The Seven Samurai Assemble / Ninja Attack on the Road

Tawara Toda laughed heartily and said, "Haha, it's not so bad. Even if they're not that reliable as samurai, they're still pretty reliable people. It should be fun traveling with them. They're also very important for relieving tension on the battlefield."

At this moment, everyone looked up and felt a surge of powerful magical pressure from above the roof.

"Who is it!" At this moment, Houzoin Inshun's sharp eyes looked towards the roof and shouted.

"Hahaha! You actually detected my presence! Well, I'll give you a compliment!" A girl's maniacal laughter echoed from the rooftop.

"No, with such a big movement and that magical reaction, I knew it was you without even thinking," Shirou said helplessly.

"Hmph, Shirou, I've come to find you. I originally just wanted to conquer you and pin you down. But I didn't expect to hear something interesting." She never intended to hide in the first place.

"Ah! The evil Nobu has appeared!" Soji exclaimed.

"You bastard, Nobu! What are you doing here? Get back into my body!" Nobu demanded.

"How long-winded! My name is Demon Nobunaga, get out of the way." Demon Nobunaga flicked his cloak to block Nobu's view, then took it off and threw it at Nobu's head. The cloak wrapped around Nobu's head, causing Nobu to lose his sense of direction and run to the corner of the wall.

Then he turned his head, looked at Shirou, walked up to him, and the demon Nobunaga revealed a domineering smile.

"Demon Nobunaga, what brings you here?" Shirou asked the newcomer warily.

"What a huge difference in treatment! When you saw me before, Shirou, you were so relaxed chatting with me. What's with this tense, hostile attitude?" Nobu said, sitting on the ground and finally managing to remove his cloak from his face, feeling utterly defeated.

"Since you want to be the hero who saves the villagers, then I will be the demon king who conquers the village!" Nobunaga said with a maniacal laugh.

Chapter 222 The Seven Samurai Assemble

The girl had long black hair and crimson eyes. She wore a military cap with a black top and a red brim. The middle part was inlaid with a border, and in the center of the cap was the Oda family crest—a golden cherry blossom known as the 'Five-Petaled Papaya'. More than ten long, golden stripes in the shape of a corona extended from the petals, like golden beams of light emitted by the rising sun.

"What exactly do you want to do?" Shirou asked.

"Hahaha! The most effective way to establish a new order is to break the existing rules and make the old practices impossible. Shirou, your justice will not work. Let me tell you the real way to save these farmers!" Demon Nobunaga raised his hand, dressed in military uniform, and pointed at the farmers beside him, declaring loudly.

"..." The farmers who had been hiding in the corner of the house immediately squatted down on the ground with their heads in their hands. They were already trembling uncontrollably just from being stared at by the mad red eyes.

"Hey, General, it seems you've provoked a rather dangerous enemy."

Tawara Toda stood up, drew his ancestral golden sword hanging from his belt, and blocked Nobunaga's view of the farmers.

"That's something to be thankful for. Although I'm somewhat confident in my martial arts, I'm really bad at dealing with female demons, ghosts, and monsters. But if it comes to a fight, I won't hold back!" Houzoin Inshun rubbed his bald head, chuckled, and picked up his Jumonji Kama Yari.

Demon King Nobunaga, completely unfazed by the murderous aura emanating from the two generals, said:

"Don't be nervous. I don't intend to fight here. Although everyone here is quite strong, I'm not interested in them right now. I'm here to see Shirou. Those who are not involved, please step aside!"

Shirou to the side, silently chose to stand with everyone and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Although in the concept of Servant, cold weapons such as swords, spears, and bows are more powerful than spears, this is common knowledge.

However, there are exceptions. In the current world, without magical protection, the physical threat of a matchlock gun far outweighs that of swords.

She possesses 2999 muskets! More than enough to assemble a formidable cavalry force. She can riddle these warriors with bullets before they even reach her.

'Judging from Shirou's stance, if I were to fire a bullet, I might get my head chopped off, resulting in mutual destruction. Even if I don't die, it would hurt a lot. I guess I should just give up...' Demon Nobunaga thought to himself, unleashing his killing intent and madness.

