AN: Not much to say about this one. For all those of you waiting for more Warriors characters to show up: I get you, and don't worry, they will start showing up. These first few chapters serve more of an introduction to the story at large, and I assure you that in time they will pop up all the more. The cast is going to be pretty big.

Also, making a few changes. I'll be adding Type Moon wiseups at the end of chapters as well, seeing as there are those reading who are not familiar with those terms.

As always, don't be afraid to review and give feedback!

Enjoy!

-TMW-

As part of the plan to retake Odawara Castle, the Coalition Army traveled back in time. As Shiki and Mordred headed towards their own destinations in order to secure the outlying bases, Fujino and Touko marched towards Oshi Castle, one of the Hojo's former territories. Eager to occupy the castle, they made their way forward, surprised to see it practically untouched...

-TMW-

Enroute to Oshi Castle…

Touko let out a whiff of smoke as she walked at the front of the army, Shigetoshi and Fujino flanking her from both sides. She looked towards the girl, surprised at her endurance; she didn't expect her to be able to walk for so long, especially in that extremely impractical nun's habit she wore. That was something that was going to have to be fixed.

As soon as they had a permanent base that is.

The army marched in relative silence, wading through the forest they inevitably found themselves in. Touko counted themselves lucky that their own objective was the closest to the drop point; a little bit northeast of Odawara, and perhaps the easiest to get to. It was necessary after all, as Shiki's unit had Kaguya in their midst, while Mordred had Cu Chulainn and the freed portion of the Takeda Cavalry with her. Their own troops, which she had dubbed 'Asagami Regiment' much to the girl's chagrin, was essentially made up of the reminder.

That's what they had to work with unfortunately. Touko was banking on meeting others in Oshi Castle itself, having received a report from the scout that there were indeed allied forces occupying it. It was also good that no enemy was currently assaulting the castle, but that could change at any point.

"Takenaka," She suddenly said, getting the general's attention. "I didn't quite have a chance to ask this, but what were the circumstances surrounding your arrival in this world?"

He looked on ahead again as he spoke. "I was on my way to support Lord Mitsunari at Sekigahara when a giant hole appeared in the sky above us. When I came to, the demon army was attacking, and I led my force to join up with the Toyotomi at Osaka. We were eventually forced to abandon the castle, and split up in search of other resistance groups."

"I see, so quite like what happened to us," Touko said, letting out another whiff of her pipe. "We also experienced the same thing, except without having a force of our own. We were drawn in by that very same hole in the sky, and the demons surrounded the city almost immediately. We had to abandon everything and run for our lives. It was shocking to say the least; even from where we come from, such large scale displacement magic is incredibly uncommon."

"So it was the same for you...Tell me, Lady Touko; what era do you hail from? I must admit I've never seen clothes like yours, or like Lady Fujino's, or Lord Shiki's."

She chuckled. "Far off in the future, from your perspective. A future in which Japan has joined the international stage, but has gone through many years of isolation and sorrow to get there. Now I dare say it's not that different from the rest of the world. If you saw it now, you would be surprised."

Shigetoshi looked at her with wide eyes, and even Fujino decided to listen in. A few of the soldiers marching right behind them caught bits of their conversation, and started becoming curious. "I see...so to you, we're all history...and you also know what happened to us, and how our tumultuous era ended."

"Indeed I do, but I'm not going to tell you," Touko said plainly, a reaction Shigetoshi expected. "What other strange things did you notice when you arrived here?"

Shigetoshi fell quiet for a moment. "Enough for a lifetime, to be honest. When I got back to Osaka, I heard that Lord Hideyoshi was helping the Hojo fend off the demons at Odawara Castle...but I immediately knew that was impossible, since by the time the battle at Sekigahara was taking place, he was already dead. What's more-"

"People who should be dead were alive, and others met those they should never have been able to meet, I assume?" Touko cut in, and he nodded in acknowledgment. "I noticed that as well. Sima Yan is all grown up, and yet Dong Zhuo is still alive. Hideyoshi took the name of Toyotomi, yet is still subordinate to Nobunaga. It doesn't make sense at first, but I figured it was a given from the start: Orochi didn't just draw people in from different eras, but from different periods within those eras as well. That's how these contradictions can take place, and fix themselves accordingly. However, what would be the reason for doing so?"

"Orochi wanted to gather the strongest warriors he could find and challenge them. I am not certain as to why he picked our eras specifically, but that's what he did. There was much chaos initially, but we were able to band together to face him," Shigetoshi answered, and sighed. "It seems it takes a threat as big as this to make all of the different factions unite; and yet, even after Orochi was slain, they still went back to their old ways. It's regrettable. If everyone had stayed united, then maybe-"

"You still wouldn't have been able to beat the Hydra," Touko said, correcting his mistaken assumption. "This world...it's quite a strange one, even by my standards. It feels more akin to a Reality Marble than anything else."

"Reality Marble?"

"A Magus' inner world that superimposes itself on reality. An invoked mental landscape that operates by its own rules, divorced from the real world's. It's a bit more complicated than that, and it is also extremely rare, but that's what it is in a nutshell," Touko explained. "I suppose a being like Orochi would be able to invoke one, but even for a Reality Marble it's too large in scale. Even more strangely, the one who had cast it is already dead, and as such it should have collapsed a long time ago. I wonder if the Hydra has anything to do with it?"

While the vast majority of her words went over his head, Shigetoshi still managed to piece together a solid argument. She continued while he listened. "I figure the Mystics would have a better explanation for us, as you said that it was they who had originally sealed Orochi. They'd have a better understanding of his power than we do, and by extension, the logic behind this world. I get the feeling that there is much more at stake here than we know, but unfortunately we have too little information at this time."

"I see...while I do not know the specifics, I can understand that this is far more complex than I had originally believed," Shigetoshi admitted. "I will trust your judgement, Lady Touko."

She huffed. "Even I have my limits. When I'm suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar environment and attacked by a horde of demons, I too can find myself lost and confused. The important thing is to gain clarity, and act accordingly."

"You seem quite familiar with such notions," Shigetoshi said with a smile.

"More or less. I do run my own private company after all," She said, and then realized he wouldn't completely understand what she meant. "In my field, you can find yourself facing all sorts of strange occurrences, some more than others."

"How would you rate this one?" He asked.

She took another whiff. "The strangest by far."

Shigetoshi chuckled lightly. "I understand. If you do not mind, I'd like to hear some more about the future, if possible. I know that there are many details that you do not wish to share, but I still am far too curious as to how our land grew."

"In that case…"

And so, Touko spoke. Avoiding the topic of the Warring States period, she abridged parts of Japan's, and by extension the world's history from the beginning of the 20th century. She spoke of technology, medicine, transportation, and even war, purposefully leaving out the less tasteful aspects. All the while, Fujino and the few soldiers at the front listened attentively, the latter soaking in the fascinating information like a sponge.

It made the uneventful yet scenic journey a little more bearable. Fujino was not sure when was the last time she had seen so much greenery, having lived in the heart of a city her entire life. It was refreshing, even if the circumstances were far from ideal.

Maybe once they managed to create some sort of haven for themselves, they'll truly be able to appreciate the dimensional world's environment.

She could do without the rivers of magma and hellish spikes though. They dotted the landscape, and from what she heard several castles had their motes filled by the red hot lava. The ground was quite literally ripped out by its roots and displaced in a chaotic fashion, giving it the patchwork appearance the map had made quite clear to them.

By the time Touko had finished her storytelling, the army exited the forest, and looked ahead to see Oshi Castle in all its glory before them. "Very well. The messenger should have informed them we were on the way, so let us approach." Shigetoshi said.

Touko took another whiff of her pipe, noticing that her tobacco had run out. She reached into her pocket and took out another batch, refitting it into the pipe's end. "Sure, but we also must make sure to reinforce the defense. Can never be too careful."

"Of course."

-TMW-

Oshi Castle Main Keep

"So you say you traveled through time? That is quite an outlandish tale, I must admit," The general in command of Oshi Castle's defenses, Ujinaga Narita, said. "I find it quite hard to believe."

"It's understandable, Master Ujinaga. It took us a while to accept it as well, but we do have proof that we can show you," Shigetoshi reassured him.

