Yama Rising

He entered the fenced up area. There was an ancient brick-and-stone building that was located in the innermost part of the fenced area, upon which lay a massive stone platform that was none other than the general’s platform. There was a massive clearance located right in front of the platform, where the entire garrison of troops were gathered. All eight thousand Yin soldiers were armed with simple wooden sticks and practising a thrusting motion right now, while the thousand or so Umamawari horse guards dressed in majestic Cathayan armor shuttled between their ranks, constantly pointing at them and providing them guidance.

When he looked up at his father and caught the complex gaze in his eyes, Oda Nobunata blinked curiously, “You’ve… got something on your mind.”

Oda Nobunaga didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he watched the thousands upon thousands of Yin soldiers moving uniformly with every raise of the drill master’s spear. The glorious canopy of the money tree swayed softly over their heads, concealing the deep, austere atmosphere within the fenced up area. Then, Nobunaga suddenly remarked, “Nobutada, do you think… Lord Qin trusts us?”

Trust?

Nothing was overt, but it didn’t change the fact that the Yin soldiers only looked at them with cursory respect in their eyes, and yet none of them deigned to report anything to them of their own initiative. Groups of Yin soldiers would be seen laughing and chatting among themselves, only to become suddenly silent and distant as soon as they noticed one of the Nipponese men approaching their ranks. It was a silent, subtle rejection of their leadership.

Distrust?

Oda Nobutada didn’t respond, and Oda Nobunaga suddenly smiled, “I don’t need an answer from you. But let me ask you something else. What kind of leader do you think he is?”

“A man of a thousand faces.” Oda Nobutada responded in earnest, “He treats each person differently, in accordance with his assessment of them, and yet he does so seamlessly and proficiently. He has an excellent grasp over the human heart, and he’s a master at manipulating it. He has a keen sense for great things, and he… most certainly isn’t as young as he appears to be. In fact, there are even times when I feel completely naked to his scrutiny, almost as though his intense gaze can penetrate the most perfect facade that I’ve put up. He’s… formidable. Although he doesn’t have the air of a leader about him, he’s undoubtedly… a natural born leader.”

He sighed softly, and then smiled, “So why would such a person suddenly put me in charge of the new Hell?”

SMACK!

“Idiot!!” He grabbed his son by the collar and lifted him up, while the bones that were protruding out of his chest like willow branches promptly enveloped Oda Nobutada like a bone cage. Oda Nobunaga gnashed his teeth, “Chance? What chance?!”

“This is a test… the final test for us! Do you understand?!” He shook Oda Nobutada with one hand. He drew a deep breath, and the branching bones began to shrink back into his chest. His voice turned calm once more, “So what kind of chance do you think this is? Idiot. Look up at the eyes of the Cathayan Yin spirits in front of you. You want to lead an uprising? Who’s going to follow you?”

“What happens in future doesn’t matter right now. What matters is that we must ensure that Hell has our backs. Without Lord Qin’s endorsement, we’d never be able to achieve anything in Hell. Come as you are, and fully embrace your new identity as a Cathayan Yin spirit. And you’d be wise to erase those redundant thoughts in your mind! Don’t even consider usurpation. It’s impossible!”

Oda Nobunaga sighed softly, “My son… Father has high hopes for you, but you… should grasp every opportunity to watch and learn from Lord Qin. As long as you can grasp people’s hearts, you’d practically be able to stand on top of the world.”

After some time, Oda Nobutada slowly rose to his feet, “Rest assured, father, I’ll carry myself as a Cathayan Yin spirit through and through, and I’ll leave any baggage from before behind.”

Oda Nobutada was baffled. What else did his father possibly want?

“We’re going to be encountering wild Yin beasts along the entire expedition. There’s no doubt that we’re currently still a little bit out of place, and the reason why we’ve intentionally remained rather low profile to date is because we don’t want to stir up the ambers of conflict. But as long as we head out on the expedition with our men and shed blood, sweat and tears together with them, then… the Yin army of Hell will slowly but surely begin to accept us as one of their own. This way, when we finally embark on our great march towards Nippon, the Yin soldiers of Hell will wholeheartedly be willing to follow us and give it their all!”

“I understand.” Oda Nobutada’s response was finally filled with sincerity and earnestness. He was now fully convinced by his father.

“From what we’ve learnt, it seems like this journey… is going to be one fraught with life-and-death struggles. The Yin beasts that we’ll be encountering are minimally Hellguard-class Yin beasts, and this is not to mention the terrifying natural phenomena that we might encounter along the way. Regardless of what happens, this is going to be a baptism by fire, and all who remain alive are qualified to be called the elite among the elites!”

Oooooooo! Dong, dong, dong! The war trumpets blared, and the war drums thumped with a rousing tempo. The Umamawari horse guards that were scattered throughout the ranks of the Yin soldiers immediately stopped moving and turned their attention to the general’s platform. The rest of the Yin soldiers stood upright and at attention.

Just you wait and see… The twelve envoys might be illustrious in their own rights, but I, Oda Nobunaga, am no lesser than any one of you either!

Several moments later, Oda Nobunaga erupted with the aura of a Hellguard-class emissary. “Gentlemen. It’s been half a year of gruelling practice, and it’s finally time… to see the fruits of your labour.”

War is about to break out…

No… it doesn’t matter. The Yin soldiers under Lord Nobunaga’s command have already reached eight thousand men. Coupled with us thousand or so Umamawari horse guards, we practically have ten thousand men. We won’t let him down!

“We’ve only got the lowest-grade weapons right now, but we have an entire field of raw materials that are right for our plundering, and everything is located right in the old Hell! Furthermore, we have nearly ten thousand brave soldiers gathered in this location today. So, everyone, tell me, what shall we do?”

“Kill!!” A split second later, the Umamawari horse guards and Oda Nobunaga’s personal guards echoed in unison.

It takes a thousand days to raise an army, but a moment to deploy them. Today marked the day that the new Hell’s blade was going to be unsheathed.

Shk!

Silence.

“Very well.” Oda Nobunaga thrusted Kiku-ichimonji into the ground with a brilliant flame in his eyes, “Murai-kun.”

“Take command of two thousand troops and form the left vanguard!”

“Oni-kun, take command of two thousand troops and form the right vanguard!”

“Nobutada, take two thousand troops and form the rearguard archers!”

“I’ll personally take charge of the remaining two thousand troops and form the core of the army. We’ll depart in one week! Everything will be executed in accordance with strict military regimentation! All who disobey shall be summarily executed!!”