Editing Horizon:Volume 10B Chapter 44 (section)

==Chapter 44: Ruler of Yamato==
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''People fear that which is formless

''But when something is given form

''And yet remains fearsome

''They fear it all the more

'''Point Allocation (Awe)

●

'''<Name Change: Azuchi → Yamato: Confirmed>

'''<Flagship Status Transferred>

'''<Flagship Ownership Transferred>

“Hashiba-sama, you are now this ship’s official owner. Testament.”

With that word, a bell rang. The bell on the bridge at the stern of the rear central ship rang to signal Yamato powering up.

But a single voice pierced through that note of beginning.

It came from the Musashi. A girl shouted while staring down the Yamato from atop the colossal ship’s bridge.

“Large Kanesada – prepare to fire!”

●

Ookubo shouted with eyebrows raised. She had ordered for all hands to abandon ship, but she still gave a new command within the swirling wind blowing the dark clouds.

“Target the third Musashi in front of us! Aim for the center!!”

Part of her thought “it can’t be”. Her primary fear in this battle had been a support fleet arriving from M.H.R.R. Catholic territory, but…

…''This is so much worse!!

The Yamato. The ship had been constructed as a third Musashi and given to Hashiba.

“Damn!”

There had been signs and hints of its existence.

The questions regarding the explosion of New Nagoya Castle.

The stormy ether light occasionally seen rising from the massive bay that had become Mikawa Bay.

…''That was a side effect of the pathway used to transfer it away from New Nagoya Castle through the ley lines, wasn’t it!?

She had no proof, but she was pretty sure she was right. And lastly…

“Were you the one who split and brought down Aki during your battle with K.P.A. Italia!?”

'''848:''' “Testament. Although technically that was a test run for the not-me Hashiba-sama.”

Hashiba readily admitted it. And a strange noise and light reached Ookubo from below Hashiba’s feet.

Yamato’s cannon barrel had begun coiling in places. Portions of the barrel rotated to stabilize the ultra-long barrel using the installed divine protections and the gyro effect.

And Hashiba spoke over the loud coiling.

'''848:''' “Yamato Main Cannon – Osafune. Prepare to fire.”

It would be a shootout. Hashiba and Ookubo met each other’s eyes in challenge.

'''848:''' “Keep in mind that I will use any means necessary.”

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “I suppose asking for mercy wouldn’t accomplish much?”

'''848:''' “Testament. This ship is meant to protect the world. Unlike a dragon line reactor, it can also be used to shelter people, so I would prefer to win without any harm coming to it.”

“In that case,” said Ookubo just as Hashiba raised a hand.

'''848:''' “Open fire.”

Light shot from all of the Yamato’s cannons.

Twice the Azuchi’s number of shells flew this way with countless booming notes.

The battle had resumed.

●

While the shells flew, Ookubo used a sign frame to run calculations based on the reports from each ship.

…''Gravitational acceleration isn’t an option with Oume missing.

That meant escape was impossible. And after arriving at that answer…

“ ‘Musashi’! What about firing Large Kanesada!?”

“Judge. The ether fuel supplied by each ship has already been pooled in Musashino and Okutama, so as far as ether is concerned, Large Kanesada can be fired with only those two ships. Over.”

That was a relief to hear. In a shootout, Kanesada’s virtual barrel meant it required ether fuel to do anything at all. They had activated the barrel in advance this time, but the barrel normally required ether and processing from each ship. Going without that required more fuel than usual from Musashino and Okutama, but…

…''Impressive.

This meant “Musashi” had considered the worst case and made an independent decision that would allow her to play her most powerful card here.

“But that will weaken our defense barriers and such. So…”

As if responding to what “Musashi” said, a pair of shadows moved in the sky. The night around them grew even darker and the wind rumbled deeply around them.

“Murayama and Tama!?”

Those two ships ascended between Musashino, Asakusa, and Shinagawa while pitching forward.

The ships were using their own decks as angled armor.

'''Murayama:''' “We shall shield you, ‘Musashi’-sama. Over.”

'''Tama:''' “Agreed. We can also open a fair number of defense barriers. Over!”

A series of loud impacts crashed into the pair of ship shields standing vertically in front, blocking the view ahead.

They were defending against the bombardment and taking hits in return.

And the sound did not end. It was joined by a din of scattering metal, which also didn’t end.

…''Ahh!

Murayama and Tama were shielding them from the Yamato.

Ookubo finally understood that fact and what it meant.

●

The sound of the shells hammering the ships brought physical pain to Ookubo.

The Musashi was taking hits and crumbling under her command. In addition to the simple frustration, she fell under the illusion that she herself was being injured. But “Musashi” looked her in the eye and spoke.

