Chapter Forty-Five: The Fated Princess

“Tch, useless bunch. So many people can't even handle a little girl. Pathetic.”
Houston leapt down from the rooftop, hands in his pockets, landing with a look of utter disdain. “You’d better be ready to die, little girl.”
“I believe you’re talking about yourself.”
Without a flicker of emotion, Houston found Minashou standing before him, blade pointed straight at his eye.
“!!!!”
Finally, he reacted. Houston arched his back, narrowly evading Minashou's attack, then used Feilian’s heel technique to put some distance between them.
“I didn’t expect you’d have some skill beyond bluffing, Quincy.”
Minashou coldly smirked, knife in hand. “I thought it would end in one stroke.”
“Tch… heh heh…”
Houston first curled his lip, then grinned. “It’s not that simple, little girl.”
........................................
“Minashou? How… Isn’t she just a child?”
Chojirou hesitated, then asked.
“A child? What does that mean?”
Kirinji raised an eyebrow, curiosity in his voice.
“Uh… well…”
Chojirou suddenly remembered that a thousand years ago, the word ‘child’ didn’t exist as it does now.
“Anyway, aside from old man Yamamoto, don’t mess with anyone but especially not Minashou. Oh…”
Kirinji poured water over his back, closing his eyes in sheer enjoyment.
“? Why? She’s adorable…”
Chojirou was puzzled.
“That’s only true before she draws her blade. Don’t be fooled by Minashou’s appearance…”
Kirinji curled his lips.
“She’s already over two hundred years old.”
“!!!”
Chojirou’s eyes widened.
He’d always known that anyone who could become a captain had to be formidable, but Minashou’s petite frame made him think she was simply a young prodigy like Hitsugaya.
“Don’t assume harmlessness means always harmless.”
Kirinji raised his head, spitting the grass in his mouth onto the bank.
“She is…”
“A ferocious beast.”
..................................
“Swish!”
Houston drew his sword from his waist and swung it at Minashou, who was a full thirty centimeters shorter than him.
“Clang!”

Of course, such a straightforward attack was nothing for someone of captain-level strength; Minashou simply raised her blade and blocked Houston’s strike.
“Heh, naive!”
Without increasing force, Houston sneered and kicked at Minashou.
“Thud.”
“!”
His kick hit nothing.
Minashou had already used Shunpo to distance herself, quietly standing with her blade at the ready.
“You… you move fast…”
Houston frowned, realizing this little girl was more troublesome than he’d expected.
“Still planning to underestimate me?”
Minashou smiled, this time lifting her hand to wipe blood from her face, staining the sleeve of her white haori with a thin red line.
“Hmph, children should know their place…”
Houston charged at Minashou with his sword!
“Don’t make adults keep teaching you this lesson!!”
“This endless lecturing is so tiresome.”
Minashou raised her blade, whispering softly, “Dance…”
“Absolute Princess.”
“Hm…”
The sudden surge of spiritual pressure stopped Houston mid-motion; he raised his arm to shield his face against the gale.
When the wind finally died down and Houston could open his eyes, Minashou was standing before him, her sword released.
It was a refined white dance mace, adorned with hints of pink, and at its tail a long, two-meter ribbon, circling Minashou before the remaining length was grasped in her hand.
“Heh… What’s this? Even your initial release is a child’s toy—no…”
Houston narrowed his eyes. “Or perhaps it’s just what I’d expect from a child’s toy?”
“….”
Minashou said nothing, but thrust the ribbon she held toward Houston.
Yes, ‘thrust.’
The soft ribbon suddenly seemed as sharp as a blade, darting for Houston’s face!
“!!”
Surprised.
He hadn’t expected such an attack; Houston quickly turned his face, avoiding a direct hit, but the razor ribbon still left a deep gash across his cheek.
‘This… what is this…’
Houston was thoroughly shocked. From that brief contact, it felt nothing like a ribbon—more like metal…
“How does it feel to be wounded by a child’s plaything?”
Minashou flicked her wrist, the delicate dance mace spinning without dropping from her hand.
Her face was full of mockery.

“You…”
Houston bared his teeth, glowering fiercely at Minashou. “Looks like you won’t be so boring after all!”
With that, Houston raised his longsword; spiritual pressure enveloped it, transforming it into the shape of a bow.
“Die!”
“Swish!”
Minashou lowered her head slightly, swiftly slashing upward with her dance mace.
“Crack!”
The sound of metal breaking was crisp and clear.
Despite being surrounded by dense spirit particles, Houston’s longsword was easily severed by Minashou.
Yet Minashou’s dance mace didn’t touch Houston—not even his clothes.
“What…”
Houston’s eyes widened, pupils contracting sharply.
Nothing had touched him, he felt nothing—so why did his sword break?
“…I didn’t just sever your sword just now.”
Minashou paused, then glanced up at Houston, looking as adorable as ever.
“Splurt!”
A huge wound suddenly opened on Houston’s right shoulder, gushing scarlet, steaming blood.
It was blood.
Blood—Minashou’s favorite thing.
In an instant, Houston’s body was drenched in red, his right arm nearly severed by Minashou’s blow, hanging by a mere thread of flesh.
“Swish!”
Feeling the unnatural state of his body, Houston immediately distanced himself from Minashou.
‘Impossible…’
Houston clutched his shoulder, his broken sword lost somewhere.
What kind of joke is this?!
She’s just a little girl, so how did she do this to me without even touching me?
“Well then… how shall we play now?”
The ribbon in Minashou’s hand was stained with Houston’s blood, drops sliding from its edge.
“I am already…”
Minashou’s eyes opened slightly, cold killing intent flashing within.
“I can’t hold back anymore.”
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