Chapter 107: Blade of Sundered Time
After the day Su Yao had endured, a genuine emergency would be refreshing. One that demanded action instead of another report or bureaucratic complication. Her thumb hovered over the notification.
The screen lit up with a message.
Yuzuriha: Meet me at Ekaterina Eatery. It’s urgent.
Su Yao stared at the message. Ekaterina Eatery?
She typed a reply.
Su Yao: Where is that?
Yuzuriha:It’s a new Russian-themed cafe near the harbor. I’ll send you the coordinates.
A moment later, a location pin appeared on her map. Su Yao phased out of her apartment, reappearing outside astorefront with Cyrillic lettering on the sign.
Through the window, she saw the interior was small and empty save for a single occupant. A woman sat alone at a table, her features bearing a faint resemblance to Dōman’s.
Su Yao entered and walked to the table. “You must be Yuzuriha.”
The woman looked up and nodded. “I’m. Please sit. We have a matter to discuss.”
Su Yao sat down across from Yuzuriha. “What is so urgent it required a meeting in person?”
Yuzuriha set her teacup down. “Before I speak, are you willing to take an oath of secrecy? This matter can’t be repeated.”
Su Yao studied Yuzuriha for a moment. “I’m not familiar with the specific terms of your oath. What does it entail?”
“The oath binds your spirit to silence. If you reveal what I share, your voice will be stripped from you for a century. Your cultivation will also stagnate for twice that long. Do you accept these terms?”
Su Yao leaned forward. “Is this about the Oprichniki and the Tunguska event?”
“What I have to share is more urgent.”
Su Yao’s eyes narrowed. “Is this about some fool trying to resurrect the Bolshevik movement after a century? Are they aiming to overthrow the Tsarina?”
Yuzuriha shook her head. “No, it isn’t that. The matter is unrelated to political revolutions.”
Su Yao’s fingers tapped once on the table. “Then is it Koschei the Deathless? Has he reemerged from his hiding place to cause havoc?”
Yuzuriha gave another shake of her head. “It isn’t Koschei. I can handle him just fine. The threat isn’t one of his making. The oath, Su Yao. Without it, I can’t proceed.”
“Fine,” Su Yao said. “I will take your oath. But know this: if this is a trap, I promise you a death that will be studied for millennia as a masterpiece of pain.”
Yuzuriha nodded. “Then repeat these words after me and channel a thread of your spiritual energy into your palm.”
Pred Gospodem Savaofom i Pomazannikom Ego zemnym svyazyvayu yazyk moi i dushu moyu.
Ezhe polozheno estʹ pred ochima moima i vlozheno vo slukh moi, ne izreku, ni slovom, ni znameniyem.
Dondezhe dykhaniye vo mne prebyvayet, takozhe da prebyvayet molchaniye siye.
Da pogibnet imya moyo, prezhde nezhe klyatva siya razrushitsya.
Su Yao repeated the words. They felt foreign and heavy on her tongue. As she spoke the final syllable, a complex icy-blue sigil flared to life on the back of her hand before fading into her skin. She flexed her fingers.
“This is interesting,” Su Yao said. “The binding isn’t enforced by Jinse’s authority. It uses a different framework entirely. Now, what is this urgent information you risked my wrath to share?”
Yuzuriha leaned forward. “Not here. The oath is only the first step. We must move to a more secure location. The walls here have ears, and the oath only prevents your speech.”
“Where do you intend to take us?” Su Yao asked.
Yuzuriha stood and walked toward the counter where a young woman was polishing a glass. “Katya,” Yuzuriha said. “Might we borrow your manager’s office for a brief discussion?”
Katya glanced up. “Sure. Whatever. Just don’t mess with the invoices.” She gestured with her chin toward a door marked ‘Private.’
Yuzuriha led Su Yao through the door into a utilitarian office dominated by a stainless steel desk and filing cabinets.
Su Yao scanned the room. “This is your secure location? A back office that smells of boiled potatoes?”
“The most secure places are often the most mundane,” Yuzuriha replied, locking the door behind them. “Now we may speak.”
Su Yao’s eyes flickered around the cramped office.
“Two exits,” Su Yao said. “The door and the window. That window leads to an alley. The door opens into the main cafe. Both are viable, but the window is preferable for a discreet retreat. The structural integrity of the walls is high. No hidden passages are present.”
Yuzuriha watched, hands folded. “I didn’t bring you here to trap you. But I don’t fault you for your assessment. It’s wise.”
“Wisdom has nothing to do with it. It’s procedure,” Su Yao replied. Her gaze settled on Yuzuriha. “The room is secure enough. Now, speak. What is so urgent it requires this level of precaution?”
Yuzuriha took a deep breath. “My daughter’s birthday is in three days. I need your help to choose the perfect gift for her.”