“The line between victory and defeat is clear. It is our honor as the eight ships of the Musashi to do all we can to cross that line. Thus…”

Awash in the sound of the downpour of shells, “Musashi” pushed lightly on Ookubo’s shoulders.

Ookubo didn’t even have time for a syllable of surprise. She lost her balance on the broken surface of the bridge and started to fall. And…

“Whoops, watch out there, Ookubo-kun. Your exhaustion is affecting your legs, so try not to tense up so much.”

That was Sakai. He placed a hand behind her knees and on her back to quickly pick her up. And in her surprise at both sudden actions done to her…

“Ee? Um, uh, Principal Sakai!?”

“Sakai-sama, all hands have been ordered to abandon ship. All except for the captain automata. …Please assist Ookubo-sama. Over.”

“W-wait a minute! I’m in command here!”

“We are all that is needed to fire Large Kanesada. Fire authority is normally held by the commander, but I can act in your place if you have left the ship. Over.”

That was true, but she didn’t think it was a good idea. So…

“Principal Sakai! Are you okay with that!? Are you really okay with leaving the ship now!?”

“She has a point, ‘Musashi’-san.” Sakai asked “Musashi” a question, but he didn’t set Ookubo down. “When will I see you again?”

●

“Musashi” inclined her head a bit at Sakai’s question. And…

“Come here and I will be there, Sakai-sama. Because, save for when I visit you, this is my post. Over.”

“I see. Then judge.”

Sakai turned his back.

“I’ll be back.”

She considered waving, but he couldn’t wave back while holding Ookubo. So she lowered her head and…

“I will be waiting. Over.”

That was sufficient. She was confident that was enough to get through to Sakai.

●

“Musashi” raised her head.

She snapped her fingers and a transport ship arrived. It had floated up this way as part of the evacuation process. Several people were already onboard and, when Sakai boarded with Ookubo in his arms, an out-of-place cheer rose from the group.

This was a battlefield, but the humans showed no sense of shipboard unity. But…

“That is why we must accompany them and do things right. Over.”

This time she did wave. Then she looked to the distant transport ship carrying the officers and raised her hand.

'''Musashi:''' “Please withdraw. Stray shells and the explosives blasts will cause damage along the horizontal line. But if you descend to the ocean, you can collect us if we do fall, which will be one less thing for us to worry about. Over.”

Then she sent instructions through the ship.

'''Musashi:''' “ ‘Okutama’, ‘Oume’, you two abandon ship along with Sakai-sama and the others. Over.”

'''Okutama:''' “No! Over!”

''Oh?'' thought “Musashi”. “Okutama” had been built with the same design as “Musashino”. “Musashi” had expected that would make her more understanding, but…

'''Okutama:''' “I always, always get treated like garbage… Does it really have to happen again here!? Over.”

'''Musashi:''' “No, this time ‘Oume’ is with you. Over.”

'''Okutama:''' “Oh. Over.”

'''Oume:''' “Sigh… I already thought I was especially unlucky today, but now I’m getting the same garbage treatment as ‘Okutama’? What a day… Over.”

'''Okutama:''' “D-did you really have to call it garbage!? Did you!? Over!”

'''Tama:''' “Maybe it doesn’t matter, but I won’t last much longer, so wrap it up! Wrap it up! Over.”

Good point. The power pool was large enough, so the firing sequence had already begun, starting with the shell formation.

The enemy was doing the same. But the Musashi’s preparations were going faster. Assuming they needed the same amount of preparation, the current calculations said Kanesada would finish about 15 seconds sooner. So in order to survive to reach those 15 seconds…

'''Murayama:''' “Defense barriers 70% unusable! Compensating by adjusting the slant angle! Over!”

Would the Musashi reach its limit first? That suggested what the enemy was trying to do.

“They must intend to primarily end the battle with this artillery bombardment to strengthen the image of a political victory and then deliver the finishing blow with Osafune. Over.”

If the Musashi could survive this, they would win. If not, they would lose. The rules were simple.

And just as she reached that understanding, the Musashi was set in motion.

The first port and starboard ships, Asakusa and Shinagawa, had released their towing belts linked to Musashino.

Those two ships moved slowly forward. Those were the two ships that Tama and Murayama couldn’t cover. They had taken hits and their defense barriers continued to be shattered.

Their fuel would run out at this rate. So “Musashi” decided to have “Asakusa” and “Shinagawa” descend and move out ahead.

'''Asakusa:''' “ ‘Musashi’-sama…we will be moving in. Over.”

'''Shinagawa:''' “Apologies for going in ahead of you. Over.”

With those comments, the two ships accelerated forward. And their captains spoke a moment later.

“Draw! Over!”

●

“Asakusa” realized this was their chance.

Fortifying their defenses and enduring the bombardment was all well and good, but the enemy bombardment had been unexpectedly dense. And since Tama and Murayama couldn’t fully cover her and “Shinagawa” anyway, she would prefer they focus on the defense of Musashino and Okutama.

