"Useless wastes!"
Okamoto Saburo, the leader of the Nobushi, was furious when he saw Arataki Itto take down another one of his subordinates' ships.
His men had already been reduced to a few survivors by the joint crackdown of the Shogunate and Watatsumi Island, and now, because of just two people, he had lost so many of his subordinates.
After hooking up with a big shot recently, he had been living spiritedly, not only confiscating a lot of good things, but even eliminating several waves of people sent by Watatsumi Island and the Shogunate, taking out his frustration thoroughly. As a result, he didn't expect to encounter a tough nut to crack today.
"Attack, beat them brutally!"
"Forget that ship, tear them to pieces for me!"
"I will hang the heads of those two on the mast!"
Just after Okamoto Saburo finished speaking, the cannon fire, which had fallen silent for a moment, erupted again, and countless gunpowder-laden shells rained down.
"Hey, hey! Are you not even going to save your own people?!"
Seeing this, Arataki Itto stepped on the ship's railing and yelled out toward the distance.
He had deliberately spared the Nobushi on the ship, merely tossing them into the sea to give himself a chance to catch his breath. However, he never expected the opponent to be so ruthless that they would abandon their own men.
Soon, the sky filled with cannonballs fell without suspense. Seeing this, Arataki Itto's legs felt a bit weak.
Of course, it wasn't because he was afraid, but because his physical exhaustion was quite severe.
Just as Kuki Shinobu had said, he had been bluffing this whole time.
"Boss, jump into the sea!"
Hearing Kuki Shinobu's words, Arataki Itto didn't force himself to be tough this time.
Before, the boat could still move, so some of the cannonballs fell into the sea; in fact, only twenty or thirty percent had hit.
But now, he had sailed his boat directly in between another ship, and both ships couldn't move. They were completely sitting ducks.
Although Arataki Itto cared about his image, he cared about his life more, so he immediately pinched his nose and took a leap, jumping into the sea.
As he was falling, Arataki Itto suddenly noticed a small figure on the sea sailing toward them. Taking a closer look, he found it was a Waverider, and his heart instantly filled with joy.
Seeing a Waverider, he could be almost certain that the person steering it was an ally from the Shogunate. Seeing someone coming to their rescue, Arataki Itto shouted excitedly to Kuki Shinobu.
"Shinobu, over there!"
Kuki Shinobu looked in the direction Arataki Itto was pointing, then nodded to him.
Arataki Itto understood the meaning behind Kuki Shinobu's gaze and nodded back to her vigorously.
The next second, two small splashes of water rose from the sea one after another, a performance that would have scored at least an eight. Then, ignoring the falling cannonballs, deafening booms rang out one after another, and the two ships began to disintegrate without holding out for long.
Seeing this scene, a complacent smile appeared on Okamoto Saburo's face.
"Hit them hard! They must know the consequences of provoking me!"
On the other side, Thoma, who had finally decided to rescue them first, drove the Waverider quickly toward the vicinity of the battlefield. He did not get too close, otherwise he would get caught up in it himself, or even worse, those two would escape and he would be left behind in the end.
Although he had some strength, it was only at the level of an ordinary person. He could only look up to Arataki Itto's strength.
If Arataki Itto and Kuki Shinobu had not noticed him, he would have gone a bit closer. However, he knew they had spotted him before, so he stayed in a safe place for a while, using the Nobushi's large ship as cover.
After a while, as the sounds of explosions gradually faded, a hand emerged from beneath the sea, and a slender, soaking-wet figure pulled herself onto the ship.
Thoma immediately handed over a hot tea and a towel he had prepared, showing unparalleled thoughtfulness.
This was his specialty!
"Mr. Thoma, thank you for your help this time."
Wiping her face with the towel, Kuki Shinobu was visibly stunned to see that the person on the Waverider was actually Thoma, then spoke to express her gratitude.
"It's nothing, I just happened to be nearby."
As for why he was nearby, Thoma didn't say. Clearly, they both knew that the other's mission was the same as their own.
"Has the boss not boarded the boat yet?"
Hearing the explosions grow fainter, Kuki Shinobu carefully checked inside and outside the Waverider, unable to refrain from frowning.
"Arataki Itto hasn't boarded yet, but he should be here soon," Thoma comforted.
