How smart is Mamiya?
How could he not know that what Ogata had just said, "Facing this guy as an opponent... you can't increase your advantage simply by increasing the number of people," was just a euphemism for "You guys are of no use staying here."
However, he was not displeased by what Ogata had just said.
He always puts the overall situation first and does not care about trivial matters such as personal gains and losses - this character of Mamiya is one of the most important reasons why everyone in Huluwu trusts him so much.
If he would be unhappy about such things, he would not be Mamiya.
Not only did Mamiya not feel displeased, he also thought very seriously about the instructions that Ogata had just given him.
"Ogata-kun," Mamiya asked softly, "Are you sure you can defeat Toyotomi Nobuhide?"
“…Mamiya.”
Ogata smiled slightly.
The young man wearing a haori embroidered with bellflower patterns did not answer Mamiya's question.
Instead, he asked Mamiya:
"Will you trust my sword?"
"...I understand." After a moment of silence, Mamiya smiled and said, "Makino and I will lead the lord and Master Genichi to a safe retreat."
"Ogata-kun, I wish you good luck in martial arts."
Mamiya stretched out his left hand that was not holding the sword and took Genichi from Ogata's arms.
"Makimura! Come with me!" Mamiya supported Genichi and walked quickly towards where Makimura was.
Da da da da da…
At this time, the sound of dense footsteps was heard.
It was the troops sent by Kasuga Bee to reinforce the open deck and block Mamiya and Makimura.
Mamiya and Makimura now each hold someone in their arms.
Mu Cun was fine. Lin's petite body was no different from a large doll to Mu Cun, who was nearly 1.9 meters tall.
Mamiya was having a hard time since Genichi and he were about the same height, so supporting him was a little difficult.
Both of them had people they needed to protect in their arms, and it was extremely inconvenient for them to move. So when they saw the enemy reinforcements coming, they did not fight to the end, but retreated while fighting.
A small number of reinforcements sent by Kasuga were unaware of the order "Do not interfere in Toyotomi's battle", and when they saw Ogata and Toyotomi confronting each other, they were about to come over to help.
But before they came over, Toyotomi shouted at them to leave:
"Everyone, retreat! If you come over here, you will only get yourself killed and get in the way! Everyone, retreat!"
Toyotomi's scolding made the troops who wanted to come over to help shrink their necks and retreat quickly, turning to chase after the retreating Mamiya Hemu Village with the rest of their companions.
"…Take the initiative to get those who are no longer useful and will only cause trouble to leave here." Toyotomi sneered at Ogata in front of him. "It's a smart choice."
"The young man with glasses just now was very sensible. He didn't argue with you unnecessarily and immediately led his men to evacuate."
Toyotomi did not chase after Mamiya and Makimura who had evacuated with Genichi and the important Rin - because he was sure that as long as he went after Mamiya and Makimura, as soon as he took half a step, Obe would immediately block him.
"Yes." Glancing at the direction where Mamiya and the others left, Ogata said calmly after confirming that they were far away, "If I don't do this, how can I let go and chop you?"
Before he finished speaking, Ogata took a deep breath, exerted all his strength in his feet and back, and threw himself towards Toyotomi. Using the forward momentum brought by the throw, he swung the two swords in his hands and slashed at Toyotomi.
Without any warning or any greeting, Ogata took the initiative to restart the confrontation with Toyotomi.
Toyotomi lifted Yoshimitsu Boneshoku up to block Ogata's attack.
"Before the critical moment comes, there are always accidents... Now even Xiaolin has been taken away..."
Toyotomi whispered in a voice that only he could hear.
"I'm really... fed up..."
Dark clouds with thunder hidden in them appeared little by little on Yu Fengchen's cheeks...
A hint of ferocity and madness appeared in his eyes...
With a tiny, imperceptible movement, he glanced at the mainmast not far away.
To be more precise - I glanced at the figure sitting on the main mast lookout...
"After all this time, you still want to gamble your life..." He muttered in a voice that only he could hear.