Having made their way into the castle earlier, the Asagami Regiment quickly reinforced the defenses while its leaders went ahead to meet up with the commander. Shigetoshi was glad that it was Ujinaga who was in command, even if his forces were paltry.

However, he was not the only one there.

"I'm shocked. I didn't expect to see you here, Azaka," Touko said to the black haired girl across from her. Clad in a simple combination of a long skirt and blouse, Azaka Kokutou crossed her arms as she looked at her teacher.

"That's my line! I was looking for Mikiya, and I had nowhere else to go!" She argued back, and then looked to Fujino, who nearly cowered under her intense gaze. "And Fujino! I hadn't seen you since forever! Who'd have thought we'd meet here again of all places?"

"Ah...Kokutou-san, I…" Fujino began softly. "These people helped me, so I decided to help too."

As the two schoolgirls started catching up, mostly with Azaka being louder than necessary, Touko eyed the other two women in the room carefully. She didn't recognize them, but their outfits told her enough about their profession.

The first was a woman with silver colored hair tied up in a ponytail. Her black clothing and steel toed boots gave her an official, knightly air, and Touko could see the cello case resting against the wall behind her. She was convinced that the contents of the case were most certainly not a cello.

The second was a woman with short dark blue hair and cyan eyes. She wore a nun's habit just like Fujino, except her black boots contrasted her graceful look. Her eyes were like a hawk, studying the environment and the people around her carefully.

From their appearances alone, and by the manner they carried themselves, Touko immediately realized that they were members of the Holy Church, possibly belonging to one of its many combat divisions.

Touko decided to make the first move. "And you two are?"

The silver haired woman spoke up first. "Riesbyfe Stridberg, official Shield Knight of the Holy Church. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"I am Ciel of the Burial Agency. I'm surprised, I didn't expect to meet a Magus such as yourself here," The second woman said. Touko met her gaze with one of her own, the distrust in Ciel's stare clearly evident. "To say you have traveled through time would have made you a target of the Church, but that is a small detail in comparison to being brought into this world. It feels tainted, as if something lurks in the air."

Touko ignored Ciel's first comment, and lit up her pipe once more. "If I understood it correctly, it might be remnants of Orochi's power," She replied, and inwardly smirked when Ciel tilted her head in confusion. "I'll tell you the full story later, but what you have to know for now are what our current plans are. We wouldn't have come all this way just to chat after all."

"So what is your next move?" Riesbyfe asked.

"We take as many of the soldiers stationed here as we can, leave behind a force to protect the castle and head straight for Odawara," Touko said. "We have two other forces heading towards Nagashino, Wan Castle, and Odani. Once we surround the demons with our troops, we will hit them from all possible sides."

"A very risky plan, Lady Touko," Ujinaga replied in concern. "Are you sure this will work as intended?"

"We can only try. We don't really have any other plans that can work. Either we succeed, or we all die again. As convenient as Kaguya's time travel powers are, we can't rely on her forever. We have to stay alive to keep on building up our troops. We need to stay resourceful."

"I see, that makes sense," Riesbyfe said. "If what you say is true, then the soldiers we currently have are the only ones we'll get for the time being, at least until we conquer Odawara. That will however be the biggest hurdle."

"And that's why we're gathering allies. We can win even if we have smaller numbers just due to the quality of our generals. There's simply no going around it; Odawara will prove whether or not we survive," Touko said, taking another whiff of her pipe.

"Hmm...then let us discuss our plan of action further," Ujinaga suggested, gesturing to the seats. "Please sit; I will provide you with all the assets needed to reach the best conclusion."

Touko and Shigetoshi took the offer, and sat by the sides of the table. Ujinaga sat down at the head, while both Ciel and Riesbyfe sat opposite to the two. "Azaka, Asagami, come. You need to hear it too."

The two girls, having been lost in chatter, nodded in acknowledgment and sat by their comrades, looking towards Ujinaga. He gestured towards one of the guards, who promptly brought over a collection of maps that showed the surroundings of Oshi Castle, as well as others around the area. The group scattered them over the table, and Azaka couldn't help but whistle at the feudal, yet surprisingly accurate details on them.

In her mind, the ancient look was fascinating, even is she had gotten used to modern conveniences. After all, it's not every day that one meets with an apparently famous general from the middle ages, and brainstorm strategies with them. For Azaka, who loved things that strayed from the norm, such a thing couldn't be more exciting.

The circumstances could have been better though. She'd have a bit more of a peace of mind had she known where Mikiya was, but according to Fujino, they hadn't found him yet.

But she wasn't worried, since if worst comes to worst, they could just use that time travel to find him. It was a piece of cake in her mind; nothing to worry about.

It could have given her some time alone with him without Shiki around. She didn't hate the girl, in fact they got along quite well, but their mutual love for Mikiya stopped them from being really good friends.

Well, not that it mattered now. It was strategy time.

"So Narita," Touko began. "How many troops do you think you'll need to hold the castle?"

The general pondered for a moment. "Hmm, I'll require at the least three hundred. The castle isn't that big, but there are a lot of open plains around us. Our main source of defense are the floodgates that can be opened in order to surprise the enemy, but that's a one off deal. Other than that, I believe we should be fine."

"Then we'll do that. Since Da Ji will definitely hear of our movements, she'll probably try to steal our advantage by sending forces to attack you; in that time, we'll capture the castle. We'll then send troops as fast as we can to help you, and catch them in a pincer. With our limited numbers, that's all we can do," Shigetoshi clarified.

Ujinaga sighed as he looked down at the maps on the table. "What a messed up situation we found ourselves in," He murmured, and then let out a small chuckle. "It's funny, if my daughter were here, she'd probably volunteer to charge ahead herself…"

The sadness in his voice was palpable. Fujino looked at him sorrowfully, and raised the necessary question. "What...what happened to her?"

"She died when the demons attacked Odawara," He answered plainly, clenching his fists on the table. "At the time I was here, defending the castle, when I heard that Odawara had fallen. I wanted to head out and assist, but was held back by my retainers. I sent out a scout instead, who had reported to me what happened. It was around that time that information started coming in about the other warlords, as well as the Hydra. Everything was just so...hopeless. We simply couldn't do anything. But what if you say is true, and that we can go back in time, then maybe…"

"We'll do what we can, Master Ujinaga," Shigetoshi reassured him. "We'll make sure you reunite with Lady Kai, I promise."

'Don't go making promises you can't keep.' Touko said to herself, looking to the former Toyotomi officer with narrowed eyes. She figured that everyone around the table knew this already, but also realized he was doing this in an attempt to raise Ujinaga's, and by extension everyone's spirits.

Hope was a rare commodity these days after all.

"In any case, I do think we have some luck," Ujinaga continued, changing the subject. "Despite both Kiyomori and Da Ji being our enemies, I've very rarely seen them on the same side."

"What do you mean by that?" Ciel asked. It was a bit of information only the original dwellers of the dimensional world would be aware of after all.

"Ah, I see what you're referring to," Shigetoshi cut in, and turned to the rest of the group. "Kiyomori first appeared only after we had slain Orochi for the first time, as Da Ji needed him in order to revive her lord; however, since we killed Orochi the second time, reports indicated that their interactions and alliance has been shaky at best. Since the Hydra appeared, they seem to cooperate even less."

"Is there any reason for that?" Riesbyfe asked. "That could be important for our future campaigns."

"Frankly, we don't know," Ujinaga admitted. "All we do know is that their collaboration is not exactly based on loyalty or friendship; their interests are mutual at most, I assume."

"Interesting...in that case, we can presume that Kiyomori might not appear as reinforcements for Da Ji in Odawara, or anywhere around here," Shigetoshi said.

"He shouldn't, considering that at this time, he's in the north," Ujinaga corrected him.

"All the better then," Touko said. "We don't have to worry about him in that case. We can focus on just Da Ji and our immediate objectives. Why don't we-"

At that moment, a messenger burst into the room, surprising the guards. He kneeled in front of the table, and made a shocking announcement.

"Dong Zhuo's forces are on their way here!"

That was a report that not a single member of the present group expected to hear now of all times. Ujinaga shot to his feet in alarm. "Dong Zhuo?! Are you certain?!"

"Yes my lord! His army has been sighted approaching the castle! They'll be here within the hour!"

