Plop! A drop of cold water fell onto the back of his neck.
Chiaki awoke with a small moan. He was lying on the cold ground with no idea of how much time had passed.
“I see you’re awake, Yasuda-dono.”
The voice belonged to Katakura Kojuurou Kagetsuna. There was rock above and around him in this chilly, dim, cave-like place. The sound of drops of falling water echoed, as if they were underground. The light of a swaying candle flame illuminated what looked like bars of a prison stretching from floor to ceiling front of him.
“—What the hell is this?” he groaned and attempted to get up. Sharp pain stabbed into his chest, and he let out an involuntary scream. “Ugh...!”
“Are you all right?”
“Dammit, I think my ribs are broken. You’ll pay for that, assholes.”
Sturdy manacles bound his arms behind him. He had lost his memories to the explosion between the super-nenpa and his counterattacking «power». Houjou retainers had found him pinned beneath a tree and locked him up here. Looking with astonishment down at the tattered remains of his clothes, a remnant of his battle with the tsutsuga, he muttered sullenly, “That was a Versace shirt, you Houjou assholes. I’m gonna take it out of your hides.”
“It appears we are being held in dungeons beneath the mansion. I’m sorry to have failed in Narita-dono’s rescue.”
“Don’t apologize, we couldn’t have planned for that. And oh yeah, what the hell? I never heard about any of the Houjou having that much «power».”
“It was not one of the Houjou, Yasuda-dono.”
Chiaki’s head jerked up.
“Narita, then?”
“Most likely,” Katakura nodded. “Narita-dono was here, there is no doubt about that. The Houjou appear to have been successful in extracting that amazing power from him.”
“And what happened to Narita?”
“I do not know. I was in the direct line of that eruption, and lost consciousness. I assume the rite of binding to the main tree at Futarasan Shrine
will be performed as planned.”
“Feh. Yeah, let ’em try and stuff all that ridiculous power into the sacred tree; it’ll blow the entire Nikkou region right off the map.”
“I’ve attempted escape, but my telekinesis is reduced to nearly nothing. I cannot even remove these manacles.”
“Dammit. We’re really in a spot here, huh? So, what the hell is that?”
Chiaki jerked his chin at the red lump lying in a corner of the cave. Katakura frowned.
“A tsutsuga cub. It appears we are meant to be its dinner,” he answered. Crouched in its nook, the tsutsuga stared steadily at them. Apparently the Houjou had hit upon the idea of placing the intruders within the tsutsuga’s cage as the perfect means of disposing of them.
“Hmph. That’s a pretty ritzy guard dog. Of course they couldn’t have a chummy pet.”
“We’re tied hand and feet—yet we can ill afford to wait, lest we become the tsutsuga’s prey. What are we to do?”
“‘What are we to do?’ Well, we can start by getting out of here,” Chiaki answered authoritatively.
“Get out? How?”
“Um...” Chiaki floundered, all out of good escape plans.“...There’s no way we can make contact with anyone on the outside?”
“I attempted to do so, but there was no response.”
“No response, huh. Too bad I don’t have any koppashins left.”
They couldn’t expect help from outside. And in any case, they would probably become tsutsuga food long before anyone came looking for them.
“So we gotta rescue ourselves. Dig a hole, maybe?”
“...Yasuda-dono. As I suspected, Kojirou-sama is connected with the matter concerning Narita-dono.”
“What?” Chiaki turned to him. “You saw him?”
“Yes, but only for a brief moment. I attempted to persuade him to return with me, but... there appears to be some deeper reason for his inability to return to the Date despite wanting to do so. In our lifetime, the Houjou and the Date planned to form an alliance of the Eastern Provinces against Toyotomi: a Date/Houjou-led grand nation of the East established to fight the West. But the arc of history did not permit it; the attempt at alliance failed, and, as you know, we Date aligned ourselves behind the Lord Taikou, while the Houjou resisted to the bitter end and were destroyed.”
“So the rumors of a Kantou alliance from back then were true?”
