Charging down from the hill, Roka spurred her horse forward to reach Tatsuya as soon as she can. Jikan archers tried to slow her down, but she had her magical shuriken Umi transform into a tate shield that she now hung on her back. The hail of arrows could do little to halt her advance as she carved a bloody path towards Tatsuya. The Jikan commander barely had time to react before Roka appeared from behind him, yanking him by the hair. Then in one fluid motion, she cut off his head and hung it on her horse. Seeing this, the three other officers surrounding Tatsuya left him and instead headed straight for this new challenger. Alarmed, Tatsuya quickly called out to his lover.

“Roka look out!”

Roka didn’t even flinch, but instead rode forward as she muttered an incantation. When her assailants tried to poke her with their spears, she leapt high into the air. Two large icy wings sprouted from her tate shield, allowing her to avoid the attacks by flying out of their range. She would then swoop down like an eagle on the hunt, swiftly dispatching the officers one by one as they helplessly tried to stop her. It was not long before their heads joined the commander’s hanging on a string on the side of Roka’s horse. As soon the wings were gone and Roka returned to her horse, two more officers immediately charged forward with their spears. They were hoping an opportunity to strike when Roka was taking a breather, but she was ready for them. She dodged a spear thrust from her one of her assailants, yanking the weapon from him with her free hand. Then she quickly counterattacked by bringing down her down and cutting off the man’s head. Frightened, the other officer tried to make a run for it. But Roka simply hurled the spear she took. Her aim was true, and the officer was struck in the chest, falling off his horse as a lifeless corpse. Soon all seven of their heads dangled by the side of Roka’s horse.

“You really saved me back there,” Tatsuya chuckled as Roka rode beside him. “Guess I owe you one.”

“Can’t have the father of my child dead you know?” Roka teased, giving Tatsuya a knowing wink.

“Roka, now is not the right time!” Tatsuya said as he blushed.

“I’m just messing with you,” Roka chuckled. “Oh, and behind you.”

Tatsuya instinctively ducked out of the way of a sword thrust before spinning around to slash his assailant in half.

“Focus commander,” Roka teased.

“How can I when this beauty is hogging all the glory?” Tatsuya shot back.

“Is this what you call flirting?” Roka laughed as Tatsuya shrugged.

But it seems the Jikan forces weren’t down for the count yet. Just then the Jikan reinforcements finally arrived, bringing with them several scythed chariots. They advanced towards the Onryo lines at alarming speed, causing Tatsuya to quickly scramble for a solution. But Roka gave him a reassuring tap on the shoulder as she rode ahead of him. To Tatsuya’s surprise, she equipped each severed head that hung on a horse with a small rocket or bohiya. She then hurled the heads at the oncoming chariots one by one like explosives. The heads had the intended effect, blowing up the enemy before they could even come close.

“That’s pretty sick,” Tatsuya commented.

“Scared that your girlfriend is crazy?” Roka teased once more.

“I’m not judging,” Tatsuya chuckled. “Just saying my love.”

“That was for manipulating my brother,” Roka replied, giving Tatsuya a peck on the cheek. “Best not to cross me dear.”

“Noted,” Tatsuya chuckled. “You know I still love you even if you’re covered in enemy blood, right?”

“You really need to work on your flirting,” Roka teased. “Oh, and pikeman at 3:00.”

Tatsuya quickly sidestepped his assailant as Roka instructed, cutting the pikeman down with his sword.

“Thanks,” Tatsuya said.

“Look over there!” Roka called out. “They’re trying to escape!”

Tatsuya turned his head to where Roka was pointing and spotted a band of Jikan troops trying desperately to flee. They fumbled along a dirt road, trying to escape the conflagration. The routed soldiers crouched low, cowardly trying to avoid the Tatsuya’s gaze as well as doing their best to avoid being skewered by the rampaging oxen. Acting quickly, Tatsuya quickly grabbed the war horn hanging from his horse and blew it as hard as he could. This was the signal that Kogane’s men have been waiting for.

You see at the start of the battle, the tanuki warrior led his forces silently around the valley guided by the villagers. They were tasked to stand by as Tatsuya and Roka unleashed the oxen, waiting for Tatsuya’s signal to attack. At the sound of the war horn, Kogane quickly mobilized his troops, swarming the fleeing Jikan soldiers who were caught off guard that the Onryo forces knew where they were. To make matters worse, Tatsuya and Roka rallied their forces to sandwich the escapees, trapping them in a pincer formation. The clashing steel and war cries of the Onryo forces, combined with the grunts of the oxen and the terrified screams of the Jikan soldiers seemed to create a cacophony of sounds to accompany this carnage.

This was not a mere rout anymore. This was a bloodbath. Spurred by the many years of oppression from the Yako, the Shimazu villagers rallied behind the Hunters in a seemingly mad frenzy. The images of their friends and loved ones being brutally murdered under Yako tyranny still burned in their minds. It was if the cackling flames all around them told the Shimazu that there will be no mercy tonight. For a new peaceful world to be attained, they should completely burn all traces of the enemy.

As the smoke cleared, not a single Jikan soldier was spared by the Onryo troops. As they were looting the spoils of war, Kogane noticed a letter tucked in a fallen officer's pocket. He handed it over to Tatsuya, who read its contents out loud for the other officers. This note only confirmed their fears.

This note contained a direct order from the Jikan daimyo to mobilize the troops and attack the Shimazu territories as the rest of the fleet follows. This large force they just vanquished was only the Jikan's vanguard unit. More troops were coming in from the sea, personally led by the Jikan daimyo. To make matters worse, he is accompanied by the Yako Tomeru. Luckily, Higure personally led the forces defending the shore. With him were two formidable Hunters in Mizuchi and Tora. As Tatsuya and Roka gazed towards the horizon, the two Hunters wondered if their victory here meant anything. Whatever the case, the defenses at sea should hold. Now, more than ever, they could only rely on their friends.

They could only pray that this would be enough.