"Be mindful of the clan head's decree: In warfare, speed is paramount. Should there be refugees or afflicted patients on the island, show no leniency. Swiftly lure them to gather at the ferry dock, then sink their ship mid-journey. If questioned, blame the rebel forces, lest the minor [Tatarigami] disturb Her Excellency the Shogun's dominion over Tenshukaku."
"If unforeseen circumstances arise, employ the Divine Kamujima Cannon. Under no circumstances allow any witnesses to escape."
"Remember—let no word leak."
"The eternal path is vast, the Narukami everlasting!"
The bonfire that had brought joy to refugees just hours earlier now became the officer's perfect tool for destroying evidence.
Watching the envelope slowly turn to ash, the officer took a deep breath.
"Send the signal."
At his command, a subordinate fired a flare into the sky.
Seeing this, the soldiers aboard the ferry exchanged glances before entering the previously sealed lower decks.
Inside, aside from the piled sand and rocks, stood a group of bare-chested, burly men.
Upon receiving the signal, they immediately picked up their tools and began hacking at the ship's hull.
The rhythmic thud-thud of their work couldn't possibly go unnoticed by the refugees, yet no one paid it any mind.
After all, the madmen on the first floor had already seized the tools prepared for them by the Shogunate soldiers, smashing and pounding wildly in their rooms. To those above, the noise was just more insanity from below.
Meanwhile, a soldier armed with a blade approached Bai Luo's top-floor cabin.
Knock knock...
Hand gripping his weapon, the soldier's eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
His superiors had made it clear: the occupants here weren't refugees. Thus, there was no need for prolonged suffering—just send them on their way quickly.
Spare them undue agony.
The unspoken meaning? They paid extra.
The door opened, revealing Bai Luo's smiling face.
He didn't seem the least bit surprised by the soldier's visit.
Tossing a sunsettia in his hand, he offered it to the young man.
"Sunsettia. Sweet. Want one?"
The soldier ignored the fruit, abruptly drawing his blade with a snarl and slashing at Bai Luo.
The oil-paper umbrella at Bai Luo's waist transformed into a weapon in the blink of an eye.
With effortless grace, Bai Luo parried the strike.
"You—"
The soldier's eyes widened at the sight of the reverse-bladed sword. If intelligence hadn't failed him, the legendary Himura Battousai wielded precisely such a weapon.
But Bai Luo had no interest in conversation. A single strike to the neck sent the soldier crumpling unconscious.
Stepping over him, Bai Luo strode out alone. Behind him, Tatyana's hydro bindings already coiled around the fallen man.
Wasting no time, Bai Luo leaped straight from the top deck, landing flawlessly below.
The effects of One-Winged Angel nullified all fall damage.
After orienting himself, he followed a pre-planned route to the sealed hatch leading below.
The barricade was no match for him.
A single slash shattered the wooden door, exposing the bare-chested laborers within.
Water was already seeping into the hull, some areas ankle-deep. The added weight of sand and rocks accelerated the sinking.
"Stop him!"
These Shogunate soldiers were no fools. The situation was clear.
Several nearby men snatched up weapons and charged.
To their credit, battle-hardened soldiers were different. Their faces twisted with ferocity, blades gleaming like demons escaped from hell.
The sheer bloodlust in the air was palpable.
Fanatics weren't fearsome—they were cannon fodder.
But fanatics who survived war? That was another matter.
It meant they'd cheated death time and again. Not only were they fearless, their skills were undeniable.
Clang—
The force behind their strikes surpassed even the Ronin Bai Luo had faced.
Uppercuts, diagonal slashes, downward chops...
Their techniques were rudimentary—basic tachi forms, no different from what Bai Luo had taught Teppei.
But execution mattered.
Unlike Teppei, these men aimed solely for vitals. Their swings were wild, devoid of finesse.
As the saying went: Brute force overwhelms skill.
Even master swordsmen might fall to such "fool's swordsmanship."
Unfortunately... they faced Bai Luo.
Himura Battousai's role was that of an assassin—burst damage, seemingly single-target.
Yet aside from his ultimate, every skill... was AoE!
Shing—
Bai Luo sheathed his blade. Instantly, the charging soldiers froze, clutching their ears in pain.
Dragon's Roar Flash
A technique antithetical to iaijutsu—drawing the sword at blinding speed created ultrasonic waves to disorient foes.
Enhanced by the system, it could even disrupt elemental flow, silencing abilities.
For experts, a single moment was all it took to turn the tide.
Seizing the opening, Bai Luo lunged.
Every motion was precise. Even the seemingly casual sheathing motion perfectly impaled a soldier attempting to flank him.
This was Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū—a killing art designed solely for murder.
A style that elevated slaughter to artistry.
Aside from Dragon's Roar Flash, he used no system skills, relying purely on techniques internalized from his class.
Thus, every strike counted as a basic attack.
Yet each carried the weight of a skill.
The trade-off? None of the system abilities' secondary effects.
No silences, accuracy debuffs, or knockups.
The flooded hold soon lay strewn with groaning men, their bodies crisscrossed with non-lethal cuts.
Having cleared the area, Bai Luo sheathed his sword and headed upstairs.
Surely among the refugees were carpenters who'd gladly patch the hull.
But he failed to notice one man dragging himself up, flare in hand.
Whoosh—BANG!
Against the starry sky, the signal was faint—but visible from shore.
The officer sighed. Complications aboard.
A nod to his subordinate.
The man swallowed hard and lit the beacon.
Instantly, signal fires blazed across Tatarasuna's coastline, outshining the stars.
The Electro Mitsudomoe tarps were yanked away, revealing gaping cannon muzzles.