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 jo...
2024-03-15 19:20:59 +0000 UTC View PostIt was heartening how quickly Lord Ienaga and his allies agreed to Yoshika’s plan to sue for peace with the shogunate loyalists. His demeanor had softened considerably after Master Yumi’s rescue, and he readily agreed that Yu Meiren and her demons were a more important threat than the shogun’s ambitions.
He stroked his chin as he mar...
2024-03-13 19:18:52 +0000 UTC View Post
Another pair of SFW pieces from Ciel Jay while she and Tsuu are on break. Yan Yue and Hayakawa Kaede are both former enemies of Yoshika that our girls managed to turn around to become their closest friends and allies. Other than that, they don't have much in common, but they sure are pretty!
Of all the pieces CJ did for this series, these ...
2024-03-12 23:06:08 +0000 UTC View PostYoshika was getting frustrated with Yu Meiren’s machinations. She didn’t think she was underestimating the divine-born demon, but it pained her to be so outmatched. In a direct conflict, Yoshika didn’t think she could lose, but where she had her people and responsibilities to consider, Meiren didn’t hesitate to commit herself wholly to t...
2024-03-11 18:10:04 +0000 UTC View PostYoshika’s forward expedition wasn’t as extensive as she would have liked. The demons were able to keep pace easily, as were most of the Yamato veterans, but most of the remaining force had to lag behind. None of the healers from the Cult of Harmonious Stars, nor the Goryeon mages could join, and the Yamato generals were only willing to restr...
2024-03-08 20:23:36 +0000 UTC View PostYoshika realized that something was wrong the moment she touched Yuuko. Her soul churned with conflicting emotions, rasping itself against the thorny threads wrapped tightly around it. Without hesitation, Yoshika’s domain wiped out Meiren’s curse. There was a risk that the demon would sense her intervention, but Yuuko’s soul was far more i...
2024-03-06 19:17:19 +0000 UTC View PostYuuko sighed and shook her head.
“That was more than a second, and I’m not convinced.”
She stood up and began circling around her desk, but before she could drop her spell and call for the guards, Harada took a step back and raised his hands urgently.
“Wait! I forgot an important part! Shogun Hayakawa sold our country o...
2024-03-04 20:01:46 +0000 UTC View PostWith Master Yumi safe and secure, a command meeting was being held in the Kasai family estate. Lord Ienaga had tried to argue that it should be held in Shoda castle, but Yoshika refused to leave Yumi’s side or allow her to be moved until her condition was more stable.
It was a little cramped, but the elderly couple did their best to acco...
2024-03-01 20:56:02 +0000 UTC View PostYoshika felt...strange after her resurrection. Not quite herself, yet at the same time more of herself than ever before. She’d felt amazing when she woke up, surrounded by worried friends and family, but Lin Xiulan warned her that her euphoria was likely just a side effect of her rebirth. Her soul was still badly damaged.
It didn’t fee...
2024-02-28 19:17:53 +0000 UTC View Post
As promised, while Tsuu is on break, I'm going to share some special SFW edits of the Demon tier commissions. I actually wanted to release the Eui one as well, but even the SFW edit of that was a little more borderline than I was comfortable putting on patreon, so you'll have to check out the discord or the imgur art gallery if you're interested...
2024-02-28 01:23:40 +0000 UTC View PostJin Hu was in a difficult position. Not in the war—that was going just fine. Lord Ienaga was a skilled commander, able to cooperate well with Jin Hu and Jiaguo’s army, and the most recent communication from Jiaguo had provided intelligence that was likely to lead to a major breakthrough.
The problem was that he’d gotten a little too ...
2024-02-26 19:17:09 +0000 UTC View PostAs much as she admired Jiaying’s enthusiasm, there was one more thing Rika needed to understand before she could make her next move. As they made their way toward the section of the inner city where the Cult of Harmonious Stars made their home.
“So if you’ve spent the last month eavesdropping on your parents, maybe you can tell me wh...
2024-02-23 18:49:41 +0000 UTC View PostJiaguo had changed quickly in the time that Rika had been away. As she walked through one of the nicer parts of town, it struck her just how much it had changed. There hadn’t been a nicer part of town—it was just a small collection of people living in whatever house they’d decided to repurpose for themselves.
Since then, the...
2024-02-21 18:46:59 +0000 UTC View PostRika had a lot of fires to put out. She had no idea that Pan Jiaying’s parents had moved in from Qin, since she’d already left before that happened. Hell, the entire government had been practically overhauled in the time she’d been away. First thing’s first, she needed to correct the record.
“It’s a good thing you haven’t tol...
2024-02-19 21:37:51 +0000 UTC View PostRika peered suspiciously at the faint glow emanating from Yoshika’s core. It had been sitting inert for weeks, and this was the first sign they’d gotten that she might still be alive.
“Are you sure it’s her and not just...I dunno, some kind of residual reaction from the Tear?”
She glanced up at the artifact in question—a ...
2024-02-16 18:48:34 +0000 UTC View PostEverything was dark, still, and silent. It wasn’t cold or hot or anything in between. There was no pain—no sensation at all. The only thing Yoshika had to confirm that she even existed at all was her own errant thought.
