Chapter 103: Upon Those Shoulders
By Ryoma’s hand, the Hero had lost his life, and Hijikata had been driven to the brink of death.
According to Ryu, the current Ryoma was no longer merely Hinomaru’s greatest swordsman—he was the greatest swordsman in the entire world.
Perhaps it had simply been too soon for the Hero and for Hijikata to challenge him.
“Now then… I wonder how things are faring on the Satsuma side at this hour…”
Wind coiled around Ryoma’s legs, and in the next instant he vanished into Edo’s sky like a gust carried by the heavens.
──Let us turn back the clock a little.
At the moment Ryoma arrived upon the grassy plain, at Edo Harbor—
“Haah… haah…”
Tōgō knelt upon the ground, his body ravaged and drenched in blood.
The original plan had been simple.
The Satsuma army would land at Edo Harbor, break through the gates, and then swing around to strike the shogunate forces—who were holding back Chōshū and Hizen—from behind. A pincer attack.
Afterward, they would take their time encircling Edo Castle, bring it to ruin, take the heads of the Tokugawa clan, raise the banner of a new Satsuma shogunate, and usher in a new era.
But reality—
“Sir!!!”
“We will assist you at once!”
“Cough… cough… Stay back. Sheer numbers mean nothing against him. You will only get in my way.”
Cruelly, the entire Satsuma army had been halted by a single man.
Tōgō glared up once more.
“Just what are you… Ryu Arden…?!”
“…………”
“That lightning technique earlier—it was your doing, was it not?”
“Yeah.”
“Only those who devote themselves to that path can wield magic of that scale. In other words, you should fall into the category of what the continent calls a mage.”
“Well, you’re not exactly wrong.”
“Then why… why does your sword surpass even mine—one ranked among the top three in Hinomaru?!”
Tōgō was the sort who kept his claws hidden, much like Ryu.
As a military man, his reputation was high. As a samurai, less so.
After sober self-assessment, he had concluded that he was stronger than Hijikata, yet likely weaker than Sakamoto.
In short, he stood second in all of Hinomaru.
Thus, he had believed there was only one path to defeat: a duel against Sakamoto Ryoma.
Yet fate was cruel.
At Edo Harbor stood a monster who surpassed even that Ryoma.
“Fuu…”
Tōgō drew in a deep breath and forced himself to stand once more.
“You still rise, Tōgō Heihachirō?”
“Of course I rise. Even if I can no longer hold a sword. Even if my legs are torn from my body. I will rise again and again. For upon these shoulders rest the lives of all Hinomaru’s people.”
He grinned through bloodied lips.
“From here on… I am at my strongest, Ryu Arden.”
(Right… his aura has changed. He intends to pour everything into the next exchange. Interesting…)
Tōgō closed the distance, raised his blade high, and brought it down in a single, decisive stroke.
Naturally, Ryu caught it.
But—
BARIBARIBARI!!!
The impact rang out with a sound no blade should ever make.
The shockwave alone gouged the earth.
(This power… on par with Ryoma…!)
For a fleeting instant, Tōgō had stepped into that realm—at least in raw force.
And Ryu found himself wanting—no, needing—to crush that blade from above.
The fundamental form he had practiced with Ryoma.
A sword without openings. An unrelenting assault.
“What is that sword…?!”
“A friend once told me that when one perfects the basics, they ascend into something akin to a hidden art.”
“Tch… I would dearly like to meet that friend!”
This form continued endlessly, until the opponent yielded.
Ryu’s assault pressed on.
Tōgō’s wounds multiplied.
Yet before long, the corners of Tōgō’s mouth had begun to lift.
Ryu, too, found himself smiling.
(I see. So this is why Ryoma smiled that day.)
A duel between true strongmen.
How could such a thing ever be dull?
“Answer me one thing, Tōgō. Why betray the shogunate?”
“Hmph. This is the only path by which Hinomaru survives. That is reason enough.”
