novelVolume 2, (3b)
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Volume 2, Chapter 3 part 2
7: To Battle
The gas turbine power plant was located on the east side of the city.
New Sapporo Domain was landlocked and thus could not acquire large quantities of coolant water from the ocean, so thermal power generation was a crucial part of its infrastructure. That said, the old-fashioned coal method pumped out toxic smoke, which was incompatible with preserving a livable environment in the big city. That naturally limited them to using the same city gas as ordinary homes.
That may have been enough to support the people's lives, but it was insufficient to power the many defense weapons deployed to every corner of the vast northern land. In fact, they could not have the power generation facility openly visible by satellite. If the Cyrillic Empire launched a missile strike on or sabotaged it, all the military systems would go down.
The dull gray building stood out from the surrounding city even with a thin layer of artificial snow.
"It's generally exactly as Murakami said."
The sun was setting.
Asagao was using a tablet to view the footage sent by an aerial drone resembling a giant top supported by coaxial rotors.
"The many pipes even cover up the roads running through there. That probably helps prevent satellites from seeing the steam from the pressure release valves and the smoke from the smokestacks, but I can't get the drone any closer due to all the EM scattered by the turbines. The control interference would be too great if I had it descend any more and who knows when communications will be lost too."
"Oh? So they don't stop the power plant even during emergencies?"
"C'mon, Bara. Don't you know it takes days to inspect and restart the turbines once they stop? Besides, Princess Karin is trying to protect the people. Even if her methods are a little insane."
Asagao was right. The large reactors found in power plants and ironworks were more efficient when kept running at all times instead of switching them on and off for every little thing.
Princess Karin controlled the local government, so she had use of the official surveillance network, from the security cameras to the satellites, and she could even send in a large military force. Sugiyado's team was fighting an away game, so they needed a reliable withdrawal point more than a giant weapon. In that sense, the gas turbine power plant was like a jungle of steel and concrete. They could use their ninja techniques to their hearts' content there.
Hoozuki checked the same screen.
"But, Sensei, she'll know how to use the place like that too, won't she? We should assume the security is a lot stricter from normal. They'll have filled in all the holes and used every advantage it gives them."
"I know that."
He had designated the location and Princess Karin had designated the time. She would have chosen a time that gave her enough time to make the preparations she needed. No one would insist on a condition that hurt their position.
And with that in mind...
(That honestly doesn't matter. )
Sugiyado Souha did not lament his disadvantages.
If you could not ally yourself with your disadvantages, you could never overturn the board from behind the scenes.
(Ninjas are meant to perform the sabotage that a largescale army can't do. Being at a disadvantage makes it easier to follow our training. Princess Karin, the more you fortify your position with military might, the more thick fat you surround yourself with and the harder you will find it to move. )
When an enemy had 100 large weapons, the more flammable objects you had to trigger explosions with and the more chances to trick the enemy into hitting each other.
When an enemy had 1000 guards, the more opportunities you had to defeat one, steal their uniform, and sneak in and the easier it was to pick up on dissatisfaction within the ranks to start some infighting or find an information leak.
These would be Princess Karin's chosen troops, but she would not have gathered them all personally. Receiving the same training and education did not mean they all shared the same values and sense of the threat. Gather enough people and holes and misunderstandings were unavoidable. Not even the production lines for cutting-edge weapons had entirely perfected the advance detection of faulty parts.
A ninja knew how to view things in that light. They were like a contrarian that could back up their arguments with real action.
"We don't actually know where Amamo or Princess Karin are, though. Or Ouka for that matter."
They had an hour until the promised time of 7.
"It's time." Sugiyado teased the scarf over his mouth."Asagao, switch the drone to programmed flight. We need to leave."
"Hey, Sensei. I know arriving early to lie in wait is the standard play, but we know the Stonewalls will be there before us. If we arrive too soon, won't it lead to a skirmish before the hostage exchange?"
Hoozuki was being more timid than usual, but that may have been due to losing Ouka before her eyes. Even Sugiyado had a hard time caring for his wounded heart and fully conquering the fear in such a short time.
And his answer was simple.
"7 was the given time, but we don't actually have to wait until then. They'll see it the same way, so I bet this will begin sooner."
Sugiyado had three cards in his deck: Yukizasa, Oume, and - as a dark horse - Murakami Michihiko. As fighters, he had Bara and Hoozuki. Asagao was his information support. He did not count Ekaterina or the others from the Cyrillic Empire.
Once they had everything they needed, they took different trucks to reach the gas turbine power plant from three different directions.
Hoozuki took Yukizasa.
Bara took Ouma.
And Sugiyado Souha took Murakami Michihiko.
The young man spoke with a bitter look on his face.
He mostly seemed to be speaking to himself.
"The princess must be putting the happiness of New Sapporo Domain and the entire Hokkaido Area first and foremost. I'm certain of it. It's just that she chose too extreme a method."
"..."
His loyalty was impressive after having his grandfather killed and being framed for the crime.
Not to mention that he was not a part of the Stonewalls themselves.
"But you can still fight back without hesitation?"
"I am a ninja. I was trained to do so and I trained all my men to do so."
He must have been taught how to suppress his emotions so he could control himself and survive even when under too much confusion to properly process what was happening. But that was no guarantee the process was working perfectly.
Sugiyado did not teach that method.
He taught his students how to use their emotions to fuel their progress, but he would not teach them how to stifle what they felt. That would be antithetical to teaching them how to live their lives.
"What happened between you and the old man?"
"Nothing, " spat out Michihiko while looking aside. He apparently felt some guilt."A family member turned out to be a criminal. Enough of one to be sent to max-security Abashiri. Is it that odd that we became estranged after that? And remember that I'm a Shogunate ninja. I can never be open about it, but I am a civil servant."
"Are you sure that's all?"
If so, why had he been unable to throw out the ninja tool the old man made?
Sugiyado hid that question in his tone.
Michihiko sighed.
"He took the blame for a government official's crime to protect the Shogunate. No matter how much I wanted to tell the truth, I would only have been ensuring he did it all for nothing. How am I supposed to stay in touch with someone during all that? I couldn't manage it. My personal sense of justice was shaken by it."
That did sound like that old man.
Sugiyado thought on it while holding the steering wheel. That explained why the old man had felt so different from the other prisoners. He had gotten by so easily within the complex power balance of the special prison, so it had seemed unlikely he would have been unable to avoid trouble in the outside world and committed a crime without covering his tracks properly.
