My Blood For The Empire

Suki is a young heir marked from birth by a divine countdown. Destined to become the next kitsune—a sacred fox-spirit leader—she must ascend to the Fifth Heaven before the last cherry blossom petal falls, or the Purge will consume her empire. Her strict uncle, the kingdom’s regent, has trained her in every prayer and ritual, but Suki has always felt she needed to be stronger. Determined to rely on no one, she has secretly learned to fight and mastered the art of potions.

But even before she can begin the ascent, she must make a crucial choice: from dozens of candidates entering the deadly trials, select the four warriors who will become her guardians. Once they volunteer, there is no turning back—those who fail die, and those who succeed are bound to Suki by an eternal oath of blood. The chosen four could not be more different: Haru, the bright-spirited samurai whose charm hides deeper wounds; Mei, a sharp and reserved archer guided by her own quiet convictions; Kaito, the fierce fighter willing to prove himself at any cost; and Ryuu, whose lethal skill and shadowed past make him both Suki’s greatest strength and her most dangerous unknown.

Together, they must climb the ancestral mountain, a sacred and treacherous path haunted by yokai. As they confront the four elemental temples, each guarded by one of these powerful spirits, the group is tested not only in strength but in sanity and loyalty. Meanwhile, deadly conspiracies within the imperial court and the fanatical Order of the Purge close in on them. As alliances fracture and prophecies tighten around them, Suki and Ryuu’s bond deepens, guiding her toward a destiny that could save the empire… or break her heart.