Sensing that the other party had let go of their murderous intent, everyone in the house finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the farmers lying on the ground nearby finally stopped trembling.

"So what exactly are you here for?" Shirou asked.

"If I had to say, I've come to issue a challenge! I await the moment you are defeated and submit. A man like you is a rare treasure, one in a hundred years. Although I cannot employ you, I will still gain something from admiring you."

Then you'll stay by my side. Yes, as long as you can please me, I might as well pamper you."

Nobunaga, the Demon Nobunaga, rested his chin on his hand and continued, "Indeed... Anyway, first learn from the Monkey when he was the servant who brought straw sandals. He would keep my straw sandals warm in his bosom during the winter. You should learn from his spirit of service."

"... Nobu, were you happy to have that kind of thing done to you?" Soji asked the black-haired girl beside him with a subtle look in his eyes.

Nobu blushed and explained, "No! No! I would never let a man do that kind of thing! After all, it has to be a handsome guy to make him happy, ah... But if Shirou did it, maybe he really would be happy..."

"Eh... you'll be happy after all." Soji said, staring at Nobu with a subtle look in his eyes.

"No! It's a misunderstanding! It was bad Nobu's fault!" Nobu waved his hands and said.

"But isn't Bad Nobu the same person as you?" Soji retorted incredulously.

Just as the two were arguing, Shirou, standing at the main entrance, responded to the imposing Nobunaga.

"I'm sorry, although Oda Nobunaga said that to me, I can't accept your domineering attitude, and my ambition doesn't lie in that. So! Oda Nobunaga! No matter what kind of battle it is, I have no intention of losing to you." Shirou said, his firm gaze fixed on his opponent.

Upon hearing Shirou's words, Nobunaga, with his black hair and red eyes, showed no anger whatsoever; instead, he burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, that's the kind of spirit I need to conquer! Shirou! I want you even more now. Yes, you all said you wanted to gather seven samurai, so to make the competition more interesting, I'll find two strong warriors. Farewell then."

Demon Nobunaga acted swiftly and decisively, turning to leave as soon as he finished speaking.

"Wait, Nobunaga, what exactly do you want to do? Don't drag innocent villagers into this." Shirou chased after them outside and asked.

Nobunaga did not turn around, but gazed at the setting sun and said:

"Innocent? Humans are born into this world and inevitably have to shoulder certain responsibilities for survival. There are perpetrators and victims. Right and wrong are merely standards for judgment after the fact."

Humans were not born into this world to do only what the masses deem right, so mistakes will happen, and that's just how it is.

No matter how unreasonable or unacceptable something may seem, it is a fact. Since it has happened, there's nothing we can do but accept it, because no one in this world can claim to be innocent.

Nobu has accepted everything, returned to his true self, and become the 'big fool of Owari's who acts recklessly and solely out of curiosity and willfulness, having no desires left and believing that the Holy Grail is most suitable to be used as a bomb.

The Demon Nobunaga, on the other hand, is closer to the figure of Oda Nobunaga during his lifetime, who conquered various regions, so her perspective on her own fate is different. But regardless of which side she is on, they both accept their own ending.

Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, through three generations of power transition, completed the unification of Japan, and thus the three are also known as the 'Three Heroes of the Warring States'.

Oda Nobunaga, the "fool of Owari," led his men in a series of arduous battles, employing various strategies and tactics, to support the last shogun in entering Kyoto. He then used the shogun to command the feudal lords, worked diligently to govern the country, and encouraged trade.

He proposed the strategy of "Tenka Fubu," and after exhausting Takeda Shingen, he defeated the Takeda army and finally achieved the goal of unifying the land. However, he was betrayed, besieged at Honnō-ji, burned it down, and then disappeared without a trace.

The successor, Monkey Toyotomi Hideyoshi, accomplished this feat, but he was not satisfied with the poor land of Okinawa, which belonged to another country at the time. So he launched an expedition against Korea. In order to protect the vassal state, the Ming Dynasty had no choice but to send troops, and the three sides were exhausted of money and food.

After that, the Ming Dynasty, no longer able to wage war, could only watch as the Manchu rose to power. The remarkable Huang Hong Taiji subdued the Mongolia and conquered Korea.

