into the cafeteria to grab food after hiding...

Later on, Hatsune even relied on the connections he had built by playing with those naughty kids. After training, when he traveled the world with her master, he joined forces with these rich troublemakers to do business.

With future knowledge and investments from the heirs of those future big families, the business grew from a single store into a chain, and eventually, a company was established to conduct business in areas governed by various swordsmen.

In the end, his influence spread across nearly all the areas of the Sword of Logos.

This was also one of the reasons why Hatsune was able to successfully infiltrate the Southern Base and kill Mr. Good Man before coming to this world.

"Master?" Kiana caught the word from Hatsune's story, a word that seemed both a little understood and slightly unfamiliar.

"That’s what we call a teacher."

"Hatsu, do you have a teacher too?"

"Of course!"

Hatsune couldn't help but knock on Kiana's forehead and reply unhappily, "Just like you were trained by your father, I also have a teacher who acts as a guide."

Hatsune's master was the one who brought him back to the Northern Base after wandering and was responsible for teaching him the swordsmanship passed down through generations of the Fire Swordsman. He was also the first to rebel after discovering the cruel plan of Master Logos.

It could be said that without his master, there would be no Hatsune today.

Hatsune's master was a very responsible teacher. He not only passed down the swordsmanship of Kaenken Rekkasman but also taught Hatsune the spirit of a swordsman. He made sure Hatsune understood that the sword in his hand was meant for protection, not just for killing.

Therefore, Hatsune also hopes to be the kind of teacher his master was—one who not only passes on skills and knowledge but also guides students when they can’t see the way forward, eventually watching them surpass themselves, feeling gratified that the students have become better than the teacher.

Of course, Hatsune didn’t expect Kiana to reach that level.

As long as she could successfully inherit the Swordsman of Flame's legacy and safely navigate the events to come, that would be enough for Hatsune to feel relieved.

Little Kiana was very curious about the teacher Hatsune mentioned and was about to ask more, but suddenly a burning smell wafted through the air.

"The bread is burning," Hatsune pointed out calmly.

"Bread?"

The little white-haired girl was stunned for a moment and then instinctively looked at the bread roasting over the campfire.

A layer of black char had formed on the once hard bread, with wisps of black smoke rising from it. The branch holding the bread was even showing signs of catching fire.

Seeing this, little Kiana panicked, shouting, "Oh no! My bread!" She quickly pulled the burnt bread from the fire and bit into it, not caring about the heat.

That bite was fierce. It was hard to imagine how this girl could take such a large bite of bread in one go.

"Ahwu—Mmmm!"

In the next second, the little white-haired girl's blue eyes widened, and her chubby face flushed red. It seemed like she wanted to spit it out but couldn’t, and swallowing was impossible.

She must have burned her mouth...

Hatsune's mouth twitched slightly. He reached out helplessly, gathering a handful of Honkai energy, and slapped Kiana’s cheeks gently.

"Hold still."

"Woo!"

Amidst the little girl's confused whimpering, Hatsune took control of her hands, grabbing the bread and pulling it out firmly.

With a sound like a cork being pulled from a wine bottle, the burnt bread, complete with teeth marks, was finally freed from the little white-haired girl’s mouth.

"Ah..." Her round eyes seemed to be saying, I know I was wrong, can you forgive me now?

"..."

Seeing this, Hatsune sighed and released his cheeks. Before she could say anything, he gave her another light knock on the forehead.

"Ouch..."

"Don't be so impatient next time. Act more like a girl," Hatsune scolded, pointing to the snow nearby. "Take some snow and hold it in your mouth. Don’t swallow it. Once it melts, spit out the water."

"Oh..."

The little girl, sensing that Hatsune was a bit angry, lowered her head and replied weakly. She glanced at the burnt bread in her hand, then back at Hatsune.

"..."

"Wait a moment. Use a knife to scrape off the burnt part before eating."

Hatsune rubbed his temple in frustration, looking helpless. When little Kiana heard this, her face lit up with joy. She was about to cheer but winced in pain, quickly grabbing a handful of snow and stuffing it into her mouth.

Seeing the little girl still acting so carelessly, Hatsune's head began to hurt again. He couldn't understand how Siegfried had raised his daughter...

