Repelling the attackers

The wind had picked up...

Chen Yu looked at the dark sky, then at the people across from him.

With the wind picking up, the gunpowder Senku had made was useless. That played right into the hands of the Tsukasa Empire's men, who charged forward.

But several people suddenly sprang out from beneath the bridge, wielding the cutting tools developed a few days earlier, and sliced the attackers' weapons to pieces.

Chen Yu watched from a distance. Iron against stone-wasn't that like smashing eggs with rocks?

But Hyoga was no easy opponent.

Chen Yu studied the familiar figure across from him. Narrow eyes, a mask-there was little Hyoga.

On the other side, Hyoga felt someone watching him and looked over warily, only to find no one there. Was it my imagination?

He then turned his attention back to the battle before him.

Meanwhile, Chen Yu took out the weapon he had asked Senku to make and fitted it onto the wooden shaft he had crafted himself. Ha... my weapon.

The spear shaft he had made was much better than theirs, with decent flexibility. He had specifically asked old Kaseki to forge the spearhead, then joined the two pieces together once it was finished. With this weapon in hand, he could send anyone who came at him packing.

What? Why would a doctor need a weapon? Come on, vulnerable people need to defend themselves, okay?

Meanwhile, Hyoga had barely managed to drive several opponents back with his spear techniques, but something felt off. These people seemed to know how he attacked, yet he had only made a few moves. Had they figured out how to counter him that quickly?

After exchanging blows with Hyoga, Kohaku watched him with lingering fear. She had seen Chen Yu demonstrate this style of spearmanship before, but now that she had faced it in actual combat, she knew she would never have escaped unscathed without that experience.

Suddenly, Gen darted out from the side and launched into a spiel. "The strongest people in the village are Kohaku, Kinro, and Magma. Take those three down in one push, and you'll win, little Hyoga~"

Hyoga praised him. "Thank you for the information, Gen, but I could tell at a glance. Those three are very strong..."

The boy with glasses who knew the Return Horse Spear technique had to be Kinro. The girl who could trade a move or two with him was Kohaku. And that big fellow, who was immensely strong and quick to react, had to be Magma.

There was something strange about those three...

Had Chen Yu known what Hyoga was thinking, he probably would have laughed. Kohaku was practically half his disciple, Magma had trained hard after being won over by him, and Kinro now had glasses and had studied spear techniques like the Return Horse Spear. How could they not be formidable?

Magma: "Chen Yu! You ***, I ***, if you've got the guts, ****!!!" (怒｀Д´怒)

(Those are just asterisks, okay? Don't ban this.)

Thanks to what Chen Yu and Senku had told them earlier, everyone played along.

"So Gen was an enemy all along? And here I was, treating him sincerely, giving him good food and drink," Magma said angrily.

At those words, Kohaku and the others fell silent and stared at Magma. Good food? Good drink? Treating him sincerely?

Gen fell silent too. If it weren't for Chen Yu, I'd have been bedridden for a day. Good thing I put that padding in beforehand, even if I didn't end up needing it.

How can he say that without even blushing or missing a beat? He nearly started the war early, and he has the nerve to say that?

Magma shamelessly glared at Gen, itching to rush over and stab him with his spear again.

Sensing his malice, Gen took several steps back.

The three exchanged glances. Magma took the front, while Kohaku and Kinro waited on either side for an opening.

Hyoga thrust his spear again, and Magma struggled to block it. This was his first time facing such an attack, and he had no experience with it.

Then Kohaku jumped onto Ginro's back, launched herself into the air, and thrust at Hyoga.

Kinro switched spears and waited off to the side for his chance.

Seeing this, Hyoga pointed his spearhead upward, while Kinro thrust at him.

Just before the thrust landed, Hyoga swung his spearhead around. The tremendous force nearly knocked Kinro's spear out of his hands, and he finally pulled back.

Then Hyoga attacked Kohaku again, only for his spearhead to suddenly fall off.

Everyone stopped at the sight.

Hyoga retreated and examined the spearhead, pondering the cleanly cut bandages.

"Stone tools can't make such a clean cut. Even during my clash with him, it shouldn't have been cut lengthwise. It would have been diagonal, or across the middle," Hyoga reasoned.

"Seriously? Who did that?" Gen asked in surprise.

Hyoga thought for a moment, then praised him. "Nicely done, Gen. Excellent work. Who would have thought you'd betrayed us long ago? You filthy traitor. Does that mean Chen Yu and those two doctors who came with you have betrayed us too?"

"What are you talking about, little Hyoga? Why would I do something like that?" Gen pleaded pitifully, even adding a few whimpering sobs at the end.

Kohaku and the others quietly watched Gen's performance.

Hyoga watched him with a calm expression.

Then Gen's expression changed into an exaggerated grimace. "Oh, come on! You figured it out? That's little Hyoga for you."

Suddenly, a clump of weeds flew over and slapped Gen in the face.

Kohaku thought she heard a voice call out from a distance. "That's disgusting. Here, have a face mask."

Hearing it, Kohaku instinctively raised her right hand and made a throwing motion.

Magma, Kinro, and the others looked at Kohaku in confusion.

Kohaku could only stand there awkwardly, frozen in place. She had no idea why she had raised her hand. This is so embarrassing...

Kohaku drew Hyoga's gaze. Suddenly, a gust swept up behind him, carrying several flower petals through the air.

Hyoga shielded himself briefly, then looked back at Gen, only to find him gone.

Gen's voice came from the bridge railing. "Remember this flower? It won't grow in the dark. It's called black nightshade. I'm very fond of it, and I've used it onstage too. In the language of flowers, it means [deception]." With that, he returned the dagger Chen Yu had given him earlier to Senku.

"Not bad with a blade, mentalist. Good work. A sharp blade like this is pretty exciting, huh? This is the cutting edge of science," Senku praised him.

With Hyoga's weapon destroyed, his group had lost its main fighting power. Even if he used another available weapon, he couldn't reproduce those deceptive movements, and using it would be a hassle. He could make a new weapon on the spot, but there was no opportunity now, with the people of Ishigami Village still right there. They could only retreat for the time being.

Looking at the villagers, Hyoga said, "Exceptional skill, seamless teamwork, a traitor's filthy tricks, and the power of science that produced flintlocks and iron cutting tools. You really are something. But if you were to discover that this battle was only a feint, well, I'd be even sorrier."

Hearing that, Senku seemed to realize something and looked behind him, only to find nothing there.

Then he looked at Hyoga in confusion.

Hyoga also looked toward the rear in puzzlement. By all rights, the plan should have succeeded by now.

"Are you looking for her?" Suddenly, Chen Yu's voice rang out, reaching everyone's ears...