Chapter 34 – The Ice Begins to Creak

Kita-no-Kyō, Capital of the Yukihana Shogunate. Shogun’s Palace.

The usual silence of the palace halls was shattered by hurried shouts. The doors to the throne room slammed open with a thunderous crash.

“Shogun! We bring grave news!” the two generals cried in unison.

Shogun Tsukihara’s brow darkened instantly. He had been interrupted during his tea, enjoying the music of his geisha.

“Insolent fools!” he roared, his icy voice freezing the atmosphere around him. “For daring to disturb my peace… I should have you executed where you stand!”

“M-my lord, forgive our intrusion!” one general stammered, bowing low. “We would never dare, unless it were of the utmost urgency.”

With a sharp wave of his hand, Tsukihara dismissed the geisha. The doors closed behind them, sealing the chamber in oppressive silence.

“Speak,” he ordered at last, resting an elbow on the armrest of his throne.

“Your Majesty… we’ve lost Shirahane and Hyorin.”

The Shogun’s eyes narrowed to slits, sharp as blades.

“…What did you say?”

“I saw it with my own eyes,” the general said, trembling. “A young man wielding fire swept through our forces. He moved with the skill of a samurai, but in his hands burned… a Solar Blade.”

Tsukihara clicked his tongue.

“Solmara… So, those traitors have finally revealed their true colors.”

The second general stepped forward, bowing nervously.

“My lord… it’s not only that. For six months now, we haven’t received a single convoy from the south. Not one mana capsule has arrived. Our cannons have run out of ammunition…”

“Fools!” Tsukihara roared. In an instant, the entire hall froze solid under his fury. The pillars, the curtains, even the stone floor glazed over in ice.

The general collapsed to his knees, gasping as the biting chill clawed at his flesh.

“F-Forgive me, my lord! We thought it only a delay… Shizuku had never failed in production before. But with the loss of Hyorin as well… there can be no doubt.”

Tsukihara closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, they gleamed with a glacial light.

“I see… We’re out of supplies. No question about it—they know this land like the back of their hand.”

A deathly silence swept through the throne room. The generals trembled, aware that the very ice of Yukihana was beginning to crack.

Tsukihara snapped his fingers. At once, guards entered with eerie calm, as if they had been waiting for the signal.

“Summon Cole. I want him here immediately. As for these two…” He gestured downward with his thumb.

The soldiers seized the generals, who fell to their knees, begging for mercy.

“Shogun, please…! We have served you faithfully!”

Tsukihara didn’t even look their way.

“Incompetence has no place in my court. Enjoy your execution.”

“Yes, my lord!” the guards replied in unison, dragging the condemned men out of the chamber.

Just then, a man with a calm demeanor and thin glasses entered with measured steps. His serenity seemed detached from the suffocating tension in the air.

“You summoned me, Lord Tsukihara.”

The Shogun’s lips curved into a frosty smile.

“Cole. As punctual as always. I need you to contact Kurobane and Seiryu. Solmara’s rats have infiltrated us, and we’ve already lost more than half our prefectures.”

For the first time, Cole’s unshakable face stiffened.

“That’s… impossible.”

“I know,” Tsukihara replied with chilling composure. “But splitting our forces is meaningless. I will wait here, in the capital.”

“Chasing the serpent’s tail only wastes our strength… better to let it slither straight into our hand.”

Cole adjusted his glasses, his voice still steady despite the weight of the words.

“And will you allow them to take the remaining prefectures, my lord?”

“In shōgi, sometimes you have to sacrifice pieces to win the game.”

Tsukihara leaned forward, his gaze razor-sharp.

“They say it’s only individuals. If it were an army, we would have seen it by now.”

Cole nodded, though doubt lingered in his eyes.

“I understand your point, my lord.”

“Good.” Tsukihara reclined back in his throne. “We’ll know the truth when they strike Kurogane.”

“If they can bring down our bastion… then we’ll see what kind of monsters we’re really dealing with.”

“As you command.”

“And one more thing, Cole.” Tsukihara’s voice cut through the chamber before his advisor could leave.

“Sever all communication with Solmara and Cegris. They’ll take no more gold or resources from us—not until these traitors are wiped out.”

“It will be done.” Cole bowed low and departed in silence.

Tsukihara rose and walked out to the balcony, his eyes fixed on the pale-blue sakura blossoms drifting down from the trees of the imperial gardens.

“Solmara… do you truly take me for a fool?” he whispered, his glacial eyes gleaming. “This is Yukihana, my land.”

“I even had to end the life of my own master, Yukino… Nothing will take these lands from me. Nothing.”

A cold wind swept through the hall, carrying with it the omen of an inevitable war.

Meanwhile, a humble wagon creaked along the snowy roads, driven by Luisina. From the outside, it looked like nothing more than a traveling show—a wandering circus, like countless others in Yukihana.

Inside sat Ren, Yura, and little Latina.

“This will be the last prefecture we can cross without resistance…” Ren murmured, eyes fixed on the horizon.

“Yes.” Yura’s reply was calm but heavy. “From here on, everything will be heavily militarized. There won’t be room for disguises or tricks anymore.”

Ren tilted his head toward the girl dozing against his shoulder.

“You really shouldn’t have come, Latina. You’d have been safer with Lilith in Sekka.”

The child puffed out her cheeks, pouting.

“I can be useful too! I’m really strong!”

“Strong?” Yura gave her a cool look. “You’re support, not a fighter.”

Latina crossed her arms and lifted a finger as if declaring some profound truth.

“Support is very important too!”

Ren couldn’t help but laugh softly, ruffling her hair.

“She’s right. Thanks to your blessings, we’ve been able to push our powers even further.”

“Ren…” Yura sighed, her brow furrowed. “Don’t encourage her. This is far too dangerous.”

“I know,” he answered quietly. “But an extra hand won’t hurt. As long as we protect her, nothing will happen… right?”

“Yes, big brother!” Latina chimed, puffing out her chest with pride.

“See?” Ren smiled, as though that settled it.

Yura shook her head and muttered under her breath:

“You’re both crazy…”

The wagon pressed on, swallowed by silence and snow. In the distance, the first temples rose against the gray sky.

Gekkō-setsu—the spiritual heart of Yukihana. The last bastion before the final act.