—Western Kyokutou: Off the coast of the Trading City Tsuranami—
Across the azure waters, the fleets of the Kyokutou Army and the Ludain Federation Army were locked in a fierce exchange of cannon fire.
Magic Shells screamed through the air, puncturing the swells and erupting into plumes of fire and steam. Despite the onslaught, the Kyokutou Army's defensive line held firm, unbroken and precise.
Stationed on a front-line warship were Katina and Huey, providing support to the commanding military officer.
Huey used his keen perception to guide the aim of the Magic Weapons from long range, while Katina deployed Barrier Magic Tools to intercept the enemy's main batteries. Whenever an explosion rocked the sea, her walls of light deflected the rising pillars of water and lethal shrapnel.
Thanks to their efforts, the damage to the Kyokutou side was kept to a minimum.
"...Something isn't right," Katina murmured under her breath.
On paper, the battle was going entirely in Kyokutou's favor. They had the advantage in vessel count, weaponry, and morale. Furthermore, the currents off the coast of Tsuranami were notoriously treacherous—it was an illogical place to stage a naval invasion from the open sea.
It was hard to believe the Federation was ignorant of the geography.
If that was the case, why commit a fleet of this scale?
A thought flickered through her mind: this looked less like a genuine invasion and more like a feint—a diversionary tactic premised on its own eventual defeat. Katina unconsciously bit her lip. The black smoke billowing across the horizon seemed to mirror the growing unease in her chest.
◇ ◇ ◇
—Southern Kyokutou: The coastline near the Capital Hanemiya—
Countless Ludain Federation soldiers lay scattered across the sandy beach where the white surf washed ashore.
The only man still standing was the unit commander. Staring at a scene he could scarcely believe, he whispered in a voice thick with tremors.
"This is... impossible. A mere girl... and a single dog... wiped out the Federation's elite units...?"
"He called you a dog, Sakuramochi," Fuuka said over her shoulder.
Hovering just above her head was a small fox wreathed in a pale cherry-blossom-colored light.
"I'm not a dog, and my name isn't Sakuramochi!"
"Sakuramochi, you're being selfish."
"Whose fault do you think that is!"
Their lighthearted bickering drifted over the sound of the waves. Watching them, the commander's temples pulsed with indignation.
"D-Don't you dare mock me...!"
Cold bloodlust suddenly sliced through the air. The gaze of the girl before him—Fuuka—became as still and freezing as ice.
"I wonder which of us is making a mockery of the other," she said.
Her voice was flat, but beneath the calm lay a jagged edge of anger and lethal intent.
"...Gh! If it’s come to this, so be it! Everyone, consume the Modified Serum!"
Overwhelmed and desperate, the commander shrieked the order. The fallen soldiers staggered to their feet, trembling as they pulled glass vials from their Storage Magic Tools. Inside the vials sloshed a thick, viscous red liquid.
The moment they drained the contents, the soldiers clutched their throats in agony, letting out guttural groans. Black veins snaked beneath their skin like living things, and jagged, bone-like thorns tore through their shoulders and arms. With the sickening sound of burning flesh, their bodies swelled to several times their original size.
They were no longer human. They were monsters—Oni who had traded their reason for raw power.
"How pathetic... to turn them into Oni by force," Sakuramochi whispered lowly.
"At least they transformed in front of me," Fuuka said, quietly drawing her katana.
The blade glowed with a pale cherry-blossom-colored hue, and Yoryoku began to flutter from the edge like a flurry of falling petals. In her eyes, the distinct pattern of cherry blossoms bloomed.
"Sakuramochi. Next time... fight in your true form. Prove to me that you can truly stand by my side."
"...Good grief. What an impudent brat."
With a low murmur, Sakuramochi's body was enveloped in a radiant light. His form expanded rapidly, and his single, curled tail split into nine distinct tails. A massive Nine-tailed Fox, draped in a majestic Cherry Blossom Haze, manifested on the beach.
"I will purify them all. Sakuramochi, support me."
"Understood. ...I'll try to be gentle, shall I?"
Fuuka gave a silent nod.
The sea breeze carried the scent of cherry blossoms as glowing petals blanketed the battlefield. With every flash of the katana and every wave of Yoryoku, the roars of the "Oni" were silenced, turning from cries of agony into the stillness of the shore.
◇ ◇ ◇
—Northern Kyokutou: The forest region near the Agricultural City Honae—
Piercing the silence of the woods, a Federation detachment moved stealthily through the trees. Their objective was to reach the Sacred Mountain. As they tread upon the damp soil, one of the soldiers suddenly cried out in shock.
"What—!?"
In an instant, he was yanked into the air, suspended upside down. A thin, shimmering thread had snared his ankle like a hunter's snare. His comrades spun around, searching frantically, but the attacker was nowhere to be seen.
Moving through their blind spots, a silhouette closed in on the dangling man.
"Sorry, but there’s a 'No Entry' sign on this path."
With a swift, light punch, Haruto knocked the suspended soldier unconscious.
"Did you really think you could slip past my vision and Teruche's webs?" Haruto asked, a confident smirk playing on his lips.
"...Please stop referring to me as if I were a spider," Teruche remarked.
She stepped into view, effortlessly neutralizing the soldiers who had been distracted by Haruto. Strung between her fingertips were the glowing threads of her Magic Thread Manipulation, forming an invisible lattice of traps throughout the grove.
Haruto chuckled at her remark and gently lowered the unconscious soldier to the mossy roots of a tree. There was no need for lethality here; immobilizing them was more than enough.
After coordinating the naval defense at Tsuranami, Haruto had left the southern front to Fuuka and rushed north with Teruche and a small contingent to intercept this detachment.
"Looks like we've got about two or three platoons left in this area."
"Yes. I've already set my threads deeper in the forest. It won't be long before the rest stumble into them."
"That’s a huge help. Honestly, I'm impressed you can manage such a massive area."
"I wouldn't be much of a lady's maid to Lady Shion if I couldn't manage at least this much."
Trading light remarks, the two advanced further into the thicket. Eventually, the distant sound of snapping branches and the clatter of armor reached their ears. Haruto quietly clenched his fist.
"Alright. Let's get to the next batch!"
"Understood. ...Just try not to be too flashy."
They shared a quick nod as the wind rustled through the canopy. The soundlessly strung magic threads glinted in the dappled sunlight, and the soldiers caught in the traps were hoisted into the air one by one.
At the heart of the skirmish, the impact of Haruto’s fists echoed through the trees like claps of thunder. Soon, the only sounds left in the forest were the rustling leaves and the rhythmic breathing of soldiers tangled in silken threads.