Hikari Maru, inside the cabin——
"...Ms. Lin, you don't seem surprised to see me."
"Of course I'm not surprised." Lin said to the man who was pointing a flintlock rifle at her in an extremely cold tone, "I started to suspect you last night after I was attacked at your house for a dinner."
"Because apart from you, Uncle Gong, and Jian Gong, there is no way anyone else would know where I was last night!"
How did Toyotomi Nobuhide know that she happened to be in Osaka during this period?
How did Toyotomi Nobuhide know where she was last night?
Lin has been thinking about these two questions since the brief meeting and conversation with Toyotomi Nobuhide.
These two questions...are not difficult to think about.
The only explanation Lin could think of for these two questions was that someone betrayed her and revealed her whereabouts to Toyotomi Nobuhide.
So... who betrayed her?
Genichi, Mamiya, Makimura, Asai and the others are the people that Lin can give all her heart to and can trust 100%.
Shimada had only been in their Gourd House for a short time, so Lin didn't trust him 100%.
However - although she has not yet given Shimada complete trust, after a short period of time with Shimada, Lin has also gained a general understanding of Shimada's character.
He is a child who is consistent in appearance and heart.
Although he is still an unreliable person due to various reasons such as lack of social experience, he is definitely not a bad boy.
Lin also didn't believe that Shimada would betray him.
It turned out that none of her core subordinates would betray her...so there was only one suspicious candidate left...
This person is not her core subordinate. Strictly speaking, her relationship with him can only be regarded as a close partner...
Not only did he know that Lin was in Osaka during this period of time, but he also knew that Lin was in Osaka during this period of time.
He also knows Lin's whereabouts last night better than anyone else...
Because it was he who invited Lin to a dinner at his mansion last night!
Lin cast a sharp gaze at the traitor in front of her, like the dazzling sunlight at noon.
Yukimura didn't dare to meet such a gaze, and he turned his eyes away slightly uncontrollably, not daring to look at Lin again.
"...What?" Lin's tone contained undisguised sarcasm, "You don't dare to look me in the eye?"
Although he was ruthless in his words.
But a hint of sadness involuntarily emerged in Lin's eyes.
Yukimura, who was now pointing a flintlock rifle at her, had received a lot of help and training from her, and had become a tycoon who could call the shots in Osaka.
Although he is not her core subordinate like Mamiya and others, Lin has always trusted him quite a lot.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have thought of asking Yukimura for help first when he wanted to investigate the "Kansai Disappearance Case".
Being betrayed by someone she trusted... The blow and impact of this incident made Lin temporarily forget the pain caused by seasickness.
"...Ms. Lin..." Just now, Yukimura just didn't dare to look directly at Lin, but now - he didn't even dare to face Lin's face.
He pursed his lips and turned his face slightly to the right, allowing Lin to only see his profile.
"Ms. Lin... I... I also have my own difficulties..."
"If possible, I really don't want to use force against you..."
"So... could you please surrender?"
"Ha..." Lin sneered blatantly, "You're the one who's so cruel as to betray my trust, and you're telling me you don't want to use violence against me?"
"...I'm serious." Yukimura's tone became more serious, "Ms. Lin, I know what kind of person you are."
"Since you met me, you have been thinking about how to kill me and get out of this predicament, right?"
"You've helped me a lot in the past. Without your help, I wouldn't be where I am today... I really don't want to pull the trigger on you..."
"But if you insist on resisting..."
Yukimura did not say anything else, but just silently clenched the gun in his hand.
Lin's expression became more serious at this moment: "You also know that without me, you wouldn't be where you are today..."
Lin was still sneering at Yukimura mercilessly.
But she was growling in worry in her heart:
——Tsk... this distance... is really annoying...
What Yukimura just said was absolutely correct.
Ever since meeting Yukimura, Lin has been thinking about how to quickly kill Yukimura and escape.
When she was confronting Yukimura just now, she had repeatedly checked the distance between her and Yukimura, as well as the tools she could use at hand countless times.
According to her visual estimation, the distance between her and Yukimura was about 8 steps.
This distance... is quite embarrassing for Lin who is in poor physical condition...
