If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them

Both elders were decisive men who wasted no time taking action.

Yokai power surged around the Great Elder, and he instantly transformed into an enormous, imposing dog.

Over ten meters long, he resembled a moving hill, his fur grayish white.

"I'll go on ahead."

The Great Elder called to the Second Elder, then carried Tōga and Ringetsu, who could not yet fly, toward the Dog Tribe's heartland on a cloud of yokai power.

"Lord Tōga!"

Red Evil Ogre tipped her head back, watching Tōga rise higher and higher until he dwindled to a tiny black speck in the sky. It felt as though her sense of security were flying away with him.

"We can't compare to them. All we can do is make the most of the present, then try to get as close to their level as possible."

Qitian approached from the side, carrying four substantial cloth bundles.

"These contain the things Captain Tōga needs. Everything is ready except the Panther Cat elder's heart, which hasn't been fully processed yet."

Qitian lifted the bundles slightly as he explained to Red Evil Ogre, then rested his gaze on her spirited face, which still held a trace of youthful innocence.

"Are you coming to the fortress with us, or heading back to the tribal grounds to deliver these to Captain Tōga?"

Red Evil Ogre thought for a moment, then said, "Since Lord Tōga didn't take them with him when he left, he can't need them that urgently. I'll bring them to him once everything is ready."

She paused and looked at the bundles in Qitian's hands before continuing, "But you can leave the things Lord Tōga needs with me for safekeeping. I can't keep troubling you, Lord Qitian."

"It's no trouble."

Qitian looked at her outstretched hand, then smiled and moved the bundles behind his back under her puzzled gaze.

In the battle that had just ended, Qitian had witnessed Red Evil Ogre's dashing prowess firsthand as she unleashed Iron-Reaver Soul-Stealer, dispatching several Panther Cats with crisp efficiency.

For some reason, Qitian simply wanted to talk to Red Evil Ogre a little longer.

The ancient Japan of this world was nothing like the tiny island nation in Tōga's memories.

Not only did demons and monsters spring up like mushrooms after rain, but the Western Country alone covered an area three times the size of Tibet.

As for the distribution of power within the Western Country, the Cat-Dog border served as the dividing line. The Leopard Cat clan held the east, while the Dog Yokai dominated the west. Together, they occupied two-thirds of the territory, with the remaining third divided among other yokai.

Within the Dog Tribe's territory, humans had also become part of the yokai power structure.

The reason was simple-if you couldn't beat them, join them. The weak submitting to the strong was an instinct inherent to living creatures.

Besides, if the Eastern Divine Continent had not sent several missions to spread civilization, the nations of Japan might still have had no concept of "humans."

Even now, many yokai regarded humans as nothing more than strange, feeble yokai.

The Great Elder raced through the sky with Tōga and Ringetsu on his back, flying at nearly the speed of sound.

The land below swept past like a blur. Mountains and rivers flashed by, everything becoming indistinct.

In less than an hour, they reached the Dog Tribe Fortress.

The fortress was a magnificent sight, built upon a thousand-meter mountain, with sturdy walls of earth and stone surrounding it. Its construction had taken more than forty years.

Looking down at the towering fortress into which the Dog Tribe had poured untold effort, the Great Elder swelled with pride and could not resist throwing back his head in a long howl.

The howl rolled outward, its sound battering the clouds like surging waves and echoing between heaven and earth long afterward.

Thousands of busy Dog Yokai within the fortress raised their heads together, gazing reverently at the majestic gray-white dog in the sky.

A ringing howl suddenly rose from the mountaintop, its powerful voice piercing the clouds in answer to the Great Elder.

The one who had called out was a tall, breathtakingly beautiful woman.

She had purple hair and black eyes, wore fine clothing beneath fanged armor, and draped her tail over her shoulders. A longsword hung at her waist, completing her striking appearance.

Her fully exposed right leg and left arm were as pale as milk in the sunlight, shimmering with a faint glow.

This radiant, valiant woman was none other than the Dog Tribe's Third Elder.

She looked up at the sky and studied the completely unscathed Great Elder. The worry she had felt upon hearing of their plan to surround and kill the Panther Cat Fifth Elder finally eased.

Yet beneath her relief, a quiet resentment welled up.

The Third Elder had always loathed that bastard Chi Yan. Both were young elders only one or two hundred years old, and comparisons between them, both open and unspoken, were endless.

As a result, of all the members of the Cat-Dog tribes, those two had clashed the most often, each wishing they could scatter the other's ashes!

For this ambush on Chi Yan, the Great Elder had chosen the Second Elder rather than her. The Third Elder was bitterly disappointed that she had missed seeing Chi Yan's despair before his death.

Even as she privately worried about the operation's safety, she could not help complaining that the Great Elder did not value the younger generation or give them enough chances to prove themselves.

Only when she faintly sensed violent energy fluctuations in the distance did her taut nerves ease a little.

She had ordered the fortress's Dog Yokai to prepare for battle while waiting for either the Great Elder or the Second Elder to return.

The Great Elder had no interest in what the Third Elder was thinking. With a howl, he conveyed a rough account of events to her from afar.

After she hurriedly exchanged greetings with Tōga and Ringetsu, he continued toward the Dog Tribe's heartland without even considering stopping to rest.

Watching the Great Elder disappear into the distance, the Third Elder drew her gaze away from Tōga, folded her arms, and grumbled.

"Damn it, I barely got to say a word to little Tōga and little Ringetsu. One day, I'll be the Great Elder!"

Unable to match the Great Elder in either seniority or strength, the Third Elder turned and instructed her deputy to receive the Second Elder and the other Dog Yokai who would soon arrive. Then she returned to her room at the summit to continue training hard.

"The cultivation method our king gave us is so obscure. The body is essence, yokai power is energy, and the soul is spirit. We yokai are born with powerful essence and energy, but how exactly are we supposed to cultivate spirit?"

"I can't figure it out, can't think it through, can't see past it. Cultivation is exhausting!"

The Third Elder had initially sat on a cushion with her palms, soles, and crown facing upward, but she soon gave up and sprawled on the floor, which was covered in soft Panther Cat pelts.

The neatly leveled ceiling of the cave reflected in her spirited, upturned eyes, which suddenly took on a thoughtful look.

"That little fellow Tōga has already created Dog Tribe Human Transformation. I wonder when he'll improve the cultivation manuals for the elders."

"Hmm, if I can ride little brother Tōga's coattails when the time comes, everything will be easy."

Recalling that small figure from when she had successfully advanced to a high-level yokai and become an elder of the tribe, the Third Elder-no, Zi Yan-touched her cheek and chuckled.

With a wave of her hand, Zi Yan formed a water mirror from yokai power. Looking at her reflection and the outfit that was both sexy and dashing, just as Tōga had hoped, she swished her tail.