Editing Chronicle Legion:Volume 1 Chapter 4 (section)

===Part 5===

The Suruga tutelary fort was located on a plateau known as Nihondaira.

Masatsugu finally arrived near the plateau. There were sixty-odd Crusades clustered together in the air, emitting a War Cry that resounded through the heavens. Hearing the song, the Kamuys turned into an unsteady and disorganized mess. Many of them had already crashed to the ground.

The ifrit Seiryuu was also on the brink of collapse inside the barrier...

This was a battlefield and Tachibana Masatsugu had finally arrived.

"Suppose the genie was alright... Combined with Rikka-sama's own power, it would have been possible to defeat the two Knights of Her Majesty and protect the tutelary fort. But currently&mdash;"

Arriving with him to the scene, Shiori spoke with pity in her voice.

They had rushed here from the house near the student dorms, riding a Mibu wolf, the retainer beast that Shiori had summoned earlier. Mounted on the giant silver wolf, the two of them had traversed mountain paths in the most direct route with frightening speed, reaching their destination in merely ten-odd minutes.

Masatsugu was puzzled by the princess' comment.

"I believe the Chevalier defending Suruga is Akigase-dono, isn't that right? Princess, you seem to hold her in high regard, but didn't you say that Japanese Chevaliers are unreliable?"

"Rikka-sama is different. Her experience is similar to mine."

"Similar?"

"I used to study at Eastern Rome's capital, serving as a hostage in all but name. Rikka-sama was also sent to the Roman army and spent three years fighting as part of an allied contingent."

A so-called allied contingent was a tradition dating back to ancient Rome.

Shiori explained that it was a unit of troops formed by borrowing soldiers from allied tribes or nations and sending them to the front lines.

"Rikka-sama became a Chevalier at the age of thirteen and was immediately sent to fight on Rome's behalf in various battlefields. She is a battle-hardened veteran despite her young age."

"I see, so she has that kind of past."

Masatsugu understood and came up with an idea. Since she was a general whose merits were recognized by the princess, she probably would cooperate with his plan, right? Masatsugu felt this sense of anticipation.

"Princess, may I trouble you to send a message to Akigase-dono as quickly as possible?"

"It is certainly no problem since I have a pipe fox at hand... What do you wish for me to convey?"

"Very simple, tell her to do nothing&mdash;Order her Legions to cease all resistance."

"Eh!?"

"That's all I need. Then after that, I'll crush the British Empire's knights."

An astonished expression was hanging on Shiori's face. She had yet to understand Masatsugu's intent, perhaps because Masatsugu had omitted a detailed explanation in favor of saving time.

Without questioning him, she simply said, "...However, it is quite unlikely for her to accept the message as it is right now. Perhaps she might be willing to read it if sent in my name&mdash;"

Shiori simply pointed out a practical issue. She had apparently decided to place her faith in Tachibana Masatsugu.

This princess had outstanding courage despite her highborn upbringing. She did not get hung up over trivial matters. A rare talent as befitted leaders.

Due to this, Masatsugu found her endearing and likeable. Shiori pondered for a moment.

She then opened her right palm and her pipe fox appeared on it.

"Deliver a message to Chevalier Akigase on my behalf. The contents are as dictated by Masatsugu-sama just now. Sign it jointly in the name of Fujinomiya Shiori and ''Hijikata''."

The white little animal vanished into thin air after receiving the princess' orders.

While the pipe fox had gone to relay the message, Masatsugu was puzzled by what Shiori meant by Hijikata.

"Rikka-sama should be able to figure it out instantly as soon as she hears this magical name. A lie of convenience purely to handle the crisis, but it might work. By the way, Masatsugu-sama."

They had traveled here by riding a silver retainer beast, the Mibu wolf.

Walking over to the giant wolf that was about the size of a horse, Shiori retrieved the sheathed Japanese sword it was holding in its mouth.

This was something the princess had asked the Mibu wolf to carry when they left Ryouzan Manor.

Shiori presented the Japanese sword to Masatsugu.

