Both parties clashed with battle roars, the clanging of exchanging metallic frictions, the sounds of heavy footsteps, and the now terrified high-ranking people in their carriage. Loving life but fearing death.
"Nobara, stay here!" Yoichi unsheated his tanto.
The precarious situation made his mind even more focused on each skirmish of these bandits and patrol guards. Hasamatsu Ryuuji and the front guards were dealing with the frontline enemies while the others were left undefended on the backside. Yoichi decided to help, he didn't want that good man to die here in the unknown forest.
"No! I will also fight!" Nobara also wants to fight and grabs Onmyouji's Tools but is immediately stopped by Yoichi's hands.
"No! Protect Yasuhiro and the others while I am engaging against the enemies." The look of Yoichi's eyes felt determined and pleading.
Although he hated these merchants and artists, Yasuhiro was still here, and leaving him all alone without any protection would be lethal. Especially when he is the cousin of hers and Nobara could gain something more valiant in these displays of heroic acts, saving him more time and flowering her name in this battle.
"Alright, Calm down. Be careful, Yoichi!" Nobara felt his gaze could pierce her head at any moment and gave up.
"I will." Yoichi suddenly vanished.
"What the? That was so fast!" Nobara exclaimed but she didn't have enough time to contemplate right now as she activated her Onmyouji Arts and 4 paper-like shikigamis floated in the air, controlling them with sufficient mastery.
These shikigami were one of the tools necessary for an individual to be an Onmyouji. They are designed to be a reconnaissance and even disrupt enemies with a simple act of injuring the soul.
The only glaring problem was the production method since there are many types of wood and various oils essential for the shikigami to have their certain attributes in battle.
On the other hand, the battle in the downstream river was very chaotic. The uphill battle of the guards here was unstable due to the muddy soil near the river. The guards were attacking but they were consuming significant endurance to fend off these bandits. On the bandits' side, they were waiting for the warriors to get down the slope but the backup of the guards were bows and arrows, aiming them with a pretty good accuracy. However, these bandits were prepared with shields, blocking the arrows as they slowly advanced.
"Brat! Get away from here!" a familiar voice rang out, it's the good man Yoichi mentioned.
"Phantom Dispersion Technique!"
"Don't worry, good sir. It will be done." Yoichi suddenly vanished with his signature skill coupled with Body Flicker Jutsu.
'What is this brat saying? Does he know how deadly it can be when he is injured? Is he crazy?'
"Damn bra—" The good man wanted to grab him but he mysteriously passed through Yoichi's body and almost fell to the ground.
"What in the fuck is this?" After waving his hand through his body, the good man was completely mind-fucked.
"HAHAHAHA, kid! I applaud your bravery but—"
"Just die, I don't need any dialogue from an NPC." Yoichi mysteriously vanished and slashed his throat, ultimately chopping the neck of the bandit with just a little bit of his force.
"Ishigami! I'll kill you!" another bandit was filled with hatred and rushed against Yoichi.
Once again, Yoichi did his signature combo of [Phantom Dispersion Technique] and [Body Flicker Technique], creating an enigmatic persona right in the fight.
After all, a lion musters all of his strength just to kill a rabbit, as they say.
"Demon!"
"That bastard was a phantom! Run!"
"Everyone! Run!"
One by one, each bandit was swiftly killed by Yoichi as the scared and aghast surviving thieves ran back with intense memories of the catastrophic battle and psychological damage-inducing monster they saw.
The bandits retreated and nigerundayo back to their hideouts while the guards were downright stunned looking at the young man bathing in blood, standing in the river also filled with the blood of his enemies. The putrid stench of blood and mangled corpses around Yoichi made the guards shiver in fear and prepare their stances, certainly gulping the saliva in their mouths as Adam's apples bobbed down.
"Hehehe... Do I look that scary? Sorry!" Turning away his head, Yoichi smiled but the smirk on his face with his shimmering golden eyes was terrifying in the eyes of the guards.
A being who could kill so many bandits in a span of a couple of bouts was an absolute monster in their eyes. Especially, if he was smiling like that in the middle of the corpses as if a death god wantonly chopped some trivial life like leeks harvesting.
"Everyone, stand down!"
"But—"
"I do not want to repeat it once more." a cold glance made the noisy guard stand back.
"Thank you for saving my comrades! I appreciate the help in killing these scum." Ryuuji bowed deeply and politely, a dignified man with an upright character was shown in his exposition.
"It's not a problem, Hatsumasa-sama! I merely did my work as a righteous person." Yoichi slightly bowed and wiped the blood off his face.
