The panel indicated the passage of time—thirteen years had gone by. In that year, Iwakura Douin's blade finally touched Koudai.
His sword cut through Koudai's black feathers, severing their bond as well.
Iwakura Douin did not name this technique "Tengu Victory" but instead called it "Tengu Copy," founding the Iwakura School with it.
From then on, Iwakura Douin never saw Koudai, his mentor and friend, again. At the abandoned shrine, he recalled their past, reluctant to let go.
In the panel, Iwakura Douin touched a fox statue, imbuing it with a memory.
"Thirteen years pass like a fleeting dream, crimson snow dances at Narukami Pass, yet you are already far gone."
In the final scene, a demonic sword puppet knelt on the ground, a broken-horned oni mask behind it.
Readers couldn't help but wonder: Did Iwakura Douin become the demonic sword puppet? Was his oni mask modeled after Mikoshi Chiyo?
Turning the page, there was no answer. The first panel featured a single line of dialogue, someone using a secret sword technique, but it wasn't "Tengu Copy."
Takamine the Mistslicer: "Mist Slicer"
With one swing, he vanquished the malevolent spirit, and Takamine the Mistslicer, quite pleased, sought praise from his master, the Great Tengu.
Great Tengu: "I clearly told you to use archery."
Takamine the Mistslicer scratched his head, only then remembering he was supposed to be practicing archery with his master.
Nearby, Asase Hibiki covered her mouth, chuckling softly, her eyes brimming with unconcealed affection for him.
The following panels depicted their time together—training, cherry blossom viewing, watching fireworks.
At the port, the two gazed at the sea, and Takamine the Mistslicer shared stories of his "past" with Asase Hibiki.
The waves mirrored their emotions, impossible to calm.
The scene shifted, and darkness shrouded the sky, even turning the sea black.
In the same spot, Takamine the Mistslicer and Asase Hibiki spoke of their "future."
He handed his bow to Asase Hibiki. This compulsive gambler was about to make the final bet of his life.
Takamine the Mistslicer: "How about a bet with you this time? Hmm—let's stake this bow."
"I'll wager the finest bow in the world, betting I can return here alive."
"If I lose, this bow is yours. But if I win…"
The dialogue didn't specify what followed. In the panel, Asase Hibiki clutched the bow, nodding through tears.
The scene showed Takamine the Mistslicer stepping into the dark mist, his posture resolute, fearless.
What was there to fear? If he slashed fast enough, he could cut through the dark mist, glimpse the light, and return to that place, right?
Within the mist, endless lightning flashed, and as the lightning flickered, the youkai vanished with it.
But the blade was not as stubborn as its wielder—it shattered. The dark mist surged forward, engulfing the resolute swordsman.
He was called "Mist Slicer," yet he couldn't slice through this mist.
In the darkness, there were no visuals, only lines of dialogue, seemingly Takamine the Mistslicer's inner thoughts.
"If I hadn't staked my beloved bow, perhaps the outcome would've been different?"
"But alas… a gambler never regrets. 'If'? 'Perhaps'? What are those?"
"In this gamble to end all gambles, I absolutely won't lose!"
"I'll definitely return, with the bow I staked, to claim the future I've won!"
"The outcome is not yet decided!!!"
Lightning flashed, and specks of light appeared in the darkness.
The panels lit up with content again, but this time, it wasn't Takamine the Mistslicer—it was Asase Hibiki.
Both Takamine the Mistslicer and Kitsune Saiguu had died, leaving Asase Hibiki's heart ashen. She returned to Seirai Island, intent on managing Asase Shrine.
But there, she met a man who looked strikingly like Takamine the Mistslicer—a pirate named Ako Domeki.
Asase Hibiki found a new emotional anchor, caring for Ako Domeki as if he were her and Takamine's son.
At the same time, Asase Hibiki adopted a sleepy cat, naming it Neko.
Thus, the two humans and one cat lived a simple life tending to the shrine.
Much like what the Traveler had done, they repaired the offering box, made Ema, swept fallen leaves, trimmed branches, and ate together.
Outside this quiet life was Ako Domeki's existence as a pirate.
Seirai Island was impoverished. Apart from the villagers of Koseki Village who lived by fishing, most others were pirates.
Pirates were, after all, thieves, threatening the safety of nearby waters, so the Shogunate sent forces to eradicate them.
Ako Domeki: "Get off the ship! A woman on board will only get in the way!"
Ako Domeki didn't want to involve Asase Hibiki, so he sent her off the ship, leaving only his back as he sailed away.
Ako Domeki: "The time to set sail has come. The swords and blades are sharpened."
"Let those soldiers see the spirit of Seirai!"
Asase Hibiki watched Ako Domeki's retreating figure without a word. In her heart, she thought, if this were her and Takamine's child, he'd be about this age now, wouldn't he?
What surname would he have? Takamine or Asase?
He was so alike, identical to the back of Takamine when he left that day…
But I don't want to watch him leave again… I won't let him die, even if it means opposing the "Triple Thunder Emblem" flag!
Asase Hibiki's thoughts startled readers. I was rooting for your romance, don't go causing trouble!
The Triple Thunder Emblem flag? That's the Shogun's banner! You want to oppose the Shogun?
How could you betray your master, your lover, and the ancestors of Asase Shrine like this?
Asase Hibiki also felt she was letting them down. She returned alone to the Grand Narukami Shrine, to the place where she and he had parted.
Clutching the bow he gave her, Asase Hibiki, nearing old age, sat at the spot of their separation, recalling the past.
I'm sorry, I'm a selfish person. I can't watch him be captured, watch him lose his head… I'm sorry…
As she reminisced, a familiar figure approached from the distance, so familiar, just like him.
No, it was him! In the panel, it was Takamine the Mistslicer walking toward her.
But at this moment, he lacked the heroic spirit he had when he left. The sword in his hand was reduced to just a hilt.
Asase Hibiki's heart ached. It was him, yet it wasn't. The aura on him wasn't human but that of a youkai.
He was a youkai born from Takamine the Mistslicer's obsession, driven by a single thought: Return to Asase Hibiki's side.
But unlike Hanachirusato, he had completely lost his reason and consciousness. He was merely a wandering youkai.
Asase Hibiki didn't hesitate. She drew her bow and nocked an arrow in one fluid motion.
The arrow shot out the moment her tears fell, taking "Takamine the Mistslicer" with it.
"He died long ago, fighting for Inazuma. Let history remember him that way…"
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Raiden Ei: About Asase Hibiki
"What she did… I don't blame her. She was just a woman who loved too deeply."