A clear, piercing birdcall echoed through the sky—sometimes sharp and urgent, sometimes soft and melodic.
It felt more like a symphony than just a song, weaving through the air like a carefully composed masterpiece.
With every flap of this bird's wings, a blood cloud made of blades was created.
Yukari couldn't dodge fast enough. A gash split open across her body.
In the next instant, the white dress she wore—along with the flowing purple outer robe—was torn to shreds, stained with her blood.
Down in the courtyard, a pink-haired girl watching the fight grew visibly tense.
"…I'm fine," Yukari replied calmly.
She vanished into a gap, and when she reappeared, her torn-up outfit had been replaced with a neat, short-sleeved purple gown.
Yukari cast a deep glance toward the small bird hovering in the sky.
"So that's a divine weapon!," she murmured.
The crimson cloud bird chirped happily and nuzzled against Veyron's cheek before transforming back into a sleek, three-foot-long blade and sliding into its sheath.
The fire-red bird was none other than Bloodwing, the sentient blade that had fully acknowledged Veyron as its wielder after he comprehended the Divine Ki.
That cloud storm of red blades—the one that nearly got Yukari's name etched into the Book of Life and Death?
That wasn't even Veyron attacking.
That was Bloodwing acting entirely on its own after having its spiritual nature fully awakened.
"…Is this thing gonna fully 'come alive' someday?" Yuyuko asked, watching with fascination. No matter how many times she'd seen it, the way Bloodwing fluidly switched between its bird and blade forms never stopped amazing her.
"Sooner or later," Yukari nodded. "Even in ancient times—and even now—if a normal person spends ten or twenty years pouring heart and soul into nurturing a mundane object, it can awaken a sliver of spirit. That's how tsukumogami come into being."
She glanced toward Veyron. "So something , born with such a pure and high-level spiritual nature… if it hasn't awakened into a full spirit yet, it's probably just being picky."
Veyron smiled faintly. "Yeah. It's a proud little thing."
His hand brushed across the scabbard, prompting a soft hum from the blade within.
"Well, it looks like meeting you was worth it" Yukari said, a subtle glint in her eye.
Her thoughts drifted back to all the hellish training sessions she'd endured since becoming Veyron's sparring partner. Every swing from Bloodwing felt like being diced a thousand times over. One wrong move and it felt like she might actually die.
But the harsher the grind, the greater the gain.
Even though she knew Veyron wouldn't actually kill her, that didn't stop every hair on her body from standing on end during their duels.
It hadn't even been two weeks since she awakened her Gene Lock potential… and already, she'd broken into Stage Three.
That kind of rapid growth was nothing short of miraculous. Though, for now, she figured it was best to hit pause for a bit.
Sure, the real qualitative leap only comes at Stage Four. But after experiencing how much sharper and more expansive her mental field became at Stage Three, Yukari felt no rush. Taking her time here didn't seem like a bad idea at all...
…And it definitely wasn't because, after two straight days of sparring against Bloodwing in its bird form, she'd grown suspiciously used to the whole "on the verge of death" thing.
Nope. Definitely not.
Also definitely not because her only real takeaway from getting cut lately was: "Goddamn, that sword hurts like hell."
"Alright then," Veyron said, giving her a small nod. "Like we discussed—just keep doing what you were doing before. Stir up the earthly yokai's hunger for the Lunar Capital."
Yukari gave a relaxed salute with her fan, which she pulled casually from a dimensional gap—laced with lace trim, of course. "You got it~ Once I get my 'assistant' situation sorted out, I'll get right on it. I promise even your dear little princess will be pleased."
"Assistant?" Veyron raised a brow.
"A fox I've been raising for a while now," she replied, tapping her fan lightly. "Feels like it's about ready to be turned into a proper shikigami."
With a swipe of her hand, she opened a new gap. On the other side was a quiet cave, and within it lay a golden-furred, jade-faced nine-tailed fox, sleeping soundly.
No wonder he hadn't seen that familiar fox anywhere near Yukari—neither back when she'd been hunting him for over a month, nor during their brief time as allies. Turns out, it hadn't even officially joined her household yet.
Veyron blinked. "I think I've heard of a nine-tailed fox like that, back where I'm from…"
Yukari looked thoughtful but hesitant. "Could be a different one? I mean… if it were the legendary nine-tailed fox from over a thousand years ago in the Divine Lands, a yokai of that level should've swatted me like a bug the first time I showed up."
She continued with a slight shrug. "From what I know, pureblood foxes— jade-faced, golden-furred one—can grow a new tail every hundred years. So technically, any fox that lives to eight hundred could end up with nine tails."
"And even those with less pure bloodlines? They have their own methods for gaining tails, from the second to the ninth."
As she spoke, she opened another gap—and a tiny white-furred fox tumbled out, landing awkwardly on the ground.
Despite having the spiritual energy and body of a high-tier yokai just below the great demon threshold, the little fox immediately shrank into a trembling white furball.
The overwhelming aura radiating from Yukari had triggered on instinct and pinned it down completely.
"I've been keeping an eye on this little one. It's got potential to become a nine-tailed fox someday."
With a glance that kept the white fox frozen in place, Yukari turned her attention back to the golden-furred one still sleeping peacefully in the cave.
"That one, though… the one I'm actually after... from now on her name is Ran Yakumo."