Yū Shimizu's fantasy light novel series Howling Blaze: Sōen no Kenshi to Fushi no Majo (Howling Blaze: The Funeral Flame Blade & The Immortal Witch) is inspiring a manga adaptation that will launch in Kadokawa's Comic Alive magazine on June 26, 2026.
The manga will be illustrated by artist koko, with the July issue of Comic Alive revealing the news. The story is set in a world being encroached upon by another dimension: a nightmare realm called the Black Paradise that began overlapping with the human world, spawning fiends that prey on humanity. Those who fight back against the Black Paradise and its spawn are known as Witch Hunters.
One such Witch Hunter, Kaori Tsukimiya, arrives on the island of Karyūjima in search of revenge. Instead, she meets Fiona, the White Flower Witch, who runs a cafe and odd job shop. Fiona negotiates with Kaori to provide her lodging in exchange for Kaori becoming her bodyguard — setting the stage for a dark fantasy adventure with found family themes.
About the Light Novels
Shimizu published the first light novel volume under Kadokawa's MF Bunko J label in September 2025, with illustrations by Asagi Tōsaka (who previously collaborated with Shimizu on The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy). The second volume shipped on February 25. The series follows Shimizu's established reputation in the fantasy genre, having previously created the long-running Blade Dance of Elementalers (20 volumes) and the popular Otherworldly Munchkin manga, which is also receiving an anime adaptation.
Shimizu's previous work The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy (Seiken Gakuin no Maken Tsukai) ran from May 2019 to October 2024 with 16 volumes and received a television anime adaptation in 2023. Yen Press publishes both the light novels and manga adaptation in English.