Lana's sudden words not only stunned Ōtakemaru but also drew the attention of every yōkai present. Immediately after, another figure appeared beside him—Suzuka Gozen, the queen of the Sea Kingdom.
This great female yōkai possessed shapely legs, yet her form also included a long mermaid-like tail. Atop her head were a pair of distinct antlers, each adorned with golden bells that chimed lightly with both cheer and menace. She wore a deeply cut white V-neck crop top that revealed much of her upper body, while her lower half was covered by a red robe-like garment that reached her ankles.
Her pale face, however, remained fixed in an unreadable expression.
Using the air currents and her own yōki, she floated steadily in midair, a massive divine artifact—the Bow of the Underworld—hovering behind her. Her golden eyes were locked unflinchingly upon Lana.
"You defeated the Great Dog General by yourself?"
"...And you are?"
Lana was unfamiliar with Suzuka Gozen. The database of the Giant Tenseigan held no detailed records about these overseas yōkai. After all, the intelligence that Satsuki had obtained came mostly from the records preserved in the Katori Shrine.
At the level of great yōkai, perhaps due to limited intelligence—or perhaps to prevent despair among those who read such records—only a few of the most famous ones had been documented.
"I am the previous ruler of Mount Suzuka—Suzuka Gozen."
"Oh, I see."
A faint blue light flashed in Lana's eyes as she uploaded the woman's data and information to the Giant Tenseigan.
Soon, she replied candidly, "Though the Great Dog General was one of the Four Lords of the Realm and hailed as the strongest yōkai of the Western Lands, within our organization, his strength was rated as only B+. He was a target that could be eliminated by a single individual."
"B+? What does that mean?" Ōtakemaru asked with genuine curiosity. He was intrigued by the Lunar Palace's system of classification.
Lana's gaze shifted slightly toward him, the faint hum of her halo resonating in the air as she spoke softly but clearly. "A B-class yōkai is one who has roughly mastered one or more laws. Most common great yōkai fall within this range. The Great Dog General had a partial grasp of at least three laws, but his methods were overly clever, so our organization evaluated him as B+."
"The Three Supreme Demon Swords, is it?" Ōtakemaru asked, curious. "Then what about me? What rank would I be in your organization?"
"According to older data, you were rated B–. Judging by your current state, it seems you've acquired a new weapon imbued with some crude principles of law. After updating your data, your evaluation should rise to around B."
Lana stated this truthfully.
Hearing that her assessment placed him below the Great Dog General, Ōtakemaru's face darkened. "What? I'm only B-class? Is B the highest rank your organization gives?"
"No... Above B are two higher grades—A and S. Based on estimates, the true forms of the Three Noble Children of the Amatsukami would likely fall within the range of B+ to A–, though I cannot confirm that without direct observation."
Here, Lana added calmly, though her words were sharp enough to make anyone choke: "In fact, even a B-class being wouldn't qualify to become a member of our organization."
Her statement was only half true.
The Lunar Palace currently had ten members in total, the weakest among them being the newly joined Tenjin Hyūga and Ruri. Yet Tenjin Hyūga possessed immense potential—he had inherited Satsuki's Byakugan and had been carefully nurtured since birth, his entire growth path meticulously planned.
Once his power matured fully, he was destined to become the leader of Satsuki's future Sky Fox Division—an elite corps meant to annihilate the main branch of the Ōtsutsuki Clan. His strength, by then, would likely rival those of the Six Paths level.
As for Ruri, she served as the experimental vessel for Satsuki's preliminary Sky Fox Division technologies. Containing within her the Akasha Records and functioning as both Satsuki's system platform and part of Satsuki herself, her personal combat power was of little concern. Strictly speaking, she was already an extension of Satsuki's own existence.
After all, within the Lunar Palace, Satsuki was one of only two beings evaluated as S-class. The only other individual to ever receive such a rank was the Awakened One—a fleeting existence from the FATE world.
Another who might potentially reach S-class was the recently revived Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
As for the rest, they were classified as A-class beings—those whose power lay between the levels of a Super Kage and the Six Paths.
Of course, this was merely a general standard. Even within the same rank, actual combat power could vary greatly, and everything still depended on individual circumstances.
However, Lana's blunt declaration had clearly provoked Ōtakemaru.
Instead of anger, he let out a mocking laugh. "Even the Four Lords of the Realm are only rated as B-class? In that case, it seems your Lunar Palace could easily rule the world. How arrogant."
