In Enkanomiya, Sangonomiya Kokomi looked at the Watatsumi Island soldiers before her with a serious expression and slowly began to speak.
"Everyone, Inazuma is facing a crisis of survival. I know that all of you harbor irreconcilable hatred for the Shogunate."
"But you must also know that before the crisis is over, no one can remain completely safe!"
"Although we have already solved our own survival problems for now, the barrier to the outside world is not impregnable. In fact, for the mastermind behind all this, it could even be considered incredibly fragile."
"The enemy does not have the intention of attacking us at the moment, but that is no reason for us to let down our guard."
"Even if the enemy truly looks down upon us, are you all truly willing to live in Enkanomiya, with its scarce resources, for the rest of your lives? Are you willing to never see the real sun again for the rest of your lives? Are you willing to let our future generations live the same kind of life that we are?"
After hearing Sangonomiya Kokomi's words, the Watatsumi Island soldiers clenched their fists one by one, and angry expressions appeared on their faces.
"We are not willing!"
"Lady Sangonomiya, whatever arrangements you have, just tell us directly. We will definitely carry out your plan unwaveringly!"
"Yes, with the nation facing a disaster, all other grudges can be put aside for now!"
In truth, Sangonomiya Kokomi did not need to say much more. After the previous few battles, everyone had come to deeply realize how terrifying this enemy truly was. If they had a choice, they would genuinely never want to face that group of enemies again.
But just as Sangonomiya Kokomi had said before, no one could guarantee that those enemies wouldn't come after them after destroying the Shogunate. When that time came, they would truly have no choice but to accept their fate.
What Sangonomiya Kokomi needed to do was try her best to eliminate the rift between everyone and the Shogunate, to make everyone understand that they were standing completely at a turning point in history, and to understand the mission and responsibility they carried.
Although the people of Watatsumi Island did not worship the Raiden Shogun, they still considered themselves Inazumans. Now that Inazuma was facing total annihilation, Sangonomiya Kokomi wanted everyone to realize this point.
Seeing the reaction of the soldiers, Sangonomiya Kokomi knew that her objective was very successful, and she then announced her arrangements.
"Everyone probably does not know what has happened outside yet."
"The sea around Yashiori Island has already been severely eroded by Electro Elemental Power. Life struggles to survive in all affected areas, and this range is expanding daily. I believe the nearest affected zone is now not far from Watatsumi Island."
Hearing Sangonomiya Kokomi's words, everyone present was inwardly shocked. They had never imagined that Inazuma's situation had already deteriorated to such a dire state.
The statement that Inazuma had reached a life-or-death crisis was not an exaggeration at all!
"But our latest research results can help us survive in extreme environments. I believe everyone has already experienced this firsthand."
Everyone nodded. Even now, they were still somewhat shocked. They had never thought they could become so powerful, and the most outstanding among them could even use Elemental Power without a Vision.
More importantly, they could even absorb a small amount of energy from the outside, so their stomachs would not feel hungry for a long time.
When they heard this, everyone had already guessed Sangonomiya Kokomi's next plan.
"Now, we need to quickly bring these research results to our other Inazuman compatriots to help them resist the impending environmental deterioration."
"There is no time to lose. Everyone, please proceed immediately to Five... to Hina's side to receive the Dragon Blood Potion."
As soon as Sangonomiya Kokomi finished speaking, she departed directly. The Watatsumi Island soldiers present all froze for a moment, then transformed into wolves and charged toward Gorou, who was standing nearby with a very forced smile.
"Miss Hina, I can't believe it's really the Miss Hina I imagined!"
"It looks like Miss Hina has truly become the miko beside Lady Sangonomiya! Doesn't this mean I have a chance..."
"You're daydreaming, Miss Hina is mine!"
"Miss Hina, I'm your fan, please give me an autograph!"
"Miss Hina, I've run into some trouble, I hope you can come to my house to help me solve it!"
"Get lost, you're calculating so loudly I can hear the abacus beads rattling in my face!"
-
Gorou looked at the soldiers before him, who were like wolves and tigers. For the first time, he felt everyone's enthusiasm so strongly, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Everyone, don't crowd. Please line up and receive the Dragon Blood Potion in order."
Just as Gorou finished speaking, the surrounding soldiers ran to the back and obediently formed a line. This made Gorou's lips twitch involuntarily; when he was a General before, his words had never been this effective!
As Gorou distributed the Dragon Blood Potion, he forced a stiff smile at the soldiers before him.
