Chapter Summaries

Red Evil Ogre defeated Hiranmaru in a sparring match, demonstrating the power of Tōga’s Iron-Reaver Soul-Stealer. The Dog Tribe’s elders discussed how the technique could strengthen their people while weighing the danger of provoking the Leopard Cat Lord, and the Great Elder began considering how to keep their advantages secret.

• Red Evil Ogre fought Hiranmaru and used Iron-Reaver Soul-Stealer to destroy his sword and defeat him, drawing cheers from the Dog Yokai.
• Qitian watched Red Evil Ogre win and realized how strongly he loved her.
• The Great Elder praised Tōga’s techniques for improving the Dog Tribe’s fighting strength and envisioned developing further secret techniques.
• The Second Elder warned that the Leopard Cat Lord might grow more hostile as the tribe strengthened, while Zi Yan urged them to advance and keep some developments hidden.
• The Great Elder said Zi Yan’s suggestion had given him an idea, and the Second Elder explained that Iron-Reaver Soul-Stealer’s distinctive yokai-power circulation would be difficult for outsiders to imitate.

The Dog Tribe elders debated how to pass down Human Transformation and Iron-Reaver Soul-Stealer while Zi Yan relaxed at home. Tōga tested his ability to devour a Fang Sword and absorbed its wind power, gaining greater affinity, speed, and agility.

• The Great Elder, Second Elder, and Zi Yan agreed that the Dog Tribe’s core techniques should not be taught indiscriminately, and the elders planned to consult Tōga about improving their teaching arrangements.
• Zi Yan returned to her residence, relaxed with her Tōga body pillow, and reflected that she could leave the tribe’s major responsibilities to its elders and promising younger members.
• The Great Elder received a transfer order, and twenty Dog Yokai led by Qitian and Red Evil Ogre headed back to the tribe’s territory.
• Tōga visited the treasury with Ringetsu, selected a wind-attribute Fang Sword, and took it to his secret study to test his power.
• Tōga devoured the Fang Sword despite its resistance, absorbed its wind-attribute demonic power, and emerged with increased affinity for wind, speed, and agility.

Tōga strengthened his Wind Scar and planned further experiments with his devouring ability, while Anhamaru faced the Panther Cat Third Elder’s demand for the Azure Wings of Wind. The chapter ended with Anhamaru choosing to defend the Karasu Tengu Tribe rather than surrender its treasure.

• Tōga devoured an intermediate yokai’s Fang Sword, improved his panoply yokai power, and gained finer control over the Wind Scar.
• Tōga planned to exchange merits for the remaining Fang Swords and test his devouring ability on different targets.
• The Panther Cat Third Elder captured Anhamaru’s son and demanded that Anhamaru hand over the Azure Wings of Wind.
• Anhamaru refused to sacrifice the treasure that protected his tribe’s strength and ordered the Karasu Tengu to form ranks and face their foe.

Anhamaru and the Karasu Tengu fought the Panther Cat Third Elder while the Sixth Elder searched Thunderclap Hall for the Thunder Spear. Nuregarasu activated the spear, unleashing a storm that shook Wind-Thunder Gorge as the battle left Anhamaru wounded and the Third Elder exposed; the resulting disturbance drew attention from Oyakata and the Dog King.

• Anhamaru and the Karasu Tengu used the Azure Wings of Wind and their Wind-Thunder Grand Formation against the Panther Cat Third Elder, who broke through their tornado and devastated the gorge.
• The Panther Cat Sixth Elder found Anhamaru’s son and the chicks, killed them after extracting information, and learned that the Thunder Spear lay unfinished at the cliff’s foot.
• The Sixth Elder found Nuregarasu at the Thunder Spear and attacked, but Nuregarasu’s blood activated it, unleashing decades of accumulated lightning and killing the Sixth Elder.
• Anhamaru was distracted by the explosion below, allowing the Third Elder to pierce his right wing; Anhamaru then poured his remaining yokai power into the Azure Wings of Wind and struck through the Third Elder’s chest.
• The Thunder Spear’s power created a thunder prison in Wind-Thunder Gorge, alerting Oyakata and the Dog King, who sent investigators and assessed the standoff between their forces and the Panther Cats.