For Lin now, this is not a distance that can be crossed immediately.
If she couldn't kill Yukimura with such swiftness that Yukimura couldn't react... then the flintlock in Yukimura's hand would probably leave a hole in her body...
Lin thought hard about whether there was any way to knock Yukimura down quickly.
But at this moment——
"Finally I found you. Fortunately I heard some strange noises coming from here just now... Oh? Yukimura, you are here too. Haha, I was thinking of not letting you meet Xiaolin. After all, letting you meet Xiaolin would be too cruel to her."
It was as if the back was suddenly stabbed by the sharp tip of a gun... Lin heard the voice she least wanted to hear from behind her...
Lin's expression changed drastically. With an expression so gloomy that it seemed as if water was about to drip out, she slowly turned her head and looked behind her... in the direction where the male voice just now came from.
Behind her, Toyotomi Nobuhide, with an intriguing smile on his face, slowly walked towards her.
He did not bring any attendants or followers with him.
He walked slowly towards Lin alone.
Snap, snap, snap…
The sound of Toyotomi Nobuhide's footsteps, neither light nor heavy, was like a heavy hammer, hitting Lin's heart again and again, causing beads of cold sweat to roll down her cheeks and nose.
At this time, Lin caught a glimpse of Toyotomi Nobuhide holding two things in his left hand that were very familiar to Lin.
She looked carefully - the object held in Toyotomi Nobuhide's left hand was exactly her swords: Uchitana Enma and Wakizashi Fukishin.
"Lord Toyotomi..." After seeing Toyotomi Nobuhide, Yukimura's face showed a hint of panic. He hurriedly explained to Toyotomi Nobuhide, "I was staying in my room just now."
"After hearing what sounded like a fight outside, I came out with weapons to check the situation."
"Then I met Lin Xiao..."
Before Yukimura could finish his words, Toyotomi Nobuhide raised his hand to signal him not to say any more.
"Okay, Yukimura, put away your muskets and retreat." Toyotomi Nobuhide didn't even look at Yukimura, and ordered him, "Leave the rest to me."
"Yes..." Yukimura nodded vigorously, then put away the flintlock in his hand and stepped aside.
After sending Yukimura away, Toyotomi Nobuhide glanced at the brocade box at Lin's feet.
"Are you planning to take this thing with you... Haha, that's exactly what I expected... After I found out that you managed to escape, I guessed that you would definitely take this brocade box with you."
At this moment, Toyotomi Nobuhide's mouth curled up in an arc that was unclear whether it was praise or mockery.
"Should I say you are worthy of being my sister? It's amazing that you were able to escape successfully under such circumstances."
After saying that, Toyotomi Nobuhide swung the Yama and Zhen Keishin in his left hand hard and threw them to Lin's feet.
"...What are you doing?" After lowering her eyes to glance at her sword at her feet, Lin continued to stare at Toyotomi Nobuhide with a look as if she wanted to kill him.
"Well...just consider it as a reward for you." Toyotomi Nobuhide smiled and shrugged, "Although your escape caused me a lot of trouble."
"But I still have to give you a very high evaluation for your wisdom and ability to escape from my imprisonment."
“I admire people who take action the most.”
"If I didn't need to throw you into Kandajosui, I would have wanted to take you in."
"So - in view of your intelligence and initiative, I will give you a small reward."
"I just found these two swords for you."
Toyotomi Nobuhide maintained a meaningful smile on his face, raised his hand and slowly pulled out the Yoshimitsu bone food from his waist.
"Now, I'll give you a chance."
"Come at me."
"If you can defeat me, I will set you free."
As he finished speaking, Toyotomi Nobuhide had just pulled out all the Yoshimitsu bones from his waist.
The moment the blade was completely unsheathed, Toyotomi Nobuhide swung the sword downward heavily.
call!
The wind pressure caused by the swing of the sword caused the hem of the haori embroidered with "Taikoku Paulownia" on Toyotomi Nobuhide's body to sway slightly in the wind.
Is it because the boat isn't shaking as much?
Or is it because all attention is now attracted to Toyotomi Nobuhide?