This was because Sangonomiya Kokomi had asked him to do so, saying it would better help the soldiers complete the mission of distributing the Dragon Blood Potion. Gorou couldn't find any reason to object and could only obey.
"Miss Hina, I really like you so much, chu!"
A soldier with a bushy beard and a fat face received the Dragon Blood Potion, his face splitting into a grin as he made a heart with his hands to Gorou.
"Th... thank you..."
Gorou's body trembled, and he had already scraped out a three-bedroom, one-living room apartment with his feet on the ground.
At this moment, Gorou wailed in his heart: making him do this kind of thing was worse than sending him to directly confront Yae Miko!
Forget it, Yae Miko is too scary; he'd rather go and fight the Raiden Shogun directly!
Mainly because the battle ended quickly, he probably wouldn't suffer much.
Just as Gorou's mind was racing with a thousand thoughts, he suddenly heard someone start talking about him.
"Strange, I haven't seen General Gorou around lately."
"Yeah, yeah, could he have been sent out on a secret mission by Lady Sangonomiya?"
Hearing this conversation, a look of joy appeared on Gorou's face. He hadn't expected anyone to still be paying attention to him; as expected, he still had good prestige and reputation in the army!
However, just as Gorou was thinking this, the conversation that followed completely stunned him.
"Sigh, it would be great if Miss Hina became our General. With Miss Hina supervising the army, I could definitely unleash twice my combat power!"
"I could unleash three times my combat power!"
"If Miss Hina decides to choose the bravest soldier as her future husband, I could unleash ten times my combat power!"
"Say no more, as long as Miss Hina is willing to preside over my funeral, I'd even have the courage to wield my blade against the Raiden Shogun!"
"Compared to that, General Gorou's formations only let us improve our combat power by about twenty percent. I think he's not really cutting it."
Gorou's vision went black, and he almost fell over.
"Miss Hina!"
Seeing Gorou's strange reaction, the soldiers swarmed around him, asking with concern.
"Miss Hina, how are you feeling?"
"Miss Hina, are you alright?"
"Miss Hina, is the sun too strong? Let me help you to a shaded area to rest!"
Gorou, who had just calmed down, saw his vision go black again at the last sentence. What the hell is there to be said about the sun in Enkanomiya!
Why are there so many people in the army who act more like dogs than I do?!
A wave of sorrow washed over Gorou's heart. After leading troops in battle for so many years, his reputation in the army was actually lower than that of an ordinary person!
"I'm fine, everyone, don't worry."
Gorou immediately wilted, his tail drooping lifelessly, and the smile he showed afterward was even more half-hearted.
Seeing Gorou's completely perfunctory attitude, the soldiers showed no sign of anger. Instead, they discussed among themselves.
"Miss Hina really seems to be feeling unwell!"
"Even when she's not feeling well, Miss Hina still insists on distributing the Dragon Blood Potion to us. She's truly... I'm crying to death!"
Just then, Sangonomiya Kokomi rushed back.
"Right, soldiers, there's one more thing I forgot to announce."
"Because Gorou is ill, Hina will temporarily take his place and lead you in the upcoming operations. Does anyone have any objections?"
"Huh?!"
Hearing Sangonomiya Kokomi's words, the soldiers were completely stunned.
Wait, are they all having a collective dream today? How did their dream come true?!
After a moment, the soldiers erupted into thunderous cheers.
"Miss Hina, rest assured! We will do our utmost to protect you from even a single scratch!"
Many of them rushed to Gorou, thumping their chests with a loud "bang bang."
"I'm so grateful to you all!"
Seeing these bastards who had abandoned their loyalty for a pretty face, Gorou began to wonder if he should increase the intensity of their future training plans.
For some reason, the soldiers present suddenly shuddered, as if someone was plotting against them.
After some more time passed, the Dragon Blood Potion was finally fully distributed. Of course, this did not cover the entire quota for Inazuma, after all, distribution and acceptance by others take time, so they couldn't wait until they had everything in hand a week later before starting the distribution.
At this moment, Sangonomiya Kokomi looked at the soldiers before her, a hint of worry in her heart.
This enemy was truly over-leveled. Even she couldn't guarantee that everyone present would return safely. However, a task like distributing the Dragon Blood Potion couldn't be entrusted to just a few people, so Sangonomiya Kokomi could only pray that no accidents would occur during this operation.
"Move out!"
With Sangonomiya's command, the Watatsumi Army marched majestically toward the entrance of Enkanomiya under everyone's gaze.
Soon, Sangonomiya Kokomi opened the entrance, allowing everyone to pass through quickly.