The Dog King sent Tōga to Wind-Thunder Gorge to investigate the wounded advanced yokai and the Leopard Cat elders, trusting him to judge the danger. Ringetsu insisted on going with him, and Tōga agreed after she challenged his ability to protect her.

• The Dog King considered the possible outcomes at Wind-Thunder Gorge and recalled that the Youkai Sage had called Tōga a [Yokai of Destiny] and the Dog Tribe's future hope.
• The Dog King explained the situation to Tōga, who eagerly agreed to go to Wind-Thunder Gorge.
• Ringetsu hurried after Tōga and blocked his path, insisting that she accompany him.
• Tōga hesitated because the trip could lead to a battle with advanced yokai, but the Dog King left the decision to them.
• Ringetsu questioned whether Tōga doubted his ability to protect her, so he agreed to take her along and vowed to keep her safe.

Tōga delayed his journey to Wind-Thunder Gorge and brought Red Evil Ogre and the others along, while Nuregarasu emerged from a devastating battle against the Leopard Cats barely able to stand. The chapter left the Karasu Tengu ancestral grounds in ruins, with the Leopard Cat Third Elder still alive and Anhamaru near death.

• Ringetsu urged Tōga to hurry to Wind-Thunder Gorge and fight the Leopard Cat elders, while Tōga prioritized spending time with her.
• Tōga remembered their combined ultimate technique and decided to bring Red Evil Ogre and the others along to teach them during the journey.
• Red Evil Ogre gave Tōga the heart crystals from the Four Heavenly Kings, and Tōga took the lightning-aspected crystal.
• Tōga announced that the group would travel to Wind-Thunder Gorge to visit the Karasu Tengu Tribe, and Ringetsu concealed her displeasure.
• Nuregarasu stood amid the ruins of Thunderclap Hall after defeating the Leopard Cat Sixth Elder, while the wounded Third Elder fled toward the gorge's exit and Anhamaru lay barely breathing.

Tōga lured trash yokai to the Dog Tribe troops while he absorbed Autumn Gale’s yokai power crystal, drawing in vast spirit energy and strengthening himself. Ringetsu killed three mid-level Spider Yokai, and as the dog yokai learned to fight together, Tōga prepared to establish his first new army.

• Red Evil Ogre led the dog yokai in disciplined attacks against hordes of trash yokai while Qitian guarded the rear.
• Tōga devoured Autumn Gale’s Thunder-Attribute Yokai Crystal, causing spirit energy to surge toward him and lightning to surround his body.
• Ringetsu detected three mid-level Spider Yokai controlling the trash yokai and killed them with her Fang Sword.
• Without their leaders, the trash yokai fell into greater chaos as the dog yokai fought together with growing coordination.
• Ringetsu decided the Dog Tribe should focus on growing stronger rather than rushing to Wind-Thunder Gorge, and Tōga prepared to establish his first new army.

After the Dog Yokai completed their training, Tōga harshly judged their weaknesses and formed an elite personal guard, the Heavenly Host: Azure Fang Heavenly Army. He appointed four members as its first soldiers and charged them with protecting the Dog Tribe and defeating its greatest enemies.

• Tōga ended the training operation after the Dog Yokai had each killed at least twenty lesser yokai, while Ringetsu had slain nearby intermediate yokai or driven them off.
• Tōga praised the group’s progress with the Iron-Reaver Soul-Stealer and Steel Fist, then rebuked them for nearly dying against a ragtag force of lesser yokai.
• Tōga released his yokai power to force all twenty Dog Yokai to their knees and warned that a powerful enemy like the Panther Cat could slaughter them.
• Ringetsu admired Tōga’s training and imagined asking her father to treat him better, blushing as she considered their relationship.
• Tōga named Red Evil Ogre, Qitian, Prison Flame Maru, and Instant Thunder Raiga as the first members of his personal guard, the Heavenly Host: Azure Fang Heavenly Army.
• Tōga told the four that their positions were not secure and charged the Heavenly Host with defending the Dog Tribe and returning victorious from its most dangerous battles.

