Beginning with the Ubume Bird Chapter 90 – Chapter 90: Chapter 43: Profound (minor revision in this chapter)

Chapter 90: Chapter 43: Profound (minor revision in this chapter)

Priest Nen Enman's face was twisted in conflict as a pure black Buddha bead in his hand cracked into several pieces.

“Who is that woman? Is she some powerful wild god lying hidden?”

He withdrew his gaze and looked towards the battlefield below, fragmented into several parts.

“However, the fight isn't over.”

…

A stream of blood spattered out.

Armed with a horsemen's blade lent to him by Song Yi, Baoding Liangxin cut down a Japanese spearman and reined in his restive mount with all his might, although he struggled to keep the horse under control.

Glancing around, the sky was beginning to brighten with the predawn light, and everywhere unfamiliar banners fluttered. The vanguard cavalry of Song Yi had disappeared without a trace. The banners of various colors were wildly dancing in the wind—the Ming Army and the Japanese soldiers from various daimyo mixed together into utter chaos.

“How can there be so many people?”

Liang Xin's heart was filled with shock and suspicion, but on the bloodstained battlefield where flesh and blood flew in all directions, there was no time to consider such things. He simply had to charge forward.

The Daimyo Allied Army did not close the encirclement to intensify their efforts in eliminating Li Rusong's troops, who were desperately holding on at the center. Instead, they gathered about five thousand of the finest warriors from various families to form a charge led by Tachibana Muneshige, attempting to employ Rider Ghost Beheading tactics.

As for the main force of the Allied Army, nearly twenty thousand strong, they extended along the route where Yang Yuan was rushing to provide assistance!

The Hidetada cavalry line was just a facade—once Song Yi plunged directly into it as the tip of the spear, the grand army's attempt to press forward was met with a bloody resistance, and the casualties far exceeded Yang Yuan's initial expectations.

The desperate resistance of the Japanese pirates made Yang Yuan even more certain that Li Rusong's position was precarious, leading both armies' main forces into a stalemate.

The dark mountains and the mixed yellow and white plains converged. Tens of thousands of men tangled and killed each other there—the mass of people surged and roared, and their fighting spirit soared to the sky!

The large contingent of Ming infantry and cavalry, like a wedge thrust into the midst of the Japanese pirates, was surrounded by the encroaching Japanese. Despite the Japanese pirates' usual bravado, which should have put them at a disadvantage, the Ming Army burst forth with a terrifying morale no one had anticipated. Even as blades and spears bore down on them, they fought fiercely with their weapons, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides.

Yang Yuan, who should have been commanding from the center, was now at the front lines. Arrows and iron bullets grazed dangerously close, but he was not concerned for himself and stayed close to an old man clad in Mingguang armor, with a sword at his waist and white hair and beard.

A deep blue flag with a flame pattern on the border displayed a prominent Song character. There was also an apricot-colored flag with the Bagua pattern and a book-shaped knife emblem—a symbol of Heavenly Master Tao. In between the two flags was a tall bright red banner with a leopard tail design, bearing the inscription “Commander of the Three Armies”!

In the Great Ming army, where red was supreme, the “Imperial Flag” was decreed by the Wanli Emperor specifically for Song Yingchang and Yi Yu. Wherever the Imperial Flag pointed, it was as if the Wanli Emperor himself was present. This closely guarded elite force of five hundred soldiers was the reason why countless men in the Ming Army fought selflessly to the death.

Song Yingchang's face was calm, undisturbed even by blood splattering onto it.

Yi Yu's face was pale, his veins clearly visible. The most ferocious battle was taking place right in front of him. Limbs and torsos were thrown about wildly. A lightly armored Japanese pirate, gutted, frantically tried to stuff his protruding intestines back into his abdominal cavity. The sight made Yi Yu's cheeks puff in and out.

Yet he still managed to compose himself, assuming an air of dignity. He gazed for a moment at Priest Nen Enman, who was looking over the battlefield from the hillside, and then, as if by tacit agreement, the two averted their eyes from each other.