“Yes. The Houjou cursed the Date and called us cowards for submitting to Toyotomi. But those who cannot foresee the shifting of time will be obliterated by the movement of the world. The Date chose to live and endure rather than be dashed to pieces in our obstinacy.” Katakura lifted purpose-filled eyes to met Chiaki’s squarely. “After our resurrections, Ujimasa-dono proposed another alliance. But this time, due to our prior alliance with the Takeda, who stand opposed to the Houjou, we did not accept. I do not know how that will change, after all that has happened and will happen here.”
“What?”
“If the Houjou should hold Nikkou, the Kantou’s map of power will be radically altered: the balance of power between the Takeda and the Houjou will, in fact, be reversed in one blow. That in turn will likely bring about even greater changes within the Kantou.”
“How do you figure?”
“If it is Oda behind Kojirou-dono.”
Chiaki’s eyes narrowed sharply.
“I am certain they are using Kojirou-dono’s clan to camouflage their connection to Oda—and if that is true, then Houjou has not yet realized the connection between Kojirou-dono and Oda. They are likely using the Houjou to hold Nikkou so that they may plunder it at their leisure later.”
“So what you’re saying is, if they’re not careful, it’ll lead to Oda capturing the Kantou?”
“In so many words, yes. What we must do—” Katakura straightened, glaring out past the bars— “is to make certain of the opponent we must defeat.”
“And you’re doing all this for the sake of the country?”
Katakura regarded Chiaki with his wise, serene eyes as the subtle and enigmatic smile of the master tactician appeared on his face. Chiaki abruptly turned away in distaste.
“Hmph. So this is Date’s counter. The One-Eyed Dragon has emerged once more from the ashes of our last battle, huh?”
To ascribe altruistic reasons to their deep and far-sighted designs would soon guarantee a painful awakening, Chiaki thought, breaking out lightly in a cold sweat. It may be that the most terrifying opponent of them all would turn out to be neither Oda nor Takeda, but the late-come One-Eyed Dragon.
“In any case, we must first escape from this place and stop the Houjou. But how?”
“How indeed?”
The tsutsuga stood and began prowling in the back of the cave. It seemed about ready for its meal.
“Okay then. Time for my super-special skills. Let’s train this baby up.”
“Train? What are you planning to do?”
“I’m pretty sure I can put it under hypnotic suggestion.”
“Puppet magic? You’re not really thinking about controlling a tsutsuga...?”
“I’ve got lots of practice whipping tigers and beasts into shape, so just leave it to me!”
“It’s too dangerous, Yasuda-dono! If you peer into its eyes for even a second, it will eat your soul!”
Ignoring him, Chiaki approached the tsutsuga step by step, clucking, “Here kitty kitty. Come on, little kitty... Good kitty. You’re gonna listen to me, aren’t you?”
“Yasuda-dono!”
“Quiet, you’re distracting me.”
Careful not to gaze into the tsutsuga’s eyes, Chiaki crept forward. It did actually look quite young; it was half the size of the beasts he’d fought earlier, and seemed inexperienced and untrained. As Chiaki drew closer, it circling aimlessly and peered at him, occasionally baring its fangs and scratching at the ground with its front paws in agitation.
In truth, Chiaki had never thought about hypnotizing a spirit beast before. He had no idea how this was going to go, but...
(Guess I can only try...)
Concentrating hard, he cautiously inched forward, a thin stream of sweat running down his forehead. The baby tsutsuga had stopped moving and was regarding Chiaki steadily.
“All right...good boy.”
The ferocity in the tsutsuga’s golden eyes burned as brightly as ever. He couldn’t tell whether or not his hypnosis was working. The Houjou controlled the tsutsuga, so it must be possible. He sent tentative, delicate threads of encouragement into the tsutsuga’s consciousness. Though he flinched every so often at the sharp backlashes of resistance, Chiaki patiently worked his puppet magic as Katakura watched silently.
Cold sweat rolled in a continuous stream off Chiaki’s strained face.
