"Hey, Sis, I'm going to check on Vivi tomorrow," Kaede said as Kanae flopped onto the couch, tossing a throw pillow aside and stretching out with a groan.
Kanae raised an eyebrow, glancing over at her sister. "Vivi?"
Kaede nodded. "She's the girl who survived that abnormal dungeon with me. I promised I'd follow up. Gave her my number and everything… but she hasn't reached out yet."
Kanae sat up a little straighter, concern flickering across her face. "Do you know where she is?"
Kaede shook her head, but her tone remained light. "Not exactly. But I have a skill that lets me instantly move to the location of any registered ally."
Kanae's brow furrowed. "You're talking about Cover Move, aren't you?"
Kaede's eyes widened slightly. "Wait, you know that skill?"
"Of course I do," Kanae said with a sigh. "It's a tank-exclusive ability. Only one person I've ever met had it, though. It's incredibly rare."
Kaede beamed. "Cool, right?"
Kanae leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "You know you could just visit her like a normal person, yeah? She's a C-Rank. I could pull her location from the Hunter Association's registry no problem."
Kaede opened her mouth to argue, but Kanae cut her off with a pointed look.
"And before you say anything, it is an invasion of privacy to just warp to someone's side without warning, especially when they're not in danger. We're Hunters, Kaede. Not stalkers."
"Invasion of privacy huh? As if what you're doing is any different." Kaede let out an exaggerated sigh and began trudging up the stairs.
"Hold it, young lady!"
Kaede froze mid-step, glancing back over her shoulder. "I wasn't actually gonna teleport to her while you were asleep, Nee-san. Geez. Have a little faith."
Kanae stood up, crossing her arms. "I was going to ask… am I registered as an ally for that ability?"
Kaede tilted her head. "Hmm… not sure."
Then Kanae blinked, her expression shifting. "Wait, were you planning to warp to Vivi behind my back?"
Kaede rushed down the stairs, skipping the last step with a small thud. "Buuut, just in case," she said brightly, "I should probably try to register you."
Kanae let out a resigned sigh as Kaede stepped in front of her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"So… how does this work?" Kanae asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kaede blinked, then looked slightly uncertain. "Uhm… I just have to connect your mana with mine, and then…"
---
Would you like to add Kanae Tawata to your party?
|| Yes || No ||
Party: 1/9
---
'Yes,' Kaede responded mentally, a quiet smile spreading across her face as the confirmation shimmered before her eyes.
"You should feel some sort of connection now," she said softly, lowering her hand.
---
Kanae Tawata has been added to your party.
Party: 2/9
---
Kanae frowned slightly, rubbing the spot on her shoulder where Kaede had touched her. "I don't feel anything different."
Kaede tilted her head. "Huh. I thought there'd be a tingle or something."
"Nope. Nada." Kanae leaned back into the couch, folding her arms behind her head. "But I trust you. If you say it worked, then I believe you."
Kaede stood there for a moment, a gentle silence passing between them. She stared at her sister, her eyes softening, before whispering:
"I love you, Sis."
Kanae smiled faintly and pulled her cap down over her eyes. "Love you too, troublemaker."
With a grin, Kaede turned and dashed back upstairs, her footsteps light with energy. She slipped into her room, dove onto her bed, and opened her interface. With a thought, she pulled up Kanae's party profile, watching the new data begin to compile.
---
Name: Kanae Tawata
Level: 1
Job Class: None^
HP: 1500 / 1500
MP: 3000 / 3000
Attributes:
• STR: 120
• AGI: 180
• VIT: 100
• DEX: 100
• INT: 150
• PER: 100
Physical Damage Resistance: 10%
Equipment:
– None
– Serpentine Armour (+75 VIT)
– Stag Gauntlets (+15 STR)
– Twin Black Swords (+300 ATK)
Skills:
– Kitsune
– Uzumaki
– Munechika
– Kamaitachi
• Crimson Kamaitachi
• Scarlet Kamaitachi
• Fire Kamaitachi
– Aragoto
– Noragami
– Tsuchigumo
– Instinct {Sixth Sense}
– Super Armour • New
SP (Party Leader Use Only): 0
---
Kaede blinked at the interface, her brow furrowing slightly.