She and “Shinagawa” were currently holding the rest back. The obvious conclusion had been to move in.

A focus on defense would eventually lead to depleting the fuel needed for the defense barriers. But there was something she and “Shinagawa” could do before reaching that point.

Draw their swords. They activated their defense barrier blades and jabbed them out.

They didn’t swing them horizontally like they had to slice the Azuchi’s port ships. By jabbing them straight out while ejecting them, they hoped to settle this as quickly as possible.

So they took all their remaining fuel except what was needed for propulsion, gathered it in their hands, and focused it on their gravity sword hilts.

“Contact! Over!”

They opened more and more defense barriers one after another. The barriers were thinner and shorter than when they had the support of the other ships, but they strengthened the overall structure by overlapping them back and forth.

“Here we go! Over!”

Then the enemy shells arrived.

They hit. The long white and black bows and hulls took hits. Holes were gouged into them and they scattered armor.

But they were definitely drawing the enemy fire. This battle would end quickly. Reducing the hits taken by Tama and Murayama even a little would greatly assist their pursuit of victory.

They were prepared to close in on the enemy and to take hits. And both “Asakusa” and “Shinagawa” concluded they had no reason to fear if taking these hits would accomplish something.

Feeling satisfied with their work, they both pulled back their blades. They raised them overhead, judged the distance, and…

“…!! Over!!”

They each launched their gravity barrier sword straight out toward the bow of the Yamato’s first port or starboard ship.

●

They were going to hit.

Despite the many shells, “Asakusa” and “Shinagawa were confident that their piercing attacks had “reached” the enemy.

But they were wrong.

…''Huh?

Just before the thrusting defense barrier blades arrived, the collections of sign frames suddenly shattered. Starting from the Yamato’s side and continuing in this direction.

They didn’t know what had happened. Those were defense barriers. Shinto ones. The attenuation type. How much of a burden must have been applied to them to make them shatter all at once?

The two of them looked to the bows of the enemy’s first port and starboard ships to determine what had happened.

There they saw a pair of giant figures standing on structures nearly identical to the ones they stood on. They were…

“A god of war…and a dragon!? Over.”

“Indeed.”

The reply came from the port ship’s bow. From a dragon with ether light spilling from his mouth. He was over a hundred meters tall. He was colored crimson.

The armor below him was undisturbed. The ether light spilling from his entire body indicated he was a Celestial Dragon.

The dragon who had shattered Shinagawa’s blade with a dragon cannon introduced himself.

“A pleasure to meet you. I am Sanada Academy Vice Chancellor ‘Celestial Dragon Emperor’ Sanada Nobushige.”

●

Silence fell upon the forest.

It was night at Sanada Academy. At the Yamaga Shrine and the surrounding region, everyone had sign frames open to monitor the battle occurring in Osaka Bay, but…

“Unno-sama, I did not expect the young master to show up here.”

“Yeah…he’s something of a hawk, so maybe he decided to make an appearance when he wasn’t supposed to.”

Seated on the edge of the shrine stage, Unno called out into the forest with a glare.

“Did he manage to leave because you all didn’t stop him?”

“You can’t expect us to! He’s on another level!”

“And he has no sense of humor! It’s just not possible!”

“The young master takes everything so seriously when it comes to restoring Sanada.”

“Well now he’s taking things so seriously he’s made an appearance that completely ignores the history recreation.”

''He’s not a bad person though,'' thought Unno with a sigh.

The young master here was Nobushige.

…''A Celestial Dragon originally born in Sanada.

When the previous Sasuke and the rest had withdrawn from Europe, they had taken with them the ether core of the Celestial Dragon Emperor who humanity had defeated. Over many long years, that had been regenerated in Sanada as a reincarnation. The result was Nobushige.

He was the only new dragon born in Sanada after the dragons had been driven from Europe and lost so many of their number.

He had apparently been fairly obedient in the past, but by the time Unno’s group had arrived in Sanada, he had already surpassed the previous Sasuke and the rest and he had wanted to protect and restore the Sanada clan to repay them for raising him.

“It’s incredible. I’ve never seen another Celestial Dragon who doesn’t know how to tone it down.”

“Kakei-sama once said there is ‘something severely wrong with him’.”

“Yeah,” said Unno, but Anayama’s group must have joined him there. She didn’t know what Sasuke’s group was up to, but she had to at least contact Anayama and make sure the young master didn’t take things too far.

But while he could be a pain, he was a useful ally. After all, he was the Celestial Dragon Emperor whose conquest had once swept across Europe. He was still young, but he had more than enough skill.

“This should make things a lot easier for Kiyomasa’s group.”

●

“We will not have an easy time with this opponent.”

