Nov 10, 2025

Inen feels like he is in a bind. I also noticed that there is a nice build up for a bigger fight to come, a single fight type thing, which I am going to guess is either the penultimate or ultimate fight in this story given the number of chapters left. I can see it going either way to be honest.

The last part feels ominous and troublesome, I don’t know exactly what hand they are going to play, but I bet it is going to be rather impactful. I look forward to seeing where this story goes from here.

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Nov 10, 2025

The Keiko and Akiko talk was good, I wondered if that was the sword, and it seems it was. I like the connection and the build up shown in that and I think Keiko for the last bit has shined as a rather capable character.

Inen threatening people the way he does, makes me wonder if he thinks he is better than he is, but that will be determined I guess.

The action is underway, Masako going for the divide and conquer angle, tricking and using deception. It might work, but I wonder how Akiko will react to it ultimately. It is also great call back to that earlier conversation too.

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Nov 10, 2025

Inen wanting to show his skills at the start makes me wonder how this battle is going to end up going. I think Akiko and Masako both have very different views of how to do things. I think this works really well because it gives us the divide which I think will perhaps end up growing more. To be seen I guess. Kenji’s speech and moment was nice, and fits what we have had from his character up to this point. I expected the fight to start this chapter but it seems it will be later on.

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Nov 10, 2025

I think the logistics in the planning for this fight was awesome. It is something that I admit I don't think is thought about too much. The preparation was really clear, and the risk of trusting someone being told also was something needed, as it does make us as the readers know that the risk is at least a bit real. I also very much liked Keiko’s comments about what it means to be a leader as well. How they used Fujiwara’s previous achievements to show what a leader is.

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Nov 10, 2025

I think this was another build up chapter, it did a good job of showing things moving along, the offer to the seer made a lot of sense. I think that changing sides for them given the alternative for just losing seems reasonable. The last section between Kenji and Inen was good too, made me wonder where that plot thread is going to end up going in the future. The dynamics of Inen could be very interesting and important.

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Nov 09, 2025

Yep, that last one was to clean, I like how the twist with the sword, and its ability to control its user is happening. A great call back to earlier in the story.. You know that things aren’t all clear, that the battle over the soul of Masako is far from over or it feels that way. This chapter felt like an eye of the storm type. Then again the friendship seems to be important to Masako so it could go in a positive way, but I expect at least a bit of a challenge for sure ahead still.

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Nov 09, 2025

Oh, so Keiko really did pull a fast one here, and stood out a lot. I think that moment was really neat, and the moment that is had after. I think that was a twist that I didn’t see coming at all if you can see based on previous comments. I am more curious where this is going to go next now.

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Nov 09, 2025

This chapter is a big one, a lot of action. Things are very much in the favor of Masako here, and it makes sense, Masako is much better trained, or it feels that way. It feels like a fight the protagonist here Akiko is supposed to lose, and the escalation of tension across is great, the framing opening scene here also very solid.

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Nov 09, 2025

This chapter has very Luke going to cloud city vibes to it. Which makes me even more sure this is going to fall apart, most likely with Akiko losing to Masako in some way, perhaps in a very one sided fight. I think the stakes with the danger to Keiko feel very much present as well, as her fate feels very up in the air at this point.

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Nov 09, 2025

The moment I saw a peaceful town I knew that this place would go south real fast. I think Keiko being captured and the knowledge of where her friend is, is a great tell for trouble. I think there is a tension building in this chapter. I think that tension makes the ending and the build up to the next chapter very effective. The idea of destiny in this fight makes it feel grand too.

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Nov 09, 2025

So a big fight will happen at this fort. I am sure this will be very big, it feels like we are moving towards this big turning point, given that this story is far from over, I am going to guess now that the heroes will lose this fight. It is a guess based on where we are in the story, but it feels logical for what you're building up. Masako feels more trained than Akiko and Akiko feels like they are going on talent and guts more than anything else, which signals at least to me so far that this is still at the start of the journey in some ways. I think knowing that tells me that you are building up the piece rather solidly.

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Nov 09, 2025

I think something is going to happen with Keiko in the near future. The whole being safe but type angle tells me that Keiko will be put into trouble and that bracelet will be important. That is a good setup, I think that this story will happen soon given that the end talks about people being moved around from Kenji’s perspective. I am curious where this is going to go and how quick we get to this big fight.

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Nov 09, 2025

The duel fights worked rather well as they showed the different places that both Akiko and Masako are in at this moment. I think that the fights worked well to show the situations they are in and the capabilities of each of them too. I think the rest of it is a good build up to this fight between Akiko and Masako that is building up and has been building up for a while.

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Nov 09, 2025

I see that Akira had some foresight about the empire which is a good move for his son. I think that was an interesting take, and I am going to guess this relationship came out which helped tip off that he had to be killed in the first place. That is a guess anyhow. Then after his death the prophecy was declared which means it wasn’t known when killed. I wonder if that would have affected things at the start of the story.

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Nov 09, 2025

So this is the point that things start to change, they decide to stop running. Is this reckless by Akiko, most likely but also a very logical choice as well. I can understand wanting to fight and not to run, as it would get tiresome and by doing so demoralize yourself over time bit by bit. This is a big moment and it feels like one but I am sure the blow back from it will be harsh.

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