“Does it not pain you—to turn your blade upon the Tokugawa you once served?”
“Of course it does! But there is no other way. You of all people should understand that!”
“…………”
Was the current Tokugawa house truly fit to rule Hinomaru?
Even Ryu could not nod without hesitation.
“If Satsuma and Tosa cooperated, Tokugawa could—”
“Hah. Impossible. That would be but a temporary solution. To gain strength enough not to be swallowed by the continental powers, we must ignite a revolution and remake Hinomaru from its very foundation. That is how rotten it has become. If you stood where I stand, you would have done the same. Am I wrong, Ryu Arden?!”
“…………”
GAKIN!!!
In that instant, Ryu struck Tōgō’s blade from his grasp.
It spun through the air and fell into the sea.
Then Ryu cut into the defenseless Tōgō, sending scarlet blood scattering.
A kick to the abdomen hurled him backward.
“Gah—!”
Blood pooled across the ground.
(Damn this monster…)
Ryu frowned.
“If I were in your position, I would betray the shogunate? You miss the mark entirely.”
“What…?”
“I would rather die than betray my comrades. Of course, I would exhaust every effort to ensure it never came to that.”
“…I had always thought you a wise man. It seems I was mistaken.”
“As narrow-minded as ever, you Hinomaru folk.”
“?”
“I possess the absolute strength to overturn all of it. That is why I can think this way. I have earned the right to.”
“???”
Tōgō’s eyes widened briefly.
“…You are simply too strong. You have likely never tasted defeat. That is why you can say such things. When an overwhelming foe stands before you—as one stands before me now—your thinking will change. Damn it… if only I had your natural talent…”
“Are you an idiot?”
“?!”
“I have no talent. As a kid, I lost constantly. Crawled in the dirt every single day.”
He lifted his clothing slightly, revealing a body covered in old scars.
(Those scars…!)
“And each time, I clenched my teeth and stood up again. Just as you said earlier—again and again. Even if my limbs were torn off. Even if a hole was blown through my torso. I simply refused to give up. What you are doing now—as if it were the pinnacle of your life—I have done as a matter of course for years.”
Tōgō laughed weakly.
(I see… This is not a gap in talent… but a gap in effort…)
“To fall so short as a samurai… there is no greater shame.”
“Sir! That is not true!”
“Yes! We are still here!”
“Let us defeat the man before us and then fight the shogunate together!”
“…You are right. I am not done yet—no, the Satsuma army is not done. We must fight.”
On trembling legs, Tōgō rose again, fixing Ryu in blood-blurred vision.
(He endured this since childhood… No wonder such a monster was born.)
“We will not yield to the end. All forces—charge.”
“““““Yes, sir!!!”””””
At Tōgō’s quiet command, the Satsuma army erupted forward.
(Tōgō Heihachirō… I did not dislike you.)
Ryu stepped ahead once more.
Approximately thirty minutes later—
“Oh ho~ what a splendid sea of blood this is.”
“You showed no restraint at all, did you?”
“Gyau.”
“Brrr.”
The usual four arrived upon the scene.
“I get Ryoma, but why is Esther here too…?”
“I came to fetch you personally! Show more gratitude!” hmph
Ryoma gave a weary shrug.
“The Edo gate will soon be breached. I came to retrieve you before that. But Esther insisted on coming along.”
“Fine, fine. Let’s head back to Edo Castle for now.”
Leaving Edo Harbor—now dyed crimson with Satsuma blood—behind them, Ryu and his companions made for the castle.
Along the way, they could see the shogunate forces clashing in the distance.
“This too is a battlefield now… Ryu, you may carry me on your shoulders, you know.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
With visible annoyance, Ryu hoisted the willful little elf onto his shoulders.
“Kakaka! How comfortable~”
“Honestly…”
Yet despite his grumbling, a faint softness touched his expression.
Result of the battle against Tōgō───The Satsuma army annihilated.