Gin gulped after confirming the enemy’s identity.

She knew all to well what a threat Sanada’s Celestial Dragons posed. She and Honda Futayo had to literally wear themselves down to just barely eke out a victory against one of them.

And now this one was ranked at the top level emperor class. She had thought the Celestial Dragons were approaching their demise and preparing for their reincarnation into the next generation, but…

“Their king was slain in the Middle Ages, so he was reborn now.”

That wasn’t all. She had to focus on the bow of the Yamato’s starboard ship.

The figure standing there was a god of war.

She recognized that four-legged bluish-white shape with a humanoid upper body connected in the center. He was…

“Father? I was wondering where you had gotten to after Aki fell.”

Tachibana Dousetsu stood there.

●

Dousetsu saw his daughter and son-in-law there.

They stood on an elevated part of the transport ship, suggesting they had attained a decent status there.

…''That is good to learn.

He only ever lived his life the way he saw fit. What about his daughter? And what about the next generation of Tachibana? If they could enjoy their lives there, he hoped they would live that life to its fullest. With that on his mind, he named himself.

“P.A. Oda Interim Vice Chancellor Tachibana Dousetsu. I believe I will be in command here.”

He very obviously had a single top priority. The Musashi’s first port and starboard ships were charging the Yamato, so…

“Strike back!”

●

…''We drew them in!

“Asakusa” was confident “Shinagawa” was thinking the same thing.

All of the enemy’s attacks were directed their way. Their calculations said this would be enough for Musashino and Okutama to survive long enough for the Musashi to fire Kanesada.

Their “cores” were contained within their bodies, but for anti-impact and anti-ether purposes, she had been pouring all of her power into defense via gravitational control. She felt a bit silly putting so much effort into self-defense after acting all cool and charging out ahead, but…

“Musashi’s current policy is to not lose anyone. I will follow that policy. Over.”

She could do nothing that those she served wouldn’t want. She had lost the defense barriers that would protect her from the artillery fire, but…

“If we can continue to serve them with no outside assistance…”

She and “Shinagawa” announced their intentions while making the command that would use up the last of their ether fuel.

“The Guardians of Musashi shall complete this charge! Over!!”

●

“Shinagawa” extended her hand to the left.

She more knew than saw that “Asakusa” was extending her hand this way.

The two corresponding to the two ships were symmetrical and could do the same things as sister ships.

Did that mean they thought the same things too?

For now at least, they continued to think the same things. They knew they could sacrifice their ships to reveal the Yamato’s weaponry and its capabilities.

Escape was impossible. They had no fuel and, after confirming that, Ookubo had gambled it all on firing Kanesada.

They would not give in. No matter the cost, they would demonstrate their will to resist.

That was their duty as the Musashi’s first ships. As the forefront of Musashi, the had to convey a message to the Yamato, to Hashiba, and to the Genesis Project.

“Musashi will never accept anyone’s loss. Over!”

They accelerated. Ahead of “Shinagawa”, the Celestial Dragon opened its maw. That was fine. Because…

“ ‘Yamato’!”

They called out simultaneously.

“Whatever power you might have, know that you can never defeat us unless you wield it! Over!”

●

Yoshiaki heard Takenaka groan.

…''Well done.

She didn’t see automata as inferior to the diversity and intuition of humanity, but the voices of the Musashi’s first port and starboard ships had just reached her.

Those two had said they wouldn’t fear no matter how much power Hashiba might have. They had said that power had to be used if they wanted Musashi to give in.

There was of course more to power than firepower. There was political power, commercial power, connections, and more. The history recreation was itself a collection of power.

They wouldn’t give in.

That was probably true. They had different values when it came to loss.

Did this mean they would fight until the bitter end and only accept defeat once they were fully out of strength? If their goal was to reject loss, then running out of strength didn’t mean to die. So…

…''We need to take it that far too, don’t we?

Takenaka had groaned because that announcement had been a rejection of the Yamato’s presence. It meant, no matter how much power Hashiba had, they still had to respond to Musashi as long as they remained.

The Yamato would not function as a show of force. Musashi would continue to resist in every way they could.

Takenaka held a political position, so she would have wanted to turn the Yamato into a political symbol of victory.

“I didn’t expect their vanguard automata to suddenly attack as the Yamato’s first opponent,” said Yoshiaki.

“Oh, god. My night is a complete mess,” said Takenaka.

What did this mean for the Ten Spears? Yoshiaki saw what happened next.

The Musashi’s charging first ships exploded within the dark clouds spread out around the Yamato.

The port ship was hit by a lightning blast. And the starboard was…

…''Bisected?

To Yoshiaki’s eye, it looked like the Musashi’s starboard ship had suddenly been split top from bottom.