"I'm not even going to try to change how you feel about Princess Karin."
"Wha-?"
"I said I'm not even going to try, so I don't need any arguments from you. I have no guarantee I could do anything about it on such short notice even if I wanted to." Sugiyado sounded exasperated."But you were so intent on stopping her plan that you turned a blade on her in the castle. She isn't someone we can outdo while negotiating through the proper channels. Ouka is a complete stranger to you, but you will never have a better shot at defeating Princess Karin and the Stonewalls. Screw this up and there is no stopping New Sapporo Domain and the Hokkaido Area. Keep that in mind."
"..."
For Murakami Michihiko, he was avenging his grandfather's death.
He would be aware of that and also aware the he still could not bring himself to abandon Princess Karin.
He was in a bind, but the clock was still ticking.
"If this fails, this will no longer be a job for ninjas. The Shogunate might send in an army. Or the Empire might. Princess Karin would be shot to death beyond your reach or she would kill herself inside her blazing castle. If you want to avoid that, then do what you deem best now."
They did not even consider entering through the main gate.
Sugiyado parked in an empty lot a short distance away.
"Follow the plan."
"You too. You're hiding something, aren't you?"
"Ninjas always have their secrets."
"..."
"So I will tell you what I can assure you is true: I respect your grandfather and I will do whatever it takes to rescue Ouka. We're on equal footing here. You use me toward your ends and I'll do the same with you. Now, let's go."
Alone, Sugiyado hopped atop the wall surrounding the empty lot dusted with artificial snow and then jumped to the roof of a nearby building. He noted a quiet beeping and held a hand to his ear while continuing his three-dimensional movement.
"I have a reading from the sensor. Murakami Michihiko has begun to move. Let him move freely from now on."
"Got it, Sensei. We have Yukizasa and Oume on standby."
"Murakami was present when you interrogated those two, so keep in mind that his name will spread quickly, Sensei."
Hoozuki was right. But Murakami Michihiko was not meant as an unseen assassin. Hints of his presence were meant to rattle Princess Karin, so perfectly hiding him would be counterproductive.
People had a tendency to see ghosts in the dark because they feared incomplete information more than anything. That was when their imagination kicked in.
"Release Oume."
Now.
The other side would have everything set up for the confrontation here, but what would they least expect when hoping to retrieve hostages?
To find one of the supposed hostages wandering around before the negotiations began. That alone could would fill them with tension and cause their preparations to crumble.
They could no longer just ready their shields and tense their bodies. Accepting in their ally would require opening a gap in their shields.
(If we're lucky, Oume will mention Murakami Michihiko. Just as the Stonewalls think they can escape the tension by focusing on Oume, the ground will open up below their feet. Just like someone who makes one final burst of speed to finish a marathon, only to learn they're at the halfway point. )
"Hold onto Yukizasa, " he said while jumping from rooftop to rooftop.
"Hey, Sensei. Shouldn't we have waited until we had confirmed Ouka's presence here? If they don't respond, we'll have wasted one of our cards."
"I know you're worried, Hoozuki, but stay focused. It would take us all night to track down where in that labyrinthine power plant Ouka and Princess Karin are. Remember that we still have Yukizasa if this doesn't work out."
Needless to say, Princess Karin's side had to be much more careful since they only had Ouka. If things did not go according to plan, they would either fortify their defenses or withdraw. Either option would stand out. Sugiyado's side still had to be on the lookout for a bluff, but if they had a way to pinpoint locate Ouka or Princess Karin, it was worth using.
"Transmissions intercepted, " reported Asagao."It'll take me a while longer to break the encryption, but I can see where the most traffic is. There is a lot going from Area D2 to E5. That's where Oume is wandering around blindfolded and handcuffed."
"So they're freaking out."
The other side had to be simulating a number of scenarios. If they went to save her, would they get sniped? If they focused their forces there, would they be leaving another area too thinly guarded? What they did know was that Sugiyado's side was not going to negotiate in the normal way and that they could not carelessly execute Ouka in retaliation since he still had Yukizasa. He had sent Oume back alive to spread hope through the other side. By not sending back a corpse, he proved that that they could get their people back alive if they played their cards right. That would make them want Yukizasa back as well. They could no longer dryly tell themselves those two were a lost cause.
As a result, they would want to keep Ouka alive no matter what.
"The Stonewalls have contacted and collected Oume. What now?"
"Leave them be. Don't snipe anyone who approaches. They'll panic even more because they won't know if this was done as a sign of good will or as part of a dangerous scheme. The danger here isn't whether or not their guess is right. If they can find an explanation they accept, they can recover from their confusion."
"Sensei, vehicles are gathering in A2, diagonally across the grounds from E5, " reported Asagao."That's near the rear entrance. Now that they have Oume, their formation is collapsing. They probably want to retrieve Ouka before they take any major damage and then try this all again. They hope repeating the process will get them Yukizasa back as well."
They were quick to react.
At this rate, they would be gone before Oume could say Murakami Michihiko was their enemy.
Now was the time to act.
This was just like the theater of a scam artist.
To keep the negotiations running smoothly, he could not let the Stonewalls regain their cool.
"Understood, Asagao. I'll deal with it."
"Princess Karin isn't the only one there. Just like we have Murakami as a trump card, they have the still-unseen Amamo. Not to mention all their ordinary forces. Be careful, Sensei!"
"Didn't I teach you times like this are the best opportunities, Asagao?"
He jumped between rooftops and ran down a catwalk-like pathway suspended in the air. He made sure to avoid casting a shadow on the ground below to avoid the troops patrolling there.
Another figure jumped over him on the next level up.
(Is that Murakami Michihiko?)
Sugiyado thought about the young man while their shadows intersected. Murakami was cooperating because he had his own plans, but they had yet to see what those plans were. Why was he still willing to support Princess Karin after she killed his blood relative? There was a missing piece to this puzzle.
(I hope that doesn't come back to bite us, but I need to focus on Ouka right now. )
He wanted to ignite the city gas and blow every one of them to smithereens for capturing his adorable student, but that was not the ninja way. Combat and killing should be avoided when at all possible.
He traveled along various pipes and pathways to reach the area he wanted.
Area A2 was the safe exit the other side had created.
(This is my chance. )
The enemy had a large force, so if they wanted to leave while protecting their precious hostage, they would have to use several heavy bulletproof cars. And to leave the grounds, they would have to pass through a gate that acted as a bottleneck.
