Chapter 108: A Daimyo's Shuraba and the Banner of Fūrinkazan
The forest of bones stood stark against the sky, and the rumble of thunder had not yet faded from the air.
Imagawa Yoshimoto, however, seemed oblivious to the mortal dangers surrounding her. She lifted the gorgeous, complicated hem of her twelve-layered jūnihitoe, her silk-wrapped feet stepping onto grass stained with blood and mud as she walked, step by step, until she stood directly before Hikaru.
Too close.
She was so close that Hikaru could smell the rich, cloying incense clinging to her robes.
This lord of Suruga Province, who looked no older than sixteen or seventeen, possessed skin so excessively pale from a lifetime of pampered luxury that it held an almost translucent quality in the afternoon sun. Her wide sleeves slipped down her arms, revealing wrists so slender they looked as if they might snap with a careless touch. The layers of her collar were bound tightly around her throat, a constricting frame that only served to accentuate the exquisite, palm-sized delicacy of her face. Simple, clear makeup highlighted the pretty, refined features of a young noblewoman.
Yet, as she faced a terrifying oni, her expression was not one of fear, but of pure, unadulterated excitement.
She tilted her head, her gaze fixed on the crimson oni mask that concealed Hikaru's face. There was no terror in her eyes. There was only a fanaticism, the kind one might see in a collector who had just discovered a priceless, one-of-a-kind treasure.
"Lord Kishin Hikaru." Yoshimoto's voice was soft and sweet, laced with the drawn-out, melodic cadence peculiar to the nobles of Kyoto. "At last, I get to see you again."
Hikaru looked down at her, a silent, imposing figure.
Behind him, the Tanuki Spirit was so terrified it had bent its own flagpole, while the Hitotsume-kozō had shrunk back into its umbrella, shivering uncontrollably. The aura emanating from this woman was, in its own way, even more unsettling than that of the warrior princess who wielded a divine artifact.
"It seems you truly did start this war just to find me," Hikaru stated, his voice muffled and indifferent through the mask.
"Of course." Yoshimoto's smile deepened, her eyes curving into happy crescents. "To see you, I specially brought two thousand men to this wilderness to stand around in the wind."
She gracefully extended a hand, pointing toward the cluster of small, cowering yokai huddled behind Hikaru.
"Are you looking for a place to settle down with these… companions of yours?"
She had seen right through him. This woman was nothing like the fool obsessed with kemari football that later legends would portray her as.
Hikaru did not deny it. "Yes."
"Then come to my Suruga." Yoshimoto opened her arms, her wide sleeves spreading like the wings of a butterfly. "I have castles, shrines to worship you, and countless treasures and lands. As long as you nod, I don't mind sharing the faith of Suruga with you—no, even if it is the faith of this entire world, I will share it with you."
She took another step forward, her chest almost pressing against the cold bone of Hikaru's armor. Those dark eyes burned with an unmasked, possessive intensity.
"The Takeda Clan has the monster of Fudo Myo-o, and the Uesugi Clan has the madwoman of Bishamonten," she declared, her voice ringing with ambition. "My Imagawa Clan should also have a true 'Kishin'."
"Come, Kobe Hikaru."
"Be my blade. Be my god."
"Join me, and let us unite this world together!"
The wind died.
A deathly silence fell over the battlefield. Two thousand Imagawa troops and fifteen hundred Hojo soldiers all heard that borderline insane confession.
Courting a yokai? No, this was a formal proposal of alliance, using the faith of an entire nation as a bargaining chip.
Hikaru stared down at her. He had to admit, the offer was tempting. If all he wanted was a place to settle his band of minor yokai, Suruga was an excellent choice. It was a considerable distance from Musashi Province, allowing their forces to support each other without being close enough to be wiped out in a single stroke.
Just as the silence stretched, a cold shout shattered it.
The thunder of horse hooves tore through the quiet. The military formation to the north parted, and a single rider came galloping forth at full speed.
It was Hojo Ujiyasu.
The Lion of Sagami's face was a mask of frost. Her long hair, tied back in a simple ponytail, whipped wildly with the jolting of her steed. The armor plates on her chest rose and fell sharply with her breathing, outlining a figure that, while not voluptuous, was lean and exceptionally toned. Her legs, clad in hakama, gripped the horse's flanks tightly. She reined the animal to a sharp halt thirty feet away, looking down at Yoshimoto from her elevated position.
