"My lord, that demon has retreated!"
Although Akechi Mitsuhide had not personally seen Yura of the Hair turn back toward Kaede's Village,
as a warrior, he could still tell that the invisible Hair Sea's assault had weakened.
Whether it was the state of the wall of fire in the trench or the frequency with which the visible Hair Sea attacked the trench's only opening,
all these signs of weakening told the entire Hojo Army that the demon attacking their camp from the shadows seemed to have left.
"Mm."
Hojo Akitoshi nodded, looking at Akechi Mitsuhide's confident face in the firelight and the excited Hatamoto Samurai in the camp.
Changing tack, Hojo Akitoshi promptly offered a warning to these men, who were cheering after gaining a temporary advantage in their first battle against a demon.
"We still don't know whether the demon has truly withdrawn, and we haven't actually killed her."
"We can't start celebrating when the battle is only halfway over."
"And..."
Hojo Akitoshi paused, gazing at Kaede's Village, faintly visible not far beyond the wall of fire.
Then he lightly raised his sheathed sword to point at it and offered a thought-provoking reminder.
"With all the commotion we've made here, aren't you curious about that village?"
"What...?"
At those words, Akechi Mitsuhide's eyes shifted. He had not paid any attention to Kaede's Village at first.
To his mind, a mere village of commoners could neither threaten the Hojo Army nor offer any help in fighting a demon.
Why waste any attention on it?
But he also knew his lord, Hojo Akitoshi, well. It was not that his lord would still be worrying about the villagers' safety under these circumstances.
After all, although his lord's reputation for kindness was widespread, there was a time and place for that!
"Do you mean...?"
After briefly weighing the matter, Akechi Mitsuhide came up with several possibilities.
"The demon couldn't overcome us, so she chose to slaughter the villagers to vent her anger?"
"Or, more likely, she'll force the villagers to serve as her vanguard and attack our camp?"
"Mm."
Hojo Akitoshi smiled approvingly, very pleased with Akechi Mitsuhide's response.
As expected of a renowned general whose name had gone down in history, his analysis of the current situation was commendable.
What a pity, Hojo Akitoshi thought, his greed getting the better of him.
His knowledge of Japan's Warring States history was limited to information he had picked up from a few games.
At present, Akechi Mitsuhide was the only man he could both locate and recruit.
The other men he knew of had either already become daimyo or had yet to appear!
"Then, my lord, shall we...?"
Seeing that his guesses had been affirmed, a cold glint flashed in Akechi Mitsuhide's eyes.
He made a downward chopping gesture, miming a beheading. His meaning was clear: if the demon really used those villagers to attack the camp,
they would have no choice but to do something too cruel to speak of.
It was only Kaede's Village. If they wiped it out, so be it!
Hojo Akitoshi glanced sidelong at the murderous Akechi Mitsuhide.
It was a sound suggestion. Under normal circumstances, this was the standard way of handling things in Japan.
But...
That village was the main characters' safe haven. For the sake of his long-term plans, and the matter of the Shikon Jewel...
Without needing to deliberate further, Hojo Akitoshi was just about to reject the idea outright when-
"Sankon Tessō!"
Inuyasha's powerful roar rang out at the opening in the trench.
Five dazzling streaks of light flashed, tearing apart what little of Yura of the Hair's Hair Sea remained there.
The residual force of Inuyasha's attack pierced the Hair Sea and even reached the Hatamoto Samurai who were fighting it.
The unprepared samurai jumped in fright. Several of them had nearly been injured!
"Matchlock Corps, ready! Fire!"
Seeing this, the mid-ranking commanders behind the Hatamoto Samurai immediately ordered the warriors in front to scatter.
Then they called on the matchlock gunners, who had long been ready and waiting, to attack.
Bang, bang, bang.
Gunpowder thundered, and bullets erupted from the barrels.
They hurtled toward Inuyasha, who had intended to put the Hojo Army in its place.
"What?"