Or maybe all the children in the Kaslana family were like this?

Thinking about the future and teaching this kind of troublesome student, Hatsune once again questioned Kaenken Rekka's judgment in choosing people.

"Why did you choose her so quickly..."

And why was I only chosen at the last moment?

Hatsune glanced at Kaenken Rekka lying next to Kiana and asked helplessly.

Unfortunately, Kaenken Rekka didn’t respond.

When little Kiana noticed Hatsune’s look, she puffed out her cheeks and stared back in confusion. Her blue eyes, brimming with curiosity, seemed to be silently asking a question.

"Ah..."

Hatsune sighed once more. He didn’t say anything, but it felt as though she had said everything.

---

Chapter 4: The Strongest Swordsman, the Most Rustic Swordsmanship

Just as the little girl was holding the melting snow and scraping off the burnt surface of the bread with a knife, Hatsune suddenly turned her head and looked into the darkness in the distance.

"What's wrong?"

Kiana glanced at Hatsune's profile and asked vaguely.

Hatsune's face was very beautiful, with soft curves on his cheeks, which was completely different from the rough and tough face of her stinky father.

The pair of light golden eyes was as dazzling as gems under the firelight, making it impossible to look away.

Hatsune still didn't answer but continued to stare at the darkness on the hillside in the distance. Kiana was a little curious and was about to ask, but Hatsune waved his hand.

"Shhh—listen carefully."

Hearing this, Kiana quickly covered her mouth and quieted down, listening carefully like Hatsune.

In the snowy plain at night, besides the whistling of the cold wind, there was only the crackling sound of the burning firewood in the bonfire in front of her.

After listening carefully for about a minute, Kiana finally heard a series of faint sounds coming from the distant hillside, like the sound of snow being trampled.

The sound was very light and seemed to be about 30 or 40 meters away from them, but it was so harsh in the silent night, as if some huge monster was constantly moving toward them in the distance.

It was a Honkai Beast!

With almost no hesitation, Kiana guessed the origin of the sound.

In the dark night of the snowy plain, especially in this season, Kiana couldn't think of any other large animals that would appear in the middle of the night except Honkai Beasts.

After all, even bears hibernate in the forest during this season.

"Be vigilant; you have to strengthen it."

Seeing Kiana's expression from the corner of her eye, Hatsune knew that the little girl had also heard the sound, but her mouth was still obstinate.

"Pick up your weapons, put out the fire, and then get away from the camp."

Hatsune quickly ordered. Kiana pouted, spit out the melted water in her mouth, then bit the scraped bread, picked up Kaenken Rekka, and fiddled with the snow to put out the campfire in front of her.

The movements were quite neat, probably taught by Siegfried, or she learned it while walking alone in the snowfield during this period.

Except that she was reluctant to part with the bread.

Kiana's equipment and supplies had almost been consumed during this period of travel, and there was no weapon to show except for Kaenken Rekka.

"What should we do next?"

The little girl held Kaenken Rekka, chewed the bread in her mouth, and looked up to ask.

"Climb up the hill first, observe the enemy's position and number. Retreat if there are many, and take the initiative to attack if there are few." Hatsune made a plan lightly.

It was called a plan, but it was just simple improvisation.

The enemy was not human but a group of silicon-based creatures without intelligence, so there was no need for too detailed a plan.

There was no need to hide. For the Honkai Beast, Kiana was as dazzling as a bright light in the dark night.

After all, Kiana was emitting Honkai energy all the time, the Honkai energy from the Herrscher's core.

Hatsune only discovered this when he held the little girl, and he could absorb the Honkai energy to materialize himself.

After hearing Hatsune's instructions, Kiana climbed up the hillside behind the tent without much hesitation, just like when she was training in the wild with her father.

After climbing up the hillside, Kiana looked around and saw several slowly moving pink light spots in the direction of the North Star.

When the dark clouds dispersed and the moonlight fell again, the pink light spots revealed their huge white bodies.

"They are lower-level Honkai beasts; probably all Chariot-level Honkai beasts. There are no flying Seraph-level or weapon-carrying Knight-level ones."

