Horizon:Volume 10B Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Arrival in a Lonely Land

They are not tarnished

They are not separated

They are not forgotten

But they did move apart

Point Allocation (Division)

●

Fukushima experienced surprise and acceptance as she battled her mother.

…We are this similar?

Her accumulated movements and combat techniques fit together with her opponent’s.

Hers were based on what this mother here had taught her.

After coming here, she had fought several opponents, trained, and thought she had come up with her own style. Especially when her acceleration spell was completely different from her mother’s.

She was wrong.

She thought of her current self as an expanded version of her foundation.

The strange part was how little difficulty and hardship she found in her actions.

She could carry strength in her breaths without losing her breath and she felt like her body was constantly stretching to its limits.

Just like when she had held her spear and trained in a field outside Avalon.

At the time, the world had to have thinned out to dangerous levels. The sky in her memory had been a thin and faded thing.

Her mother and been there and her other mother had been there too. That had been a little different from the other families, but one of them had watched over her, the other had trained her, and even when she collapsed in the field afterwards…

“Ha.”

She had been able to carry strength in her breaths without losing her breath and she had felt like her body was constantly stretching to its limits.

Her body and mind hadn’t hesitated to rejoice.

Afterwards, when it had been decided they would enter Avalon, she had understood what it meant to live the life of a warrior and she had learned that her mother had also been unfortunately parted from her mother’s father.

She still remembered what she had been told back then. And now…

“Mother.”

She was lucky. She couldn’t return to that time, but she could make sure that time did not return.

With the Genesis Project. And more than anything…

“It has been too long.”

Her opponent was her mother herself.

●

Futayo did not have any hostile feelings for Fukushima.

…Or really, I don’t know her all that well.

They had clashed on the battlefield a few times and she occasionally saw her mentioned in the “This Person is Acting Oddly – Could It Be Rebellion?” section of the online newspaper Drawn Sword Loader that she subscribed to.

Fukushima was one of M.H.R.R.’s most skilled warriors, so she was fairly popular. She seemed especially well known as a partner for Katou Kiyomasa because there were a lot of photos of the two together. Usually taken in secret. Futayo felt like she should be angry about people spying on her daughter, but she hadn’t known she was her daughter at the time so she concluded it couldn’t be held against her. Futayo also appeared in that newspaper, but why was it always in the “Snack of the Day” section?

At any rate, she knew who Fukushima was, but didn’t know her well.

Meanwhile, they had definitely “fit together” at Mito and at Novgorod.

She had fought and been a “good match” for Fukushima. They both used spears. They both used acceleration spells. They both had ponytails. They both had decent sized chests and they both used old-fashioned Far Eastern. She had thought it was their similar circumstances that made them seem so similar, but…

…I never imagined she was my daughter.

●

Tonbokiri: “I probably should have asked earlier, but are the Ten Spears really our daughters?”

Novice: “Strictly speaking no, but biologically speaking yes, I suppose.”

Flat Vassal: “The 4th Special Duty Officer would be having a field day with this if she were here…”

Wise Sister: “They’ve all been saying mom this and mom that like some kind of ultimate mother complex exhibition, but whose fault is that? Any ideas, Asama, Mitotsudaira!?”

Silver Wolf: “When I get back there, I’m going to be attacked for my future parenting choices, aren’t I!?”

Me: “Hm, if it’s anyone’s fault, wouldn’t it be mine?”

Horizey: “Your death did lead to the creation of three different single mother families. …Oh, and there was another guy like that too, wasn’t there?”

10ZO: “Tell it to my future self!”

Vice President: “Hmm, Futayo, it’s a complex issue, but I think you can safely say they are when speaking politically.”

●

Masazumi’s explanation made sense to her, so Futayo accepted it.

…Politically, hm?

Her position supported those matters and required her to obey them. So she decided that was good enough. In the ways of the Warring States and with the history recreation, it was possible for a complete stranger to become your daughter.

And this one did originate as her biological daughter and she appeared to have Futayo’s techniques.

“I finally understand.”

Why had Fukushima wanted to duel her at Mito and Novgorod?

“Was it because I am your mother?”

“It was at the time.”

“At the time?”

