"This is…"
"That Harbinger's personal item," Muramasa said with a smile. "But this might not be threatening enough, so…" He threw something again, and another purple pendant flew into her hand. It was the 'insurance' that had allowed the Watatsumi soldiers to surpass their limits, something she hadn't understood before.
When she saw it, her pupils contracted sharply—for no other reason than that she had received a similar pendant from Muramasa before and had handed it over to that Kujou Takayuki.
"Please, give me this face, both of you, and retreat for now. Sit down and talk. How about it?" His gaze swept around, over every soldier of the Tenryou Commission and Watatsumi Island.
The soldiers who had just struggled out of the cold sea onto the reefs, or were clinging to the tilting hulls, had the shock on their faces instantly replaced by an even greater astonishment. That was not the legendary priestess of Sangonomiya, nor a fierce general of the resistance, but... the smith from Inazuma City who had made a bet with Amenoma Tougo? But at this moment, the sea lay peacefully at his feet, and behind him was the seabed, exposed by the sword's cut.
The Tenryou Commission members subconsciously tightened their grip on their weapons, their knuckles turning white, but they didn't know where to point them. The soldiers looked at each other, their palms sweating, their throats tight, almost unable to make a sound. "Sen... Senji Muramasa? That blacksmith?"
"Just now... that light that cut open the sea... was that him?!"
"He split the sea?! H-how is that possible?! How can a mortal have such power?"
"By the Raiden Shogun... could he be a reincarnated demon god?!" The salty sea breeze blew onto the deck, and someone couldn't help but shiver.
The commotion at the rear did not affect Kujou Sara's judgment in the air. A flash of lightning, and she flew back to the main ship like a hawk, quickly reporting her findings to the commander, Kujou Masahito. His gaze was like water. He took a deep breath of the salty air and ordered in a low voice, "All troops—retreat!"
His order was like a huge stone dropped into still water, causing a huge stir in the Shogunate army. There was embarrassment, unwillingness, but more was a sigh of relief. "Retreat?!"
"Lord Masahito! Agh…" A complex low roar echoed among the remaining ships and reefs. The soldiers looked at the retreat flag flying high on the main ship, then at the shocking rift in the seabed in the distance. A sense of powerlessness filled the entire army. No matter how unwilling, no one dared to charge forward after one of the Tri-Commission's Kujou clan had given the order, and no one dared to question the sword that had split the sea.
The Watatsumi Island side also fell into a dead silence, followed by a suppressed commotion and whispers, filled with disbelief and complex emotions. "They've retreated! The Shogunate army has retreated!"
"They've really retreated! We... we've held them off?"
"It was Lord Muramasa! He forced them to retreat!"
"But... why just let them go like that?!" A young soldier, covered in blood, slammed his fist on a nearby reef, his voice hoarse. "My brother... he just died over there! On what grounds do they just come and go as they please?!"
"That's right! Lord Muramasa has such power, why not just..." Another soldier, his eyes red, had the second half of his sentence muffled by an old veteran beside him. The old soldier looked at the silent Muramasa in the distance with a complex expression, then glanced at Sangonomiya Kokomi, who was still focused on healing the wounded, and hissed in a low voice, "Silence! Do you want to get us all killed? Forcing the Shogunate army to retreat is already a great kindness! That lord... he is not our god, nor is he our sword! For him to intervene to this extent is already the utmost benevolence! Don't forget our situation!"
Even if he did have feelings for Kokomi, it didn't mean he had to fight the Narukami Shogunate to the death. Even for them, doing so would be like a moth to a flame.
One ship, carrying the vast majority of the Shogunate army, retreated. The one with the commander remained temporarily. Then, he looked at Kujou Sara, who put a hand on his shoulder and channeled her elemental power, allowing his loud voice to pierce through the waves and the wind, clearly reaching the people of Watatsumi Island. "Lord Muramasa! People of Watatsumi Island! The official venue for the temporary truce talks will be on Nazuchi Beach. Just me, you, and that lady from Watatsumi Island. The three of us. How about it?"
On the Watatsumi side, the brief commotion fell into an even deeper silence after his words. Everyone's gaze turned to Kokomi in the center of the reef. The Divine Priestess's movements were still weak from the exertion of maintaining the spectacle, but her voice was as calm as the waves, piercing through the ocean. "Watatsumi Island accepts this proposal."
Her acceptance was like the final hammer blow on a taut string, sealing this brief and fragile truce. On the main ship of the Shogunate, Kujou Masahito nodded slightly. Kujou Sara gave him a deep look, her expression complex and difficult to read.
…
After the fleet had left, she finally let down her guard and walked to his side. After a slight hesitation, her fingers悄然 reached out and gently hooked his. Before he could react, she said in a low voice, "People are watching."
Muramasa was slightly taken aback. His gaze swept over the tired faces of the Watatsumi people behind them. Thinking of his identity in their eyes, he didn't pull his hand away. Seeing his tacit approval, she leaned her body, which was exceptionally soft from exhaustion, almost resting her entire weight on his arm. The unique fragrance of a young girl entered his nostrils, along with the lingering touch on his arm. The blue fabric of her chest brushed against his arm, so thin that he could clearly feel the soft texture within and the slight vibration caused by her breathing.
The people of Watatsumi Island needed to know that this smith was on their side, but Kokomi's delicate posture was not just for the soldiers behind them. Her gentle breaths, tinged with a warm humidity, touched his ear. Her eyelids drooped, her voice filled with a genuine weariness. "I really don't know if this move was right or wrong."
Forcing the rebel army to a temporary truce through Muramasa's powerful strength was his idea, and using the Delusion incident as a reason for a buffer was her addition. If it had just been his strategy, after the Tenryou Commission had been defeated, the one to arrive would have been the Shogun herself.
Muramasa's arm muscles tensed. The soft, warm touch and the warm breath were like a feather scratching at his nerves. It was not until he felt the slight trembling from her body that he came to his senses. After a moment of silence, he said in a low voice, "Who knows."
....
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