Ieyasu Tokitoru surveyed the army leisurely descending the hill and felt pride swell in his heart.
Right now, before his eyes was a power that no one could withstand.
'Well, great clans,' Ieyasu gloated inwardly, 'your time has come to an end. It only took us, the minor clans, uniting to reveal that all your vaunted power was not so great after all.'
The Tokitoru clan, to which Ieyasu himself belonged, had concentrated generation after generation on developing the art of seals.
Although their creations were weaker than those of the seal masters serving the samurai, the Tokitoru had a significant advantage - they integrated both seals and other warmaster techniques in their combat.
If the samurai's servants, once plucked from their impenetrable barriers, were utterly powerless and died like ordinary people, for the Tokitoru, seals were merely one facet of the art of killing.
Ieyasu himself, in addition to being a relative of his clan's ruling family, had held the title of supreme for several years, which is why he had been appointed commander of this united army.
However, the supreme commanded at best only half of all the troops. The rest were led by a daimyo's general, as not only warmasters but also a considerable number of samurai made up their ranks.
The only thing that pleased Ieyasu was that the general was born and served the same country as he did.
Although the clan alliance tried to smooth over the constant grievances and issues, it was not so easy to accomplish.
After all, one had to understand that they had all been quite successful at cutting each other down not so long ago, and the more distant past was just as grim.
To overcome all these years of mutual grievances was almost impossible, but the idea of revenge against the great clans managed to unite them surprisingly tightly.
Ieyasu was well-acquainted with a fundamental law of existence: "If you do not devour, you are devoured." This meant that the great clans with overwhelming power had no qualms about threatening or even turning their threats into reality against the lesser clans.
The four great warmaster families kept the rest of the world in constant fear. And the daimyo of the great countries were no better.
No wonder they had accumulated so many enemies.
Tokitoru's gaze shifted from the fighters of his clan and focused on his main headache - the warriors of the Rangiku clan.
Ominous, pitch-black, tapered headgear that completely hid the face, leaving only holes for the eyes. Thick, lamellar armor that featured a contorted face with bulging eyes and a protruding tongue on the chest plate.
Massive, wavy blades that made one uneasy just by looking at them.
And, of course, complete disregard for everyone around.
That's how they were, one of the most notorious warmaster clans.
The Rangiku were not called executioners for nothing, as their clan preserved a strange tradition through the ages that prescribed bringing to this world suffering and "justice."
Ieyasu didn't particularly delve into such subtleties, but if he remembered correctly, according to Rangiku beliefs, every person born into this world was considered sinful simply by virtue of their birth, and therefore, if they committed another mistake or crime, they had to be made to regret it deeply.
For this concept, the Rangiku devised hundreds of the most varied and sophisticated tortures, which they did not hesitate to apply even to themselves.
Ieyasu had once seen the body of a Rangiku man he had killed. His water technique had stripped off the armor and exploded the man's chest, but the back was almost unscathed. And there, not a single spot lived free of the lattice of whip scars that adorned it.
Even stranger, the Rangiku heresy managed to poison the minds of the samurai living in the adjacent lands. Rumor had it that some samurai saw nothing wrong with joining the corps of executioners to further carry their cursed teachings.
Because of this, the Rangiku were much more closely connected with the administrative apparatus of their daimyo than the warmasters living in other countries.
Representatives of the executioners served as yoriki - local police - and were responsible for punishing everyone and everything.
Another thing to note was that the Rangiku clan was one of the largest in their alliance, which meant that in the past, other clans had to unite against the executioners, or the latter might well have conquered them.
On the other hand, even so, the Rangiku faith still seeped into the neighboring countries, causing confusion.
Moreover, due to their numbers, the Rangiku had far more votes in their alliance than other clans. This caused Ieyasu some concern.
The supreme decided to stop looking at the executioners so as not to spoil his mood any further.
Now, his attention was captured by the remaining two clans. Or rather, the alliance that dared to stand against the great clans was not formed from just four clans. There were many small families, each with a couple of dozen warmasters at their disposal.
Yet, logically, they held no particular authority.
But back to the remaining two clans.
Itasabi and Raigachi.
The Raigachi secured their position thanks to a powerful lineage that allowed them to literally drain prana from their opponents. Some of the stolen energy they could even use.
Any battle with the latter turned into a race against time, who would run out of prana first.
Ieyasu was not particularly fond of these tall, thin warmasters, who were shunned by everyone and preferred to live in the forest, but he respected their strength.
The Itasabi, however, were much more interesting.
In some ways, they were the same as the Tokitoru. But if the clan of seal masters took from the samurai their art of seals, the Itasabi focused on blacksmithing and creating the finest armor and weapons.
Yes, they couldn't boast amazing techniques or bizarre lineages, but their close combat mastery was no less than that of the samurai.
Thanks to their skills, they considerably pushed the samurai blacksmiths out of the market, selling their goods instead.
In the moving army, there were only a few ordinary people. Mostly, these were the samurai's servants or guards.
