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Volume 4 Chapter 1 Part 10

「At such deep mountain areas, we have to assume that there aren’t any shrines erected near Dragon Holes. I’m afraid Tsuchimikado has chased us to a place where there are no shrines so as to not let us find any Dragon Holes either. 」

Zenki’s eyes glittered while he nodded.

「Ok, we will do it this way! 」

Yoshiharu straightened up his body.

「Then, let’s go! Where off to first, Zenki!? 」

「Look for any nearby caves. 」

「I get it, there are still many caves emitting smoke because caves are actually holes that are opened up in the ground. 」

The heroes of the troops all nodded their head while whispering, 「Ohhhh!」.

These people, taking what’s left of their ammo and weapons, turned to the enemy.

They searched in the mountains for nearly half an hour. Zenki, taking a rope down to the bottom of a valley pointed to a cave while shouting, 「There!」.

「Hmmm, this ‘Ki’ that is rising up, if we seal such a place, this plan might just work. 」

But at that time, the people in the troops had already reached the limit of their exhaustion and excitement and had already lost their cool heads.

「Ok, let’s go! 」

「Seal it off! 」

「If we do it, the commander will be able to return to Kyoto! 」

「Wait, you guys! This might be a trap laid by Tsuchimikado! First we should let the ninja squad check things out… 」

Zenki tried to stop them, but they had already climbed down the cliff and ran towards the cave. Yoshiharu too said, 「Can’t help it. 」, and slipped down from the cliff while protecting his arquebus.

But, there was really a trap waiting for them there.

In the cave, there were numerous Shikigamis under the control of Tsuchimikado and they flew out in an instant. At this moment, all of the troops possessed the resolve to battle to their deaths.

(Shit! We’ve fallen for their trap!)

「Sagara-sama, run! 」

「We will be your shield to stop them! 」

「No, don’t say such stupid things! I won’t abandon you all! 」

Yoshiharu took his arquebus and rushed to the front. He could not abandon any of these companions of his that had come with him through such a long way.

「Hisanaga!!! Come out, you bastard!!! Your hands are stained with blood! Playing with peoples’ lives like that really is nothing to you?! 」

Shooting with his arquebus non-stop, his ammo had ran out soon.

One by one, the heroes were caught by the claws of the monsters in the sky and torn to shreds.

(If this goes on, all of us will be eliminated!)

Looking at the tragic scene in front of him while he went down from the cliff, Zenki whispered:

「Oi, Hanzo. If this goes on, I will be lectured by my master. Hurry and take Sagara Yoshiharu and run. 」

Suddenly, Hattori Hanzo appeared out of nowhere and whispered back:

「…..No. The ammo is depleted. There is nowhere else for us to run. And Sagara Yoshiharu has made his resolve, right? If that’s the case, let us kill him. 」

Hanzou laughed lightly, and glanced at Zenki.

「……Understood. 」

And he nodded back softly.

He jumped suddenly but silently while Hanzo threw a smoke bomb at the chaotic battle, obstructing the Shikigamis’ view of the battlefield. All the while being silent, he grabbed Yoshiharu from behind.

「Release me, Hanzo! I’m going to battle to my last breath here! 」

「Hmph, don’t tell me you want to watch these soldiers die with your own eyes? 」

「It’s the same if we run away, so we should just die together while fighting! 」

「Oda Nobuna said the same thing at Kanegasaki Castle, but she decided in the end for you to protect her rear even though you might be killed. Why do you think she made that choice? 」

「Because she is the leader of a province, so she must live! But I…… 」

「…..You, don’t tell me you feel that everything is going to be okay since you have no attachments to this world? Sagara Yoshiharu, are you saying that now? From the bottom of your heart? 」

「… That’s… 」

(Actually, it might be so. But… So many soldiers died for me. And, Nobuna shedded tears for me….. I can’t do such a thing…..! But, if I sacrifice myself, it’s a fact that my companions might be saved. Tsuchimikado is aiming for me only, after all…)

Yoshiharu wiped the blood left on his forehead and the tears in his eyes as he swallowed his saliva.

「Then Sagara Yoshiharu, I ask you again: will you die for your companions? 」

「Ahhh! I don’t want to give Nobuna up…. Ah, damn it, I don’t wanna die! But, I don’t want to abandon my companions! I, want too much! I’m sorry that I want so many things to be perfect! 」

「If that is what you want, then you will die right here, Sagara Yoshiharu, Oda clan’s rising star, the hero of「Sunomata’s One Night Castle」. If the one whose head has a bounty is to die here, Tsuchimikado or those who are searching for you for that very bounty will all lose their motives to continue the pursuit. Other than that, there is no other way. 」

「…..Hm? Hanzo? You……? 」

「It seems like it’s over. 」

Finally, someone walked out of the cave. It was Tsuchimikado Hisanaga, flapping the fan in his hand.