It was enough to send the castle into a stupor. Shigetoshi looked to the commander, and clenched his fists in anger. "Dong Zhuo...now of all times? What in the heavens does he want?"

Fujino however was confused by the unfamiliar name. "Who's Dong Zhuo?" She asked, and when the others looked to her, she realized that her question may have been out of place.

But Ujinaga was quick to answer. "A cruel man with unbridled greed and far too much influence. The first time we arrived in this world, he was quick to pledge his cause to Orochi's and helped him subjugate resistance groups throughout the land. Even after Orochi's death, Dong Zhuo took advantage of the chaos to pursue his own ambition, his desire to build a 'paradise' as he called it that consisted of all the beautiful women in the world. He's more on the demons' side than ours."

"An avaricious, bloodthirsty warlord then. It seems there is no shortage of those," Riesbyfe commented, standing up from her seat and heading over to take her cello case. She placed it on the ground, and opened the clasps to reveal a massive cello-shaped buckler with a bladed tip at its lower end. "I'm not all too keen on killing humans, so I'll aim for knockout blows. The only ones who'll receive the end of my blade are those unholy demons."

"That is fair enough," Shigetoshi replied to her resolve. "What we do know is that he'll attempt to pillage and plunder everything in here in an attempt to increase his wealth, as well as take any woman he can find hostage."

"What can you tell us about his army? Anything or anyone we should worry about?" Touko asked.

"From what I heard, there isn't," Ujinaga said. "His only advantage are his numbers. He has no noteworthy officers or strategists, and is prone to simply attacking head on once he has a target in mind. Why his soldiers follow him at all is a mystery to us, but he's still a force to be reckoned with."

It fell quiet for a moment as Touko processed the information. She took another whiff of her pipe, then suddenly stood up. "Narita, you said you have floodgates here, right? And that Dong Zhuo has a penchant for beautiful women?"

The general looked at her in confusion, but answered. "Ah, yes."

Touko smiled.

"Uh oh," Azaka murmured, recognizing that devious smile from a mile away.

"In that case," Touko said. "I have an idea…"

-TMW-

"Lord Shingen would be proud," Ujinaga said from atop the castle walls, looking down at the far off battlefield. An hour after Touko's plan was put into place, they hurried to their positions. Ujinaga was relegated to defending the castle itself, while the others would put everything in motion. It was ingenious, he had to admit, as due to their smaller numbers they had no choice but to resort to a bit of trickery.

But well, Dong Zhuo deserved it, in any case.

A messenger ran up to him, and kneeled. "My lord, Dong Zhuo's forces have camped on the outskirts. They seem to be aiming for the village in the center."

"I see, then this is where it starts," Ujinaga said. "I sure hope your strategy works, Lady Touko."

A soft breeze blew.

"For all of our sakes."

-TMW-

CHAPTER 1, EPISODE 3:

BATTLE OF OSHI CASTLE

Coalition Army vs. Dong Zhuo Army

(Play: Samurai Warriors 4 OST - Conflagration [Takeda])

-TMW-

Dong Zhuo main camp.

"Finally! A castle worth taking!" Dong Zhuo bellowed heartily, his laughter echoing throughout the camp. "Don't leave anyone alive! Kill all the defenders!"

"My lord!" A scout yelled as he approached, kneeling before the ruler. "We have received information that a pair of very beautiful and exotic women have shown up in the central plains!"

At that, the overweight warlord shot up from his seat in glee. "BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! FINALLY!" He laughed again. "After those bastard demons killed all of my hostages, I had a shortage of women! Now I can finally build my paradise again!"

The scout said nothing in response, and waited for the lord's command.

"Send all units to the center, and capture them at once! And if you find anymore, bring them to me as well! Kill anyone else who tries to resist!"

"At once my lord!"

The scout left to pass on Dong Zhuo's orders. The lord fell back into his seat, and gestured for a servant to bring him a cup of wine. "These fools don't have a chance at victory. We'll crush them underfoot!"

-Dong Zhuo's Army is advancing towards the central plains!-

-TMW-

"My lady, Dong Zhuo's forces are approaching!"

Riesbyfe nodded in response, and dismissed the messenger, letting him continue onwards to spread the report to the other units. She looked to her companion, Ciel, who met her gaze. "It seems we have a big fight on our hands."

Ciel withdrew her black keys, holding three in each hand. "Like you, I'm not much for killing humans, but we do what we have to do. Let's just get this over with as quickly as we can."

"You're right," Riesbyfe replied. She then turned around, and raised her voice so the troops that had joined them would hear her. "Our task is to hold off the enemy until we receive the signal to retreat! Stay alive until then!"

"YES MY LADY!"

Their enthusiastic response caused her to smile, and she turned around to face the oncoming enemies she could see in the distance.

"Are you ready, Ciel?" She asked her Church comrade.

The blue haired nun brandished her black keys. "Of course."

Just as expected.

Their unit waited patiently, holding their ground as Dong Zhuo's army advanced upon them. A scout's quick report numbered them at around six thousand, which was way more than the Coalition guarding Oshi Castle currently had. In a straight up fight, they'd outright lose, no matter how physically strong their leaders were.

But in a siege like this? They would be able to hold them off quite easily.

"Here they come! Meet them with everything you've got!"

The Coalition's battle cry echoed in the central plains. Dong Zhuo's forces, invigorated by their leader and the prospect of treasure to plunder, charged ahead with unbridled glee.

And like an explosion, the two forces met in a violent clash.

The sounds of steel raged as the two sides battled it out for dominance. Ciel darted in between the enemies, hitting them with the flat of her blades in order to knock them out. She was quickly surrounded on all sides, but before they could spear her from all directions she jumped. Soaring above the enemy, who were left in awe of her skills, she launched her keys into the shadows of several of the troops. Immediately those stricken were locked in place, the magic of the Black Keys working immediately to paralyze their movements.

She continued her passes, knocking out as many soldiers as she could while the Coalition soldiers pushed as hard as they could against the assault. As she landed on her feet for the fifth time, a massive battleaxe threatened to crash upon her, so she quickly dodged out of the way, letting it impact the ground with a loud boom.

Ciel stood upright once again, and narrowed her eyes at the large man as he heaved back the battleaxe over his shoulder. He smirked, looking down at Ciel who was obviously shorter than him.

"Hoh? It looks like the scout was right; you are a fine one!" He said, licking his lips. "I'll enjoy ravishing you until you break."

Ciel didn't bother responding to his brutish taunts. She changed her stance, withdrawing another six keys from her habit. Even though he was disgusting, she still wouldn't kill him, as much as she wanted to. Her weapons are only for slaying the unholy.

Not that Dong Zhuo and his troops weren't unholy themselves.

"I am Dong Min," He suddenly said, introducing himself. "You better be thankful, girlie."

"I do not recall asking for your name," She replied. "So I will not bother giving you mine."

"Oh, I like them feisty. I'll definitely enjoy messing you up!" He declared savagely, and charged towards her, lifting his axe high up to bring it down upon her.

Ciel found it way too easy to dodge. He scared no one with his stature and threats, and she simply sidestepped his heavy blow. The battleaxe crushed the ground it struck, and Ciel took the opportunity to go on the offensive, forcing Dong Min to pull back his weapon in an attempt to defend himself.

The six black keys clashed against the battleaxe's handle, and Dong Min's eyes widened when he found himself forced back, somehow overpowered by a girl nearly two heads shorter than him.

"Wha-" He could only let out, before Ciel pushed more power into her arms to force his hands and the battleaxe upwards. Caught off balance, there was nothing the enemy general could do as Ciel temporarily relieved her hold on the keys in her right hand, and smashed her fist into his exposed stomach.

Dong Min doubled over in pain, dropping the axe to the ground as he clutched his stricken abdomen. His was barely able to lift his face up to glare at the blue haired nun. "You...dumb...bitch!"

"You really are all talk," She said to him, meeting his gaze. "Don't bother speaking if you end up face first on the ground after five seconds. It's disgraceful. Now stay down."

There was nothing for the defeated general to say. He moved his eyes to look behind Ciel, and smirked when he saw one of his fellow generals come up behind her with a sword upraised, ready to bring it down on her head.

