Chapter 201: The Seventy-Two Pillars and the Whisper of Power
When Bai Yue uttered the name "Ophis," the entire atmosphere changed.
"The leader of the Khaos Brigade... it's the Infinite Dragon God herself?"
Yasaka's gaze sharpened like a blade. This wasn't public knowledge. Such a claim shouldn't be uttered lightly. But Bai Yue didn't seem like someone who dealt in frivolous rumors. He didn't need to. The power he had just demonstrated—an effortless dispersion of her foxfire—was more than convincing.
Her tail subtly twitched beneath the folds of her kimono.
"You think the Brigade is targeting Kyoto?" she asked cautiously.
"You're already on their radar," Bai Yue replied, calm and undeniable.
Yasaka studied him. Could he be part of the group himself? But no—if he were, why bother with formalities? And if his companion was truly the daughter of Himejima Juri, the infamous woman who had once earned the trust of the Kyoto youkai, then the equation shifted.
Even still, caution was survival.
"What do they want?"
"That, I don't know. Not yet."
Black Song had returned to infiltrate the Brigade once more, hoping to dig deeper, but nothing concrete had surfaced. Yet Bai Yue came not merely to inform—his true motive soon revealed itself.
"I want you to become one of the Seventy-Two Demon Pillars."
The statement landed like thunder.
"What?"
Yasaka's fingers froze mid-fold. "One of the seventy-two? You intend to make me a devil?"
"No," Bai Yue said evenly. "A demon god."
With those words, reality folded inward.
The shrine disappeared.
Stone turned to light.
Yasaka found herself standing within an ancient temple of unknown origin, bathed in an ethereal glow. Around her, luminous cards hovered in midair, each depicting a surreal figure—beasts, angels, kings, monsters.
The Seventy-Two.
Some were familiar. She spotted Gremory's ancestor. The princess of the Sidi family. The Phoenix heiress. Black Song—whose infamy preceded her. And Juno stood tall among them, now adorned in pitch-black shrine garments, exuding a mystic aura near overwhelming in force.
Suddenly, one card shifted.
Its glowing edges hovered toward Yasaka's feet. She gasped.
Just as quickly, the vision faded.
Back to the shrine. As though nothing had happened. As though it had all been illusion.
But it wasn't.
"I remember now…" she whispered. "The Seventy-Two Demon Pillar Plan…"
A relic of old prophecy. The idea was once shared between the God of the Bible and Solomon. A plan to elevate demons—to move them beyond their dependence on human fear. By becoming demon gods, they could instead draw power from faith, much like the angels and holy pantheons.
It was never completed.
But now, the plan was moving again?
"And Juno… has already awakened?"
The change in her power made sense now.
But Yasaka was no devil. She was youkai. Could a fox goddess truly ascend as one of the Pillars?
And what was the cost?
Most pressing of all: who was Bai Yue?
During the brief vision, his clothing had changed—replaced by robes reminiscent of an ancient monarch.
Was he…?
"You don't need to worry," Bai Yue said softly. "This is a conversation—not a command."
Yet his words were edged with a silent weight. If the Hero Faction targeted her… or, worse, her daughter… could she afford not to accept?
Then he flicked a card toward her.
It floated and settled gently before her eyes.
"When you're ready," he said, "infuse it with your power. It will respond."
He wasn't concerned about losing it. The card was tied to him by system—weaving magic and mechanism. If danger came, he could track its signature, or teleport directly to her side.
The demon it represented was Bathin—depicted in the card as a mermaid-like entity. The symbolism was fitting. Foxes and sirens both bore charm as their weapons. Yasaka felt it resonate with her.
Chapter 202: A Shrine, a Sister, and a Kiss Meant to Tease
Yasaka watched the departing figures with narrowed eyes. She didn't sense hostility—but Bai Yue's words left echoes.
Was Kyoto truly caught in the crosshairs?
"Mother?" came a small voice from behind.
She turned to see her daughter approaching.
Yasaka softened her expression and forced a smile. "It's nothing, little one."
No need to burden her with unspoken threats. But from now on, the youkai under her rule would be alert, awake, and wary of all outsiders.
The card remained nestled beneath the folds of her obi.
Meanwhile, Bai Yue and Juno chose not to return immediately. It was a weekend, after all. Kyoto was alive with festivals—the air filled with laughter, paper lanterns, and distant flutes.
The shrine they now approached buzzed with celebratory energy. Tourists wandered, children ran beneath red banners, and men in tengu masks cavorted between stalls.
But Bai Yue saw through it all.
Most weren't costumes.
They were youkai—disguised among the crowd, watching.
Juno giggled beside him, holding a paper bag of sweets.
She had picked up a few mochi treats from a nearby vendor. And with a playful glint in her eye, she offered one.
"For you~"
He reached for it, but just as his fingers neared, she withdrew it and bit the mochi gently, her lips curved in mischief.
Then she leaned close—offering the mochi, still between her lips.
A wordless invitation.
Bai Yue stared, expression unreadable. But Juno was undeterred.
She leaned closer.
He accepted the challenge.
"Mm—!"
Her eyes widened.
She had expected a peck—a tease. Instead, the pressure deepened. He tasted not the mochi, but the sweetness beyond. Her breath caught as his lips pressed firmly, parting hers with gentle force.
She froze.
Not because of the kiss—she had imagined that.
But because of the eyes watching them.
Her body stiffened.
Someone was nearby.
Not just a stranger.
It was her.
A woman, three or four years older, with long black hair and a beauty that mirrored Juno's own.
Juno's breath escaped her in a gasp as they parted.
"L-long time no see… Suzaku Onee-sama…"
The woman standing before them was her cousin—Himejima Suzaku. The only one from her family who had ever offered kindness.
Years ago, because of her fallen angel bloodline, Juno had been deemed a curse by the Himejima clan—condemned alongside her mother, trapped in isolation within sacred barriers.
Only Suzaku had dared to visit them. To speak. To care.
But after her mother's death, the clan's wrath grew fierce. Juno was hunted, nearly slain. Rescued at the last moment by Rias Gremory.
They hadn't met since.
"Juno… I thought I was mistaken," Suzaku murmured. Her eyes shifted to Bai Yue.
Who was this man?
To see her little cousin like that—so familiar, so intimate—it shocked her.
And even more surprising?
He seemed… normal.
Too normal.
No aura, no pressure, no obvious power.
And that was the most dangerous thing.
"Who are you?" she asked calmly.
"Bai Yue," he said with a polite smile. "Just a humble PE teacher."
Juno coughed.
Suzaku blinked.
"PE teacher?"
She chuckled softly. "That's a new one."
Still, she extended a hand with courtesy.
"I'm Suzaku. Himejima Suzaku. Juno's… disappointing cousin."
Her tone carried guilt. Pain. Memory.
But Bai Yue's reaction was neutral, almost indifferent—like the name meant nothing.
Was he truly mundane?
Or was he simply masking everything?
"You weren't a disappointment," Juno said quickly.
"You were the only one who tried."
"No," Suzaku said, voice low. "I promised to protect you. And I failed."
She looked away, lips pressed tightly.
For years, she hadn't seen Juno—not because she forgot. But because shame wrapped itself around her heart like chains.
But that would change soon.
"Don't worry," she said. "Soon—maybe next year—you'll come home. Back to the Himejima house."
She had been rising within the clan. Gaining influence.
Claiming power.
She would set things right.
But Juno simply smiled.
And shook her head.
"I don't need to go back, Suzaku Onee-sama."
Her eyes were clear.
Her heart had already chosen where it belonged.