Sangonomiya Kokomi never expected that the other party was actually a ghost who had died over a thousand years ago, nor did she expect those suddenly appearing Shogunate soldiers to not only return to this world but even possess bodies that could move in the mortal realm.
"I never thought the truth would be like this."
A flash of sorrow crossed Sangonomiya Kokomi's eyes. War only brought misfortune. They had been robbed of everything by war while they were alive, and now, even in death, they still could not be freed.
Afterward, a surge of anger rose in Sangonomiya Kokomi's heart. She knew that this incident was very likely man-made. Someone was dissatisfied with the current peace and was attempting to incite another war between the Shogunate and Watatsumi Island!
Although she did not know if the other party was simply a war maniac or had other motives, she would absolutely never let their plan succeed!
Just then, Sangonomiya Kokomi suddenly realized something.
Earlier, Gorou had mentioned the discrepancy in their numbers. Perhaps the fallen soldiers had, for some reason, returned to this world and retreated with the rest of the army.
After all, a tangible ancestor—someone Kokomi could see and touch—was standing right before her! If someone who had been dead for a thousand years could reappear, then what about soldiers who had only just passed?
Moreover, the woman who had suddenly appeared before them had lost almost all her memories, not even knowing she had already died. It was highly likely that the fallen soldiers were unaware of their own condition as well.
This theory was easy to verify. Kokomi shared her findings with Gorou, and he immediately left to investigate. Shortly after, he returned with the result.
"Lady Sangonomiya, your deduction was correct."
"Those soldiers have all experienced a significant boost in power. They have no idea why—they simply assume they were lucky enough to receive the gods' favor."
Gorou's expression was bitter as he spoke. This confirmation all but guaranteed that the soldiers had already died, but hadn't realized it yet.
"I was afraid they would simply break down or even vanish if they found out, so I didn't explain anything to them."
Hearing Gorou's words, Sangonomiya Kokomi shook her head.
Although Gorou's approach was considerate, it was unlikely that those soldiers would have died again simply by realizing the truth.
Then, Sangonomiya Kokomi turned her gaze to the woman sitting and resting not far away.
When she and Gorou had been talking earlier, the woman had heard some of their conversation. She believed the woman must have also guessed the fact that she had already died, yet she showed no unusual reaction.
This was precisely why Sangonomiya Kokomi was even more certain that this incident was artificially caused.
Someone must have broken through the barrier between the worlds of the living and the dead, causing many souls who had already passed away to return to this world. Furthermore, they could live normally in a very peculiar state.
The longer a person had been dead, the more memories they would lose upon reappearing in this world. For instance, the woman had forgotten almost everything, only vaguely remembering that she had an important matter to attend to. Meanwhile, the Watatsumi soldiers who had only recently passed away had merely forgotten the memories of their deaths.
Sangonomiya Kokomi thought that the order of memory loss should start from the least important or most unwilling-to-recall parts.
If this reasoning held true, then the Shogunate Army that had previously attacked Watatsumi Island must be under someone's control. After all, they seemed to already know their identities as deceased souls, rarely took the initiative to dodge attacks, and even stayed completely awake at night, maintaining a high level of vigilance.
If she could bypass these Shogunate soldiers and directly eliminate the mastermind, would they be able to return to their normal lives?
As Sangonomiya Kokomi thought of this, her eyes grew brighter. She knew that many soldiers from Watatsumi Island had also returned to this world. If they could break free from the mastermind's control, wouldn't that be almost the same as being resurrected?!
And if she could master the opponent's methods, would God Orobashi also have a chance to be resurrected?!
Sangonomiya Kokomi shook her head, secretly telling herself not to be too greedy. That was a God-level being, after all.
But after this thought appeared in her mind, it was difficult to shake off.
The people of Watatsumi Island would not worship the Raiden Shogun, and the Raiden Shogun did not consider the people of Watatsumi Island as her own subjects to protect. No one on Watatsumi Island did not yearn for God Orobashi to be resurrected and protect them again.
Sangonomiya Kokomi shook her head again, forcing herself to calm down.
No matter what, the immediate trouble had to be dealt with first.
However, eliminating the Shogunate Army that had occupied Watatsumi Island was simply too difficult. The Shogunate Army's military training had always been superior to that of the Watatsumi Army, and now the gap was even more immense. Moreover, the Watatsumi Army's morale had completely collapsed, and many of the soldiers were even terrified by the fighting. Even if she personally intervened, she might not be able to reverse the tide of battle, as the mastermind had yet to reveal themselves.
