At the very instant the last fragment of moonlight was swallowed by the thunderclouds, heaven and earth flared bright as day.
A vast azure dragon, wrapped in star-dust lightning, plunged down from the ninefold skies. Its scales scraped against the clouds, erupting in a metallic clash like gold and iron striking together.
Fangs dyed blue-violet by lightning snapped shut with uncanny precision around the throat of the wind-and-fire dragon.
The moment the two demonic powers collided, the very foundations of the fortress let out a groan, as though pushed beyond their limit.
Lightning radiance and the blaze of wind and fire intertwined and crashed together, erupting in a blinding flash that washed over the canine clan stronghold, once filled with flames and battle cries—bleaching it into a ghastly, deathly white silence.
"Who is that?!"
"Reinforcements for the dog demons?!"
The sudden strike was like a hammer blow to the head, jolting the overconfident Leopard Cat Great Elder awake. His heart pounded violently in his chest.
Blood-red eyes stared fixedly at the unfamiliar figure flickering in and out of view within the lightning.
Unease spread wildly through his heart. His whitening fingers clenched tightly around the skull-topped staff in his hand.
The demonic power within his body surged like a breached flood, pouring violently into the skull staff, which let out a pained moan as though on the verge of collapse.
The wind-and-fire radiance—already mostly devoured by lightning and hanging on by a thread, suddenly flared brighter.
In the next instant, the nearly solidified wind-and-fire dragon threw back its head and roared skyward.
Within its green dragon eyes, something like awareness flickered—bloodthirsty light flashing as its gaping maw lunged as if to swallow the azure dragon whole.
Deprived of follow-up support, the coiling azure dragon let out a mournful cry before being torn apart and devoured by the wind-and-fire dragon.
Brilliant fragments of light scattered like snowflakes, and within them, a tall, upright figure gradually emerged.
Clad in silver robes beneath black armor, wielding a Fang Blade blazing with lightning, his handsome, martial presence was like a brilliant meteor streaking straight into Ziyan's heart.
"Tōga!"
Like a wronged little girl finally finding her guardian, Ziyan—who had nearly died beneath the dragon's jaws cried out pitifully.
"Sorry. I'm late. From here on, leave dealing with this old cat to me."
He swung his sword, unleashing several Wind Scars that forced the wind-and-fire dragon back.
Stepping back to Ziyan's side, Tōga glanced at her; eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
Like a child who would never quite grow up, the voluptuous, mature woman instinctively reached out and clutched at the hem of his clothes, wanting a hug, her voice filled with self-reproach.
The terrifying power surging through the land's veins had been clear to Tōga even from over a hundred kilometers away.
When he rushed to the fortress at full speed, all he saw were raging flames scorching everything in sight.
Even with his Spirit Sight penetrating the unseen, he could discern only two life-lights belonging to high-level yōkai.
What that implied, just thinking about it made killing intent boil up within him.
"You didn't come late at all. And this fight was never yours alone."
Startled awake by the tearing roar of Wind Scar, Ziyan replied and quickly regained the stern composure of an elder.
She cast a glance at Tōga standing beside her with sword in hand. Thick lashes cast faint shadows, perfectly concealing the tenderness and reliance that refused to fade from her eyes.
'You always appear at the most critical moments of my life… I really lose to you every time.'
With that thought whispered in her heart, Ziyan stepped forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with him. The gleaming blade reflected her faintly upturned lips.
"Tōga, do you remember the fusion secret art you once mentioned, Demon Entanglement?"
She tilted her head slightly, gazing at him with burning eyes full of anticipation.
"Of course I remember."
The youth turned his head, fragmented golden eyes reflecting her bright gaze and pearly teeth.
"That was only a concept. I've never actually used it."
"So, will it work or not?"
"We can try."
"If we can try, then that means no problem, right? Then I won't hold back, I'll be taking your first time!"
"What kind of dangerous nonsense is that?! And you're not worried something could go wrong?"
"If something goes wrong, then I will cling to you for the rest of her life~"
"…You're really willful."