"That can't be right," she murmured, adjusting her position on the bed. "Her stats are way lower than I expected. I mean… she's tough, but I really am stronger now."
She scrolled down, eyes flicking through the list of abilities.
"Whoa," she whispered. "Her skills… what do they all do?"
---
Kitsune
Kanae moves with fox-like agility, slicing swiftly through enemies.
(AGI +20%)
Uzumaki
Kanae attaches wires to her swords, throws them outward, then reels them back with force.
(ATK +17%)
Munechika
Kanae pulls herself toward the enemy using wires, delivering a flurry of fast slashes.
(AGI +15, ATK +19%)
Kamaitachi
Dual-wielding her swords, Kanae unleashes rapid slashes with blinding speed.
(AGI +15%, ATK +20%)
• Crimson Kamaitachi: Becomes a 3-stage slash with bonus damage equal to 30% of damage dealt.
• Scarlet Kamaitachi: Enhanced 3-stage slash with 70% bonus damage.
• Fire Kamaitachi: Final evolution. 3-stage slash with 120% bonus fire damage.
Aragoto
Kanae executes two high-powered cross-slashes, dealing massive fire-elemental damage.
(ATK +200%)
Inflicts: Stun
Noragami
A forward-slashing movement ending in two sharp cross-slashes.
(ATK +110%)
Inflicts: Stun, Blind, Fire Damage
Tsuchigumo
Kanae binds the enemy and then executes a sword technique that cuts the enemy's very lifeline.
(ATK +500%)
Fire Elemental Damage.
Cost: 3000 MP
Instinct
Critical Hit Rate increases by 1% per stack.
At 10 stacks, becomes Sixth Sense.
Sixth Sense
Critical Hit Rate increases by 20%.
If MP drops to ≤20%, MP Consumption is reduced by 40%.
Super Armour
Doubles VIT for 10 seconds.
Cost: 200 MP
---
Kaede tilted her head, a puzzled look crossing her face.
"Huh. All of these are just sword skills… there's no core-type ability here. Just combat techniques." She exhaled, lying back on her bed. "They're cool, sure, but why are they all separated like this? Shouldn't they be… I don't know, combined into one ultimate style or something? Like my great shield mastery, it comprises of most of my shield techniques."
---
Request Confirmed.
Activating Chaos Shard.
---
"Mm?" Kaede blinked. The words appeared in her interface as a faint shimmer of light pulsed across her screen.
---
Fusing Skills:
Kitsune + Uzumaki + Munechika + Kamaitachi + Aragoto + Noragami + Tsuchigumo + Instinct + Sixth Sense
New Skill Unlocked:
Yokai Blade Art: Akuma no Mai (Dance of the Demon)
Type: Fusion Style
Category: Signature Sword Technique
Cost: Varies (Passive + Active)
---
Description:
A forbidden sword-dance style passed down in whispers, said to emulate the movements of fox spirits and blade-born demons. Akuma no Mai fuses speed, wire manipulation, elemental slashes, and predatory instinct into a fluid, unpredictable combat rhythm.
When activated, Kanae enters a state of heightened awareness and blade synchronization, allowing her to execute chained attacks, phase across the battlefield, and apply devastating status effects in rapid succession.
---
Core Effects:
All fused skills remain within the Yokai arts.
Passive:
• AGI +25%, DEX +20%, Critical Hit Rate +10%
• Light armor-piercing effect added to all sword attacks
• Reduces physical damage taken during chained movement by 15%
New Technique:
Dance Steps (Chained Techniques):
Each attack executed within 3 seconds of the last unlocks the next "step" in the dance.
• Step One – Vulpine Fang: A flash-strike forward with wires pulling swords outward.
(ATK +100% | Causes Light Bleed)
• Step Two – Ember Reels: Twin swords circle Kanae and return with flaming trails.
