"But there's a firebreak on the mountain. There's still time..."
Once Tetsu no Sosuke got his bearings, he stopped rushing toward his destination.
If a demon really had launched a surprise attack, the Hidden there had either been wiped out or had already fled. There was no third possibility.
Their purpose in setting the mountain ablaze was to destroy the wisteria. If the flames stopped at the firebreak, they would simply start another fire.
What Tetsu no Sosuke needed to do now was get ahead of them, cross the outer reaches of the wisteria, and wait at the firebreak.
At the same time, he had the Kasugai Crow send word to the Hidden, telling them to prepare to fight the fire once it spread.
He also stressed that if they encountered a demon, they must not engage it. They were to report it immediately.
By the time the Kasugai Crow had delivered those messages, Tetsu no Sosuke had reached the firebreak and arrived at the spot he had chosen.
Looking down from there, he saw flames raging around the southeast third outpost.
Fire was spreading near the fifth outpost as well.
Tetsu no Sosuke frowned. "Will they come up the mountain from the fifth outpost?"
Either route was possible, and he felt as though he couldn't guard both at once.
"Ubuyashiki Kagaya sensed something might go wrong during this trial, but he didn't take it seriously enough. It would've been better if he'd brought another Pillar."
Tetsu no Sosuke sighed, sat down on the sand-and-gravel firebreak, and waited.
Judging by the blaze, the fire would soon burn through the wisteria here. His enemies would arrive any moment.
Their bodies weren't afraid of burns; only the wisteria troubled them. Tetsu no Sosuke was certain they wouldn't want to waste time.
Sure