Meanwhile, in the Japanese territory, the Toyotomi clan lost its military advantage, and the cunning Tokugawa Ieyasu ultimately reaped the benefits, becoming the Shogun who established the Edo Shogunate.

Judging from the end of Oda Nobunaga's life, it cannot be considered a perfect ending. From childhood to his life of conquest after becoming a daimyo, he constantly endured the cruelty of the Warring States period.

Whether it was killing her own brother, who was instigated by her father's former officials to seize power, or setting fire to the temple that rejected her, these were all acts of cruelty.

She was either assassinated by a trusted retainer who set fire to Honnō-ji, or she was later suppressed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was promoted by her and eventually took over the Oda army's power.

If you don't kill, you'll be killed; if you do kill, you'll be hunted down by your enemies.

None of this is entirely correct, is it? But that's the truth.

Right and wrong are things for later generations to judge. She simply made what she believed to be the best choice for herself at the time. Her choice caused pain to many people, and she also felt pain because of the choices made by others.

But if you ask her to sit down with those people, compromise with each other, avoid offending one another, and get along amicably, that's something she can't do.

Just like the Atsumori she sang, she lived her fifty years in this world to make it as wonderful as possible. She acted for herself throughout her life, so she basically accomplished what she wanted to do. Therefore, although there may be regrets afterward, the result is acceptable.

The man before him stubbornly believed that the cruelty of this world was wrong, and that what he sought in his heart was right and justice. It was clearly a chaotic world, a cruel reality that could not be stopped no matter the era.

She disdains idealists who merely preach justice from a sheltered perspective and use condemnation of others to justify their own righteousness.

But this man was different. He had encountered all kinds of cruelty in the world, yet he still maintained this sense of justice, like a child with a pure heart, retaining the original aspiration of a dreaming child.

Nobunaga loved all things new and rare, and was curious about foreign goods from the Southern Barbarian. She was also curious about this man who, like her, had experienced mountains of corpses and seas of blood, but chose not to accept it and instead wanted to change it. So she wanted to get closer to him.

"..." He was speechless at this point. Even the restless consciousness of Muramasa within him subsided for a moment. He had been searching for the answer, but still could not find it.

Nobunaga smiled appreciatively at Shirou, who looked puzzled, and then turned and walked outside.

"Goodbye, Shirou! I'm off to gather men now. I happen to know someone perfect for this kind of work. Let her find the bandits' territory and take it over! Hehehe! Farewell, Shirou, I look forward to our next meeting. Then it will be time for a decisive battle. Let's see if your justice or my domineering ways can become 'a fact'!"

"When the rice in the village ripens, that will be the time for me to lead the mountain bandits to punish them."

Nobu, standing to the side, crossed his arms, lowered his head, and said fiercely, "Hmph! Shirou, this time, you won't be able to refuse me!"

"Oda Nobunaga was good at dealing with the Heavenly Army, those ancient figures with divinity and high renown, as well as cavalry. I have no magic power, nor am I good at riding horses. The sword skills I practiced were for beheading local feudal lords."

So whether it's against the Demon Nobunaga or Nobu, I have the advantage, hahaha, this is a great victory for Miss Okita."

Shirou nodded and said sincerely to the two girls, "Yes, we're counting on you this time. Please fight alongside us."

"No, although the process has been a bit more complicated, the goal remains the same," Shirou said.

"Yes, it seems we don't have time to choose partners here. Let's set off tomorrow," Shirou said, making his decision.

"But right now there are only six of us: myself, Shirou, Prince Inshun, Prince Nobu, Soji Yukino, and Yukino."

"No, children don't count." Shirou glanced at Yukino, a little girl who looked very much like someone he knew. No matter how you looked at her now, even if she was a late bloomer, she was only around thirteen years old.

"Please let me join, Master!" Yukino a fawning smile, bowing and pleading.

"Hmm..." Shirou pondered for a moment.

"It wouldn't hurt to let her join in. This child is a samurai too, and she'll be on the battlefield sooner or later. It's necessary for her to learn from the sidelines early on," said Tawara Toda in his defense.

"If you're going to learn something, you've learned something from me today, haven't you? Now go home and learn this first."