The world war had been going on for exactly a year, so everyone had worked out a "formula" where ordinary people only fought against ordinary people, and samurai and warmasters settled their issues also only among themselves.
Ieyasu squinted and nodded in satisfaction. Everything was going according to plan. He already saw a border town of Higatsudo country in the distance. It wouldn't be long before the water-wielding Mizuno noticed the invasion, but there was enough time to make significant inroads into their territories.
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The commander smirked darkly. Right now, many similar squads and entire armies were crossing the borders of Rashta and Higatsudo, aiming to hit the most painful and crucial points.
The war with the great clans had begun.
*****
"I don't like dragons," Katsuya whispered irritably, watching a giant scaly green body swoosh past them overhead.
Kaede, lying next to her, just shrugged carelessly.
"I think they're quite cute," she said, but noticing the sideways glance from the Kumo, the Kuchisake-onna quickly clarified, "I mean, I meant to say beautiful. That majestic sweep of wings, the powerful chest, and those huge clawed paws..."
"You forgot to mention the vast maw full of dagger-like teeth, ready to eat you in one bite," Ketsuya added sarcastically, standing up and beginning to shake off the clinging snow.
The journey through the mountains proved to be a tedious and long affair. The endless descents and climbs to new heights had already worn thin on both of them, with no end in sight.
To this, one had to add the presence of dangerous magical creatures, ready to ambush you at any moment.
Take the mutated snow tigers, for instance, capable of tearing a person in armor to pieces with a casual swipe of a paw. Fortunately, such powerful beasts were rare.
Also, there weren't as many yokai here, which meant less chance of encountering their insane version.
"Do dragons even attack beings like us?" Kaede asked, standing up after the spider woman.
As soon as they had seen the approaching dragon from afar, they had immediately hidden in the snow, not forgetting to throw on some magical camouflage.
"For instance, traveling with my master, I once met one such, and he let us go."
"Really?" Katsuya snorted incredulously. "Well, that's not so surprising. Dragons are, by their nature, the most arrogant and proud creatures I know. And although the great spirits have forged an alliance with them, dragons still behave as they wish."
"An alliance?" Kaede asked curiously. "I know nothing of this."
"Yes, and it was a very long time ago. Even before I myself appeared," the Kumo squinted as if remembering something. "We yokai have always been troubled by how humans strive to conquer and subjugate everything to their will. Dragons could no longer ignore these annoying creatures, either. And although one dragon can devastate an entire country, humans can still kill him, even if they pay a huge price. And dragons are born rarely and grow very slowly."
"And then you decided to live together?"
"Ha, as if. The dragons said they would come to help if humans started a war with the yokai. They arrogantly refused our help. 'It is not fitting for the lords of the sky to ask for aid from those who scurry below'," Katsuya mimicked. "That's why they don't consider us equals. On the other hand, they kill yokai far less often than humans."
"How cool," Kaede breathed out, clearly impressed by the story about the dragons. "Did the dragons participate in the war against chaos?"
"Very much so, little yokai," a vibrating rumble sounded directly in her head. "Our mere approach caused wild terror among the demons and the pathetic humans serving them."
"Eek!" For someone who built her tactics on stealth, Katsuya reacted all too vividly when someone managed to sneak up on her.
The snow pile they had passed shimmered and turned into a beautiful copper-colored dragon lying on a black rock.
He was smaller than the dragon Stas had encountered several years ago but still inspired an almost religious awe.
Startled, Katsuya froze, warily eyeing the deadly lizard that had gotten so close and heard all her disrespectful words.
However, if the Kumo was already bidding farewell to life, her younger colleague was enthusiastically examining the sprawled lizard, who seemed to puff out his chest and slightly turn his head so that the light reflected even more from his shiny scales.
Perhaps her fearlessness came from the fact that she somehow saw not malice but a mischievous smirk on the dragon's face. The reptile was clearly pleased with how he had managed to scare Ketsuya. And Kaede's sincere admiration did not go unnoticed either.
And judging by his size, he was much younger than that red dragon.
"I listened carefully to your conversation, little yokai," a cloud of smoke burst from the copper dragon's nostrils and streamed upward in the frosty air. "What was the name of that dragon who decided to let go of you and that... Human?"
"That dragon was called Yamato," Kaede cheerfully explained. "And what is your name, sir?"
"Can my ears be deceiving me, or did Yamato-sama really let you go?" The copper dragon's eyes widened sharply, and he involuntarily jerked as if to leap up. "Then you are clearly very unusual creatures, for the elder is not known for his kindness." The dragon's wings twitched nervously.
To this, Kaede just spread her hands.
"Be that as it may, my name is Hirui, and I would be happy to talk to you more, but I am concerned about your words on chaos. I've been watching you for quite some time and heard part of the conversation. Is it true that the ancient enemy has awakened again and threatens the world?"
If the previous conversation had been fairly light-hearted, as soon as he touched on the topic of chaos, all lightness instantly disappeared.
