"Hooray!" Several fireworks shot up into the sky at once. Multicolored explosions bloomed above, and the melting, swirling stars began to descend.
Cheers of approval echoed from below.
The city dwellers joyfully lit candles in red lanterns, which, filled with warm air, gently began to rise into the sky, emitting a reddish glow.
Smiling faces, acquaintances patting each other on the back, delighted children running back and forth.
These people were genuinely happy, praising the moon god Tsukiyomi-no-Kami.
However, entirely different feelings stirred in the Shadow Stone warriors racing across the night city's rooftops. Their skills and the prana that fueled them were more than enough to effortlessly leap tens of meters in a single bound.
Ordinary people didn't even hear them, and if they saw a vague shadow, they chalked it up to their imagination.
Most of them were dressed in the signature armor of the Sansa clan. However, some also bore the marks of the Kiatto clan. On closer inspection, it became evident that these dozens of warmasters were divided into three compact groups.
The first, the most numerous, split from the others in complete silence and rushed towards the palace of the daimyo's son.
The guards at the gates didn't even have a chance to squeak before their broken bodies slumped against the walls, blood staining everything around.
Naturally so, as the blows were struck to the back. Akiro's people had opened the small gates used for provisions, letting the assassins inside and allowing them to attack from within.
The strength of the warmasters was such that each of their blows literally tore apart the soft human bodies. Armor didn't even help. The poor quality of the metal yielded easily to their inhuman strikes.
Here, the knife-like weapons, kunai, really showed their worth. The unique aspect of this weapon was that its blade, though sharpened, was thicker, which made it much stronger. Considering the power of the warmasters, this was a very important detail. Ordinary knives simply broke in their hands.
Ordyntsev's plan began to materialize slowly and inexorably. And if in words it sounded like "to intimidate Nobunoro," in reality, it meant that all the guards had to be eliminated on a certain section of the wall to prevent premature panic.
Needless to say, the lives of the guards were the least of the spies' concerns.
Here, a dark figure with a quiet crunch twisted the neck of an unsuspecting maid carrying clean laundry. She was simply unlucky to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Her body was tossed aside, joining the dead guards.
The fighters of the Shadow Stone had long lost any sense of pity.
Had Ordyntsev decided to try to live a simple, peaceful life, these victims would never have appeared.
The very emergence of the earthling was altering the history of this world, shattering or, conversely, restoring human destinies.
Right now, the warmasters were dispersing opposite Nobunoro's empty bedroom, which was conveniently located next to the real one. The attack was meant to make quite an impression on him.
The second group exchanged agreed-upon signals with a pair of Akiro's loyal guards, who informed their superiors that the "enemies" were in position.
The other two groups continued their brisk run.
Naito, the head of the spy cell, decided to creatively modify Shiro's plan. In his opinion, an attack on just the Kiatto clan was not enough, which is why, following his order, the second group of warmasters now bore the symbols of Kiatto themselves, heading, in turn, to Sansa.
Stas and the prince were also awake. They had packed bags with food prepared in advance, best suited for long journeys.
Finally, all preparations were complete, and all three groups positioned themselves opposite their targets.
Inside the clan quarters of Sansa and Kiatto, small festivities were also underway, so the courtyards were filled with celebrating warmasters.
Each of them had experienced war and could now afford to distract themselves a bit from it, letting loose. Many of these warmasters were not even eighteen years old.
Naito, standing with his men on the roofs of the lower buildings, coldly looked at Nobunoro's palace, then sharply gave the order.
"Begin!"
Five warmasters standing next to him, bracing their feet against the roof, cupped their hands into a horn and shouted, "Fire Technique! Great Fireball!" Then, taking a deep breath, they exhaled small fireballs that spun and expanded as they sped toward the palace walls.
At first, they were no bigger than toy rubber balls, but within a few dozen meters, they grew to two to three meters in diameter.
It was a good offensive technique, but since the spies were far from the strongest warmasters, they had to fully pronounce its entire name.
As the fireballs almost reached the wall, a bluish barrier covered with glowing script instantly appeared in front of them. The first ball splashed against the defense without causing it to waver. The second and third made it oscillate, the fourth nearly wiped out the ghostly hieroglyphs, and the fifth completely destroyed it.