At present, they had 5 bulletproof cars lined up one behind the other with a two-wheeled Swift Foot at the very front and back. Even a tank or attack helicopter would get its ass kicked in a head-on shootout.
But that did not matter here.
Sugiyado silently pulled a Fierce Fang from the back of his short-sleeved dress shirt.
A moment later, he launched it down like a bolt of lightning at the two-wheeled armored vehicle in the lead as it passed through the gate. The mass of composite armor was a cross between giant armor and a large motorcycle - creating something like a slimmed-down steamroller - but it was no more than scrap metal when enough nitrogen gas to pry open a crushed car door stripped the processing unit from its back.
The defeat came so suddenly that the vehicles behind it crashed into it and each other from behind. The gate kept them from driving around, so shifting to reverse was their only option. However...
(One more. )
The mount in the rear was aiming its enormous castle-busting bow around and scanning for the enemy, but it too ceased moving after a dull rumble of destruction.
Now the armored vehicles were blocked in the front and back.
"Sh!!"
Sugiyado Souha pulled out another air pressure kunai, jumped down from a height of about three stories, and made a swift attack.
He flipped down toward the vehicles.
He felt light as a feather for the few seconds before landing and he used that time to throw several air pressure kunais toward the trapped bulletproof cars.
It was like piercing a piece of cloth with a sewing machine's needle.
The blades stabbed into the thick hoods and the power of the nitrogen gas forced those wounds wider, sending sinister sparks flying from the engine compartments. However, the engines were not his aim - he was trying to cut the power cables from the batteries. The doors and windows were thick and bulletproof, so motors were used to help with their great weight when opening or closing them. He did not even need to defeat the lower-ranked ninjas. By cutting the power, he could trap them inside those bug cages.
After lightly landing in the snow, Hoozuki and Bara's voices finally reached him.
"Sensei, we can't provide covering fire if you do that!!"
"You're being too reckless. I get wanting to rescue Ouka as soon as possible, but still."
"What are you talking about?" he replied.
The ninja did not bat an eye after destroying seven 2-wheel armored vehicles and bulletproof cars in quick succession. He seemed to be saying he would take out twice that many if need be.
He turned back the way he had come and peeked in the windows of the vehicles as he passed by. The passengers belatedly aimed their blades and guns his way, but they could not attack him through the thick bulletproof glass even from the inside. He calmly walked by those people who could only sit idly by and watch and he found what he wanted in the third from the front.
Kuhou Ouka.
The twintails girl sat in the back seat in between two people dressed all in black. Her head was drooping weakly and her eyes seemed to radiate exhaustion, but she had no obvious exterior injuries.
Their side had just the one hostage.
Without a spare, they could not afford to let her die. Even Princess Karin must have felt a need to treat her with care.
But what did that matter?
Sugiyado had to consciously regulate his breathing to suppress the anger flaring up within him.
The Stonewall troops seated on the other side of the thick bulletproof glass looked tense but also somewhat relaxed. The bulletproof door could not be opened from either side, so if they waited around, the heavy firepower of the samurai mounts or a kunoichi like Amamo or Princess Karin would arrive. Their boss could not abandon them when they were looking after the precious hostage. Sugiyado gave them an exasperated look as he pulled a hair spray can and a lighter from his pocket.
He ignited the spray for a simple flamethrower that he first used to roast the glass from the outside. Then he opened a hole in the bottom of the can with the tip of a kunai, releasing the gas that had been stored inside as a compressed liquid at less than -30 degrees. That produced a disconcerting cracking sound.
Bulletproof glass was made to stop a bullet, but it was still glass. It could not survive rapid temperature changes. Even the clear film between the layers had been melted by the heat.
"Eek!"
A 10cm diameter hole was enough.
The Stonewall on the right was too shocked to move and the one on the left could not decide whether to aim their gun at Sugiyado or Ouka. Both were soon knocked out by the air pressure kunai that flew in from outside to hit them on the head or chest.
The nitrogen gas was not needed here.
Although he would have "pried open" their flesh and blood had they actually aimed a gun at Ouka.
"Ouka."
He called into the car while sticking his hand in through the broken glass to unlock the door. He could not open the heavy door with his arm strength alone, so he stuck an air pressure kunai in the crack and forced it open.
"Well done enduring long enough to give us this chance, Ouka. It'll all be okay now."
"..."
She did not respond.
When he saw how she only sluggishly turned her head, he wrapped his arms around her. They must have done something to her while she was captured. Sealing off her emotions and locking down her mind may have been the only way to protect her psyche when she had no way to escape.
He had taught her how to do that.
The only other solution was suicide. He wanted to praise her for not going with that option.
"Let's get out of here." He held her head to his chest."We'll get you somewhere safe. We can think about crushing the Stonewalls after that."
Sensing a stirring in the driver's seat, he threw a kunai without even thinking. He did not even look in that direction.
He thought through his options while collecting the kunais lying within the car.
The troops trapped inside their own bulletproof cars could not move, but they would be communicating via radio. Reinforcements would be arriving soon. The 2-wheeled samurai mounts, the ordinary infantry, Amamo, and Princess Karin were all present at the gas turbine power plant, so he could not just hang around forever.
At 5kg, his back felt funny. At 10kg, it exploded with pain.
He cursed himself for being too useless to even carry his own student to safety and he spoke into the mic hidden within his scarf.
"I've retrieved Ouka. Hoozuki, you help me carry her out of here. Bara, you look out for enemies and provide covering fire from a distance. I repeat, I have retrieved her. You can reduce Yukizasa's priority level. Leave her in the vehicle tied up and gagged. Just silence anyone who gets in the way of Hoozuki and Ouka's escape. But don't pursue them too far. Only hold them back while keeping yourself safe. I don't want them taking another hostage."
"Got it, Sensei."
"Someone is already headed your way! There are too many flammable objects to get a clear line of fire!!"
He heard a loud metallic clang from overhead. Ninjas usually moved silently, so this was an intentional declaration of war.
"..."
Ouka could walk on her own with some guidance, so he wrapped an arm around her and left the bulletproof car. Propping her up was light enough. He was not actually carrying her, so his spine's restrictions did not matter.
The noise had come from around two stories up, atop the complex arrangement of pipes.
The bright colors of a heavy junihitoe danced in the buffeting wind atop a horizontal steel cylinder thicker than a child was tall.