Unfortunately for the newcomer, Ciel didn't even need to do anything. Moving into the space behind them at breakneck speeds, Riesbyfe raised her buckler and promptly deflected the sword swing. The attacker was sent off balance, and Riesbyfe spun, crashing her shield into his face. He promptly fell backwards like a sack of bricks, out cold.

"I could have handled that," Ciel said to her companion.

"I know, I just felt like intervening," Riesbyfe responded. "We need to keep our guard up regardless. They still outnumber us after all. We don't know in what way they could surprise us."

Ciel couldn't really argue against that. Her expertise didn't lie in fighting large scale battles like this; she was more used to stalking her targets in the night, and quickly dispatching them before they noticed. If she could be compared to anyone, it would be to the ninjas of the era; swift, deadly, and silent, with a skillset that fit those criteria.

She may be a member of a combat division of the Church, but the combat she was used to was a little more...refined, for a lack of a better word.

In contrast, Riesbyfe fit right in. She was an indomitable wall, able to stand against the mightiest of opponents. As a knight, she had the skills to protect as well as to lead, all for the sake of defending her charge.

She may be used to protecting only single people at a time, but a castle wasn't all that different for her.

Riesbyfe Stridberg was a shield that protected the innocent from the darkness of the supernatural, while Ciel was the silent, deadly blade that struck fear even into the hearts of the Dead Apostle Ancestors.

Well, if anything, having a fellow member of the Church with her was reassuring, since they shared the same ideals.

The massive cello-shaped buckler was swung wide again, tossing aside more of Dong Zhuo's troops. Yet, every time a dozen were knocked down, another two dozen came to fill their place. With their inferior numbers, the Coalition Army was valiantly holding their ground, their swords and spears swung in a wild frenzy.

Leading the defense, Riesbyfe and Ciel continued to hold off the enemy.

-Riesbyfe Stridberg and Ciel are engaged in battle with Dong Zhuo's forces!-

-TMW-

"My lord! They are resisting capture and are fighting back!"

Dong Zhuo's temper flared, and he smashed his fist against the armrest of his chair, rattling the seat. His attendants jumped in fright, taking an instinctive step back from the short fused warlord.

"What the hell are you imbeciles doing?! It's just a pair of women and their weakling troops! How can you be having so much trouble?!" He screamed.

"Sir! They're not regular women! They're displaying skills we've never seen before!" The messenger argued.

"I don't care! Hit them with everything you've got and capture them! I don't care how!"

There was no getting through to him when he was angry. Relenting to the bloodthirsty warlord's wishes, the messenger bowed and quickly ran out to give out the new orders.

"What a bunch of idiots," Dong Zhuo said to himself, gesturing to his attendant to refill his cup of wine. "It's only a matter of time. Hit the enemy as hard as possible, and they'll eventually fall. Simple tactics really."

He brought the cup to his lips and chugged down the whole thing, wiping his mouth once he was done, and gestured to the servant for another refill.

-TMW-

Touko looked down at the central plains from her vantage point to the south. She eyed the battlefield carefully, twirling her pipe in her hand. The fighting was so fierce and loud she could hear the men screaming, and could even make out exactly which clashes were the ones belonging to the two church members.

"Looks like they didn't even think of taking this route," She said to the soldier that had accompanied her. His task was to lead her to Dong Zhuo's main camp through the forest to the south of Oshi Castle, and so far it was going off without a hitch.

"Dong Zhuo has never been that clever or strategic," The soldier replied, strengthening her point. "He's too full of himself to care. He thinks attacking head on all the time will solve all of his problems."

Touko took a quick whiff. "When you have numbers like his, that could actually work, but unfortunately for him the terrain doesn't allow full use of those numbers, considering everything is tightly packed."

"Still, to not even defend his flanks is the height of stupidity."

"We'll count that as a blessing," Touko said with a huff. "Now let's go. We need to hurry before our allies are overwhelmed by those numbers."

"Yes my lady."

Taking point, the soldier led the way. She had previously asked Ujinaga for a guide who knew the area well, and he personally recommended this young man. So far, he hadn't disappointed her; they had made good progress in the time that Riesbyfe and Ciel engaged the enemy.

So much progress, in fact, that they would be in sight range of Dong Zhuo's main camp in no time.

Touko however still had to admit that these sort of battles were not her strong forte. She was more experienced with exorcism and dollmaking, so acting as a strategist for an army wasn't a skill she had ever bothered cultivating. After all, no one expects to be pulled into an alternate, patchwork world with so many different people to fight with and against.

How did the original Coalition handle it all in the beginning? She forgot to ask, and she decided that she would once the battle ended. For now, she needed to focus on her own part of the plan.

With Dong Zhuo focusing all of his troops in the center, there was absolutely no way for him to know that someone would try to sneak around into his camp from the side. So focused was he on the women that they had presented to him, that he left his guard wide open.

What an amateur move from a man who called himself a warlord.

Soon enough, and after more minutes of running, Touko and the soldier arrived at their destination. Standing atop a slightly elevated hill hidden amongst the trees, Touko had nearly full vision of the construction of the camp; that is, she could see the vast majority of the erected tents, while some others were slightly hidden from her view.

That was good enough. She quickly made sure that it wasn't too far for her to get a good aim, momentarily reinforcing her eyes to get a better measure of the distance.

"Stand back," Touko said to the soldier, and he willingly obeyed, taking a few steps away from her. He was curious as to how she was planning to enact her plan, but figured he was about to find out.

The Magus took a deep breath, and held her pipe in front of her, aiming it at the camp like a wand. Moving it in a specific pattern, she wrote a rune into the air.

"Ansuz."

Quick and easy.

And from the rune that she etched into the air, a ball of flame erupted in the direction of the tents. It didn't matter which one she aimed to, as the goal was simple:

Set Dong Zhuo's main camp ablaze.

With a loud impact, the fireball crashed into one of the tents, instantly igniting the cloth. The entire thing immediately caught on fire, causing the troops that had stood around it to scream in fear and panic.

Before they could move to try and extinguish the flames, Touko repeated her action, scribing the rune multiple times in quick succession to make sure the entire camp was ablaze. The goal was to overwhelm the defenders of the camp and force them to abandon it.

And if it worked like she originally intended, the fools would go in exactly one direction: the central plains. That was her small part of the plan.

As Dong Zhuo's main camp burst into an inferno, she stopped her assault and reinforced her eyes once more, checking to see the effect it had on the dwellers within.

-Dong Zhuo's main camp is on fire!-

-TMW-

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! RUN! WE'LL BE BURNED ALIVE!"

The troops screamed in fear and agony from the unbearable heat, the flames threatening to engulf them. Without warning, all of their tents, including the one containing their supplies, suddenly burst into flames that they could not respond to in time.

Total chaos descended upon them, and the leader of the force wasn't exempt from it.

"Damn those bastards!" Dong Zhuo bellowed once more, raising an arm to protect his eyes from the flames. His vision was tainted in red and orange as he desperately ran, flanked by his equally frightened servants and bodyguards.

They led him outside despite his weight slowing them all down. Dong Zhuo struggled to breathe as both his out-of-shape body and the smoke bore down on his lungs.

"My lord! What are your orders?!" One of the soldiers hurriedly asked him, hoping to receive some direction from his master.

Dong Zhuo grabbed the private and roughly pulled him closer. "Kill them all! Charge and crush those fools for daring to use these cowardly tactics!" He screamed in the soldier's face, making him shake in fear. "They will pay for messing with me! Don't even spare the women! If they don't bow to me, then they die!"

He shoved the soldier away, who hurriedly bowed and sprinted to deliver the new orders. As Dong Zhuo was carried out of the burning camp by his retainers, he seethed with vengeful fury. His face scrunched up, twisting his already ugly proportions to monstrous degree.

"I will not let them take away my paradise! All those who stand against me will pay with their lives!"

His intentions were clear and absolute. Assembling together following the surprise fire attack, the remaining units of Dong Zhuo's army began making their way towards the central plains.

-TMW-

"Worked like a charm," Touko mused, taking a whiff of her pipe, watching Dong Zhuo's soldiers moving forward to join the rest of his army. The smoke from the main camp began to fill the skies, highly visible in the morning glow. She turned to the soldier, and began making her way back. "Now let's go join the others. The smoke will serve as the signal they need."

