The door smmed shut behind us, sealing us in a cold, dimly lit stone cell beneath Kosei’s grand pace. The heavy cng of the iron lock clicking into pce sent a grim finality through the air.

  The chamber was cramped, damp, and lined with spiritual wards—inscriptions carved into the very rock, designed to drain strength and suppress magic. Even Rin, whose spiritual energy normally pulsed like an unseen force, looked physically weighed down.

  Masanori sat against the wall, his face bnk, his hands resting on his knees. Rin stood stiffly near the barred door, her fingers curling into fists.

  I exhaled, rubbing the bruises on my wrists from the harsh manhandling of Kosei’s guards.

  "So," I muttered, breaking the silence, "this went well."

  Masanori let out a dry chuckle. "Depends on your definition of 'well'."

  Rin wasn’t amused. "They had no proof," she hissed, gring toward the door as if her sheer frustration could shatter the seals keeping us trapped. "They just wanted to silence us."

  "They didn’t need proof," I said. "They only needed an excuse."

  Nagai’s thin smile and Hoshikawa’s cold scrutiny still burned in my mind.

  They had pnned this from the start.

  We had come to warn Kosei of the coming demon threat. Instead, we were branded as liars and conspirators, thrown into a dark hole to rot while the world outside marched closer to war.

  Rin crossed her arms. "We have to find a way out."

  "And how exactly do you suggest we do that?" Masanori asked dryly, tilting his head. "Did you bring an extra talisman for breaking spiritual bindings?"

  Rin shot him a gre but said nothing.

  I looked down at my hands, feeling the cold weight of the bck gem hidden in my sleeve. The one Reika gave me.

  One use.

  One favor.

  I pressed my lips together and pushed the thought away.

  "We wait," I finally said. "Half a day. Maybe they’ll come to their senses."

  None of us truly believed that.

  But it was all we had.

  Half a day ter—the attack begins.

  The first shockwave nearly threw me off bance.

  Dust trickled from the ceiling as the entire prison quaked. The iron bars rattled, and from above, we heard the deep, thunderous sound of war horns.

  Masanori stood instantly, eyes sharp. "That’s a battle."

  A second tremor.

  Then a distant roar—inhuman, guttural, and deep.

  Rin went pale. "That’s not just any battle."

  Another boom—this time closer, sending a ripple through the stone beneath us.

  A scream echoed from somewhere above.

  Outside the cell, guards ran past, shouting orders, their footsteps pounding against the cold floor. One of them hesitated near our door, his face pale, drenched in sweat.

  "They’re breaching the outer gates!" he yelled to his comrades. "The War Queen—she’s—"

  A violent crash cut him off.

  The ground lurched violently, and for a second, it felt like the entire world was falling apart.

  Then—silence.

  Not the silence of peace.

  The silence of something immense approaching.

  Akagawa Kaida Steps Onto the Battlefield

  The battlefield outside Kosei was a vision of destruction.

  The outer walls, which had stood for centuries, now y in ruins, scattered in chunks of stone across the blood-soaked earth. The once-pristine banners of the Shogunate of Kosei were trampled under the boots of an advancing army of Oni, their monstrous forms towering over the human defenders.

  And at the head of it all—she stood.

  Akagawa Kaida , the Queen of the War Cn.

  She did not wear ornate robes of nobility, nor did she carry a weapon.

  She was the weapon.

  Her scanty leather armor clung to her body like a second skin, highlighting the unnatural perfection of her physique—lean muscle, smooth curves, and unshakable confidence. Her long leather boots crushed the ground beneath her, each step a deliberate, effortless dispy of power.

  She had no need for golden crowns or royal ornaments.

  She was dominance incarnate.

  Her crimson eyes gleamed with amusement as she surveyed the battlefield, rolling her shoulders as if she were simply warming up.

  A group of Kosei’s elite samurai—twenty men, all hardened warriors—charged at her in perfect formation.

  Kaida’s lips curled.

  "Hmph."

  She took one step forward—then vanished.

  Before anyone could react—she was among them.

  The first samurai’s head twisted unnaturally, his neck snapped in a single flick of her fingers.

  Another swung his katana—Kaida caught it mid-air with two fingers, her delicate-looking hand stopping the bde as if it were nothing.

  Then—she pulled him forward, smming her bare knee into his ribs with a force that sent him flying backward, colpsing against the stone walls with a sickening crunch.

  The others hesitated.

  Big mistake.

  Kaida lunged.

  She moved like a shadow, a blur of untouchable grace, her hands gripping armor, breaking bones, crushing skulls with nothing but her fingers.

  They weren’t fighting a demon.

  They were fighting a force of nature.

  Within seconds, the entire squad y in a heap of broken bodies, their armor dented and soaked in their own blood.

  Kaida sighed, rolling her shoulders.

  "That was fun."

  Then, she turned to the barrier.

  The Barrier Begins to Fall

  The glowing magical dome of Kosei’s st defense shimmered against the evening sky. A thousand Onmyoji and monks poured their energy into maintaining it, their chants echoing through the city.

  Kaida smiled.

  She stepped forward, raising one perfect hand.

  Then—she pressed her palm against the barrier.

  A pulse of energy exploded outward. The air itself warped as the barrier flickered violently, its once-stable magic wavering under the sheer force of her touch.

  Inside the city, monks colpsed, blood dripping from their noses and mouths, their spirits straining to hold the shield in pce.

  Kaida’s lips parted slightly, as if she were savoring the moment.

  "How long do you think this will st?" she mused.

  Then—she clenched her fist.

  The entire city shook.

  The barrier cracked.

  And down below, in the cold darkness of the prison, I heard her voice.

  The Whisper in the Dark

  "Jin…"

  I froze, my hand instinctively tightening around the bck gem in my sleeve.

  It was warm—pulsing like a heartbeat.

  "Your little city is burning."

  Her voice was smooth, teasing, utterly unbothered by the destruction outside.

  "How long will you sit in your little cage and watch?"

  I swallowed hard.

  The ceiling trembled again, and above us, I heard the roar of Kaida’s forces breaking through.

  Masanori looked at me.

  Rin exhaled sharply, her body tense.

  I stared down at the gem in my palm, feeling the weight of what I was about to do.

  One use.

  One favor.

  No turning back.

  I took a breath—

  And crushed it.