“Testament,” said Fukushima, shifting her position to match her shoulders to Futayo’s. “Before, it frustrated me that thou, my mother, seemed so gutless yet still managed to demonstrate thy strength to me. I had an inflated belief in my own strength at the time.”

“My apologies.”

Futayo had behaved cowardly from Magdeburg to Novgorod. She had come to her senses after a solid rebuke from Kimi, but…

“What about now?”

“I now only want to demonstrate to thee just how far I can go.”

So that’s it, thought Futayo, reaching an understanding. Given her origin, Fukushima must have inherited Futayo’s techniques and could be seen as the heir who further developed them. And now their strength was just about equal.

…She even defeated Lord Shibata.

Before that, she had defeated Celestial Dragon Katou Danzou at Paris. Futayo had read about that in the newspaper.

Futayo had also defeated a Celestial Dragon and injured Shibata. But she had fought alongside Gin against the Celestial Dragon and she had only managed to injure Shibata.

Fukushima had the greater achievements in combat. And based on the newspapers…

“I hear you have been flirting with Katou Kiyomasa-dono lately.”

Fukushima began to behave erratically.

●

“M-my relationship with Kiyomasa-dono is pure!”

AnG: “But I heard you two kissed.”

Kiyo-Massive: “K-kisses are pure! They count as pure! My mother said so!”

Kimee: “Wow, it’s been a while since we got a ‘my mother said so’ from Kiyomasa.”

The audience needs to keep it down.

But her mother was talking from a few steps away.

“Will you be getting married?”

“Eh? Oh, um.”

She hesitated but decided to pass on the latest information.

“With Kiyomasa-dono, I am willing to do so seven times.”

“Judge, I see,” her mother said. “Make sure you have lots of sex. Seven isn’t enough. Make it at least fifty times. …That is what Gin-dono did whenever there was an opening – oftentimes with weapons involved.”

●

Tachibana Wife: “Honda Futayoooo!!”

Asama: “Um, Gin-san, your habit of conversing with names is back.”

Me: “What’re your thoughts on this, Muneo?”

Tachibana Husband: “I think of it as something like a dialect, so all that really matters is that her meaning is understood.”

Tachibana Wife: “Muneshige-sama! You’re okay with my honor being besmirched by a dialect!?”

Tachibana Husband: “I know that you remain honorable. Isn’t that what really matters?”

Flat Vassal: “We’ve had a lot of reasons to overheat today even outside the parent and child matters, haven’t we!?”

●

…I don’t really get it, but she must be telling me to be enthusiastic in my love.

Fukushima made a mental note of her mother’s words and tried to regain her calm.

She faced her mother again to find they were about five meters apart.

The sky was rotating overhead. A lernen figur next to her showed her companions calling her.

Their battles had bought her this “personal” time, but it would be over soon.

From here on, this would be “public” time. She would be fighting for a political victory and following Takenaka’s strategy. She didn’t know what that was, but…

“Now, then.”

How many times had they done this tonight? They lowered their hips and readied their spears.

She would do it as many times as it took. She had been waiting so long for this. In the hopes that she could have a rematch in her perfect form.

She thought she had achieved that, but…

“Mother, do thou also see this as a rematch?”

“How similar am I to the me in your memories?”

“Nearly identical.”

“Oh?” Her mother nodded and she bent her eyes in a smile. “That is good to hear.”

This was Fukushima’s issue and she was pushing it onto her mother, but her mother had accepted it. Fukushima tensed her lips and…

“I thank thee.”

She felt like she was no match for her mother. No matter how this duel turned out, of that much she was certain. So what could she do now?

“I will show thee everything I was taught.”

With that, she charged in. Several Headfirst Falls opened on her knees as she fell forward – toward her opponent.

●

This is the last time, thought Fukushima as she carved. She pulled her body in close and eliminated all unnecessary movement, carving away everything so she could run along a narrow path.

She knew how her mother moved.

“I will pass through,” her mother had once said.

That was always how it was. Rather than the shortest or best action, her mother did whatever felt right to her and passed through. Fukushima knew she couldn’t be that kind of free spirit, but she had realized she had something similar.

She could carve.