…
…
Hikari Maru, ammunition depot No. 1—
The shiny bald head, old face and slightly plain robes that represent the identity of a monk - it was none other than the monk Xianyuan who contributed greatly to Toyotomi's great cause of "reviving Toyotomi".
In the old monk's right hand, he was holding a small flintlock pistol.
The muzzle of the gun was pointed directly at Kikutaro, and a faint smoke wafted out of the muzzle.
It was the flintlock pistol in Master Xianyuan's hand that made a hole in Kikutaro's belly.
——Why... is Master Xianyuan here...? !
This was the first thought that popped into Kikutaro's mind after meeting Master Xianyuan.
Why did Master Xianyuan, a monk, appear in the No. 1 ammunition depot?
While Kikutaro was still surprised at why the monk Sengen, who was almost inseparable from Toyotomi, was here, Sengen said to him in a cold tone:
"Kikutaro, you can't do this."
"How can you come to the ammunition depot and steal muskets when everyone is working together to overcome difficulties?"
"Is it because after entering the ammunition depot, you saw rows of flintlock rifles and became too careless to take precautions?"
"Or is it because of seasickness that your senses have become dulled?"
"It wasn't until I pointed my rifle at you that you realized you weren't the only one here."
"That's a great help. If you had found me as soon as you entered the ammunition depot, I really wouldn't know what to do with you."
"After all, my shooting skills are not that outstanding."
“…Master…Xianyuan…” Kikutaro, blood trickling down his mouth as soon as he opened it, said with difficulty, “Why…are you…here…?!”
While questioning the monk in front of him, he quietly checked his own injuries.
The bullet hit his right side abdomen.
According to his initial assessment... the bullet that hit his abdomen directly smashed his soft intestines into pieces... and his stomach was also slightly damaged.
The tearing of his stomach and intestines caused Kikutaro so much pain that he became somewhat unconscious.
The soft abdomen, which has no bones to protect it and is full of organs, is undoubtedly one of the most vulnerable parts of the human body.
If this part is severely damaged, the person will basically lose the ability to fight.
Kikutaro now felt that all the strength in his body was draining out through the wound on his abdomen. He was unconscious and even speaking became difficult.
“…I’ve always been here.”
Master Xianyuan's tone remained cold.
"I am here because I am ready to complete the important task that Lord Toyotomi has given me."
"Kikutaro, I just clearly heard the fighting outside. Did you kill all the guards outside the ammunition depot?"
"You showed up here at this time... Kikutaro, the explosion at the No. 2 ammunition depot just now, could it be that you have something to do with it?"
Having said this, Master Xianyuan paused.
After a while, I heard him continue:
"...Under normal circumstances, I would not let a traitor like you die so easily. I would have to interrogate you thoroughly to see if you were responsible for the explosion of ammunition depot B. I would also have to find out what you really wanted and whether you had any accomplices."
"But the situation is special right now... I don't have the time to leave you aside and slowly deal with you, the traitor, later."
"Really? I have to...waste one more bullet."
After saying this, Master Xianyuan put the flintlock pistol that had just shot through Kikutaro's stomach back into his robes.
I saw his right hand fiddling around inside his robes for a while.
When he finally stretched his hand out from his robes... a brand new flintlock pistol appeared in his right hand.
Master Xianyuan didn't say anything more to Kikutaro.
He just silently raised the brand new pistol in his hand that had never been fired and pointed it at Kikutaro's chest.
“Wait a minute!”
Looking at the short gun in Master Xianyuan's hand that was flashing with bright silver light, fear flashed on Kikutaro's face and eyes like a wild beast out of control, as he was unable to move.
"Please, spare me, spare me!"
Driven by the desire to survive, Kikutaro even spoke much more fluently.
"Master, you are a monk, aren't you? If you kill, you won't be able to go to the Pure Land..."
Bang!
Before Kikutaro could even utter a few words to beg for mercy, the sound of a cork popping out of a bottle began again...
Faced with Kikutaro's plea for mercy, Master Xianyuan pulled the trigger without any hesitation.
The scorching bullet flew out of the gun barrel and pierced Kikutaro's chest.