Lana tilted her head slightly and replied softly, "Actually... it wouldn't be difficult for us."
At that, the surrounding yōkai burst into laughter.
Some even whispered among themselves, "It's the first time I've met someone more conceited than our leader."
...
Lana remained silent amidst their mockery, standing still as though waiting for something.
Suzuka Gozen's instincts told her that the girl before her wasn't lying—but her words sounded far too outrageous. For the moment, Suzuka couldn't decide whether to start a battle with the Lunar Palace right then and there.
Ōtakemaru, however, had no such patience. Having poured the Suzuka Mountain's resources into forging the Sanmyō Blade, he was brimming with confidence and eager to establish his reputation as the strongest yōkai of the Sengoku Era.
He had already devised a grand plan for his future—first, to conquer the Western Lands, now without the Great Dog General's protection. Then, to advance southeast, erasing Kyoto from the map, and finally, to challenge Kirinmaru of the East for dominion over the entire continent.
Though Kirinmaru was one of the mightiest yōkai in the world and had once struck down a falling star, Ōtakemaru, in his youth and arrogance, dismissed such feats as nothing special.
And before all that, his first obstacle was the newly emerged Lunar Palace.
Ōtakemaru extended his hand. The Sanmyō Blade began spinning rapidly, releasing waves of cutting pressure like storm winds sweeping past Lana. The air itself seemed to hiss as it was sliced apart.
Within the vortex-like currents swirling around him, wind, lightning, and fiery rain coiled together, forming a deadly storm. Even Suzuka Gozen, a great yōkai herself, dared not approach too closely.
She immediately signaled the ghost ship fleet to turn away. Against a single high-level target of this caliber, the ships were useless—nothing but oversized targets.
At that moment, Lana's eyes suddenly glimmered—as if she had just received some message. Looking up at Ōtakemaru, whose power now raged like a tempest, she spoke softly:
"My apologies... Lord Ōtakemaru. It seems I made a mistake in assessing your power earlier. You're not B-class."
"Heh, trying to flatter me now won't save you!" Ōtakemaru sneered, his blood already boiling for battle. He had made up his mind to eradicate the Lunar Palace.
"Actually... your rank is still B–. I was wrong before when I said you might reach B."
Ōtakemaru had always considered himself someone who, while not as composed as his sister Suzuka Gozen, could at least maintain a certain level of restraint.
But now, facing this member of the Lunar Palace, he realized just how fragile his self-control truly was.
"You only know how to talk big!"
Ōtakemaru raised his hand toward the sky.
A vast surge of yōki swept through the demonic clouds. Thunder, storm winds, and fiery rain erupted across the heavens, shrouding the sky in smoke and shadow until the land below was plunged into darkness.
Whoosh—!
Without another word, Ōtakemaru dove from the sky like a thunderbolt, charging straight toward Lana.
Yet, instead of retreating, Lana advanced. With a light push of her feet, her blue figure flashed through the air, leaving behind a dazzling trail of light as she darted past Ōtakemaru and flew directly into the midst of his yōkai army.
"Is she trying to die?"
"She dares face all of Mount Suzuka alone?!"
"She's underestimating us far too much!"
Seeing the lone member of the Lunar Palace charge forward instead of fleeing, the Suzuka yōkai army erupted in uproar.
Without waiting for orders, countless yōkai launched themselves at Lana, clashing with her in the skies above!
This time, the Suzuka forces had brought thirty-five ghost ships. Each vessel carried forty to fifty mid-level or higher yōkai. Excluding the crew needed to operate the ships, the number of combat-ready yōkai exceeded a thousand—with at least a hundred high-ranking yōkai, including thunder beasts, among them.
Such a force could annihilate a city or even a nation in moments. Sweeping across the entire continent would not have been impossible.
No single yōkai could stand against such an army. No individual could defy such overwhelming might.
And yet, as Lana plunged into their ranks, she was not swallowed by the horde as the others had expected. The blue radiance surrounding her body and the halo behind her head shone vividly beneath the storm-darkened sky, making her a beacon amidst chaos.
She didn't seem intent on using her authority powers right away. Instead, she changed her combat style entirely.
As if awakening the instinct every mage secretly harbors for close combat, the delicate, soft-spoken girl revealed an eager gleam in her eyes—this time, she chose to fight with her fists.
Her blue-scaled body, radiating pure dragon might, moved like a rock in a raging tide—unyielding, unstoppable. In the midst of thousands of yōkai, her glowing form twisted and flashed, her every motion cutting through the enemy ranks. The sound of bones shattering and flesh breaking echoed with each impact, followed by the strangled cries of dying yōkai.
