A Golden Age of Paradise

"Iron-Reaver Soul-Stealer!"

Golden claw marks swept through the air with a piercing whistle, effortlessly killing a trash yokai.

Before the spattered blood could hit the ground, a frenzied figure crashed through it.

In a mountain forest where the snow had just melted and the tips of grass were beginning to show, more than a dozen dog yokai spread out in a fan, their eyes sharp as hawks'.

Led by Red Evil Ogre, they charged like tigers descending a mountain, brazenly attacking nearly a hundred trash yokai that looked like spicy snack strips.

Just as the children of great yokai were destined to become high-level yokai, these trash yokai, whose lives were as fleeting as mayflies and as worthless as weeds, would remain mindless trash their entire lives.

One dog yokai suddenly pounced on a trash yokai, its sharp claws like blades gleaming with cold light.

In an instant, it tore its opponent in two from head to toe. Blood gushed out, staining the ground red and nourishing the vegetation.

Another dog yokai leaped high and flipped in midair, its powerful hind leg swinging like a solid iron rod as it kicked viciously at a trash yokai's head.

With a crisp crack, the yokai's skull shattered under the kick, scattering brain matter.

Though the trash yokai were numerous, they were utterly helpless against the dog yokai's fierce, ruthless attacks.

They let out waves of agonized screams and scattered in every direction, trying to escape the pursuing dog yokai.

"Awoooo!"

Having received Tōga's instruction, Red Evil Ogre let out a long howl that resounded through the mountain forest, directing the dog yokai to advance and retreat in an orderly fashion rather than blindly giving chase in a killing frenzy.

In this forest thick with the stench of blood and a jumble of scents, even the Dog Tribe's keen noses had become somewhat unreliable.

Just behind the trash yokai that had barely fled any distance, another great horde of trash yokai suddenly emerged with a shrill screech.

Sweeping up the remnants of the first group, they continued their deranged muttering and charged recklessly toward the dog yokai troops led by Red Evil Ogre.

Qitian, who was holding the rear, stayed close behind the troops, his watchful gaze scanning their surroundings. Unless the dog yokai faced mortal danger, he had no intention of intervening.

Meanwhile, Tōga held Autumn Gale's yokai power crystal in his hand, methodically devouring its essence while sending its pure aura of yokai power farther afield along the currents of the wind.

This was precisely what drove the trash yokai, desperate to advance further along the path of life's evolution, to come charging one after another.

In Ancient Japan, spirit energy was abundant. Animals gained spiritual awareness, and plants assumed physical forms.

With the endless strife and slaughter among humans, the land outside any town of even modest renown was strewn with corpses and littered with bones.

Mingling with human legends and malicious thoughts, yokai of every imaginable kind emerged without end.

It was truly a golden age of paradise ruled by demons, spirits, and monsters!

So, in this chaotic, lawless world, how could I not emulate that captivating ancestor, standardize axle widths and writing, and establish a Yokai Court Divine Dynasty of my own?

As these thoughts flowed through Tōga's mind, the Thunder-Attribute Yokai Crystal in his hand was completely consumed.

Standing atop the cliff, the young man's eyes shone brilliantly. His aura surged, and dazzling lightning and electric arcs burst from his entire body.

The yokai power crystal had an added spark of vitality. It was harder to devour, but the benefits were greater than those of the Fang Sword!

Under the influence of this fully awakened vitality, which lay at the very foundation of Autumn Gale's life,

the spiritual currents of heaven and earth began to cascade toward Tōga. Vast quantities of spirit energy poured endlessly into his body as though through a funnel.

The boiling Panoply Yokai Power within him circulated at tremendous speed, greedily feasting on this rare banquet of spirit energy.

Ringetsu, who was hunting mid-level yokai in the mountain forest, suddenly turned to look back at Tōga, his robes fluttering as he bathed in lightning. Competitive spirit and pride shone in her eyes at once.

"That's my man. But I won't fall too far behind you!"

This terrifying shift in the spiritual currents was like a boulder thrown into a still lake, stirring towering waves. It instantly unsettled the mid-level yokai lurking in the shadows.

Those trash yokai knew nothing of tactics. If someone could command them to set an ambush, there had to be mid-level yokai controlling them from behind the scenes.

And Tōga, who could stir changes in the heavens with a might approaching that of a high-level yokai, nearly scared them out of their wits!

Tempted by the prospect of evolution, they dared to provoke a mid-level dog yokai, but high-level yokai already stood above everything in the mortal world!

"Found the vermin!"

Ringetsu instantly detected the sudden disturbances in their auras.

Her high, silver-white ponytail swung as she turned and stepped into the dense forest.

"Moonshadow Step: Hazy."

Her figure became an afterimage, like a crescent moon vanishing behind thick clouds.

Treading on invisible spider silk, Ringetsu moved so lightly that she made no sound. Her brilliant golden eyes met the three pairs of startled compound eyes belonging to the half-human, half-spider yokai, and her lips curved upward.

In an instant, she slipped into the Spider Yokai's blind spot as though she had teleported.

The Spider Yokai raised its black-haired front legs, their tips sharp as swords and halberds, and had only just pierced the phantom Ringetsu left behind.

In that blink of an eye, cool moonlight had already gathered along the Fang Sword's edge, which thrust out in three cold flashes indistinguishable from illusion.

Before it could even turn its head, the Mid-Level Spider Yokai, capable of commanding hundreds of trash yokai, died beneath the girl's sword as it pierced its skin and punched through its heart.

"That's the first!"

Ringetsu gave a soft huff and walked calmly toward her next target, as though strolling through her own back garden.

Without their leader's commands, the trash yokai grew even more chaotic and disorganized. Under Red Evil Ogre's blood-soaked leadership, however, the dog yokai's morale soared, and they fought with ever greater courage.

Under the pressure of the trash yokai's encirclement, layer upon layer, the dog yokai no longer fought individually as they had at first. Instead, they instinctively sought to cooperate with nearby companions.

Between attack and defense, life and death, their fighting gradually took on a measure of order.

Having killed all three lurking yokai, Ringetsu walked lightly to Tōga's side. His aura had returned to normal, and he once again gave nothing away.

Ringetsu could not be bothered to ask how much his strength had surged, lest the answer dampen her own drive to improve.

She looked up at the troops, whose bearing was completely different from before. Her eyes flickered, and she no longer brought up the need to hurry to Wind-Thunder Gorge.

In truth, Ringetsu knew that even if they rushed there immediately, they might not manage to intercept the gravely wounded Panther Cat Elder.

Given their speed, traveling between Wind-Thunder Gorge and the Dog Tribe Headquarters would take a full day even at their fastest pace. The Panther Cats were no fools; they would not stay put and wait for them.

Rather than gamble on their luck, it was more practical to seize the time to grow stronger.

As long as the Dog Tribe became powerful, they could kill the Panther Cats whenever they pleased.

With these thoughts in mind, Ringetsu watched the victors flaunting their might on the battlefield, her eyes filling with ever greater satisfaction.

Beside her, Tōga was also preparing to establish his first new army.