She held Selina by the scruff of her neck like a subdued black cat. In the moonlight, her white kimono gleamed with a cold silver edge, and triumph shone openly in her pale violet eyes.
"An envoy of Takamagahara ought to have something to show for herself. Otherwise, how could I discuss serious business with you?"
With her neck gripped, Selina could not force out a word. All she could manage was a string of muffled, furious grunts.
Blue flames flickered across her body like a lamp on the verge of being blown out.
Yongye stood where he was, his Golden Cloth glowing warmly beneath the moonlight.
His gaze passed over Nōhime's smug face and settled on Selina's. Her face was flushed from the pressure, but she still glared defiantly. Then he looked back at Nōhime.
The smile at the corner of his mouth did not change.
The next instant, red light flashed in his eyes.
Nōhime's body went rigid.
Her pupils contracted sharply. The smug composure in her pale violet eyes shattered, as though a bucket of icy water had been dumped over her head.
She felt her knees bend beyond her control—first the right, then the left. The movement was slow and heavy, as if an invisible giant hand were pressing down on her shoulders.
Her hand released the back of Selina's neck.
Selina dropped to the ground and stumbled half a step. Clutching her throat, she coughed violently as blue flames flared over her body again.
She looked at Nōhime, who had been forced to her knees, and her face lit up with undisguised glee!
So what if you're stronger than me? You're still kneeling like a good girl, aren't you?
Nōhime knelt among the gravel and dirt of the open field, the hem of her white