In short - no matter what, Lin felt that the "urge to vomit" that had been tormenting her since the ship set sail had finally completely subsided.
She didn't say a word to Toyotomi Nobuhide.
She just silently picked up Yama and Zhenguishen at her feet, put them on her right waist, then drew out her two swords, raised them, and got ready for the Muga Two-Sword Style.
Looking at Lin who had remained silent, Toyotomi Nobuhide couldn't help but raise his eyebrows out of curiosity.
"Don't you want to say something?"
"...I have nothing to say to you." She replied coldly.
After saying that, Linru broke free from the arrow bound by the bowstring and rushed straight towards Toyotomi Nobuhide.
In my current state... I guess there is no chance of defeating Toyotomi Nobuhide.
Lin was quite aware of this.
But even so, she rushed forward without any hesitation or confusion.
Although she didn't say a word to Toyotomi Nobuhide.
But the sword in her hand roared on her behalf towards this brother whose mind was twisted and who had lost all humanity!
"Nothing to say..." Toyotomi Nobuhide smiled, "Xiao Lin, you are still as unpleasant as ever..."
After saying this, Toyotomi Nobuhide slowly placed Yoshimitsu's bone food... in front of him...
…
…
Gourd Ball, on the open deck——
"Look closer...it's really thick..."
Mamiya looked at the main mast of the Hulumaru in front of him, which was so big that even an adult would have difficulty hugging it, and sighed in a way that only he could hear.
At this moment, Mamiya and Genichi were standing under the mainmast in the center of the gourd.
From a distance, you can't clearly see the size and thickness of the mainmast.
Only when you get closer can you really feel what a "wooden pillar" tens of meters high means.
"...Mamiya, is it possible?" Genichi asked.
"It's possible."
Mamiya turned his head with a sharp gaze to his left, looking at Hikimaru who was walking side by side with Hurushimaru.
"The distance between the two ships... is only about 40 meters."
"The height of the main mast of this Huluwan is conservatively estimated to be 45 meters."
"As long as we cut off the main mast of the Hulu Maru, and then let the broken main mast fall towards the nearby Hikari Maru, we can build a 'bridge' connecting the two ships."
"This way, we don't have to jump into the sea and swim to get on the Hikari Maru. This can save a lot of time and energy."
"Mamiya, I'm not asking if we can build a bridge connecting the two ships after cutting off this mainmast."
Yuan Yi raised his hand and patted the main mast in front of him, which he couldn't hug completely even if he tried.
"I'm asking you - do you have a way to cut off this mainmast?"
Genichi changed his tone to a half-joking helpless one.
"This size... even if I were to cut it, I might not be able to cut it off."
"Ogata-kun probably can't cut down the mainmast."
"After all, to cut off something of this size... it's not enough to just rely on strength."
"It requires both strength and the 'cutting' skills that have been honed and accumulated over a long period of time."
"... Lord Genichi." Mamiya put on a nonchalant smile, as if he had let go of the past.
He raised his head and looked at the top of the mainmast that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see.
"My original name... is Yamada Asaemon Yoshitsune."
Mamiya raised his left hand and pressed the Vairocana sword guard on his left waist.
"To hone 'Zaimono' to the extreme, to cut through things that ordinary people cannot cut - this is Yamada Asaemon... and it is also my swordsmanship."
"Leave it to me, Master Genichi."
Mamiya slowly withdrew his gaze from the top of the mainmast.
"I'll help you cut off the mainmast!"
"I will do my best to pave the way for you to board the Hikari Maru!"
Yuan opened his eyes slightly and looked Mamiya up and down several times as if he was looking at a stranger.
"……I see."
A relieved smile appeared on Genichi's lips.
"Mamiya, you seem to be very different from when you first joined Calabash House."
"Okay, then just go ahead and do it!"
"Do as you wish!"
As soon as Yuan Yi finished speaking——
"Don't back down! Don't back down!"
“Kill—!”
Not far behind the two men, several crew members who still had the will and fighting spirit to fight were charging at the old man and the young man with their weapons raised.
"I'll help you eliminate those who might get in your way." Genichi raised his sword and slowly walked towards the newly emerged group of enemies. "You can just focus on how to cut off the mainmast."
