"Did they really come?"
Kazuha's brows knitted in disbelief. The Resistance barely had fifty members—could that even be called a battle? True, those fifty or so fighters were strong, especially Gorou, who could hold his own even against Kujou Sara.
"Yes, they came," Futsu Mitama replied calmly, surveying the scene. "Get ready. We'll be leaving soon."
"Eh?" Kazuha blinked—and the battlefield shifted again.
Gorou's squad had solid strength, but the Shogunate soldiers were already grabbing their weapons and charging out to surround them. Gorou loosed an arrow that forced Kujou Sara to halt for a moment. "Not good! The surprise attack failed! Retreat!!!"
As if rehearsed, the veterans evaded their opponents while the weaker members hurled smoke bombs. In an instant, the Resistance scattered and began to flee as abruptly as they had come.
"Outrageous!!! Completely outrageous!!!"
A general bearing an Electro Vision practically exploded with fury. Watching Gorou's retreat, he shouted, "You come when you want and leave when you want?! Impossible!!!"
He tried to charge after them but was restrained—the general herself had yet to issue an order.
"Lady Kujou Sara, what now?"
"Pursue them," Kujou Sara answered coldly. "Forget the meal. You follow me—we're tracking their camp."
She shot a volley of arrows, disrupting the Resistance elites again. If she could capture even a single fighter alive, she could extract information from them. Gorou met her arrows one by one, blocking each with his own. The Shogunate troops were seething—their peaceful lunch had been ruined. They couldn't just walk away after such humiliation.
Thus began the chase: Resistance fleeing, Shogunate in hot pursuit. The distance shrank. Soon, the Shogunate saw a cluster of tents—the supposed Resistance camp.
"Everyone, RUN! The Shogunate is here!!!" Gorou shouted at the top of his lungs.
Various individuals in mismatched clothing—clearly common folk from all over—ran out of the tents in panic, scrambling to escape. Many Shogunate soldiers smirked. Yes. This was the Resistance they knew.
A pathetic mob. How dare they oppose the Shogun?
But Kujou Sara—and the sharper generals—frowned. Something was off. This was too messy. Too poorly staged.
"Lady Kujou Sara…" one general began.
"They're trying to confuse us," she said flatly. "They want us to hesitate, to think there's some hidden trump card."
Her voice sharpened. "You fought the Resistance on Yashiori Island, didn't you? You should know how weak they are."
That reminder made more than one general's eyes flicker. Indeed, the small squad they'd previously encountered had been so weak that even the foot soldiers handled them without her involvement. They weren't trained fighters at all—just ordinary civilians.
"So they want to stall for reinforcements," Kujou Sara continued. She recalled the duel earlier—an unknown samurai showing unexpected strength. If more like him joined the Resistance, the consequences would be severe.
"We end the Resistance today," she declared. "Crush their main force in one strike."
With that, Kujou Sara led the final charge. Her generals followed. Gorou and his group fled exactly as planned, leading the Shogunate into a narrow canyon.
"Damn it!" Gorou shouted as they reached the dead end. "Brothers! Fight them to the death!!!"
"OOOHHH!!!"
The previously scattered, panicked Resistance members now rekindled their fighting spirit, drawing weapons from nowhere and turning to face their pursuers.
Kujou Sara stared at them unimpressed. "Your acting is atrocious. So this is your chosen ambush site? Show me your next trick."
Her aura flared—commanding and cold. Even the newly joined Resistance fighters trembled.
And then—
"As expected of you, Kujou Sara."
A calm, soft voice echoed across the canyon.
Sangonomiya Kokomi stepped into view at the cliffside, smiling gently. "A frontal assault would only lead to needless casualties. But with strategy… we can narrow the gap infinitely. I won't waste words. Ambush! Now!"
Upon her command, a disciplined Watatsumi Island unit surged forth, sealing the canyon's entrance. With Gorou's team inside, the pincer attack closed. The Resistance had committed everything—their entire fighting force. If they lost, the Resistance would cease to exist.
