"Cooperate? What do you have in mind?"
Setsuna no Takemaru was filled with hatred for yokai, yet now a Greater Yokai wanted to work with him to kill the enemy he most wanted dead!
At a time like this, Setsuna no Takemaru naturally knew which choice would benefit him most.
"Dog Castle's defenses are thin right now. If you lead your city's entire army against Dog Castle on the day Tōga and Michinaga of the Leopard Cat Tribe fight to the death, then with my help, we can certainly take it!
Then you can reclaim the woman you love, while I kill Tōga for you. We both win. Wouldn't that be splendid?"
Ryūkotsusei spoke with a smile, but that smile was eerily unsettling and hideous beyond belief.
He actually had the same idea as me?!
Setsuna no Takemaru was immediately startled. He had already intended to attack Dog Castle while Tōga was fighting Michinaga of the Leopard Cat Tribe and the Flying Moth.
He simply hadn't been confident enough before. After all, Dog Castle was the Dog Tribe's stronghold.
Even if Tōga led most of his people into battle, plenty of yokai would still remain to guard the castle.
But with Ryūkotsusei's strength added to his own, they could certainly destroy all of Dog Castle!
He understood that once news of the attack on Dog Castle reached Tōga, Tōga would be frantic with worry, desperate to return at once.
That would give Ryūkotsusei the perfect opportunity for a surprise attack.
"Are you certain you can kill Tōga?"
Although Setsuna no Takemaru had already agreed in his heart, he couldn't help asking one more question.
After all, Ryūkotsusei had lost to Tōga decades ago and must have suffered grievous injuries. Otherwise, why would he have hidden away for so long without showing himself?
He had some doubts about Ryūkotsusei's strength.
"Hmph! No matter how strong Tōga is, he'll be exhausted after fighting those two mighty Great Yokai, Michinaga and the Flying Moth. And with Dog Castle in danger, he'll be distracted. Under those circumstances, killing him will be no harder than killing a dog!"
Ryūkotsusei snorted coldly. If Setsuna no Takemaru hadn't still been useful, that last question alone would have been enough to make his blood spill right there!
"Killing him will be no harder than killing a dog?"
Setsuna no Takemaru's expression turned strange. Isn't Tōga's true form a dog? Didn't you lose to that very dog before?
But he only mocked him inwardly. After all, however unimpressive Ryūkotsusei might be, he was still a genuine Great Yokai.
"All right! I agree..."
Setsuna no Takemaru hesitated briefly, and just as he opened his mouth to agree, Ryūkotsusei turned to look in another direction.
"Get out here!"
Ryūkotsusei's cold shout swept through the air like raging waves, surging across the land and sky and shattering a vast swath of bamboo into splinters.
Two figures abruptly appeared before them.
"This is bad! Qitian, run!"
Suppressing the pain pounding through his head from the sonic wave, Red Evil Ogre shouted to the burly Qitian beside him and fled desperately into the distance.
With his cannon over his shoulder, Qitian had no time to think and hurried after him.
"Trying to run? Ridiculous!"
The corners of Ryūkotsusei's mouth lifted slightly. He strode forward with majestic force, crossing dozens of yards in a single step. His speed was so great that he vanished from Setsuna no Takemaru's sight almost as though he had teleported.
Within moments, Ryūkotsusei stood barring Red Evil Ogre and Qitian's path.
"So it's the little yokai who serve that old dog. What are you doing here? Speak!"
Ryūkotsusei's gaze was icy. He recognized Red Evil Ogre and Qitian at once.
But their presence here was truly strange. The Leopard Cat Tribe and the Dog Tribe were at war, and these two were Tōga's trusted commanders. Why would they be here?
There was certainly a secret behind this that he knew nothing about.
"Hmph, Ryūkotsusei. I never thought you were still alive. You want to know why we're here? Forget it!"
Red Evil Ogre's expression darkened, his heart sinking to its lowest point.
He had never imagined that such a simple assignment-capturing a human general alive with Qitian-would bring him face-to-face with something like this.
This turn of events had caught both Red Evil Ogre and Qitian completely off guard.