Hatsune took a look and quickly determined the types of Honkai beasts based on the information in his memory. After careful observation, he continued, "There are not many—only three. Let's rest after we get rid of them."

"What... there are not as many as in the daytime..."

Kiana didn't have the sharp eyes and observation ability of Hatsune, but under the moonlight, she could roughly see the number of Honkai beasts, so she muttered nonchalantly, "I'll transform and get rid of them!"

As she said that, she put the Seiken Driver on her lower abdomen.

Seeing this, Hatsune raised her hand to stop her, "No need to transform. If only these few monsters need you to transform, then you don't deserve to be a Kamen Rider."

Physical manipulation of monsters is the traditional operation, not to mention that they are just a few lower-level Honkai beasts. With the monster-like physique of the Kaslana family, there is no need to transform to fight.

"Then how do we fight? Just chop with a sword?"

Kiana scratched the back of her head and said in confusion, "But I don't know how to use a sword..."

During the day, when Kiana transformed, it was better to say that she used Kaslana's spear fighting technique than to chop with a sword, and Kaenken Rekka was only swung occasionally.

"I will lead you to fight later. This is also the first lesson I will teach you."

Hatsune waved his hand and said confidently.

Hearing this, Kiana was even more confused: "Hatsu leads me to fight? How do we fight?"

It's not a game where a max-level boss leads me to a dungeon or something...

Hatsune raised the corner of his mouth slightly and said confidently, "Hold Kaenken Rekka tightly and listen to my instructions."

After that, he flashed and turned into a stream of light, drilling directly into Kaenken Rekka. Just when Kiana was a little confused by Hatsune's operation, the small Flame Sword on the driver in her hand suddenly flashed and then changed back to the size of a one-handed sword and fell into Kiana's hand.

"Hold tight."

When Hatsune's voice came, Kiana felt a surge of energy coming from the hilt of Kaenken Rekka, tightly clinging to her palm.

The next moment, a force suddenly came from the sword, pulling the little girl forward.

"Hey, hey, hey! What's this for?!"

The little white-haired girl shouted and heard Hatsune's voice coming from Kaenken Rekka.

"I will control Kaenken Rekka to perform sword skills, and you will use your body to remember every move that follows."

It is difficult to teach a student like Kiana simply with theory or words. Even if Kiana is talented, she can't resist the characteristic engraved in the Kaslana DNA—laziness.

What's more, the little girl's personality is particularly awkward. She prefers actual combat to preaching.

So Hatsune decided to let Kiana's body remember every move and every style first.

Then they would slowly learn the details, such as force and application.

After hearing what Hatsune said, Kiana was still a little confused, but her steps began to move in sync with the speed of Kaenken Rekka.

It didn't take long for Kiana to arrive in front of the three Honkai beasts. Just as Hatsune said, these were three lower-level Chariot-level Honkai beasts.

The white bodies and powerful forelimbs were enough to prove their species.

As soon as they met, Kiana wanted to get ready, and at the same time, the three Chariot-level Honkai beasts also discovered the little girl and immediately launched an attack.

"Go on with a splendid attack!"

Hatsune's voice sounded immediately, and at the same time, the body of Kaenken Rekka exerted force, driving Kiana's body to swing out the first wave of attacks.

"The sword skills of the Fire Swordsman were created by the first generation nearly two thousand years ago and were passed down after generations of swordsmen improved them. They are the most suitable sword skills for Kaenken Rekka."

The body of Kaenken Rekka ignited a raging fire, dispelling the chill of the night, and accompanied by the flames, it became a sword dance full of hope, like the morning light.

The sword light drawn by the flames lit a bonfire of hope in the dark night of the cold snowfield.

The sword blades kept falling on the bodies of the Honkai beasts. These monsters, devoid of pain and wisdom, were like small animals being played with in the sword dance. Even if Kiana did not deliberately avoid them, the Honkai beasts could not touch a single hair on her.

The so-called swordsmanship is nothing more than the use and combination of moves such as chopping, slashing, stabbing, pointing, lifting, collapsing, cutting, wiping, picking, and twisting. The habits of each generation of fire swordsmen differ, resulting in various applications of swordsmanship.