“Brother, I am ready,” Fei said with serious expression on his tender face. He produced a handful of purple and gold talismans,

Beidi Fengdu Capture Demon Thunder Talisman, Capital Nine Oscillations Divine Light Imperial Decree, Shangxiao Tongbao Purple Gold Nine Divine Flame Talisman…

Others might be unaware, but Yi Yu watched with trepidation, responding diplomatically, “Hmm, just hold them steady.”

He watched Priest Nen Enman peering at the battlefield and muttered to himself, “So you're a Shinto priest from Shingon Shinto, eh? The snipe and clam fight, while the fisherman benefits. We all rely on the National Destiny Dragon and Tiger Qi to make our livings, and we all understand the rules. If you don't act, neither will I. Let's not stir up any trouble…”

“Lord Hidetada, shall we not take action?”

A court lady guardian around eight or nine years old asked.

Priest Nen Enman shook his head: “Let's wait and see.”

As the heir of Shingon Shinto, he indeed possessed methods that required a lengthy preparation time but could turn the battlefield into an Asura hell in an instant. The current standoff between the two armies provided the perfect opportunity.

However, the presence of the young Taoist priest under the Heavenly Master Tao flag made him anxious. If the priests of the two nations unleashed their powers, it would consume a vast amount of National Destiny Demonic Strength,

Given the worsening domestic situation day by day, it was not appropriate to engage in a grand-scale magical duel.

A few minor tricks might still be doable…

On the other side, Yi Yu, scrutinizing the battlefield, suddenly exclaimed.

Thunderous booms sounded like thunderclaps; the Japanese iron gun troops were specifically targeting the Ming soldiers with shields, avoiding the cavalry in an attempt to split the battlefield. A volley of shots rang out, and countless Ming soldiers fell, their wounds pouring blood like spouts.

“Kill!”

Liang Xin ran a Japanese soldier through the throat with his spear, his mount racing past the body of the slain enemy. His long spear thrust forward, charging into the Japanese gunner squad.

Suddenly, the earth shook, and his blue-maned horse went wild, throwing him to the ground. Liang Xin, now on the ground as Zuo Zhenghao, desperately swept his spear about but couldn't fend off the overlapping strikes of the Japanese Sword Squad targeting his head and face. He roared with rage as he lifted his spear to block, only to have his vision obscured by a katana dripping with hot blood.

And this was not an isolated case…

“This Japanese priest plays dirty, sabotaging our Great Ming's warhorses,”

Yi Yu cursed.

On the other side, Hidetada watched in disbelief as several Ming soldiers, riddled with long arrows, continued to fight bloodily, their superficial wounds already starting to heal, and muttered, “It goes both ways.”

“Lord Hidetada!”

A shrill scream from his serving lady, Hime Mamoru, rang out. Amidst the banners of blue, white, and green within the ranks of the Japanese pirates, that towering bright red banner stood out menacingly, irresistible like a tidal wave of blue iron at its forefront. The Tiger Head Great Spear tore through the Kudzu Leaf Pattern Flag with a “ripping” sound, heading straight for Priest Nen Enman!

The rider's head cloth was askew, his body covered in blood. Both shoulder pads bearing the image of the mythical swallow beast had been smashed to pieces, the left leg along with its leg armor torn away, and a bowl-sized section of flesh on his chest scraped away, yet his eyes shone brilliantly, filled with supreme sharpness.

Song Yi, vanguard of the Right Army.

…

Honda Tadakatsu's spear tip dripped with blood as he clutched his sliced-open right flank, his complexion ghastly pale.

“Chase!”

He staggered to seize a subordinate's warhorse and gathered his scattered Eastern army, rushing after Song Yi.

“Ming Country actually has cavalry like this! The Ming cavalryman's armor is mismatched, obviously cobbled together—how is this possible?”