At this moment, Sasayuri, who was stationed outside the entrance, suddenly felt a strong sense of unease. The next second, his figure appeared beside the Primordial Bathysmal Depths, and he frowned as he looked at the transparent barrier.
Suddenly, a white light flashed, and that layer of barrier actually disappeared right before Sasayuri's eyes.
Realizing the situation was wrong, Sasayuri immediately took out his weapon, and terrifying Electro Elemental Power gathered at the tip of the arrow, with countless arcs of electricity spreading out into the air.
Suddenly, Sasayuri felt a moment of daze. He seemed to hear a long dragon's roar, and his mind momentarily lost its focus.
The next second, Sangonomiya Kokomi's hand rested on his bow.
Sasayuri snapped back to his senses, and he was shocked to feel Sangonomiya Kokomi's aura becoming even more powerful than before.
The next second, Sasayuri's body turned into a flash of lightning and fled into the distance, while simultaneously ordering the surrounding soldiers to start attacking.
The soldiers of Watatsumi Island clenched their fists as they watched the Shogunate Army charge toward them, unable to help but recall the scenes of the massacre when the enemy first landed on the island. A fierce rage surged within their hearts, and they were desperate to immediately grip their weapons and charge forward to kill them.
They had been defeated before for various reasons, the most crucial being their lack of sufficient power, but now they were confident they could win this war.
However, Sangonomiya Kokomi had already made arrangements before their departure. To prevent their plan from being discovered and thwarted in advance, they were ordered to flee if absolutely necessary, but they must not counterattack.
Gorou took a deep breath and then shouted loudly.
"All forces, retreat to the southwest! Archers, provide cover!"
Gorou's order left the soldiers of Watatsumi Island stunned. They had originally thought Gorou was just following them along as a mascot, but this time Gorou made a decision so swiftly that they felt as if he wasn't just a pretty face after all!
After a brief moment of distraction, the soldiers immediately began to act according to Gorou's orders.
At this moment, the two generals beside Gorou were arguing until their faces turned red over who would carry Gorou away from the battlefield.
"I'm stronger, choose me!"
"I have fewer scars than he does, so I'm more comfortable. Miss Hina, choose me!"
Two black lines appeared on Gorou's forehead, and his fists clenched with a "crackling" sound.
Under Thoma's gaze as he covered his mouth and chuckled on the side, Gorou gave each of them a small punch, then displayed his extraordinary speed and ran toward the southwest, and Thoma immediately followed.
"I've long heard that General Gorou is deeply respected by the soldiers, and seeing it today, his reputation is truly well-deserved!"
After hearing Thoma's teasing, the bright yellow light on Gorou's body shone more brilliantly than ever before. Against this backdrop, his face turned as red as if it were dripping blood, and his speed instantly surged by a large margin, to the point where even Thoma couldn't keep up.
At this moment, the two punched generals were still a bit dazed.
"Why did Miss Hina hit us?"
"I get it. Hitting is affection, and scolding is love. Miss Hina is interested in me! Looks like it won't be long before you can come to the wedding feast of me and Miss Hina!"
"Get lost! Miss Hina hit me too, so she likes me too!"
The two argued as they ran, and they almost started fighting on the way.
Seeing that the soldiers had mostly retreated, Sangonomiya Kokomi also promptly withdrew.
At the same time, Sangonomiya Kokomi shared the Protection of the Deep Sea with the other soldiers, granting them stronger power. The garrison at the checkpoints along the way was broken through like rotten wood.
Sasayuri was slightly surprised to see this scene. The combat power displayed by this troop at this moment was somewhat beyond his imagination.
"Continue the pursuit!"
"Detach some people to guard the ships!"
Sasayuri speculated on the opponent's purpose and issued orders.
However, what he didn't expect in the end was that Sangonomiya Kokomi and her group had no intention of seizing the ships at all. They stepped directly onto the sea surface and continued their retreat, walking as if on level ground.
Seeing this scene, Sasayuri was shocked. It seemed that it wasn't his illusion just now; Sangonomiya Kokomi's strength had indeed become stronger.
This time, Sangonomiya Kokomi brought only about 100 people who had escaped, which was not many. After careful thought, Sasayuri gave up on the idea of sending people to pursue them by ship.
On the open sea, it was completely the opponent's home field. Even if he went out personally, there would be no chance of victory.
If they were lured into a trap, the sent troops would probably be completely wiped out.
"Lord Sasayuri, please punish us. It is our incompetence that allowed them to break through the blockade and escape!"