But no matter how it changes, it is still fundamentally the same. The innovation and improvement of the fire swordsmen of all generations have finally combined and perfected this swordsmanship, allowing users to shape their own style.

In layman's terms, it is the most rustic yet the most inclusive and adaptable swordsmanship.

What Hatsune demonstrated was the swordsmanship that was shaped by him and belonged to his style.

There are no fancy names for moves, nor exaggerated special effects. It is just a simple sword move, but it is a gorgeous sword dance composed of rich sword knowledge.

Although it is obviously her own sword, Kiana seems to see a figure holding up a torch of civilization under the moonlight to spread hope.

Kiana was unconsciously immersed in this gorgeous sword dance.

"The moves are rigid, but people can adapt."

After coming to her senses, she noticed that the snow under her feet had melted over a large area, and the exposed ground was covered with the remains of the Honkai beasts. Hatsune's figure appeared in front of Kiana again.

"Practice is different from actual combat. No matter how gorgeous the moves are in practice, they can rarely be applied in real combat."

"What you need to learn is how to consume the least physical strength and defeat the enemy as quickly as possible."

The swordsmanship passed down by the Fire Swordsman is also the most practical swordsmanship on the front battlefield in a sense.

The little girl stared at the pair of indifferent pale golden eyes for a long time before she asked blankly, "Is it... over?"

"What else?"

Hatsune raised her eyebrows slightly and said, "There are only a few Honkai beasts with no special abilities. How much effort do you think I will need to deal with them?"

In Hatsune's eyes, the lower-level Honkai beasts without special powers were at most about the same strength as ordinary Megid soldiers.

Besides, Hatsune's former enemies were experienced Seiken users and the kind-hearted man who touched half of the Almighty Book.

If Hatsune wanted to take real action, the enemy would have to be at least an emperor-level Honkai beast.

"Go back, have a good rest tonight. I'll keep watch." Hatsune patted the little girl's head and said lightly.

"Oh, oh..."

Little Kiana just reacted, looking at the pale snow mountain, recalling the gorgeous sword dance from just now, and couldn't help but mutter, "So powerful... Is this Hatsu's strength? He didn't even transform..."

Hearing the little girl's muttering, Hatsune smiled slightly and felt proud in his heart.

Of course, after all, I am the strongest swordsman.

----

Chapter 5: Blank Book

"This is a story I've heard before. Legend has it that a Wonder Book created a world. It's a very magical book that contains the origins of various myths, stories, biology, science, and technology, among other things."

"Similarly, it also includes human history."

The next morning, Hatsune woke Kiana, who wanted to sleep in, urged her to finish breakfast and pack up, and then set off to a nearby village or town for supplies.

At the same time, in order to prevent the little girl from dozing off while walking, Hatsune also talked about the story of another world and the Seiken.

"A long time ago, there was a scholar named Tassel. He and his companions found this magical book and used it to create a fantasy world."

"That world is full of countless creatures and plants that only exist in fantasy."

"At the same time, Tassel also knew that this power was too strong to be used by evil people, so he and his companions agreed to protect this world and forged the two original Seikens with the sacred power in the Wonder book."

"One is the dark Seiken that can cut through space and reach darkness, the dark sword Ankokuken Kurayami."

"One is the light Seiken that can reveal evil and kill demons, the light sword Kougouken Saikou."

"Storius handed the two Seikens to his companions, and they used this to create an organization to protect the world with others who shared the same ideals, selecting the best among them to wield the Seikens of light and darkness."

That person was Yuri, the original Seiken user of light and darkness, also known as the world's strongest swordsman. The organization was the Sword of Logos, which was established by the first Master Logos and Yuri to prevent Megid or greedy evil people from obtaining the power of the Almighty Book.

However, what the first Master Logos did not expect was that even though humans were protected from Megid's invasion by the existence of the Sword of Logos, they would still fight each other for various reasons.

Bahato lost his family because of the internal struggle within the Sword of Logos. When his heart collapsed, he obtained the power of nothingness to destroy the world and was ultimately sealed by Yuri.

Almost all organizations are like this. At first, they come together out of enthusiasm or shared noble goals, but as time passes and internal dynamics change, these organizations often stray from their original intentions.

Even if those at the grassroots level are still fighting for the world, how many people in the middle and upper levels still possess that original passion?

