Horizon:Volume 10B Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Distance Usurper

What color

Is that lovely shape?

Point Allocation (Hopeless Color)

●

The direction in which Naito and Naruze crashed arrived at the Musashi as unconfirmed information.

This was because their battle airspace was primarily over a Catholic principality in south M.H.R.R., a land that cooperated with Hashiba. Also, the Azuchi’s position next to the Musashi blocked its view of M.H.R.R. to the north.

Communications with them were cut off, but it was hard to tell if that was due to their battle and Suzu’s scans from the Musashino bridge had to be stopped to deal with the Azuchi instead.

The only one following their situation was Asama as she managed their personal divine transmissions, but she also had to maintain the Musashi’s infrastructure as they prepared for a ship-to-ship battle against the Azuchi.

Asama: “Masazumi! Can you ask the Protestants to collect Naito and Naruze!?”

“Oh, I’m right here, so you don’t need to send a message.”

Asama realized the Main Blue Thunder group except for Mitotsudaira, as well as Masazumi, Ookubo, Mary and Tenzou, Gin and Muneshige, and more were gathering on Okutama’s bow deck.

While they all had to know the battle was approaching its end, a sign frame from Mitotsudaira suddenly appeared by Asama’s face.

Silver Wolf: “Tomo! Be careful! I’m sure you’re working on changing the Musashi’s settings, but that makes you a valuable target!”

●

Asama responded to Mitotsudaira’s warning by raising her head and looking to the Azuchi.

She had raised nearly perfect defensive protections against the gunfire and artillery fire flying this way. That was why she had felt safe unless the enemy directly boarded them here, or they used an Excalibur-level attack, but…

“There is one person who could break through my barrier.”

Horizon raised a torn-up floor panel and hid behind it, but it seemed early for that gag.

At any rate, Asama saw someone already aiming a large sword bow.

“Hirano Nagayasu.”

She was Asama and his child.

●

Hirano breathed in.

She was about to fire on her mother.

It wouldn’t be the first time. Even in this battle, she had already fired on her once to draw her attention.

But that had been more like a greeting. She hadn’t expected to hit. She repeated what her mother had often said.

“It doesn’t matter if you hit or not. It matters that you tried to hit.”

“Hirano-sama, that seems to omit the concept of error. Shaja.”

“Not a problem. Priests once had the right to pass judgment. So I can do what I like. Yes.”

Mitsunari glared at her, but Hirano figured she was only practicing her expressions.

Hirano had worked to prepare herself mentally for this, but it still hit her hard seeing so much at once.

Her mother was there.

They had once lived together and she had thought they would remain together in Avalon, but then that mother had disappeared one day.

She had cried, raged, and tried to convince herself to accept it, but she had failed in that and decided to live on while constantly questioning herself. But…

“…There she is.”

After being extracted into this world and gaining her freedom, Hirano had earned her qualifications and position as a shrine maiden and avoided being treated as a ‘precious treasure’ by those around her. While making the preparations needed to live her own life, she had been investigating something.

Her mother and the rest.

The Shinto network was a powerful tool.

Her mother was only a year older than her, but she had played a role as one of Musashi’s Shinto representatives since she was in middle school. Hirano had been in her first year of middle school when she was first able to appear publicly, so she had been proud of the recognition her mother was getting. But at the same time…

…Mom almost never mentioned any of that.

Hirano had known her mother had been the Asama Shrine Representative, but she hadn’t understood just how important a position that had been. She also hadn’t known just how skilled her mother had been compared to the average.

She hadn’t been the kind of person to brag.

So when Hirano saw her mother growing stronger as time passed in this world, she had panicked. Hirano had gathered plenty of strength herself and her mother had personally taught her a lot too. But had her own growth been on par with her mother’s current rate of growth?

P.A. Oda focused on the Oda clan and the Tsurugi Shrine, the Oda clan’s main shrine, had been returned from Mlasi control to Far Eastern control. That change of main religion had happened when Hirano was in her second year of middle school. She had practically begged them to make her a Tsurugi Shrine representative separate from the main representative. And one day, she had seen her mother.

On its way to Mikawa, the Musashi had stopped in P.A. Oda. Tres España’s guards had been monitoring them, but Hirano’s mother had been part of the group that disembarked for infrastructure regulation and trade authorization.