“We appear to have gathered enough souls in the holy ground of Nikkou at last,” said a middle-aged man some years older than Ujimasa in a deep blue kimono. He was seated on the parlor sofa at the Houjou residence. Though the Houjou retainers were busy with communications and preparations now that the start of the ‘Ritual of Unification by Fire’ was at hand, none of that bustle penetrated into this room with its rich furnishings and windows overlooking the valley. Here the two men were alone.
“As of this morning, the entire area around Mt. Nikkou lies within our control. As soon as our preparations are complete, we will perform the tree-binding ceremony called the ‘Ritual of Unification by Fire’ at the main tree. Our departure is imminent. I will leave affairs here to you, Great-Uncle,” Ujimasa responded, pushing the frame of his glasses higher with a finger.
The man Ujimasa called ‘Great-Uncle’ was a very distinguished silver-haired man in late middle-age. He was Houjou Gen’an, younger brother to Ujimasa’s grandfather Ujitsuna: a man whose word as clan elder had carried much weight within their clan in Ujimasa’s era. Kagetora had been his adopted son and would have carried on his name if the decision to send him to Echigo had not annulled the agreement. He had served as the head of Moto-Hakone Shrine before returning to secular life as both the most celebrated man of culture in the Kantou and shadow prime minister of the Houjou.
“And Hakone? How fares Ujiteru?”
“I cannot think Ujiteru would fail at his task. The ‘Ritual of Unification by Fire’ at Hakone is surely complete by now. I expect Kotarou with a report soon. The two Tsutsuga Mirrors and the ‘first-born tsutsuga cub’ will be coming with him,” Ujimasa stated, lifting the cup of expresso in his right hand to his lips. “Only an adult animal will be able to consume a spirit with so much power; the sacrifice cannot be bound to the master tree without that tsutsuga.”
“So it was taken to Hakone? To bind Saburou?”
“Saburou’s power was greater than we imagined, Honorable Great-Uncle. The fusion of his soul to the ‘Yatate Cedar’ will provide us with all the power we could hope for. As the ‘core’ of Hakone’s spiritual energy, it will be a match for even the enormous spiritual force of Nikkou.”
Sunken deeply into the embrace of the sofa, Gen’an listened to Ujimasa’s confident speech with eyebrows raised, troubled lines wrinkling the corners of his intelligent eyes.
“There are times when your perspicacity astounds me, Ujimasa. To transform the power of holy ground into a weapon and use it to dominate the Kantou—what a staggering idea.”
“And we will succeed because we are the Houjou, Great-Uncle. Our bonds of blood are our weapons. Among the many warlords of the Sengoku, how many can claim such trust as we do in our familial bonds? Our brothers do not waste their time squabbling over clan inheritance; we do not have to search the shadows for assassins born of our own blood. Instead, we concentrate our powers on defeating enemies of our clan. Too many commanders are destroyed by discord among their own kin. In the world of the Sengoku, marriage alliances are not the only familial bonds used as weapons. Ties of blood make true power greater. In this deceitful, turbulent time of war, those who recognize the enormous power of family have already won the greater battle.”
“...”
“Trust in our brotherhood, trust in our blood: that is the greatest and most powerful weapon of the Houjou.”
Ujimasa turned his nostalgic gaze to the window. “Such was the greatness of our father, who bequeathed us that weapon. I revere him from the bottom of my heart.”
“Yes, Ujiyasu was a rare personage. I believe he could achieved a world of true peace...”
“...”
“Not as a conqueror, but a great—yes, a truly great man capable of encompassing all...”
Ujimasa turned, expression changing abruptly. “No, Great-Uncle, I cannot agree! My father should have been a conqueror!”
Gen’an glanced up sharply.
“Father was worthy of ruling the Sengoku, worthy of the people’s trust! I want victory for him; he will bring about lasting wealth and peace for all. He will create a compassionate, selfless utopia...”
“...”
“Responsibility for the destruction of the Houjou Clan in our previous lives lies with me, and I will always bear that disgrace...yet I believe even now that I was right to oppose the Taikou to the bitter end. Japan will one day be governed by the ideal tenets practiced by my father: that is what I believe in. A nation built according to my father’s principles will lead to a society of peace, a society in which none shall carry jealousy or suspicion within their hearts. All men will be brothers who will aid each other in times of need.”
