Kanoru leapt from his horse as he approached the middle-rank samurai. He dismounted because he was not trained in horseback combat. While he could fight an equal opponent on horseback, facing someone stronger that way was too risky.
As he landed, Kanoru swung his sword, releasing a wind blade, which the enemy blocked with his spear. Without hesitation, Kanoru charged forward, his sword's edge glowing blue.
Right behind him, Asuna and Mika followed suit. The three of them were familiar with each other's fighting styles, allowing them to synchronize seamlessly as they engaged the middle-rank samurai.
This was his second time fighting a middle-rank samurai, and as he exchanged blows, he noticed that this one was slightly weaker than the middle-rank samurai realm pirate he had fought before.
He gave the samurai no room to maneuver, knowing that a spear's full power required space to be effective. While a sword also needed some space to unleash its full potential, a spear demanded even more.
Kanoru, Asuna, and Mika moved in perfect sync, attacking one after another, leaving the middle-rank samurai with no chance to retaliate.
Kanoru and his team's goal was not to risk their lives to kill their opponents. The enemy had twice as many is a middle-rank samurai as they did, and despite eliminating more than 50% of the Niwais' lower-ranked samurai before engaging in close combat, the Niwais still held the advantage.
Kanoru refused to fight a battle where the risk of death outweighed his chances of survival. When discussing the battle plan with his team, he made it clear: this was not a fight to the death.
He gave strict orders to retreat under three conditions:
1. If any of their middle-ranked samurai were injured and unable to fight at full strength.
2. If 20% of their lower-ranked samurai became incapable of fighting.
3. If the battle lasted more than two hours.
So, if the goal wasn't to kill the Niwais, then why fight this battle?
The purpose was to hold the Niwais in place long enough for reinforcements from the frontline camp to arrive. A villager had been sent with a report one hour after yesterday's battle, traveling straight along the riverbank on horseback. It would take him 12 hours to reach the main camp.
By sunrise, the lord should have received the report. If reinforcements were dispatched immediately, they would arrive in about three hours using the Kōgyoku River, aided by the rapid west-to-east current.
This battle had begun an hour after dawn—which meant that if two hours passed with no reinforcements, none would be coming.
As the fight went on, Kanoru became more familiar with the enemy. Relying on his memory, he could predict the enemy's spear movements from subtle shifts in muscle tension. With this, he felt less pressure—but he never once believed he could kill the middle-ranked samurai. Their strength were still too far apart.
To kill him, Kanoru would have to take a risk—one that could result in his injury, death, or worse, Asuna or Mika getting hurt. That was unacceptable. This wasn't a life-or-death situation where such a gamble was necessary.
And so, the battle dragged on for an hour and a half. Then, Kanoru spotted villagers from Nisi and Koji coming into view. They had come to assist in their retreat. In half an hour, they would flee while the villagers rained arrows on the Niwais to prevent pursuit.
Kanoru glanced at Asuna and Mika, subtly signaling north with a tilt of his head. They, too, had noticed the villagers.
Amidst the clash, a fleeting thought crossed Kanoru's mind—a hot spring bath after this battle. The middle-rank samurai hadn't drawn blood, but every strike had left his muscles and bones aching.
The others in the team, still locked in battle, also noticed the approaching villagers and understood that the time for retreat had come. The signal to withdraw would be the first volley of arrows from the villagers. Everyone prepared themselves—but then, the fight paused for a brief moment.
A black shadow entered the battlefield.
It moved swiftly from one Niwai to another. Each time it passed a samurai, it left behind either a corpse or an unconscious middle-ranked warrior. In mere moments, every Niwai samurai lay either dead or incapacitated.
The shadow stopped. Only then did they recognize Master Kaomisa.
She stood before them, dressed in a flowing robe, with bandages wrapped around her arms and left upper body. Her long hair was tied in a ponytail, and despite her injuries, she radiated strength and heroism.
The warriors, battered and bruised, bowed their heads in deep respect.
Master Kaomisa surveyed the battlefield and spoke firmly, "Good job, everyone. Now, carry the middle-ranked samurai of the Niwais to the village and burn the bodies of the lower-ranked ones." Kanoru nodded and first signaled the villagers from Nisi and Koji to return to Koji Village. Then, lifting the unconscious middle-ranked samurai he had fought, he carried him toward the centre of Nisi Village. The others followed suit, dragging the captured Niwai warriors and binding them together with heavy chains.
Kaomisa's voice carried a solemn weight as she addressed them. "We have completed our task, but the sacrifices of Shikichi and the others deeply sadden me." Her gaze met each samurai's eyes before she continued, "But their sacrifice allowed us to eliminate all the lower-ranked samurai and capture fifteen middle-ranked ones. And Kanoru—" She turned to him.
Kanoru straightened as she called his name. "Yes, Master Kaomisa?"
"You did well in implementing Master Junzo's plan."
Kanoru's eyes widened as he realized Junzo was taking responsibility for the risky strategy that had cost lives. With his strength as a higher-ranked samurai and his prestigious Mori surname, Junzo could bear the weight of the blame.
Kanoru could hear murmurs around him, sensing the shift in his comrades' feelings toward him. He quickly responded, "Master Kaomisa, it was nothing. I only carried out Master Junzo's plan. The true credit belongs to Captain Shikichi and the others who gave their lives."
Master Kaomisa gave a slight nod. "After the war, the families of the fallen will be rewarded." Then, turning to the captured samurai, she ordered, "Now, wake them up. I have questions for them."