"Hahaha, young sir! I should be saying that. No need for pleasantries! May I ask the name of this mighty individual?" Ryuuji laughed and patted his back with a friendly and comrade-like attitude.
"My name is Yoichi Murakami! Nice to meet you, Ryuuji-san." Awkwardly scratching his head, Yoichi made his way out of the scene alongside Ryuuji, who was nodding and understanding.
Ryuuji and the front guards killed the bandits, and some of the bandits ran with their tails in front of them. Afterward, he rushed into the backline but his worries were unfounded, Yoichi mysteriously killed them all making Ryuuji admire the young man. As long as his comrades were safe, he was grateful for the help and ready to be friendly with the seemingly humble and approachable guy.
"Yoichi!!!" Nobara lunged in front of him, wanting to hug him tightly.
"Did you see me? I am stinky!" Yoichi blocked her by extending his hand to her head but Nobara stretched her arms with the sole purpose of hugging him.
"Nooo! I want to—" Nobara didn't shed any pretense but the smell assaulted her nose "Uggghhh! It stinks!" as she pinched her nose, slightly disgusted by Yoichi's appearance.
'Wow, what a hot and fine specimen of a man!'
"Ryuuji-san, Can I please wash my scent for a little bit of time?" Yoichi undressed instantly, revealing his muscular upper body making Nobara's eyes shine and other guards feel a little envious.
The outline of his muscles was like a god-given physique intricately crafted by the gods. These muscles were filled with masculinity and sheer explosive power in terms of combat.
"Oh! Yes! Please, go ahead." Ryuuji didn't mind since he was also checking for any casualties and his employer's safety.
After the conclusion, Yoichi bathed in the upstream part of the river and carefully scrubbed his body since the blood could cause many bacterial implications for him.
What if bandits have some infectious disease like AIDS or HIV? That was a death sentence for ordinary people living in the current era.
"Uhmmm... Nobara? Why are you here?" Yoichi glanced at the nearby tree and sensed her peeking through.
"I—I was protecting you! That's right, what if the enemies ambushed you? That would be lethal!" Nobara's panicky voice but straight face made a "Make Sense" type of excuse.
"Oh? Is that true?" Yoichi pinned her to the tree and grabbed her hand, rubbing her hand through his strong and athletic muscles.
'Yoichi... It was surely packing there!'
"Ahem! Of course, I am!" Noticing Yoichi's devilish smirk, Nobara retracted her hand and coughed lightly with a slight blush on her face.
"Then, let's go." He changed into his latex turtle neck sando with a leather jacket that felt foreign to her and went his way.
"Yoichi! How did you do that kinda illusion thing?" Nobara looked at him curiously since she had seen him use the Phantom Dispersion Jutsu.
"It is supposed to be a secret but... I will say it once you marry me." Yoichi whispered in her ear as Nobara stepped back a few times.
"Wh—who wants to marry you?!" She felt her heart furiously beating so fast that her whole head reddened in bashful emotion.
"Is that so?" Looking at her tsundere face, Yoichi's face went downcast, and walked out with a hunched back, appearing to be sad about her rejection.
"Yoichi..." Nobara felt a pang in her heart as if like pricked by many needles. Glancing at his sad figure, she was muddled in complex emotions.
'Yoichi... He gave me a radiant light in my boring life but marrying him so suddenly felt so quick and fast in our relationship... But if I left him out, I would never be able to meet someone like him in my lifetime...Uggghhh! What should I do?!'
"Yoichi, I agree!" Nobara hugged him from behind, determined to marry him.
"What do you mean?" He turned away and looked at her decisive eyes.
"I—I mean marrying you! I don't want you to leave me all along and besides... You are making my heart always flutter and my head is messed up by you!" Nobara locked her hands on his neck, and a lovely expression emerged from her face.
"Are you sure? I mean, I am just a peasant and I can't give you a better life than the other rich people—" Yoichi's awkward explanation made Nobara's forehead pop out of veins.
"Why are you saying all of this blah blah blah? I am marrying you because of everything you have. The qualities of a good husband are in you!" Interrupting her, Nobara tiptoed and kissed him passionately.
Yoichi was quite surprised but fought back in her intense display of affection.
The greenish forest and slushing sounds of water made their union feel surreal and dream-like, making Mother Nature witness their affection.
In the era of traditional Japan, Yoichi must be assertive enough to make their move but not forceful in terms of relationships. A man like him was one of a kind and finding him in a world riddled with suffering was like finding a needle in a haystack. Yoichi was a confident and enigmatic individual who was peculiar in their world.
Harem +1 XDD.