No matter how strong the Ogre King was, he was only one man. Under artillery fire, he could not stop every member of the Kiheitai!
On Otogiyama, bells rang out.
113 King of Righteousness
Toyokawa Ryunosuke desperately climbed upward, the mountain path winding and twisting like an endless maze.
The cannon fire, shrieking winds, and battle cries had all receded, blown past his ears like a gust of wind. Only his ragged breathing echoed in his mind.
"Faster! Faster!" That was the only thought left in Ryunosuke's mind.
He knew exactly why Sakata Kintoki had kicked him away.
This was not Ryunosuke's first time coming to the Depths of Otogiyama. He had visited this place many times and knew there was a Buddhist hall within.
That Buddhist hall had not always stood there. Five hundred years ago, a monk named Saga had built it here—she left behind a golden statue within the hall and prophesied that it would fulfill its true purpose five hundred years later.
For five hundred years, the Ogre King and the villagers had passed this promise down through the generations.
"Pant! Pant!"
Ryunosuke felt his temples throbbing, a faint stabbing pain rising from deep inside his skull.
He realized that he truly was old and no longer useful.
He had once been able to clear entire stretches of mountain steps in a single breath, but now even climbing two steps at once left him gasping.
But he could not stop, could not stop. The old man forced down his anxiety and continued climbing, but in the next instant, his legs suddenly went numb.
Damn it. That was the only thought that flashed through Ryunosuke's mind before he tripped over the steps.
He desperately shielded his face with his arms, but his chest was still struck against