Should they just wait for the Shogunate Army to gain control of the situation before making a move?
After all, the Shogunate Army was much stronger and likely wouldn't be as passive as Watatsumi Island.
But that would be equivalent to handing their fate completely into the hands of others. She wondered if there were any other ways to break the deadlock.
Sangonomiya Kokomi pondered for a long time before finally turning her gaze back to the woman who had been dead for years, then spoke to Gorou beside her.
"Gorou, I remember there are many mechanisms in Enkanomiya that we still haven't found the solutions to, and there are also many hidden spaces that haven't been discovered yet, right?"
"Once the soldiers have rested, send them out separately to search and see if there are any others."
"Then take them to those places. Perhaps they can recover some memories and help us."
-
A few days later, Kujou Sara finally led the Shogunate Army in a counterattack. Upon entering Tatarasuna, they were met with fierce resistance.
The Watatsumi Army had always employed guerrilla tactics. Their unusual choice to fight the Shogunate Army head-on made Kujou Sara realize something was wrong. She used her numerical advantage to attack from three separate directions.
Yet, even though each frontline had at least three times as many soldiers as the opponent and was aided by the talismans borrowed from Yae Miko, the fighting remained deadlocked.
Only after deploying a large number of Vision wielders did the Shogunate Army barely gain a slight advantage.
Kujou Sara's expression turned grave as she watched the Watatsumi Army begin an orderly retreat.
This army's combat strength was simply astonishing. Many among them could use Elemental Power, making them even more formidable. Some were not even weaker than her.
The attire worn by some appeared to be from an ancient era. Could they be the spirits of soldiers who died in the war thousands of years ago?
Kujou Sara knew Inazuma's history. Thousands of years ago, the Shogunate and Watatsumi had fought a great war. Musoujin Gorge was formed during that time, and the God Orobashi had fallen on Yashiori Island.
Kujou Sara's heart sank as this thought occurred to her. If things were truly as she suspected, she could probably guess why the Watatsumi Army had chosen to stop her head-on from advancing further.
This battle could not be allowed to drag on, or there might be irreversible consequences!
While calling in reinforcements from the rear, Kujou Sara commanded the Shogunate Army to pursue the enemy. As casualties continued to mount, Kujou Sara clenched her fists in frustration. Yet, she still did not order a halt to the pursuit, instead venting her full fury on the enemy before her...
At that moment, on a small island near Watatsumi, Thoma gazed toward Watatsumi Island with a conflicted expression.
"It doesn't look that far. I should be able to swim there, right?"
Thoma double-checked the distance on the map and visually estimated it several more times, but he still couldn't bring himself to take the first step.
Given the choice, no one would abandon a perfectly good boat to swim across the sea.
But Thoma had no choice, because Watatsumi Island had been completely blockaded, and the ones who seemed to be carrying out the blockade were Nobushi.
The reason for the Nobushi's appearance was easy to guess. Ever since the ceasefire between Watatsumi Island and the Shogunate, both sides had united against the Nobushi who committed robbery and looting, carrying out a thorough cleanup.
Due to the gap in raw strength, these Nobushi could only retreat step by step, even being driven out to sea.
This time, it was estimated that these Nobushi had found an opportunity to join forces with a mysterious backer to retaliate against the Shogunate and Watatsumi Island. The people Kujou Sara had sent out earlier were probably all eliminated by these Nobushi.
The current situation was already extremely critical. Before Thoma set out, he had heard news of the Shogunate Army's rout. He had no time to waste and had to find Sangonomiya Kokomi as quickly as possible.
Thinking of this, Thoma took a deep breath. Just as he was about to jump into the sea, he suddenly heard the sound of cannons firing in the distance.
"Damn it, is that the second wave of the Shogunate Army or the people on Watatsumi Island?"
Thoma's expression changed. He then ignored the issue of exposure, as saving people was more important right now.
So Thoma immediately tore away the camouflage on the Waverider, then boarded the boat and sailed toward the direction of the commotion.
Before he had sailed far, Thoma saw the Nobushi fleet surrounding another ship and continuously bombarding it. The people on the ship were also returning fire sporadically. A cannonball was about to land on the ship before being blocked by a bright yellow shield. Thoma also seemed to see a giant bull thrown from that ship.
Well, Thoma knew who the fellow on the ship was.
He hadn't expected Kujou Sara to ask him for help. It seemed the battle situation there was not optimistic.
