Lord Kasuga was pleased to hear that Yoshika would be letting him leave the Soul Realm, though his enthusiasm waned once she explained why. Still, it wasn’t like he had much of a choice. If it was between the ones who’d burned his city down or the ones who’d saved it, the choice was obvious.

He was even less enthusiastic when Yagi joined them.

“That’s how you’re going to find their battle camps?! By employing the very woman whose betrayal led to my city’s fall?”

Eui nodded.

“Yep! Is that going to be a problem?”

He ran a hand through his hair and groaned.

“No, I suppose not. I’m in no place to be making demands. She’s your problem now—I wash my hands of it.”

“Good! Miss Yagi, are you ready?”

The priestess avoided making eye contact with her former employer.

“Yeah. Once we’re out I should be able to lead you straight to any lord with one of my clanmates assigned to them.”

Kasuga scowled at her.

“And how do we trust that you’re not leading us into a trap?”

Eui held a hand out between them.

“She’s not. Yagi, do we need to worry about other priests recognizing you?”

“No, we rarely communicate face-to-face. But you can expect them to report what’s happening back to Master Hattori.”

“Is he the clan leader?”

She shook her head.

“Our clan doesn’t have a hierarchy like that, but he’s an elder who’s currently positioned next to the shogun.”

“We’ll have to deal with them, then.”

Yagi paled.

“You’re not going to hurt them, are you?”

“Hopefully not, but there’s a lot riding on this, and we can’t take too many risks.”

Eui held out a hand to each of them.

“Okay, grab on. You don’t have to be touching me, but it’ll be a lot less disorienting if you are.”

Kasuga and Yagi took her hands, and she closed her eyes for a moment. The scenery around them shifted, turning into a forest clearing. The priestess blinked and looked around.

“Wait, that’s it? You made it sound a lot more difficult.”

Eui grunted noncommittally.

“It’s harder than it looks. Which way to the nearest of Hayakawa’s generals?”

Yagi brought out one of her talismans and closed her eyes to focus. Eui felt the spirit’s presence swirl around her briefly before it returned to its vessel. Yagi pointed roughly toward the southeast.

“Lady Ashikaga is on her way to Kasuga from her own lands—probably trying to cut off your advance from Shoda.”

Lord Kasuga chuckled darkly.

“A little late, isn’t she?”

Eui scowled.

“That’s probably intentional. If we hadn’t rushed ahead, she would have arrived just in time to see our army marching away from a city in ashes. Alright, grab on again—this time you really do need to be touching me.”

She took out a Wind Walking talisman before pausing.

“Miss Yagi, you onmyouji are completely mortal, right? Your techniques are powered entirely by your shikigami.”

“Um...yes?”

“How do you protect yourselves from harm? When I dueled Hattori he yielded pretty much the second I targeted him instead of his spirits.”

The priestess’ eyes widened.

“You dueled—okay, wow. Our bonded kami can protect us from attacks, but we usually avoid direct confrontation if we can help it.”

“Tsk, that’s annoying. Let me see...can you use this?”

Eui offered her a basic mana shield talisman. Yagi took it and frowned in confusion.

“I’m...not sure? This is pretty different from the kind we use. Maybe one of my kami can, but why?”

“Because the spell I’m going to use is really taxing on mortal bodies. It won’t be a problem for a trip or two, but we’re going to be flying all over the country today.”

“I see. I’ll give this a try, but I’ll be sure to let you know if your spell starts taking a toll.”

“Alright.”

Holding up the talisman, Eui put a hand on Lord Kasuga’s shoulder and wrapped her tail around Yagi’s wrist. She channeled her mana through the spell, and a moment later they were all carried away on a gust of supernatural wind.

The Wind Walking spell was something Yoshika had poached from Seong Misun with the help of Ja Yun, and while it wasn’t quite as fast as Jia’s Lightspeed Traversal, it allowed her to carry groups of people quickly and efficiently over long distances.

In less than an hour, Yoshika touched down outside Ashikaga’s camp. Yagi collapsed to her knees as soon as they landed, panting for breath.

“You—you weren’t kidding. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Everything is numb. I don’t think your talisman helped.”

Eui winced sympathetically.

“Yeah, sorry. Something about the mortal constitution doesn’t really agree with getting turned into wind. The spell’s inventor had a way to compensate, but still needed to take frequent breaks for the mortals traveling with us. Come to think of it, Hattori never had any trouble with it.”

Yagi nodded as she rose unsteadily to her feet.

“One of his shikigami probably protected him. How many times are we going to do that?”

“That depends on how quickly we can convince the lords. There are five in particular that I’d like to meet today.”

“Ugh...alright. I’ll do my best.”

Eui gave her a comforting pat on the back.

“Don’t be afraid to tell me if you’re not up to it.”

Lord Kasuga scoffed.

“You seem more worried about her safety than the fact that you’re about to approach an entire war camp with only three people.”