Hirano and the others had been watching from a viewing platform at the landport. They hadn’t spotted any of the others’ parents, but her mother had been there.

Understanding had hit her the instant she saw her mother. The others must have sensed it too because Wakisaka gasped and commented, “Wow, her boobs were already huge at this point.”

Hirano wanted to protest that being her first thought, but it had also been her own first thought. However, the rest of her thoughts hadn’t been on her mother.

“I thought maybe I could see father, but that isn’t happening.”

Yes. Her father had to be among them.

When five fireworks erupted in the night before they were even launched from the Musashi’s surface city, the group from the Musashi had yelled “What is that idiot doing now!?” and rushed back. What was that about?

From that point on, she had regularly come across information on her mother without even needing to seek it out. Because the Asama Shrine dealt with romance and childbirth, her mother had appeared alongside Hirano’s grandfather on shopping shows for that sort of spell, speaking in a fairly distinctive way. Her mother had also shot down a High-Area Wyvern. And there had been so much more. It had all left Hirano with a thought:

…Maybe it was less that she didn’t brag and more that there were other things she wanted to brag about?

But in every image, her mother had looked so happy and her father and the others had been included in the information coming in after the Battle of Mikawa.

“I think I know what happened…but it’s still weird.”

In her world, her father had been lost at the Battle of Mikawa.

Yet there he was with them.

Her mother appeared to be one of his wives or something like a wife-tenant, but she still seemed happy.

Since he should have been lost, her mother had already been well rewarded.

That made Hirano not want to reject this world or her mother in it, but…

“I will stop you.”

She drew her bowstring.

●

Sword arrows fell into three broad categories.

They were like artillery blasts.

The first directly struck with the sword.

The second used the sword as a focusing device to launch sword-shaped ether.

The third applied a spell enchantment to the sword and launched that to obtain the best of both worlds.

Since that essentially launched the focusing device itself, the spell would last longer, allowing for longer range shots. That kind could break right through a simple defense barrier.

Hirano primarily used the third type of sword arrow and she had a total of 12 worn at her hip or stored in her binder skirt.

They were mainly for use against ether shells, but this time she would be using it against her mother.

If she hesitated to use a spell enchanted sword here, she would be at risk.

She had honestly never exchanged arrow shots with her mother before. She felt the others like Kasuya and Kiyomasa had an advantage over her because they had at least sparred with their mothers before. But Hirano’s mother wasn’t the type to hold back, so what if she had gotten her wish there and her mother had fired an anti-ship class arrow at her back then?

…Really, I’ve learned so much since I got here.

With that thought, she tightened her grip on the sword, took aim, and…

“Eh?”

Her mother noticed her, began her firing motion, and – the very next moment – fired.

…How is she so fast!?

Instantly, light exploded before Hirano’s eyes.

●

…No wayyyyy!?

Hirano was shocked, but she understood what had happened.

Her mother had used an arrow. A light one. Which made her fast. And she had launched it with Umetsubaki, a pseudo-divine weapon, and with assistance from the gauntlet she used when drawing her spell bowstring. Which made her fast.

…But my Kogetsu provides the same assistance…

The scary part was how “well, this is my mother” was enough to explain it for her. But the shot fired at her was a problem. The arrow was stabbed into the air above her on the left. And it had a spell lernen figur with it.

“A sealing field!”

As soon as she shouted that, another one hit with a soaring sound.

This one was stabbed into the air below her on the right.

●

Asama fired.

…I need to hurry!

A sealing field was a type of defense barrier. Of the four-direction barriers, this one was formed from the reactive variety.

It was set up in the air and, unlike ordinary defense barriers, it took some time to gradually surround the target on all sides, a lot like spreading a net. They were strong barriers that took some time to set up, but they were useful for responding to natural disasters or catching a crash-landing aerial ship.

Ordinarily, they were set up on all sides and then completed with a Shinto prayer, but she didn’t have time for that here. She would complete it by launching a fifth arrow in the center in lieu of the prayer.

She launched the third arrow and quickly prepared to launch the fourth when…

…Here it comes!

She launched an arrow on reflex.

