Heroic Spirits were usually superior to the living people. As they no longer were "human" themselves, they also gained the weight of their legends added to their might. With all that Mystery added, it was only natural that Heroic Spirits could beat "normal" people easily, unless they were non human themselves or had some sort of tool to make up for their weakness. That was the reason why Ritsuka was utterly baffled.
Shingen Takeda should not have any artifact on the level of Excalibur like Bedivere had. He should be still a living, if suspiciously old, human. Yet what he was seeing made him believe otherwise. Fire wrapped itself around his fan, causing Kagetora's eyes to widen. Using Shingen's own force, as he began to swing his fan, she pushed herself off, avoiding the burst of flames that occured. As the soldiers began to approach the assaulter, as Ritsuka raised his command seals, intending to stop this madness, they were stopped short with a crack on the ground.
Shingen flew through the sky, as if carried by the winds themselves, slamming his shoulder against Kagetora. She gasped for air as she was crushed against the wall, but her smile never left her face. The opposite actually. Ritsuka never saw her that happy before. As Shingen pushed against her, like a rock wall himself, he glanced behind him, his mouth also formed into a smirk.
"Stay back! Everything's fine!"
"Is it now~?"
The words were said teasingly, before Shingen promptly got head butted with brutal force. He crashed down on the ground, as if a rock crashed down on it. If the man was affected by the attack of a servant, he didn't show it, instead cracking his neck. Blinking, he reached for his mouth, noticing the shards that fell off. Revealing his mouth, with blood dripping down from it, he clicked his tongue in annoyance, but with the smirk still in place.
"Really? Again? How many times is this now, Kage?"
"How many times did I tell you to keep that mask off, Haru?" Kagetora countered, rubbing her rips a bit with a small wince. The two remained silent, in the middle of a confused crowd. Then, they began to laugh. It began with a small chuckle at first. Slowly but surely, it became louder and louder, borderline deranged. All of a sudden, they pushed themselves off the ground like missiles and Ritsuka feared they would attack each other again. What actually happened was... nothing like that.
Dust whirled up, as their bodies met. Not in a clash, but in a spin as Shingen hugged Kagetora, holding her high as they laughed, their eyes only focused on the other.
"Haru~!"
"Kage~!"
Their tones were completely different from the challenging, almost bloodthirsty tones they had. Instead now they were... cheerful? Loving? Ritsuka couldn't quite place it, as he gaped at the scene in front of him. They... they cuddled. Two of the most fearsome warlords of the Sengoku period were cuddling. Rolling on the ground, they rubbed their cheeks against each other, kissing them as well sometimes, as if they were tiger cubs playing affectionately.
"When did you come back from the dead?!"
"Does it matter~? I'm here now!"
... What? No, seriously, what? He looked around, hoping that this was something normal and he was just being weird. But the soldiers. The refugees. Mash. Amako. They all looked at the scene with utterly baffled expression. The only exception to that was Nobu... who was retching in a corner instead.
"Ugh... I think I'm gonna puke... " She shuddered, shaking her head before pointing at them accusingly. "Damn normies are even worse in person!"
He blinked before pointing at the two still laughing at each other.
"So the legends were true?"
"What legends?" Mash asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Of their ultimate rivalry! They had a relationship like none!" As quick as it came, his excitement was replaced by awkwardness as she glanced at the two in question. "Just didn't expect it to be... well, like that."
Well, now that he thought about it, there was always a certain about of subtext when he read about their legends. The way they described each other, interacted with each other, mourned for the other... Huh. Looking at it like that made it much easier to accept what was going on. Speaking of which, Shingen, or rather Harunobu if Kagetora was to go by, held her up with a laugh, having realized they were not alone in this world.
"My fellow rebels! Fate is smiling upon us! Kagetora Nagao has returned!" A pause. He spotted Nobu, blinking before shrugging nonchalantly. "And I suppose Nobunaga Oda too!"
"Don't add me as an afterthought, you little shit! You wanna go?!"
Suffice to say, the atmosphere lightened up immensely. Having returned with supplies and many other things, the place erupted into celebrations. Art was made, alcohol was consumed and overall, the mood was just good. Of course while Ritsuka was willing to take part in, business came first. Which led to them huddling up in Shingen Takeda's, or rather Minamoto no Harunobu's quarters, big enough to house the servants, Mash and Ritsuka. Still, it was a bit awkward, considering how Kagetora, instead of sitting next to Ritsuka like Nobu, just sat on Harunobu's lap, smiling giddily as she was hugged by him. Mash cleared her throat, raising her hand with a small blush.
"Uhm, a-are you sure you want to... talk like this?"
The two in question blinked, tilting their head at the same time, as Kagetora's head was rubbed nonchalantly.
"Why, what's wrong?" They asked at the same time, causing Mash to awkwardly nod and avert her eyes. Nobu groaned, rubbing her temples as she gave them a glare.
"God, I wish you were the Shogun, if only I could be spared of this."