Right on cue, three soldiers with spears approached from the camp, their weapons trained on Eui and the others.

“Halt! Identify yourselves!”

It was a little late, but despite the mistrust it tended to cause, Eui changed into Kaede as she bowed.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Lady Hayakawa Kaede, Lord Kasuga Daichi, and company. I’ve come to treat with Lady Ashikaga.”

The soldier who spoke narrowed his eyes.

“Alone?”

“That’s correct—I’ve left my armies behind.”

They conferred amongst themselves for a moment while Yoshika politely pretended not to be able to hear them. It was mostly just a brief argument about whether or not she was who she claimed to be before they ultimately concluded that it wasn’t their place to decide.

“Very well, turn over any weapons you have and come this way.”

Kaede and Kasuga didn’t carry any, while Yagi predictably neglected to disclose her shikigami. Her role as an apparent servant and the fact that she was mortal meant that the soldiers didn’t bother looking twice. Kaede could see how her clan had made such successful spies.

She made sure to cast a wide net with her domain. Now that she knew what she was looking for, none of her father’s agents would slip past her again.

Rather than a command tent, the soldier led Kaede’s party directly to a makeshift training field—not much more than a roughly flattened patch of dirt with a few straw dummies and several sparring soldiers.

Lady Ashikaga herself was in the middle of a sparring match with one of her soldiers. She was out of her armor, instead favoring the same sort of loose-fitting semi-practical clothing as Kaede. Her black hair was tied up in a high ponytail that did little to control the wild tangle.

She fought with wild abandon, not even flinching as her opponent landed several clean hits to her face. Ashikaga grinned viciously at the poor soldier, taking advantage of an opening to flip him onto the ground before following up with a punch that left a small crater in the ground next to his head.

“That’s match. Good fight! Remember that it’s not enough to land a blow—you need to consider what comes after. Not all enemies are so easily struck down, isn’t that right Lady Hayakawa?”

She turned her grin on Kaede, the wild look in her eyes and the untamed hair gave her the appearance of a wild beast. Ashikaga Sae only looked to be in her mid to late twenties, but Kaede knew that she was one of her father’s oldest and most trusted generals. She’d once wondered how the veteran lady maintained her youth—even better than her former rival, Ienaga Yumi—but now she could easily sense Wood ki overflowing within Ashikaga’s body.

Simple luck of the draw. She was aligned with the essence of life itself, and cultivated it to the very peak of what was possible with only martial arts.

Kaede bowed.

“It’s been a long time, Lady Ashikaga.”

The lady chuckled and cracked her neck, limbering herself up after the spar.

“Uh huh. You’ve gone and made quite a legend of yourself, little miss. But it looks like you’re still the same hot-headed little tyke. Couldn’t wait a century or two for daddy to kick the bucket?”

“This war is not a matter of conquest or succession. There are greater things at stake.”

“Of course there are, but if you win, who’s going to be standing on top when the dust settles, hm? Yumi’s not keen—if she’s even still alive—and the decrepit old sack of bones she calls a father couldn’t lead his way to the damn privy. Doesn’t matter why you’re fighting, the outcome is the same as it’s always been. You win, you rule.”

Of course Kaede had considered that. She’d been prepared for that even before she’d joined Yoshika, but it was a problem for later. Her first priority was to save her people from Yu Meiren’s twisted clutches.

“Lady Ashikaga, we are here to—”

“You want me on your side, I know. Kasuga, could you not have held out for another few days? I was just on my way to bail you out!”

He smiled thinly.

“I’m afraid my castle fell before the young heiress ever arrived. We were overrun from within by oni, on orders from Shogun Hayakawa himself.”

Lady Ashikaga snorted incredulously.

“Huh! Hell of a way to go, eh?”

Kaede narrowed her eyes.

“Does my father’s treachery not concern you?”

“A little, but I can take care of my own. If Kasuga wasn’t prepared for enemies from within, then that’s his own fault.”

The young lord clenched his teeth, but didn’t offer a rebuttal. Kaede shook her head.

“It shouldn’t have to be! We should be taking care of each other instead of constantly fighting.”

“War keeps our blades sharp, Lady Hayakawa. That’s how our people have survived through the centuries, and it’s what will carry us into the future for centuries to come.”

“Is that why there are so many young and inexperienced lords and ladies in our realm? Tell me, what part of a veteran general refusing to surrender until I’d personally slain him in battle keeps us ‘sharp’?”

She shrugged.

“If you defeat him, that proves you’re a better leader.”

“It does nothing of the sort! That’s the point! And even if it did, how many strong leaders should we sacrifice for the glory of stronger ones?”

Lady Ashikaga sighed and scratched her ear with a pinky.

“You talk a big game, little miss, but it’s just talk in the end. So the Shogun’s a scumbag—so’s every other one that came before him. What makes you different?”