(Fire DMG | Causes Burn)
• Step Three – Spider Break: Wires bind enemy mid-dance before a teleport slash.
(Stuns for 1.5s | ATK +150%)
• Step Four – Crimson Waltz: Three-stage slash infused with chaos fire.
(Deals up to 300% ATK as Fire | Ignores 20% DEF)
• Finale – Phantom Bloom: After four chained steps, Kanae vanishes and reappears behind all targets struck during the dance, executing a wide area finisher.
(Deals 500% ATK split across targets | Causes Blind and Burn | 30s Cooldown)
Instinct Trigger (Passive Upgrade):
• Critical Hits increase combo speed by 5% (up to +25%)
• When MP ≤ 20%, cost for all steps in the dance is reduced by 50%
---
– Cooldown for chained sequence: 15 seconds
– Can be interrupted if no action is taken within 3 seconds between steps
– Finale only unlocks if all four previous steps were completed
---
"Holy Shit." Kaede gasped in excitement. "What just happened?" She sat up immediately. "Yokai Blade Art. That sounds so cool."
---
Alert: Due to her connection to you (A Monarch Candidate) A gift has been granted to Kanae Tawata.
New Skill Acquired.
Unique Skill: Beast Transformation.
"Yokai Ascendant: Kumo no Akari"
(Light of the Spider-Fox)
+60% AGI, +30% DEX, +25% INT, +100% PER
Converts all sword techniques into threaded attacks, allowing mid-air redirection and remote detonation.
Signature Traits:
1. Weaver's Domain – Forms an arena of threads, slowing enemies, amplifying her mobility, and allowing teleportation along web-lines.
2. Silken Mirage – Leaves behind afterimages made of spiritual silk that explode into blinding light when struck.
3. Arachnoblade Waltz – Combines Kamaitachi and Munechika into a teleporting, disorienting dance of wire-enhanced slashes.
4. Soul-Loom Threads – Every successful hit marks the target with a binding thread. After three, she can sever the "lifeline," dealing massive true damage.
5. Ninth Tail Activation – Unlocks for 10 seconds at low HP. All sword skills become instant-cast, and movement becomes untargetable phasing.
---
"Oh no." Kaede blinked, staring at the air in front of her. "My Mapleness is spreading. I didn't even think that was a thing."
She placed a thoughtful finger to her chin. "She even has a transformation now." A proud smile spread across her face as she puffed out her chest. "That's my sister. She's the coolest."
Without wasting another moment, Kaede tiptoed out of her room, careful not to make a sound. She crept toward the stairs, crouched low, and peeked over the banister.
Kanae was still lying on the couch, her cap now tilted slightly to one side, chest rising and falling with the steady rhythm of sleep.
"Go and sleep, Kaede," came Kanae's drowsy voice, muffled by the brim of her cap.
Kaede giggled softly and bolted back up the stairs, cheeks warm with affection. Yet just before turning away, her eyes caught something, a faint shimmer of energy surrounding her sister. It pulsed softly, taking the outline of a fox curling protectively around Kanae's resting form.
She didn't say a word. Just smiled.
---
Ash and burning chitin hung in the air.
Vivi's chest heaved as she stood before the ruined body of the giant mantis. Flames still licked at its curled limbs, the once-terrifying boss now reduced to little more than scorched flesh and shattered exoskeleton.
Her legs finally gave out, and she collapsed backward onto the ground, sitting amid the embers. Her hands trembled as the adrenaline drained from her limbs.
Heavy footsteps crunched across the battlefield.
A group of injured hunters approached, their weapons lowered and expressions wide-eyed. The leader, a man clad in tattered healer's robes, stared at her in awe.
"Holy shit," he muttered. "A fire mage... pummeling a C-Rank Boss to death."
He stepped closer, inspecting the remains. "Are you sure you're C-Rank?"
Vivi turned toward him slowly, her whole body aching with the effort. Her voice was quiet but firm.
"I am," she said, then paused. "Or at least… I was."