The smug look had not yet faded from Inuyasha's face. A moment earlier, he had been immensely proud of himself for teaching those irritating Hojo soldiers a lesson.
He had never expected the Hojo Army to retaliate so quickly.
Moreover, he had been sealed away fifty years ago. In the era when he had been active, firearms had been uncommon-indeed, he had never even seen one.
Completely unprepared, he suffered badly in his very first encounter with the Hojo Army's Matchlock Corps.
Had Inuyasha not raised his arms in time to protect his head and face, he would surely have been gravely injured, if not killed.
But even though he had shielded his head and face, and his Robe of the Fire Rat was stronger than most armor,
being struck by musket balls was still excruciating.
In an instant, blood and flesh flew from all over Inuyasha's body, and he plunged headfirst from the air to the ground.
"Inuyasha!"
Seeing what had happened to Inuyasha, Kagome and Kaede, who had followed behind him, immediately cried out.
"Lord Hojo Akitoshi, Inuyasha isn't an enemy! Please stop!"
The two women, one young and one old, rushed out of the darkness with every ounce of strength they had and hurried to Inuyasha's side, where he lay on the ground, his fate unknown.
"My lord?"
The Hojo soldiers would not stop attacking simply because two women shouted at them. Without an order from their lord, Hojo Akitoshi,
never mind two women-even if an entire row of women stood before them, they would raise their guns and fire without hesitation.
Thus, seeing the scene before him, Akechi Mitsuhide hurriedly asked for instructions before the second volley could begin.
"Stand down."
Looking at Kagome shielding Inuyasha with her own body in the firelight, Hojo Akitoshi carefully studied the determination on her face.
A faint smile touched his lips, and Hojo Akitoshi stopped his men just before they launched their next attack.
"Bring them over."
He turned back and sat down on the folding stool on the command platform,
then issued another order.
"Yes!"
Nodding firmly, Akechi Mitsuhide immediately went to carry out his lord's command and bring over the two women and the dog.
A little later, soldiers escorted Kagome and Kaede over. Inuyasha, who was gasping in pain and unable to speak, was hauled along by several soldiers with blades held against him.
Before they could properly exchange words, a new disturbance arose in the darkness outside the Hojo Army's camp.
Under Yura of the Hair's control, the villagers of Kaede's Village came staggering toward them, their minds clouded, like a horde of zombies.
One look at this formation made Yura of the Hair's scheme clear.
She was simply using these innocent villagers to charge their lines, gambling that if the Hojo Army could not bring itself to act, she could seize the opening to storm the camp and slaughter everyone.
If the Hojo Army truly hardened its heart and killed the innocent villagers,
Yura of the Hair would lose nothing. She could simply keep wearing them down.
If today did not work, there was always tomorrow. If Kaede's Village did not have enough villagers, weren't there other villages nearby?
The viciousness of her intentions was plain to see. She was a ruthless demon who certainly lived up to her calling!
"Honored Lord Hojo Akitoshi, the renowned Kirin of Sagami, the rightful future ruler of all the land!"
So frantic that blisters had formed on her lips, Kaede was utterly terrified and immediately prostrated herself on the ground.
"The villagers of Kaede's Village are all your loyal subjects. I beg the great Lord Hojo Akitoshi to uphold the path of benevolence and righteousness."
"Please rescue your subjects from the clutches of this evil demon."
On the way to the Hojo Army's camp, Kaede, shrewd with age, had anticipated this situation and spent the entire journey thinking of how to respond.
She smoothly delivered the speech she had prepared, invoking the path of benevolence and righteousness to put Hojo Akitoshi on the spot.
"Lord Hojo Akitoshi!"
Seeing the elderly Kaede behave this way beside her, Kagome also hurried forward to speak.
"Please help us, Lord Hojo Akitoshi. These villagers really are innocent. They've just been caught in the crossfire!"
"And as a daimyo, isn't it your duty to protect the people under your rule?"
But Kagome's words left Kaede pale with horror, almost beside herself with anguish.
Before you continue