"I won't give anyone the chance to come and disturb you."
"Thank you very much."
After simply thanking Genichi, Mamiya did not look at Genichi again, nor did he look at the enemies around him.
He confidently left his back to this great senior, and concentrated all his body and mind on the huge "wooden pillar" in front of him... a huge "wooden pillar" that would make all the swordsmen in the world feel despair when they saw it.
——Okay... enough of the nice words...
Mamiya smiled bitterly and slowly clenched his left hand that was resting on the sword guard.
—Cut off the mainmast...If I can succeed, I will have truly surpassed my father.
——Even my father had never cut off an object of such an outrageous size.
When he was young, he followed his father Wenxian to learn swordsmanship. Wenxian demonstrated to Mamiya several times how he used his well-honed sword skills to cut a tree in half with one stroke, even a tree that required an adult's hands to hold.
Wen Xian... has mastered the art of "how to cut things" to perfection.
In terms of overall swordsmanship level, Mamiya dared to conclude that his father was far inferior to Genichi.
But when it comes to how to cut things off... Mamiya feels that Wenxian, who has spent his entire life honing his skills in "cutting things off", might be slightly better than Genichi...
After all, this is the swordsmanship of their Yamada Asaemon - ever since they were able to hold a sword, they have been honing the art of "cutting things".
——A wooden object of this size would be difficult to cut even for Genichi and Ogata-kun.
——The only person who has a chance to cut off the mainmast is me, who has been practicing the 'art of cutting things' since I can remember.
Mamiya felt as if a large iron ball was stuffed in his chest.
The huge pressure of "only I can do this kind of thing" and "there is no time and no conditions for him to slowly rely on the source of breathing to enter the state of selflessness, I can only bite the bullet in my current state" made Mamiya feel that his body seemed to have become several times heavier.
Mamiya took a deep breath, and while slowly exhaling the air, he slowly lowered his body center of gravity and slowly placed his right hand on the hilt of Vairocana's sword. His left hand, which had been pressed on the guard of the sword, used his thumb to press against the guard and pushed forward, pushing the blade of Vairocana out about an inch.
——Don’t be confused, confusion will only make the knife dull...
——We must...rescue the lord!
Mamiya kept repeating in his heart the teachings given to him by his father, which were also the teachings that enabled him to win the previous "father-son duel".
He recited this teaching over and over again.
The reason why Mamiya has such a terrifying learning ability of "being able to learn anything at a glance" is inseparable from his concentration. He can adjust his concentration to the state of "a deer rising on the left without blinking" in just a moment.
After silently repeating "Don't be confused" several times in his mind, Mamiya felt like he was on a calm lake.
The ears can still pick up the surrounding sounds, but the brain has automatically blocked them out.
There was nothing for the eyes to see except the mainmast before them.
Attention has reached its peak.
But Mamiya's hand... was unable to pull Vairocana out.
No.
It is not that Vairocana cannot be pulled out.
But he was not determined to pull out Vairocana...
Even though he has concentrated his attention to the utmost... all kinds of distracting thoughts still emerge uncontrollably from the bottom of Mamiya's mind.
——Now I... can I really cut an object of this size into pieces and accomplish... a feat that even my father has never accomplished...?
A few drops of anxious cold sweat oozed from Mamiya's forehead.
He didn't want such negative thoughts in his mind...
But no matter how he tried to eliminate and ignore these negative thoughts, they were like water in a pipe - if you blocked one end, it would come out from the other end...
While Genichi was helping Mamiya clear away all obstacles that might disturb him, he was also carefully observing Mamiya's current condition.
After clearly noticing that Mamiya's aura seemed to have weakened, Genichi frowned slightly...
“…Mamiya!”
Mamiya, who was concentrating all his energy on eliminating distracting thoughts, suddenly heard Genichi's call.
He turned his head and cast a surprised look at Yuan Yi who was not far away.
"Just do it!" Genichi smiled softly at Mamiya from a distance, "You have changed a lot compared to before."
"You now might be able to do what your former self...even what your father couldn't do!"
