We'll Get Married After Defeating the Panther Cat Tribe

The Great Elder never doubted the truth of Tōga's intelligence. The more time he spent with him, the more Tōga's abilities astonished him.

It was as though, after the Dog King, heaven had bestowed another treasure upon the Dog Tribe.

If not for Tōga's remarkable ability to keep himself alive, and the fact that fighting for the Dog Tribe was every member's bounden duty and responsibility,

The Great Elder would never have had the heart to send Tōga out on missions. He wished he could keep him in the safest part of the tribe's heartland.

He would wait until Tōga became a Great Yokai before revealing him to the world.

Once Tōga had finished delivering his clear, orderly report, the Great Elder nodded slightly and spoke with a grave expression.

"Demonic energy like fire-it must be Chi Yan, the Panther Cat elder who killed so many of our tribe's finest."

The Great Elder narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling his clashes with Chi Yan. His brows furrowed as he said, "Defeating him wouldn't be difficult for me, but killing him quickly would."

As a fighter in the highest tier below Great Yokai, the Great Elder had fought several fierce battles against Chi Yan, the Leopard Cat Tribe's Fifth Elder. He knew that fellow's methods and abilities inside out.

Chi Yan's fiery demonic power was fierce and overwhelming. Once unleashed, it seemed capable of turning the entire world into a raging sea of flames.

The Great Elder could handle the scorching heat and powerful impacts without much difficulty, but Chi Yan's infuriating ability to turn his body into flames could keep him occupied for quite some time.

Among High-Level Yokai, unless both were determined to battle to the death or the gap between them was too great, the weaker side could always hold out for a while or escape.

The Great Elder paused, then continued.

"This is the border between the Dog and Panther Cat Tribes. A battle between High-Level Yokai could easily draw more Panther Cats here."

"Our tribe isn't ready for an all-out war yet."

At those words, Tōga understood immediately-the Dog King, the tribe's pillar of strength, still had not recovered from his injuries.

With the Dog King still gravely wounded, recklessly launching an all-out war against the Leopard Cat Tribe would leave the Dog Tribe at a severe disadvantage.

But the leaders of both the Cat-Dog tribes knew that Oyakata did not dare push the Dog King too far, either. If a Great Yokai abandoned all restraint, even Oyakata would have a headache on his hands.

Besides, there were more than just those two Great Yokai in this world.

As long as the Dog Tribe acted quickly and killed Chi Yan cleanly, Oyakata would have to accept it!

"So, to avoid losing the initiative in battle and putting the Dog Tribe in danger, I'll go fetch the Second Elder right away."

"Then, with the two of us working together and taking him by surprise, we'll kill Chi Yan of the Panther Cat Tribe and ease the pressure of this war on our people!"

The Great Elder's eyes blazed, his words filled with unquestionable courage and resolve.

The thought of seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to eliminate the Leopard Cat Tribe's Fifth Elder filled him with excitement he could barely contain.

Turning impulse into action at once, the Great Elder reached out and ruffled Tōga's hair, turning the boy's carefully groomed locks into a bird's nest. Putting on a fierce expression, he said,

"And you, you little brat-stay put for the time being! You're not allowed to go anywhere! If you happen to run into Chi Yan, with your meager abilities, you'll be a charred, dead dog in the blink of an eye!"

"I don't want to lose you right after asking our king for your marriage, leaving Ringetsu without a fiancé before she's even married!"

"Great Elder!"

Ringetsu, who had been listening quietly nearby, had never expected the conversation to turn to her. Embarrassed and annoyed, she cried out.

"I haven't agreed yet!"

She hurried to explain while stealing glances at Tōga's expression, her clear, pleasant voice carrying a young girl's petulance.

"That's false information! Great Elder, don't go spreading rumors!"

As she spoke, Ringetsu swept her gaze toward the other two captains in the cave, frightening Qitian and his fellow captain into rushing outside without a moment's delay.

The Great Elder ignored Ringetsu's protests. Instead, he took his hand off Tōga's head and stared at him with his huge, bell-like eyes.

Having known the Great Elder for so long, Tōga immediately understood. He turned toward Ringetsu and moved closer of his own accord.

Satisfied by the sight, the Great Elder left with his hands behind his back. At the outpost entrance, he transformed into a ball of light and flew straight toward the Dog Tribe's heartland.

Now, only the boy and girl remained inside the cave.

Their eyes met, and the air seemed to freeze. It was so quiet that they could hear each other's heartbeats.

Tōga lowered his head slightly, looking at the girl whose beauty could put the moon to shame, and spoke as though under a spell.

"Ringetsu, once we've wiped out the Panther Cat Tribe, will you marry me?"

The sudden, straightforward proposal actually calmed Ringetsu, whose heart had been fluttering wildly.

She raised her eyes to Tōga. In those beautiful eyes, emotions mingled like spilled seasonings, surprise intertwined with shyness.

And buried deepest of all, impossible to conceal, was overwhelming joy.

Yet Ringetsu's pride and stubbornness formed a solid wall, refusing to let her bare her heart so easily.

She gave a soft huff and turned her head away like a sulking kitten. Deliberately feigning indifference, she said in a clear voice,

"Do you think marriage is some children's game of playing house? You can't just decide to do it on a whim. Besides, if you can't wipe out the Panther Cats, then you... then you..."

The words reached her lips, only for her to force them back down. Her slightly reddened ears resembled peach blossoms in spring, and her fingers unconsciously tugged at the hem of her clothes again and again, twisting wrinkles into the fabric. The way she said one thing and felt another was simply too adorable!

As though bewitched, Tōga could not help asking, "Then I'll what?"

The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them bitterly. Ringetsu's expression changed at once, and a flicker of anger flashed through her previously gentle eyes.

"Hmph, then you can go die!"

A look of disdain crossed Ringetsu's face. She promptly rose and smoothed her slightly wrinkled finery with an exquisitely graceful motion, like a noble white swan.

When she reached the entrance, she turned her face slightly to look at Tōga.

The sunset's lingering glow fell gently over her like a veil of red gauze, tracing her silhouette with dreamlike beauty.

For a moment, Tōga was dazed, unable to tell whether the sunset-red blush on Ringetsu's face came from the evening light or the shyness in her heart.

All he heard was a soft voice drifting into his ears like a spring breeze brushing his face.

"I wonder whether the scenery in the Netherworld is beautiful."

Watching Ringetsu leave, Tōga unconsciously raised a hand and rubbed his cheek, as though that could dispel his bewilderment.

He paced back and forth inside the cave, his steps hurried and uneven, each one landing amid his tangled thoughts.

As he walked, Tōga's hand unconsciously reached for the Fang Sword at his waist. His fingers gently stroked its hilt, and the familiar sensation steadied him a little.

At last, he tilted his head back and let out a long sigh.

In his mind, he added a plan to create a new Netherworld to his goals for after he had wiped out the Leopard Cat Tribe.