The bluish film flickered and then began to retract somewhere inside the palace. Apparently, the Kato family had spared no expense on a seal master who created such protection, stretching it over the entire palace.
Each collision sent shockwaves and fire gusts in all directions, shaking the tiles on the roofs and blowing hot air on the attackers.
"Continue," Naito said coldly, a smirk flashing across his face for a moment. How long had it been since he felt this blood-stirring scent of burned prana of fire? "It seems everyone is awake now."
Panic cries began to sound from within the palace, and someone desperately beat the alarm bells.
By then, the warmasters capable of using fire techniques had recovered from the loss of a large amount of prana and were ready to strike again.
And this time, there was no barrier to stop them.
Flowers of fire bloomed all over the palace wall, their bright tentacles penetrating inside, burning and tearing apart those sleeping or standing near the windows.
Then the balls, having penetrated a little into the walls, detonated, scattering logs, stones, and tiles in all directions. Particularly large fragments smashed through the roofs of buildings, falling even further down.
The main building of the palace complex shuddered and groaned in pain. The upper floors on the side, unable to withstand the blow, began to collapse inward, burying all those unlucky enough to be in that place.
In the exposed stairwells and halls, samurai, ruler's personal guards, and regular guardsmen ran like enraged ants, frantically searching for the attackers.
Standing by the window, Stas watched the fiery spectacle as if spellbound. Their window was very conveniently facing the right direction.
The second shockwave that reached them once again shook the curtains, giving a sense of the force of the impact.
Stas pondered how great the power of the people in this world was and how foolishly they used it.
His thoughts smoothly transitioned to those who had helped him escape. Stas asked Roku to treat Yuchi, his brother, humanely. Yes, in doing so, he made it clear to the senior servant who had betrayed him, but Stas had warned that if Yuchi suddenly "disappeared," he would be very upset, and Roku would likely be upset, too.
The senior servant, grinding his teeth, swore by the names of the gods that he would treat his brother as an ordinary servant and not seek revenge.
This satisfied Ordyntsev. As he had promised, Yuchi got a second chance at a normal life.
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And quite by accident, Stas left behind in the palace a soul-deeply devoted to him informant, albeit of the lowest level.
The door behind them opened, and three fighters with their faces wrapped in black cloth slipped in; on their backs and chests was the mark of the Sansa clan.
"Jishin-sama, everything is ready, the retreat passage is secured, the lieutenant's people have been warned, we can leave," said the one who respectfully bowed to his prince.
"Healer, let's go," Jishin commanded, heading towards the door. Stas obediently followed him, adjusting Leviathan, wrapped around his body. She had overeaten on palace fare and was quite heavy.
At that moment, a little further away, the princess was huddled in terror in her bed, trying to cover herself and watching as, almost a step away from her, the guards held back the cursed Sansa, who treacherously tried to kidnap her!
The walls around were gaping with huge holes, so it was easy to see the bodies of both defenders and attackers.
However, few knew that the attackers had brought disguised bodies in advance and then tossed them at the right time, taking advantage of the dust and confusion.
Somewhere, the infamous poison fog of Sansa billowed, but in reality, it was specially detonated poisonous bombs. Such "gifts" were produced by several clans in other countries, but they were widely distributed around the world.
The valiantly fighting Akiro personally pushed forward and repelled the attackers from the princess, allowing his men to take her to a safe place.
Fighters and samurai from other units began to gather around him.
"Akiro!" Lieutenant Areta rushed up to him. "What's happening?! Who dared to attack us?!"
"It was the Sansa!" Akiro roared, flipping one of the dead bodies onto his back with a kick to see the characteristic mark. "They tried to kidnap the princess, but my men and I made them run."
"Cowardly scoundrels! I knew Lord Nobunoro was right to consider them all traitors and murderers! We must immediately punish them for their betrayal!"
Suddenly, from the nearest corridor leading to the central complex, new fighters burst out.
"Lieutenant Akiro, Lieutenant Areta!" The group leader recognized them instantly. "Something terrible has happened, Nobunoro-sama is mortally wounded! The attackers found out that he decided to sleep in a different bedroom tonight and struck right at it. The room's defense managed to deflect part of the impact, but it wasn't enough. Please follow me. Nobunoro-sama wants to give his last orders."