Without a doubt, the person using this kind of method could only be Arataki Itto.
Another cannonball blasted the barrier, this time tearing a large hole in it.
"Boss, are you all right?"
Kuki Shinobu asked Arataki Itto, who was standing beside her, while she was loading cannonballs to return fire.
Kuki Shinobu fired the cannon very accurately, but it was of little use. Although two ships had already been sunk, there were at least twenty or thirty ships surrounding them.
"A-a man, how could a real man not be all right?!"
"Hahahaha, don't worry, Shinobu, your Boss can still hold on for another hour!"
"But Boss, you don't look well at all. Stop forcing yourself."
"Cough, cough, cough, I, I'm just a little seasick!"
As he spoke, the barrier was torn open again by a cannonball. This time, they weren't as lucky. A cannonball flew in and landed right at Arataki Itto's feet. Arataki Itto's heart jumped, then he swung his massive "Chocorice" like a baseball bat and struck the cannonball. However, the cannonball didn't fly off like a baseball, but exploded directly.
BOOM
"Boss!"
Kuki Shinobu threw out several kunai, detonating the incoming cannonballs in mid-air, but some still got through.
"Pah, pah, pah!"
By the time Arataki Itto jumped out of the fiery blast covered in soot and dirt, the boat had taken three more cannonball hits and started shaking violently, even beginning to tilt to one side.
Seeing that Arataki Itto wasn't seriously injured, Kuki Shinobu put her mind at ease and spoke.
"Water seems to be leaking in from the left side; the boat won't hold out much longer."
Just then, the enlarged Ushi sank the third ship, but this still didn't change the overall situation much.
"Come back, Ushi!"
Arataki Itto waved his hand, and then Ushi leaped over here. In midair, Ushi's body rapidly shrank, finally becoming palm-sized as it landed in Arataki Itto's hand, its spirit somewhat withered.
"Ushi, why did you get so small?!"
"Alright Boss, let's put Ushi away first."
"Prepare to jump ship. We can dive into the sea to hide for a bit, then find a small island to rest and regroup."
Kuki Shinobu offered a sensible suggestion. As Vision holders, their physical constitutions were far stronger than ordinary people's. Even holding their breath for dozens of minutes wouldn't be a major problem, and even if they surfaced halfway to catch their breath, it wouldn't take long. These Nobushi wouldn't be able to react in time.
If she weren't worried about traps on Watatsumi Island, Kuki Shinobu would have wanted to just swim over.
"Jump into the sea?"
"No, no, that's way too cowardly. When has this great lord ever been forced into such a pathetic state by a bunch of Nobushi?"
"Boss, there are too many of them, and we're not suited for fighting at sea. Don't be stubborn!"
After hearing Arataki Itto's words, Kuki Shinobu immediately spoke sternly. She knew that if her tone were even a little softer, it would be impossible to be effective.
In fact, even though she spoke so firmly, Arataki Itto still didn't listen to her arrangements.
"If we aren't suited for fighting at sea, then we'll change to land!"
With that, Arataki Itto grabbed a rope on the deck and gave it a powerful tug, directly unfurling the sail.
"Shinobu, full speed ahead!"
After guessing Arataki Itto's intention, Kuki Shinobu spoke again.
"Boss, this is too risky!"
"Hahahaha, let's vent our frustration first! This great lord has never fled in disgrace!"
Seeing she couldn't change Arataki Itto's decision, Kuki Shinobu sighed and then unleashed her full Elemental Power to continuously accelerate the ship.
The ship's speed increased faster and faster, finally slamming into another Nobushi ship, instantly knocking everyone on board off their feet.
After the violent shaking, Arataki Itto jumped directly onto the enemy ship, resting his large club on his shoulder. Suddenly, a magnificent and domineering aura erupted.
"Royal Descent!"
Soon, the Nobushi were thrown off the boat one by one by Arataki Itto. Before long, the deck was cleared.
Seeing this scene from afar, Thoma was completely stunned. Holy cow, is he really this cool?!
Thoma also wanted to show off a bit, but looking at his small Waverider and then at his small frame, he immediately abandoned the dangerous thought in his mind.
If he had done the same thing, he would probably have been thrown into the sea to feed the fish by now.
Suddenly, Thoma felt that he was a bit redundant here, and his gaze couldn't help but fall on the other side, where the blockade line had been thrown wide open because of the battle here.
Maybe he could seize this opportunity to sail directly to Watatsumi Island?!