The Panther Cat Third Elder blamed the dead Sixth Elder for their defeat and planned to return to destroy the Karasu Tengu Tribe, while his messenger fled to seek the Leopard Cat Lord's intervention. At Thunderclap Hall, Nuregarasu guarded her dying father from ambitious commanders as Anhamaru regained consciousness and prepared to make a decision.

• The Panther Cat Third Elder woke gravely wounded, blamed the Sixth Elder for the battle's losses, and vowed to seize the Azure Wings of Wind and Thunder Spear before killing a Dog Tribe elder.
• The Third Elder told a messenger he would return to the Panther Cat Front Line within seven days, but the messenger instead hurried to the Panther Cat Homeland to alert the Leopard Cat Lord.
• Nuregarasu refused to let two Karasu Tengu commanders enter Thunderclap Hall to see Anhamaru, warning them off with the Thunder Spear.
• The commanders withdrew, while Nuregarasu drove away the surviving main-lineage Karasu Tengu and stayed beside her dying father.
• Anhamaru regained some clarity and declared that it was time to make a decision.

Tōga bestowed wind, fire, and lightning yokai-power essences on his subordinates, beginning their transformations into mid-level yokai. He planned to train the remaining dog yokai as the core of his Second Army-Asura after the trip to Wind-Thunder Gorge.

• Tōga explained the benefits and unknown risks of granting Red Evil Ogre an essence of yokai power, and she agreed to accept it.
• Tōga gave Red Evil Ogre the Wind Tomoe, which began transforming her into a mid-level yokai.
• Tōga bestowed fire and lightning attributes on Prison Flame Maru and Instant Thunder Raiga, and they began transforming.
• Ringetsu asked about the side effects and limits of Tōga's ability, and he explained that it depended on how many yokai-power essences he could obtain.
• Tōga said he would train the remaining dog yokai and make them the core of his Second Army-Asura after the trip to Wind-Thunder Gorge.

Anhamaru reconciled with Nuregarasu and gave up the Thunder Spear, naming her his successor as the Leopard Cat forces approached Wind-Thunder Gorge. Nuregarasu became the Karasu Tengu Tribe’s new chieftain, with the tribe facing an imminent battle.

• After Sangou’s breakthrough interrupted Tōga and Ringetsu’s moment, Tōga turned his attention to Sangou with a threatening smile.
• Anhamaru realized how he had treated Nuregarasu as a tool and cried as she offered him the Thunder Spear and wished him success.
• Anhamaru rejected the Thunder Spear, comforted Nuregarasu, and told her to abandon illusions and prepare to fight the Leopard Cat.
• The Leopard Cat forces advanced on Wind-Thunder Gorge as Karasu Tengu commanders fled and loyal soldiers gathered to defend Thunderclap Hall.
• Anhamaru proclaimed Nuregarasu the new chieftain of the Karasu Tengu Tribe and the one destined to wield the Wind-Thunder Divine Weapon.

The Azure Fang Heavenly Army reached Wind-Thunder Gorge and attacked the Panther Cat forces, where Red Evil Ogre, Prison Flame Maru, Qitian, and Instant Thunder Raiga defeated the five Panther Cat commanders. Ringetsu watched the army win its first battle with overwhelming force.

