[Cards] Echo of the Oni (Patreon)

The giant-kin shogun rose from his throne of shattered spears to face the mysterious, drifting figure. They wore a scowling mask that leered from beneath a wide hat, and blackened horns lined the shoulders of a tattered, billowing cloak. The silence that fell between them told the shogun that his assassin must have already been slain.

With confident resignation, the shogun said, "So, that's the fate of my final loyal servant, it seems. I underestimated your mettle."

"Yes. You did. However, the assassin you sent was never loyal. Merely afraid," replied the figure. They lifted the mask and raised their head to reveal a soft face from beneath the hat. A blue-skinned human with small, ivory horns sneered at the shogun. While the face was distinctly feminine and new, the unbowed smile, skin, and horns were distinctly familiar. His oni servant, and the woman he'd so desperately wanted dead: fused.

The woman continued. "As you can see, we've...gotten close, since then. We've also discussed the matter of their employment with you."

The shogun chuckled, wryly, "Ah, so you've become the monster, then."

"Perhaps. But that was my price, and the peace the two of us made. For once, it seems the three of us are in agreement."

The shogun never saw the famed wyvern-hilted blade leave its sheath; only the warrior's fleeting shadow as darkness overtook his sight.