“...Universal trust, hmm?”
“The Taikou’s power and the rule of money... how vulgar and childish these idols are compared to Father’s ideals. They are not worthy of worship; those who know of grander things would not compromise.” Ujimasa’s eyes flashed, piercing as a falcon’s. “In the world of my father’s creation, he will be a father to all. I, who once led the Houjou to extinction, have devoted myself to this mission.”
Gen’an looked at Ujimasa gravely. “That is what you fight for, you and your brothers? Saburou as well?”
“Saburou is very bright, Great-Uncle, as you must know. He never protested his adoption into Echigo. We brothers know the roles we play. Though he must have realized it was his role to be a sacrifice, he knew what he had to do. And if I am hated for that,” Ujimasa concluded, setting his cup down on a coaster, “then let me be hated.”
“Ujimasa...”
“If Saburou must count himself among that number, so be it.”
A small smile had replaced the usual coldness on Ujimasa’s face, and Gen’an seemed sympathetic.
A knock on the door announced one of Ujimasa’s trusted aides.
“Well?”
“My lord. Lord Fuuma Kotarou has returned from Hakone.”
“What, Kotarou has returned? Good, bring him to the ‘Hermit Rock Room.’ I will see him there.”
With a brief “Aye,” the aide stepped away. Ujimasa’s expression swiftly resumed the coolness of the calculating strategist.
“Look upon the Kantou in the palm of our hand, Great-Uncle. This is the first step. We brothers will conquer this land for our father.”
“...”
With those parting words, Ujimasa left the room. Gen’an finished his coffee as he looked after his receding figure.
The sun had almost set by the time Fuuma Kotarou arrived at Ujimasa’s estate in Nikkou. Once shown inside, he met Ujimasa in a Japanese-styled room some twenty tatami in size called the ‘Hermit Rock Room.’
“Here is the female Tsutsuga Mirror, which I now return as promised.”
“Mmm.” Ujimasa nodded, inspecting the back of the beautiful mirror in the paulownia box. “I trust Saburou’s tree-binding is successfully concluded? I have had no report as yet from Ujiteru; did all go according to plan? Has Saburou accomplished his duty as tribute to Hakone?”
“...” Kotarou lifted his head silently to look straight at Ujimasa. No ingratiating smile appeared on his face; his lips were pressed together as if sewed by string. Then those thin lips moved, opened; said: “Saburou-dono’s tree-binding has failed.”
“What” Ujimasa demanded, shocked and disbelieving, “did you say, Kotarou?!”
“Ujiteru-dono did not complete Saburou-dono’s tree-binding. The Uesugi sealed the initiation rites at Hakone, and the ‘Ritual of Unification by Fire’ there cannot proceed. Saburou-dono has been released from the Tsutsuga Mirror. He has returned to his body.”
The blood drained out of Ujimasa’s face as he turned Kotarou’s words over in his mind. Long minutes passed before he was able to comprehend their meaning.
“What about...” he finally managed, “what about Ujiteru? Was he harmed? Is he still in Hakone?”
“I have had no news of Ujiteru-dono. His vessel is dead. The area around Hakone Shrine lies devastated. There is a distinct possibility Ujiteru-dono has fallen into Uesugi hands...”
“Are you saying they performed «choubuku» on him? What happened? What the hell happened at Hakone?!”
Seated in formal pose with his fists on his knees and eyes half-closed, Kotarou calmly described the succession of events with succinct dispassion.
“Then one of Uesugi’s Yasha-shuu... One man, alone, managed to kill Ujiteru?! One man?!”
“That man, with the Dragon God of Lake Ashi as his ally, seized the male Tsutsuga Mirror. He also stole the female Tsutsuga Mirror from Ujiteru-dono’s hands and released Saburou-dono. He was guided by a traitor from within.”
