Tohka Yatogami

"You noticed me? Quite impressive," a silver-haired girl stepped out from the shadows, smiling faintly. It was none other than Kaguya.

"Who are you?" The purple-haired girl tightened her grip on her giant sword, pointing it at Kaguya. Her beautiful violet eyes narrowed slightly, and she spoke softly, "So, you're here to kill me too, aren't you?"

"Kill you?" Kaguya chuckled and said, "Why would I want to kill you?"

If Kaguya's guess was right, the purple-haired girl before her should be the spirit, Tohka Yatogami—the First Spirit. Only she would have such a striking appearance and unique attire. She was even more beautiful than Kaguya had imagined, and something about her aura felt oddly familiar to Kaguya.

"You're human, and aren't humans always like that?" Tohka said cautiously, her eyes fixed on Kaguya. "They all want to kill me."

"Who said I'm human?" Kaguya stepped closer, still smiling.

"You're not?" Tohka kept her sword raised and said, "And yet you're wearing the same uniform as those people."

"What if I told you I'm a spirit too? Would you believe me?" Kaguya tapped her own chest with her finger and grinned.

"Liar!" Tohka's delicate face flushed with anger as she tightened her grip on her sword. "Are you trying to fool me with those human tricks?"

"Why would I do that?" Kaguya said. "I'm really a spirit. If you don't believe me, come see for yourself."

"Then where's your Angel?" Tohka frowned and asked.

"My Angel?" Kaguya paused, realizing that spirits had Angels, a feature she didn't seem to possess.

"So you are lying!" Tohka's voice filled with anger, and she gripped her giant sword tightly. "Unforgivable!"

As soon as the words left her lips, Tohka charged forward like a bolt of lightning. With a powerful swing, her massive sword, Sandalphon, sliced through the air, aimed squarely at Kaguya.

Kaguya smirked and calmly murmured, "Projection... Excalibur."

Clang!

Sparks flew as the swords collided.

Tohka's eyes widened. With a casual flick of her wrist, Kaguya had effortlessly parried Sandalphon with a single hand.

"Attacking without hearing me out first? You're a bit too hasty, don't you think?" Kaguya smiled, showing no concern for the massive sword pressing down on her.

"For someone as deceitful as a human, there's nothing to talk about," Tohka grunted, using the recoil to leap back. Her curvaceous body spun gracefully as she swung Sandalphon again, this time faster and with even more force, as if the wind and thunder followed her strike.

But in an instant, a cold gleam flashed.

Clang!

Kaguya stood motionless, her long sword slicing through the air. Her blade struck the spine of Sandalphon, hitting its weak point perfectly.

Tohka was taken aback as a surge of force traveled through her hands. Her sword wavered, nearly slipping from her grasp. She had to retreat two steps before regaining control.

"I do have an agenda with you," Kaguya smiled playfully, twirling her sword.

Of course, that agenda was taking your chastity.

"As I thought," Tohka's clear eyes filled with determination. "You really are here to kill me."

Kaguya, tired of the back-and-forth, said bluntly, "You're not my match. You should give up. Your fighting skills are decent, but they're far too lacking against someone like me."

It wasn't a boast—Kaguya was simply stating the truth. Tohka was strong only because of Sandalphon and her spirit power. Her actual combat skills were ordinary, nowhere near the level of Kaguya, who had been tempered by countless battles. Tohka, for all her power, was like a baby wielding a sharp sword—a formidable weapon in unskilled hands. In contrast, Kaguya was a seasoned warrior, adept at using whatever tool was at her disposal.

"I will never be killed so easily!" Tohka shouted, her face filled with anger and determination.

At that moment, her spirit energy flared. A pale purple light enveloped her body, and her spirit power became visible to the naked eye. Her aura grew exponentially as fierce winds whipped around her, making her clothing flutter wildly and her long hair stream out behind her.

Suddenly, Tohka moved, vanishing from sight. In the blink of an eye, she reappeared in front of Kaguya, her massive sword now pulsing with spirit power, even more menacing than before.

Slam! Slam! Slam!

The sound of metal clashing echoed through the air as Kaguya's Excalibur met Tohka's strikes. Sparks flew as their blades collided, producing a string of sharp, ringing sounds.

Tohka's arms moved relentlessly, wielding Sandalphon with a series of slashes, cuts, and chops, creating an impenetrable curtain of sword energy around her.

Under this relentless barrage, Kaguya seemed to be struggling, her sword constantly blocking Tohka's furious strikes. She looked like a small boat caught in a raging storm, rising and falling with the waves, seemingly on the verge of being swallowed by the endless sea of sword shadows.

It appeared that Tohka had completely overwhelmed Kaguya.

But despite appearances, Tohka wasn't feeling confident. In fact, she was growing increasingly uneasy. Each of her strikes seemed powerful and ferocious, and in the face of her massive Sandalphon, Kaguya's Excalibur looked pitifully small, almost fragile, as if it could shatter at any moment.

Yet Kaguya was deflecting every single attack flawlessly, suffering no real damage or even the slightest inconvenience. Her movements were smooth, almost leisurely, as if she were casually walking through a garden rather than engaging in a fierce battle.