"What happened to my brother?!" Mistsuko Kato, scantily clad, burst forth from behind the guards.
"Princess, please, we'll find out everything now." Yori tried to comfort the crying girl.
'Bloody Kami!' the lieutenant roared in his mind, obediently following the guardsman. The other fighters hurried after him. Gradually, new units joined them, growing into a whole army: 'We didn't agree on this; why the hell did they strike right at the daimyo's son?! Weren't they supposed to fire just nearby? Or was it an accident? Damned warmasters, I knew these bastards couldn't be trusted! Healer, if I come across you, I will slowly let your guts out and wrap them around your neck!'
The lieutenant was tormented by the question: 'How will the princess treat him now if her brother does indeed die? After all, according to the plan, he was supposed to be completely unharmed.'
These questions gnawed at him all the way to the place where the daimyo's son lay. Fortunately, it didn't take long.
A multitude of ashigaru and samurai crowded around, unsure of what to do. Various nobles and officials stood aside, sadly bowing their heads in recognition of the heinous act that had occurred.
In the center of this useless crowd, on a pile of charred futons and rags, lay Nobunoro. Or rather, what was left of him.
"Brother!" The princess, in tears, threw herself on the chest of the mutilated man. The man's legs were terribly blackened, his clothes partially burned away, revealing skin cracked from the heat. "No–no, this can't be!"
The others couldn't understand how he was still alive with such wounds.
"Who did this?" The prince's voice was surprisingly clear and articulate for his condition. Blood appeared on his cracked lips.
Lieutenant Areta stepped forward and bowed, momentarily outpacing Akiro.
"It was the Sansa, my prince. Lieutenant Akiro Yori and I managed to fend them off, protecting your sister in time, and immediately came here."
'You weren't even there! You have no honor, claiming the achievements of others.' Akiro thought bitterly, "forgetting" the minor detail - that he himself hadn't done anything significant either. But he did not intervene, as now the words of the other lieutenant even played into his hands, reinforcing the legend.
"Sansa!" A fierce hatred flashed in the half-corpse's eyes, which clearly gave him strength. "Cursed Sansa! They always harm our family. But I won't let this go anymore! Warriors, go and bring me the heads of all the Sansa you find. Women, children, or men, it doesn't matter. Kill them all!" These words seemed to completely drain Nobunoro's strength, causing him to weakly fall back. Healers from the monks immediately swirled around him.
"Yes!" The lieutenants roared and bowed, followed by their subordinates doing the same.
Everyone wanted to slaughter the Sansa, but some had to stay to guard the prince and princess.
Akiro strode determinedly forward. His eyes reflected the dancing flames of the destroyed parts of the palace, which the servants couldn't extinguish yet.
Right now, he knew that the best way to cover up at least part of what had happened was to completely eradicate the Sansa.
And he would make sure that none of the warmasters survived today.
*****
As soon as the first explosions shook the city to its foundations, the lurking shadow warriors unleashed a torrent of deadly techniques on the Sansa and Kiatto clans.
Moreover, as mentioned earlier, Naito managed to procure magical poison bombs, which nicely imitated the techniques of the poisonous clan.
The Kiatto didn't expect an attack at all. Young people danced merrily, enjoying themselves under the moon, while their older and more experienced comrades lazily discussed something over a cup of sake or tea and a game of shogi.
This festival was celebrated by ordinary people, not samurai or nobles, but the warmasters also respected it.
Their magical beasts stayed around the perimeter, lying on the ground, lazily grunting at each other and playing.
All the more terrifying was the sudden change in the situation.
Tayuri Kiatto, the young girl with cat ears, managed to activate prana strengthening by sheer miracle and habits developed over years of dangerous missions.
A wind technique that flew past her sliced off part of her friend's head, causing her little body to helplessly roll on the ground.
She didn't even have time to catch the girl, and then it lost all sense, when a jet of fire followed, turning the cozy courtyard into a branch of hell.
Tayuri, jumping back, coughed furiously, clearing her lungs of the remnants of smoke, then looked around in horror.
First, she saw the greenish fog creeping along the ground and mixing with the smoke from the fires. Nearby, other surviving warmasters landed, looking around and searching for enemies.
This fog was too familiar to seem accidental.