Immediately, light exploded at the center point of the line linking her and Hirano. Her counterattack had hit the arrow launched at her by Hirano. And…

“Stand back, everyone! We have archery on par with my own incoming!”

With that warning, she pulled a bundle of arrows from within her binder skirt. She let Hanami handle changing the necessary settings for Musashi’s infrastructure and ether conduits, while she focused on…

“I will not let you interfere!”

She fired.

●

Masazumi saw light repeatedly exploding in the sky to port.

She initially took it to be defense barriers shattering, but it wasn’t. This was simply light bursting. Furthermore, the positioning was unusual. Defense barriers were usually positioned near the ship, but these light explosions were midway between the ships.

“Simply put, the mother and daughter are equally skilled, so their attacks collide at the center point.”

“Heh heh. Mother and daughter! Yes, I like the sound of that! Now, Horizon, how about you add in a Logismoi Oplo attack!? That would be one way to earn a bunch of points all at once, wouldn’t it!?”

“No, Kimi-sama, I unfortunately used up most of the Logismoi Oplo’s fuel when hitting Hashiba-sama with my Memorial Attack. I did gather up some power to use Lype Katathlipse, but that was deflected, so all I can do now is offer a victory prayer for Asama-sama.”

“What does a victory prayer entail?”

Horizon moved behind Asama, looked at her butt, and…

“Ohh, you have another set of boobs back here! No, wait, that is a butt. But if you can make use of both your butt and your boobs, that is twice the power! No, four times! Your destructive power is truly impressive, Asama-sama!”

“Standing that close is dangerous!”

Horizon at least knew better than to get in her way. But…

“Does Asama have the upper hand?”

“When it comes to boobs, Masazumi-sama!?”

“No, she does not,” said a voice climbing the port side stairs. The Tachibana Husband was carrying his spear and the Tachibana Wife was missing an arm. The latter bowed toward Masazumi. And…

“The elevation of the Azuchi’s bridge means they have the high ground. When launching projectiles, firing upwards is a disadvantage, but it appears their arrows are colliding in the center. That would mean…”

“Heh heh. That Asama has the greater blasting talent! That’s Musashi’s trigger-happy archer for you!”

Just as everyone gave a cheer of hope, Asama herself shouted back at them while firing arrow after arrow.

“You’re distracting me, so please stop!!”

●

She has incredible focus, thought Hirano while watching her mother. Her mother’s surroundings were awful. The others refused to calm down and some even looked ready to approach and inspect what she was doing. How could she stay focused with all that going on?

…Wait, is it possible she’s just firing with muscle memory?

Hirano didn’t voice that possibility because it would hurt her own reputation. But…

“…!?”

All of a sudden, the fourth arrow arrived. It hit near her left foot. In this exchange of straight-line shots, she should have been able to intercept anything coming her way, but this one had…

…Curved!?

During her mother’s high-speed archery, this one arrow had been launched upwards along a large parabolic arc.

How had she done that?

But there were no more like that. Realizing that, Takenaka tensed up and…

“Can someone other than me get rid of that arrow?”

“Don’t touch it or something could come from your butt!”

“What do you mean ‘something’!?”

“If you destroy one of the enemy’s defense fields, I believe the punishment is a bamboo shoot or peach made of ether, but I believe the boys will also receive a lightning bolt to the crotch.”

●

Kuro-Take: “Katagiri-kun! Katagiri-kun! Care to come up onto the bridge roof!?”

The Boy: “No! I can tell you’re plotting something!”

AnG: “Damn, Kacky’s getting so much more boring. What a shame.”

Tsurugi: “Yes, he really has been shaping up a lot recently… Which is just so boring.”

6: “Was he ever any fun?”

The Boy: “Why am I being attacked on all sides here!?”

●

Anyway, I need to hurry up, decided Hirano.

She continued firing, returning fire, and calling out, as if to draw her opponent’s attention.

“Mom! Why won’t you stop!?”

●

Hirano’s words reminded Asama of something: That’s so much like when I lost my mother.

She had lost her mother shortly after beginning elementary school. Her mother had some kind of disease that worsened the flow of ether in her body and no cure was found, so she was kept alive with spells. Thanks to that, she was never sickly, but forcibly maintaining her existence in that way meant the fluctuations in her body’s ether would either cause her very existence to vanish or she would turn into a mysterious phenomenon. She had known that, so she had decided the time had come to say goodbye.