"Please accept this. It is an heirloom passed down the Fujinomiya family&mdash;A testament to a Feat of Arms. It is a relic from a certain hero... I took this out in hopes that it could aid you, Masatsugu-sama."

"A testament to a Feat of Arms, in other words, it's an Appellation?"

Shiori nodded in affirmation and Masatsugu took it from her hand.

Instantly, Masatsugu felt an electric current rush through him as though he had been struck by lightning. His entire body kept trembling and it felt like his heart was being squeezed&mdash;

This extraordinary treasured sword was questioning Masatsugu.

It was questioning Masatsugu's body and soul, "Are you worthy of my company through life and death?"

This was a very brutal method of confirmation. The impact could very well rupture the heart of even a seasoned warrior, let alone an ordinary person. Masatsugu smiled wryly. Twitching his cheeks slightly, he shook his head. What Masatsugu implied was, ''Who do you think you're testing?''

''A trial of this level cannot best my body.''

After that, the abnormal symptoms vanished from Masatsugu's body.

The treasured sword had accepted Masatsugu. Acknowledging Masatsugu, it apologized for its rudeness.

"What a sword with a fierce temper. I like it."

"It was the personal sword belonging to a hero known as 'the merciless.' Have you already tamed it without recalling your own mighty name? ...As expected of Lord Caesar's peer."

"It's not like the lack of a name prevents me from fighting. I'll always find a solution somehow."

Shiori smiled wryly. More than praising him, there were elements of exasperation there.

Masatsugu calmly answered his lady liege as usual and looked up at the sky.

The Crusades were still singing, their War Cry resonating across the Suruga sky. Conversely, the remaining twenty or so Kamuys had stopped resisting valiantly.

One after another, they fell to the ground like wild birds that had been shot by hunting rifles.

Were they depleted of power, defeated? ...No, the "magic word" sent by the princess must have worked.

"Please wait a moment while I take care of the enemy."

Turning his back to Shiori, Masatsugu walked forward.

He was armed with nothing but a sword in his left hand&mdash;A Japanese sword in its scabbard. Apart from that, he had no other weapons.

However, this was enough to deal with an army of this size. Perhaps due to stepping into the battlefield on his own volition, by his own initiative, Masatsugu was now fully aware of how Chevaliers fought.

"Sorry, I don't have a name to summon you guys, but please help me for now."

Advancing with just a lone sword, he released noesis towards the battlefield.

Noesis&mdash;The strength of a Chevalier's thoughts was determined by all kinds of crucial factors.

Strength of personality, strength of character, mental strength, physical strength, competitiveness, composure, wrath, hatred, love, friendship, sadness, enlightenment, life experience, combat experience, charisma, etc...

The noesis released by Masatsugu was far stronger than anyone else's on this battlefield.

"Attack as soon as I give the order without the slightest delay."

After quietly issuing his order, Masatsugu looked up at the sky again.

There were sixty-five Crusades in the air. Figuring out how to use noesis, Masatsugu was able to rapidly detect the Legions' noesis, instantly obtaining a count of enemy numbers.

The sixty-five Crusades began to speed up again.

The whole army was flying straight at the noesis barrier protecting the Suruga tutelary fort.

This time, the enemy did not form a rugby scrum. Wielding their rifles with bayonets raised, every Crusade was flying at maximum combat speed.

It was like a lance charge of medieval knights.

Riding war horses to charge full speed at the enemy with a thrust of a barbed cavalry lance. Even in full armor, the enemy would be pierced by the lances or killed by the collision, knight and horse altogether.

The sixty-five Crusades were planning to break the noesis barrier by using the killer move of the cavalry charge.

Masatsugu issued a concise command, "Begin."

The Legions responding to this order were on the ground rather than in the air.

They were the sixty-four Kamuys sent by Chevalier Akigase Rikka, having crashed to the ground due to the War Cry&mdash;No, that was not the only reason why they had crashed.

Chevalier Akigase had trusted the instructions sent by Masatsugu in the princess' name.