Although Kikutaro's plea for mercy did not make Master Xianyuan hesitate for a moment, it did move the old monk slightly - the corners of his mouth curled up slightly because he was amused.
"The Pure Land of Bliss..."
With a slightly raised corner of his mouth and a strange smile on his face, Master Xianyuan slowly put down the short gun in his hand that was still emitting smoke.
He said in a calm, unhurried tone:
"Since I decided to live and die with Lord Toyotomi, and vowed to build a world where Buddhism spreads between heaven and earth, I have been prepared to suffer endless torture in the eighteen levels of hell after my death."
After the gunshot and the sharp pain in his chest, Kikutaro felt as if he was having trouble breathing.
No matter how hard I inhaled, I felt like I couldn't get any air into my lungs.
He knew that his lungs must have been shattered.
After the stomach and intestines, the lungs were also smashed by the short gun... This is an injury that cannot be cured by medicine in this era...
A sense of unreality lingered in Kikutaro's mind.
He was just fantasizing about escaping successfully, then selling these flintlock rifles on the black market and exchanging them for a bright future of huge wealth that would last for decades.
As a result, in just a moment, he was shot twice and fell to the ground dying.
The huge gap and the overly rapid changes made Kikutaro feel a sense of unreality, as if he was floating in the clouds and dreaming.
The speed at which strength was lost increased several times after a hole was opened in the chest.
Just now I could barely move my hands and feet, but now... the only part that can still move is my tongue.
——If... I hadn't come here... to steal the cannon... but had just jumped into the sea and escaped... would I not have ended up like this...?
——I just want to make some money and stay away from this life-threatening business...
Kikutaro asked himself this question in his heart.
Fear, resentment, unwillingness, regret...all kinds of negative emotions were churning in Kikutaro's mind.
All these negative emotions eventually mixed into grief and anger.
Driven by this grief and indignation, he raised his eyes and stared at the old monk in front of him who had shattered his dream.
"To establish...a world where Buddhism spreads throughout the heavens and the earth...?" He tried hard to move his tongue and repeated in a mocking tone what Master Xianyuan had just said.
Filled with grief and indignation with nowhere to vent, he concentrated all the remaining strength in his body on his lips and tongue.
"It's so funny..."
Kikutaro tried hard to pull up the corners of his mouth, creating a smile that was as sarcastic as possible.
"You... in Toyotomi Nobuhide's eyes... might just be a consumable!"
"Bullshit...spreading Buddhism...! After the Toyotomi Empire is rebuilt...I will help you support Buddhism? You don't really believe all of Toyotomi Nobuhide's words, do you?!"
"You tried your best to help Toyotomi Nobuhide... When Toyotomi's world is truly rebuilt... Toyotomi Nobuhide might immediately kick you aside...!"
"Anyone with a little ambition...would never tolerate a bunch of Buddhists like you becoming so powerful!"
"Do you think it's possible to make Japan return to... the Heian era hundreds of years ago?!"
[Note: The Heian Period (794-1192) in Japan. In 794, Japan moved its capital to Heian-kyō (now Kyoto). Therefore, the 400 years from the move of the capital to Heian-kyō to the successful establishment of the first shogunate, the Kamakura shogunate, by the Genji samurai group was defined as the "Heian Period". The Buddhist forces of this era were quite powerful, and the imperial court had to act according to their wishes.]
Kikutaro cursed and mocked Master Xianyuan with an attitude of not caring about anything.
Pouring all his grief and indignation onto Master Xianyuan - this is the only channel that Kikutaro can vent his emotions at the moment, and it is also Kikutaro's only means of fighting back against Master Xianyuan.
He mocked, abused, was afraid, regretted, and was puzzled...
Blood flowed from the corners of his mouth.
Tears flowed drop by drop from the corners of his eyes.
After shouting out one last mocking sentence to Master Xianyuan with all his might, he no longer had the strength to shout louder.
His head drooped, and his consciousness gradually separated from his body.
Master Xianyuan had been listening to Kikutaro's outburst with an expressionless face.
