NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11: Chapter 11: A Demon Without a Master
Kai Province – Takeda Castle, Year 8 of Tenbun (1539 AD)
The Takeda retainers no longer whispered.
The castle halls, once filled with murmurs of doubt and fear, had fallen into uneasy silence.
Because they had learned one simple truth—
You cannot kill a demon.
At least, not easily.
Fear is a weapon.
And Yuki had learned to wield it well.
He did not need to threaten anyone.He did not need to spill more blood.
Because in the eyes of the Takeda warriors—
He had already won.
Men who once looked at him with scorn now avoided his gaze.
Servants stepped aside when he walked through the halls.
And Takeda Harunobu—
He watched silently.
Observing. Calculating.
Because even he understood the truth.
A blade too sharp can cut the wielder.
And Yuki—
He had become sharper than anyone expected.
One evening, Yuki was summoned to Harunobu's chamber.
The future Tiger of Kai sat cross-legged, a faint frown on his face.
"You've made quite a name for yourself."
Yuki said nothing.
Harunobu exhaled slowly, his fingers tapping against the wooden floor.
"The men fear you. Even my own retainers are uneasy."
His sharp gaze landed on Yuki.
"Tell me. Do you intend to betray me?"
For the first time in years—
Yuki laughed.
It was soft.
Quiet.
But it was laughter.
"Betray you?"
He tilted his head, his blind crimson eyes unblinking.
"If I wanted you dead, Harunobu, you wouldn't be having this conversation."
A long silence filled the chamber.
And then—
Takeda Harunobu smiled.
"Good."
"Then I have a mission for you."
"You are to leave Kai Province."
Yuki froze.
"What?"
"Go north."
Harunobu's expression was unreadable.
"There is… someone I need you to watch."
"Who?"
Harunobu leaned forward.
"Uesugi Kenshin."
Yuki narrowed his eyes.
He had heard the name before.
A rising warrior.A strategist.A monk and a warlord.
A man who would one day be known as the Dragon of Echigo.
"Why?"
"Because the future of this land will be shaped by him."
Harunobu's voice was steady.
"I need to know what kind of man he truly is."
Yuki did not answer immediately.
He studied Harunobu's face.
The future Tiger of Kai was many things—
But he was not a man who gave orders without reason.
This was not just reconnaissance.
This was a test.
"And if I refuse?"
Harunobu sighed.
"Then you are free to do as you wish."
"But know this—"
"If you stay in Kai, you will always be seen as a monster."
"But if you leave, you will be nothing."
"A demon without a master."
A long silence.
Yuki closed his eyes.
He had been raised in Harunobu's shadow.
He had lived as his blade.
But if he left—
Then what was he?
At dawn, Yuki left Takeda Castle.
Alone.
No guards.No retainers.No home to return to.
The winds of the north carried the scent of war and ambition.
And somewhere beyond the mountains—
The Dragon of Echigo awaited.
[Fated Death: Progressing.]You have left Kai Province.You are no longer bound to Takeda Harunobu.The course of history is shifting.
And death still follows your path.