“What! That’s...! Who was it? Who dared betray the Houjou...?!”
“Tooyama Yasuhide,” Kotarou answered, examining the rage on Ujimasa’s face. Unsurprising, Ujimasa looked as if he’d been skewered.
“What? Tooyama...”
“He has betrayed us for the Uesugi.”
“That can’t...”
Tooyama had always been entirely devoted to Ujimasa. Four hundred years ago, after the dissolution of the alliance with Uesugi, Yasuhide had served as Ujimasa’s spy in Echigo. He had never been Kagetora’s vassal at all. That was the extent to which Ujimasa had trusted him. And yet.
Ujimasa soon recovered from his stunned disbelief.
“Where is the male Tsutsuga Mirror? Did it fall into Uesugi’s hands?!” he yelled, going pale.
Kotarou answered calmly, “Do not be concerned. I was able to retrieve the male Tsutsuga Mirror along with the female. I have also dealt with Tooyama—with the traitor. However.”
“...”
They had lost Hakone Shrine’s sacrifice, and the shrine itself had been sealed against them by Uesugi’s protective barrier.
The fusion of energies they had sought with the ‘Ritual of Unification by Fire’ could no longer be achieved; their moves were blocked.
“What are you saying?—that Hakone, our ‘receiver,’ is lost to us?!”
“It is guarded by the Four Heavenly Kings; there is nothing we can do.”
“Tell me, then: what good are the damned Fuuma? What good are you?!”
Kotarou looked up sharply up at the words of rebuke.
“To lose Ujiteru! And not only that—to allow Saburou to escape! Stood you idly by all the while? All the Fuuma under Heaven, incapable of capturing a pair of Yasha! Do you dare call yourselves the best ninjas in the world? I did not think you so incompetent!”
“...”
“Tell me how you will take responsibility. Do not say seppuku, for that is too easy a death. Kotarou, I will not forgive you for this failure!” Ujimasa spat, face pallid, veins throbbing at his temples.
Kotarou had never seen such fury from Ujimasa.
“To lose Ujiteru—Ujiteru...!” He gasped, striking his white-knuckled fists against his knees again and again. “You...” Trailing off aimlessly as he calmed, Ujimasa glared into the middle distance, his hate-filled eyes so wide that the whites showed all round. “The fusion at Nikkou will be completed.”
“Ujimasa-dono.”
“Without Hakone if we must. My brothers have already taken Mt. Tate and Mt. Kunou and prepared them to be ‘receivers.’ We can use these two ‘lightning rods’ to control the spiritual power of Nikkou. After the completion of the great Kantou triangle, we will engulf and seize Tokyo as our first step. With this power at our command, we will easily recapture Hakone, our ‘sacred ground.’ —You have brought the first-born tsutsuga, Kotarou?”
“Yes. To bind the sacrifice to the master tree, as planned.”
“We must succeed this time. The tribute is already awakened, and awaits only his binding. We have taken exclusive possession of Mt. Nikkou. We will begin as soon as the preparations for the ceremony are complete. Take the first-born tsutsuga and await me there, Kotarou.”
"I hear and obey.
Ujimasa had chosen the mask of a demon—ruthless, cruel, compassionless, who allowed nothing to stand in the way of achieving his ambition: to grasp all the terrifying power rushing forth from the land of Nikkou in his own two hands.
The young man marked for sacrifice to the master tree at Futarasan Shrine lay unmoving in a large coffin within the shrine of the Hakone Avatar. Darkness would soon fall upon the grounds of the estate and within this small copse of trees; would he be taken to Futarasan Shrine then? Or would his soul be devoured by the tsutsuga first?
Date Kojirou was seated in front of the coffin. He stared pensively at this ‘menace to the Six-Path Worlds’ fallen into his hands. He couldn’t tell if Narita Yuzuru, lying there with his dull eyes half-closed, retained any trace of consciousness. The dark hall was unlit save for the wavering flame of candles.
The coffin was itself unique. Made of processed jade layered with magic, its interior doubled as a «power-absorbing barrier». Mori Ranmaru had left no detail to chance.