A Shogunate soldier nearby knelt on one knee before Sasayuri in shame, speaking with his head bowed.
"Rise."
Sasayuri knew that no one else was to blame for this. The opponent's objective was clear, and with the powerful Sangonomiya Kokomi leading them, it was only natural that they couldn't stop them.
However, what Sasayuri couldn't figure out was that this troop's strength seemed a bit too formidable, completely on a different level from the Watatsumi Army they had encountered before.
Although part of the reason was Sangonomiya Kokomi's buffing ability, the increase shouldn't have been this significant.
Still, he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination. Since the two armies had never clashed head-on, Sasayuri couldn't be completely certain.
Sasayuri watched the figures gradually disappearing in the distance, lost in thought for a moment, unsure of what he was pondering.
No, there was something wrong with this group's departure.
Sasayuri narrowed his eyes slightly. Although he couldn't be sure, he had noticed too many anomalies.
When all these anomalies were combined, the purpose behind the opponent's sudden breakthrough of the blockade was extremely thought-provoking.
"Prepare a boat. I'm going out to sea."
Sasayuri ordered again. Of course, he wasn't planning to pursue them, but rather to go and report the situation.
Meanwhile, feeling a distinct numbness and tingling sensation on their bodies, the soldiers of Watatsumi Island lost the relaxed smiles they had worn while toying with Sasayuri's troops earlier. Their moods turned heavy.
Before, Sangonomiya Kokomi had only described it in words, which was nothing compared to the shock they now felt personally.
With this level of erosion, their original strength would have lasted only a few minutes. For ordinary people, the duration would be even shorter.
Only now did they truly realize the weight of the burden they carried. The Dragon Blood Potions on their backs felt as heavy as a thousand jin.
Each Dragon Blood Potion represented a living life!
At this moment, the sadness on Sangonomiya Kokomi's face deepened. The plea for help the sea was transmitting to her grew more obvious, granting her power even greater than before, yet this brought her no joy.
"Lady Sangonomiya, are you alright?"
Gorou noticed the strange look on Sangonomiya Kokomi's face and asked with concern.
Sangonomiya Kokomi shook her head and spoke slowly.
"I'm fine, it's just... my heart is filled with sadness."
"Even if we follow my plan, we can only save most of the people in Inazuma, but I am powerless against the sea."
"The sea... is calling out to me for help..."
Sangonomiya Kokomi's words left Gorou silent, and Thoma didn't know what to say either.
After some time, the group landed on a small island. Here, they built some rafts before setting off once more.
After another period of time passed, with Sangonomiya Kokomi's power propelling them forward, the rafts drifted at an extremely fast speed. The group soon arrived near Yashiori Island and continued their journey.
Just then, Sangonomiya Kokomi suddenly sensed something. She looked up into the distance and then froze.
A terrifying wave, carrying a vast and overwhelming force, seemed like a primeval beast, threatening to swallow them whole.
Sangonomiya Kokomi's expression immediately changed drastically, and the others' legs even went a bit weak.
Because there was no time to dodge, they could only use their power to take everyone and sink to the seabed at the fastest speed.
Not long after they had submerged, everyone felt a strong sensation of tearing. Many people's eyes rolled back, and they fainted directly.
"Daphne!"
Gorou couldn't help but call out to Daphne for help. In the next second, Daphne took over his body, but the move she used made his vision go black.
A phantom of a bright yellow flag appeared behind him. In the next second, everyone received a buff and a morale boost, and the tearing sensation in their bodies also weakened considerably.
Sensing everyone's confused gazes, Gorou knew his lifelong reputation was hanging by a thread.
Although the strength of the move Daphne used was very high, it still couldn't change the fact.
This was his move...
A further distance away, Sasayuri was sailing on the sea in a boat. There weren't many people on board; after all, delivering a message didn't require so many people. Sasayuri even planned to take some of them back, as he was clearly short-handed on his end.
"Lord Sasayuri, look over there!"
Suddenly, the soldier beside him spoke in a panicked tone. Sasayuri followed the direction his finger was pointing and saw the terrifying wave that seemed capable of destroying everything, his pupils suddenly shrinking.
However, Sasayuri quickly regained his composure and sighed softly.
"As expected, today is not a good day to go to sea."
The wave soon swept past, and the boat was easily torn to pieces. However, Sasayuri had already taken the people on board and flown into the sky, the black wings behind him flapping continuously.
Although they were fine, Sasayuri knew that soon his manpower would probably be reduced to just the few people hanging onto him...