"Even though the boss is severely exhausted, it's impossible for him to be slower than me. Could he have been caught in the explosion?"
"Even if he was caught in the explosion, with the boss's strength, he should have arrived by now. He couldn't have looked in the wrong direction, could he?"
Kuki Shinobu's frown deepened. She and Thoma searched the sea's surface together but found nothing unusual.
"I'll go look for the boss."
With that, Kuki Shinobu jumped back into the sea.
Thoma thought for a moment and then also jumped into the seawater.
Feeling the chill of the sea, Thoma sighed silently in his heart. In the end, he still couldn't escape his fate of going into the sea.
On the other side, Okamoto Saburo halted the attack.
"Go down into the sea and find him. Bring him back alive or dead!"
"Old man, there seem to be Shogunate Army people over there!"
Just then, a lackey beside Okamoto Saburo spotted Thoma's Waverider and quickly spoke up.
Not long after, Okamoto Saburo also spotted the Waverider and then chuckled.
"I didn't expect an extra harvest!"
"Sink it for me. Kill the Shogunate people without mercy!"
Okamoto Saburo spoke viciously, his eyes seemingly glaring with a fierce light, showing that his hatred for the Shogunate Army had reached its limit.
"Forget it, let me do it myself!"
Suddenly, Okamoto Saburo wanted to get some hands-on experience. He directly ordered his men to step down, then walked grandly to the main cannon with the largest caliber and began to aim.
It wasn't that there weren't smaller-caliber cannons, but he was afraid of missing, which would be too embarrassing.
With a larger caliber, even a near miss would cause an explosion.
Just as Okamoto Saburo was concentrating on calibrating his aim, a sudden scream erupted from behind, making his hand tremble.
"Who was screaming just now? Throw him into the sea and let him swim back on his own. If he can't, he can stay and feed the fish!"
Okamoto Saburo spoke in extreme annoyance, then began calibrating again. However, this time, two more screams rang out in succession from behind him.
Okamoto Saburo flew into a rage immediately, turned around, and roared.
"Do you all want to die?!"
But as soon as he turned, he found himself staring eye-to-eye with a bull. Okamoto Saburo was completely stunned.
Wait, where did this thing come from?!
"Ushi, attack!"
Hearing Arataki Itto's command, Ushi immediately snorted two puffs of white steam from its nostrils, and its gaze became exceptionally fierce.
Okamoto Saburo panicked and turned to flee. However, after only a few steps, he felt an irresistible force strike his tailbone. The next second, he was launched into the sky.
"Moo!"
After tossing Okamoto Saburo, Ushi snorted two more puffs of white steam from its nostrils and then changed targets to toss the others.
"You, don't come any closer!"
"I'll fight you to the death!"
"Sir, you don't need to lift a finger. I'll jump myself!"
Seeing the last Nobushi jump into the sea on his own, Arataki Itto didn't bother resting. He steered his boat toward the Waverider.
Since they didn't know the situation on the ship and hadn't received orders from Okamoto Saburo, the other vessels simply followed behind Arataki Itto without firing their cannons.
To an uninformed observer, it would look as if Arataki Itto had switched careers to become a pirate.
"Shinobu, hurry up and get on!"
As they approached the Waverider, Arataki Itto slowed down a bit to make it easier for Kuki Shinobu and Thoma to board.
Seeing Thoma, Arataki Itto immediately spoke up.
"Oh, you're the one from the Kamisato Clan, that, that, that who was it again?"
"Thoma."
"Alright, good buddy Thoma, you've arrived just in time!"
Then, seeing Kuki Shinobu's figure, Arataki Itto spoke to her boastfully.
"Shinobu, how about it? Am I strong?!"
However, what responded to Arataki Itto was a small fist smashing into his forehead.
"Ouch!"
Arataki Itto cried out in pain. Then, seeing Thoma present, he felt it was too embarrassing and immediately covered his mouth, looking at Kuki Shinobu with a very aggrieved expression.
However, Kuki Shinobu had not yet vented all her anger and continued to question him.
"Boss, I told you to retreat, what were you doing?!"
"Oh, Shinobu, you were telling me to retreat? I thought you were saying reinforcements had arrived and we could launch a counterattack!"