The same is true for the Sword of Logos, such as the swordsman who betrayed Bahato or the great man Storius, who took over the position of Master Logos.

"Is this organization Schicksal? I heard from my stinky dad that it is led by very bad people," the little white-haired girl asked curiously.

"No." Hatsune shook his head and said, "Although these two organizations were established to protect the world, their natures are different."

The original Schicksal was established to protect human civilization and fight against Honkai, but with the decay of time, its internal nature has also changed.

Even after a certain golden-haired man overthrew his relatives and took over Schicksal five hundred years ago, he did a good job of fighting against collapse and developing civilization, but protecting humans...

Hatsune smiled and said nothing.

Kiana didn't know what Hatsune was thinking. When she heard that it was not Schicksal, she nodded, then looked at the Seiken of Fire in her hand and asked curiously, "What about this sword? Was this sword that can spit fire also created by that Storius?"

"I said that the Kaenken Rekka is not a sword that can spit fire!" Hatsune raised his hand and complained loudly.

The little girl shrank her neck and quickly said she didn't dare.

"The Flame Sword Kaenken Rekka is the first man-made Seiken created by the original craftsman after studying and referencing the Seiken of Light and Darkness."

Hatsune continued to explain unhappily and pointed at the Flame Sword in Kiana's arms: "At the same time, Kaenken Rekka is also the most special Seiken."

Kaenken Rekka is the only sword that can possess the characteristics of other Seikens, except for the legendary Haoken Xross Saber that controls omniscience and omnipotence.

Since it is the first man-made Seiken that imitates the Seiken of Light and Darkness, Kaenken Rekka has some of the abilities of the first two Seikens.

For example, the exorcism ability of the Seiken of Light, which separates humans from Megid.

For example, the prophecy of the Seiken of Darkness, which predicts the future like a curse.

However, except for the first generation and Touma, few Flame Swordsmen across all generations have triggered the exorcism ability of the Flame Sword.

Not to mention the ability to predict the future, which is almost impossible to activate.

"The most special... sword?"

Hearing this, the white-haired girl savored the word "special," and then her eyes lit up as she couldn't help but raise a smug smile.

"I knew that a person as special as this lady must be equipped with the most special sword!"

"Although I prefer to use guns, like the double guns of my stinky dad, and the Kaslana gun fighting style..."

Don't think about your family's gun-fu—

Hatsune rolled his eyes and couldn't help but complain, "Your dad probably didn't even think about teaching you the complete moves."

The Kaslana family's gun fighting is essentially a melee combat technique specially developed for use with the family-inherited Divine Key, Judgment of Shamash.

So you can see many actions that can be connected with slashing in Kaslana gun fighting, but this is also because Hatsune's own knowledge of swordsmanship is rich enough to recognize it.

Kiana, on the other hand, is only half-baked, so naturally, she can't see the mystery. The technique Kiana used in the transformation battle was Kaslana Spear Fighting, and Hatsune also noticed that many of Kiana's movements in the battle were extremely incoherent.

However, the little girl's physical fitness is strong, and those obviously incoherent movements can be twisted into a more coherent form.

Although Hatsune wanted Kiana to give up the incomplete fighting skill of Gun Fighting and concentrate on learning swordsmanship with him, he remained silent.

This was because Kaslana Gun Fighting is one of the few skills that Siegfried taught Kiana. Furthermore, aside from the name, it is also the most precious gift that Siegfried gave her. Using the Gun Fighting taught by her father to fight against the Honkai symbolizes Kiana's identity as a Kaslana.

While Hatsune thinks that Kiana's white hair, blue eyes, and clear beauty, which remain untainted by knowledge, are enough to prove she is a qualified Kaslana, the little girl doesn’t seem to think so. Deep in her clear sky-blue eyes lies a subtle lack of confidence.

Perhaps it was this lack of confidence that made her constantly emphasize that she was Kiana, Kiana Kaslana.

"Before you formally learn how to use Kaenken Rekka, you must first understand the relationship between the Flame Sword and the Wonder Ride Book."

Hatsune didn't want to linger on the topic of gun fighting for too long and directly continued the unfinished discussion.