That one was Nobushige’s opponent, so it had likely been a dragon cannon. She had assumed the Celestial Dragon Emperor could do some absurd things, but what even was that? She reverse crossed herself. And after waiting for Angie to do the same next to her…

“May your name, will, and deeds find acceptance. Nema.”

At the same time, a series of ether light explosions and flames erupted out, their force slamming into the Musashi’s first port and starboard ships, directing them downwards with a great roar.

They were sinking.

●

“Musashi” received a divine transmission from “Asakusa” and “Shinagawa” on a sign frame.

Even as they were destroyed and fell, they confirmed the safety of their crash point and guided their ships toward a location the local people had no use for.

'''Takao:''' “They are doing an excellent job as trade ships. Over.”

There was nothing further to say on the matter. On this side of things, their preparations were nearly complete.

The sound of hits was gathering on Tama and Murayama.

“–––––”

The ships bolstering their defenses from the sides dropped in altitude like they were losing power.

They should have been able to take it. But they had reached a separate limit as ships. Instead of being destroyed, they were running out of fuel. They could have stuck with the rest until the end, but there was one thing they couldn’t allow.

'''Musashi:''' “ ‘Tama’, ‘Murayama’, have we forgotten something? Over.”

'''Tama:''' “Judge. ‘Musashi’-sama, if we stay up here any longer, we will be unable to take the same route Asakusa and Shinagawa used. Over.”

They were trade ships. Combat was not their primary purpose. Asakusa and Shinagawa had indicated as much. So…

'''Murayama:''' “ ‘Musashi’-sama, we will be leaving now. Over.”

She could only nod. Maybe they saw that or maybe they simply reached their limit, but the shields on either side dropped away.

They fell. And when the enemy’s bombardment finally turned this way, two things happened.

First, Takao, which had hung back to the right to assist with Kanesada’s data processing, moved past Okutama and Musashino to fly out ahead.

And second…

'''Murayama:''' “We have generally been the well-behaved diplomats.”

'''Tama:''' “But let’s not be so formal here at the very end. Over.”

Those two ships purged their diplomatic wings that could be seen as their symbols.

Below, on the upper surface of the legs were…

…''Secondary cannons!

Those were meant to be used after abandoning the wings in the unlikely chance that the diplomatic ports were occupied or stolen by another nation. They had never had need to be used before, but…

'''Tama:''' “If we aim out ahead with physical shells, we can fire while expending almost no fuel. Over.”

'''Murayama:''' “ ‘Musashi’-sama, while I do find a portion of the crew to be a pain, please do bring ‘Tama’ and me along on your next voyage. Over.”

“Judge,” replied “Musashi”. The Yamato opened defense barriers against the falling ships’ artillery fire.

These were identical to the ones Hashiba had used before. If those were at its foundation, then – true to its appearance – the ship had to have a defensive spell focus.

Yet another similarity with the Musashi.

But the enemy’s artillery was again directed at the falling Tama and Murayama. That only applied to the cannons capable of aiming downwards, but it was a lot less for “Musashi” to worry about. Furthermore…

'''Takao:''' “ ‘Musashi’-sama, I will shield you until Kanesada is ready to fire. I have determined I will take serious damage in that time, so make sure you do fire Kanesada. Also…”

'''Musashino:''' “ ‘Musashi’-sama, prepare to abandon ship. Over.”

Only then did “Musashi” realize a ship was approaching from the group of transport ships that had evacuated the Musashi crew.

Takao had cleared a path and moved out ahead to allow them through.

She could see the Musashi’s main group aboard it.

'''Musashi:''' “ ‘Musashino’, ‘Takao’, are you sure about this? Over.”

“Musashino” in particular had to be managing a massive amount of data all on her own inside the bridge below. But she gave the following response.

'''Musashino:''' “While piloting the Musashi with Suzu-sama, I have occasionally felt like I could manage the entire Musashi on my own. So…”

So…

'''Musashino:''' “As the de facto general captain based on the amount of work and management I do, I have a suggestion for the actual general captain: abandon ship. Everything is focused on Musashino and Okutama right now and I outrank ‘Okutama’, so firing authority falls on me. Over.”

She did not mince her words. This largely came from letting her do what she liked with the eight ships of the Musashi, but it also showed how much she had grown. But…

'''Musashi:''' “Do you know what the role of general captain entails? It means to look after Sakai-sama. Over.”

'''Musashino:''' “I have determined that is a terrible response, but that is all the more reason you should abandon ship. Over.”

“Musashi” looked into the starboard sky where the transport ship was approaching. It would indeed arrive in time. If she quickly threw herself out into the air, it would be able to collect her and she could return to doing her job again at least.

''This is a branching point,'' she thought.

Just then a figure dropped from the sky above and landed on the approaching transport ship’s bow.

The giant humanoid figure held a single sword aloft.