Arataki Itto clapped his hands together and spoke as if suddenly realizing something.
Hearing this, Kuki Shinobu and Thoma both couldn't help but twitch their mouths.
"Miss Kuki Shinobu, you've worked hard."
Thoma looked at Kuki Shinobu sympathetically, to which she responded with a long sigh.
"Sigh..."
After saying this, Thoma again felt that things were a bit absurd.
How did you manage to shoot down their main battleship?!
Thoma guessed that the enemy probably never expected Arataki Itto would still be thinking of a counterattack at a time like this, leaving them completely unguarded.
Otherwise, given Arataki Itto's current state, it would be impossible to take down the main battleship so easily.
It was too ridiculous!
You could only say that a reckless man like him could be truly unpredictable at times. How did he even dare?!
"Shinobu, where are we going now?"
Hearing Arataki Itto's question, Kuki Shinobu glanced at the ships following behind. Then she turned back and spoke firmly.
"Straight to Watatsumi Island."
"Boss, take this time to get some rest."
Hearing Kuki Shinobu's words, Arataki Itto immediately flopped down onto the deck.
"Finally, I can rest. This Great Lord is completely exhausted."
Seeing that Arataki Itto had finally settled down, Kuki Shinobu turned her gaze to Thoma.
"Mr. Thoma, you're also heading to Watatsumi Island, aren't you?"
"Yes."
Hearing Thoma's answer, Kuki Shinobu nodded.
"The Kamisato Clan's intelligence network is indeed impressive. This is for the best. Going to see Sangonomiya Kokomi together will add some credibility, and we can watch each other's backs on the way."
"However, I'm worried that Watatsumi Island will be much more dangerous than we anticipated."
After Kuki Shinobu finished speaking, Thoma nodded in agreement.
The Shogunate Army was already in such a dire situation, so the situation on Watatsumi Island would likely be even worse.
"No matter what, we have to see Sangonomiya Kokomi with our own eyes."
"If it's convenient, we can also offer our help."
After saying this, Thoma paused before speaking again.
"Miss Kuki Shinobu, I think it's better if we speed up and shake off the ships behind us. After all, we can't guarantee they won't open fire along the way."
"Then let's use our Elemental Power together to speed up the ship. But we have to be careful not to consume too much; I'm afraid we'll have a tough battle ahead."
Thoma nodded, and then the Pyro Element Vision on his body began to flash with a dazzling light.
"Do you need my help?"
Arataki Itto stood up.
"Sit down and rest quietly!"
"Oh."
Arataki Itto sat back down.
Kuki Shinobu took a deep breath; her boss really never let her have a moment's peace.
Then Kuki Shinobu also used her Elemental Power. Two beams of light, one red and one purple, reinforced the ship's hull, and the vessel's speed visibly accelerated.
While speeding up, Thoma and Kuki Shinobu remained vigilant for attacks from behind. Fortunately, the Nobushi ultimately did not fire their cannons, and they were gradually left far behind.
Seeing this, the three of them breathed a slight sigh of relief.
The ship was fast, and before long, they arrived at the coast of Watatsumi Island. The three of them immediately disembarked and ran inland to avoid being sandwiched between enemy forces from both directions.
Along the way, they saw the damaged buildings, dried bloodstains, and traces of battle on Watatsumi Island, and a faint sense of unease stirred in their hearts.
"I didn't expect even Watatsumi Island to be attacked."
Kuki Shinobu looked at the scenery along the way and sighed softly.
Even without seeing it with her own eyes, she could guess what had happened here.
These were places where ordinary people lived, and it was obvious that a massacre had taken place here.
"None of those Nobushi are any good!"
Thoma shook his head.
"It might not have been those Nobushi who did this..."
It wasn't that Thoma looked down on the Nobushi; in fact, many of them had decent strength and were even masters of swordsmanship, but they were completely outmatched compared to the forces of Watatsumi Island.
After all, Watatsumi Island was a force that had fought the Shogunate for years. Though the gap in military strength between it and the Shogunate was obvious, it was still a colossus compared to other factions.
"Mr. Thoma, do you mean someone else did this?"
Hearing Kuki Shinobu's question, Thoma realized Kujou Sara must not have revealed much to them. He was just about to speak after a moment's consideration when Arataki Itto spotted several figures and immediately raised his hand, shouting toward them.