The smoke that Hanzou released was blown away.

Tsuchimikado had appeared.

Hattori Hanzo who was soaked with blood had a frozen expression on him as he held a dagger at Sagara Yoshiharu’s neck. Because Zenki, who was supposed to come down from the cliff..

.. was missing.

Looks like he ran after seeing the result, or he was defeated by the Shikigami army and disappeared.

He was originally a high level Shikigami, but his 「Ki」 was too weak now after he spent it on maintaining his human body.

「No matter what, it seems like I’m the victor. As long as I have the head of this monkey, I don’t care about these puny soldiers. It’s too troublesome to hunt them, so let them escape. 」

At this moment, Hanzo answered.

「I understand. I will do what I can to utterly destroy Sagara Yosiharu! 」

* * *

Before all this, and before Yoshiharu launched the final battle with the Shikigami army, Nobuna had also started on her journey.

(Sagara Yoshiharu… Monkey must have already….)

The pounding of her heart…. Even during the time when Father passed away, it wasn’t that painful.

(Father passed away from sickness. And the reason why Yoshiharu died was…. was…)

Nobuna had sworn not to cry again.

Rather than dying from protecting those who should be protected, the one living on should… after going through a long period of sobbing, pain, even suffering, keep on living for the sake of those who can no longer do so.

(If I die at this moment, Monkey’s death will no longer hold any meaning. No, Monkey is still alive… yes, that is what I should believe! Manchiyo and the rest had already prepared retreat paths while retreating themselves… And there is such a clever Juubei there too, so…. I believe, I believe that he is still alive right now!)

Near the streets of Wakasa, on the mountain paths that Nobuna took to go to Kyoto, for the first time in her life, while she was riding her horse, she crossed her hands and lowered her head, praying to God, and Buddha, and all the deities she wasn’t even sure existed.

The tears that had been shed at the burial, the memories of the monks praying, all of those were so detestable. But now, she had become less selfish and less self-centered.

It’s not far now, from Kyoto.

Now, she had almost reached Kyoto.

With lightning speed that no one had expected, Oda Nobuna had returned.

「Oda Nobuna died?! 」 Shikoku’s Miyoshi three will definitely launch another attack on Kyoto upon hearing such news. And the Koga clan who had been hidden till now and Rokoku Yoshitaka who was planning to rise again would surely make their own moves as well. The same goes for the army of the Azai-Asakura alliance who believes that there are no more obstacles ahead of them from capturing Kyoto.

(With this, I can greatly diminish their strength.)

It is almost confirmed. As long as there was still a female warrior like Oda Nobuna, the Oda army would rise again.

For the sake of this ambition, Nobuna had given up. Given up that dream. That seemingly unattainable dream.

But even so, she did not cry. She was always wearing a smile. To make her body a little lighter, she had even stripped off her armor and had ridden the horse with just her robes on.

Even so, there was still a thing that she couldn’t abandon no matter what.

On her chest, the gift that Yoshiharu gave her… western clock from the future was hung. Nobuna held it tightly in her hand now.

「Riku! Where are we? 」

「Nobuna-sama, we are now at the western side of Mount Hiei! Once we pass this, Kyoto will be right ahead of us! 」

Katsuie squinted her eyes and said, while the long night had finally changed to day.

「Dearu ka. Inuchiyo, Danjo. Now we don’t have to worry about whether the horses can take it or not. Full speed ahead! 」

「「Understood! 」」

At the other side of the mountain peak, the scenery that was before them was the Kyoto Castle.

「I’m still alive. You gave me this life, so I’ll be waiting for you, Monkey. 」

Nobuna’s horses were standing at the foremost of the troops.

At this moment, from the two sides of the mountain path filled with thick forests, a gunshot sound suddenly rang out.

A shot. And then, yet another shot.

Before she could even comprehend what was happening, Nobuna felt that something had pierce her soft belly.

At this moment, the small body of Nobuna had already fallen down from her horse, and one by one, all of her senses began to disappear.

「…I-I’m sorry… Yoshiharu…… 」

As she muttered those words, Nobuna’s eyes were filled with tears.