“A god of war!?”

●

That was power. The black giant stood 11 meters tall. It was plenty large for the heavy god of war classification and a six-winged flight system was installed on its back.

It bore the M.H.R.R. emblem on its shoulders.

Just as everyone on the transport ship realized it was from Hashiba, one person rushed out from the group.

That person was Yoshiyasu. She had only just stored the damaged Righteousness in the hangar and emerged onto the deck, but she raised her voice the instant she laid eyes on the black god of war that had landed on the transport ship’s bow at collision speed.

“Yatsufusa!?”

●

''It can’t be,'' thought Yoshiyasu. Thinking back on everything Hashiba had done in the past, she gave a shout.

“Did you resurrect Yoshiyori and my sister!?”

The phrase “it can’t be” echoed over and over in her mind, keeping her thoughts from moving past that point.

She was rejecting the idea. What would it mean if that had happened? What should she do in that case? She hadn’t a clue.

…''Kwahhhhhhhhh!!

Was the resentment in her heart a form of anger? Or was it regret? But…

“My sister is dead! So is Yoshiyori!”

Yoshiyori’s Loyalty had charged the Azuchi and been destroyed. More of the god of war had been lost than not, so there had been no hope of restoring the pilot. So…

“Did you resurrect them!? Like you did Komaoumaru and Onitakemaru!?”

'''848:''' “No, we did not. They had no regrets to work with.”

She received a response.

'''848:''' “But the combat data remaining in the god of war was splendidly complete, so we created an autonomous god of war based on that. It also included a lot of data on Yatsufusa itself, so we combined that with our own technology to create what is likely the most powerful bipedal model.”

In that case, that black Yatsufusa Mk. II was a soulless god of war.

She had been sickened by the idea of resurrecting them, but this also sickened her.

“Yatsufusa belongs to the head of Satomi!!”

It hadn’t even accepted her yet, but here it had been recreated, given power, and forced to operate using technology.

“That is…”

…''My enemy!!

The next thing she knew, she was running. She jumped down from the fore end of the bridge roof and ran along the deck.

“Damn you!”

The black god of war was moving. It broke the defense barrier placed in its way and swung its sword toward the transport ship’s bow.

Its movements were all perfect matches to her memories of Yoshiyori and her sister.

The defense barrier’s ether light burst, the blade sliced into the transport ship’s armor, and its sword cannon fired.

“…!”

With the bow end of the control system destroyed, the ship skidded. While everyone on the deck quickly crouched down or clung to the railings to brace themselves, Yoshiyasu still ran forward but her legs rose from the deck and she was nearly thrown from the ship.

“Heh heh. Not bad at all! Trying to make good use of some replay data!?”

On the stage at the bow, the idiot sister stopped the shaking of the ship with a single stomp of her right foot.

But when Yoshiyasu looked out, she found the black Yatsufusa had already vanished from the bow. But the crack left by its slash had achieved a width of 15 meters.

“They got us!”

The transport ship had completely lost the speed they needed to come to the rescue.

●

“Musashi” inhaled.

The transport ship had stopped and begun to weakly descend, but she thought that was fine. The enemy had indicated that any resistance could get them sunk.

This battle was between Hashiba and the Musashi. And out ahead, Takao was listing to the left from the hits it had taken, but just as it was clear it couldn’t recover…

'''Musashino:''' “ ‘Musashi’-sama! Kanesada’s firing sequence is complete! We can fire! Over!”

“Judge,” nodded “Musashi” and drew the sword at her hip.

Out ahead, she could see the Yamato beyond Takao which continued to protect her even as it was broken apart and rolling onto its side.

Sign frames opened across the enemy’s cannon barrel, meaning it was approaching the completion of its preparations.

The difference was only slight.

The Musashi’s experience, clean decision making, and advance preparations had made the difference.

It was thanks to Asakusa, Shinagawa, Tama, Murayama, and Takao doing everything in their power to bring her victory. Now it was up to her to settle it. She only had to draw the Large Kanesada sword and…

“––––?”

''Odd,'' she concluded. She definitely held the sword that acted as Kanesada’s launch key, but…

'''Musashino:''' “ ‘Musashi’-sama! Hurry up and fire! Over!”

Her vision showed her hand to be motionless.

●

“Musashi” herself wasn’t the one to notice what was wrong with her. After calling out to urge her to act, “Musashino” checked her status and found the answer.

“A virus!! Over!”

She shouted and began a scan of the three remaining ships.

She immediately found a hit. There was a virus in “Musashi” – deep down within her. It had snuck in without being noticed, but it turned up in a thorough scan. “Musashino” immediately got to work on eliminating it, but…

“I made it in time.”

A bundle of bluish-white light raced across Musashino’s bow deck. Like a net and like a pulsation, the light passed to the surrounding decks and armor and a warrior formed of ether light stood at the center of it all.