Due to the effects of noetic disruption, unable to receive their master's noetic waves, the sixty-four Kamuys ended up crashing to the ground one after another.

Sending his noetic waves to the Kamuys that had lost their commander, Masatsugu had forcibly assumed command.

This method was just as coercive as how he had ordered the Kamuy yesterday, almost like snatching by force.

The Kamuys that had been lying on the ground like corpses... They stood up like ghosts. Many of the crashed Kamuys were injured, but not enough to prevent them from fighting. Legions had very high resistance against non-mystical damage.

Kamuys were revived all over the battlefield's mountainous terrain.

Their armor and military uniforms used to be blue.

All the Kamuys were now red-purple. Every single one of them had taken on this color&mdash;This was proof that they had fallen under Masatsugu's command.

"Do it."

At Masatsugu's brief order, the sixty-four Kamuys all flew at once.

The Kamuys had taken off from different locations but they all had the same target&mdash;The sixty-five Crusades, having just charged at full strength at the Suruga tutelary fort's noesis barrier. The Kamuys were flying at them from behind.

The British Legions had executed a lance charge with all their might.

Struck in sixty-five places by this attack, the shimmering noesis barrier was greatly weakened. Parts of the scenery exhibiting no heat haze effect also became very obvious.

Moreover, Seiryuu above the tutelary fort was about to vanish.

After the Crusades' fierce attack came the onslaught of the sixty-four Kamuys that had turned red-purple.

Having just executed a strenuous offensive, the British winged soldiers were severely depleted in ectoplasmic fluid and wide open.

Seizing this opportunity, the Kamuys fired their rifles' heat beams.

Shot in the back, the sixty-five Crusades were reduced to twenty-nine in an instant.

Masatsugu had sent "that message" earlier precisely for the sake of this moment. While luring the British knight into complacency, it simultaneously ensured enough remaining troops for him to use.

"Now I owe Akigase-dono one. Thanks to her being so reasonable, I was able to win easily."

Currently, Masatsugu was looking at the sky confidently.

The "red-purple Kamuys" were preparing to tighten the net in the aerial battlefield. Closing in on the British Legions, they were going to stab the enemies in the vitals using their bayonets.

"They're on their last legs. Wipe them out in melee," Masatsugu calmly commanded.

There were only twenty-nine Crusades left. They were not only at a numerical disadvantage but also exhausted.

With the odds stacked firmly in his favor, Masatsugu ordered the sixty-four "red-purples" to charge at the battered Crusades. Victory was virtually guaranteed.

However, Masatsugu still decided to press the offensive thoroughly.

Before the enemy could muster a last stand in desperation, he would annihilate them with extreme prejudice.

"Thank you for waiting. It's finally your turn to debut."

The sheathed Japanese sword in Masatsugu's left hand was the Appellation bestowed to him by Princess Shiori.

The treasured sword hummed in resonance to respond to Masatsugu.

"My Appellation of Izumi-no-Kami Kanesada... The man bearing the title of 'the merciless' once wielded you to demonstrate feats of arms to the world. Share these feats with my soldiers too."

Masatsugu chanted a certain name that had surfaced in his mind when he inherited the sword.

Then he drew it out. A great sword two feet and eight inches long. Curving gently, the blade exhibited the kind of beauty unique to Japanese swords but was not especially ornate. There was a spirit of austerity and fortitude in its appearance&mdash;craftsmanship prioritizing practical combat to forge a trenchant blade specialized for slaying enemies. The blade exuded a keen aura of sharpness.

"All Kamuys, draw your sword."

The "red-purple" army met the airborne Crusades in melee combat.

Their sixty-four weapons transformed all at once. The bayonet rifles serving as spears suddenly transformed into Japanese swords, identical to Masatsugu's Izumi-no-Kami Kanesada.

With this sword in hand, the "red-purples" fought with greater ferocity than ever before.

The sixty-four Legions under Masatsugu's command had all transformed into swordsmen like fierce demons.