He obeyed, and began following after the Magus.

The second part of the plan was a success. Now for the next one.

-TMW-

"Lady Riesbyfe!"

The Church Knight pushed away the general she had been fighting with, and briefly turned her head to look at the Coalition soldier who had yelled her name. She noticed his finger pointed forward in the sky's direction, and she turned to follow his gaze.

A massive pillar of smoke rose from behind the massive wave that was Dong Zhuo's army. Riesbyfe's eyes widened, realizing that the signal they were promised had arrived.

The third part of the plan begins now.

Her voice rose high above the sounds of battle. "All units, begin the retreat! Turn back and withdraw behind the gate!"

Just once was enough to spur the Coalition troops into action. Quickly disengaging from the enemy soldiers, the Coalition forces turned around and started running, heading back in the direction of Oshi Castle.

"We won't let you escape!" One of Dong Zhuo's soldiers shouted, and the enemy forces began giving chase. Riesbyfe and Ciel regrouped, and together began to hold off the enemy, serving as the rear guard while the troops headed towards their designated position.

"It looks like God's grace exists even in this world," Riesbyfe said as she swung her buckler about, sending many of the enemy troops flying. Ciel flourished her black keys back and forth, doing the same to the ones she was occupied with.

As they fought, the two church members began to make their way back as well, knocking out dozens of the enemy troops in the process. They needed to make sure their allies safely made their way back behind the gate that made up the barrier between the road to Oshi and the central plains.

Once the gate closed, there would be no way for Dong Zhuo's army to continue advancing. However, they could simply make their way around, and with their massive numbers it would be far too easy for them to surround the castle and take it by force.

It was a good thing however that the Coalition had a strategy in mind. Taking note of the tide of the battle, and the rate of their allies' retreat, Ciel and Riesbyfe kept on fighting, waiting for the opportune moment to escape as well.

Because once they do, Dong Zhuo's army would receive quite a surprise.

-TMW-

"My lord! We're seeing the signal smoke!"

"Good, then it means everything is going according to plan. Lady Fujino, please prepare yourself," Shigetoshi said to the girl as they stood by the floodgates to the north. While Riesbyfe and Ciel took to the center with the bulk of the troops, and Touko to the south in order to make her way to Dong Zhuo's main camp, it was up to Shigetoshi to lead Fujino to the designated location.

The location being the floodgates that Ujinaga mentioned. Built in order to hold one of the nearby rivers at bay, it was a fairly solid wooden construct that also served as a convenient reservoir of water for the villages that dotted the central plains. It was a key resource in the former Hojo lands, one they painstakingly protected during their historical battles against the Uesugi, Takeda, and Toyotomi forces.

The floodgates were never once opened, for should they ever be destroyed, the results would be absolutely catastrophic for those living in the villages.

As well as in the central plains.

And that was exactly the plan that Touko concocted. While Ujinaga originally intended to keep that strategy for use when the demons invaded, he realized that using it now against Dong Zhuo's forces was necessary in order to avoid death at his hands.

Making use of the warlord's rampant greed and lust, they would lure his forces to the central plains. With Riesbyfe and Ciel, two very exotic beauties that Dong Zhuo had never seen before, he would be caught hook line and sinker.

And so he did. So enamored was he with the mere idea of new women to ravish that he let his guard down, allowing Touko to sneak around to set his camp on fire. That in turn would anger him, causing him to send the rest of his battalions to rush the center in a bid to charge through the defenses.

In that time, the Coalition troops would begin the retreat, and lock the gate to separate themselves from Dong Zhuo's army.

And now, the crucial part:

Destroying the floodgates, allowing the massive amounts of water to rush in and drown Dong Zhuo's army in the raging currents.

It was a solid plan, one that Shigetoshi had to admit was also simple in execution. He had no doubt that a smarter enemy would have seen through it, but Dong Zhuo was easy enough to trick to use it effectively.

All they needed now was to make their way towards those floodgates and allow Fujino to destroy them.

"Easy now Fujino," Azaka said to her friend. She noticed the purple haired girl was nervous, shaking in the nun's habit that she still hadn't changed out of. The small group, together with a contingent of troops, stood on an elevated hill not far from the floodgates, giving Fujino a clear line of sight to her target. When Shigetoshi asked her if she could use her abilities from here, she responded that she could, and so they camped and waited for the opportune moment to play their part.

With the allied army on the retreat, it was only a matter of time before they received the signal to act.

Dong Zhuo would not see it coming. So focused was he on what was in front of him, he couldn't see what came up behind him. Or to the side of him. Or even above his head.

Still, the group couldn't help but feel a modicum of pity for the troops; dragged were they with their mad lord's desires, they couldn't rebel against him lest they know his fury. They could only move forward, disregarding their own safety as per his orders. Even the generals in Dong Zhuo's army were little better than their commander.

"Shigetoshi-san, I have a question," Fujino asked the Japanese general, who looked to her. "I thought we were trying to avoid killing anyone, so why are we doing this?"

He sighed in response. "It's less than we avoid killing them and more that we are trying to recruit as many people as possible to our cause. If we leave them alive, we have a chance to get them on our side, and we need as many soldiers as possible at the moment. However, we know that it'll be impossible to reason with some of them, especially the likes of Dong Zhuo. It's better if we get him out of the way so he doesn't turn on us when we least expect it. This strategy may very well kill him, but it's not like we can't go back to the past and capture him then."

"So basically, those who surrender join us, and those who don't we get rid of," Azaka summarized. "That's a little bit-"

"Cruel? Yes, I agree. However, we don't have much of a choice. If we want to survive, we have to take appropriate measures," Shigetoshi replied. "And besides, it's very unlikely Dong Zhuo would ally with us."

"We...didn't really ask him, did we?" She asked.

"No, but we know him enough to not bother. Despite what you may believe, he's not entirely incompetent. He did after all manage to place himself as the de-facto leader of the Han and persuaded Lu Bu to join him. He may not be the smartest, but he's far from stupid."

Azaka huffed, once again staring ahead towards the battlefield. "Could have fooled me."

"I guess he's desperate. His force is one of the few human armies left alive, putting aside the remnants of the various factions. I wouldn't be surprised if he had some of those remnants in his force as well." Shigetoshi said.

There wasn't anything Azaka could say in response. The general's answers were logical, and as such she couldn't really complain. If the whole time travel shtick was real, then they definitely had some wiggle room as to how to act.

But still, it wasn't very fun, thinking of the prospect of all these soldiers drowning. They were merely doing their jobs, as begrudgingly as they could, and didn't truly have a say against the orders of their ruler. They were doing what they could to survive in a world that had nearly driven them extinct. She pitied them, but she also knew there was no other choice.

Seconds turned into minutes as the group waited for the signal to act. The moment the force under Riesbyfe and Ciel made its way back, that was the moment they strike.

And it came just at the opportune time.

A fair bit distance away, red colored smoke rose into the skies from the gate leading towards Oshi Castle. Whoever had designed the castle and its surroundings was smart; they had incorporated a potential opening of the floodgates into the construction, and therefore the gate that separated the road and the central plains was just at the right elevation.

That's what the Coalition Army banked on.

"Lady Fujino, now!"

The girl nodded in acknowledgement, and turned towards the wooden dam. She focused her sight on it, and her Mystic Eyes of Distortion shone.

Azaka, who had also turned to watch the proceedings, suddenly noticed a small light blinking momentarily among the trees flanking them.

Immediately, she moved. "Fujino, watch out!"

"Eh?"

Her focus broke, and she hurriedly turned towards Azaka. The younger Kokutou crashed into her, sending both tumbling to the ground just as a sword shot through the air above them. Shigetoshi, caught by surprise by Azaka's sudden action, followed the sword's path as it turned in the air on its own, flying back to its original location among the trees.

"Tch, I missed," A haughty voice mumbled. A figure walked out from the forest's edge, stopping short after a few steps.

Azaka and Fujino quickly rose back to their feet, immediately on guard. Shigetoshi stared with wide eyes at the man who had appeared, and clutched the handle of his naginata tightly. "Lord Zhong Hui? What are you doing here?!"

