Chapter 222: The Great Assembly of the Seven Samurai
The black-haired girl had crimson eyes and wore a military cap with a black crown and red brim, inlaid with gold trim in the center. The Oda family crest—the golden cherry blossom known as the 'Five-Petal Cucumber' (Goka Mokkō)—was in the center of the cap, with over ten radiating strips of golden trim extending from the petals, like glittering beams of light emanating from the rising sun over the sea.
"What exactly do you want?" Shirou asked.
"Hahaha! If you want to establish a new order, the most effective way is to break the existing rules and make the old customs untenable. Shirou, your justice will not work. Let me show you the true way to save these farmers!" Demon King Nobunaga raised her military-clad hand and loudly declared, pointing toward the farmers.
"..." The farmers, who were hiding in the corner of the house, immediately crouched down with their heads in their hands. Just being targeted by the insane crimson eyes made them tremble uncontrollably.
"Whoa, whoa, General, it looks like you've provoked a seriously dangerous enemy."
Tawara stood up, drew the inherited golden battle sword hanging from his belt, and blocked Demon King Nobunaga's line of sight towards the farmers.
"That is indeed something to be thankful for. Although this humble monk is somewhat confident in his martial arts, I struggle greatly with female demon kings, female ghosts, and female monsters. However, if we must fight, I will not hold back!" Hōzōin Inshun chuckled, rubbing his bald head, and raised his Jūmonji kama-yari.
Demon King Nobunaga dismissed the killing intent emanating from the two great generals and said:
"Don't be tense. I'm not planning to fight here. Although all of you present are quite capable, I am not interested in you right now. I came to find Shirou. Unrelated people, stand down!"
Shirou, standing beside them, silently chose to advance and retreat with the others, placing his hand on his sword hilt.
Although it is common knowledge in the concept of Heroic Spirits that cold weapons like swords, spears, and bows are generally stronger than guns.
There are exceptions, however. In this world, without magical protection, the physical threat of a matchlock gun far exceeds that of these swords.
And she possessed 2,999 of them! Enough to form an arquebus army capable of challenging the strongest cavalry. She could turn them all into sieves before the samurai could reach her.
'Although looking at Shirou's stance, if I fired a bullet, there's a chance he might cut off my head, resulting in a mutual kill. Even if I don't die, it will hurt a lot. I guess I'll forget about it...' Demon King Nobunaga thought to herself, releasing the killing intent and madness in her aura.
Sensing that the killing intent had dropped, everyone in the house finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the farmers on the ground finally stopped trembling.
"Then what exactly have you come here to do?" Shirou asked.
"If I had to say, it's to issue a challenge! I await the moment you are defeated and submit to me. A man like you is a rare treasure, seldom seen even in a century. Although I cannot use you as a tool, keeping you by my side for admiration will still be rewarding.
At that time, you will follow me. Yes, as long as you can please me, it wouldn't be impossible for me to treat you kindly."
Demon King Nobunaga continued, supporting her chin: "Yes... In the meantime, you should learn from the monkey who worked as a sandal-bearer. He kept my sandals warm in his arms throughout the winter. You should learn his spirit of service then."
"...Nobu, were you happy when that was done to you?" Souji asked the black-haired girl next to her with a strange look.
Nobu blushed and explained: "No! No! I wouldn't let a man do that, nao! Besides, I'd only be happy if it were done by a handsome man. Ah... but if Shirou did it, maybe I really would be happy, I don't know..."
"Eh... so you would be happy after all," Souji said, fixing Nobu with a peculiar stare.
"No! That's a misunderstanding! That was the bad Nobu's fault!" Nobu waved her hands repeatedly.
"But the bad Nobu is the same person as you, right?" Souji scoffed disbelievingly.
While the two were squabbling, Shirou, standing at the front door, responded to the imposing Nobunaga.
"I apologize. Even though this comes from Oda Nobunaga, I cannot accept your tyranny, and my ambition lies elsewhere. Therefore! Sixth Heaven Demon King! No matter the nature of the fight, I have no intention of losing to you," Shirou said, looking directly at her with a firm gaze.