Asama had already inherited so much from her mother at the time. She had felt like she had learned enough and could manage without her mother.

But the “if only” thoughts had stuck with her.

Maybe that was why her mother had told her something when the end was near.

“Come join me later.”

“Will you wait for me?”

“I will always be there by your side.”

That exchange remained inside her. It seemed contradictory, but it had made sense to her at the time and it did seem like her mother was “there” even if she couldn’t see her.

But her mother had simply done as she saw fit.

What would Asama say if her mother were in front of her now and about to leave in the same way again?

She had endured that and accepted it once.

…So this time around, I could say what I really wanted to say.

And for the girl on the other ship, Asama was that mother. So…

“You can say whatever it is you want. It’s my job to listen.”

But there was one thing she wouldn’t give up. Only her father would know what that had been for her mother, but she knew what it was for herself.

…My relationships.

As a shrine maiden, she should probably call them spiritual bonds.

She had spent so much time building them up and protecting them while learning so much about herself. She had been through so many hellos, goodbyes, understandings, and misunderstandings and none of those things could be denied.

She viewed those things as important.

“Nothing you say to me will change what matters to me!”

With that, she gripped three arrows between her fingers at once.

She was preparing a rapid-fire volley. So she held her head high, viewed her opponent, and…

“I will listen! Because that is our relationship!”

●

With those words, light raced between the two shrine maidens as if expressing their thoughts. The shrine maiden on the high ground repeatedly fired sword-shaped ether arrows and the shrine maiden on the low ground rapidly fired arrows of light.

They did not follow straight lines. The arrows launched from below drew out several different paths and then the blades began to fight back with spell guidance and homing.

They both applied their skills, spells, and divine protections as they attacked and counterattacked.

As more and more glowing trajectories formed and it seemed like everything would be fired at once and never stop, Hirano raised her voice.

“Mom! You were always right! Everything you said and did made sense and you taught me how to understand and do it all!”

But now she wanted to reach her mother.

“So how am I supposed to get through to you when I find something I know I am right about!?”

●

Me: “War?”

Horizey: “Toori-sama, that is more of a Masazumi-sama thing.”

Vice President: “Hold on now. Don’t drag me into your family discussion.”

Scarred: “F-family discussion! Yes, that is what this is! I’ll do my best!”

Novice: “Stuart-kun, you’re really psyched up today, aren’t you?”

●

Ignoring the awful spectators, Asama considered what Hirano had said.

…I raised her to be a diligent person.

She was fully viewing this as a mother now, but there was almost no aberration in Hirano’s archery. The way she switched over to ether arrows to conserve her physical sword arrows was impressive. Her emotions had to be badly shaken, but she was accurately responding to Asama’s archery, including the spell-induced bending and feinting trajectories.

She was an excellent pupil.

Asama could tell because she was one too, but you could only achieve this through daily training. This dense archery exchange was the result of doing whatever she could every single day instead of relying on ingenious inspiration.

That Asama’s future self had taught her to do it that way felt like exactly what she would do and she could tell she had passed on her own mother’s teachings. So she replied. If that girl had something she believed she was right about…

“If you believe it’s right, then don’t you just have to act on that belief?”

Asama’s mother had completed her life based on what she believed in.

But she hadn’t rejected what Asama felt about it when she spoke to her daughter.

…Come join me later, huh?

Her mother could only say that because she was going on ahead.

But Asama couldn’t go on ahead. So she had to say something else.

“I think we can take different paths as long as we’re headed in the same direction.”

“But!” said Hirano. “The path you took didn’t lead anywhere! And you’re on that same path now, aren’t you!?”

●

Asama was nearly rendered speechless. But…

“–––––”

She chose for herself to remain silent.

It was possible their path had no future just like Hirano insisted.

But reality was already changing.

…Maybe they would see it as naive to ask “what if”.

If they chose the safest option out of fear of losing everything, they would instead lose the present. That was the Genesis Project. Perhaps it could be described as purifying the present to obtain the future.

But it had to be a tempting option for those who had already experienced the loss of the future.

