Mai managed to intimidate a few warriors with her quick victory over Masaaki. Her eyes danced around the armed men hoping to find out which one would advance next. If possible she would find a gap to attack.

'I took down the first one because he underestimated me, but now they are all alert.'

She is sure to watch the archers in the background as well so as not to be taken by surprise by an arrow.

'Maybe if I used someone as a shield, I could advance against the archers...But it's too risky...'

A jet of a sudden hot liquid flies on the side of her head, covering her right ear, neck, shoulder, and part of her arm. Turning around and looking for the source of it, she finds nothing.

'Where's Yuji and the other...'

Unfortunately, her calm ends as her eyes explore her peripheral vision, forcing her to look down. A few feet away lies Yuji's body, decapitated. At his feet, his head.

'What? When?!'

Muffled cries for help, followed by the whir of an arrow passing close to her head, and another hot jet flies at her, this time into her leg.

Mai sees Daisuke holding Kaito's head by the jaw. His arms relaxed, releasing the bow. The glazed look of despair gives way to a look of relief at the last instant as his body plummets and falls to the dirt of the road. Daisuke's words are accompanied by a big smile:

"Battles are just like that... Some attacks are impossible to avoid. They wouldn't last even a day in war... Poor little ones."

Chapter 11 - Red Road

The hot liquid finally reaches the side of Mai's mouth. The taste of blood emerges in the thief's consciousness along with the fact that two of her best friends have just died a few feet away from her.

When Mai looks closely at it she sees the unbelievable: The grinning and sinister long black-haired samurai never took his swords out of their sheath. He disarmed Yuji and stole his Odachi, then proceeded to execute them both, but how?

It was not Mai's reaction time that was slow but rather Saito Daisuke who had been exceptionally quick in both murders. None of the mountain robbers saw the attack, except Tsukasa who was at a safe distance with Minamori, and Gori, privileged to be watching the fight from a treetop.

Fifteen meters from the ground, he grits his teeth, and his hands shake with anger. However, he exhales deeply and shoots an arrow toward Daisuke's head, but Daisuke catches it in midair. Gori thinks:

'His agility... It's not normal!'

Bou lets out a roar, a too bizarre sound that makes all the thieves alert to what has happened: More casualties in the battle. Fujiwara understands what has happened and shouts:

"YOU MOTHERFUCKERS! YOU ARE GOING TO--"

Soda Katsumi's blade whistles in the air next to his ear, but Fujiwara blocks the blow with his ax. The Shogun's great samurai completes the thief's sentence:

"Die? And you are strong enough to defeat us?! Don't make me laugh!"

The samurai advances in a sequence of vertical blows with his sword and one after another, Fujiwara defends. Sparks fly and dance from the contact of the blades. The thief responds, bravely:

"That's right! I, Fujiwara, will kill all of you!"

The pace of the fight changes and he begins to not only defend but also attack the samurai. A weird sequence of spinning blows with the ax dent part of the samurai's armor.

"What?!"

"How do you like that, you old man?! It's my legendary spinning attack!"

Fujiwara never forgot Haru's improbable spinning attack that day of training... And he created his version that was perhaps even more pitiful to watch, yet very effective.

He sees his colleague perplexed by what happened and yells at her:

"Mai, wake up! React!"

But the girl remains still, trying to understand how Daisuke won until she lets her doubt escape in a low question along with a sigh:

"How?"

Tsukasa answers, with the tone of one who can't believe what he has seen:

"With... the shoulder?"

Daisuke is impressed:

"Hmmm... So you were able to see that? Very good..."

.....

A girl in a red Iro Muji kimono opens the Fusuma door of Lord Asano's quarters. She gives a discreet bow before entering with a Hakosen plate of dark, polished wood, carrying two Yunomi cups with Sencha tea in them.

"Finally Maki!"

"I don't think it took you long."

"Abe-san, please taste that green tea!"

Maki places the tray on the small Chabudai table that separates the two gentlemen. They both take the teacups using both hands and take the first sip. The characteristic herbal taste of green tea fills the mouth. It is light and at the same time warming and refreshing when swallowed. The aftertaste is also interesting, during the inhale you can feel a strong aroma that indicates a very well-done roasting process.

Abe inhales deeply and feels the warm air rush out of his mouth and nostrils at the same time. Without making any noise, he slowly returns the glass to the table, resting his hands again on his legs, cleverly disguising his surprise at the quality of the Sencha.

Asano gestures with his hands and Maki politely retreats from the commode. He then says:

"Isn't this the best tea you've ever had?"

"It is...um...I won't lie, I didn't even know tea could be this good, Asano-san."

"Exactly! My daughter makes the best tea of all!"

He gives a proud father's laugh. Maki smiles outside as she hears her father's words.

The two gentlemen resume their previous subjects, discussing the nature of a warrior and their memories of battles that happened over a decade ago in Edo.

Maki feels that she should not be listening to this conversation, but her curiosity causes her to stand there outside the door, kneeling.