Hearing Shirou's words, the black-haired, crimson-eyed Nobunaga was not angry at all. Instead, she burst into laughter.
"Uwahahaha, that's the kind of spirit worth conquering! Shirou! I want you even more now. So, you say you are gathering seven samurai? Well, to make the match interesting, I will also find two powerful allies on my side. Farewell for now."
Demon King Nobunaga was decisive. As soon as she finished speaking, she prepared to turn and leave.
"Wait, Nobunaga, what exactly are you planning to do? Don't involve innocent villagers," Shirou asked, following her out the door.
Nobunaga didn't look back; she just gazed at the setting sun and said:
"Innocent? When humans are born into this world, they must bear certain responsibilities for their survival. The perpetrator, the victim. Right and wrong are merely standards for judging things afterward.
Humans are not born into this world only to do what the majority considers right. Therefore, wrong things will happen; they simply will.
No matter how unreasonable or unacceptable an event may seem, it is a fact. Since it has happened, there is nothing to do but accept it, because no one in this world can be called truly innocent or without sin."
The Nobu inside was the one who accepted everything, returned to her true self, and became the 'Great Fool of Owari,' who acted capriciously, only for her own curiosity and whims, had no great wish, and thought the Holy Grail was best used as a bomb.
The Demon King Nobunaga, on the other hand, was closer to the Oda Nobunaga who conquered various regions during her lifetime, so her perspective on her own experiences was different. However, both versions of her accepted their fate.
Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu—the three generations of power transfer that completed the unification of Japan—are therefore called the 'Three Great Unifiers of the Sengoku Period.'
Oda Nobunaga, the 'Great Fool of Owari,' led her forces, battled and strategized, endured numerous difficult battles, championed the last Shogun's entry into Kyoto, commanded the daimyō through the Shogun, worked diligently to reform the government, and encouraged trade.
She proclaimed 'Unification of the Realm by Force' (Tenka Fubu). After outlasting Takeda Shingen and defeating the Takeda army, she finally established a situation for unifying the realm, only to be betrayed and surrounded at Honnō-ji, which was set ablaze, leaving no trace of her afterward.
The successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the 'Monkey,' accomplished this feat but was dissatisfied with the poverty of the land, which, at the time, didn't even include Okinawa, so he launched a conquest of Joseon (Korea). The Ming Dynasty was forced to dispatch troops to protect its vassal state, exhausting the finances and resources of all three sides.
Afterward, the Ming Dynasty, unable to launch another war, could only watch as the Manchu people rose up. The brilliant ruler Hong Taiji subdued Mongolia and also conquered Joseon.
In Japan, the Toyotomi house lost its military advantage and its efforts were finally reaped by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the 'Fox,' who became the Great Shogun and established the Edo Shogunate.
From the perspective of Oda Nobunaga's life, the ending was not perfect. The girl's life, from childhood to her conquests as a daimyō, was constantly subjected to the cruelty of the Sengoku period.
Whether it was her killing her own younger brother, who was instigated by her father's former retainers to seize power, or setting fire to the temples that opposed her.
Or her assassination by a trusted retainer and the burning of Honnō-ji, or the later suppression of the Oda family by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, whom she personally promoted and who eventually took over the Oda military forces.
If you don't kill, you will be killed. Because you kill, you are hunted by your enemies.
None of it could be called right, could it? But it was a fact.
Right and wrong are things judged by boring descendants. She simply made the choices she thought were best for herself at the time. Her choices brought suffering to many, and she, in turn, suffered due to the choices of others.
But for her to sit down with those people, compromise, avoid offending each other, and live in harmony—that would have been the impossible thing.
As she sang in Atsumori, the fifty years of a human life were meant to be lived brilliantly. Her entire life was spent acting for herself, so she largely accomplished what she set out to do. Therefore, while there might be regrets afterward, the outcome was acceptable.
The man before her, however, stubbornly believed that the cruelty of this world was wrong and that his inner pursuit was rightness, was justice. Despite this chaotic era, despite the cruel reality that could not be stopped in any age.
If he were merely a non-committal idealist who spoke of justice from an ivory tower, only condemning others to showcase his own rectitude, she would scorn him.