She was facing a powerful opponent – her mother – she had trained since arriving here, and she had held her own against many an opponent, including the Sanada Ten Braves, Danzou, and Shibata.

Those battles had taught her how little skill she had.

She didn’t have her mother’s free spirit, but she still had to win. So…

…I will carve.

She would carve down herself as she worked to defeat her opponent, snatch up the carved-down version of herself, and insert herself.

The enemy had a free spirit, meaning she had powerful momentum, great strength, and speed. But that free spirit also created openings. Of course, those openings were hidden deep within the momentum, strength, and speed, so they ordinarily weren’t visible.

So Fukushima had to carve herself down and get in there.

And follow along.

She meshed well with her mother. They had the same foundation, so she could follow along with her mother’s free spirit. And her mother had learned her combat techniques from Fukushima’s grandfather, so they were systematic and well made.

She rotated her spear vertically to defend while increasing the variety and speed of her attacks.

According to Kiyomasa, that spear technique of making sweeping strikes above and below instead of jabbing had been designed for use against multiple opponents at once, but Fukushima’s mother had never mentioned that.

But it could also be used in a one-on-one battle. No, it was actually excessive there.

She jabbed, twirled, changed position, struck, swept, returned, swung the spear butt up from below, and rotated the entire thing.

She used a ceaseless array of different types of attacks to defeat her opponent. This form was designed so she could accomplish everything she wanted.

It was meant for a free spirit.

She could guess it would have been a lot more exciting with her mother and grandfather there too.

She was still sure of that.

“Very well.”

She felt ashamed by the tears that had scattered from the corners of her eyes. She tried to maintain a warrior’s mentality while in Avalon, but here she was crying now that she was outside. But…

“––––”

We fit together, she thought.

They both took positions as if standing back to back, realized it wasn’t going to work but couldn’t move away either, so they spun around to face each other.

The danger they sensed in their opponent was the same.

Fukushima sense herself followed along and approaching her mother’s free spirit.

That sense was enough of a sign for her. So…

…I will show thee.

What would happen if she carved herself down even further? She hoped it would be enough to reach her.

●

Futayo felt a sudden emotion rising from the bottom of her heart.

As she and Fukushima stood back to back and tried to take up new positions to see if they could move away, she found herself thinking of Fukushima as precious.

It was similar yet different to the preciousness she felt for Gin or Muneshige. Those two walked a different path from her where they would occasionally be heading in the same direction. But Fukushima was pursuing her. A lot like an underclassman, but also an enemy. She was an enemy, so it seemed strange for her to seek after Futayo to this extent.

…This isn’t good.

She must never have fought a battle like this against family before.

She had been no match for her father, she had been no match for Kazuno, she had been no match for a great many people, and she had tried to catch up to them, but now she found someone trying to catch up to her.

And following along with her.

Futayo could sense Fukushima’s tension at her back. She could sense that moving away now would be dangerous, but Fukushima was considering the best time to launch an attack.

Even as she made use of so much skill to fight, she made sure to think.

Impressive.

I tend not to think and just mix together the moves that my body knows, so I’m honestly amazed by these more thoughtful types. Are we sure she’s my daughter?

Fukushima simply thought, analyzed Futayo’s movements, and stayed on the move.

And all the while, she was observing, learning, and responding.

Like a baby bird managing to spread its wings and learning how to fly.

Feeling a heat at her back, Futayo sensed Fukushima’s desperation and realized something.

“Yes.”

I am mother to an incredible person.

●

The two of them parted simultaneously.

Futayo moved back to the left and swung up Tonbo Spare.

Fukushima also moved back to the left and swung up Ichinotani.

Tonbo Spare’s tip caught Ichinotani’s tip and tried to toss it off the ship.

Fukushima tried to instead catch Tonbo Spare’s tip with Ichinotani’s tip and toss it off the ship.

They both tried it while running toward each other.

Futayo activated Soaring Wings on her knees and shoulders while Fukushima activated Headfirst Fall on her knees and shoulders.

As the two spears extended over the edge of the ship, their wielders’ approach caused their shafts to close together.

They each held the butt of their spear overhead and clashed.

