Yamato was less of a nation, and more of a loosely interconnected set of protectorate states subject to the Shogun’s rule. As such, its politics were a constantly shifting web of alliances, feuds, and territorial disputes. Which province was aligned with which, and where their borders lay, was something that could shift within months or even w...
2023-11-06 17:40:55 +0000 UTC View PostMost people who knew Yoshika would eventually discover that she wasn’t a very good teacher. She had the will to share her knowledge and expertise, but one thing every aspect of her shared was that they were quick learners. Each of them had an easy, intuitive understanding of their cultivation that made it difficult to articulate for those who ...
2023-11-03 20:13:10 +0000 UTC View PostLee Narae was practically vibrating with excitement as she donned her brand new academy uniform. The self-repairing, self-cleaning, enchanted robes were almost the same as the ones her big sister had worn during her time at the academy. Students were allowed to choose the color of their robes, but Narae wanted to wear the same green that Jia and...
2023-11-01 18:51:46 +0000 UTC View PostA few days before the caravans were expected to arrive, everything was in place. Kaede checked and double-checked each and every preparation, but soon came to the stunning revelation that she simply had nothing more to do but wait.
Normally, that would be good news, but it meant that she no longer had anything to keep herself busy with to ...
2023-10-30 19:20:23 +0000 UTC View PostYang Qiu soon returned with her prospective candidate in tow. The demon in question was a young woman whose demonic transformation wasn’t quite as all-encompassing as most of the ones Yoshika had met. She had long black hair, worn loose and disheveled, pupiless black eyes, pale skin, and a gaunt frame. A core of swirling black Darkness seated ...
2023-10-27 20:42:31 +0000 UTC View PostWith Jia coordinating with Xin Wei and the Qin convoy, and Eui handling the Goryeon trade caravan, it fell to Kaede to prepare for their arrival. There would be chaos once they arrived, and the best way to handle it was to anticipate problems and start solving them in advance.
For the academy dorms, she had initially thought to split the o...
2023-10-25 18:52:36 +0000 UTC View PostEunae led Eui back to her spacious carriage so that they could speak in private. Seong Haeun, the royal clan’s youngest princess, and her maid Hyeong Aecha awaited them within. Haeun bowed politely in greeting as they entered.
“Welcome, Lady Yoshika. It’s good to see you well.”
Eui frowned at the stiffly formal greeting.
<... 2023-10-23 18:14:56 +0000 UTC View PostShi Jinghua fainted. Actually swooned into her husband's arms, where he carefully lowered her to the ground. Pan Zixin sighed, supporting his wife’s head in one hand while using the other to wave cool air into her face. Meili wasn’t sure what that was supposed to accomplish, but it looked like a well-practiced motion—he’d done this befor...
2023-10-20 19:26:12 +0000 UTC View PostLeaving Luo Huang with a promise to arrange a meeting with his son, Lee Jia made her way to the back of the caravan, where Xin Wei and Guan Yi were waiting. Xin Wei bowed as she approached.
“Miss Lee, a pleasure as always.”
“It’s good to see you two as well. Who are all these people?”
The pair had brought with them a ...
2023-10-18 17:51:13 +0000 UTC View PostTime passed swiftly during those peaceful days. The people of Urayama built their village and aided in the academy’s reconstruction, people began to settle into a comfortable routine, and Yoshika split her time between discussing policy with her friends and councilors, and preparing for the reopening of the Grand Academy.
Soon, spring tu...
2023-10-16 18:20:29 +0000 UTC View PostRika didn’t waste any time setting out with Ishihara and Harada. Melati, unfortunately, had to stay behind since she couldn’t blend in as a Yamato native like the others. Besides, as much as Yoshika liked Mel, she had self-control issues and it was better to keep her close by.
Yoshika made sure that they were well-equipped for their jo...
2023-10-13 17:48:10 +0000 UTC View PostEui sighed, interrupting Jianmo in the middle of recounting a particularly raunchy anecdote about an elemental’s increasingly bizarre attempts to couple with inanimate objects—apparently with the intent to breed new elementals.
“Sorry Jianmo, as fascinating—and disturbing—as this story is, something’s come up. I’ve got to go....
2023-10-11 19:56:08 +0000 UTC View Post
Only a week late this time! I'm getting better at this!
Tsuu has been hard at work on the new cover, but she's managed to find time to squeeze out a bunch of absolutely gorgeous character designs in the meantime. She really is unbelievably talented.
Melati and her drones are adorable, Aecha and Xiulan perfectly encapsulate their char...
2023-10-09 20:22:24 +0000 UTC View PostAs much as Jia had been enjoying just walking from place to place in familiar territory, there was something else she wanted to test now that she’d finished regenerating her body.
Before her ascension, Lee Jia had invented a flying technique that merged everything she knew about mana theory, spiritual cultivation, and martial arts into a...
2023-10-09 20:10:41 +0000 UTC View PostJia woke up in a comfortable, familiar bed. She stretched, enjoying the unique sensation of limbering up her stiff muscles—ancestors, she’d missed having a real body. It had been a long and arduous process for Yoshika to recreate proper bodies from scratch, and the temporary avatars they’d been using just weren’t the same.
Since Yo...