"Imagawa Yoshimoto, what madness has possessed you?" Ujiyasu's voice was as cold and sharp as ice shards. "Running onto my territory to poach my 'man'?"
"Your man?" Yoshimoto covered her lips with a sleeve and let out a soft, musical laugh, her eyes shimmering with amusement. "Hahaha, what a hilarious joke—little sister Ujiyasu, you shouldn't speak such nonsense. Since when did this Kishin-dono become your man? I do believe I saw him nearly cleave your entire army in half just moments ago."
Yoshimoto emphasized the word 'little' with a heavy, patronizing sweetness. Ujiyasu gritted her teeth, but she suppressed her anger and took a deep, steadying breath.
"He is standing on the soil of Musashi Province." Ujiyasu dismounted, her movements crisp and agile. She strode forward until she stood on Hikaru's other side, creating a tense standoff with Yoshimoto.
Though she loathed trouble and hated taking risks, there was one thing she hated even more: having her things snatched away by others. Especially by Imagawa Yoshimoto.
It didn't even matter if the 'thing' in question didn't actually belong to her.
Her gaze fell upon Hikaru. The figure who had saved Odawara Castle in her dream was now standing right before her. He wore a demonic mask and radiated an uncomfortable aura of blood and lightning, but that was him.
Her benefactor from the dream.
"Kishin... Kobe Hikaru-dono, is that right?" Ujiyasu began, her tone stiff and carrying a hint of awkwardness. "About that time... even though it was in a dream, it seems it truly happened."
"I, Hojo Ujiyasu, do not owe favors."
"If you wish to settle these..." She glanced at the ragtag group of small yokai, her mouth twitching slightly. From a distance, she hadn't gotten a good look, but now that she was close, she was shocked to realize just how pathetically 'weak' they all were. "...these things."
"Whether it's Sagami or Musashi Province, take your pick," she declared. "Whether you want a village or an entire mountain peak, just say the word, and my Hojo Clan will allocate the territory to you."
She lifted her chin, shooting a provocative look at Yoshimoto.
"If you want a shrine, my Odawara Castle can build one as well. If you want offerings, my Hojo Clan has no shortage of funds. You want the world?" Ujiyasu sneered. "You'd be better off securing the Kanto region with me than hanging around with this woman who only knows how to apply makeup."
The scene became awkward for a moment. Or rather, it became utterly bizarre.
Two women who stood at the pinnacle of power in the Kanto region were now fighting over a yokai's allegiance as if they were haggling over cabbage in a wet market.
Hikaru stood silently between them.
In his arms, Yura of the Hair was vibrating so violently she felt like she was about to fall apart, clearly unleashing a silent, sharp-tongued torrent of commentary about this ridiculous shuraba.
Hikaru himself was somewhat speechless. He did indeed need power and allies, but his initial plan had only targeted the Hojo. The Imagawa, who did not rule Musashi Province, hadn't even been part of his considerations. He truly had not expected these two great daimyos to start tearing into each other right in front of their armies for his sake.
But Hikaru was not flustered in the slightest. He was already thinking about how to exploit this situation to maximize his own interests—
It was at that very moment.
While the two armies stared at each other in bewildered confusion.
The ground, suddenly and without any warning, began to vibrate.
It wasn't the war drums of either army. The tremors were coming from the west, from behind the stretch of rolling hills.
Heavy. Oppressive.
Like the footsteps of some colossal beast.
Hojo Ujiyasu and Imagawa Yoshimoto's expressions changed simultaneously. They were both all too familiar with that rhythmic, earth-shaking beat.
It was cavalry.
The strongest, sharpest heavy cavalry of the era.
"Kai Province..." Ujiyasu's pupils contracted.
In the next second, a great banner, as red as blood, slowly rose from behind the hills to the west, appearing behind the Imagawa Clan's position.
There was no family crest on the banner.
There were only four large, pitch-black characters that seemed to dance wildly in the wind, exuding a madness that threatened to burn the entire world to ash.
—Fūrinkazan.
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