Su Yao stared at her. “You invoked a centuries-old secrecy oath for a birthday present?”
“I don’t know what young people enjoy these days,” Yuzuriha explained. “You’re closer to her age. You must have insight into current trends. I can’t ask anyone else without risking the surprise.”
Su Yao’s eye twitched. “I’m a nine-tailed celestial fox inhabiting a teenage body. My knowledge of adolescent preferences is limited to macroeconomic theory and spiritual combat. This is a waste of my time.”
“Nevertheless, you’re bound by the oath,” Yuzuriha reminded her. “Will you assist me?”
“I will assist you,” Su Yao said. “But I require compensation for my time and expertise. This consultation isn’t free.”
Yuzuriha nodded. A smile touched her lips. “Don’t worry about payment. All you need to do is ask, and I will give it to you. Beyond reasons.”
Su Yao’s gaze swept over Yuzuriha. She studied the other fox, sensing the spiritual energy coiled within her. The pressure spoke of millennia of cultivation.
“Your strength is notable,” Su Yao said. “My compensation is simple. You will attack me with the intent to kill. Fight me as if your life depends on it. I want a genuine battle, and I want it paid upfront.”
Yuzuriha’s lips curved into a smile. “A duel to the death? In this small office?”
“The location is irrelevant,” Su Yao replied. Her posture shifted into a ready stance. “Begin now. No hesitation, no mercy. That is my terms.”
“Hesitation is defeat. Mercy is for the weak. I accept your terms.” Yuzuriha gestured to the cramped office around them. “But this is no stage for a duel to the death. Allow me to provide a more fitting arena.”
She made a subtle gesture with her hand. The walls of the office dissolved, replaced by the endless grey of a pocket dimension. A featureless flat plain stretched in all directions. The air hummed with raw spiritual energy.
“Here,” Yuzuriha said. “We will not be disturbed. And nothing will be left standing when we are done.”
Su Yao smiled. “Acceptable.”
Yuzuriha raised her hand, and a katana appeared in her grip. She drew the blade in a fluid motion. The steel whispered from its scabbard. Then, she slid it back in. She turned and began to walk away across the grey plain.
Su Yao stared. Her battle stance faltered. “What are you doing?”
“The battle is already over,” Yuzuriha said. “You’re already dead.”
Su Yao’s eyes narrowed. “You must be joking.” She waited for Yuzuriha to laugh or smirk.
Instead, Yuzuriha continued walking. The silence stretched.
Su Yao’s perspective shifted. Her severed head lay on the grey ground as her headless body crumpled before her. Then she was standing again, her head intact. The sensation of decapitation faded.
Yuzuriha stood before her, the katana gone. “The sword is the Tokiwatari Muramasa, the Blade of Sundered Time. It severs events from the timeline, making what was never truly was. Your death occurred in a branch I clipped.”
Su Yao stared at her, then laughed. “A time-cutting blade. You cheated.”
“There is no cheating in a duel to the death, only results.” Yuzuriha said. “The battle is over. I have fulfilled your request for a fight with intent to kill. Now, about my daughter’s gift.”
As the grey plain vanished, Su Yao blinked. They were back in the cramped office. The scent of boiled potatoes returned. Yuzuriha stood, waiting.
Su Yao considered the gift for Yuzuriha’s daughter. She thought of Dōman dragging her through Harajuku and the Pikachu crepes. “It must be something related to Pikachu,” She said. “That seems to be the trend for the youth.”
Yuzuriha raised an eyebrow. “Pikachu? The electric mouse from that video game?”
“Yes. Get her a Pikachu-themed item. A plush toy or clothing. It should suffice.”
“Very well. I will acquire that.” Yuzuriha nodded. “Our business is concluded. Remember the oath.”
Su Yao’s eyes narrowed. “The pocket dimension was not merely for spectacle. There is another reason you refused to duel in the restaurant. What is it?”
“I didn’t wish to make Katya angry.”
“Her opinion matters to you? Why?”
A long breath escaped Yuzuriha. “Because Katya is my husband’s girlfriend. Damaging her establishment would create domestic complications I currently lack the energy to tread.”
Yuzuriha turned to leave the office. She paused and glanced back at Su Yao, her hand on the doorknob. “There is another matter. It would be unseemly for a woman of my apparent age to be seen browsing for Pikachu merchandise. The clerks might stare or ask questions. Could you acquire the gift for me?”
Su Yao raised an eyebrow. “You don’t look any older than your daughter.”
“My eyes give it away,” Yuzuriha replied. “They carry the weight of millennia. No amount of glamour can fully hide that. Besides, I would not know where to find such items. Ordering online is risky. What if the product delivered is a counterfeit? I require authenticity for her gift.”