"As the first artificial Seiken, in addition to being inspired by the two Seikens that were born at the beginning, it also incorporated characteristics of dragons to give it the power of fire."

Fire can be said to be the beginning of all civilizations in human history.

With fire, humans can eat cooked food, preventing diseases and expanding their food sources. It is also because they learned to cook that many cooking methods and utensils were invented, leading to a variety of delicious foods.

With fire, people can bake cold and damp caves to make their habitats warm. Only with fire can pottery be fired, and later, metals like copper and iron can be smelted.

Fire also enhances people's ability to defend themselves and survive. People use torches to drive away wild beasts, besiege them, burn wasteland to plant crops, use ashes for fertilizer, and develop hunting, animal husbandry, and agriculture, enabling humanity to progress towards a civilized era.

As the first man-made Seiken, Kaenken Rekka was endowed with the most special element of fire at the moment of its successful forging.

Therefore, the first Wonder Ride Book that comes with the Flame Sword features a fantasy creature easily associated with fire: the dragon.

The red flying dragon that gains the power to destroy all evil from courage is called the [Brave Dragon].

"Brave Dragon..."

Hearing this, Kiana took out the red Wonder Ride Book from her arms, staring at the red dragon depicted on it.

"It is precisely because you still have the determination and courage to protect everything even in the face of despair that the Brave Dragon recognized you and awakened me as the spirit of the Flame Sword."

Hatsune continued, "You should have noticed that there are three slots on the Seiken Swordriver, and each slot corresponds to a different type of Wonder Ride Book."

"Wonder Ride Books are roughly divided into four types: Book of God Beasts, Book of Animalss, Book of Stories, and Book of Functions."

"The Book of God Beast refers to fantasy creatures that exist only in myths, such as dragons, Pegasus, griffins, and three-headed dogs. The Book of Animals refers to real creatures that exist on Earth, while Book kf Stories encompasses tales that most people are familiar with."

For example, the prototype of the story book for the Flame Swordsman is [Saiyuu Journey], the prototype for the Water Swordsman is [Lion Senki], and the prototype for the Thunder Swordsman is [Lamp Do Alangina].

"As for the function book... I don't have one right now, so it can be ignored."

The function book actually refers to the Diegospeedy, which can transform into a motorcycle, or the book that can create a space-moving door of a suitable size.

These are the function books that Hatsune used before, but he doesn’t have them now. It is nearly impossible to obtain them again unless Tassel can cross the world system to send him a plug-in.

"Because of the different attributes and abilities, swordsmen can choose different Ride Books to fight according to various situations. If three Ride Books with the same attributes are used for transformation, the swordsman's potential can be maximized."

"Right now, you can only control the most basic one-volume form."

"You are still far from using multiple or combined forms to transform..."

Of course, to transform into two or even three volumes, one needs to practice hard for a long time.

After all, not everyone is Touma, who can achieve two or three volumes in a short period of time. Even the genius Hatsune had to wait three years after becoming the Swordsman of Flame to meet the requirements for the three-book transformation.

The prerequisite for transforming into the three-Wonder Books combination form is to possess three different Wonder Ride Books: God Beast, Animals, and Stories.

Unfortunately, Kiana only had the one Book of God Beast, "Brave Dragon," which is also the Ride Book for the most basic form of Saber.

"So... if there are no other different kinds of books, there's no way to upgrade?"

After thinking for a while, Kiana came to this conclusion.

Hatsune nodded. "Yes, that's right."

"Then... Hatsu, do you have different books?"

Kiana tapped her chin with her finger and said, "With my strength, I will soon be able to meet your requirements, Hatsu, so can you show me what the other two books look like?"

Hearing this, Hatsune was silent for a moment, then flipped his wrist slightly, causing three white Wonder Ride Books to appear out of thin air in his palm.

"Huh? Why are they white?"

The little girl was a bit surprised.

Yes, the three Ride Books in Hatsune's hand were the same size as the Brave Dragon in Kiana's hand, but they had no patterns or words on them—only blank spaces.

"As you can see, I only have three blank books."

Hatsune sighed helplessly, and the slow tone made little Kiana feel as if she had just been doused with cold water, extinguishing the fire of curiosity that had just emerged.