"One, two, three... there are actually five Taira no Masakados!"
Astonishment surfaced in Mineko Yuki's eyes, mingled with uncertainty and suspicion.
"What kind of spell is this? A Clone Technique? An illusion?"
Just then, two of the Taira no Masakados swung their naginatas with murderous intent, carving two intersecting streaks of blade energy across the ground.
Mineko Yuki swiftly retreated, formed hand seals, and spat a volley of soccer-ball-sized magma projectiles from her mouth, which slammed into the Taira no Masakados.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The seemingly copied-and-pasted Taira no Masakados had all inherited the original's iron-hard bodies and remained unharmed even with scorching magma covering them.
"They have physical bodies and can attack. This definitely isn't some trick like an illusion."
After probing them briefly, Mineko Yuki stopped advancing recklessly and watched in hesitation instead.
Wasn't Taira no Masakado a rebellious military commander? When had he learned a ninja's Clone Technique?
"I can't tell which one is the real body at all. And every Taira no Masakado has an absurdly tough turtle shell. How am I supposed to fight this?"
Just as Mineko Yuki was developing a serious headache, a man's gentle, resonant voice suddenly came through the earpiece in her right ear.
"Hello? Yuki, can you hear me?"
As though an electric current had run from her brain all the way to her toes, half of Mineko Yuki's body tingled. Delighted surprise appeared on her face as she answered repeatedly.
"Senpai, I'm here!"
"Yuki, don't get distracted. Listen carefully. What you're facing now are Taira no Masakado's Shadow Warriors."
Uchiha Senmon's voice was steady, composed, and calm.
During the Jotoku era of the Heian Period, there had been a war chronicle called "The War Biography of Taira no Masakado, the New Emperor." Its subject was naturally the story of