She stepped back toward Su Yao. “You’re more familiar with modern commerce. Please handle this for me.”
Yuzuriha produced a matte black credit card from her sleeve and held it out. “The account name is Yuria Z and the PIN is 2846. Use it for the purchase.”
Su Yao took the card. “You’re disclosing your PIN so freely?”
“Financial constraints are irrelevant,” Yuzuriha said. “Acquire the most authentic item available.”
Su Yao slid the card into her pocket. “I’ll obtain it. But if this errand becomes complicated, I will bill you for my time additionally.”
Yuzuriha nodded. “Understood.” She exited the office, the door clicking shut behind her.
Su Yao pulled out her phone. She searched for the official Pikachu merchandise store. The results showed the nearest location was in Hong Kong.
She phased to the address and materialized on a busy street in Hong Kong in front of the store. Around the block, a massive queue filled with fans snaked. A sign announced the release of a limited edition Pikachu plush.
Su Yao stared at the line. She walked to the front of the queue, ignoring the protests from the crowd and addressed the clerk at the counter. “I require one limited edition Pikachu item. Now.”
The clerk behind the counter kept his eyes on his tablet. “Queue number. You need a queue number to be served.”
Su Yao stared at him. “I don’t have a queue number.”
“Then you’ll have to take one and wait your turn,” he said, gesturing toward a dispenser at the end of the counter. “The line starts over there.”
Her jaw tightened. She turned and walked to the dispenser. Then she pulled a thin paper ticket from the machine: Number 247. The digital display above the counter showed 189. She let out a quiet breath and moved to the end of the snaking queue.
She stood motionless in the queue, counting the seconds. A customer at the counter dropped coins one by one into the clerk’s palm.
The same clerk looked up when she reached the front. “Number 247? The limited edition Pikachu plush is sold out. We have regular stock left.”
Su Yao’s focus snapped back to the present. “Sold out. What remains in your regular stock?”
“Standard Pikachu plushes and some apparel. Nothing limited.”
“Then I will take the largest standard plush you have.” She placed Yuzuriha’s credit card on the counter. “Wrap it.”
The clerk finished wrapping the standard Pikachu plush in glossy paper and handed it to Su Yao along with the credit card receipt. As she took it, her eyes flicked to a vibrant poster behind the counter depicting the sold-out limited edition item. The Pikachu on the poster wore a distinctive red hat, but the plush in her hand did not.
She tucked the package under her arm. “The hat was the only difference?”
The clerk nodded, looking past her to the next customer. “Yes. Now, if you’re done,”
Su Yao took the wrapped plush and receipt. “Thank you for your assistance.” She turned and walked out of the store without another word.
Outside, Su Yao phased back into her apartment. She set the wrapped Pikachu plush on the table and stared at it.
I waited in a queue. When the item was sold out, I accepted a substitute without maiming anyone. I even thanked the clerk.
Her recent hard-won internal consolidation and silencing of her warring selves had resulted in this civility.
Su Yao stared at the package. This is the physical proof of my degeneration. I, Su Yao, the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox, have become reasonable.
The urge to go break something or pick a fight overwhelmed her, but the memory of the pending abyssal trade agreements flickered in her mind.
Maybe tomorrow. The character development is unfortunately holding. For now.
She pulled out her phone and sent a message to Yuzuriha.
Su Yao:I have the gift. Where should we meet?
Yuzuriha: The same place. Ekaterina Eatery.
She phased into the cafe, and the scent of iron hit her. Katya was behind the counter, scrubbing a red stain from one of the tables with a rag.
Placing the wrapped plush on a clean part of the table, Su Yao approached. “You should plant an endangered species where you buried the body. It would make it illegal to excavate the site.”
Katya paused her scrubbing and looked up. “That’s not a bad idea. I’ll look into it.” She resumed cleaning. “Yuzuriha is in the back.”
Yuzuriha emerged from the back room. Her eyes fell on the wrapped package. “You acquired it. Thank you.”
“It’s the standard version,” Su Yao said. “The limited edition was sold out. A hat was the distinguishing feature.”
Yuzuriha took the package. Her fingers traced the shape of the plush inside. “A hat? I see. It’s of no consequence. The intent is what matters.” She looked up. Her eyes met Su Yao’s. “You have my gratitude and debt for this errand.”
Su Yao nodded. “See that you remember it.”
She turned to leave. The metallic scent of blood hung in the air. At the door, Su Yao paused and glanced back at Katya. “How strong are you?”
Katya looked up from scrubbing the table. “I’m just a normal human. Why do you ask?”
Su Yao’s gaze swept over Katya.“No reason.”
As the scent of blood faded, Su Yao phased away and reappeared in her apartment. She sighed. Tomorrow I will find someone to properly antagonize.