But they faced only the Shogunate's vanguard.
"Kill!!!"
"FOR ETERNITY!"
The battle erupted at full intensity from the first moment. The Shogunate soldiers, exhausted and hungry after a long chase, struggled immediately. Sangonomiya Kokomi watched calmly beside Futsu Mitama, Aila, and Kazuha.
"Nice to meet you, Group Leader, Aila, and the unknown samurai," she greeted.
Kazuha bowed slightly. He hadn't expected the vanguard to walk right into the trap. Aila remained silent, studying Kokomi—whose beauty rivaled Ayaka's, though her attire made Aila frown.
Futsu Mitama only smiled. "At this point, it hardly matters whether I'm here or not. You've handled everything better than expected."
He was genuinely astonished. Kujou Sara, usually so composed, had made a reckless and fatal mistake rushing in like this.
Sangonomiya Kokomi chuckled softly. "Anyone can misjudge their own strength."
Below, the battle began turning against Kujou Sara.
"We can't stall," she commanded. "Break through at once!"
Black wings unfurled behind her. She abandoned her bow, drew her feather fan, and flew upward.
"Subjugation: Koukou Sendou!"
Thunder descended in torrents. Resistance fighters at the mountain pass were blasted aside, opening a temporary escape route. The Shogunate seized the chance, pouring through the breach.
Gorou grit his teeth. Her Electro power was far beyond what he'd expected. But as Kujou Sara prepared to withdraw, Kokomi only smiled faintly.
"She's too late," Kokomi murmured. "Her decision is correct, but her soldiers can no longer keep up."
Even with Kujou Sara's tactical brilliance, the Shogunate soldiers were too exhausted. Their defeat accelerated like a landslide. Eventually, Kujou Sara ordered a retreat—her elites covering the rear while the others fled.
The Fatui, hiding in the shadows, moved quietly after the fleeing Shogunate.
Futsu Mitama tensed. "There. Someone's watching… gathering intel. Fatui." The Chat Group buzzed instantly.
[Makoto: As expected.]
[Makoto: Win or lose, the Fatui would appear.]
[Kokomi: Why didn't you tell me earlier?!]
[Makoto: It was just a guess~ Ehe~]
When Futsu Mitama, Kazuha, Aila, and Kokomi reached the valley's exit, they saw the Fatui—Debt Collectors, Electro and Cryo Cicin Mages. Far stronger than the earlier capture squad. Sangonomiya Kokomi's eyes darkened.
There are more Fatui spies in the Resistance.
"What do they want?" Futsu Mitama muttered.
"Let's watch."
Soon after, the exhausted Shogunate regrouped—only to be ambushed mercilessly.
"For Lady Sangonomiya! For the Resistance!"
The Fatui shouted as they slaughtered the vanguard, deliberately framing the Resistance. Kokomi's face drained of color. This would create a blood feud.
"Stop them!" she commanded.
Futsu Mitama understood immediately. He donned his oni mask, as did Aila and Kazuha, and leapt into battle.
Thunder split the air as he struck down a Debt Collector in one blow.
Kazuha swept the field with a raging windstorm.
Aila quietly disabled the mages with precise Hydro-forged daggers.
Within seconds, the battlefield split into three factions: Shogunate, Fatui, and the masked trio. Even the Shogunate soldiers were stunned—these three were monstrously strong, yet claimed to be Resistance. The Fatui tried to talk their way out:
"We're mercenaries! Lady Sangonomiya sent us!"
Sangonomiya Kokomi herself stepped forward, her voice firm and cutting:
"The Resistance opposes the Vision Hunt Decree. We do not slaughter the Shogunate Army. Warriors of Snezhnaya—what are you trying to do?"
A mocking voice answered.
"How boring." A young man in a straw hat stepped into view, smiling coldly.
"This is a gift. As a mortal, just accept it quietly."