"Speaking of Shogun-!" Ritsuka shouted, jumping at the opportunity to change topics. But just as he raised his hand, Harunobu raised his hand and shook his head with a frown.
"I have no idea who the Shogun is. Could be anyone from our time, really." He let out a dry laugh as he looked at Nobu, then at Kagetora with a weak smile. "Things got kinda messy after you two died."
"Power vacuum I guess?" The Demon Lord asked, showing her teeth knowingly. Then she hummed in thought, tilting her head. "How did we die anyway?"
"You don't remember?" Harunobu asked, raising an eyebrow. He turned to Kagetora, who pointedly just gave him a blank stare. Ritsuka and Mash stiffened up. Of course they wouldn't. After all, they definitely didn't die fighting each other. It never happened to them. But before they had to confess the truth, Nobu waved him off nonchalantly.
"Hey, being a spooky ghost isn't that great for your memory."
For a moment, Ritsuka thought he wouldn't buy that. His eyes were narrowed as he stared at Nobu's face, who was absolutely unfazed by her lie. Then he turned to Kagetora, who decided to just shrug. As if receiving some hidden message, he hummed in thought.
"Alright then." Shaking his head, he took a deep breath. "After I was forced to retreat due to my... illness." Kagetora stiffened up, her smile becoming strained. Harunobu smiled sadly, leaning in before continuing on. "I was recovering. Chiyome really put her all into helping me heal. Went all over the place. It's because of that I know what happened."
"1578. Kage gathered a grand army. Got a portion of my men, led by my successor and temporary in command Katsuyori." Harunobu turned to Nobu. "They pushed you back into your lands before it came to what would be known as the Siege of Kagutsuchi."
"Kagutsuchi?" Nobu asked in a dry tone. The storyteller shrugged helplessly.
"What can I say, people began to like using mythology to name things."
"Lemme guess, we died in a flaming fortress."
Ritsuka winced at Nobu's words. Apparently she still was a little bit bitter at her death and the fact she apparently died the same way in this Lostbelt...
"Eyewitnesses say that you dealt lethal blows to each other. Then you collapsed and burned to ash, unable to move."
Just imagining that kind of fight was intense. The Avatar of Bishamonten vs the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven. He could see it in his mind, wild expressions as they bled profusely, with hell burning around them. Of course that image was shattered when Nobu and Kagetora asked the same question in a flat tone. The former leaning forward while the latter poked Harunobu's cheek, long having slowly slided down so that her head rested against his stomach.
"Who hit the other first?"
In response, he could only shrug in amusement.
"Sorry." As the two clicked their tongues at the same time, Harunobu cleared his throat to get back on track. "After that, it's been pure chaos. Everyone was trying to become the next you. I can barely count how many I had to put down, thinking they could take me."
Then he started to growl. The air began to grow hotter and Ritsuka could swear his eyes turned into slits. Heck, he even imagined that the tips of his hair were turning a bit red.
"Then that fucking Shogun showed up. Did his curse." He took a deep breath, calming down. With a somber expression he lowered his head, patting Kagetora's head. "The Takeda clan is the only one left standing, defying the Shogun."
"You're kidding me," Nobu voiced out everyone's disbelief. She stepped forward, arms crossed. "He got everyone else? Date? Hojo? Shimazu? Uetsugi?" She spread her arms open with a snarl. "Even everyone on my side?!"
"Hey, are you implying my army is inferior to yours?"
At Kagetora's question, frown visible in her eyes if not her mouth, Nobu didn't even msis a beat as she turned to her with a flat expression.
"Duh."
"How are you still alive?" At Mash's sudden question, the three warlords turned to her. She blushed, clearing her throat as she raised her hands. "N-no offense."
"None taken. And I have no idea. My soul should be gone by now." He shook his head, his hands formed into fists. "My generals sure as hell did... "
"Another mystery. Great." Nobu let out a scoff as she leaned back against the wall. "Y'know, I kinda hoped you would know more, Tiger."
"Forgive me for not solving all of your problems, oh Demon Lord," Harunobu said dryly. A poke at his chin caused him to look down, as Kagetora tilted her head playfully.
"What do you get out of this? Defying the Shogun?"
The leader of the Takeda blinked in disbelief. He cupped her face, narrowing his eyes.
"You kidding me?"
"Indulge us, Haru."
"FIne." He sighed before rolling his shoulders. Then with a fire, he looked at Ritsuka. "I don't care about maintaining this sick status quo. I am done with this stupid cat and mouse game. I'll get the Emperor back to his proper seat, tear that Shogun's throat out and finally bring peace to these lands." Licking his lips, he leaned back. "After that... who knows."
Silence filled the air. Ritsuka couldn't help but feel bad about this. The dreams and hopes of a generation that couldn't hope to survive. Even if Ritsuka would help against that Shogun, the Tree of Fantasy and thus this Lostbelt couldn't be allowed to exist. Of course, to give the situation the respect it deserved, Ritsuka opened his mouth... and yawned.