"Asano- san, I agree that it is not possible to know the true nature of a warrior until the moment of battle...even though I have participated in a few myself."

"You have participated in the most difficult ones, my friend."

"Yet I believe it is not only the weak who give in to despair."

"Huh?"

"You know what I'm talking about, don't you? The things that came out of those black boats in Edo...Although most people only remember the enemy's artillery that day."

"Abe-san, I don't want to sound crazy, so I won't expose to anyone what I saw in those days..."

Mister Asano takes another sip of his tea, but his disturbance becomes clear when he sets the cup down on the table too hard.

"What exactly are you talking about, Abe-san?"

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Abe, who had also taken a second sip, holds the tea glass without setting it down on the table and watches the steam float out as he says:

"From the sorcery that was secretly used to subjugate Japan at that time."

The silence that follows that sentence is long and makes Maki suspect that she has been discovered. Fortunately that was not the case since it is now clear that no one should be listening to this conversation.

Asano's shoulders relax as his voice becomes slightly shaky as he says:

"Yes... It wasn't just my imagination then..."

And he sighs, relieved.

"I was afraid they were the madness of an old man who fought in the war, dementia finally catching up with me, but those moments keep coming back in my dreams and more and more I'm sure they're real. That they happened!"

"I'm sure they did... My memory of that time was hazy for years, too."

"I remember seeing a colleague defeat an enemy in battle, and that enemy, already kneeling and ready to be executed, whispering words that I was unable to hear, and I'm glad I didn't! The next second my colleague bit his tongue and took his own life in an act of desperation that I could not understand. What could that man have said to him? I cannot imagine what it could have been. I try to ignore that question every night, but I often find myself thinking about it when I wake up too!"

Maki had never heard her father talk like that.

"And, if you're like me, that must be just one of the things that haunt you from that time."

"Yes, unfortunately, Abe-san, I have many other questions that have never been answered and that disturb me to this day. If it comes to Edo I can't tell what is real."

"There is no point in asking black magic questions, Asano-san, for there may be no answers. Or worse, the answers may be too harsh for us. We are always in danger of hearing what that man said to his colleague that day."

"Yes... you are right. In the end, fear can bend even the strongest of warriors."

"Black magic seems to be able to make that a certainty...After all, do you remember the roots?"

The feudal lord's hands turn icy, and not even the last sip of the best tea could warm him at this moment. Like Abe, Asano has practically mastered the art of containing his astonishment in front of others.

"Terrible, indeed."

.....

Mai looks turns her eyes to Yuji's body again and realizes that his arm that was holding Odachi is terribly broken, with an open fracture at the elbow.

Masaaki's hand holds Mai's leg. He has regained consciousness, but he is still wounded on the floor and can barely speak; he is totally out of combat. Mai knows this and is not alarmed.

He says, between painful breaths:

"You... broke his elbow... with your shoulder?! What a joke!"

Daisuke answers his colleague like a teacher teaching a student:

"That's right, as his arm came down, I stepped forward and slipped my shoulder under his elbow, thus breaking it. Use your opponent's strength against him, aim for the joints, use blind spots, win by doing the minimum. That's my way of fighting!"

Masaaki hurt replies with a laugh:

"Your way of fighting?! Ha! Don't give me that! Argh...! There's no way a normal person can do that! You already ate...you already ate that, didn't you?! Using your secret weapon from the beginning of the battle?! Ridiculous!"

"Oh yeah?! And how long are you going to keep licking the floor and whining about being beaten by a little girl?"

"Ha..Hahah...Hahahah...HAHAHAHAH"

A muffled laugh in Masaaki's throat becomes increasingly louder and more hysterical.

"Let them think they've won and take them by surprise...That's my way of fighting!"

Mai sees him taking something out of his armor, a weapon?

She tries to pull the loss, but he won't let her, so she sees what's in his hand: It was small and purple, had small hairs and several branches. At once familiar, it had aspects that should never be combined in nature, and never would be if not for the dark arts. It resembled a root, but it was so bizarre that it made Mai panic.

"Let me go! What is that disgusting thing?!"

"Easy, pretty one... It's just the beginning..."

He uses his thumb and forces his nail into the root so that it pierces the surface. Then a viscous liquid begins to ooze out. The object moves as if in agony and Mai could swear he hears screaming in his head, and he is hearing it. The vibrations were coming from the root, passing through Masaaki's body to his arm, up Mai's leg, and resonating in her head. She tried to scream, but she couldn't, and tried to move, but it was too late for that too.

"IT'S BEAUTIFUL ISN'T IT! QUITE A SYMPHONY!!!"

He said, as one who hears a loud song, yet the others heard nothing, only these two.

The root gained more and more the aspect of an organ, moving, pulsating, and its branches moved like little worms, until some of them touched Mai's skin and began to enter, like a parasite.

"No no, that's not for you..."