They hit. A shock raced out and sparks flew, but they let the soles of their shoes skid as they continued running and pushing in.

Futayo and Fukushima tore into the deck at their feet, producing smoke.

The clash of their fulcrums caused the spear tips extending off the ship to lose their grip on each other and bounce away.

The bending of the shafts caused them to rotate rapidly backwards.

The two used that momentum to swing the butts of the spears.

They clashed. Sparks flew. The spear tips rotated behind them and away from the ship’s edge.

They moved their grips up the shafts and, like the hammer throw, kept the spears’ rotation going so the tips would clash.

They hit. Sparks flew. They used the force of the colliding spear tips to rotate the spears upwards, shrink them down, and launch an attack from above.

They hit.

Their footwork kept the attacks from hitting them themselves, but the two forces collided.

Then they extended the spears to about three meters and raised them vertically, but attacked from the shoulder When their weapon was deflected upwards, they pushed in from the shoulder. A hit would be nice, but even with a miss they tried to break down their opponent’s stance.

Their shoulders audibly collided.

They pushed with their shoulders, sending heat and strength back and forth, but just as they forcibly pushed off of each other to separate, they dropped their vertically-raised blades right in front of them.

They evaded.

Then they slid themselves backwards.

They used their acceleration spells for control. That accurately placed them at a distance where their blade tip could reach. And…

“Bind, Tonbo Spare.”

Just as they were going to hit, Futayo launched an attack.

Immediately, Fukushima opened Ichinotani’s tip and spoke.

“Ichinotani!”

●

Ichinotani could seal away the opponent’s attack and then launch that attack once more.

Fukushima had just stored Tonbo Spare’s cutting power.

…It can actually absorb that power!?

That had honestly been a gamble.

Ichinotani could absorb physical and spell attacks, but it could only absorb simple phenomenon attacks. Shibata’s Kamewari had been too complex for it, but she had decided it would work with her mother’s weapon since it was only a spare. But…

…It worked!

She had a feeling it wouldn’t have with the real one. At any rate, she immediately shrunk the spear’s shaft with the extension device, held it along her right side and shoulder, and rotated it. When the shaft was spinning forward overhead, she grabbed it from below and held it out like a shoulder cannon.

“Fall! Ichinotani!”

She launched the cutting force forward.

She did it at essentially point-blank range, but her mother did not stop.

Her mother jabbed her spear into the base just after it opened.

…This again!

Ichinotani would shut down for fear of losing control when something interfered with it while it was open. Her mother had done this to her at Novgorod.

It worked again. A metallic clang rang out, sparks flew, and lernen figurs scattered from Ichinotani. An emergency shutdown had triggered.

But Fukushima was moving. That was where she had failed at Novgorod. But she had gotten past it this time.

“Ohh!”

Closing the spear tip, she used the force of the blow to the spear to rotate it around her right side. Her mother had already rotated her spear around to eliminate the reactive force and now held it up near the tip while swinging the butt end up from below.

She was willing to try anything.

Fukushima held her spear below her right arm and dashed forward, closing in on her mother.

A moment later, her mother shifted to the right side of her attacking spear.

They were now in symmetrical positions with her mother’s spear between them. Her mother had vanished from in front of her.

“Take this.”

Her mother held her half-rotated spear in both hands and pushed at Fukushima.

To the right, which meant off the ship. If she were shoved off, she would simply fall.

…Huh!?

This sudden change in the win condition was so like her mother. Fukushima recalled the nonsense her mother had pulled in the past, but she hadn’t expected her to already be like that at this point.

With her feet still on the deck, Fukushima took a breath.

“Headfirst Fall!”

Several falling spells appeared on the front of her hips and knees as she “fell” upwards.

She returned.

She lifted her body as if using her abs to get up and grabbed the shaft of her mother’s raised spear. She recovered. And her mother spoke quietly.

“Extension device.”

When Fukushima realized her hand on the spear had been caught by the shaft in order to pull her off balance, it was too late to let go and her hand raced aft along the deck.

She was being pulled away. When her hand was finally thrown from the shaft as if being cut free, she made a flip and landed.

She looked up to see Tonbo Spare’s tip there. The extension device had brought it right in front of her. Just as she noticed the blade reflecting her face from a bit below and sensed the danger, her mother spoke.

