Across the vast and desolate Land of Reeds, the smoke of war permeated every inch of soil.
The Shogunate army and the Ashina samurai engaged in fierce slaughter outside the city.
This battle was exceptionally brutal, with both sides paying an enormous price, and neither side could easily claim victory.
However, Genichiro possessed unusual methods.
He exhausted all of Ashina's resources and finally succeeded in creating the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.
This banner could not only collect the souls of the deceased but also control corpses through those souls, creating an endless army of the undead.
On the battlefield, regardless of friend or foe, as soon as someone fell in battle, their soul would be drawn away by the Ten Thousand Souls Banner floating in the sky.
The bodies of those fallen warriors would then be transformed into undead, continuing to serve Genichiro.
For the Ashina samurai, Genichiro even preserved their individual wills, allowing them to maintain their personalities and dignity even after death.
But for the Shogunate soldiers, Genichiro showed no mercy, directly erasing their wills, crushing their souls, and turning them into mindless undead.
War was the best catalyst for the Law of Death.
With Genichiro, who could command the power of the undead, as the battle progressed, his undead army grew stronger and more numerous.
Conversely, the Shogunate army diminished with every engagement.
The sight of former comrades resurrected and joining the enemy caused the morale of the Shogunate soldiers to collapse rapidly, forcing them to withdraw from Ashina and flee back to the Shogunate.
Although Genichiro finally succeeded in repelling the Shogunate soldiers, he did not stop there.
Instead, he seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack against the Shogunate.
Under the relentless advance of the undead army, Genichiro led the Ashina samurai in relentless pursuit, driving the Shogunate forces into desperation and forcing them to huddle behind Kyoto's towering city walls.
At the Shogunate position before the city gates, a tall elderly general holding a long spear sat astride a magnificent warhorse.
He gazed sternly at the Shogunate troops atop the city walls, his eyes filled with determination and authority, before letting out a thunderous roar:
"I am Ashina's Great General, Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa!"
"Tokugawa, old thief, come out and face your death!"
This old general was named Gyoubu, a name not commonly heard, but one that hinted at his humble origins.
In fact, Gyoubu had originally been nothing more than an ordinary bandit.
However, relying on his extraordinary courage and exceptional martial skills, he gradually rose to prominence.
One day, Isshin discovered him—or rather, Gyoubu pledged his allegiance to Isshin—and eventually became his trusted assistant during the War of Seizure.
Thus, he transformed from a bandit into the great general guarding Ashina Castle.
Both Isshin and Gyoubu came from humble origins, yet through martial prowess they had successfully dominated a region and become the ruling class of Ashina.
In this strictly hierarchical world, such a thing was absolutely unacceptable.
Nobles were supposed to rule over commoners, and Isshin's actions had undoubtedly stolen precious authority from the original aristocracy.
This was why the previous conflict had been called the War of Seizure, because from the very beginning, this country had never belonged to Isshin.
Now, the illegitimate ruler of Ashina Castle seemed to have reached the end of his life.
Even the Sword Saint could not escape the erosion of time, gradually aging and declining.
Not long ago, Gyoubu had actually died, exhausting his final strength while guarding Ashina's gates.
Yet even in death, he had maintained his battle posture, preventing the Shogunate army from crossing the threshold.
However, Gyoubu did not wish to die.
Because he knew that once he died, the gates of Ashina Castle would be breached.
Just when he thought he would descend into hell with regrets, his disciple, Genichiro, resurrected him and transformed him into an undead—a tireless war machine.
But he felt no anger.
Because he could continue dedicating his strength to Ashina and protect his people.
"The shame of living, the glory of death!"
On the battlefield, Gyoubu wielded his great spear and charged everywhere, slaughtering his enemies.
He felt inexhaustible strength coursing through him, as though he had regained his youth and returned to the glory of his prime.
Moreover, with every enemy he killed, masses of blood, souls, and spiritual essence merged into his body, continuously strengthening both his flesh and spirit.
His eyes burned with unwavering determination, as though endless fighting spirit blazed within them.
Urging his undead warhorse forward, he leaped onto the city walls.
His figure moved like a phantom through enemy lines.
Wherever he passed, blood splattered and screams echoed.
His great spear swept like a tempest, each strike carrying unparalleled power, either sending enemies flying or impaling them one after another.
However, despite Gyoubu's immense strength and his feat of single-handedly reaching the city walls, he was ultimately only one man.
Compared to thousands of enemies, he was still insignificant.
After all, he had only recently become undead.
Although he had grown stronger, he still could not accomplish the feat of fighting a thousand men alone.
Under the stubborn resistance of the Shogunate soldiers, Gyoubu was eventually forced off the city walls.
The Ashina forces could only temporarily retreat, bringing with them the corpses of thousands of Shogunate soldiers.
Although Genichiro temporarily withdrew, this offensive delivered a tremendous shock to the Tokugawa regime.
For the first time, they truly felt the threat posed by Ashina.
The Tokugawa Shogun was terrified.
He immediately summoned his senior ministers to discuss countermeasures.
But when faced with an immortal undead army, the Tokugawa side had no solution.
Even with all their wisdom, they could not defeat an army that could not die—unless they found a way to destroy the undead themselves.
In the end, the Tokugawa Shogunate chose to seek peace.
They dispatched envoys bearing vast amounts of treasure and beautiful women, along with the Tokugawa Shogun's most beautiful princess, Tokugawa Senhime, to negotiate with Isshin.
They declared that as long as Genichiro withdrew his troops, they would immediately sign a non-aggression treaty.
They were even willing to provide the same wealth and beauties every year as tribute.
Although Genichiro knew that the Shogunate had reached an agreement with his grandfather, he had no intention of withdrawing.
He was not a man who could easily be satisfied.
With the support of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, he possessed even greater ambitions.
He wanted to completely overthrow the Shogunate and become the new ruler of this land.
Genichiro had even contacted several veteran generals fighting in other regions, preparing to assemble an even larger army and capture the Shogunate regime in one decisive strike.
However, just as Genichiro was preparing to continue his advance, he unexpectedly received an urgent order from Isshin.
The command was simple:
Withdraw immediately.
Return to Ashina.
Do not continue the siege of Kyoto.
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