Honda Tadakatsu couldn't clearly describe whether he had won or lost in his brief but brutal clash with that Ming vanguard, but when that vanguard charged with the Bright Red Banner, his men, who had the special state “Unhorse” were unable to stop him. Song Yi's troops had forcefully scattered them, and the moment the vanguard brandished his Tiger Head Spear, the battle-scarred Honda smelled death.

…

“Lord Hidetada, perhaps we should retreat temporarily,”

Priest Nen Enman glanced at the young priest: “The Ming Country's supreme commander (referring to Governor Song Yingchang) is in the battle array, and Lord Honda is still fighting desperately on the battlefield. Are you telling me to run away?”

Hidetada hesitated for a moment and then sighed, “Besides, it's too late. We can only stop him.”

The heavily armored cavalry commanders shouted and thrust their long spears at Song Yi. A thick iron wall formed in front of the vanguard camp, crashing into the blood-stained Tiger Head Great Spear. Bone shattered and tendons snapped as agonized cries filled the air.

At that moment, everyone who blocked the way died.

The pair known as the Kato Twin Heroes, Iida Naokage and Morimoto Ikkyu, attacked from the left and right. Priest Nen Enman's gaze flickered, and suddenly he shouted, “Let the flag bearer pass! Cut him off at his flanks!”

Without hesitation, the two spread out to intercept the middle segment of the vanguard cavalry. With no one to stop him, Song Yi headed straight for Priest Nen Enman's command flag, the white gold spear in his hand dazzling as if it were the sun in all its glory.

“A vanguard officer, a sixth-rank Ming military leader, with the prowess of a ghostly strength for twenty moments. Even with military might, I can hold you off, and once the old Lord Honda arrives, you will be trapped like a turtle in a jar.”

Priest Nen Enman gripped his katana, his face twisted into a savage grin: “I am a descendant of the Hidetada family, the son of Longguang Ruoshui Yuanqing. I am the true disciple of the Shingon Shinto master, Nen Enman, who possesses the ‘Dragon Tiger Qi' for eighty moments. Furthermore…”

He roared, black mist spewing from his eyes, nose, and mouth. From behind him amidst the swirling Kudzu patterns, a massive black serpent burst forth!

“Who will come to your aid from your Ming Country's commanders?”

Song Yi, his body riddled with wounds yet with an icy expression, witnessed the intense black aura behind the monk. Ripples of emotion briefly disturbed his otherwise cold eyes before being replaced by an overwhelming tide of murderous intent, his bloodstained armor roaring like thunder.

The vanguard camp's horses whinnied loudly—

Song Yi led the charge, the red banner hanging from his white gold spear shining brightly.

The blood-stained banner measured five feet tall, three feet wide, and made of bright red silk, as devastatingly beautiful as blood. The center of the flag featured a black dragon embroidery, with a flame pattern along the borders and nine streamers fluttering in the wind.

If Li Yan were here, a fleeting glimpse would have revealed the information encoded in this great banner:

The Nine Banners, an artifact of the Yan Fu Talisman imbued with the Power of Yazi.

All soldiers under the banner bearer's command with more than 55% specialization in military skill will automatically become the special unit “Great Ming Vanguard,” receiving the “Beacon Fire Golden Flow” enhancement status, to a maximum of 5000 men.

Beacon Fire Golden Flow: Where the spears point, no army can withstand.

The banner bearer's horse charge will receive attack bonuses from all ranks of the vanguard soldiers, with the specific bonus dependent on the vanguard camp's numbers and the distance of the cavalry charge. If the Beacon Fire Golden Flow is interrupted, the attack bonus will disappear.

Current attack bonus: 30956% (approximately three hundred and nine times)

“Pfft…”

The Tiger Head Spear pierced through the black serpent, through the katana, through Priest Nen Enman's chest!

The warhorse reared and shrieked, the Tiger Head Great Spear impaling the opponent in mid-air, and under the first ray of dawn, the scene was eternally set.

Chapter end