"Yes, Hirui-sama," Kaede nodded. "The rot has raised its head again and is starting to spread in the lands of humans. That's why we want to tell those who can do something about it."
"All like before. Chaos is at our doorstep, and humans are absolutely useless, yet they think too highly of themselves," the dragon grumbled. "You are almost at the goal of your journey, and I must pass on your words to our elders. Whatever anyone says, but we dragons have fought chaos more than all the others!"
Saying this, the giant lizard pushed off the rock with force, crushing it, and, flapping his wings vigorously, flew away.
The two girls barely managed to stand under the sweeping hurricane gusts.
"I'm amazed by you again and again," the Kumo shook her head, somewhat recovering. "Are you afraid of anything at all?"
"Isn't he beautiful?" the Kuchisake-onna ignored her, causing a heavy sigh.
"We were lucky to come across a copper dragon. They are known for their unpredictable and cheerful disposition. If it had been a black or red one, he might not have even listened to us, simply frying us on the spot."
"But did you see how those little scales on his head shone?"
"…"
*****
"Heard the latest news?" Satoshi handed Stas a scroll with his thoughts on the emotional component of prana.
In the past few months of work, both scholars had formed a mutually beneficial cooperation and cautious knowledge exchange. For example, Ordyntsev was beginning to learn the principles of seal construction.
As he anticipated, the field proved to be overwhelming, yet it offered magnificent prospects.
Stas was interested not so much in the ready-made solutions but in the principles of how the art of seals worked. Because if he could grasp that, he might be able to create what he needed in the future.
"Honestly, no," Ordyntsev briefly reviewed the notes and was satisfied. If what Takehiro had come up with worked, the efficiency of the anti-chaos technique would increase by about twenty percent, not to mention the significantly improved fault tolerance. Now, it was only a matter of time and effort before approaching the healing of the Serpent King with this technique. "I've been working all night. How fresh is the news?"
"Arrived just this morning," Satoshi explained. "The Rangiku, Tokitoru, Raigachi, and Itasabi clans dared to attack Sumada and Mizuno all at once. Right now, as far as I understand, fierce battles are taking place on the borders. It turned out the great clans were ready for the attack. Still, the aggressors' troops managed to break through into the countries."
"So that's how it is," nodded the Serpent, not even trying to show surprise. This information had lost its value now.
"Yet you seem not at all surprised," Satoshi squinted slyly. "And you didn't tell me a thing."
"This information would have been of no use to you anyway," Ordyntsev shrugged. "This city is deep in the country, and if the situation became critical, you could always leave."
"Glad the younger generation still cares about old folks like me," Satoshi bowed exaggeratedly to Ordyntsev. "By the way, I keep forgetting to ask, do you plan to do anything with that yokai?"
"Hm? Do you have any ideas about her?" Stas raised an eyebrow. "Did she take your fancy? Well, as they say, love knows no age…"
"Ha, joker," Satoshi chuckled, wagging a gnarled finger. "There are far simpler ways to die a painful death than to stick your appendage into such strong evil spirits. I'm talking about how, after we cleansed her from chaos, she has hardly ever left her room. The seals show she's just sitting in one place and doing nothing. I don't know about you, Shiro-kun, but I'm concerned about strong yokai who are not right in the head."
"I understand you," agreed Stas, noting the need for a heart-to-heart talk with Minoru. "I'll talk to her. Nonetheless, that's not the most important thing. Now that the war has started, sooner or later, the head of Sumada will still give me an ultimatum. Either I return, or I'm declared a renegade. We don't have much time left."
"It's a pity you don't want to become a renegade," rolled his eyes the old man. "All this service to those in power sometimes irritates so much."
"I don't want to look over my shoulder and be wary of every shadow," Ordyntsev repeated his usual argument. "So we have, at best, a month left for further experiments. We know what to do with the anti-chaos technique. It just needs to be refined and polished. But thanks to this technique, I believe we are ready to move on to... You know what project."
'The immortality technique,' both men thought simultaneously, but neither uttered a sound.
"I still think we're rushing," Satoshi finally said reluctantly, chewing his lip. "But considering I'm an old man and there's a war raging, maybe this is the best time."
"I'm glad you agree," Ordyntsev concluded resolutely. "But now comes the hardest part. We need prana users who will take the first versions of the future technique. Ordinary people, unfortunately, won't do at the final stage. Do you have a stock?"
"Only two," grimaced Satoshi, fluffing up the sparse strands on his head. "They won't last us long. Looks like you'll have to go out and get material for the work, Shiro-kun, and that will negatively affect the timeframe."
"Hm, I think I know how to solve our problem," the earthling remembered something.
"Well, let's start then. As you rightly pointed out, we are short on time. We'll have to sleep rarely, work a lot, and the result is not guaranteed," Takehiro stroked his snow-white beard like Pei Mei[1]. "Just how I like it!"
[1] Translator's note: it's that stereotypical Shaolin master; you've definitely seen him in movies or at least in pictures.