Ragna's personal squad had taken Shoukatsuryou, Houtou, Ryuubi, and Lien to a nearby hill; from there, they all observed the battle against the Turbans in relative silence. The three girls stood next to the unit captain, while the rest of the soldiers surrounded them. For about half an hour, everyone present watched as the red-and-black flags signifying Ragna's unit of soldiers slowly moved through the mass of Turbans. Kan'u and Chouhi's units had moved into flanking positions further away from Ragna's unit and the Turbans, waiting for the right moment to strike.
At the thirty-minute mark, Ragna charged into a group of Turbans with his left fist outstretched, then went into a spin while maintaining the momentum of his dash. Because he extended his right arm out during the spin, the result was a semi-circular slash in front of him using Blood-Scythe; any Turbans that got caught by either of the attacks were sent flying. As soon as he did that, though, he just charged forward again, still clutching Blood-Scythe in his right hand.
"My goodness, it's a rout," Shoukatsuryou said, slowly shaking her head. The hill was close enough to the battle that the soldiers and the civilians could see (and hear) the Turbans scattering in front of Ragna like dead leaves. "Is it always like this when Lord Ragna gets into a fight? Why is he alone up there?"
"It's a standing rule that no one fights in close quarters alongside Lord Ragna," the captain replied, wincing slightly at the sight of the Amazing Flying Turban Show. "He says that he was always up against large groups of opponents, so he developed his style to let him deal with multiple enemies at once. He can do equally well in one-on-one duels, but when it comes to actually fighting alongside other people he's not used to it yet. His unit is mostly based around making sure that he can advance safely."
Houtou folded her arms and made a thoughtful noise, then spoke up. "That is a critical flaw. If the unit is only acclimated to supporting Lord Ragna's charge, then their defensive ability is poor. The unit that has the lord of the province leading it must be more secure than that."
The captain gave Houtou a withering glance, though when she shied away from him, he realized his mistake and eased up on the scorn in his expression. "We did run defensive formations and tactics with Lady Kan'u, so we're not totally ignorant about how to manage a defensive position. We just specialize in the very nuanced art of allowing Lord Ragna to vent his frustrations with the world by using his enemies as training dummies."
Ryuubi frowned gently, and shook her head. "It looks more like he's just slaughtering them from here. I never thought that someone called the Messenger of Heaven would be so violent and gruff." She looked carefully at Shoukatsuryou and Houtou. "Shuri, Hunari, I don't know if I'm comfortable staying in this province if someone like that is in charge. Do you two really want to work for this man?"
Another group of Turbans went flying through the air, and Shoukatsuryou flinched slightly at the sight of the corpses hitting the ground moments later. "Lord Ragna's heart is in the right place, Touka," she said, "though his methodology could use some work." She adjusted the straps of her backpack and clasped her hands together. "He was willing to listen to me and Hinari when we advised him, and he deliberately moved his army up so that he could secure our safety. If someone's willing to try and work with him, I think he can be convinced to let go of some of his… less positive habits."
Ryuubi still looked unconvinced, but before she could speak again, Lien interrupted her. "He's a rough man, indeed, but I've seen his kind before. They know what the right thing to do is, even if they don't like to admit to it sometimes. They are stubborn and determined, and that gives them the strength to see things through from start to finish." A small smile crossed her wizened face. "A good woman would settle him some, I think, but it'd have to be… delicately done."
The captain stared at Lien with a flat frown on his face, while the rest of the soldiers snickered. Because of this, he failed to notice the blush that crossed Shoukatsuryou's face at that suggestion. "Lord Ragna isn't the kind of man to be distracted by women. There have been a few… incidents in Zhuo already, and needless to say that he put a stop to any talk of him cavorting around with women when all that was said and done."
Lien's smile grew wider. "So a young man like him has a shy side, eh? All the more reason for the right girl to try and sweep him off of his feet. It'll be good for him!"
Ryuubi looked over to Shoukatsuryou, and saw that the young strategist's face had gone completely red. Frowning, Ryuubi walked over to Shoukatsuryou and waved a hand in front of the smaller girl's face a few times. "Hey, Shuri, are you all right? You're spacing out..."
Shoukatsuryou seemed to wake up from a trance, and shook her head rapidly. "Hawawa?! I-I'm fine, Touka! Don't worry about me." She smiled up at Ryuubi in a way that made it seem like she was forcing her mouth to stretch across her face. "I was just… um… I was thinking about something, that's all!"
Ryuubi's expression was doubtful to say the least, but she didn't have time to press Shoukatsuryou about it, as the loud blare of war horns cut through the air. The soldiers surrounding them began to whistle and hoot, and the captain in particular leaned forward a bit more, scrutinizing the battlefield. As expected, Kan'u and Chouhi's units were moving in, and the Turbans were sandwiched not only between them, but also had to deal with Ragna's unit still coming at them from the front.
On top of that, it seemed that Ragna had somehow acquired a large black horse and was darting up the center of the battlefield, killing Turbans every step of the way.
"Looks like Lord Ragna managed to break through," he said. "That'll be it for the Turbans, then." He looked to his soldiers with a grin on his face. "Once the Turbans have been mopped up, we're moving down there double-time. Lord Ragna's probably going to want to get to Lady Kousonsan as soon as he can."
"Yes, sir," the soldiers shouted.
Shoukatsuryou was seriously re-focused now that her strategy was coming into play, and she watched the movements of the troops intently. Houtou and Ryuubi did so as well, and were not entirely surprised when the mass of yellow below them was eventually swallowed up by the green livery of the Zhuo forces.
"They did it," Houtou whispered. "Shuri..."
Shoukatsuryou nodded, and smiled softly. "It worked perfectly. Surely, Lord Ragna would be willing to accept our help now..."
Ryuubi gave the two strategists another concerned look, then fixed her eyes on Ragna's red-and-black flag. I still don't know if I want to trust that man, she thought, biting her lip. If Shuri and Hinari get too close to him, and he hurts them, then… What can I do?
Unconsciously, she toyed with the hilt of her sword. She didn't know how to use it, but if it came down to defending her friends, she would do whatever it took to keep them safe.
Even if that meant challenging the Messenger of Heaven himself.