Masaaki puts the root in his mouth and swallows it all without chewing. You can see it moving as it goes down his throat. He starts to spasm on the ground but doesn't let go of Mai's leg. The screams in the girl's head increase.

Fujiwara tries to scream again:

"Mai, wake up! React!"

He sees her face trembling as she forces herself to turn her head. Tears drain from her eyes as she says:

"Help...me...help..."

Fujiwara didn't have time to do that.

Masaaki seemed to be possessed by something and stood up quickly, lifting Mai by her leg, leaving her suspended upside down. He then smiles at Fujiwara.

Spinning on his axis at a frightening speed, Masaaki spins Mai's body horizontally around himself, smashing the girl's head into a tree beside him at the side of the road.

Tiny droplets of her blood splatter in all directions. Mai's face melts into the wood so that when Masaaki lets go of her foot, her body hangs from the crushed head.

Gori in the tree feels something hit his face, and instinctively closes his eyes, bringing his hand to his face. It is a tooth of Mai that has come flying out. He vomits.

Fujiwara and Bou cannot believe what they have just seen. Tsukasa loses the strength in her legs and sits up, babbling some nonsensical things. Minamori accepts what has happened but his anger begins to take over. Gori tries to recover, but remains nauseated, hiding in a tree.

Gori sees something that ends his hope of getting out alive, more archers are coming up the road to provide reinforcements to those at the rear of the formation. He is sure that another rain of arrows will happen soon. He warns everyone:

"More archers coming from the south!"

Knowing that reinforcements are coming does not boost the morale of the enemies, however. The Daimyo samurai themselves find this very bizarre to watch, and their stomachs wrack as well.

Saito Daisuke looks at the Tokugawa shogun's great samurai, Soda, and says with contempt:

"Come on, what is taking you so long? I expected more from the famous Sado Katsumi...Just finish those two off!"

"Unlike you, I don't need cheap tricks to defeat my enemies!"

Soda advances on Fujiwara with another fierce sequence of attacks answered in the same manner: Fujiwara defending and using his surprise attack to make him retreat, further denting his armor. The samurai loses his patience:

"Legendary spinning attack? What nonsense is this...?! Enough! I'll show you what a real technique is!"

He changes his stance, lowering his Kodachi and putting it back in its sheath.

Fujiwara sees his opponent put his weapon away and decides to take this chance, moving forward with both axes in a fierce vertical attack.

From Bou's perspective, Fujiwara's body covered his view of Soda, so he didn't see the samurai's attack, only the thief's head and arms, leaving his body and falling to the ground.

Fujiwara's body was standing still as if it had found a bizarre balance once his arms and head were removed, and remained so while jets of blood flew upward.

Daisuke is pleased:

"There it is, Soda Katsumi's famous Battojutsu... truly an indefensible attack. Good, let's advance to the Arata boy on the other side and get rich!"

Soda quietly resumes his composure, making a quick move that draws all the blood from his blade and stows it back in its sheath.

Bou unleashes his fury and throws Fujiwara's body against Soda, knocking him off balance. He then grabs the samurai, wrapping his great arms around his body and interlacing his fingers on the other side. The giant then squeezes him, sinking his armor and making Soda scream in pain.

Unable to move his arms, he is unable to pick up his sword.

Masaaki also regains his composure, however, at times, you can see the root moving beneath his skin as if it were his veins. He says:

"Oh! Some of them still want to fight even after seeing this?! That's the spirit!"

The enemy's archers arrive and join the formation of the enemy's samurai. One after another, they raise their bows, hold their arrows, and wait for their comrades to move away so they can shoot freely. In total there are ten archers organized in two rows of five.

Tsukasa despairs even more.

"Mo-more archers?"

Minamori yells at her:

"Yes, you didn't hear Gori?! Get up from there!"

"We're lost! Mai's dead!"

"Shut up! We're tied!"

Daisuke laughs:

"Hahahaha! How are we tied?! You guys are dead!"

Masaaki concludes:

"She must be retarded or something."

Minamori ignores them:

"They only have three really strong samurai and Bou has already taken one of them! We just need to defeat the other two!"

She takes a sword from the weapon basket and points it at Daisuke's face.

"I'll take the crazy hands and you take the strong idiot!"

Daisuke doesn't like Minamori's tone and starts walking towards her. The thief uses her sword to rip open the basket, causing the weapons to spread across a section of the road between them, only the spears remained standing, caught in the fibers of the basket.

"You like fighting using other people's weapons, right? Then pick one!"

"What did you say, brat?!"

Tsukasa could hardly believe what Minamori was doing. She tries to gather her strength as well and stands up, picking up her Kusarigamas from the ground. However, at the sight of Masaaki and his sinister smile running towards her hands shook, her legs became clumsy and she stumbles falling back to the ground.

Masaaki holds his sword and launches himself towards her.

She lets her kusarigama fall from her left hand. Minamori Shouts:

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! TSUKASA!!!"

It's too late.