-Zhong Hui has appeared!-

The man, now identified as Zhong Hui, brushed his long ponytail aside with his hand. "What does it look like? Of course I'm stopping your plans. Dong Zhuo may have not seen it coming, but I'm not nearly as blind as that foolish oaf."

Shigetoshi grimaced. 'Now of all times? I knew he had allied himself with Dong Zhuo, but I didn't expect him to show up now.'

This was a problem. Zhong Hui, despite his arrogance, was not a foe they could underestimate. He was clever, cunning, and held a very clear advantage over them:

The four swords that floated in the air behind him, controlled and manipulated by his will.

The first to comment on it was Azaka, who pointed at them with her hand. "What the heck are those?!"

Zhong Hui huffed. "Oh, these? Nothing less than prestigious heirlooms of my family. After all, I am descended from the great Zhongli Mei. Such a thing is mere child's play for one such as I."

"You...you sure are arrogant, aren't you?" The younger Kokutou said in response, sighing. She had too many classmates like these in her school back home. The kind that think they are above everyone else. They were always a pain in the ass.

"And rightly so. After all, I am the chosen one. I shall be the one to lead humanity to a new age. You imbeciles can die off for all I care."

Shigetoshi entered his battle stance. "And yet you ally yourself with the likes of Dong Zhuo. Have you no shame, Lord Zhong Hui? You claim you'll lead humanity, and yet you actively work against it. Dong Zhuo is a friend of the demons, need I remind you."

"Dong Zhuo is merely a means to an end," The Wei general said. "I originally intended to use him to increase my prestige, and it seems my instincts were correct; with humanity on the brink of extinction, only I can raise it from the ashes, and lead it to oppose the Hydra. That is a role reserved only for myself."

"We've already started doing so without you," Shigetoshi informed him. "It's not too late, Lord Zhong Hui; leave Dong Zhuo's side and come with us. Your talents are far better suited to helping us, rather than him."

It seemed that the arrogant man was giving it some shred of a thought, but quickly dismissed the offer. "I refuse. I have no intention of dying alongside the lot of you. If I want to survive and claim my destiny, now is the opportune moment. As such, I shall stop your endeavors here."

The four swords parted into pairs, levitating over above his head, now angled towards the three Coalition members. He spread his arms to the side, giving off the impression of a messianic figure.

"So there's nothing left but to fight," Shigetoshi told himself, and shouted to the girls. "Lady Azaka, with me! Lady Fujino, you go and destroy the floodgates! We can't let him delay us any longer!"

The two answered in unison. "Right!"

The pair broke, with Azaka dashing towards Zhong Hui along with Shigetoshi. The Wei general did not know how they intended to destroy the dam, but it mattered little to him. His snapped his fingers once, and three of the swords shot forward towards Azaka and Shigetoshi. The younger Kokutou was caught off guard, but managed to dodge out of the way just in time as the sword passed by her at breakneck speeds. Shigetoshi twirled his spear, deflecting the two blades that came towards him to the side.

The fourth one however was aimed right at Fujino. Before she could focus on the floodgates again, the loud whoosh of the sword travelling through the air broke her concentration, forcing her to abandon her plan and jump back. The sword missed her by a large margin, but it still terrified her. She was already used to being on the edge of death, but it never once got easier.

With all four swords having missed their marks, Azaka closed the distance to Zhong Hui. She flared her magical energy, passing it through her gloves, and punched towards his head with a loud shout. He narrowed his eyes and moved aside, her fist missing him by an inch. With another snap of his fingers, one of the swords began making its way back, intent on piercing the girl through the back.

But Shigetoshi came just in time, and slammed the flying sword down to the ground with his naginata midflight. Azaka continued her assault on Zhong Hui, but the man dodged her every strike. "How quaint," He said, jumping back from a low kick Azaka aimed for his legs in an attempt to bring him down. Seeing Fujino once again attempt to reach the dam, he willed the blade he had shot towards her to make another pass.

Fujino was once more forced to back away to avoid being pierced. Taking the chance, Shigetoshi closed the distance to him, and swung his naginata down on his head. However, the strike was blocked by one of the flying swords, forcing the Japanese general back. Working as a team, both Azaka and Shigetoshi went on the offensive. A pair of flaming fists and a naginata worked in tandem to take him down, but he proved much more resilient and skillful than they had expected. With only three of his flying swords, he kept up the pace, at times even forcing one of the pair back with an unexpected flank.

All the while, Fujino struggled with the sword that was constantly pursuing her, not allowing her even a moment to catch her breath or let her focus on the floodgates. She once again ducked to avoid a swing from the sword, and rolled when it came down on her once again, piercing the ground instead. She rose up to her feet quickly just as the sword dislodged itself, and once again shot towards her.

This was getting on her nerves. She stood her ground, and her eyes shone as she focused on the sword. "BEND!"

The red and green spirals answered her call, and arrested the blade's movements, stopping a mere ten centimeters from her face. It struggled to reach her, and she once again repeated her spell. "BEND!"

The sword groaned momentarily before it began crumpling in on itself, the forces holding it together proving not strong enough to oppose her Mystic Eyes. The metal bent and crashed, and in short order the sword was completely destroyed, falling to the ground in a shower of metallic fragments.

Fujino breathed deeply, and wiped her brow. With her two teammates keeping Zhong Hui busy, now was her chance to destroy the floodgates.

"Hm?" The Wei general let out as he once again blocked a swing from Shigetoshi. "Oh, you destroyed one of them. You are to be commended, however…"

All of a sudden, another sword, identical to the one that was just destroyed, materialized in the air behind him and instantly made its way to Fujino again, who barely managed to avoid it in time with a surprised scream. "You are a fool to think that depriving me of my weapon will work. The chosen one cannot be defeated so easily!"

The remaining three pushed Azaka and Shigetoshi back, causing them to skid against the ground. "Now then, what will you fools do now?"

-TMW-

"Go go go! Do not stop for anything!"

Riesbyfe's command echoed throughout the retreating force. Having began making their way past the gate, the rearguard kept on pushing back Dong Zhuo's forces. However, they were encroaching on them quickly, and soon enough they might even breach through the Coalition's formation and have a clear line to Oshi Castle.

They lit up the signal not long ago, but so far, there has been no indication that the assault group had received it. With no water marking the success of the flood attack, the main force had to keep fighting until the plan was executed.

Or when Dong Zhuo's army slaughtered them all, thereby sending the Coalition force into disarray.

Ciel swung her black keys back and forth, sending many enemy soldiers flying. "What is going on up there?" She asked no one in particular, glancing to the distance to where Fujino's group was. She couldn't see that far without enchanting her eyes, but right now she needed all the strength she could get to hold off the enemy. Wasting magic on far sight would be a waste.

And besides, it was a little too high for her. The higher elevation, combined with one of those hellish spikes in the middle blocked her vision of the group at the floodgates.

Riesbyfe ran to stand beside her Church comrade, and together they fought off the enemy along with the rearguard troops.

It was taking too long, the two realized. Fujino's group was held up by something, and they didn't know what. They couldn't go help them since they were needed here, and so the only choice was to pray they'd be successful soon.

That haste however, was tripled when the duo saw who was approaching from behind the army, along with a large contingent of troops with him.

Dong Zhuo, mounted atop the only horse in his army, smiled as he caught sight of the two girls. "So you're the two beauties I was told about. You really are something else!" He exclaimed giddily. But then his excitement turned to anger, and his brows scrunched up in fury. "But you two have gotten in the way of my conquest! If you don't submit to me, I'll have you put to death right here and now!"

'Narita wasn't kidding; he really is unpleasant,' Riesbyfe thought to herself, getting a good first look of the overweight enemy commander. Whatever his intentions were, it helped that he was here now; after all, this meant he'd definitely get caught up in the water attack once it was underway.

Now the only thing left was for it to take place.

-TMW-

"BEND!"

Once again, another one of Zhong Hui's floating swords was destroyed by Fujino's eyes. Having abandoned her intent to rupture the floodgates for now, she turned her attention to the Wei general, helping out her two teammates in taking him down.

And he was proving to be a far tougher opponent than the three had expected. He was holding them off by himself, and his levitating blades were a constant threat, as even deflecting them to the side was a danger in on itself.