"Princess Karin."
"You're a surprisingly earnest person. But you were a little early, insolent fool."
He detected a sweet aroma through his scarf.
Kunoichis often used poisons and using your nose was not always safe, but he saw through it right away. This was not a poison. It was the oil used in beauty care.
Silently, he let his anger build in his brow.
Princess Karin held a one-handed hammer made entirely out of metal. The blunt weapon allowed even a slender woman to smash through a helmet or bulletproof jacket, so it was more convenient even than a more threatening-looking blade. Plus, this was a ninja weapon with a hollow grip that could be used as a gun.
(Where's Murakami Michihiko?)
The boy was not foolish enough to look around for him. The young man would likely rattle Princess Karin more than anything, but there was no sign of him rushing out right away.
Princess Karin spun the sinister and heavy ninja weapon like a baton.
"Now, how to interpret this situation? We have already retrieved Oume. I thought for sure she would be wrapped in bombs or something, but no."
"I'm not going to say I'm done with you. I will crush you - thoroughly - even if you are doing all this for a good cause. I'm through fighting to repay a debt of gratitude. Do not underestimate the power of vengeance, little girl."
"Oh, how scary." She hid her mouth behind her sleeve and laughed in a way as elegant as it was sinister."But we need Yukizasa back too, so I must insist that the negotiations continue."
"Ouka was your only card. What else can you offer?"
"I have not miscounted. I just need her to work a little longer for me. Do it, Ouka."
She gave an arrogant command.
The twintails girl was closer to him than anyone as he held his arm around her slender waist.
And a moment later, a dull thud rang out as the Fierce Fang in Sugiyado Souha's hand slammed mercilessly into the center of his student's chest.
The trap had failed.
He had defused it in an instant.
Even Princess Karin was taken aback by the speed with which he acted. Not the physical speed, the speed of his decision.
"Oh? That seemed to catch you by surprise, yet you still made up your mind so quickly?"
All emotion had vanished from the instructor's face.
He would act when it was necessary.
Even if that meant attacking one of his precious students.
Because he knew holding back would only put both their lives at greater risk.
He had attacked over the skintight, bulletproof, and blade-resistant ninja outfit. That had stopped the tip of the blade, but the impact had still reached her, instantly knocking her unconscious. He could not support her limp weight, so he let go of her hips and let her collapse to the thin layer of artificial snow.
A trap.
A surprise attack.
His guard was too strict for that to work. He had taken the optimal action like a machine.
"Now you've done it."
Yet he shed tears of blood.
Literally. Keeping the emotion from his face worked his facial muscles so hard that the corners of his eyes tore, sending red drops down his cheeks.
The ordinary ninja rules had collapsed.
He did not reject the emotions themselves.
Killer intent erupted from his entire body like a great invisible mass.
"You made me turn a blade on one of my students again, little girl."
No longer would he limit himself to the optimal level of violence.
Or maybe he never had.
"Hoozuki."
The silver ponytail girl slid up on Countless Calamities, a motorcycle kept silent by the overuse of soundproofing materials.
He did not even look her way.
"Take care of Ouka. Check her inside and out for transmitters and bugs, tie her up and gag her, and then carry her back to Asagao....Asagao, you heard that, right? Sleep deprivation and exhaustion wouldn't work in such a short time. Stimulation of light or sound must have been used to rapidly wear her down and steal away her free will. Prepare to break the hypnotism, restore her nutrient levels, and recover her autonomic nerves. Break all of her bonds."
"What about you, Sensei?" asked his silver-haired student while gently lifting up Ouka.
He had let his emotions show, which was not at all like a ninja or an instructor.
Yes.
He had pulled a Fierce Fang from his shirt while he glared up at Princess Karin.
"I will destroy everything she's built up: her castle, her fortune, her dream - everything."
He had allowed all of this to happen, so he had to end it himself.
8: A Dogfight Sans Aircraft
Sugiyado Souha had taught those four girls everything there was to know about being a ninja.
But he had never neglected their emotions in the process. He had not taught them to throw out those feelings. He had not let them become unfeeling murder machines.
So.
The boy who valued emotions to that extent would of course feel something here.
"You're dead."
"Oh, how fun."
He jumped from the bulletproof car he had destroyed to reach the top of a 2-wheeled samurai mount, and jumped from there to the second-story pipes where Princess Karin waited. He was not supported by the high-polymer water-absorbing gel chemical winches or electric potential elastic belt cylinders found in Bara or Hoozuki's ninja outfits. He pulled it off with pure martial arts taken to their extreme.
Princess Karin took a step back on a thick pipe running parallel to his and swung her hammer with a side throwing motion.
The tungsten steel nail hidden in the grip burst from within.
The hammer's weight and centrifugal force flung it with more power than a simple swing of her arm could have managed.
And she had aimed for the moment he landed, making it impossible to dodge.
"!!"
The ninja boy swung his air pressure kunai to deflect the projectile, but she chose that moment to rush in. All ten of her fingers raced along the hammer's grip. The movement was as subtle as a stage magician's trick, but Sugiyado did not overlook it. She had loaded the hollow grip with a powder wrapped in thin paper.
(A blinding powder made from dried jellyfish tentacle!?)
Stingers like that did not fully lose their toxicity when dehydrated, so this was one possible use for them. If she swung her hammer from a few meters away, creating a cloud of toxic stingers too small to see, he would have no way to dodge or defend against it. A powdered attack was not something he could bring down with a swing of a kunai and losing his sight even for a second would mean death at the moment.
He had only one way of preventing her move.
(Make my own move!!)
He stepped forward to reach her before she could swing her arm. She made a last-minute alteration to her hammer's path to block the kunai aimed for the side of her head.
The two metal weapons crashed together.
"Kh."
"...!!"
The kunai and hammer pushed against each other while they glared at each other from point black range.
A samurai would use a single sword for attack and defense, but ninjas were different. Locking weapons was not enough to stop the flow of time.
Princess Karin's foot aimed for Sugiyado's shin, so he pulled that leg back out of the way, releasing their locked weapons. The hammer finally swung enough to scatter the dried jellyfish stingers contained in its hollow grip
But Sugiyado was not about to sit around waiting for that.
He ruptured the thumb-sized pack of nitrogen rapid-foaming agent used by the air pressure kunai to disturb the air in front of him. The dried stingers were no threat if they could not harm the mucous membranes of his eyes, nose, and mouth.