“Bind, Tonbo Spare!”

●

Fukushima decided a blade reflection wouldn’t be fast enough for the cut from below. So…

…A backflip!

She went for a flip. Just like when she defeated Katou Danzou, she held Ichinotani close to her, used it as ballast to leap up and back, activated Headfirst Fall across her body, and…

“––––!!”

She flipped.

A moment later, the space her face had occupied was reflected and the cutting power swept through from diagonally below.

The end of her ponytail was cut as it trailed after her flip, but…

…I made the flip!

She had too much momentum, so she landed with Ichinotani’s butt first. With a solid sound, she added a second flip before coming to a stop.

When she looked ahead, she saw her mother had pulled back her spear with its extension device.

Fukushima moved forward from her crouched landing position. She used Ichinotani’s extension device to push herself and…

“Here I go!”

Her mother reacted by launching herself. Tonbo Spare’s shaft had been launched backwards with its extension device so that…

…She can crash into me!

Just as Fukushima had that thought, her mother did something unexpected.

She let go of her spear’s shaft.

Fukushima didn’t have time to realize her mistake. Without the weight of the spear, her opponent poured all her strength into acceleration.

“An unexpected tactic!”

Her mother converted her rapid dash into a leaping head butt right into Fukushima’s face.

●

Futayo briefly lost consciousness. It was only for a single step, but she really did experience what was known as “seeing stars”.

But she had hit Fukushima. She didn’t know if “hit” was quite the right word, but the head was part of her body. She wasn’t sure if it counted, but that didn’t matter. At any rate, while Fukushima flipped back into the deck. Futayo accelerated over her and caught Tonbo Spare from where she had launched it into the air.

It was a good spear. It had fought well. She hadn’t expected it to act primarily as a feint in the very end, though.

But she was a little worried about Fukushima even if she was an enemy. The girl was still lying sprawled out on the deck, unmoving.

…Did I go too far?

Well, Gin-dono has probably done this over a hundred times, she decided to calm herself down and took a breath.

Her right nostril felt blocked up, so she blew lightly through it.

“Oh.”

Even in the night, she could identify the blood that dripped between the fingers of her raised hand and to the deck.

She must have been moving quite fast. A touch of her nose told her it wasn’t broken, so it was all good. Still, this meant she hadn’t been unscathed, which told her she was still nowhere close to her father’s inherited name.

Then Fukushima moved.

She let out a breath, raised her neck and back more than her head, and…

“––––”

She first moved her hand to grab her spear.

●

Futayo heard a voice before she reacted.

“Kh…”

Fukushima let out what could have been a groan or a moan.

She wasn’t moving at the moment. But she did make a noise.

“…Kah!”

She groaned and slowly began moving. She raised her hips, raised her knee, and…

“…”

She collapsed back down on her face, but she again got her hands underneath her.

“––––”

She tried to get up again. But there was no precision in the way her arms, neck, and back were moving. She hadn’t recovered from the damage she had taken and, even after collapsing again, she still tried to get up.

“Oh…”

Futayo realized their battle was not over yet.

●

Fukushima had lost consciousness.

Her thoughts had grown distorted and her memory had rippled as it showed her several points from her past.

Among those, she recalled her former mother.

She saw her mother training her in a field below a thin and faded sky. While exchanging words with her other mother who was watching on, her mother had helped her learn but never held back.

After a strike that brought their spears together, she thought she had stopped her mother.

…Yes.

This had happened in the past too. Her mother had moved past their locked spears and tackled her.

She had been frustrated and claimed it wasn’t fair for her mother to not use her spear, but her mother had laughed.

She hadn’t understood why she had been laughed at for that, but now she understood.

That wasn’t how it worked.

That wasn’t how real battles worked. Whatever your reasons were for fighting and no matter what pride or opinions were on the line, it call came down to winning.

Her mother must have been relieved that she didn’t understand that. Because that meant they were a mother and daughter training together, not exchanging combat techniques for use against a harsh reality.

So her mother had taken their sparring matches “more seriously” after that. She could tell now just how precious that time had been.

Things were different now.

