Amid howling winds and snow, an army slowly plodded across the open wilderness, leaving a trail of dark tracks in the snow.
Banners fluttered wildly in the bitter wind, and the hot breath exhaled from mouths and noses turned into wisps of faint white mist in the air. The entire army marched in solemn silence, broken only by heavy breathing and the rustle of armor grinding together.
At the very front of the procession, Enkō wrapped in a black cloak, with the pitch-black Cold Edge hanging at his waist, raised his arm to block the biting wind blowing head-on, and gazed far into the distance at the towering structures that had already appeared in sight.
Ever since the Fuma Clan chose to prove their resolve with death, the Daimyo of the Land of Fields had unsurprisingly chosen to surrender. He also actively cooperated with the handover work with the Land of Flame, with his only request being a lavish burial for the remains of Fuma Junsuke and the others.
After occupying the Land of Fields, the large army set off once again, setting its sights squarely on the Land of Iron located north of the Land of Fire.
This time attacking the Land of Iron, Enkō did not dispatch too many troops. Because of neutrality treaties signed with other countries, the Land of Iron, which had enjoyed relative peace year-round, possessed no great military strength; the only thing the entire country could put on the table was their samurai group.
As for the so-called samurai, in Enkō's eyes they were only slightly stronger than ordinary people. The technique of channeling chakra into weapons was something any random ninja could master with a little training, and aside from that, most samurai lacked any other attack methods, making them utterly incapable of