Before them stood Ryūkotsusei, a mighty Great Yokai as renowned as their Great General. Now there truly was no escape.
"It seems I, Ryūkotsusei, have stayed hidden for so many years that even the little yokai serving that old dog have forgotten how terrifying I am!"
As soon as Ryūkotsusei finished speaking, his aura pressed down heavily on Red Evil Ogre and Qitian, as vast as a boundless ocean and almost tangible!
"You..."
Red Evil Ogre and Qitian shuddered. Every part of their bodies felt as though it were being struck by heavy blows. In their eyes, Ryūkotsusei seemed to have become a dragon god, looking down upon them!
"Kneel!"
The almost tangible sound waves thundered through heaven and earth, deafening Red Evil Ogre and Qitian. Their bodies bent and shook violently!
"Ah! In this life... we kneel... only to... the Great General...!"
Red Evil Ogre and Qitian's faces flushed crimson. The Demon Blood throughout their bodies boiled, their veins bulged, and all their demon power surged as they resisted again and again!
"Very well. Then I'll cripple you both completely!"
Ryūkotsusei extended his hand. Green light flashed across his arm, turning it into a dragon claw that tore through the air with a sound like the wailing of ghosts!
The claw descended from above. It was an utterly simple movement, yet it carried power so terrifying that it drove them to despair.
"Fire Dragon Tornado!"
"Qitian Cannon!"
As Red Evil Ogre and Qitian watched Ryūkotsusei's dragon claw descend, blood vessels burst throughout their bodies. They drove their weapons with demon power, unleashing every last bit of strength they possessed!
The Red Evil Ogre Fan shone with blazing red light. Amid churning air currents, crimson flames soared skyward, and an enormous Fire Dragon Tornado surged toward the claw.
Meanwhile, the Qitian Cannon on Qitian's back gathered and compressed all the demon power he possessed, unleashing its most magnificent, perfect shot.
The energy fluctuations shook the air. With a cannon blast that thundered into the sky, he fired at Ryūkotsusei!
Two streams of fiercely burning cannon energy fused into one and plunged into the Fire Dragon Tornado Red Evil Ogre had unleashed!
"Qitian Fire Dragon Break!"
The searing ball of cannon energy resembled a dragon's head, while the flaming tornado became a dragon's body amid the swirling air currents.
A crimson-flamed flying dragon roared, igniting everything in its path as it charged straight at Ryūkotsusei!
"Hm?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Ryūkotsusei's eyes. He hadn't expected Red Evil Ogre and Qitian to combine their strength into a finishing move like this. It already bore the beginnings of a Mystic Art!
"A pity your power is too weak!"
Ryūkotsusei's descending dragon claw did not change in the slightest. He merely curled it into a fist, then smashed it down like a massive hammer!
Boom!
The crimson-flamed flying dragon was struck by an explosively powerful blow. The force shattered it instantly, and all its fiery energy dissipated high in the air.
The surrounding ground sank several inches beneath the pressure of the blast. Ryūkotsusei's strength and the power of his body were simply unbelievable.
That hammering blow shattered the flying dragon, shattered the air, and shattered Red Evil Ogre and Qitian's hopes!
Ryūkotsusei's dragon claw stopped before Red Evil Ogre and Qitian, and he spoke coldly:
"Tell me why you came here!"
Red Evil Ogre and Qitian exchanged a glance. They had fought side by side for many years and followed Tōga for centuries. How could they possibly betray their Great General?
"You... lean closer... and listen..."
Red Evil Ogre endured the excruciating pain. He was covered in blood and could no longer move.
Ryūkotsusei frowned slightly, but he still crouched down to listen.
"Die!"
Red Evil Ogre's eyes turned vicious. He bit down on Ryūkotsusei's ear and unleashed every last scrap of power within his body. At that moment, he and Qitian blazed with their final radiance!
They detonated themselves!
Flames shot into the sky and energy burst in every direction. The flames of their lives devoured everything, carrying Red Evil Ogre and Qitian's resolve as they swept through hundreds of meters of bamboo forest!
Before you continue