Slash. Thrust. Slash. Thrust. Slash. Slash. Slash. Slash. Thrust. Slash.

Slash. Slash. Slash. Slash. Slash. Slash. Slash. Slash. Slash. Slash. Slash&mdash;

The sixty-four Legions kept swinging their swords in the air, brutally slicing and piercing the Crusades' bodies, splattering the ectoplasmic fluid that served as blood.

Vertical slashes. Horizontal slashes. Diagonal slashes. Straight thrusts.

Every sword technique was so precise and merciless, almost to a bone-chilling degree. As though chopping vegetables, the Kamuys severed the Crusades' limbs, bodies, necks, and masks.

Some of the Crusades tried to swung their bayonets in an attempt to resist the onslaught of the Japanese swords.

However, the "red-purples" simply sliced through the rifles or the bayonet blades outright, rendering their enemies' weapons neutralized.

Against such incisive swordsmanship, protective gear was meaningless.

The Crusades' armor was sliced through like paper, completely useless.

This was totally one-sided slaughter, a massacre.

Masatsugu's Kamuys were using what appeared to be ''Tennen Rishin Style'' of the sword...

"Hmm?"

At that moment, a Crusade fell down.

The enemy crashed into the ground roughly twenty meters from Masatsugu.

A "red-purple Kamuy" had slashed a deep cut on the Legion's back, but the wound was not fatal. Furthermore, the Crusade seemed to realize Masatsugu was the commander. Unable to get up, the Legion strained to lift its upper torso, aiming its gun at Masatsugu from a prone posture.

In the next second, the trigger was pulled.

The beam of deadly light shot out, but Masatsugu ''dodged''.

In truth, his reflexes were not outrageous enough to dodge light. It was simply because the enemy had released noesis filled with bloodlust prior to attacking.

By detecting that kind of noesis, it was naturally possible to dodge the heat beams that followed in succession.

Masatsugu slowly made his way to the fallen enemy soldier.

The opponent was a Legion, a giant capable of destroying large cities and slaughtering tens of thousands of people. Nevertheless, Masatsugu's footsteps were confident and unhurried.

In the end, he had to dodge three beams before he reached the Crusade.

Lifting its upper body was already the British Legion's limit. Unable to attack Masatsugu with its gigantic body, it only had the strength to pull the trigger.

Lying on the ground, the enemy's face happened to be right in front of Masatsugu.

The Crusade was a white giant with a full height of eight meters. In terms of proportion, the head was one-eighth of the body in height.  In other words, the face was close to a meter long.

The massive face was hidden under the thick helmet and a mask&mdash;

Masatsugu stabbed Izumi-no-Kami Kanesada into the enemy's forehead, easily piercing the helmet's armor.
[[image:ChronicleLegion 01 BW08.jpg|thumb]]

The pair of eyes behind the mask lost their glow and the Crusade went limp. It died.

...Masatsugu had a faint feeling that he was a warrior capable of fighting Legions in the flesh. In fact, prior to coming here, a notion had occurred to him. Even without an army to command, he did not mind personally cutting down enemies of this scale&mdash;

Currently, Masatsugu was clearly aware of his extraordinary fortitude.

Instinctively, Masatsugu was certain that other Resurrectees were the same. This was presumably a power unique to heroes reborn from the ancient past, but the ease with which he had pierced the Legion's armor was not his credit alone.

He praised Izumi-no-Kami Kanesada in his hand, "Your blade is very sharp."

Up in the aerial battlefield, a Crusade was slashed dead every ten seconds.

This was all due to the Japanese sword wielded by the red-purple Kamuys&mdash;the peerless sharpness of the blades. Izumi-no-Kami Kanesada hummed, asking him not to point out the obvious.

"I guess I'll simply call them 'Kanesadas' from now on."

Referring to them as "red-purple Kamuys" was a pain, so Masatsugu came up with this name on a whim.

The Crusades in the air had given up all resistance and were like lambs to the slaughter.

Taking a closer look, Masatsugu noticed that the British Empire's Chevalier on the wyvern mount had disappeared from the air at some point. Presumably, he had taken some Crusades as bodyguards and retreated.

