Amakusa thought his speed was fast enough.
From Katori Shrine to here, he had practically used escape velocity.
But—
"Kālasūtra Hell…"
"Oh, you mean Minamoto no Raikō," Naoki said, placing a hand on Amakusa's shoulder. "I annihilated her during the Noble Phantasm clash. Now, only you all remain—looks like this can all end tonight."
As he spoke, Naoki swung his Holy Sword downward, slicing through Amakusa's body in the shape of the character 大 (large or split), and then—
*BAM!*
A heavy kick landed. A terrifying shockwave spread, collapsing the rooftop! It even sent everyone, including Shuten Dōji surrounding him, flying in all directions!
(This power…)
(Ugh—)
(Just one kick…)
(What an incredible kick.)
The four remaining Heroic Spirit Swordsmen quickly retreated, using the shockwave to their advantage. Amakusa, his body already sliced by Naoki, even cut off his own arm to escape from Naoki's side swiftly!
"Naoki!"
On a distant rooftop, Musashi stood with Tomoe and an unconscious Kiyohime, shouting Naoki's name. "Hold back a bit! We almost got caught in your attack!"
"You wouldn't have been hit anyway, right?" Naoki laughed. "More importantly, you didn't behead Mochizuki Chiyome?"
"Ugh… I was just about to when that Saṃghāta Hell interrupted. Otherwise, I'd have succeeded."
"I figured as much—Alright, leave this place to me. You guys get out of here first. Run as far as you can, and be careful not to get caught in the aftermath again."
"Leave it to you?"
Musashi glanced at the Heroic Spirit Swordsmen regrouping in the distance.
"Are you sure?"
*WHACK!*
Before she finished speaking, Naoki appeared beside her and smacked her head with his palm. "Who do you think you're talking to? Though I said we'd split tasks at the start, since there's a chance to wipe them all out at once, I'm not going to hold back."
"I don't mind. Reaching the Root isn't just about this one opportunity… The problem is, are you sure you're okay? Even if you're insanely strong, facing five alone is a bit much, isn't it?"
"Yeah, one or two might slip away."
Naoki smiled. "That's why I told you to leave first. Otherwise, you might get caught in the aftermath."
The aftermath?
"So, you're actually—"
*BUZZ!*
Musashi's voice was suddenly drowned out. The vibration of space and the roar of the atmosphere from the sky silenced her. A red light illuminated the dark night like sunlight.
What was happening?
Everyone looked up at the sky simultaneously, and at that moment, they all froze in place.
Both ordinary people and Heroic Spirit Swordsmen stood speechless at the sight in the sky.
"The moon… is falling?"
Musashi's voice trembled slightly.
"Naoki, don't tell me this is your…"
"Imaginary Manifestation, Moon Fall," Naoki laughed. "Dealing with them one by one is too troublesome. Isn't it faster to destroy them all at once?"
Indeed.
Heroic Spirit Swordsmen were immortal. Even Naoki couldn't guarantee killing them in one strike every time. While dealing with one, others might escape.
So, to ensure none got away, Naoki unleashed his strongest AOE attack.
In Pan-Human History, Naoki rarely used Moon Fall because it would cause massive damage to the real world. But this was a Lostbelt—a world abandoned, pruned, with no future whatsoever.
Even if Tsuchiura Castle was destroyed here, it wouldn't have a significant impact on this world. Pan-Human History would remain unaffected.
"Wait, Naoki, the samurai below! And the residents in the castle town! If you drop this Moon Fall—"
"Look down."
"Down?"
Musashi hurriedly looked below—though not entirely clear, she could faintly see a reflection in the air not far from the ground.
"I'm sure you understand when I say it's a Barrier, right?" Naoki said. "You think I didn't consider that? After this Moon Fall hits, the only things destroyed will be the Heroic Spirit Swordsmen and the Magus Amakusa. At most, maybe most of Tsuchiura Castle."
Everything else would remain undamaged.
Staring at the falling Red Moon, enduring the immense pressure it brought, intense anger and unwillingness surged in Amakusa's heart.
"Again… again…"
Another failure.
He had experienced countless defeats in the Shimabara Rebellion. He had witnessed countless failures. And this time, he had finally abandoned his past innocence, deciding to take revenge on the Edo Shogunate—but why did he still fail!
Why could he never succeed!
"Why…"
"Why are you blocking my path! Foreigner!"
Amakusa's arms glowed with raging magical energy. A mass of pitch-black matter condensed between his hands.
"Why obstruct my revenge! Why! This sinful Shogunate! Why not let me destroy it! Why are you standing in my way!"
"I just can't stand to watch," Naoki said coldly. "I told you before—if you were still the leader of the Shimabara Rebellion, the saint who wanted to bring hope to oppressed peasants, I'd gladly help you. But you're not that person anymore."
The current Amakusa was merely a Revenge Ghost, blinded by hatred, his heart consumed by vengeance, thinking only of retribution.
Naoki could agree with his thoughts, understand his motives for revenge, but he couldn't accept actions and beliefs that disregarded human lives.
*CRASH!*
The pitch-black mass gathered between Amakusa's hands shot out. As it left his hands, it expanded rapidly, transforming into a small pseudo-black hole in the blink of an eye, pulling and dragging everything around it!
But—
*SWOOSH!*
The pseudo-black hole lasted only a moment. The next second, it was countered and destroyed by the light slashed by Naoki!
And at the same time, the Red Moon fully descended.
*BOOOMMMM!*
The magnificent Tsuchiura Castle was obliterated by the immense pressure.
The bodies of the Heroic Spirit Swordsmen crumbled under the forced pressure of the moonlight.
Before a fairy capable of saving the world, those whose power was limited to individuals had no strength to resist.
Assassin Paraíso—Mochizuki Chiyome.
Berserker Saṃghāta Hell—Shuten Dōji.
Caster Limbo—Ashiya Dōman.
Saber Empireo—Yagyū Munenori.
Magus—Amakusa Shirō.
The four Heroic Spirit Swordsmen gathered here, along with the Magus employing them, were all annihilated under the moonlight!
Whether it was the power of the Snake God, the might of the Oni race, the strength of Onmyōdō, or unmatched swordsmanship… Under the Red Moon, all were equal, all fragile, and all shattered in an instant.
Recorded in the future.
Kan'ei 16, 1639.
In Shimōsa Province, Japan, a Red Moon fell, regarded as divine punishment.