“Ootani Yoshitsugu!”

●

Ootani resisted the restraining and eliminating power the Musashi sent at him.

…''A ship this size does not make it easy!

But still he stood up.

“I made it in time.”

It had been a close thing. He could take control of the Musashi’s control system and stop it. Only a short time would be enough. Because that would prevent the Musashi from firing its main cannon and bring victory to his side.

Hashiba’s goal had been to bring down Musashino’s bridge.

But that didn’t have to be done physically. If that wouldn’t work…

“I will be installed in several points so I can bring down Musashino’s bridge as a virus.”

That was exactly what happened.

Hashiba’s warriors had linked to the divine transmission network from Oume’s starboard side and sent him in while pretending to be extracting internal data.

He had constructed a rapidly self-replicating copy of himself and launched an attack on the divine network within the Musashi, but…

…''Musashi was already familiar with me.

Their divine network’s security was abnormally strict and the available pathways had been narrowed down considerably. The antivirus program specifically labeled “Anti-Ootani” had given him a fright. ''What is with the personal attacks?

But, with some support, a few of his copies had made it to the bridge and taken over as much as possible.

He believed he had made it in time.

But the scary part was how Mitsunari had sent out the Yamato based on his presence.

'''848:''' “Don’t worry! If anything goes wrong, Ootani-kun will fix it!”

Right as that line was spoken, most of his copies had made it inside Musashino and nearly been killed by the strength of the antivirus. What would have happened if he had continued on like that?

…''Mitsunari-kun has absolute trust in me!

''Well, all’s well that ends well.'' The powerful restraint and elimination were still hitting him, but…

“I did my job, Mitsunari-kun. Now you must claim victory.”

●

“Musashino” quickly applied the elimination program over and over. The Musashi’s security was strict and they had data on Ootani, so it should have been like shooting fish in a barrel. So she quickly rewrote the elimination program and applied it to all the ships. But…

“Why!? Over!”

Why wouldn’t Ootani disappear?

Whenever her elimination program hit him, a piece of his body would disappear. But that piece was swiftly replaced.

As she wondered why, an unexpected figure appeared behind him. Had he used a personal stealth spell? She recognized the person who emerged as he stripped the spell away.

“Ankokuji Ekei!? Over!”

●

“Ankoku-G! A!! K!!”

AK struck a pose for each letter and then let out a heated breath.

No one would have even imagined he would be here.

“Ha ha ha ha ha! Everyone assumed that I, Ankokuji AK, was eliminated immediately after I boarded the Musashi! However…”

How did he get here?

“I crawled up the outer hull! Crossed the towing belts! And arrived here!”

●

'''Unturning:''' “He’s like an insect.”

'''Asama:''' “But it does make sense. No one lives on the outer hull, so it wouldn’t trigger a shrine registry scan. It’s like the borderline or the outer wall of the spell field. So even if he is detected, he would be seen as garbage or – in this case – like a piece of broken armor or shell fragments. No one would think to check to see if it might be a person clinging to the hull.”

'''Novice:''' “Damn you, AK! You actually pulled off an infiltration against us!”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “So is a success a success even if it gets you treated like garbage?”

●

He had found his chance after circling around the outer hull and arriving on the inner side of the third port ship.

There he had encountered the joint team made from Kiyomasa and Kasuya’s people who had been planning to send Ootani into the ship. The majority of the team had kept up the attack as a diversion while part of the team installed the virus.

But the Musashi’s security was stricter than expected, so he had volunteered to help. Of course, that had required going to Musashino himself and they had said it was reckless.

“You, Sanada ninja. You have some kind of personal stealth gear on you, I assume?”

They had tried to stop him when he explained his plan, but he had insisted this was why he was here and accompanied Ootani.

And here he was.

Musashi had fought back against Ootani several times along the way. Each attack had been powerful enough to easily destroy one of his copies if it hit.

But they weren’t allowed to hit.

Because of AK.

“Have you forgotten that I – AK – have used my writing and my words to become the star of so many events!?”

He spread his arms. A sign frame split into a right and left half acted as a keyboard. The rest was simple.

“Whenever Ootani Yoshitsugu is at risk of being destroyed, I rewrite his program on the spot to revive him!!”

His rapid typing wrote out a massive amount of text without a single typo.

He could manage it. From there, he only had to announce why he was here.

“Testament Union! Hashiba! And my Mouri clan! I will now resist Matsudaira as a representative of the Mouri clan at Sekigahara!!”

●

''That’s right,'' thought AK.

He belonged to Mouri, who were currently pro-Matsudaira. They were provisionally ruled by Hexagone Française, who were massive and would soon take the path of the conqueror. That should mean safety for Mouri, but if anyone was to find fault with them, it would be over their siding with the anti-Matsudaira Western Army during Sekigahara.

