The first whispers began in the depths of the Demon Realm.

  At first, they were distant rumors, murmured by lesser Oni in the shadowed corridors of Kaida’s war encampments. The kind of talk that would have meant nothing on its own—had it not reached the wrong ears.

  Or rather, the right ones.

  "Did you hear? The humans in Tenshu have something… strange."

  "A relic of power. No one knows where they got it."

  "Some say it can kill even a Majo."

  "Kaida will take it."

  Kaida wasn’t the type to sit on information.

  She didn’t py mind games like Mayume. She didn’t move in shadows like Reika. She was raw force—the kind that shattered mountains, tore through armies, and left nothing standing in its wake.

  And if there was something worth fighting for?

  She wanted it.

  So, when the whispers reached her, she didn’t waste time with questions.

  She sent her strongest Oni scouts to investigate.

  She was going to see for herself if Tenshu really had something worth breaking.

  The Trap Takes Shape

  From her throne of bckened silk and shimmering violet mist, Mayume (朝倉 真夢) waited.

  Her long, elegant fingers traced the rim of a small silver dish, the remnants of Jin’s blood swirling within, pulsing faintly with a power not of this world.

  It had taken so little effort to pnt the rumors.

  A few illusions in the right pces. A few whispers into the minds of restless demons, making them think they had discovered the information on their own.

  Kaida had done the rest by her own nature.

  "How simple you are," Mayume mused, her violet-gold eyes glowing faintly in the dim candlelight.

  Kaida was stronger than most beings in this realm, but she was also a creature of impulse.

  It had been so easy to stoke the fire in her already reckless heart.

  She had known exactly how Kaida would react.

  Now, all she had to do was watch it unfold.

  Kaida’s Scouts in Tenshu Lands

  They came at night, under the cover of mist.

  The first Oni scouting party—small, only five in number, but strong.

  They moved through the dense forests bordering Tenshu’s nds, their massive forms nearly silent despite their size. They didn’t speak, only exchanged brief signals, moving with the efficiency of hardened warriors.

  The Tenshu border patrol never saw them coming.

  They heard something—the rustling of leaves, the soft thud of heavy footfalls.

  Then came the red gleam of Oni eyes in the darkness.

  The fight was swift.

  The first two samurai died without a sound, their throats crushed before they could even draw their weapons.

  The third managed to raise the arm—a single piercing horn bst before a massive cwed hand snapped his ribs inward like brittle twigs.

  But it was too te.

  The message had reached Tenshu’s stronghold.

  The Oni withdrew quickly, slipping back into the trees before reinforcements arrived.

  They had seen enough.

  The moment they returned, Kaida demanded their report.

  "Tenshu’s warriors are on edge," the lead scout grunted. "They are protecting something, but it is not a weapon."

  Kaida leaned forward, her muscur arms resting on the stone of her throne, her golden eyes narrowing.

  "Then what is it?"

  A pause.

  The Oni hesitated.

  "Magic."

  Kaida’s expression darkened.

  "Expin."

  The scout shifted uneasily, his massive frame rippling with tension.

  "We do not know what kind. But we could feel it in the air—something powerful. Something… unnatural."

  The words sent a slow, burning heat through Kaida’s veins.

  Tenshu had something real.

  And they were hiding it.

  The Warpath is Set

  Kaida didn’t wait.

  Within hours, her war camp roared to life.

  Oni smiths sharpened their bdes, warriors donned their battle-worn armor, drums thundered through the valley, shaking the ground beneath their marching feet.

  She had assembled nearly a thousand warriors, the rgest force she had ever taken to a single human stronghold.

  This wasn’t just a raid.

  This was a conquest.

  She would take what Tenshu had.

  Or she would rip their city apart to find it.

  At the head of her army, Kaida stood, cd in her signature battle attire—scant leather straps, gleaming metal armlets, long thigh-high boots that clung to her powerful legs.

  Her long, crimson-tinged hair flowed behind her, her eyes bzing with anticipation.

  This was the kind of fight she lived for.

  The chance to break something worthy.

  "Let’s see if you can hold your ground, little humans," she murmured, rolling her shoulders, her fingers tensing with anticipation.

  She would give them one night to know fear.

  And by dawn—she would tear their walls apart.

  From afar, in a realm untouched by war, Mayume’s lips curled into a slow, knowing smile.

  Everything was falling exactly into pce.

  Kaida thought she was marching into battle.

  In truth—she was marching into her cage.

  The Tenshu would be ready.

  The seal would be waiting.

  And when it closed around her, when she realized she had been tricked—Mayume would be there.

  To take everything.

  "Sleep well tonight, Kaida," she murmured into the void. "It will be the st time you do."