As soon as Genichi finished shouting this, he saw another person rushing towards him with a weapon raised high. Genichi had to withdraw his gaze from Mamiya and continue to focus all his energy on helping Mamiya clear the obstacles.
——Compared to before, I have changed a lot...?
At this moment, Mamiya suddenly remembered that just now, Genichi had said something similar to him:
(Mamiya, you seem to be very different from when you first joined Calabash House.)
——Different...what's different? Strength?
Mamiya slowly turned his gaze back to the mainmast in front of him.
--etc……
——I seem to have heard something similar before...
…
(What's your name? Kuro Mamiya? It's a cool name. You said you're homeless and have nowhere to go, so would you like to come and work for me? Can you use an abacus? I just need someone who can keep accounts. Not very good? That's okay, you'll be proficient soon.)
…
(Huh? You’re from the Yamada Asaemon family? Hmm… so what? It doesn’t matter who you are, just get back to work. Your hands are slowing down when using the abacus!)
…
(Wow, I hired you on a whim, but I never expected that I would hire such an incredible subordinate... I really owe you a lot to you these past few months. This is the first time I have seen such a beautiful account book.)
…
(Jiulang, I'm going to the Northeast soon. You know what that place is. So for the sake of safety, I decided to bring someone with me. Are you interested in going to the Northeast with me? Huh? You only learned how to 'cut things' before, but never learned how to protect people? That's perfect. You can take this opportunity to learn how to use the sword in other ways besides 'cutting things'. Don't you like learning things the most?)
…
(Hmm... Jiulang, you seem to have changed a bit since you first started working for me. Huh? What's changed? Hmm... your expression is softer?)
…
…
There were no images, only fragments that quickly flashed through Mamiya's mind.
His shoulders, which were tense from being ready to draw his sword at any moment, slowly...relaxed after this string of memories flashed through Mamiya's mind.
——Should we say, "As expected of a relative"? They both said the same thing...
——Not only have I said similar things, but I also never finished my sentences. How exactly am I different from before?
Although he was complaining quietly in his heart, a faint smile appeared on the corner of Mamiya's mouth... at this moment.
——Forget it, I don’t want to think about these messy things anymore.
——For now, let’s just focus on cutting this big thing off quickly.
Mamiya took a deep breath, straightened his shoulders again and lowered his center of gravity.
Just as his body tensed up again, Mamiya suddenly realized that there were no more distracting thoughts in his mind.
At the same time, Mamiya was surprised to see a "flying swallow" flying in front of him.
He recognized it at a glance: this was the flying swallow he had chopped down.
At the beginning, he added his own understanding to the sword techniques passed down from generation to generation in the Yamada Asaemon family and created a new school that was unique to him.
The first object he cut down using the secret of his new style was a flying swallow.
This is also the origin of the name of his school: "Fei Yan Zanshin-ryu".
He painstakingly honed a new sword technique and the day he killed Feiyan was exactly the day before he promised Lin that he would accompany her to the Northeast!
Looking at the "Fei Yan" who suddenly appeared in front of , the faint smile that had been hanging on Mamiya's mouth since just now became more nostalgic and indifferent.
He closed his eyes.
The vision was obscured by darkness.
Although the eyes are closed, the heart is not closed.
He felt like he was back in those woods, back to the day when he tried to cut down Feiyan.
How am I different now compared to before?
I totally don't understand.
But I have to evaluate my own changes.
That should mean knowing how to swing a knife to kill something in order to protect someone!
Take a deep breath.
Step forward and raise your right hand suddenly——
Feiyan Zanshin-ryu
Secret
moment!
Flying Swallow! Come down!
…
…
CRACK——!
Genichi heard the harsh sound of wood breaking behind him.
Turn around and look.
He saw a purple sword light, which seemed to connect heaven and earth!
Many raindrops around Mamiya were blown back into the air by the powerful sword force!
In front of Mamiya, who was maintaining a sword-drawing stance, was a mainmast that had been cut diagonally in half with a very smooth cut.
The broken mainmast groaned as it slowly fell towards the Hikari Maru not far away!
"Yamada Asaemon Yoshitsune..." Genichi smiled with satisfaction, "You have already surpassed your father...!"