In every previous attempt to capture him, Ushimitsu Kozō had never lingered to fight. Whenever he was spotted, he escaped at incredible speed. No one had expected his swordsmanship to be so powerful!
"Strange. Why would Ushimitsu Kozō save Shutenmaru?"
Daikoku was puzzled.
Ushimitsu Kozō was a righteous thief whose conduct commanded respect. By all rights, he should have despised a bully like Shutenmaru more than anyone.
There was no time to dwell on it.
Good issued a cold command. "Shutenmaru is badly wounded. Even with Ushimitsu Kozō helping him, he can't get far."
"After them!"
"Yes, Lord Good!"
Halfway down the mountain.
Supporting Shutenmaru, Ushimitsu Kozō hurried through the dense forest. "Hang in there. I've prepared horses at the foot of the mountain. Once we get down there, we can escape!"
"Cough, cough."
Shutenmaru coughed up mouthfuls of blood. His body grew weaker from blood loss, but he had no attention to spare for his wounds. His thoughts were entirely on the man beside him.
Paradise Totsuka, Paradise Hakuryu!
Those techniques belonged exclusively to Lord Oden!
Lord Oden was dead. The only people left in the world who knew those techniques were his retainers.
"Who are you, really?"
"My identity doesn't matter."
Ushimitsu Kozō had no intention of revealing his true identity. He had endured in silence for fifteen years. Until the day of the final battle arrived, he could not reveal himself even to his comrades.
The slightest slip could ruin everything.
Shutenmaru remained silent.
Even without an answer from the man in black, he knew the man was one of the Nine Red Scabbards. He had deliberately used Oden's techniques to earn Shutenmaru's trust.
He just didn't know which one.
"After them!"
"They're just below us!"
"Don't let Shutenmaru escape!"
Their pursuers' shouts rang out behind them.
Ushimitsu Kozō took a deep breath.
"We need to move faster!"
"Let go of me. I can walk on my own!"
Shutenmaru pushed him away and ran, gritting his teeth against the pain.
He didn't want to hold his comrade back.
If it came to it, he would rather sacrifice himself alone!
As the two drew closer to the foot of the mountain, their pursuers closed in behind them. They could even see one another now.
"Shutenmaru is right ahead!"
"Don't look back. We're almost at the bottom!"
Ushimitsu Kozō warned him in a low voice.
The rugged mountain terrain slowed their escape, but once they reached the foot of the mountain, they could mount their horses and leave their pursuers behind.
Just a little farther!
Ten seconds, thirty seconds, one minute...
Suddenly, the forest opened up before them!
They had made it!
But the enemies waiting ahead brought them both to a halt.
An ambush!
Wind Blade and Chiyome stood in the center, flanked by battle-ready samurai. Their semicircular formation blocked every path the two could take.
Behind them, their pursuers were still coming!
There was nowhere to run!
Shutenmaru's eyes darkened. In his wretched condition, escaping his pursuers was no longer possible.
"Run. Leave this to me!"
"Don't be an idiot!"
Ushimitsu Kozō rebuked him furiously.
Until the very last moment, he would never abandon a comrade and flee. Leaving Oden behind all those years ago was the greatest pain in his heart.
He didn't want to go through that again.
Rustle!
The bushes behind them shook, and a large group of pursuers soon emerged.
Good walked toward the two.
"Surrender, and Orochi might spare your lives."
"..."
Neither answered. They drew their swords and stood back-to-back.
"What a shame."
A smile spread across Good's face as he leisurely stepped back half a pace.
"Kill them!"
"Ten thousand in gold to whoever kills either one!"
"Raaagh!!!"
The samurai's eyes gleamed red as they howled and swarmed forward.
"Die!"
Shutenmaru roared and swung his sword, cleaving the foremost samurai in two. But more charged at him, heedless of death.
Bloodthirsty. Insane.
The samurai fought like madmen.
Killing just one of the two would mean a life of wealth and luxury!
Shhk!
A blade pierced his side!
Shutenmaru vomited blood. He reached out with his left hand and clamped down on the blade in his side, then killed its wielder with a swing of his right.
But an instant later, another blade struck his back!
Enemies surrounded him on every side!
Meanwhile, the black-clad comrade who had come to save him was tied up fighting a silver-haired girl. Forget helping Shutenmaru-he could barely protect himself.
"Where is he?!"
Shutenmaru drove the samurai back with his sword, searching through his blurring vision. The moment he spotted Good, his eyes turned bloodshot.
"I'll kill you!"
Shutenmaru roared in fury. Completely ignoring the samurai around him, he let their blades slash his body as he charged madly toward Good.
"Coming to your death?"
Good watched Shutenmaru and reached up to grip the greatsword on his back.
Clang!
The sword and greatsword collided, unleashing a powerful shock wave!
Behind them, Daikoku's gaze sharpened.
What an opportunity!
If he attacked from behind while the two were locked together, he could complete the task Orochi had given him.
But...
Daikoku gripped his sword hilt, conflict flickering in his eyes.
Orochi was merely an ordinary shogun, while the Bright King was this country's guardian deity. Orochi was no match for the Bright King. It was obvious which side he should choose.
But for a Ninja, betrayal was an inviolable taboo!
He slowly drew his blade!
At the center of the battlefield.
Shutenmaru and Good traded ferocious blows.
Both were fighters who relied on strength. The shock waves from their clashing blades alone kept the surrounding samurai from approaching.
Drenched in blood, Shutenmaru gripped his sword with both hands and pressed hard against Good's greatsword. Nothing remained in his eyes but the rawest hatred.
His brothers were all dead!
"You won't kill me like this."
Good spoke calmly.
The successive wounds and fighting had already drained his opponent's stamina to the point that he posed no threat at all.
Shutenmaru's eyes widened with fury.
"You, of all people-"
Shhk!
A sharp blade burst from his chest!
Blood spilled from Shutenmaru's mouth as he struggled to turn his head.
The Ninja!
Daikoku withdrew his bloodstained sword and silently stepped back. He was merely completing the task Orochi had assigned him.
Eliminating the bandits!
"Well done."
Good nodded approvingly, then walked up to Shutenmaru, who knelt on the ground, and slowly raised his greatsword.
"Any last words?"
"Cough, cough... Don't underestimate a samurai!"
Shutenmaru raised his head with difficulty. With his right hand, he pulled a red tube from inside his clothes. Its fuse was already burning.
Dynamite!
Good's pupils contracted slightly.
Shutenmaru laughed.
"Die with me, pirate!"
BOOM!!!
The explosion thundered, and a wave of flames blotted out the sky!
"Shutenmaru!!!"
Ushimitsu Kozō's expression changed drastically. He looked toward the explosion and screamed, his brief distraction leaving him exposed to a deadly threat.
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