"A little brother is born with the duty to indulge big sister's willfulness!"
As she spoke, Ziyan released her yōki without the slightest restraint, winding it around Tōga's body. Illusory cherry blossoms bloomed one after another around them.
"Then I'll leave everything to you, my Dog General."
The gale raised by the wind-and-fire dragon shredded the sword energy of Wind Scar as, amid the Leopard Cat Great Elder's mad howling, it lunged again with bared fangs.
The Fang Blade in Tōga's hand trembled, ringing out with a clear cry like a dragon's roar that echoed across the battlefield.
Demonic power vast enough to contain and evolve all things spread outward like a surging tide.
Ziyan's figure blurred, and behind her, the phantom of a thousand-year cherry tree bloomed in breathtaking beauty—
This was the Sword-Cherry Tree manifested from the Third Elder's yōki, now resonating with the Fang Blade and emitting a halo of cherry-colored light.
"We're going in, Ziyan."
The blade of the Fang Blade reflected cherry blossoms falling like a blizzard, each petal seeming to gain a life of its own as it danced through the air.
The Sword-Cherry Tree had long since pierced through his back armor, merging as one with his heart.
Behind Tōga, a tattoo-like mark of blooming cherry blossoms appeared in perfect synchrony.
As if guided by instinct, a supreme technique was born deep within his heart.
"Ōgi – Sakura Fubuki: Tenretsu Fūzan"
[Secret Art — Cherry Blossom Blizzard: Chaotic Petal Heaven-Splitting Wind Slash]
At the instant the two colors of yōki fused, twenty-four pillars of cherry-colored light burst forth from the ground.
From soil scorched black by lightning and fire, countless branches sprouted and bloomed at a visible speed. Every petal was branded with sigils of the myriad phenomena of creation.
"Not good!"
The Leopard Cat Great Elder's spirit shuddered as an unprecedented sense of crisis surged up.
With no time to think, he poured out yōki without restraint. The male and female faces of the skull staff screamed shrilly, and torrents of searing flame erupted between the scales of the wind-and-fire dragon.
"Isshiki – Kenō Ryōiki: Shippu Madan"
[First Act — Sword-Cherry Domain: Gale-Mist Demon Sever]
The Wind Scar Tōga unleashed transformed into a sky filled with cherry blossoms, which in turn became the phantoms of three hundred sword-wielding warriors—
Each bore a ferocious Hannya mask upon its face.
The demon warriors charged forward atop falling petals, their blades leaving cherry-colored trails wherever they passed.
The instant the wind-and-fire dragon tore apart the front ranks, the shattered figures exploded into petals, forming cherry-hued wind blades.
They sliced into the dragon's body, plundering its demonic power.
Each time enough was absorbed, the wind blades reformed into Hannya demon warriors, shrieking with piercing laughter as they swung swords and cleaved apart the increasingly insubstantial body of the wind-and-fire dragon.
On the ground, the twenty-four blooming pillars of cherry light crossed and linked together. The cherry blossom patterns spread like a vast, opened net, enveloping the entire canine clan fortress.
Leopard Cat soldiers trapped within the cherry-patterned barrier, leaders and foot soldiers alike were instantly pierced and torn apart by vine-like demon cherry roots erupting from the earth.
Their flesh and blood became the energy source of the barrier. In moments, the Leopard Cat army descended into chaos, filled with miserable screams.
The dog demons, who had not yet recovered from the dizzying upheaval, were instead flung one by one beyond the barrier—
Staring in stunned disbelief at the fortress, now utterly drowned in a sea of cherry blossoms.
—
[T/N: The Hannya Mask is a traditional Japanese Noh theater mask representing a jealous female demon, known as an onryō (vengeful spirit). It features sharp bull-like horns, metallic eyes, a leering mouth with sharp teeth, and an expression that shifts dramatically based on viewing angle—appearing wrathful when viewed straight on and sorrowful when tilted downward. This duality shows the emotional state of a woman consumed by jealousy, obsession, and rage, often due to betrayal in love. ]