• Tōga sensed two powerful life forces in Wind-Thunder Gorge and led the Azure Fang Heavenly Army toward the Panther Cat camp.
• Red Evil Ogre and Prison Flame Maru battled Winter Claw while Qitian and Instant Thunder Raiga engaged Rock Overlord, Swift Shadow, Green Thorn, and Phantom Eye.
• Instant Thunder Raiga killed Rock Overlord, and Qitian killed Green Thorn as the Heavenly Host overwhelmed the Panther Cat commanders.
• Prison Flame Maru, Red Evil Ogre, and Instant Thunder Raiga killed Swift Shadow, then the four fighters cornered and killed Phantom Eye.
• The Heavenly Host helped the low-level dog yokai defeat the Panther Cats, and Ringetsu watched their nearly perfect victory with pride.

Tōga waited for the Panther Cats’ response to the Wind-Thunder Gorge battle and intercepted White Bone Maru, the Leopard Cat Lord’s Personal Guard Captain. Their clash escalated into a devastating fight, ending with Tōga’s Azure Dragon Strike colliding with White Bone Maru’s attack.

• The Leopard Cat Lord learned that the Third Elder had acted on his own at Wind-Thunder Gorge and ordered White Bone Maru to go there.
• White Bone Maru encountered Tōga on a mountain route and accused the Dog Tribe of causing the trouble at Wind-Thunder Gorge.
• Tōga and White Bone Maru exchanged attacks, with Tōga’s Wind Scars meeting the Bone Whip.
• White Bone Maru transformed into a Bone-Armored Panther Cat and tore apart Tōga’s Wind Scars.
• Tōga unleashed Azure Dragon Strike, and its azure dragon collided with White Bone Maru’s destructive beam in a massive storm of power.

Tōga killed White Bone Maru and absorbed his yokai power, greatly increasing his strength. After Ringetsu sent messengers to warn the Dog King, Tōga set out for Wind-Thunder Gorge with his allies.

• White Bone Maru’s body collapsed and disintegrated after Tōga’s Azure Dragon Strike, leaving a yokai power crystal that Tōga refined.
• Tōga transformed into a powerful white yokai dog as his strength surged, and Ringetsu and the others arrived to witness his transformation.
• Ringetsu recognized White Bone Maru and sent Prison Flame Maru and Instant Thunder Raiga to warn the Dog King about the danger from the Leopard Cat Lord.
• Tōga considered how long it would take to advance through cultivation and decided to use the remaining time before Oyakata acted.
• Tōga returned to human form, collected and refined five yokai power crystals, and agreed with Ringetsu to continue toward Wind-Thunder Gorge.

Nuregarasu defeated the Panther Cat Third Elder with her newly mastered Wind-Thunder Invocation, but the victory left her gravely wounded and hollow. As she turned toward the hidden Karasu Tengu, a young man appeared and caught her before she fell.

• Nuregarasu unleashed Wind-Thunder Invocation: Thousand Sparrows Cry and overwhelmed the Third Elder's lightning shield.
• The Third Elder died in the lava after the lightning sparrows tore through him.
• Nuregarasu collapsed as the Azure Wings of Wind dissolved, remembering Anhamaru's final plea to live.
• Nuregarasu heard someone approach and reached for the Thunder Spear, but her wounded body gave way.
• A young man in armor and splendid robes caught Nuregarasu before she fell, and she softened when she saw the claw markings on his face.

After Tōga helped Nuregarasu, Ringetsu confronted the Karasu Tengu chieftain amid the ruins of Wind-Thunder Gorge. Nuregarasu revealed that her father had died and awaited the Dog Tribe’s judgment, while Ringetsu declared that the Dog Tribe had come for a purpose that depended on her answer.

• Tōga helped Nuregarasu stand and considered her strength and potential, while Ringetsu teased him for showing her special care.
• Ringetsu took charge of the meeting and sent Tōga and the others to search for surviving Panther Cats and gather the dead.
• Nuregarasu told Ringetsu that her father had died and that she was now the Karasu Tengu chieftain, then asked why the Dog Tribe had come to Wind-Thunder Gorge.
• Nuregarasu considered surrendering one of her tribe’s divine artifacts, rejected the idea, and prepared to take Ringetsu hostage rather than give up both treasures.
• Ringetsu assured Nuregarasu that the Dog Tribe was not like the Panther Cats and said its purpose depended on Nuregarasu’s answer.