Punches, knee strikes, elbow blows, sweeping kicks—her lithe body spun through the air with impossible speed, a whirlwind of destruction tearing through the enemy ranks. A trail of broken corpses and scattered limbs followed wherever she passed.
Even when struck by stray blasts or shockwaves due to her lack of close-combat experience, Lana made no effort to shield herself with defensive or resistance buffs. Instead, she endured the blows head-on, relying purely on the physical resilience of her draconic body.
For the first time, she felt something new—something thrilling.
"So this is what fighting feels like... how exciting."
Her battle fervor grew, her speed increasing with every movement, until she became a streaking blue comet weaving through the Suzuka army.
Lana used no powers, no enhancement states, no magic. With nothing but raw physical prowess and the taijutsu she had learned from the Giant Tenseigan, she threw the Suzuka forces into chaos. Even Suzuka Gozen, who tried to lock onto her with the Bow of the Underworld, could not keep up with her speed.
In all her years, Suzuka had never seen anything like it. Even among great yōkai, to slay such numbers typically required vast, area-destroying techniques.
But this Lunar Palace member charged directly into the enemy ranks, tearing them apart with her bare hands.
It was a style of battle both wild and reckless—but also a declaration of absolute confidence. Only a true battle fanatic would dare fight this way.
"You—do you only know how to run?!" Ōtakemaru roared.
Lana's speed was not vastly superior to Ōtakemaru's, but her movements carried a fluid precision that gave her far greater initiative. While Ōtakemaru struggled to pursue her, she darted freely through the yōkai ranks without hesitation or fear.
He, however, was limited—unable to unleash the full might of his divine sword techniques without risking his own troops. The result was a bizarre reversal: one lone yōkai overwhelming an entire army.
"Ahh—!"
"My hand—my horn!"
Those who screamed were the fortunate ones. The less lucky never even managed that much; in the instant they saw the flash of blue before their eyes, their bodies and consciousness alike dissolved into blood mist.
Cries of agony rose one after another through the clouds. The entire battlefield beneath the purple storm was now veiled in interwoven chains of blue light—an intricate web of death binding the Suzuka yōkai who had come from afar.
The longer the battle went on, the more exhilarated Lana became. It was as if she had found inspiration amid combat; her once-blunt movements grew increasingly graceful. Like a dancer upon a grand stage, she wove a deadly rhythm through the sky—each elegant motion blooming into a crimson flower of blood and shattered flesh.
Ordinary mid-tier yōkai could not even track her movements. Even those powerful enough to level a city crumbled the moment they came into contact with her blue radiance.
At times, a surge of draconic might rippled from her body, instantly crushing several of Ōtakemaru's elite officers to the ground. They couldn't even think of coordinating a counterattack—any misstep, and Lana's blows would leave them dead.
Her golden dragon eyes possessed perception rivaling that of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, capable of sweeping her surroundings multiple times within an instant. No matter the direction, no strike escaped her gaze.
In mere moments, the entire sky had become her stage—a field where she honed her technique and danced with deadly grace.
Whoosh...
Finally, Ōtakemaru lost his patience.
From among the three divine swords of the Sanmyō Blade, the longest—Daitōren—shot forth, unleashing waves of fierce scarlet sword pressure in multiple directions.
The violent crimson slashes tore apart the surrounding demonic clouds, sealing every avenue of escape. Lana's position was locked in, surrounded from above, below, and all sides.
At that same instant, a silent blade streaked toward her from behind—aimed straight at her waist.
It was the strike of Suzuka Gozen, the Queen of the Sea Kingdom.
This beautiful yet deadly yōkai had been waiting patiently for the perfect moment to coordinate with her brother. Her weapon was both peculiar and lethal, capable of fluidly shifting between ranged and close combat.
But faced with the twin assault from two great yōkai, Lana only smiled.
Her form suddenly accelerated. In a flash, she spun through the air with impossible speed, reaching out her right hand to seize the incoming blade. The hidden dragon-scale armor beneath her skin flared with fiery sparks as she caught the weapon barehanded.
Then, without even looking back, she swung.
A massive surge of pure draconic power burst forth, condensing into a raging blade-storm that howled across the sky.
The roaring tempest cleaved Ōtakemaru's violent sword pressure cleanly in half—shattering his carefully orchestrated assault in an instant.
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