Which left them at an impasse. But explaining that wouldn’t convince Hirano. She and the others had spent a long time preparing for this night.

They would fight.

It wasn’t a matter of logic or persuasion. They were doing what they wanted to do.

Who were the real children here? The children who had known the whole truth and had come here to warn them, or the parents who were doing their own thing because they were ignorant. Asama was pretty sure her side was the more selfish one. But…

“I have one thing to say.”

Which was…

“We also want to protect our relationships with all of you.”

●

Hirano’s mental focus nearly relaxed.

This wasn’t her enemy. She had worried for so long what she would do when it came time to fight her mother and the rest. She had physically and mentally prepared herself for it, but…

…That isn’t it.

Deep down, she had wondered if their mothers had hated them. Their time together in Avalon had been so much fun and they had trusted their mothers. So when the mothers had suddenly left, they had wondered if they were to blame.

But they weren’t.

Their mothers had thought they were ready even back then. But…

…No.

Being ready wasn’t the same as being on the same level. Her mother was so stubborn and what Hirano wanted wasn’t reaching her.

Hirano wondered why as she further increased the speed of her rapid-fire arrows.

“…Why?”

Why won’t you accept what we’re saying?

When she looked to her mother with that question in her eyes, she noticed something. A nudist was standing behind her mother. She knew who that had to be.

…Dad!?

●

Yes. That was her father. She had seen him in the reports and in the Far Eastern news programs, but this was her first time seeing him in person.

She had noticed him there behind her mother before, but the fact that he was nude was too much for her and she hadn’t consciously acknowledged his presence. He felt so out of place she had effectively not noticed him.

But she more or less understood.

“It was dad, wasn’t it!?” she shouted at her mother. “This is because he’s here! It’s because here you can actually do the things you chose to teach me from a book ‘because everyone should be educated about these things’! That’s why you won’t accept the Genesis Project!!”

●

Asama glanced over at the others while launching her arrows. Most of them were glaring at her and Horizon was tearing up a new piece of the floor, so she quickly faced forward again.

●

Hirano heard her mother’s defense.

“You’re wrong! We haven’t gotten that far yet!”

“…Yet?”

The landlord began tearing up another piece behind her mother and, after a short delay, her mother realized what she had said.

“Oh.”

She managed to respond to Hirano’s arrow, so clearly she was still fine.

●

Silver Wolf: “I see Tomo’s family is revealing all her secrets now.”

Asama: “You’re next! I’m expecting the same to happen to you!”

Wise Sister: “Heh heh. Now I feel like investing in Hashiba, but who do I go through for that!? P.A. Oda!? Or maybe the M.H.R.R. Catholics!? I’ll just send annoying divine mails to them both!”

Vice President: “Hey, I’m talking with the Protestants about Naito and Naruze right now, so could you not complicate that by creating any weird external pressures there!?”

●

Asama got her breathing back under control as she continued firing.

I’m fine. I deal with this kind of thing all the time. Unfortunately. But, anyway, I’m used to this level of teasing. And if it’s coming from my daughter(?), I need to be able to show her my motherly tolerance. Wait, since when did I think like a mom?

But she could keep going. She had the greater strength and she had already launched four of the spell field arrows.

She had listened to what Hirano had to say. She thought they had both expressed their thoughts. So…

“Mom!” shouted Hirano.

She raised her voice while firing. What is this about? wondered Asama.

“It’s not fair!”

●

Hirano more or less understood now.

…It really is about dad, isn’t it!?

Seeing how shaken her mother had been just then was all the proof she needed.

…His survival has completely changed your focus!

That was it.

But her mother had lied to her about something concerning her father. She understood that now.

“Mom, you always told me to avoid someone who was hopeless and incorrigible when choosing someone to share my future with!”

But that wasn’t true.

“But that perfectly describes dad who you’re overjoyed at being with here!”

He was such a hopeless person it was obvious just by looking at him and seeing what he did. It couldn’t be more obvious. He was the kind of person who would undoubtedly screw something up if you weren’t with him, so you had no choice but to stay with him, but then he would occasionally do something unbelievably thoughtful.

And Hirano had grown up with her mother telling her that.

“It’s not fair!”

What wasn’t fair?

“I want to be with someone as hopeless as dad!!”