In fact, Princess Karin now had to do something about the stingers being pushed back her way. One always had to pay careful attention to the wind direction when using a toxic cloud.
"Tch!!"
With a wave of her heavy junihitoe's large sleeve, she whipped up enough wind to protect her face. It was well done given how little time she had to react, but she had still given Sugiyado more time to move. Instead of forcing himself to run through the toxic cloud of jellyfish stingers, he threw a Fierce Fang toward her center line from a few meters away. He pictured it like jabbing her with a spear.
Sparks flew.
She had knocked the kunai from the air with her hammer and took a few steps back to put distance between them while she swung her blunt weapon like a baton.
"Hm, not bad. I had assumed you were no more than a pimp who ordered his favorite kittens around, but it seems you can do some things yourself."
He did not dignify that with a response.
He wasn't interested in listening to her until he had knocked out those pretty front teeth of hers and her bloody mouth was begging for her life, so he wordlessly readied a Fierce Fang in his right hand.
Nothing signaled the battle resuming.
Without hesitation, they both jumped sideways from the parallel pipes. In other words, into the air. They jumped from foothold to foothold - sometimes to a narrow elevated pathway much like a catwalk, sometimes a concrete roof, and sometimes a bit sticking out from the side of a vertical smokestack. They remained parallel to each other, judging the best timing to target each other.
Sugiyado Souha used his air pressure kunai.
Princess Karin used her hammer equipped with a gun barrel.
Both ninja weapons could be used at close and long range. A moment's inattention would mean a hit to their vitals, but focusing entirely on that would mean missing their next footing and falling from a great height. It was like a dogfight with death. Their midair interplay of offense and defense was pulled off so smoothly it actually felt odd they had no wings.
And Princess Karin was not Sugiyado's only enemy.
Her lips produced a bewitching whisper as she spun her hammer like a baton, waiting for the right moment to fire.
"Swift Foot, shoot down the intruder."
A fearsome attack was launched up from a 2-wheel armored vehicle that looked like a cross between a slimmed-down steamroller and an armored warrior. The weapon resembled a modern bow, but it was actually a cross between a rapid-vibration spear with an ultra-flexible bow made from the same special stainless steel used in the springs for skyscraper earthquake countermeasures. The heavy weapon was capable of tearing through a tank or a 6-legged mobile fortress. Sugiyado performed a flip at the last second and saw the thick crane he had been using for footing partially torn away.
"...!!"
The destructive power rivaled a ship-mounted railgun.
Buffeted by the resultant winds, he veered away from his intended landing point, so Princess Karin directed the sinister hollow grip of her hammer his way from her own footing.
When had she even reloaded it?
The lit fuse gave off a pale orange light reminiscent of a lit cigarette. There was no trigger, so she only had to shove it into the hole on the side of the grip to light the gunpowder within.
(Here it comes!!)
He had no bulletproof equipment, so a direct hit from a ship's artillery or an ordinary bullet would leave him just as dead. Still spinning through the air, he spread his legs to shift his center of gravity and take more unpredictable evasive action.
"Swift Foot, fire a second round."
More firepower was launched from the snowy ground, but not to destroy Sugiyado or his next footing.
(The air. Will that change the bullet's path!?)
The light gunshot was nearly drowned out by the larger blast from the ground. The metal grip had been hollowed out to act as a matchlock gun barrel. The bullet was tiny, but that allowed the wind to more easily alter its path and it pursued Sugiyado with a serpentine movement. Mechanical rifling would have given it too stable a trajectory. This trick could not be replicated with a cutting-edge assault rifle or anti-materiel rifle.
Still hanging in the air, the ninja swung his kunai.
Sparks flew.
He just barely managed to deflect the deadly bullet, but he was the one to frown when he landed on some metal reinforced by the pieces surrounding it like a jungle gym. This was exactly what Princess Karin had wanted. He had let her speed influence him. Even though he knew he could not keep up with cutting-edge equipment once he got used to the old-fashioned matchlock.
She said something while jumping to her next footing. Based on the movement of her lips, she said, "That's one."
At this rate, she would gradually throw off his senses until she could finally bring him down.
He needed to eliminate the teamwork between ground and air.
As he jumped around to rise from the third story to the fourth story, he subtly altered what kind of footing he chose. This gas turbine power plant was very obviously an away game flooded with enemies for him, but they could not afford to destroy a piece of their home infrastructure. He used the spacious power plant's most dangerous flammable objects as a shield.
Also...
(I can choose areas where the path of the pipes would guide the secondary explosions toward her. She's their temporary master and only princess. That should weigh heavier on the scales than just the facility. )
"Swift Foot, fire a third round."
"!?"
"What, you think I would fear for my own life after setting foot on the battlefield? Frankly, I am offended you thought me a mere observer here to enjoy the show. Fire."
He did not even have time to respond to her.
Cylindrical containers larger than school classrooms were lined up in a row. Those suction vessels took in air and mixed that with the city gas pumped in through pipes in order to produce the optimal flammability for use in industrial power generation. If they ruptured, they would spew toxic gas and a single spark of static would cause an immediate-
Kaboooooooooom!!!???
Sugiyado had leaped into the air just beforehand, so the blast slammed into him and unnaturally extended his jump. The incredible heat prickled at his skin like needles and the noise left his ears numb.
At a fourth story height, he tucked his arms in and extended his legs to spin like a figure skater. He used the spin to stabilize his balance like a gyroscope.
"Tch!!"
"You should take this as a compliment, insolent fool."
Meanwhile, Princess Karin remained on the same footing and spun her metal hammer like a baton. She did not try to pursue him. Was she going to throw the tungsten steel? Whatever she had planned, she was sticking to long-range attacks to cooperate with the gunner on the ground to hit him with the crossfire.
In other words...
"Because I have deemed the damage to this critical infrastructure a price worth paying for your defeat."
She was not going to let this continue.
Now that she had guided him where she wanted, she would finish him off. The execution phase had begun.
But Sugiyado had never planned to let this last all that long either.
This was an away game for him.
(So!!)
He rapidly spun himself to secure the centrifugal force to throw a kunai like the hammer throw. Instead of aiming for Princess Karin at the same height as him, he targeted the deadly 2-wheeled Swift Foot mount on the ground. The kunai hit the armored arm at the shoulder joint.
It stabbed in.