The troops borrowed at a moment's notice had won a victory for Tachibana Masatsugu.


"What is going on with those Kamuys...?" muttered Akigase Rikka in puzzlement.

Next to the tutelary fort's noesis barrier, a group of Kamuys were dogfighting in the air.

Every Kamuy was red-purple in color. They were using Japanese swords to attack the British Legions instead of bayonet rifles.

&mdash;After defeating the vanguard Crusades at the coastal reclaimed land, Rikka had hurried back to the Suruga tutelary fort with her troops.

Leading her remaining forty-eight Kamuys, Rikka had flown across the sky over the battlefield.

Just as when she had sorties, she was standing on a Legion's shoulder. Beneath them was the mountainous region formed by Mount Kunou and Mount Udo. Dead Crusades were scattered all over the place...

They had all been killed by the army of "red-purple Kamuys."

Currently, that army was slaughtering the last remnants of the Crusades using fierce swordsmanship that would even make gods weep.

Rikka could tell that the red-purple Kamuys were using Japanese swordsmanship, and an ancient style too. As a specialist in Yagyū Shinkage Style herself, Rikka could tell from a single glance.

A commonly used stance was called the slant seigan.

Ancient sword styles called the middle stance the seigan. Standing sideways towards the opponent, one would aim the sword tip at the opponent's throat or eyes. The slant seigan was a variation of this type of stance.

With the blade slanted slightly to the left, it was also known as the suigetsu stance.

"The flat seigan..."

Among ancient schools of the sword, Tennen Rishin Style also called the slant seigan as the "flat seigan." There was no one more famous than ''a certain figure'' as a swordsman of this style. Rikka spoke his name.

"Hijikata&mdash;Toshizō."

Hijikata Toshizō was a warrior in the Bakumatsu era, serving as the vice-commander of the Shinsengumi under the Tokugawa shogunate. He was known for his brutal methods.

Indeed, he was the "Merciless Vice-Commander" of legend. During the Boshin War that began the Meiji Restoration, the defeated shogunate army retreated to Hokkaidō and Hijikata Toshizō went with them.

Hijikata Toshizō's later exploits were very well-known to history enthusiasts.

Entering an audience with Lord Tenryuu, the sacred beast that had descended upon the plains of Hokkaidō, he obtained a pack of retainer beasts, the Mibu wolves. Fighting as the commander of the shogunate troops across various battlefields with the Mibu wolves by his side, he protected Hokkaidō from the Meiji government's invasion.

The current imperial family had roots in the northern court that had fled to Hokkaidō. Consequently, after the Second World War, the name of Hijikata Toshizō came to the forefront as a hero who had protected the nation.

Furthermore, national historical novelists had written a series of masterpieces using the Shinsengumi as a theme.

"Princess, why did you mention that hero's name...?" murmured Rikka to herself. Fujinomiya Shiori's message was jointly signed with Hijikata, a name associated with the warrior who had intimate ties to Japan's sacred beast and imperial family.

Precisely because of that, Rikka had followed the instruction while half in doubt.

Currently, the army of Kamuys was using Tennen Rishin Style on a rampage, crushing the British attackers.

However, these Kamuys that had turned red-purple were Akigase Rikka's Legions originally. Contrary to Rikka's expectations, there was no response even when she transmitted noetic waves. She could not regain command of them at all.

In other words&mdash;

Someone possessing noesis surpassing hers was commanding this "red-purple" army.

Rikka's heart pounded in excitement. Japan lacked a Resurrectee of Lord Caesar or Admiral Nelson's caliber, but now, a hero who could very well overturn this disadvantage had shown up.

Besides, that hero was not only the Merciless Vice-Commander but also a famous swordsman and experienced soldier&mdash;At that moment, Rikka came to a sudden stop. She shook her head hastily to caution herself. This was no time to be concerned with such matters.

Meanwhile, the "red-purple" Kamuys had completely wiped out the army of British Legions.
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