Smooth, he thought embarrassedly as the people in the room began to chuckle at him. Harunobu nodded in undersstanding.
"You should get some rest. You must be tired."
"Yeah, get your beauty sleep, master," Nobu teased him, pushing him out with Mash. As he glanced back, he could see Kagetora reach behind Harunobu, pulling out bottles and food.
"We'll be here, drinking if you need us!"
With that, the door was closed behind them, three warlords that fought each other to the death going to drink like there was no tomorrow. Ritsuka chuckled dryly. Well that will totally not blow up in their faces.
Suddenly arms wrapped themselves around Mash and Ritsuka, pulling them down. As they yelped, their faces were squished against Amako's, who grinned widely.
"Yo! How was the talk with Lord Takeda?"
"We understand a lot more now." Mash hesitated before looking back. "He's with Nobu and Kagetora now."
The girl giggled, causing the two to giggle as well. Her happiness was just really infectioneous. Nodding at their words she began to drag them away, taking wide steps.
"Heh. I bet. I'd act like that too if Kari-"
Suddenly, she froze. Her smile wavered, as she looked down. Ritsuka shared a concerned look with Mash before pressing his lips together, carefully.
"Kari?"
"Karifu. Karifu Suzaku. He was the head of the Suzaku clan."
Was. He knew better than to step on that landmine. They kept a respecting silence, as they slowly walked, with Amako lost in her memories, her eyes a bit blank. But soon enough, life came back and she clapped her hands, removing her arms from them.
"Y'know what, while I'm at it, why not tell ya a bit more about the clans? You prolly don't know what they are anyway!"
She jumped a few paces in front of them before turning around, spreading her arms open.
"So. As you can probably tell by my name, I'm the head of the Seiryu clan. One of the Four Guardians, serving the Emperor! For we have sworn to go into the direction we were assigned to, in order to reach the Root! For us, it is the east!" She threw her finger into the air, her hand on her hip with a triumphant laugh. "One day, when we complete our journey, we will rejoin with the other paths in the Center to reach the Golden Dragon Kohryu!"
Ritsuka clapped politely with Mash. But on his end, it felt somewhat fake. After all... he had no idea what she was really talking about. He wasn't a magus after all. Sure, he kinda got the gist of it, but he wouldn't be able to explain what exactly the "Root" is anyway.
"How exactly does your path look like?" Mash asked, tilting her head with curiosity. With both hands on her hips, Amako nodded a few times.
"Hm, hm, hm! Nice that you ask! Basically, we reach out to the world and share our wisdom! Y'know, like spreading seeds! Then, when those seeds grow, we exchange and gain wisdom in return! Rinse and repeat, until we basically have the entire east covered in a giant trail of... uh, wisdom trees!" She punched the air with enough force to create a gust of wind. "Boom!"
"Huh. Magi usually don't share their knowledge. What with the degradation of mystery."
"Oh yeah, that's a thing." Amako waved Mash's word off. "But we make sure not to overextend ourselves too much. Besides, hoarding knowledge isn't our thing. People grow by sharing after all!"
"Sounds nice." Ritsuka smiled as he nodded. "Exchanging ideas is how a lot of stuff gets created."
"Speaking of exchange... " She grabbed his arm with a wide grin. "Let's punch each other in the face!"
An awkward silence fell between them. He looked at Mash for help. But she shrugged helplessly. He turned back to Amako, tilting his head.
"Hah?"
"Yeah, that Pan-thingie! You wanted to show it to me!"
He paled.
"Oh. Uh... "
He really wanted to say no. He really wanted to go to sleep and not get his teeth kicked out. But he couldn't. Her eyes sparkled, like that of a cute puppy. More specifically, Caval the Second. Nobody could resist Caval the Second. Not even Hessian Lobo, and he was an Avenger for god's sake! His only hope was his reliable junior-
"You're on your own, Senpai."
-who promptly abandoned him. Why?! After everything they've been through?! With his Shielder leaving him to the brunt of the guilt tripping, innocent look he received, he lowered his head in surrender.
"Hoh boy…"
With that said, he was slung over Amako's shoulder, who embarrassedly was smaller than him, and began to hurry through the underground structure.
"Cmon Cmon Cmon! Arena is right over there!"
His only hope was that his Spartan teachers would be pride of his valiant efforts.
They would not.
/
In the darkness, the one called the Divine Shogun sat in front of a humble shrine. Only his eyes could see in this room. Some might be confused, given the almost "tacky" way his fortress was built. Yet there it was, a small wooden shrine, with nothing more than a couple gold coins as an offering and a beanbag. His head was lowered, almost softly, as he muttered under his breath.
Then, he felt a connection being made and he almost snarled. Turning away from the shrine, he accepted the connection, anger filling his heart.
"We are in position," his servant said. A savage grin appeared across his face as he clutched the blade he always had on his person.
"Do it."