Tohka, frustrated at her inability to land a decisive blow, grew impatient. She bit her lip and gathered more spirit energy, unleashing it in a final, powerful swing. Sandalphon glowed with an almost tangible aura of spirit power as it came crashing down toward Kaguya.

Clang!

A deafening clash rang out as sparks flew from the impact of the swords. The shockwave mixed with powerful gusts of wind, sweeping through the surroundings with destructive force, tearing nearby buildings into rubble and sending clouds of dust into the air.

"Ugh..."

As the dust settled, Tohka's eyes narrowed, and she instinctively tightened her grip on Sandalphon.

In front of her, Kaguya stood unscathed, calmly holding her sword in one hand. There wasn't a scratch on her body, and even her Realizer Unit remained pristine, without a single mark.

"Not bad for the First Spirit. You have remarkable strength," Kaguya said, taking a few steps toward her. "But even with this power, you're still not my match."

"You're too arrogant, human!" Tohka's beautiful violet eyes flashed with anger. "You'll pay for your insolence."

"If you don't believe me, then I'll just have to show you," Kaguya said with a smirk. "Disobedient children need to be punished."

As soon as the words left her lips, Kaguya's body shot forward like an arrow, as swift as lightning. In an instant, she broke the sound barrier and appeared in front of Tohka, raising Excalibur high before bringing it down with a powerful strike.

Tohka's violet pupils shrank in shock. She barely managed to raise Sandalphon in time, blocking the blow just as it came crashing down on her.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of metal clashing rang out continuously as Kaguya's relentless strikes sent sparks flying. Each swing of her sword created a barrage of attacks that shot out sword beams, forming a wild, crisscrossing web of destruction.

Tohka, however, was not faring so well. She had already lost the initiative and found herself on the defensive. She kept Sandalphon tightly in front of her chest, but try as she might, she couldn't counterattack. Kaguya's strikes were seamless, leaving her no opening to retaliate.

Even worse, Kaguya's onslaught showed no signs of slowing down. Each strike was faster and heavier than the last. Tohka's arms, clutching her sword, began to tremble from exhaustion.

Under the relentless storm of attacks, Tohka felt like a fragile blade of grass swaying in the wind. Her body, though strong, began to falter.

"So strong..."

Tohka had never encountered someone this powerful before. The sheer strength of her opponent far exceeded her expectations. She gritted her teeth, struggling to hold on, but her stamina was quickly draining, pushing her toward the edge of collapse.

"Give up," Kaguya said casually, swinging her sword effortlessly. "You're no match for me. Don't waste your energy. Don't worry, I won't kill you."

Kill me...

The word "kill" seemed to pierce through Tohka's panic-stricken mind, triggering her deepest fears. Her violet eyes widened in terror as the fear of death spread through her body like wildfire.

I can't let this continue...

Tohka bit her lip, her face filled with unwillingness. If this kept up, she knew she would die.

I... I don't want to die...

Just as Kaguya was contemplating whether to ease up, a sudden surge of energy burst from Tohka's body. A powerful aura exploded outward, creating shockwaves that rippled through the air in waves.

Caught off guard, Kaguya was pushed back by the force, flying more than ten meters before coming to a stop. When she looked up, she saw Tohka floating in the air, her purple hair billowing wildly, and Kaguya couldn't help but twitch her lips in frustration.

Really? Did I push her into inversion just by scaring her a little?

Girl, you're way too fragile.

What a pain...

Kaguya sighed inwardly.

This could get messy. I can't let her go any further.

Seeing that Tohka was showing signs of Inverse Form, Kaguya stopped hesitating. Gripping Excalibur with both hands, she narrowed her eyes and, with a brilliant flash of light, swung the sword toward the airborne spirit.

"Ex...calibur!"

A dazzling beam of light shot skyward like a rainbow, slicing through the sky with incredible speed.

But to Kaguya's surprise, Tohka swung Sandalphon and, in a burst of radiant light, blocked the powerful attack of Excalibur. The difference in her power was staggering—Tohka's strength had increased exponentially since the battle began.

Before Tohka could even react to her own power, Kaguya appeared in front of her in a flash, raising her sword for another strike.

Clang!

Tohka quickly blocked the attack with Sandalphon.

"Human, did you really think you—" Tohka began to speak, but before she could finish, she sensed something wrong. Her instincts screamed a warning.

The silver-haired girl hovering before her smiled faintly, her lips parting to softly utter a few words.

"Mirror Flower, Water Moon... Time manipulation."

The pleasant sound of her voice echoed unexpectedly in Tohka's delicate ears. Her violet eyes widened in alarm as an intense sense of danger washed over her. She tried to turn around, but it was too late.

A shadow appeared behind her in an instant. Before she could react, a swift chop struck the back of her head.

Thud!

Tohka's beautiful eyes glazed over, gradually losing their light. Her body went limp, like a puppet whose strings had been cut, and she began to fall from the sky.

Before she could hit the ground, a pale, slender arm reached out and gently caught her, pulling her soft, unresisting body into a warm embrace.

"Looks like I might've overdone it..." Kaguya said with a sigh, looking down at the unconscious Tohka in her arms.

All she had wanted to do was tease the beautiful spirit a little, but she hadn't expected the poor girl to be so easily spooked into inversion.

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