After Kikutaro had completely lost the strength to shout, Master Xianyuan put the short gun in his hand, which was empty of bullets, back into his robes.
At the last moment of his life, the last scene that appeared before Kikutaro's eyes was... Master Xianyuan who had retracted his short gun, with his hands clasped together, his eyes half closed, and a smile on his cheeks.
After Master Xianyuan put his hands together, the atmosphere around him... seemed to have a more tranquil and sacred atmosphere.
At this time, Master Xianyuan did not seem like a "loyal and capable subordinate who served Toyotomi wholeheartedly."
More like a "saint with devout faith".
"...Yes." The Saint said softly, "Of course I know: Even if I succeed in helping Toyotomi-sama ascend to the throne of the world, I will most likely be abandoned by Toyotomi-sama because the bird is dead and the bow is hidden."
"But——I'm ready."
A peaceful and determined smile bloomed on the saint's face.
"Even if Toyotomi-sama will most likely abandon me in the future."
"But as long as Lord Toyotomi is still alive, I am willing to believe in this young man who gave me hope to realize my ideals."
"As long as the lofty ideal of 'spreading Buddhism' is realized, there is still a glimmer of possibility."
"I am willing to die for this ideal."
For some reason, Master Xianyuan emphasized the phrase "broken into pieces".
Listening to Master Xianyuan's calm confession, Kikutaro's eyes slowly showed a hint of astonishment.
"...Heh..." Kikutaro used up all his remaining strength and murmured with his head drooping, "You and...Toyotomi Nobuhide...are both crazy..."
Sound falls——
Snap…
Kikutaro's head tilted to the side and hit the wall of the ship behind him.
Completely silent.
One more person who witnessed the end of Shiranui is missing...
…
…
Nikki Maru, on the open deck——
The sound of Toyotomi's troops chasing Mamiya and Makimura gradually faded away - Ogata was still very confident about Mamiya and Makimura.
He believed that the two of them would be able to safely bring Yuanyi and Lin back to shore.
There were no longer any companions on the open deck, and there was no one for Toyotomi to hold hostage.
Without any hostages for Toyotomi to hold, Ogata was finally able to let go and launch the most fierce attack on the demon before him.
After the attempt to hold Genichi hostage failed, Ogata and Toyotomi resumed their fierce attack and defense.
Everything was exactly the same as in the previous battle.
The advantages of both sides are the same - Ogata, who has the upper hand in both physical functions and skills, has an absolute advantage.
The situation on the battlefield was the same - Ogata attacked, Toyotomi defended. Ogata maintained a fierce offensive, forcing Toyotomi to focus on defending key areas such as his head.
The expressions of the two were the same as before - Ogata, who was not willing to let his guard down, had a tense face. On the other hand, Toyotomi, who was clearly on the verge of defeat, had .
Swish - after Ogata used Daishizai to trick Toyotomi, he slashed Daishiten at Toyotomi's forehead. Toyotomi tilted his head back in time, allowing Daishiten's knife tip to cut the flesh on his forehead.
"Hey..." Toyotomi grinned slightly, stretched out his scarlet tongue, and licked the blood that flowed from his broken forehead to the corner of his mouth, "You really don't even give me a chance to breathe..."
"Ogata Ittosai, let me guess - the reason why you launched such an urgent attack on me is because you are afraid that I will take advantage of the opportunity to eat something that can enhance my strength, just like I did when I fought with Kinoshita Genichi before, right?"
"Genichi Kinoshita should have told you just now: I ate something to survive his fatal blow."
Although Toyotomi was severely beaten by Ogata, he still had time to speak.
Faced with Toyotomi who suddenly spoke to him, Ogata ignored him and continued to launch wave after wave of attacks against him.
Ogata ignored him, and Toyotomi didn't seem to want Ogata to talk to him. He continued to defend against Ogata's fierce attack while speaking calmly:
"If you're worried that I'll eat something else to increase my strength, then there's no need to worry."
"That was my miscalculation. I didn't bring enough meat with me. I ate all of it during the fight with Kinoshita Genichi just now."
——Meat slices?
The word "slice of meat" uttered by Toyotomi made Ogata's eyes jump slightly.