The blade was forced open by the nitrogen, tearing the arm apart from within using 15 tons of force.
The weapon still had its bow at the ready, so what happened if its aim was thrown off and its finger slipped from the bowstring?
"Do it."
"Ha ha!! Won't be taken out so easily, will you!?"
The weapon's shifted aim moved toward Princess Karin. Her junihitoe fluttered around as she swung her hammer to the side and moved to a different piece of footing. She demonstrated the impressive skill needed to dodge the all-destroying ultra-heavy metal arrow while also accurately sending out a tungsten steel nail, but Sugiyado had altered his spin when he reached out his arm to throw the kunai. The thick nail shot right past his face and then his sense of speed returned to normal.
Princess Karin was about four stories up after landing on the metal latticework resembling a jungle gym that surrounded and reinforced a round smokestack.
Sugiyado landed one step down on the end of a steel beam twisted by the Swift Foot's attack.
They had both made irregular landings, so they were off balance. There would be no better chance to end this.
"!!"
"!?"
They were past trading words.
No more tricks either.
Sugiyado Souha's Fierce Fang left his hand at about the time the flintlock bullet was fired from Princess Karin's hammer.
The two intersected along the straight line path between the two of them.
However...
"Gah!?"
Scorching pain filled Sugiyado's right shoulder and he nearly fell from his temporary footing.
Princess Karin grinned.
And.
Still smiling, she wobbled to the side from the hit to the center of her chest.
(...?)
She had subtly shifted her position at the last second. He had aimed for her solar plexus to knock her unconscious, yet she had taken it to her chest, which was even more risky. Had she wanted to take the blow where she had the greatest bulletproofing?
The jungle gym of a reinforcing lattice proved to be a poor choice. She was unable to recover her balance and fell limply out into empty air.
"..."
Sugiyado thought for just a moment and then threw another kunai. This time, he targeted the excess fabric of her heavy junihitoe. The blade pierced through and stabbed into the metal wall to pin her in the air, averting the plummet to her death.
"This is over."
"Gh..."
He had been hit in the right shoulder, but the bullet had only grazed the surface. The bone and nerves were undamaged, so he could still fight.
"Now, it's time to beg for your life. Take too long and your own precious clothing will strangle you. Struggle too much and you'll dislodge the kunai and fall."
But he did not actually have a good reason to care so much about defeating her. His promise with the old man had been about Murakami Michihiko who was alive and he had retrieved Ouka.
Why was he doing this?
Because if he kept the rest of the enemies focused on her, Ouka and the others could escape safely.
The soldiers and 2-wheeled mounts on the ground were locked onto him but could not fire. She had ordered her people to fire with no regard for what would happen to the gas turbine power plant, but they could not actually fire on their own master without direct instructions from her. She was a princess and that status meant something. Killing her could get their entire family slaughtered as punishment.
She was plotting something in this northern land, but he did not need to know the details. He had revealed the secret of the new power source using the underground linear motor train network. He could wait for Ouka to recover and then destroy their Achilles heel. They already knew how to defeat Yukizasa, Oume, and Princess Karin. They had the advantage.
Or so he thought.
But...
(Where's Murakami Michihiko?)
This looked like illogical revenge.
He could not blame anyone for seeing it that way. And there had to be some kind of deep bond between Murakami Michihiko and Princess Karin. Enough to overcome their differences in ninja school and in position - one an inspector from Edo and the other leader of the Stonewalls. Sugiyado had never expected the young man to follow his instructions. Or more accurately, to only follow his instructions. No matter what he said, he would have second thoughts once he saw Princess Karin's stronghold about to fall. He might not outright betray Sugiyado, but he would make some irregular action that trip Sugiyado up. And Sugiyado had expected that display of humanity would distract and rattle Princess Karin by stirring up some feelings inside her.
"..."
But after all this, nothing had happened.
Why wasn't Murakami Michihiko panicking?
He should have been ready to protect her with his own life at this point.
And.
He had defeated and restrained their boss, so why wasn't Amamo doing anything? That kunoichi was powerful enough to defeat Ouka, but she had yet to make an appearance. Holding something in reserve should have been meaningless when their big boss was about to be defeated. If it was true Princess Karin had poisoned her father to steal his authority as domain lord, then the collapse of her plan would get them all judged as traitors even if they surrendered. That would mean death for their entire family. He doubted Amamo would sit idly by and let that happen.
What could this mean?
"It can't be..."
Just then, something slammed hard into his back.
A bullet had been fired into the very center of his back by a matchlock weapon with its power intentionally kept low. But this shot had not come from the surface. It had clearly arrived horizontally from the same height.
(Matchlock. )
He could not breathe.
His spine was damaged enough already and it cried in protest over something other than the weight limit.
(Fired from a hammer just like Princess Karin's!?)
This had caught him completely by surprise.
He had failed to respond in time.
So.
His survival was nothing he had done intentionally; it was pure coincidence. The kunais hidden in the back of his short-sleeved dress shirt had just so happened to function as metal armor.
He was knocked off balance, but before his feet fully slipped from under him, he kicked off the bent and twisted steel beam to jump.
He heard the metallic clang of a strike from the hammer itself. His assailant had pounded hard on the footing he had just vacated. Had he been a moment slower, the assassin's meteoric leap would have split his head open.
He brought his feet together to land atop a lightning rod and easily turned around.
That hammer was the same ninja weapon used by Princess Karin.
And the final kunoichi had never made an appearance before this.
There was only one conclusion.
There was another.
He saw a kunoichi in a junihitoe who looked identical to Princess Karin!
He did not know how deep the masquerade went. It could have been special makeup, or it could have been plastic surgery. Either way, the photo found on New Sapporo Castle's classified server must have been replaced with someone else's for security purposes.
At any rate, he made a split-second decision.
He adjusted his grip on his kunai.
"Was that a body double and you're the real Princess Karin!?"
"Does it really matter?"
She twirled the hammer like a baton. Every little mannerism was the same, making it all very confusing.
"I have mastered Amamo's techniques and Amamo has learned how to rule in my place, so either one of us can achieve the same results. Which one of us is Princess Karin and which one is Amamo is a mere triviality to us."
That was when Sugiyado threw his air pressure kunai.
The 20-year-old in a junihitoe prepared to knock it from the air with her hammer, but then something unexpected happened.
Sparks flew further out in front of her.
A young man had moved between them in midair and knocked the kunai down with a long, silver-shining wind instrument.