Nuregarasu agreed to place the Karasu Tengu under the Dog Tribe’s protection, but collapsed after Ringetsu teased her and treated her injuries. Tōga led the surviving Karasu Tengu out of Wind-Thunder Gorge toward Dog Tribe Territory as the Panther Cat Great Elder prepared to act.

• Nuregarasu offered everything in exchange for the Dog Tribe sheltering the Karasu Tengu, and Ringetsu told her the Dog Tribe wanted allies, not slaves.
• Ringetsu teased Nuregarasu, who briefly resisted before fainting into her arms.
• Tōga and the Dog Yokai gathered the surviving Karasu Tengu and left Wind-Thunder Gorge, where Nuregarasu’s Wind Wing and Thunder Spear were draining her life without the gorge’s spirit energy.
• Ringetsu treated Nuregarasu and explained that she could keep the injuries from worsening, while the Karasu Tengu elders prayed for her recovery.
• At the Panther Cat Front Line camp, the Panther Cat Great Elder summoned the Second Elder and the Fourth Elder and declared that they could not wait any longer.

The Panther Cat Great Elder concluded that the war against the Dog Tribe had become a fight for his tribe’s survival and devised a plan to lure the Dog Yokai out of their fortress. The three elders prepared to risk their lives, leaving the Dog Tribe to decide whether to take the bait.

• The Second and Fourth Elders complained that they could not break the Dog Tribe Fortress’s barrier and that their soldiers were losing their fighting spirit.
• The Great Elder warned that the Third Elder and Sixth Elder might not return, and said their strategy of wearing down the Dog Tribe had failed.
• The Great Elder declared that the Panther Cat Tribe had to fight for its future, while the Fourth Elder noted that the cautious Dog Tribe Grand Elder would not be provoked into sending troops out.
• The Great Elder asked whether the Fourth Elder could imitate Young Master White Bone Maru’s aura, and the elders began shaping a plan to lure the Dog Yokai from their fortress.

Prison Flame Maru and Instant Thunder Raiga traveled toward the Dog Tribe’s homeland, where Zi Yan and the Dog Tribe elders sensed White Bone Maru nearby and debated whether to confront him. The Great Elder leaned toward sending an expedition, while Zi Yan warned that the Panther Cat might be using White Bone Maru to lure them out.

• Prison Flame Maru stopped to gather firewood, but Instant Thunder Raiga reminded him that their mission came first, so they continued through the night.
• Zi Yan sensed White Bone Maru near the Dog Tribe Fortress and recognized his presence as a potential threat.
• The Great Elder, Second Elder, and Zi Yan gathered to discuss whether White Bone Maru’s arrival was a Panther Cat trap.
• Zi Yan argued that the Panther Cat intended to lure the Dog Tribe out of its fortress and that they should rely on their barrier.
• The Great Elder reasoned that two elders could investigate and retreat if needed, but Zi Yan warned that they might be walking into an ambush.

The Great Elder and Second Elder left the Dog Tribe Fortress to confront White Bone Maru, but the Panther Cat elders ambushed and killed them. Oyakata appeared after the battle, executed the Dog Tribe Grand Elder, and the Panther Cat forces began their advance.

• The Great Elder told Zi Yan that Tōga and Ringetsu had been sent to Wind-Thunder Gorge, then left the Fortress with the Second Elder.
• The Panther Cat elders trapped the Dog Tribe Second Elder in a barrier and drew the Dog Tribe Grand Elder into battle.
• The Panther Cat Fourth Elder killed the Dog Tribe Second Elder, and the Dog Tribe Grand Elder killed the Fourth Elder before the Panther Cat Second Elder and Great Elder overwhelmed him.
• Oyakata appeared as the Dog Tribe Grand Elder tried to escape and killed him.
• The Panther Cat Great Elder carried the Dog Tribe Grand Elder's head to the front line as war drums sounded through the Panther Cat camp.