2023-10-06 19:37:51 +0000 UTC View PostDeep within the palace of the esteemed dragon clan, Qin Zhao sat in quiet meditation. The room was comfortable and well-decorated—suitable quarters for a guest of great importance. However, Qin Zhao saw past the illusion of hospitality and knew the room for what it truly was—a prison cell. Not a particularly effective one, mind—he could le...
2023-10-04 18:15:13 +0000 UTC View PostLady Tennin tried to always smile. It was important that the villagers never thought she was displeased or unhappy. If she ever so much as pouted or sighed, the priests and the miko would be all over her in an instant, bending over backwards to eliminate the cause of her discomfort.
Of course, the more logical part of Lady Tennin realized ...
2023-10-02 17:04:23 +0000 UTC View PostAn Chunhei wrung her mouse-like tail anxiously, fretting over every little detail of the spread she’d prepared to receive the most important guests of her life. After the third time she adjusted the placement of the teapot, her husband Minjun hugged her from behind.
“Relax, Chunhei. You don’t have to fret like this every time we have...
2023-09-29 20:22:41 +0000 UTC View PostWith the armies gone, Yoshika’s new life in Jiaguo gradually found a routine. There was a lot to keep them busy, but the lack of any imminent world-shattering threats allowed them to relax enough to focus on more mundane problems.
Getting Lin Xiulan’s Cult of Harmonious Stars settled was easier said than done. Xiulan herself was happy ...
2023-09-27 19:21:44 +0000 UTC View PostYue, Dae, and Jung exchanged confused looks before Yue cleared her throat.
“Um, could you elaborate on exactly what you mean by ‘Sovereign of this world’? I didn’t think you were the world conquest types. Well—Hayakawa, maybe.”
Yoshika shook her head.
“Not like that, no. I was thinking about Sovereign Chou’s sto...
2023-09-25 16:15:31 +0000 UTC View Post“Narae, don’t wander too far!”
Jung huffed as she chased after her restless daughter. Narae was flitting from one building to another excitedly while Yoshika took them through a tour of her home. It was a bit of extra effort to maintain her spirit form avatar while all of her other aspects were busy elsewhere, but well worth the trou...
2023-09-22 20:36:04 +0000 UTC View PostWith the official orders in place, all that remained was the formality of moving those who’d be staying into the academy and sending the armies back home. It would take Dae some time to properly repair the shield formation, but in the meantime Yoshika dedicated a portion of her attention to letting people in and out as needed.
Kaede had ...
2023-09-20 20:31:54 +0000 UTC View PostEui finished rounding up the last of the demonic stragglers, confining them to the private rooms of the former medical center—now a makeshift prison. It hadn’t been too difficult—most of the truly mindless demons had simply fled, and those who remained had at least enough of a sense of self that they could be reasoned with. Between Eui and...
2023-09-18 19:26:48 +0000 UTC View PostMagus Hwang Sung didn’t want to stay much longer, and as much as Yoshika wanted her own answers from Do Hye, she respected his decision to take him in as soon as possible.
“Are you sure you’re going to be alright transporting him on your own?”
Hwang Sung sighed.
“You can never be sure of anything with that old snake, ...
2023-09-15 20:06:58 +0000 UTC View PostSubduing Yuan Xing was simple enough. He was still confused, but he could tell that Yoshika was xiantian and that was enough to cow him, for the time being. That was a mess she’d have to clean up later.
She had quite a few such messes to clean up. There were still demons roaming the academy, and Yoshika wasn’t comfortable with either r...
2023-09-13 17:31:54 +0000 UTC View PostYoshika’s display of power had left Zheng Long and Master Ienaga stunned. Even the distant battle between Longyan and the Dragon Lord had paused for just a brief moment when Yan De was driven off. Yoshika was surprised too, but she didn’t have time to process it. She’d won, but she couldn’t rest yet, no matter how much she wanted to.
... 2023-09-11 19:01:57 +0000 UTC View PostYoshika was used to taking command in combat, but in a fight like this one, there was no time to bark orders or formulate strategies. Her bodies moved as one, and she could only trust her allies to follow her lead.
Jia and Eui were an obvious pair—they’d been working in tandem for as long as they’d been cultivating, and their fightin...
2023-09-08 16:48:28 +0000 UTC View PostYoshika bowed respectfully to the Dragon Lord.
“It’s good to meet you face to face. I have quite a few names, but please call me Yoshika.”
He regarded her with a pensive expression.
“You have changed your appearance, but I recognize you from Shen Yu’s entourage. You were the one who warned of Do Hye’s treachery.”<...
2023-09-06 17:45:08 +0000 UTC View PostThe Demon Lord, Sovereign Longyan, was a bit of a mystery to Yoshika. By appearances, he was quite plain. He had short brown hair, dark eyes, and a grim expression. He wore simple silk robes without the kind of opulent adornments that many cultivators favored. If not for the oversized crimson and violet eyes seated in the middle of each palm, he...
2023-09-04 19:21:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Tsuu has finally finished her rendition of Eui's Star Sundering Slash in a two-page strip that went way beyond the scope I originally imagined, but turned out amazing!
We've got the Volume 5 cover coming up, so it's going to be a pretty busy couple of months. I think I'm going to stop doing the art polls for a while, since the same option ...
2023-09-03 11:20:04 +0000 UTC View Post