They were running out of time. If they didn't hit the floodgates now, their army will be overwhelmed.

Azaka was lucky that her gloves were sturdy enough and her instincts sharp enough to punch away the blades that tried to strike her. She had already tried to attack Zhong Hui with her abilities, but that required direct contact, which he quickly made impossible for her. As the swords were not alive, she could not cause them to combust on their own.

Changing targets, Fujino instead focused her gaze on Zhong Hui himself. While she was not keen at all on killing humans, she knew that they had no other choice in the matter now. They had to make the plan work no matter what.

However, he noticed her intentions. In a sudden move, he pulled back his blades, putting them in front of him to shield himself from her sight. The red and greens spirals from Fujino's eyes hit the swords instead, crushing them like they had before. With her attack diverted, he quickly conjured up more blades, putting them back at square one.

"This guy-!" Azaka let out in frustration. 'What are we supposed to do now? We can't pierce his defenses in any shape or form. We'll get nowhere like this!"

"Ready to give up? I wouldn't blame you. There are not many who can stand up to my might," Zhong Hui said, boasting further.

Shigetoshi's mind kicked into high gear as he attempted to think up a strategy they could use to win. 'What can we do? Lady Fujino won't be able to destroy the dam at this rate. His swords are too much of an obstacle, so only if we had a way to-'

It suddenly hit him. The way out of this peril.

"Lady Fujino! Go now!" He screamed to the girl, and her eyes widened at his sudden call.

"But we-!"

"Don't worry! Just go!"

She had too many questions, but for now, she decided to follow along. Disengaging from the combat, Fujino turned and ran, heading towards her original objective.

"Haven't you learned? This won't work!" Zhong Hui said, launching another sword towards her. She was, like before, forced to move aside to avoid being pierced.

"Lady Azaka, keep him busy!" Shigetoshi yelled to the younger Kokutou. She too was caught by surprised, but acknowledged his order and charged, closing the distance to the Wei general. He responded by aiming another one of his blades at her, which she proceed to dodge by sliding underneath it. Picking herself up again, she closed the distance and began to attack him once more, and just like before he dodged her strikes with expert maneuvering. He may not know what her abilities entailed, but he had enough of a mind to realize that being hit by flaming fists was not something he desired.

Following up with her attack, Shigetoshi joined the fray, parrying the two remaining swords that flew towards him.

Their situation now was just like before; Fujino couldn't focus on the floodgates because of the one sword assaulting her, while the two of them were trying to keep his attention towards them.

However, this time, they had Shigetoshi's strategy in mind.

"Lady Fujino! Bend the path of his sword!" Shigetoshi yelled to the mystic eyes user.

It took her a moment to catch wind of his intentions. She nodded, and kept her gaze locked on the blade as it made another pass through the air towards her at high speeds.

"As if I'd let you-" Zhong Hui began, trying to take back active control of that singular sword, but found himself held down by both Azaka and Shigetoshi, and was unable to keep his mind focused on it enough to change its course.

It was too late for him to do anything about it. As Fujino dodged one last time, she yelled out her spell again.

"BEND!"

And this time, aimed at the air above the blade itself. In an instant, the red and green spirals caused a miniature burst just above the sword's surface, and rather than continue its straight path, it was now angled in a particular direction:

Right towards the floodgates.

Zhong Hui couldn't regain active control of it in time. At the speed it was going, there was absolutely nothing that could stop its flight now. The sword, with all its forward momentum, plunged itself into the wood making up the dam. The reinforced steel overpowered the primitive design, slicing deep into the wood.

The effect was almost instantaneous.

With the delicate dam ruptured, the balance of pressure was lost. Like a raging tsunami, the massive amount of water exploded outward, destroying the remnants of the dam, and all at once began its furious descent towards the central plains.

Zhong Hui clicked his tongue in frustration, unable to believe he had been outwitted so easily. He jumped back, avoiding one final strike from both Azaka and Shigetoshi and recalled the swords to float back behind him.

The pair breathed hard, but kept up their stances in preparation for him to re-engage, but found that it was unnecessary. "Tch, looks like I failed. I'll commend you for your cunning, but know that this is the only time you will ever be able to one-up me."

He turned on his heel, and began making his way back into the forest. "Whatever happens to Dong Zhuo now is none of my business. We'll see if he manages to get himself out of this mess."

And with those final words left behind, Zhong Hui disappeared behind the foliage. Fujino dropped to her knees, coughing and hacking due to the constant strenuous activity she had just performed. Both Azaka and Shigetoshi walked to stand beside her, watching the water make its way to drown Dong Zhuo's army.

-Zhong Hui has retreated!-

-The floodgate has been destroyed!-

-TMW-

"Bwahahahahaha!"

Dong Zhuo's laugh was as annoying as she had imagined. Ciel dodged out of the way as the previously downed Dong Min swung at her once more. She flipped over in mid air, and threw another pair of Black Keys at him, which he proceeded to block with his battleaxe.

The younger Dong brother laughed as well. "Looks like this is the end of the line for you, girlie. Now give up."

Ciel landed back on her feet, and armed herself with another pair of Black Keys. She narrowed her eyes, briefly glancing around to check the condition of the soldiers of the rearguard.

'This is bad. We won't be able to hold out at this rate-'

Her thoughts were caught off when suddenly she felt a rumbling beneath her feet. She quickly looked to the ground, realizing what was happening, and then turned to Riesbyfe, who had also noticed the change.

The knight was quick to bark out the order. "Now! Full retreat!"

As one, the soldiers of the Coalition army disengaged from the enemy. They all together turned tail and ran, shocking Dong Zhuo's troops at seeing their enemy flee with their tails between their legs.

Dong Zhuo however was not amused. "What are you fools doing?! Catch them!"

His soldiers wavered for a moment, but then began giving chase. Riesbyfe, the last in the formation of the retreating force, momentarily turned around, and chanted a quick spell. The blade on her buckler lit up, and she swiped it over the ground in a large arc. A wall of fire sprouted in the path of Dong Zhuo's forces, stopping them in their tracks.

"Close the gate!"

Immediately the guards of the Coalition forces worked on slamming shut the massive wooden barrier. Riesbyfe quickly slid under the gate as it crashed to the ground, blocking all access to the central plains.

Regrouping, the Coalition army watched as the strategy unfolded.

The wall of fire that Riesbyfe conjured was extinguished, and the enemy troops began making their way towards the gate.

That was when they heard the massive rumbling behind them. Shaken, the entire army turned around to catch sight of its source.

"What the hell is going on here? What are those cowards-" Dong Zhuo began, and the rest of his words got caught in his throat.

There was absolutely nothing they could do to escape the approaching wave. Dong Zhuo's forces screamed in terror as the wall of water crashed onto them, engulfing them all in a single moment.

-The flood attack was successfully executed!-

-Dong Zhuo's Army has been wiped out!-

-TMW-

Ujinaga watched with wide eyes from his position atop Oshi Castle's wall. He looked down to see the once flourishing village at the base of the plains be completely submerged in the raging rapids of the flood. He himself was shocked to see that the reservoir had contained so much water in it.

Well, to be fair, it wasn't exactly a reservoir. It was a river, one of the bigger ones in the area, that extended all the way from the sea right into this place. Somehow the displacement of the area had worked in such a way that the water was led here, and the floodgates had held it back.

But that was no longer. Now, the central plains are gone, together with the uninhabited village. It was most likely going to become a lake now once the water finishes pouring in.

He held a certain pity for the soldiers of Dong Zhuo's forces, but none for the man himself. Ujinaga didn't know, but he didn't care either way.

With this, the battle was over.

"Thank the heavens."

-COALITION ARMY VICTORY!-

-TMW-

The abrupt end to the battle was almost disorienting for the members of the Coalition army. The screams from the enemy had died down at some point, and the stragglers that somehow survived were quickly captured. The wounded were immediately taken to receive medical care, and as a whole the entire army regrouped.

Two hours later, the leaders of the Coalition force, or the 'Asagami Regiment' as Touko called it, gathered by the main gate of the castle.

"That went even better than expected," Touko said as she lit up her pipe again. It had given out on her way back from the southern path, and she hadn't bothered doing so until now. She had seen the effect the flood attack had on Dong Zhuo's forces, who, even after an extensive search by the Coalition's scouts, remained generally at large. Whether or not they all drowned didn't matter; their attack had ceased, which allowed the Coalition some breathing room.