Sadness pervaded Kojirou’s thoughts.
—My lord has been waiting for you...!
(Aniue...)
He thought of his elder brother Masamune as he recalled Katakura’s words.
Did Masamune hate him for trying to usurp the Date? Though it had been his mother’s favoritism rather than his own volition which had led him down that path, he had made the attempt to steal the clan from his brother.
(Should I return to my brother...?)
He wanted to, if he could be allowed. He wanted to fight for the Date... Yet...
(As I am now, I...)
“What are you doing in the dark in a place like this?”
The door behind him opened to admit Mori Ranmaru. There was no trace of weariness on his face despite the amount of power he must have expended, though his hair was wet as if he had just bathed, and he had changed into a brand new silk shirt.
“How does it look, our ‘jewel’ of power? Is it not splendid? I can only say that it is exactly as I imagined.”
“... Ranmaru-dono. What in the world is he, truly? He cannot be an ordinary human being.”
A corner of Ranmaru’s beguiling lips lifted in a tiny smile.
“Kojirou-dono, you have no knowledge of the Shingon secret teachings, yes?”
“Well, I never entered into the priesthood.”
“You would not have understood the meaning of the mantra I chanted earlier, then.”
“Who is he?”
Ranmaru’s eyes flicked sideways at him. “‘Even the Buddhas were once the most ordinary of men.’”
“Huh?”
“If we are fortunate, we, too, will be saved...” Ranmaru smiled, evading the question. “Say, Kojirou-dono...” He approached the coffin and continued in a lower voice, his back to Kojirou, “Date’s lord appears to be in good health.”
“Yes...”
“You feel a desire to return, do you not?”
Kojirou straightened, but not before Ranmaru’s peripheral examination took in his startlement with malicious satisfaction.
“I-I...”
“Hmm. And yet you, Kojirou-dono, have embarked on a mission to capture your mother’s enemies—is that not so? Only we the Oda are capable of bringing down the detestable Uesugi.”
“But...but I...”
“You can no longer escape from my grasp, Kojirou-dono.” Kojirou shivered at Ranmaru’s ravishing smile. “The ‘Seed of the Demon King’ I planted in Narita Yuzuru’s forehead grows likewise in you.” He continued in demonic tones, “Do not think to rid yourself of it by exchanging vessels, for it has taken root in your soul. You have no choice but to obey us, Kojirou-dono.”
Kojirou shivered again, recalling his terror at its forcible implantation in his brow. The so-called ‘Seed of the Demon King’ was a spirit-stone created with Oda Nobunaga’s soul. It connected its host directly to his will, forcing servility and inducing unimaginable agony for any disobedience.
Kojirou glared at Ranmaru even as he shuddered with horror. “I am your hostage, then?”
“Oh, you just noticed that?”
“The One-Eyed Dragon of the Oushuu is not so weak as to be deterred by that.”
“Quite so. Those who care about bonds of blood can never survive the Sengoku,” Ranmaru replied cynically, smiling again. Unable to stop shivering, Kojirou bit his lip in anguish. “But I have finally completed one great task: Narita Yuzuru is as good as mine. Let us now realize the dream of conquest of the Kantou at our leisure, Kojirou-dono.”
Comments
Thank you!
So happy to have a new chapter out again! Thank you so much!
I'm excited to learn more about what is happening around Yuzuru, so I found this chapter interesting. It's also good to hear more about the Hojo people's thoughts on brotherhood and family.
For some reason, Mori Ranmaru has become more interesting as a character to me after seeing him in the stage plays, and I now have a better idea of who he is when reading about him in the novels, too. Nice to have different adaptations and portrayals to support each other like this.
Thank you
I want to thank you for doing these translations! I only discovered the rollercoster ride that is Mirage of Blaze a little over a year ago, even though its been so long since the original content came out. I figured any content I found on the internet would be from the early to mid 2000s, and you've delighted me by keeping us updated. Thank you for the dedication, and taking spare time to deliver this wonderful content.
It's truly appreciated!
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