But this man was different. He had experienced all manner of worldly cruelty yet still maintained this heart of justice, like the heart of a pure child, keeping the innocence of a dreamer.
Nobunaga loved all novel and rare things in the world, was full of curiosity about the Nanban (European) goods, and was equally curious about this man who, despite experiencing the same mountains of corpses and seas of blood as her, chose not to accept it but sought to change it. Thus, she wanted close contact with him.
"..." To this, he had no reply. Even the turbulent consciousness of Senji Muramasa within him subsided at that moment. He had been searching for the answer, but still hadn't found it.
Nobunaga looked at Shirou, who wore a puzzled expression, with an appreciative smile, then turned and walked outside.
"See you later, Shirou! Now I'm going to gather some people. I happen to know someone suitable for this kind of work, so I'll have her locate the bandits' territory and seize it! Uwahahaha! Farewell, Shirou. I look forward to our next meeting. That will be the time for us to settle the score. We'll see if your justice or my tyranny will become 'fact'!
When the village's rice is ready for harvest, that is when I will lead the bandits to attack."
At this, the nearby Nobu, who had her arms crossed, lowered her head and said fiercely: "Hmph hmph hmph! Shirou, this time, you won't be able to refuse me!
Oda Nobunaga is skilled at fighting the Heavenly attribute, which includes ancient figures with divinity and high fame, as well as cavalry. I have no magical energy, and I am not good at riding horses. The sword skills I practice are for severing the heads of local feudal lords.
So, I have an advantage against both the Demon King Nobunaga and this Nobu. Hahaha, this is Miss Okita's great victory!"
Shirou nodded and said sincerely to the two girls: "Yes, I will rely on you this time. Please fight alongside us.
Although the process had a few twists, the goal is still the same," Shirou said.
"Yes, it seems there's no more time to choose companions here. We will set off tomorrow," Shirou decided.
"But right now, there's only me, Lord Shirou, Lord Inshun, plus Miss Nobu, Miss Souji, and Yukino. That's only six people," Tawara pointed out.
"No, the child doesn't count." Shirou looked at young Yukino. The little girl, who closely resembled an acquaintance, looked no older than thirteen, even accounting for late development.
"Please let me join! Master!" Young Yukino asked pleadingly with an ingratiating smile and a bow.
"Hmm..." Shirou pondered.
"It shouldn't hurt to let her join. This child is a samurai, and she'll have to go to the battlefield eventually, so learning by observing early is necessary," Tawara interceded.
"If you want to learn, you've learned something by following me today. Go back home now and practice what you've learned here."
"No, please let me stay by your side. Please, Master!" Yukino pleaded again.
"This is a battle. The opponent is the Sixth Heaven Demon King. You might die," Shirou said, looking seriously at the girl.
"Yes, I will fight alongside the innocent farmers too! To uphold justice!" Young Yukino clenched her fist.
"I understand. If that's the case, then you will stay behind us. However, since this is a major battle, you must follow all commands precisely. Do you understand?" Shirou warned.
"Yes, Master!" Young Yukino nodded vigorously, looking gratefully toward Tawara.
"Then, we are only missing the last person," Tawara said with a smile.
"I know someone, but I don't know if he's willing to come," Shirou said helplessly.
"Hmm, is it the swordsman who was sparring in the East Street?" Tawara asked with a smile.
"Exactly. We can only wait and see if he comes tomorrow. We will depart before noon tomorrow," Shirou said.
"No, there is no need to wait. I have already arrived." At that moment, a young samurai walked into the doorway.
"Master! The seventh samurai is here!" Yukino said happily to Shirou when she saw the arrival.
The newcomer had sharp eyes and long blue hair tied back in a long braid that hung down his back. His hands, visible beneath the cuffs of his blue samurai robes, held a nodachi. He was a martial arts devotee.
Because he had spent years practicing his sword in the mountains, his personality was somewhat aloof and taciturn until he finally cut down his most formidable opponent in life, that swallow.
"Sasaki Kojirō! You've come," Shirou said, turning around with a smile. The swordsman he knew so well was standing right there.
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