"I wouldn't call it better by any stretch of the word," Shigetoshi said. "It was a near miss, I will admit. We failed to account for Zhong Hui's appearance."

"But in the end, we pulled through with minimal casualties. I'd take that over being massacred," The woman replied.

Leaning against the wall nearby, Fujino and Azaka rested from the massive effort they just finished exerting. Neither of the two were used to this kind of pressure, even with Fujino already having been through at least two battles at this point.

As the others discussed their post-battle preparations, Azaka decided to ask Fujino a question that had been on her mind. "Hey, I gotta ask...where were you when all this started?"

The mystic eyes user stayed silent for a moment, and put a hand across her stomach, clutching it tightly. The familiar pain had returned again, but for one reason or another it hadn't been bothering her as much as she had expected.

Well, it wasn't important right now. "I...I remember walking alone, in the rain, when we were brought here. But...that's it really. All I remember after that were the screams, and the running, and the demons coming from out of nowhere."

Her voice was soft and even as she spoke. "I didn't know where to go, so I just ran as far away as I could. I couldn't...I couldn't help anyone, and eventually I ran out of energy to even run away. I don't know where I ended up, but I remember a group of people I've never seen before carry me out from Mifune. After that I...don't remember much. When the small camp I was taken to was attacked, I was escorted until I met up with another group, and just like that I went between units until I joined the one that attacked the Hydra. From there, it's as we told you."

Azaka said nothing as Fujino recounted her tale. It wasn't the most exciting, she had to admit, but she could imagine that constantly being on the run was hell. Being transported to another world all of a sudden was not something they'd have ever imagined happening to them.

"It was kind of the same for me too. I was out for a job on Touko's request when it happened. Everything was so chaotic, and I was trying to make my way back to Mikiya, but in all the mess I couldn't find my way back and ended up somewhere else. I eventually met up with these two," She said, gesturing to Riesbyfe and Ciel. "And we just went around, trying to help where we could. That's how we ended up here."

"Ah...I see," Fujino said in response. She slid down to the ground, wanting to give her legs a little bit of rest. She tilted her head up to the sky, watching the clouds slowly make their way across her vision.

"It's so...terrifying," She admitted. "I...There's only fighting all the time, and we are constantly in danger. I hate it. I wish we never came here."

Azaka pushed herself off the wall, and put her hands behind her head. "I feel the same way, but I don't think we have much of a choice now. All we can do is help everyone out, and find a way to beat that Hydra. I'm sure once we're done with that, we'll be able to go home."

The only thing Fujino could do was nod her head in response.

Meanwhile, back with the others, Ujinaga opted to finalize the necessary arrangements. "As much as I welcome our victory, the destruction of the floodgates has taken away a very crucial element from Oshi Castle's defense."

"Will you still be able to hold out?" Shigetoshi asked him.

The older general stroked his beard. "I could, seeing as now that the central plains are no longer accessible, the demons only have two avenues of access to the main road. I think I'll be able to hold the chokepoints. And besides, it's not as if we do not have a way to drain some of the water. Worst comes to worst, I'll destroy the levee to the south in order to cut off their path. The rest should be fairly simple."

"I see...I'll trust your judgement, Master Ujinaga," Shigetoshi said, and bowed respectfully. "We'll leave enough troops and supplies to last you as long as you need."

"Just don't leave too many. You're heading out for Odawara afterwards, no? I heard that Da Ji's entire army is there at the moment. It'll be a very difficult battle," Ujinaga reminded the other general.

"We'll make due with what we can, and besides, we have more units taking the rest of the castles around Odawara. Once we join up with them, we'll think up a strategy to capture the main keep," Shigetoshi answered.

"Then I shall join you," Riesbyfe said, cutting into their conversation. "I cannot allow those wretched demons to get away with their heresy any longer. I will bring down the judgement of God upon them."

"I will come too. Humanity will not fall thrice to these abominations," Ciel added in. She had to admit though, part of her motivation was also the fact that Tohno was a part of the army, and she was incredibly worried about him. While he knew how to fight, many of his opponents were much stronger than him, even with his eyes. She needed to keep an eye on him as well.

And that's all it was. Nothing more.

Maybe.

"Ah, then you can count me in too!" Azaka yelled, waving her arm when the group looked to her.

Shigetoshi couldn't help but smile, and he scanned the area, taking in the sight of the many soldiers transporting supplies and weaponry to and from the castle. He could see that despite the grueling battles that will surely come, morale was very high. If anything, it meant that the troops held hope, owing to a string of victories they had obtained over the demons and their allies.

"It is quite strange, to see humanity come together again in such a time," He said.

Touko took another whiff of her pipe. "When driven into a corner, even a rat can become mighty. When the only other option is annihilation, you can bet people will do all they can to survive, even grasp the impossible."

"Will such a mindset allow us to defeat the Hydra?" The general asked her.

Touko fell silent, which told him enough. The gathered group disassembled and went about their business, making sure to finish all the preparations needed for the march and the castle's defense.

As Fujino rested against the wall and looked to the bright blue sky, she wondered what conflicts await them now.

-TMW-

-Ciel has joined the cause!-

-Riesbyfe Stridberg has joined the cause!-

-Azaka Kokutou has joined the cause!-

-TMW-

WISE UP!

Dynasty/Samurai:

Battle of Oshi Castle: A battle that took place between May and July in the year 1590, it was a part of Hideyoshi's campaign against the Hojo clan. The Hojo led a valiant defense against the Toyotomi forces led by Mitsunari Ishida, and only surrendered when they heard that Odawara had fallen. It is historically the battle where Mitsunari made a great blunder that tarnished his name, eventually leading to him losing support among other Toyotomi retainers.

Ujinaga Narita: A warlord that served under the Hojo during the Sengoku period. His most famous battle was his defense of Oshi Castle, defending the castle from Mitsunari's forces that outnumbered his own. It was only when Odawara Castle fell that Ujinaga decided to surrender to Mitsunari's forces. His daughter was Kai, also known as Kaihime.

Dong Zhuo: Originally a minor warlord from Xiliang, he rose to power due to his martial prowess, and eventually forced himself into the court of the crumbling Han empire. His tyranny caused the people to suffer, eventually causing a coalition of warlords led by Yuan Shao to oust him from the capital. After his defeat, a plot by Wang Yun (and in fiction, Diaochan), caused his adopted son Lu Bu to assassinate him.

Zhong Hui: An officer of late Wei, he participated in many of Sima Shi's and Sima Zhao's campaigns and rebellion subjugation efforts. Known to be ambitious and studious, he was distrusted by fellow generals and ministers. He was part of the force that would later conquer Shu, and would also cause the arrest of Deng Ai through slander. He eventually allied himself with Shu's then chancellor Jiang Wei and rebelled against Wei. He was eventually betrayed and killed during a strategy meeting along with two of his nephews.

Dong Min: Dong Zhuo's younger brother who originally assisted He Jin in his attempt to oust the Ten Eunuchs. After He Jin's death, he helped his older brother in his violent takeover of the capital. He was later captured during Lu Bu's revolt and executed.

Nasuverse:

Ciel: One of the main heroines of Tsukihime, she is a member of the Holy Church, and had pursued Roa to Misaki City. Blending into the population by assuming the role of a highschool student, she watches over the city and exterminates the dead as per her duty. Aside from her training as a member of the Burial Agency, she is also immortal due to her previous connection to Roa.

Riesbyfe Stridberg: A character introduced in Melty Blood, she was originally Sion's protector, who together with her hunted one of Wallachia's incarnations. She, along with the other Church Knights, perished in the fighting and was consumed by Wallachia. During the events of Actress Again, she mysteriously finds herself alive once more. Her main weapon is a cello-shaped buckler called True Apocrypha.

Azaka Kokutou: Mikiya Kokutou's little sister and Touko's apprentice. After the death of one of their relatives, Azaka found herself falling in love with her brother despite their blood relation, which at times puts her at odds with Shiki. Her special power is the ability to cause spontaneous combustion in her targets with the use of special gloves given to her by Touko, and her origin is Taboo.