●

Asama took more damage than just about any other time in her life and then Hirano’s attack hit her.

●

…Wowwww!!

A defense barrier automatically opened to guard her, blocking the sword arrow. But its force scattered her shrine maiden outfit and gauntlets.

“Ah.”

When Umetsubaki broke from its connector, she couldn’t stop the bow from spilling out of her hands. She just about collapsed more out of surprise than from the damage, but…

“Asama.”

He supported her from behind.

His arms and chest touched her back, and the skin contact made her realize just how sweaty she was.

She was worn out. She had lost her balance, but he tried to keep her upright.

“Oh?”

But her hair falling from his support seemed to act as a signal.

“Ohhh?”

His strength wasn’t enough and she collapsed after all. Ohh, I’m so sorry, she thought, but there was nothing she could do. However…

“Asama-sama!”

Horizon had raised three floor panels at this point, which slammed into his back and head.

Horizon quickly circled around to Asama’s side, took her hand, and checked her pulse.

“Are you alright, Asama-sama!? Oh, your blood pressure is a little low.”

“Thank you, Horizon, but I think you’re trying to measure that through my gauntlet.”

What was she supposed to say? The defense barrier had slowed the sword arrow until it fell next to her. Now she could see it was nearly a meter long. She had taken a direct hit, but it was still fortunate she had her divine protections as a representative of the Asama Shrine.

But Umetsubaki had broken and she looked over to see Hanami floating passed out in the air.

Her shrine maiden outfit was shredded in places, but the important parts were still covered. But when she tried to stand up…

“Ah…”

“Heh heh. Silly girl. After applying so many physical buff protections for that rapid archery, you can’t expect to move immediately after they’re all cut off without warning. Let the rest of us take over and then you can redo whatever parts you can.”

That was Kimi talking, but she was right.

The spell field she had prepared had already restarted to monitor the sky above the bow deck. It was an autonomous spell, but she still managed it. It had to use some of her processing power.

In other words, she couldn’t fight any longer.

But that was just how it was. She had attempted a duel and screwed it up in several ways.

…I-I feel like I took a lot of unnecessary damage there!

Regardless, she had lost. She had never expected Umetsubaki to break, but that had likely been her opponent’s intent the whole time.

This sealed away her attack power, which was effective against warships.

Novice: “Does Hashiba want a pure ship-to-ship battle between the Azuchi and the Musashi?”

She wasn’t sure. But she looked up atop the Azuchi’s bridge where Hirano stood.

Hirano was looking at her with her shoulders slumped in exhaustion.

“–––––”

Hirano bowed. In the same way Asama had been taught by her mother.

That link remained, but that was exactly why Asama asked herself what she was supposed to do.

●

…That wore me out.

The physical and mental exhaustion hit Hirano all at once and then gradually faded away.

Was this her being released from years of stress? But that stress had also helped support her, so she couldn’t have it suddenly leaving her.

She had used up nearly all of her Blessings. Her physical buffing spells would run out soon. In the worst case, she might not even be able to move from here.

She felt she had done enough to warrant it.

“Um, ‘Azuchi’.”

She tried to ask for help if she did collapse here. But…

…Eh?

She realized that the physical buffing spells and various protections that supported her were starting up before her eyes.

…How?

She barely had any Blessings left. She would have understood if these were the protections the Azuchi provided for anyone onboard, but these spells were all ones she had put together herself.

The only explanation was that her Blessings had recovered. It was only the bare minimum of what she needed, but there was no mistaking it. Not for a shrine maiden.

When she looked around to figure out why that had happened, she noticed something.

A line of light.

The “thread” had already snapped as it extended out ahead of her like a stand of spider silk in the wind.

Toward the Musashi. Toward the bow of the second central ship.

To her father.

The nudist suddenly looked up at her while supporting her mother. He raised his hand, opened his mouth, and…

“–––––”

She suddenly fell to her knees despite the assistance of the spells.

She repeated what her father had said.

“ ‘If that reached you, then it must be true’.”

●

Hirano knew now her parents and the rest weren’t enemies. Her father’s spell had decided she was one of them. So…

“I lost. Sorry.”

She had lost. There were no two ways about it. Her mother and father had defeated her.