Where am I?
Nowhere. Thought and feeling without form or substance. Fleeting and ephemeral. Dying.
... 2024-02-14 19:07:50 +0000 UTC View PostSovereign Longyan was a plain looking man, with short messy brown hair, dark eyes, and a simple silk robe. If not for the rapidly swiveling dragon eyes set into the palms of his hands, one wouldn’t even be able to tell he was anything but an ordinary human.
From the same invisible portal, Hayakawa Takeo followed, and any remaining doubt ...
2024-02-12 19:59:56 +0000 UTC View PostAs they made their escape from the dungeons, Yoshika was struck by just how many prisoners were being held in the castle. Noticing that Master Yumi was with them, a few began to call out for help. Jia bit her lip and cast an awkward glance at her master.
“Is there anything we can do for them?”
Yumi shook her head sadly.
“...
2024-02-09 21:18:18 +0000 UTC View Post
Tsuu's last piece before the break, and since the first thing to work on after she comes back will be the next cover, it's going to be a little while before we get another of these fabulous illustrations. I think this is a nice note to go out on for the time being, though. I love the dynamic shot and the juxtaposition between Pan's struggles and...
2024-02-07 19:37:49 +0000 UTC View PostYoshika rushed to Ienaga’s side. Jia put pressure on her wound to staunch the bleeding while Meili removed the gag preventing her from speaking. Master Ienaga coughed, wincing in pain as the motion aggravated her injury.
“Girls...I wish you hadn’t come here, but I can’t say I’m not happy to see you.”
Jia shook her head. 2024-02-07 19:31:19 +0000 UTC View Post
As always, it would be a huge help if you could go and rate or review it on Amazon. There's no purchase necessary, and every little bit helps.
For the collectors among you, the print copies are available in paper...
2024-02-05 21:54:43 +0000 UTC View PostYoshika was moving before she’d even fully registered what had happened. The bit of essence she’d left with Rika to serve as a beacon was gone—the agreed upon signal that she was in immediate danger and needed help.
Jia and Eui were the first to arrive at Jiaguo’s teleportation formation, hidden beneath the foundation of the assemb...
2024-02-05 21:33:14 +0000 UTC View PostTakeda Rika furrowed her brows as she entered the rundown village. Half the dwellings were obviously abandoned, while the rest were populated by only a handful of elderly folk and children. She’d expected security to increase as she approached the capital, but the closer her team got, the fewer soldiers they encountered.
“Ishihara, Har...
2024-02-02 20:13:36 +0000 UTC View PostIt was a little embarrassing, but Jia wasn’t really sure how to take a break. Her entire life had been spent fighting for every little scrap, while Eui had been hard at work trying to get into a prestigious college before her exile, and Kaede had been strictly raised to be a leader worthy of succeeding her father. Since growing into the cultiv...
2024-01-31 19:34:31 +0000 UTC View PostChiyo apprised Kaede of the situation while leading her through a tour of Ienaga’s camp.
“We’re not sure if we accidentally started something that had been in the works for a while, or if something spurred the shogun into acting, but pretty much the moment we started making a fuss about the borders, all-out war broke out between our ...
2024-01-29 20:12:07 +0000 UTC View Post
A new piece by Tsuu! Not much to say that wasn't already covered in the previous announcement, but here's the piece I promised would be coming soon. I can hardly believe that this is the first illustration since October (not counting the cover).
There's one more hopefully coming some time in the next few weeks, plus the SFW versions of CJ'...
2024-01-27 05:00:42 +0000 UTC View PostWith Kurokawa out of the way, Kaede’s army moved swiftly through the northern provinces of Yamato. Though they fought a few skirmishes along the way, the risk of assaulting Kurokawa’s heavily defended position paid off as they traveled through mostly friendly or neutral territories. Along the way, Kaede met with a number of lords and ladies ...
2024-01-26 20:13:33 +0000 UTC View PostThere was no witness to preside over Kaede's duel with Kurokawa—it wasn't that kind of battle. Instead, she waited patiently for her opponent to make the first move, as an acknowledgement that he was at a disadvantage.
The old veteran was cautious, and carefully paced a slow circle around her, testing her as he gradually inched closer. I...
2024-01-24 18:34:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey there everybody, I've been sort of putting this off for a while so I figured I'd just get a whole bunch of stuff out of the way all in one go. First, as you can see, the cover for Book 5 is finally finished! Yay! It's amazing, as always, with Tsuu taking on a more painterly style than usual that's very fitting for the picturesque Qin landsca...
2024-01-22 20:51:47 +0000 UTC View PostKaede advanced alone towards Kurokawa’s castle with nothing but her sword and her will. Thousands stood between her and her target, and they wouldn’t let her pass without a fight.
“So what’s the plan, darling? Fly over? Try to negotiate? Cut our way through? Oh, I hope it’s the last one!”
Kaede sighed. Leave it to Jianmo ...
2024-01-22 19:33:16 +0000 UTC View Post