Mouri had to complete its anti-Matsudaira history recreation.

And, since he belonged to the Western Army at Sekigahara, he would handle all of Mouri’s anti-Matsudaira actions.

Then, even if Terumoto and the others took a pro-Matsudaira stance, they could claim Mouri had already completed its anti-Matsudaira side.

That meant his anti-Matsudaira actions couldn’t be a halfhearted effort. Hence why he was here.

“Right here! And now! Mouri will pour all of its efforts into bringing down the Musashi!! Remember this! Spread the word far and wide! Mouri will complete its history recreation! And fulfill its duty! If any claim otherwise, they only need to watch what we accomplish here!”

Ootani lost another part of his body. But he wasn’t eliminated. AK rapidly typed out the text to keep him from being lost.

But the ether light lightning strikes had finally started attacking him as well. With his words being treated as real, he too had been identified as a virus and the eliminating power was reaching him through the Musashi’s ether conduits.

Good. This was good.

“It proves Musashi has recognized my Mouri clan as its enemy!!”

●

Mitsunari caught Ootani in her field of view.

The third starboard ship, that had already moved to act as a shield for the Musashi, was sinking.

The first central ship was in view and the Yamato was completing its preparations to fire its main cannon. When they only had a short time left, she called out to Ootani.

“Ootani-kun! That’s enough!”

They could fire. So…

“You need to withdraw soon! Yamato’s main cannon uses spell-imbued physical shells!”

Ootani looked back her way. The binding lighting had already covered the entire deck, so withdrawing would be a challenge. AK was in the same situation next to him, but as a physical being, so he could rely on the others like him.

But Ootani raised his head toward her and spoke.

“Mitsunari-kun. I am confident you will be victorious.”

“Hm? That’s why you need to withdraw! It’s dangerous.”

“I cannot move, Mitsunari-kun,” said Ootani. “Taking control of the Musashi required laying myself out like roots and, while some of those roots have been eliminated, I cannot break them and they now bind me to the ship. Likely to prevent me from reaching another ship or control system. They are regaining control even now and it is only taking them this long because I am here. The instant I leave, the Musashi will fire on you. …So I cannot leave here until you fire.”

●

Ootani was ready.

His death here would bring victory. That victory would be for Mitsunari, who could be called his official version. He had no problem with being eliminated for that. So…

…''I am sorry.

Was it wrong for a data entity to think that? But…

“Good.”

Victory was theirs. But a moment later, all the light vanished around him.

“…Huh?”

The lightning of power, binding, elimination, and restraint suddenly stopped.

He had been released.

●

Mitsunari saw the Musashi’s decision. It seemed to say that ship was truly dedicated to Musashi’s policy in resisting the new power of Hashiba. In other words…

“You will stop someone even if they are bringing about their own loss, is that it!?”

●

“Musashino” nodded once.

She had stopped eliminating the virus for exactly the reason Hashiba gave.

“I had a thought when I saw the end of Isa-sama of the Sanada Ten Braves.”

Which was…

“Out of consideration for our policy, Isa-sama chose to meet her end off of the ship. After having our policy preserved in that fashion, I cannot now throw it out in this new battle. As the ship who could only watch the loss of a life back then, I have made a decision here,” she said. “I order you to abandon ship, Ootani Yoshitsugu and Ankokuji AK. No one of ''Musashi'' will allow you to kill yourselves. That is the Musashi’s decision here. Over.”

●

“You must be kidding! You would defile our duty here for such sentimental reasons!?”

AK clenched his fists tight with all his restraints gone.

He was furious. Everything they had built up here was being toppled by someone else’s logic. If he accepted this, he would lose everything he needed to demonstrate here.

“Ootani-kun, AK-san, please withdraw.”

He heard Hashiba’s voice.

“I recognize you, Musashi, as our enemy. And I recognize that you will not give in to the very end. I recognize it all as the one who controls the M.H.R.R. Catholics, rules P.A. Oda, and controls the Yamata as Osaka Castle.”

He immediately dropped to his knee.

…''I am in your debt!

Hashiba’s words here recognized Musashi while saving him and Mouri.

By proclaiming her power here, that Hashiba was demonstrating her authority to the Testament Union, the nations, and every other faction out there. That would have political ramifications later on, but…

“This means I can leave Mouri’s future in your hands!”

This was enough.

No longer would a Mouri that defied Matsudaira be necessary. Hashiba, in all her political power, had made this her decision. So…

“Ootani-kun.” Hashiba said again. “Please release your hold on the Musashi.”

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    | [[Horizon:Volume 10B Chapter 43|Chapter 43]]
    | [[Horizon:Volume 10B Chapter 45|Chapter 45]]
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