This may have been the first time Sugiyado saw true surprise on the junihitoe woman's face.
"Murakami, you dumbass!"
"What's this, Princess Karin? I thought you always spoke like a proper lady in front of him."
Sugiyado smiled a little. His attack had been blocked, but things were working out in his favor. The unverified information from Oume must have reached her, but actually seeing the young man was much more of a shock.
And in contrast...
"Sorry."
The young man had a bitter look on his face.
He squeezed the words out toward Sugiyado like he was squeezing out his own blood.
"I'm sorry!!"
And.
However Sugiyado felt on the inside, his strategy required him to sneer at the young man here.
"How sweet. With bonds like that, I'm certain this is the real Princess Karin."
Murakami Michihiko was not fully taking her side. He had saved her without thinking when he saw a blade headed her way, but he also knew what she had done.
(We each had a trick up our sleeve, but Murakami and Amamo canceled each other out. )
He could have ended up in a situation where he did not know which was the real one. Or they could have worked together like identical twins. They would have had several troublesome options available, so he was glad he had avoided them.
Who was an enemy and who was an ally?
The direction blades were pointed on the surface was a trivial matter in the ninja world. Sugiyado Souha had some feelings he kept on the inside here.
(This worked out well for me. You did a good job, Michihiko. I can see why that old man cared so much for you. )
A hesitant blade was a weak blade.
There had always been a chance that metal flute would be aimed at Sugiyado by the time this was over, but he had nothing to fear if he knew it was possible. He could give up on that young man's help as long as he kept in mind the risk of an attack from an unexpected angle. Sugiyado already expected nothing from him while Princess Karin held onto some hope there, so they viewed the board and the pieces differently. She would never reach victory if she continued to fear a nonexistent ghost piece.
In other words...
(This is my chance!!)
Sugiyado had worked through a lot in his head, but very little actual time had passed.
He was only resting his feet atop a lightning rod, so he could not stay for long.
He aimed for the slight opening created in Princess Karin by the surprise appearance of Murakami Michihiko. He pictured it like hitting the baseball between two defensive players. Either one could catch it by reaching out their hand, but it passed through a psychological midpoint where they were both unsure if they should go for it or let the other go for it, ultimately just watching it fly by.
Also, Murakami Michihiko was in midair without any footing. He could not stay there for long and blocking that heavy attack had knocked him off balance.
So...
"Ohhh!!" roared Sugiyado.
"Move, Murakami!!" shouted Princess Karin.
The boy spread his arms like wings with a kunai in each hand, but instead of throwing them, he made a powerful leap. He aimed for Murakami Michihiko who had his hands full with the one attack. He was imbalanced in midair and Sugiyado Souha mercilessly placed his foot on his gut.
It was temporary.
It would not last.
But he was close enough to attack Princess Karin and with no one to get in the way this time. He would defeat her and end this conflict in New Sapporo Domain!!
"Kh."
However, Princess Karin had to be equally aware how crucial this moment was. It did not matter if they were the home team or away team or if they were a group or an individual. At this moment, only their skill as ninjas would determine their fate and it would all fall apart if Princess Karin fell. Amamo had already been defeated, so that body double could not rule in her place afterwards.
Which meant she would use everything she had available to her.
"Activate, Tsuchigumo!!"
She held the hammer up to her mouth like a microphone and used the muzzle to vibrate her own voice at a set frequency.
More than an explosive boom, the air screamed with a shockwave. Then the entire world was twisted around. No, the entire gas turbine power plant was struck from below and all the structures within - the smokestacks, the turbine building, etc. - began to collapse one after another.
The earth swelled up like it was a living creature.
Was this the "terrain effect" that Amamo specialized in and Princess Karin had learned from her?
(This isn't just an artificial earthquake caused by stressing the crust with explosives. )
This was their secret technique which had been described as a dragon hidden in the earth. This was the ninja technique that had defeated Elite Ninjas Ouka and Hoozuki.
"The single..."
He heard a voice.
It belonged to Murakami Michihiko who had said he was going to defeat Princess Karin, ended up protecting her at the last second, and then became a path for his ally to step on in order to cut her down.
But.
None of that meant he was without courage.
Someone without that would never hesitate and struggle like he had.
"The visible single-molecule magnets are only the ignition! They're actually used to move enough of the bedrock to compress the underground water!!"
He had worried, hesitated, agonized, and struggled, but he had finally gotten the words out.
He might as well have been telling Sugiyado to survive and stop the princess.
Sugiyado would have to take on that task. The consistency of the samurai spirit was found nowhere in the ninja world. Sugiyado Souha was familiar with a much messier form of sincerity, but that messiness was what made it so genuine.
(I see. So it's the same as a diesel engine. The immense pressure on the underground water causes it to rapidly heat and the steam pushes up at the ground!!)
Dirt swelled up from the ground like a tower or great serpent more than 10m tall, but the very tip had latched onto one of the 2-wheeled mounts.
The rapid-vibration spear attached to the great bow was brought to the same height as Sugiyado.
"Tch!!"
He was stepping on Murakami Michihiko in midair to bring himself in striking range of Princess Karin. Jumping back after all that would be the height of folly. For one thing, the mount's weapon was a projectile, so more distance would mean nothing in midair with no cover to hide behind.
So...
"Go!! Stop the princess!!"
"That's...the plan!!"
He took another step.
He kicked off of Murakami Michihiko's stomach to leap toward Princess Karin who was also in midair. He pictured it like slamming his shoulder at the lower stomach to lift her up. He was already too close even for a kunai.
But at this point, he doubted he could stop the Swift Foot from attacking even if he used Princess Karin as a shield.
He had just one aim.
"Gah!!"
His shoulder hit.
He slammed into the arms she had crossed to protect her internal organs.
Even she groaned from that and they were both flung out into the air. The momentum of his tackle caused him to spin vertically, altering the vector of his curving path.
Then the mass of tungsten steel was launched from the special stainless steel ultra-flexible bow. A direct hit from that could pierce the armor of the Empire's six-legged mobile fortresses, but was nothing to fear if the targeting could not keep up. And bows all shared a certain trait: once they were used, it took some time to ready the next shot. They could not pull off machinegun-style rapid fire.
The shockwave pushed tumbling Sugiyado and Princess Karin's paths apart.
But for ninjas who used projectiles, being too close meant greater risk. The great tension of a Western duel ruled the area.
