The Storm

Under the fierce impact of Miketsu's fist, imbued with Kishin power, the ice-sculpted giant whale suspended in the sky cracked with countless deep fissures from head to tail. With a booming roar, the frost giant whale shattered into massive chunks of ice, disintegrating from the sky and plummeting into the sea below.

"Big oaf!" From a distant reef, Kingyohime, who was watching the battle, cried out anxiously. She immediately leaped off the reef, controlling the water to rush towards where the ice fragments were falling. During this process, the seawater around the desolate island rapidly receded, and the island, previously submerged by giant waves, reappeared.

Reaching the center of the desolate island, Kingyohime anxiously rummaged through the massive ice fragments scattered everywhere. Just as she was about to shout, a large hand covered her head from behind.

"Stop looking, little one..."

Kingyohime excitedly turned around, and before her appeared the rather disheveled Lord of Arakawa. His once opulent wave robe was now tattered, revealing large areas of muscle. The crown he usually wore was gone, and his ash-white short hair fell loosely.

"Big oaf! You're alright!"

"Hmm... a Yokai Lord's body isn't so easily destroyed..." The Lord of Arakawa said, raising his head. His gaze fixed on Owl, descending slowly from the sky in black robes.

"Still standing? It seems the Lord of Arakawa's physical strength has reached a certain level." Landing on the ground, Miketsu slowly said, looking at her opponent.

"Heh, not at all... This level is still far from your unreasonable physical strength. Among us, perhaps only Shuten-doji could possess that kind of power..." The Lord of Arakawa said, raising his right hand, which was still twitching slightly. He had just used that hand, gripping the Kaikoku-saku, to directly block Miketsu's strike.

"So, do you still wish to continue fighting? If so, I'll gladly oblige." Although Miketsu said this, she could tell that the Lord of Arakawa's eyes no longer held any fighting intent.

"No need. Those last two blows have already depleted most of my demonic power. If I couldn't defeat you even with that, I have no further tricks. To be able to completely suppress me even when I held the home-field advantage, Owl, I admit defeat wholeheartedly in this duel." The Lord of Arakawa said in a deep voice. Kingyohime beside him felt a small pang of disappointment upon hearing his words.

"Ugh... Sorry, big oaf, for drawing such a strong opponent for you."

"Hmph, there's nothing to regret. With such strength, the one who can defeat me, the Lord of Arakawa, is destined to win the ultimate victory in this Yokai Lord contest. Losing to such a person is no disgrace." Opening his damaged folding fan, the Lord of Arakawa fanned himself as he spoke matter-of-factly. Hearing his words, Miketsu couldn't help but smile faintly.

This Lord of Arakawa was quite straightforward, and truly powerful, living up to his title as a Yokai Lord.

Had it been her ten years ago, using only demonic power, she might indeed have been defeated by him. But Miketsu hadn't idled away those ten years. During this decade, she had explored and experimented with all the powers she could master, including demonic power, greatly enhancing her control. This allowed her to evolve and derive new techniques from existing ones. Frost Sky Dragon Break was precisely a technique Miketsu developed based on this.

In the distance on East Island, atop a towering reef, a mysterious yokai slowly descended, seated on a lamp staff. She had hovered in mid-air moments ago to avoid the turbulent waves, while Yamakaze beside her had endured all the wind and waves from start to finish, completely unmoved.

"Oh, it seems to be over. What a thrilling and intense duel. What kind of secret legends will these immense demonic energy clashes of tonight be recounted as in the future? It's truly exciting..." the blue-robed yokai said slowly with a smile. Not far from her, a glint appeared in Yamakaze's eyes.

"That so-called yokai general... is truly strong. I'm already looking forward to fighting him."

"Oh, so you've finally found your fighting spirit? Forest King, but if you want to duel Owl, you'll have to defeat me first~" The blue-robed yokai looked at Yamakaze with interest. However, the latter seemed disdainful of engaging with her further, not even replying. The blue-robed yokai merely smiled and continued calmly, saying,

"Underestimating me, the 'strongest' among the so-called small fry, could lead to a great loss, Forest King..."

Just as the blue-robed yokai finished speaking, she and Yamakaze suddenly seemed to sense something, turning their gazes towards the western sky. Over there, a powerful burst of demonic energy erupted, with an incessant roar of fierce winds. The surrounding air currents became agitated by an unknown disturbance, and the sea, which had only recently calmed, began to surge once more under the increasingly violent gales.

"Has it reached its peak over there too?" the blue-robed yokai murmured, looking towards West Island. Between the sea and sky in the west, a gigantic wind pillar tornado stood connecting heaven and earth.

"Feather Blade... Storm!!"

Above West Island, fierce winds howled, and black clouds dispersed. With his dark wings spread, the Great Tengu soared amidst the gale. His expression was stern as he pointed his fan forward, towards a colossal tornado, hundreds of meters in diameter, that was wildly sweeping across a large area of West Island.

Using feathers as strong as steel as a guide, and the immense demonic energy of Tengu-do as its source, the young Great Tengu unleashed the ultimate technique that successive Tengu clan leaders had prided themselves on: Feather Blade Storm. The gigantic, hundreds-of-meters-wide tornado, like a towering black wall of wind, struck fear into all who beheld it. Its thunderous roar drowned out almost all other sounds, and the furious blast constantly sliced through everything within it with high-frequency wind blade razors.

Inside the Feather Blade Storm, a rock sculpture stood on the ground. This sculpture, in the likeness of Otakemaru, was remarkably sturdy, unlike the surrounding rocks that were shattered by the gale. Its surface, after countless wind attacks and cuts, still hadn't broken or been blown away, though scratches and cracks grew increasingly numerous, making it appear on the verge of shattering.

'Tch... That Tengu boy can still unleash such a technique. The Earth Covering Technique might not be able to hold out completely... That would make things troublesome...'

Inside the sculpture, Otakemaru was deep in thought, while in the sky outside the storm, the Great Tengu, drenched in sweat, maintained the Feather Blade Storm.

"Hoo... hoo... You can no longer resist. If this continues, the victor will be me... Otakemaru!"