"No, please let me stay by your side, please, Master!" Yukino pleaded again.

"This time we're going to war, and the enemy is still that Oda Nobunaga. You might die," Shirou said seriously, looking at the girl.

"Yes, I will fight alongside the innocent farmers! To uphold justice!" Yukino said, clenching her fist.

"I understand. In that case, you'll stay behind us. But since this is a major battle, we must obey orders without question, understand?" Shirou warned.

"Yes, Master!" Yukino nodded happily and gratefully, glancing at Tawara Toda beside her.

"So now we only need one more person," said Tawara Toda with a smile and a nod.

"I do know someone who can help, but I don't know if he's willing to come," Shirou said helplessly.

"Hmm, is that the swordsman who had the duel on East Street?" Tawara Toda asked with a smile.

"That's right, we can only wait and see if he comes tomorrow. We'll leave before noon tomorrow," Shirou said.

"No, no need to wait, I've already arrived." At that moment, a young samurai man walked in.

"Master! The seventh samurai has arrived!" Yukino exclaimed happily to Shirou upon seeing the newcomer.

The newcomer had sharp eyes, long blue hair tied into a long braid hanging down his back, and a katana held beneath the sleeves of his blue samurai robe. He was a Martial Arts Enthusiast.

Because he had practiced swordsmanship in the mountains for many years, he had a somewhat aloof and taciturn personality, until he finally defeated the most difficult opponent he had ever faced in his life, that swallow.

"Sasaki Kojiro! You've come." Shirou turned around with a smile, and there stood the swordsman he knew so well.

Chapter 223 Ninja Attack on the Road

"Kojiro! That great swordsman Sasaki Kojiro who fought Musashi on Ganryu Island!" Soji exclaimed in surprise.

"Kojiro? Please, I beg you, let's have a match!" Houzoin Inshun, standing to the side, excitedly gripped his weapon and said.

"I regret that I cannot meet your expectations. In the end, I am just an unknown ronin practicing swordsmanship in the mountains, and I have never seen the sword saint Miyamoto Musashi in my life." Kojiro shook his head and said.

"But your swordsmanship is among the best in the world. Are you here to join us?" Shirou asked.

"No, I just saw flames shooting up from the lord's mansion, and then a black-eyed, red-eyed demon king jumped out, so I came to check it out. I never expected to get involved with you," Kojiro said, looking at Shirou.

"Are you interested this time? I welcome you to join me anytime. As long as you possess the secret sword called 'Swallow Counter,' that's reliable enough," Shirou said.

"Well, I'm too busy helping the villagers, and I'm not interested in killing any more thieves, but I might be interested in giving a go if it's a demon king or a demon," Kojiro said with a light laugh.

Thus, the seven samurai were officially assembled.

"But first we need to figure out why that Demon Nobunaga is able to use Noble Phantasm," Shirou said.

"Yes, this is really bad for us. I have an inexhaustible supply of rice," said Tawara Toda filled with heartache.

"I know that. It all comes down to the Holy Grail. After I was summoned to this world, I originally wanted to go to an antique shop to find some nice teacups, but I accidentally found the Holy Grail. I originally intended to use it to make a bomb, but something went wrong, and that's how it ended up like this."

"It's Nobu again, isn't it?! You always manage to cause trouble every year!!" Soji shouted angrily.

"Huh? As for my Noble Phantasm, although the speed will be slower now, my swordsmanship is still fine," Soji said with a puzzled look.

"Noble Phantasm? A special move? My secret sword can be used at any time," Kojiro said coolly.

"I see. If it's a special move completed before death, it can be used even without magic." Shirou nodded, thinking, 'If I could forge three pairs of Gan Jiang · Mo Ye, maybe I could use the Crane Wing Triple Slash. Unfortunately, even if I had the technology to replicate it, that special material that pulls at each other isn't something you can just find anywhere.'

Shirou glanced at his katana, lost in thought, and then beckoned to one of the villagers who was outside the door starting a fire to prepare a meal.

"Yes? Sir Samurai, what is it?" a villager asked as he approached.

"I wrote a letter. Could you take it to the government blacksmith shop here? The things I need are there. Just bring them back for me." Shirou whispered a few more instructions to the villager.