43 [1-43] And his specialty is horse-drawn chase. (1/2)

Udanosuke and the others ran through the city.

The number of screams had decreased considerably.

It wasn't because the enemy's forces had subsided, but because the number of living people screaming had decreased. At least in Udanosuke's area.

On the other hand, it was also working.

The undead seemed to concentrate on where their prey was, and did not linger in areas where they had no use for them.

Their movements were so coordinated that it was eerie, but thanks to them, Udanosuke was able to avoid almost all encounters on his way back.

The undead he encountered along the way were all cut down by Udanosuke.

The citizens who follow him are bravely holding weapons like iron bars and shovels, but they don't have to. In fact, it was dangerous to let them deal with the undead of the ex-soldiers, except for the ones who seemed to have turned into undead.

The naturally occurring undead are not very strong, but the undead created by a skilled magician can bring out the best of the material. In some cases, special powers are added to them.

These elite undead have at least as much power as a living soldier. It was dangerous to pit non-combatants against such things.

”That's great, sir!

You're really strong!

Udanosuke realized that he was beginning to think that this kind of thing wasn't so bad as he was receiving praise from behind.

He had long since forgotten how to protect someone. What Udanosuke was protecting was the evil Night Python, and the reward he was being given.

But then again, as Master had said... Being strong is not enough to be a Bushido. To protect the weak. To see the cherry blossoms. To cut your throat. That's what Bushido is!

The long-forgotten heart of Bushido burns in Udanosuke's chest!

We're almost to the inn on the outskirts of town where Udanosuke has been hiding out. From there, the survivors would be able to escape out of the city.

Fortunately, it's only noon. We can make it to the inn before nightfall.

Adventurer!　Behind you!

Udanosuke turns around at the sound of a strangled cry.

A squad of undead appeared far behind him on the main street, and they were just starting to run towards him.

Keep running, that you do!　If they catch up with us, I'll take them on!

”There's one in front!

What?

A squad of undead appeared from the intersection ahead of us.

It's obvious that they're targeting Udanosuke and the others in a pincer attack. With so many people moving together, they might have been noticed.

The group stopped in their tracks.

”What should we do, ......?

”We wait, that we do. It is worthy of hara-kiri to converse with one's moustache disheveled, that it is.

Udanosuke re-gathers his dusky blond hair, which is tied up high on the back of his head.

In the meantime, Udanosuke checked the terrain around him.

There were a few places where he could cut through the building and get to the back door. But we can't beat them with our foot speed. The undead were able to run tirelessly, even though we were a group that included an old man. If we slowed down or took too long to escape, reinforcements could come one after another.

--We shouldn't run!

”Skeletons are fast and powerful, that they are, but they are not intelligent!　Zombies are stupid, that they are!　The undead are probably fighting in small units with ghouls as their commanders!　If I cut down the ghouls, that their coordination will be disrupted!　I will take advantage of that opportunity to run through, that I will!

When I pointed forward with my ”Douchou atryoku”, the citizens who had been listening to me were indeed buzzing.

”You're going through there?

”It would be dangerous to take too long, that it would. I will ensure your safety, that I will run through it in one breath!

After a moment, the boy who had been saved first spoke up.

”Let's go!　That's what the adventurer said, so it's okay!

And the others followed.

”Yes!　I'll take care of it!

I'll take care of the old man. I'll carry him.

I'll take care of the old man. I'll carry him. - I'll show you what I can do with this iron bar and this doorplate!

Hey, you gotta get out of here!

I trust you with my life!　Sir!

As if pushed by the voice, Udanosuke ran like an ombashira sliding down a slope.

As expected, the ghoul seemed to be in command of the entire group from his position at the back of the line.

Considering the time it would take for the rest to catch up, Udanosuke first cut down the spearhead of the enemy and then tried to break through by dodging the attacks at once.

Spears and swords were closing in on Udanosuke. I'm going to kill him and turn him into one of the undead.

He leaps over. He becomes half-dead. Cut him down. Crouch. Push away.

The unavoidable blade will split your side. It doesn't matter.

The ghoul commander points his sword at Udanosuke as if in a panic, but ...... it is too late.

”Hurry!　HARA!　SMAAAAAAAAAASH!!!

The ghouls' commander pointed his sword at Udanosuke in a panic, but it was too late.　He stops and throws his sword.

Cut down!

The ghoul's upper body was blown off.

And at the same time, the undead around him slowed down. The undead around him slowed down, moving towards Udanosuke as if by inertia.

The companions took advantage of this opportunity to run along the wall.

It worked!　You're a great adventurer!

”No need to thank me. Protecting the weak, and especially caring for boys, is the code of Bushido!

The boy jumped up and down with joy, and Udanosuke responded with a thumbs-up.

In the meantime, Udanosuke was cutting through the rest of the undead. The troops that had tried to attack his back were also closing in.

”Everyone, you may as well run ahead!　I'll take care of this!

No way!　We'll help you!

”Then when the enemy reinforcements arrive, we'll have to fight them off again, that we will!　It will be easier for me to escape if I am alone, that I am!

When Udanosuke said this, there was a bitter and frustrating silence.

”...... Okay.

”I can't be a burden to him. Sorry, I'll go ahead.

I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to go on.” ”Hey, adventurer, can you at least tell me your name?　I bet you're a hell of a fighter!

I bet you're a great fighter!

Udanosuke chuckled a little.

I'm not worthy of a name. I am but a samurai. I am but a samurai. But I am motivated by the spirit of the samurai and I have saved you all!

Remember this, that you do. I am a servant of the ever-victorious war god Dahong'ei!　The most noble and powerful warrior on earth!　This is the samurai!

These were the words of his master, but Udanosuke felt he could understand their meaning now.

”Samurai-san!　Thank you!

Thank you, sir!

”Stay safe!

”Thank you!

Without seeing them off, Udanosuke continued to fight.

Even the elite undead were no match for Udanosuke.

It was easy to annihilate an uncoordinated force.

But the rest of them were too numerous. There were about fifty undead civilians with whatever weapons they could find.

--They seemed to be of low skill, but ...... with such a large number of them, it was possible to hit a lucky break. I'm going to retreat and kill them all!

Udanosuke began to fight, retreating to avoid being surrounded.

If it's one on one, I can't lose. If you fight one on one fifty times, you can defeat fifty undead.

It reminded him of a story he had heard from his master about the torture of karoshi, the piling up of stones on riverbanks in the Far East and their kicking down.

--Calm down, Udanosuke, ......!　Remember your training in the Holy Kingdom!

Remember your training in the Holy Kingdom, when you woke up in the dark every morning to prepare the ring!　Remember the training days when they wouldn't let you sleep until you had transferred a thousand blisters from one rokkoyo to another with a brush!

If I lose my concentration, I will be crushed by the overwhelming volume of work.

Even so, there was no way to escape. Behind Udanosuke, there are people he must protect: ......!

Oh. There's some good stuff here.