If she wanted to accept everything – fair or not – in this battle, then anything was fair game.

That was what it meant to recognize your opponent’s skill.

The mother who had once felt relief as a family member was now recognizing her skill here.

There was a time long ago when she had felt relief. But…

“––––”

Fukushima understood now.

She understood that was gone.

●

Fukushima forced thoughts into her wavering mind.

One thing was certain.

…I stood up?

But she couldn’t remember why she had stood up, why she had fallen, or why she was here.

She remembered hitting her head, but why had it happened?

She had a feeling something absurd had happened. And…

“Mother.”

Speaking that word reminded her that she had lost something important.

She wondered how she could have forgotten, but that wasn’t what had happened. She did remember. She was just having a brief lapse of memory.

And she realized someone was standing in front of her.

“You…”

She had gained something in exchange for what she lost.

The mother she had known was gone. But she had inherited so much from her and that had just been recognized.

“Yes…”

She took a breath, looked up into the night sky, and then directed her voice toward what lay below.

“…!!”

Feeling like she had just woken from sleep, she could grasp the meaning of her loss.

She only now realized what she had lost and what she had gained by coming to this world.

Her emotions swelled up through her entire body and, with a freshly woken and clear mind, she held her own body and roared with no concern for what people would think, how it would look, or the obligations that bound her.

“––––!!”

She doubled over and yelled.

She recalled what her other mother had said once. When her Mouse got married and had a child, Hirano’s mother and the others had been utterly delighted and said:

“A child’s first cry after birth is an important thing. Remember that.”

Fukushima nodded and ended her roar. She wouldn’t roar again even after taking another breath. Because…

…The first cry only happens once.

She had strength in her hand: a spear shaft. She still had it in her grasp.

Ahead, her mother took a combat stance. So…

“Let’s do this!”

●

Futayo shook when she heard Fukushima’s roar.

…We’re the same.

That had been her. When she was having sex with Muneshige at Mikawa, he had defended against Tonbokiri with a shoe-ruining evasive maneuver and he had defeated her. At the time, she had recalled the past and finally realized that moment would be a dividing line.

She realized the time had come to say goodbye to her father and Kazuno.

This was the same. Fukushima’s roar had to mean the same thing.

She was saying goodbye to her mother and the others she knew, as well as her former self.

Then Fukushima launched an attack on Futayo. Her willpower was impressive, but Futayo had another thought too.

…Do you see me as your current mother?

Instead of the mother who must have cared for her, Fukushima now had to face this mother on the harsh battlefield.

While thinking that, a tremor ran through Futayo’s body. She realized the flat spear blade was stabbing into her right chest.

“Oh?”

Fukushima’s Ichinotani had pierced her from chest to back.

●

The sudden result left Fukushima at a loss for words.

Her mother collapsed from the piercing blade she held.

There was no blood on the blade. Its piercing force had been too great, but also the blood vessels had been sliced so suddenly they had contracted and stopped the blood. After a few breaths, the circulatory force would grow and the blood would flow.

The only thing on the blade as it emerged from her mother was something like fat.

And…

“Kh.”

The blood seemed to flood from her mother’s right chest.

Her mother’s right shoulder and arm drooped and she quickly shifted her spear to her left hand. At the same time, several sign frames opened around her. Countless processes worked together to provide first aid: hemostasis, blood flow control, cooling, etc.

Meanwhile, Fukushima started to toss aside Ichinotani, but…

“––––––”

Abandoning her weapon felt rude to her mother, so she approached her mother with it still in hand.

The bleeding still hadn’t stopped. An injury like this must have been a rare thing for her. She was tense and sweating and she occasionally took a look at her pierced back.

“Why!?” asked Fukushima as she watched her mother like that.

She was trying to show concern, but it came out so forceful.

“Why didn’t thou dodge!? Was this thy way of pitying me!?”

Her mother smiled with eyebrows lowered. Almost like she didn’t know the answer herself.

“I was thinking the same thing I thought before.”

“And what is that?”

“Judge,” nodded her mother. Blood dripped from her limp right arm. She lowered her head as if watching that blood. “That I wanted to see how far you could grow if given the chance.”