"You and Kinoshita Genichi are much more troublesome than I expected."
"It's been a long time since I've been forced into such a desperate situation."
Swish—Ogata's blade cut another big gash on Toyotomi's face, spreading from the left corner of his mouth to the right corner of his eye.
Ogata's blade never stopped or delayed its attack on Toyotomi.
The blade continued to swing out, leaving one wound after another on Toyotomi's body.
But... no matter how horrific the wounds on his body were, Toyotomi still looked calm. No matter how many wounds Ogata's sword cut on his body, he continued to smile calmly.
Seeing Toyotomi's expression, Ogata couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly.
There was still some calmness on his face - Toyotomi's expression made Ogata think:
——Does he have any other tricks up his sleeve?
Although he was doubting in his heart whether Toyotomi had any other tricks up his sleeve, which led to his current expression, there was nothing else Ogata could do except to continue his fierce attack on Toyotomi.
"Ogata Ittosai."
After Toyotomi dodged Ogata's attack, he suddenly asked Ogata a question that seemed completely unrelated to the current battle:
"Do you know how I was able to possess such a huge power at such a young age and have so many heroes willing to fight for me?"
Woohoo—Ogata happened to be launching a new round of attacks on Toyotomi at this time.
Daishizai attacked Toyotomi from the bottom lane, while Daishiten charged towards Toyotomi from the middle gate, and the atmosphere was filled with a roar.
Toyotomi raised his fortune and opened up the way for the great freedom that was advancing from the upper road.
Then... he made a move that made Ogata's pupils shrink slightly.
Facing the great Shi Tian who was stabbing from the middle gate, he did not raise his sword to defend himself, nor did he dodge sideways.
Instead, he raised his left hand, spread out his five fingers, and grabbed at the tip of the Da Shi Tian knife that was stabbing at him!
Phew!
Daishakuten, who could cut through iron like mud, pierced through Toyotomi's left palm easily as if he were piercing through thin paper.
The palm of his left hand was pierced through - there was no sign of pain on Toyotomi's face.
Instead, I saw a smile on his face.
The corners of Toyotomi's mouth were raised to an exaggerated degree, revealing his white teeth. His eyes were also squeezed into "crescent moons" with a strange arc due to the sharp rise in the corners of his mouth.
With a smile full of madness on his face, Toyotomi swung his right hand and slashed at Ogata's legs from the bottom with his sword.
Daishakuten was still inserted in Toyotomi's left palm, but the length of Daishakuten in his left hand was too short, making it a little difficult to defend against attacks from the bottom. Therefore, Ogata could only retreat half a step to dodge.
After Odaka dodged backwards, Toyotomi pulled his left hand back and removed his left palm from Daishikatsu's sword.
Immediately afterwards... Toyotomi swung his bloody left hand upwards heavily and raised his left palm high above his head.
Blood splashed everywhere with the raindrops, soaking Toyotomi all over.
And the next moment when Toyotomi raised his pierced left palm high—
call out--!
A firework flew out from the observation deck of the main mast of the Hikari Maru, flying straight into the sky with a piercing sound.
Looking at the fireworks soaring up from the mast, Ogata was stunned.
--fireworks……?!
As soon as his eyes swept towards the fireworks that suddenly appeared, he heard the demon in front of him... with a crazy smile on his face, grinning and whispering to him:
"Ogata Ittosai."
"Let's see whether you can survive... or I can survive..."
"If we don't survive... then let's fight again in Hades...!"
As soon as the words fell——
The blinding red light gathered on the Hikari Maru all at once.
This ever-changing red light continued to expand and stretched to cover most of the hull of the Hikari Maru.
Then...
Boom boom boom——!
The deafening explosion instantly drowned out the sound of wind and rain!
The explosion first occurred in the cabin of the Hikari Maru, and then the powerful shock wave swept across most of the ship!
The flames spread rapidly in all directions along with the shock wave.
Debris flew and flames rose.
The warship that was just sailing on the sea with an arrogant attitude turned into a terrifying fireship at this moment!