She had done what she had to do and completed it, but she felt like she had tried to force it onto her mother and the rest. She had forcibly attempted it when she should have waited until she understood them better.

That was a mistake as a shrine maiden who was meant to listen and act as an intermediary. That was why she had lost.

Next to her, Mitsunari nodded.

“Don’t worry. You are one of the Ten Spears, but this did not qualify as a duel. The Asama Shrine Representative is technically an ordinary citizen.”

“Ordinary?”

That seemed to be stretching the category a bit far, but Hirano simply stood there and looked to the Musashi.

The thread had already snapped. But she knew they would be protecting not just her mother but also her father and so many more people.

Sure of that, she bowed toward the Musashi again. Just as her mother had taught her.

●

“Toori-kun, stop trying to show off.”

Asama glared at him, but even she was fairly worn out. And Hirano wasn’t on the most stable of footing. She would feel bad if Hirano collapsed and fell off the Azuchi.

“But,” said Horizon. The supply spell had vanished from his back at this point. “The family discount went through…so she must really be your daughter.”

“It’s more of a free service for family members than a discount…but yes, that is what it means.”

Asama felt beaten. But she also had some thoughts on what happened. And Hirano wouldn’t be able to fire another sword arrow right away.

For now, Asama needed to bolster their defenses and return to her ordinary work.

She had to fix Musashi’s infrastructure settings to ensure the best ether conduits for making sure everyone had a divine transmission connection.

But what was going to happen? The Musashi and the Azuchi had begun their turn as they prepared for their next action, but…

“What’s going to happen to everyone who’s still fighting?”

●

The Musashi and the Azuchi’s forced turn most effected those on the outer port edge. For the Musashi, that meant the diplomatic port on Murayama’s port side. All the warriors at the port used mooring wires and fences to lash themselves down during the non-slipping turn.

The two gods of war battling at the port did the same.

Genbu set its hips in a lowered position to brace itself while Suzaku initially turned itself diagonally and took a bracing step, but…

“Fine, whatever.”

With Naomasa’s comment, it suddenly jumped.

This was a change from the previous exchange of attacks and evasion. This took Suzaku in for a head-on clash.

●

“Damn, Naomasa’s actually cutting loose and having fun for once.”

Naomasa’s battle was being monitored from the engine room.

Taizou was in charge. The Musashino bridge had instructed for everyone except for the supervisors and automata to move up to the surface, but he was one of the supervisors who got to stay.

…Cause the Azuchi is going for it.

Anything could happen in combat. Before entering England, the Musashi had been hit, leading to some injuries. The same had happened during the Armada battle and at other times too. The ship was not invincible.

So his job here was to set up programmed devices so the engine room settings could be changed autonomously. The Musashi’s thrusters and such could be moved and used for alternative purposes, but this would allow a single command of that sort to alter a few different patterns and complete the major parts of the process.

They already had several general patterns used depending on time of day or region of the Far East and this was based on those patterns, but they were currently in battle. Choosing the right patterns for the battlefield took some intuition.

“This would be a lot easier with Naomasa since she’s familiar with these things, but that’s not happening.”

He turned toward the figure next to him who was taking the data he put together and sending it to the Musashino bridge. She was “Musashi-Sakai”, the automaton in charge of the engine room. She was usually on the bridge, but the circumstances had required her to actually come down here.

“Taizou-sama, are you familiar with war? Over.”

“I’m a pure Far Easterner, you know? But I do know how much of a pain the disputed areas are.”

“Judge,” replied “Musashi-Sakai”. Then she looked up even though she shouldn’t be able to see what was up there. “How is Naomasa-sama doing? Over.”

“She’s been hitting that thing with her wrench and throwing it, but her opponent seems to be a decent pilot too. It doesn’t seem like it can fly, but it can move more than you’d think and it’s defenses are something else. There isn’t much she can do. That’s why she waited until now.”

“Now? Over.”

“When the Musash’s turning. Even if you’ve ridden on large ships, you need a lot of experience to get used to this. And in an area on the very edge like the diplomatic port, even Naomasa’ll be unstable. Her opponent’s god of war’ll be even worse off. Plus, Suzaku can fly.”

He spread his fingers out.

“This is the one place where Suzaku has an advantage. So it’s worth being a little reckless.”

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