“I want to bring our people together to find strength in unity instead of tearing each other down with petty infighting. I know it can be done because I’ve already done it! Jiaguo has half-spirits, imperial cultivators, mortals, fiends, and yes—even oni. All of us work together for the good of all. As we speak, the demons under my command are aiding the people of Kasuga—giving them refuge after their homes were destroyed by the man you fight for.”

“I’m sure they are, but where does that leave you, in the end? You’re no closer to ending the war, and those people will forget your mercy in a decade or less.”

Kaede wanted to tear her hair out in frustration. She’d expected convincing the other lords to be the hardest part, but Lord Ienaga was right. Yamato’s warlords were a stubborn lot.

She remembered Jin Hu’s words. A show of good faith to earn their trust. He was almost right, but for the older generations of Yamato warriors, trust wasn’t the issue—it was respect. Like almost every other warlord Kaede had negotiated with, Lady Ashikaga simply didn’t care about what she had to say until she could earn that respect.

A nation held together by force wasn’t what Kaede needed, but there was no way she could convince the other lords without showing them her strength. She had to earn their respect—then their trust.

“Lady Ashikaga, I believe I owe you an apology.”

The lady smiled and raised an eyebrow.

“Oh? It’s not like you’ve offended me or anything.”

Kaede shook her head, stripping off her armor and making her way onto the packed earth of the sparring ground.

“But I have. I’ve come to you, under your hospitality, and attempted to sway you to my way of thinking without offering so much as a token of respect for yours.”

Ashikaga’s smile widened as she took her place across from Kaede, cracking her knuckles.

“Is that so? Little missy is going to put me in my place, is she?”

“I am. I’m going to show you exactly why your way of thinking is doomed to die in antiquity, whether it’s by my hand or another. In a language you can understand, I’ll explain what we can accomplish by working together, and what you stand to lose by refusing.”

“Well, well, well. Little princess has a bit of her father in her after all, does she?”

Kaede sighed.

“Regrettably. You can begin whenever you’re ready.”

The lady raised an eyebrow.

“Not going to set any ground rules for the spar?”

“No. Start whenever you like, use whatever techniques you please. Without exaggeration, you may be the second strongest martial artist I’ve ever met. The first is Master Yumi, and she said I surpassed her over a year ago. Don’t hold back—you can’t afford to.”

Ashikaga clenched her teeth, her grin turning a little feral—she’d once been a rival to Ienaga Yumi, and it was a sore spot. Kaede had pushed that button on purpose.

“I hope you don’t come to regret those words, princess.”

She reached down and drew her blade—another kamikiri, or more likely one of Murayoshi’s replicas. That would have given Kaede pause before, but after facing Yu Meiren and experiencing the demon’s curses, she’d gained some new insights about the way her domain could be applied.

Kaede and Lady Ashikaga stood across from each other, Ashikaga’s blade leveled at Kaede, who hadn’t even taken a stance. The lady grimaced.

“If you don’t take this seriously, girl, you’re going to lose your head before you have a chance to fight back.”

“The battle has already started, Lady Ashikaga. Go on and take my head, if you can.”

Ashikaga took a single step forward, then paused. Her brows furrowed. She took another two steps, then stumbled.

“What—what is this? What are you doing to me?”

The full force of Yoshika’s domain weighed down on the lady’s shoulders, growing stronger with every step. It wasn’t that Kaede was suppressing her aura, but rather that Ashikaga had already fallen under the influence of her domain.

She wanted to cooperate. She believed in what Kaede was saying, but she needed a reason to cooperate. Her way of thinking was dated—dangerous, even. Lady Ashikaga understood that, but she couldn’t simply change it on a whim. It needed to be broken.

Unconsciously, her desire to cooperate had given Yoshika power over her, and more importantly she wanted Yoshika to exercise that power.

So she did.

“You can’t harm me. Or even attempt to harm me.”

Kaede began walking forward slowly, a path that would take her straight into Ashikaga’s blade. The lady took a step back, then hastily dropped the blade as Kaede closed the distance.

“And I have no intention of harming you. I don’t need to prove that I’m stronger than you. You already know that strength doesn’t make a good leader. I want you to remember this power, Lady Ashikaga, because this is what we’re up against.”

She withdrew her domain’s influence, and Ashikaga gasped as the weight on her soul was lifted.

“Not my father—he’s just a pawn. The demons he’s sided with are fueled by war and conflict, and unlike me, they absolutely will harm you with their influence. Can I count on your support?”

Lady Ashikaga looked down at her shaking hands and chuckled.

“Well damn—I haven’t felt like that since I was a fucking toddler. How are you supposed to fight something that does that to you just for wanting to fight?”

“You catch on quickly. You do it by not fighting. Leave Yu Meiren to me. What I need from you is help convincing the other lords to unite against my father. She’s going to realize what we’re doing soon, and when that happens it will force her to act. We need to move fast.”

“I can’t say I’ve ever been much of a peacemaker, Lady Hayakawa, but...”

She dropped to one knee and bowed low.

“For you. For the future you’re promising. I’ll give it my best.”