The last sliver of blood-red sunlight cut diagonally across the gorge's entrance. The armor worn by the young warrior gleamed with a luster like molten ruby.
A torn corner of Nuyā's crow-black cloak fluttered in the wind, revealing snow-pale skin at her waist—matching almost provocatively with the way Tōga's hand hovered there, supporting her with controlled restraint.
Just then, the sound of a branch cracking underfoot shattered the frozen moment.
Shirayuki stepped into view, the hem of her silk-embroidered robes brushing the scorched ground. The loose hair at her temples seemed suspended in the dusk light, unmoving.
The sinking sun cast three distorted shadows against the shattered pillars of the Raimei-Den, twisted like beasts locked in a silent struggle.
"Forgive me… it seems this lady arrived a little too soon. Am I interrupting something?"
Shirayuki's voice was soft and refined, yet tinged with a subtle displeasure that was easy to overlook.
Almost unconsciously, her hand pressed against the hilt at her waist. Her gaze settled on Tōga's wind-aided hand supporting Nuyā's waist.
She held that stare for a second or two, then her lips curved upward, hand shifting from her sword to cover her small smile.
Her shining eyes blinked in a playful glimmer, her tone light, airy—caught somewhere between amusement and reproach.
"Well well… I never imagined you were the type to cherish beauty so readily."
"Just lending a hand. Nothing more, nothing more."
Lightning flickered across the sky, illuminating the golden irises beneath Shirayuki's fringe. A pressure radiated from her—like a massive jar of jealousy about to burst apart.
Tōga felt immediately as if he were being threatened with a cleaver.
He answered her calmly while helping Nuyā to stand, movements courteous and composed—yet his eyes held a subtle astonishment.
He recognized her easily. Every key member of the Crow Tengu clan had been listed in the Dog Clan's intelligence records.
Beautiful or not, that wasn't why he approached her—even with Shirayuki present.
Yes, anyone could appreciate beauty. But the same Tōga who ignored the deaths of Shunran, Karan, and Tōran—three stunning Panther Deva sisters, had long since proven that pretty faces meant nothing to him.
Skin, bone, flesh—beauty was like a factory product. Every few years, a new batch appeared. It could never sway him.
What astonished him was not her looks—but the two artifacts naturally bonded to her.
One of them, the Thunder Spear, was especially unheard of.
Even the Storm Wings alone could raise a mid-class yōkai into high-class power.
Together, they would be far more formidable.
Whether Nuyā could ascend to the rank of Greater Yōkai, Tōga could not say.
But with the secret bite his Senrō Yōki had taken from her earlier, he could judge one thing for certain:
Her true combat strength already surpassed Byakukonmaru.
It was undeniable—she possessed the potential to become a Greater Yōkai.
Worth investing in. Worth winning favor from. A small price for the Dog Clan's future.
Using Senrō Yōki would be a last resort.
'Though… this Thunder Spear is flawed.'
'And Nuyā's body as well, quite broken. A flower near withering.'
'Can I bind this raven to her fate before she spreads her wings and flies?'
With thoughts swirling, Tōga had barely finished helping Nuyā stand when Shirayuki gracefully stepped forward to take over.
"A general has duties. Leave her to me, my lord."
For one who could slay Byakukonmaru, Tōga was more than qualified to serve as a commanding general of the Dog Clan.
Shirayuki elevated his title deliberately—making negotiations with the Crow Tengu smoother.
Certainly not, of course, to show off her man. Not at all.
Recognizing her good intentions, Tōga smoothly complied.
He gestured to Kujaku and the others at the side, assigning them to search for survivors among the Leopard Cats—or gather what was left of their bodies.
"…Inu… Dai-shō…?"
In Nuyā's eyes, rippling like water—the sight of Tōga's departing back reflected the smile he had worn when they first met.
And then Shirayuki, smiling brightly, stepped into her view.
"I am Shirayuki. Should I address you as Clan Leader Nuyā… or Elder Nuyā?"
She knew well the traditions of the Crow Tengu:
One title meant An'umaru was dead. The other implied the clan had found another way to preserve their bloodline—perhaps more than one high-class yōkai remained.
Surveying the devastated gorge, she suspected the former was far more likely.
"So the Dog Clan's noble lady herself."
Nuyā leaned on the Thunder Spear, steadying herself, eyes faint with astonishment.
"My father has passed. I now serve as clan leader."
"And what business brings the Dog Clan to Wind and Thunder Gorge?"
For both the Dog Lord's daughter and a young general to come personally—Nuyā's expression sharpened, studying Shirayuki's composed grace.
'To demand the Storm Wings or Thunder Spear?'
The moment the thought formed, she rejected it.
If the Dog Clan wanted one relic, they'd soon demand the other.
To a great clan, artifacts were luxuries; to the Crow Tengu, they were survival itself.
Without relics, without high-class yōkai, her people would be rootless weeds in a storm.
Nuyā quietly prepared to take Shirayuki hostage, forcing the Dog General to yield.
And yet—if she enraged two great western demon forces at once—where would her clan flee?
Trapped between impossible choices, her pale lips tightened. Nuyā stared at the noblewoman before her, waiting for judgment—waiting for the fate of her entire clan to be pronounced.
She did not resent fate. But at the brink of ruin—she remembered the one person who had smiled gently at her. The last kindness she had received.
The air rippled subtly as the two women faced one another.
Shirayuki narrowed her eyes slightly, studying the Crow Tengu chief whose entire being radiated "break rather than bow".
A spirit like a seabird cutting through a storm—enough to move even another woman.
'If Father died… if my beloved died… perhaps I, too, would look just like her.'
'Fortunately, such a thing will never happen.'
'With Tōga at my side, nothing is impossible.'
Understanding from Tōga's behavior that he had no intention of harming the Crow Tengu, Shirayuki's gaze softened.
"Our purpose here depends entirely on how Clan Leader Nuyā chooses to answer."
She looked at the bone-white hand clutching the spear, and smiled lightly, serene.
"Do not mistake the Dog Clan for the Leopard Cats. We do not covet the relics of small clans. Do not mistake the sky above your heads as belonging to us."