"Aren't those our brothers from the Shogunate? They've already arrived?"
"Hey, you guys over there! Were you sent by Kujou Sara to support us?"
Hearing the commotion Arataki Itto caused and seeing the grim Shogunate Army ahead, Kuki Shinobu and Thoma's faces instantly changed. One covered Arataki Itto's mouth, while the other grabbed his waist and dragged him toward a nearby hiding spot.
"Mmph mmph mmph (Shinobu, why are you covering my mouth)?!"
Understanding the meaning in Arataki Itto's eyes, Kuki Shinobu couldn't help but whisper.
"Idiot boss, they can't possibly be Lord Kujou Sara's men!"
Indeed, the Nobushi's blockade had always been in place. Even they had barely escaped with their lives getting in, let alone the ordinary Shogunate Army.
Considering the traces of the previous battle and the now-missing Watatsumi Army, the answer was obvious.
Though the two had reacted quickly, their presence was still noticed. After all, Arataki Itto's voice was simply too loud, and dozens of arrows immediately flew their way.
Kuki Shinobu swung her kunai to deflect one of the arrows, her wrist tingling slightly as she felt a jolt of alarm.
"Something's wrong! Let's go quickly, don't get bogged down fighting them!"
"They're few in number. We could capture them and question them."
Thoma had a different suggestion. After all, in his view, the enemy was just a few ordinary soldiers, while their side had a luxurious lineup of three Vision wielders. Wouldn't taking them down be a piece of cake?
With this thought, Thoma stepped forward, his body erupting with dense Pyro Elemental Power.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you!"
"Blazing Blessing!"
A thick Pyro Elemental shield quickly formed in front of the three. Thoma was about to tell Arataki Itto and Kuki Shinobu to relax when he saw an arrow strike his Pyro Elemental shield, and the shield cracked open with a "kacha" sound.
Thoma: "..."
"I think Miss Kuki Shinobu is right. Let's retreat!"
Thoma gave the two of them an awkward but polite smile, and then the three of them immediately went all out, fleeing in another direction.
On the way, the three were intercepted several more times, but they managed to escape each time without any real danger. Only then did Thoma feel somewhat relieved that he hadn't fought those people head-on earlier.
With their strength, they could have won even if those people's combat power was a bit strange, but it would have been trouble once the others arrived to support them. Arataki Itto and Kuki Shinobu had already consumed a lot of their energy, making it impossible for them to fight continuously.
"Aoba was right when he said that fleeing is the best plan!"
Thoma lamented as he ran.
After some time, the three finally shook off their pursuers and rested in a cave.
"Huff... huff... Who on earth are those people? Are they not Kujou Chicken's subordinates?"
Even now, Arataki Itto still hadn't figured out the situation. He just trusted Kuki Shinobu.
Thoma chose to selectively ignore Arataki Itto's nickname for Kujou Sara and explained.
"Itto-bro, you should have had a lot of dealings with the Shogunate Army before, right? Are those Shogunate Army soldiers this good at chasing?"
After hearing Thoma's words, Arataki Itto suddenly understood.
"So that's how it is!"
"The guys here are really good at running. This Great Oni is exhausted!"
At this moment, Kuki Shinobu didn't even have the strength to complain about Arataki Itto. After catching her breath for a moment, she asked Thoma.
"Mr. Thoma, where should we go next?"
"So many people wearing Shogunate Army uniforms have appeared on Watatsumi Island, yet there's no sound of fighting. This means the people on Watatsumi Island should have already completed their evacuation. Do you know where they are most likely to go?"
Thoma shook his head and said with a wry smile.
"I'm not very sure about this either. If My Lord were here, he would probably know, but I've always been by Milady's side."
"However, I've heard that the Primordial Bathysmal Depths in the center of Watatsumi Island can lead to another place, but this is just a rumor, and its accuracy cannot be confirmed."
"That's enough."
Kuki Shinobu nodded; a clue was better than no clue at all.
"By the way, there is something Miss Kuki Shinobu judged incorrectly."
Thoma suddenly spoke again, his face serious.
"The people we encountered before were undoubtedly Shogunate Army soldiers."
"But they were Shogunate Army soldiers who died many years ago..."