"This isn't over!!"
Princess Karin had been thrown out into the air at three or four stories up, but she had not lost the will to fight. Her junihitoe flew as she used the muzzle of her hammer like a microphone to convert her voice into ultrasonic waves.
That action gave a special command.
"Lock onto the designated target and attack, Tsuchigumo!!"
But they were up in the air.
Even if she could control the earth like a living creature, there would be a time lag before it reached them here.
That gave him time.
"New Sapporo Domain Substitute Lord Princess Karin."
Sugiyado Souha had been oriented upside down, but he lightly stepped on some footing.
He used the side of a tall smokestack that had been collapsed when the ground swelled up.
He gathered strength in his knees using the springs that took the place of his ligaments and he readied a Fierce Fang once more.
And he spoke.
"Prepare yourself."
He launched himself like an artillery shell and crashed into Princess Karin for a midair tackle.
While striking her with the bottom of his kunai's grip.
9: Another
Princess Karin had been fully equipped as a kunoichi. And even if she was on the front line, she was still the domain's princess. Below the thick junihitoe, she had to be wearing carbon nanotube bulletproof tights just in case. But the impact still reached her even if she did not bleed.
Amamo truly had learned the exact same techniques as Princess Karin to act as her body double.
At the last moment, Amamo had moved to protect her stomach.
The same happened here.
Princess Karin had moved to protect her internal organs, so Sugiyado had instead aimed for the side of her neck. Because even with full-body bulletproof tights, the neck was still hard to defend.
"Kah!?"
As well-trained as she was, she had preserved the slenderness of a sheltered young maiden so she could wield martial arts and sex appeal simultaneously. The muscles in her neck were not enough to fully brace against the impact.
Then they fell.
The two of them crashed into a few pipes along the way, but they finally hit the thin layer of artificial snow covering the surface.
The impact knocked Sugiyado's breath from his lungs.
The gas turbine power plant appeared to reach its limit at the same time. The broken pipes and turbine building exploded one after another and the entire place was soon wrapped in smoke and flame. He was not immediately shredded by the Swift Foots scanning the area because those obstacles obstructed their cameras and sensors. The heat and metal powder would be damaging the permeation sensors as well.
His spine protested.
He tried to get up, but his body refused to move, like a gear was jammed.
(I may have pushed myself too hard. )
He had known this was how the ninja world worked, but he had done it anyway the instant he saw what had happened to Ouka. He still could not get used to seeing his allies hurt. He could no longer get after those four for what they did last time. He was starting to think his own powerful emotions had infected them without him noticing.
"Heh...heh heh."
He heard some weak laughter from nearby.
Princess Karin had been caught on a waterproof sheet where she swayed in midair, but the impact still would have been considerable. She lacked his spine handicap, but it would still be a bit before she could get up.
"Is that all you've got? Well, it was decently entertaining at least, insolent fool."
"Glad to hear it."
"But you misread the big picture. We win this one."
"What were you even trying to do in this northern land? You secured largescale power generation with the underground linear motor train network and you used that to bring the Hokkaido Area's defense system back online...but that's a means, not an end."
She did not answer him.
She knew her death was close and she knew she had no future, but she still kept her secrets. She had not only learned just enough to fill the role. She was a true ninja leader of the Stonewalls.
Just like former Hidden One Sugiyado Souha who led his four students.
(Is it finally over?)
Sugiyado sighed while collapsed on the power plant's snowy road.
Even with the many explosions erupting from the gas turbine power plant itself, he would be found by the troops or Swift Foots if he stayed here. And even if they left him there, the flames and smoke would reach him. At this point, there no miracle that would allow him to escape unscathed.
Kuhou Ouka.
Hanasawa Bara.
Nantou Hoozuki.
Shizukuma Asagao.
He was glad they were safe. That much he was proud of. His own life had hit a dead end, but he had left his mark on the world. He could let his students handle the rest.
Hearing someone stepping on the shallow snow, he looked over from the ground.
"Murakami Michihiko."
"..."
He did not interpret this as help having arrived.
In fact...
"If you want Princess Karin, then take her with you. That's what you came here to do, isn't it?"
"Are you sure?"
"I had two objectives: repay that old man and rescue Ouka. Whatever Princess Karin's plan was, I ended it here. If you two disappear now, it should make some waves inside the castle, but it won't bring any more chaos to New Sapporo Domain and the Hokkaido Area."
Silence followed.
That man's priorities never changed, but he could not help but hesitate. Sugiyado had to smile. That was dangerous thing for a ninja, but it made him a good person. It reminded him of the old man who had looked after him in the special prison despite having no logical reason to do so.
"Go."
"I'm sorry."
Murakami Michihiko gently picked up the junihitoe princess while she swayed in the waterproof sheet like a hammock and then he bowed.
Without a sound, the ninja turned away from Sugiyado and vanished.
Before long, Sugiyado heard a heavy mechanical clanking through the smoke. A Swift Foot's cameras or sensors must have detected him. There was nothing at all he could do.
(Did that repay you in some small way, old man?)
He started to shut his eyes on the snowy ground.
But he stopped when he heard a piercing roar of destruction. He knew that was the result of the giant Swift Foot's composite armor being sliced through and its slimmed-down steamroller body being chopped apart, but he still nearly lost himself in the beauty of the music it created.
Someone had dropped from above and sliced vertically through the machine.
The two halves of the silhouette shifted out of place before fully collapsing.
(That was a military sword that uses an arc discharge to pierce composite armor. )
That was an unusual weapon for a ninja.
It was not even Shogunate technology. It had been given a Japanese design to match the kunoichi outfit - or maybe it had the kind of "Western" design that only existed in this country, like a visual version of wasei-eigo - but that "move in close and hit them with a powerful heat source" style of military technology was the specialty of the Kingdom.
"Oh? Giving up already, instructor? Yet you insist on saving others and keeping them in this world whether they like it or not."
He recognized the voice.
It did not belong to Ouka, Bara, Hoozuki, or Asagao.
This was another kunoichi who had possessed extraordinary power.
Her ninja outfit resembled a sleeveless kimono, but the sides were left wide open, making it look something like a surgical gown. Her long black hair had two distinctive bits tied to on either side of her head. She had a body as curvy as Bara's, but her sex appeal was so decadent it seemed to be rotting.
In other words...
"Oniyuri?"
| ← Ch. 15 |