●

Yes, thought Futayo. I recognize this.

“My father and Kazuno-sama must have felt the same.”

Back at Mikawa, in that little restaurant, she had been excited about the food, but her father must have had a variety of thoughts.

“When my father said he wanted to at least let me be free, he must have been thinking the same thing I am now. He knew he wouldn’t be able to see how far I could grow, so he at least wanted to give me the freedom to grow.”

So she looked to Fukushima. Straight at her.

“I want the same for you. I want you to be free.”

“But!” said Fukushima, her face scrunching up and tears falling. “This is not how I wanted this to end!”

“Judge. Then I am grateful.”

Futayo wasn’t apologizing. She was thanking Fukushima for viewing her so highly. So she considered the matter further and spoke.

“If the chance arises, I would like another duel. Next time, I will be the challenger.”

Fukushima started to say something. But after her mouth opened…

“––––––”

Only silence emerged and she lowered her head. Deeply.

Futayo breathed in and noticed the amount of bleeding from her right chest changed with her breathing and that it was beginning to stop.

The sky turned overhead. And she realized her own footing at least was unsteady.

Asama: “Futayo! I sent Kanou-san and Adele your way! Just do what they say! Can you do that!?”

“See?” she said to Fukushima.

When Fukushima raised her head and looked this way, she had a definite strength in her eyes.

…I must be so fortunate.

At the very least, she had seen it through this far. She still had to figure out what to do from here on, but…

“––––––”

Fukushima lowered her head again and then jumped off the deck.

A P.A. Oda transport ship carrying a black god of war was flying below. Futayo’s daughter dropped toward it. She would reach it. So…

“Heh.”

Futayo slowly lowered to her knees. And she heard a voice from her right, toward the bow.

She tried to say “Vassal-dono?”, but she couldn’t stop herself from collapsing to the deck.

She gave herself over to the exhaustion brought by an odd sense of relief and shut her eyes.

●

Masazumi sighed at the report that Futayo had been injured and defeated. By Kanou’s estimation, it wasn’t a fatal wound and she would recover quickly. The only problem was the large amount of blood loss.

Flat Vassal: “Ahh! Vice Chancellor! Don’t move! Stay still! Hurry!”

Which is it? wondered Masazumi, but this meant Futayo could still move. She was a little worried, but…

…This must be the first time Futayo has been in a situation like this.

Even for someone who lived the way of the warrior, decline was inevitable. Masazumi wondered how she would respond to it, but all she could do was apply past cases to herself and she guessed she wouldn’t react well to it.

The result was what it was, but she couldn’t blame Futayo for how it happened. In that sense…

“They really were here to proclaim a response to us, weren’t they?”

“What are they doing now?”

Still wearing Unturning Centipede, the Date Vice Chancellor opened its chest to show her face.

It seemed like she wouldn’t be able to see far to port from inside the mobile shell, but she had a sign frame open in front of her face. It appeared to be tracking any kinetic readings, but…

Musashi: “Report: The Hashiba warriors have begun withdrawing from central Oume. The Hashiba Ten Spears are each heading port and appear to be withdrawing with transport ships. Over.”

“Oh!” said Noriki. “They’re giving up!?”

Musashi: “No, they are not.”

“Musashi” continued her report.

Musashi: “The Azuchi is seeking a ship battle. What shall we do? Over.”

Another sound rang out while “Musashi” said more. The roar of a heavy object splitting the atmosphere in a forceful approach appeared several times over from port.

They came from transport ships. Hashiba’s transport ships entered the valley between ships from above or below to help the warriors withdraw from Oume.

That wasn’t all.

“Hm? It looks to me like they’re withdrawing from the Azuchi using transport ships too.”

Urquiaga was right. A close look showed several transport ships flying side by side between the Azuchi’s ships or emerging from the docks on the bottom hull which was hidden from view here.

“Musashi” seemed to respond to Masazumi’s unasked question.

Musashi: “Judge. We have received a divine mail from the Azuchi: ‘All crew save for Hashiba-sama and the automata shall abandon ship. We ask for a no-holds-barred battle against your ship. Do you accept? Shaja.’ ”

A breath.

Musashi: “What shall we do? Over.”

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