How many times in this war had Tayuri seen it used, but only against enemy warmasters?
However, in the next moment, she noticed the fleeing enemies, horrified.
Why horrified?
Because the clan marks of the Sansa were on their backs!
"Could it really be the Sansa?!" Tayuri's comrade Yoshi, who did not inherit the beastly traits of the clan but was no worse at understanding animals, exclaimed in disbelief.
"We'll find out right now," the girl hissed, clutching a pair of sai. Even to the festival, many warmasters came armed, albeit without armor. "Taiho!"
A thunderous roar sounded nearby, and through the flames flew the body of a giant tiger, landing near its mistress. Shortly after, Yoshi's lion stood beside them.
"Gather near me!" Kunio, one of the supreme warmasters of Kiatto stationed in this city, loudly commanded. His beast was a giant black bear, towering over the other magical beasts by a whole hump. Once a significant force had gathered around him, he pointed towards the Sansa quarter. "Follow me!"
The surviving warmasters called their beasts and followed the giant black bear running along the street. The smaller beasts leaped across the roofs, while the huge ones thundered along the ground.
At the same time, the Sansa clan was also subjected to a sudden attack by a wave of techniques that plowed through their buildings, courtyards, and resting warmasters.
The symbols of Kiatto drove them into a rage, and, following the retreating disguised Sumada, the Sansa people also moved out, led by Gokku Sansa, the elder's son. The elder himself went to the ancestral lands of the Sansa for a meeting with the clan head.
Two bloodthirsty crowds met in the middle, after which the Sansa and the Kiatto saw each other and, pointing their weapons, halted.
"Gokku Sansa!" Kunio shouted. The man soothingly patted the bear, which was scanning the surroundings with blood-filled eyes. "Why did you attack us?! What does this mean? Are you breaking the alliance?"
"We didn't attack you," Unlike the angry Kunio, Gokku was composed and, apparently, suspected something fishy. "We saw people with your emblems who attacked us…"
"Stop lying!" Tayuri couldn't bear it. The tiger she was riding on growled menacingly, tearing apart wood and tiles with its claws. "We saw your poisonous fog! Why did you do this?!"
"I…" Gokku's eyes flashed as he realized something, but he didn't have time to say anything.
From his side, several people immediately shouted, "For Sansa!" and, without warning, attacked with techniques. The warmasters of the beast tamers clan, expecting something like this, dodged, but it didn't make the situation any better.
Because the same attack was repeated from the other side.
Waiting for the right moment, the hidden Shadow Stone struck their final blow.
Perhaps their techniques and strikes were weaker and clumsier than those of real warmasters, but in stealth, they could give them a run for their money.
All that had happened was too much for Tayuri.
Screaming something unintelligible, she led her tiger straight at the despised Sansa. The poison clan also had hotheads.
Gokku tried to rectify the situation, but very soon, everything turned into a never-ending melee of battle where no one heard him anymore.
On top of that, the warmasters didn't restrain themselves, and since the city streets were filled with citizens, every poorly executed technique took someone's life.
And a warmaster or their beast that demolished someone's house could crush a hiding family, or even several.
However, everything became much "merrier" when the devilish cry of samurai merged into a single roar.
"BANZAI!" and into the fighting warmasters crushed the samurai, sending blades of prana flying in all directions.
At the same moment, five people and one snake swiftly left the city, two of whom hung like sacks on the backs of their escorts and the last wrapped around one of those being carried.
Behind them, the city rapidly plunged into hell. Warmasters, no longer restraining themselves, recklessly used fire techniques, igniting several blazes.
Residents trying to extinguish them died by the dozens but continued to do so, for otherwise, they all faced a grisly death from the fire and smoke.
The samurai clashed to the death with the two clans of warmasters, staining the streets of the once-peaceful city with rivers of blood.
The earthling's ambitious plan had come to full fruition. However, for some reason, Ordyntsev felt no rightful triumph. His mind struggled to estimate how many would fall victim before it was over.
Yet, he felt no regrets either.
This world had driven home an important point to him. Here, kindness was a weakness. And if he wanted to survive, he would inevitably have to cast aside pity, throw out compassion, and burn mercy to the ground.
Soon, the sun would rise and dispel the darkness of the night, but the people would feel no joy.
For this world excelled in creating monsters.