The full moon above the cliff looked like a silver coin embedded in the ink-black sky, spilling cold, clear light. The night breeze lifted Tōga's silver hair, scattering tiny flecks of radiance.
His open, golden-flecked eyes shimmered like a reflected river of stars.
He had devoured every last crystal of yokai power from the Four Heavenly Kings of the Leopard Cats. Like nutrients, they had merged into Tōga's body and become part of his strength.
The mid-level yokai Ringetsu had slain along the way had also merged with Tōga's Panoply Yokai Power.
His strength was now leagues beyond what it had been.
Red Evil Ogre, whom he had summoned, knelt on one knee where the moonlight shone brightest. The deep-red tips of her hair swayed on their own in the windless stillness.
In that utter silence, she could hear the rush of blood through her veins, like countless tiny claws scratching at an iron cage, making her heart itch with anticipation.
"The Heavenly Host represents my honor. Staying at the level of low-level yokai won't do."
Red Evil Ogre did not understand what he meant, but she knew that the handsome, mighty Lord Tōga was about to reward his subordinates again.
Meanwhile, at the temporary campfire beneath the cliff, Prison Flame Maru and Instant Thunder Raiga waited silently.
The dancing flames lit their resolute faces, revealing the anticipation and longing in their eyes.
"Red Evil Ogre, come here."
"Yes, Lord Tōga."
At Tōga's call, Red Evil Ogre raised her head and answered. With a slight spring in her step, she approached him, brimming with admiration, then sat down obediently, wagging her tail.
"As I told you before, the key difference between low-level and mid-level yokai, for us, lies in the essence of their yokai power."
Having devoured nearly ten kinds of yokai power crystals, Tōga was gaining an ever deeper understanding of the concept of yokai power essence.
In terms of the cultivation novels from his previous life, the essence of yokai power was like an outward manifestation of a spiritual root, capable of transforming the mixed yokai power within the body into a single attribute.
That would greatly improve the quality of the yokai power, which in turn would increase how much of it the body could hold.
Once he understood this, Tōga became more cautious about bestowing it on others, especially his own subordinates.
Giving Red Evil Ogre an essence of yokai power was equivalent to providing her with an external spiritual root.
It could also be seen as a budget version of the Shikon Jewel, though whatever side effects it might conceal remained unknown.
Whether the essences of yokai power would clash in the future, whether one would completely suppress the other or the two would merge, was all unknown to Tōga.
The only certainty was that once Red Evil Ogre received an essence of yokai power, evolving from a low-level yokai into a mid-level yokai would follow naturally.
After Tōga explained all the advantages and disadvantages to Red Evil Ogre in detail.
The spirited young woman raised her chin without hesitation, her eyes shining with trust.
"Lord Tōga can do anything. I believe there's nothing you can't do!"
"Oh, you."
Tōga could not keep the corners of his mouth from rising. He reached out and ruffled his little fangirl's hair, his gentle expression gradually turning serious as he spoke softly.
"Then let's begin."
"Yes!"
Red Evil Ogre nodded firmly, and the tail swaying behind her went still.
Tōga held his palm three inches above the crown of Red Evil Ogre's head. A vortex formed from Panoply Yokai Power stirred the moonlight, gradually taking on a blue-green hue.
"Wind is the breath of the heavens."
Tōga murmured softly, his voice carrying a reassuring strength.
The blue-green light within the vortex grew ever brighter, forming the shape of a tomoe.
The Wind Tomoe followed Tōga's palm and slowly sank into the crown of Red Evil Ogre's head, leaving a blue-green tomoe mark between her brows.
Red Evil Ogre felt a cool yet powerful force pour in through the top of her head and instantly spread throughout her body.
Her body began to tremble slightly, not from fear, but from the excitement that power brought, awakening an instinctive craving.
She could clearly feel wondrous changes taking place within her body.
The yokai power inside her seemed to awaken, growing active and resonating with the incoming Wind Tomoe.
Yet another instinct made Red Evil Ogre begin to reject the Wind Tomoe.
It was as though accepting it would mean completely losing what had originally been hers.
A look of struggle involuntarily crossed Red Evil Ogre's face.
"Don't resist. Let it become part of your body."
Tōga's gentle voice sounded beside Red Evil Ogre's ear, like the fangs of the Dog Tribe biting away all her confusion.
Red Evil Ogre took a deep breath and focused, striving to accept this unfamiliar yet powerful force.
Her consciousness seemed to enter an entirely new world, where fierce winds howled. She could feel the wind's caress, its roar, its strength.
She tried to control that wind, just as she had fought with all her might to kill the Panther Cats.
As the Wind Tomoe continued to merge with her, a faint blue-green glow gradually enveloped Red Evil Ogre. Her hair danced wildly in the wind, as though she had become one with it.
Her aura was quietly changing as well, the presence of a low-level yokai gradually giving way to that of a mid-level yokai.
The Wind Tomoe between her brows glowed blue-green, drawing the wind's spiritual energy from heaven and earth into Red Evil Ogre's body, refining her yokai power and strengthening her flesh.
Seeing that everything was proceeding smoothly, Tōga let out an almost imperceptible breath of relief. Leaving Red Evil Ogre to adjust to her new power, he raised a hand and summoned Prison Flame Maru and Instant Thunder Raiga.
Neither hesitated. Tōga bestowed the fire and lightning attributes of yokai power upon them, and they began their transformation.
"Tōga, does this ability have any side effects for you? Can you spread it on a large scale?"
Ringetsu stepped gracefully into the moonlight, her movements light and elegant, like a celestial maiden from the moon.
A few strands of hair fell beside the young woman's fair, innocent face, lending her a little more allure.
Hearing Ringetsu ask about his well-being first, Tōga smiled.
"The side effects are minimal for me. Whether I can spread it on a large scale depends on how many yokai above the low level are out there."
However many essences of yokai power Tōga devoured, that was how many he could bestow. Two identical attributes could be merged or divided.
Thus, what truly mattered was not how many mid-level yokai he could raise, but the more powerful high-level yokai.
Even a Yokai-Pattern Tomoe capable of producing great yokai someday was not beyond consideration.
Ringetsu's eyes immediately lit up, but when she saw that Tōga's expression had not changed, her delight faded as well.
Her man thought further ahead than she did anyway, so she would not burden herself with unnecessary worries. She asked casually.
"What are you planning to do with the remaining dog yokai, then?"
"I'll keep training them and see how they develop. Once this trip to Wind-Thunder Gorge is over, I'll use them as the core of my Second Army-Asura."
Tōga answered, then looked at Ringetsu beside him and slipped an arm around her slender waist under her shy, indignant gaze.
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