v3c5 (1/2)
Chapter 5 - Bloodlines of Sacred Princesses[edit]
Part 1[edit]
November 22nd, Saturday
Akigase Rikka's succession to the post of Governor General had taken place exactly a week ago
During this ti had headed out to battle, Tōkaidō's elites had gathered at the Fuji tutelary fort, and even Rindou-sensei had arrived
As for the ”Vice-Cou
He ordered the Tōkaidō Chevaliers to attack Izu once a day
This was the location of the Nagahama tutelary fort occupied by the Restoration Alliance In the waters offshore of the Izu Peninsula, the British had three sister shi+ps of the Tintagel on active duty
Restoration Alliance Legions using that area as their base of operations were protecting the supply lines there
Namely, the supply lines from Izu to Hakone over, sea, land, and air
Attacking the three British vessels and the defending force occupying the Nagahama tutelary fort would affect Hakone's supply situation adversely
For this purpose, Masatsugu had been sending hundreds of Kamuys to various parts of Izu day after day
General Wei Qing, as leading the Ro the sa concerted attacks, they cleverly disrupted the Izu situation
Not to be outdone, the Restoration Alliance summoned many Chevaliers to Izu to meet them in battle
For the past week, both sides engaged in defense and offense every day
As for today—
Masatsugu set off from the Fuji tutelary fort, but for a different purpose
First of all, he traveled by car to the Ya to helicopter at Yamanashi+, he crossed the prefectural border on the east to enter Kanagawa—thus arriving at Odawarajou Furthero alone
The new and beautiful Governor General, the little sister, and the noble lady liege also accompanied him
”During the Edo period, Hakone Checkpoint was established near Lake Ashi+”
Akigase Rikka and Tachibana Hatsune were listening attentively to shi+ori's history lesson
”Back then, the checkpoint was roughly four japanese leagues froawarajou, which is equivalent to sixteen or seventeen kilometers”
”That's less than a day's walk on ordinary roads”
”In practice, this required ascending the precipitous mountain paths of old Tōkaidō, which was no easy task”
”Hakone Checkpoint was a fortress during the Edo period and an inspection point with strict controls over 'the entry of firearms and the exit of wo Edo and the carrying of firearms into Edo”
The current mood was laid back and casual, but it was also true that they were currently gathered at a particularly private location in Odawarajou
The three girls were at the round of the tutelary fort—In the bath there
The decor and architectural style was reminiscent of an ancient Roman bath The ectoplasmic fluid vat filled with blue holy water was also built fro off a solemn atmosphere
Co in the artificial ectoplasmic fluid
The battle to capture Hakone was i
As an imperial princess, shi+ori had decided to participate in the battle anony herself in ectoplash she was not a Chevalier
Unintentionally, shi+ori's thoughts drifted in a certain direction
”So these two have gotten into intiu-sama too”
”? Did you say sohness?”
”N-Not at all Nothing of consequence, please pay it no mind”
shi+ori had accidentally murmured to herself
While deflecting Rikka's curiosity with a smile, she secretly pondered
(Perhaps too u-sama)
Inexplicably, shi+ori felt very curious about the figures of the other two girls
Akigase Rikka was slim and trim in build
However, she was by no ht parts as befitted a woing out and curving in appropriately, and the beauty of her forh to incite jealousy from any woman in the world
Coure shi+ori was a bit disheartened
The princess had started her growth spurt at the age of fourteen, but she was never a fan of exercise Coently in martial arts, she seemed too flabby—Bluntly stated, she felt a bit ”too fat”
On the other hand, Tachibana Hatsune's maturation had exceeded shi+ori, the lady she served
Even dressing in a kinificent bust
However, Hatsune was a th, after all Frequent rowdy incidents and ht places Overall, hers was a voluptuous and undulating figure bri with feminine beauty
Needless to say, Hatsune's figure was the more full-bodied type
However, shi+ori orried that such volume would better suit a azine on a whi world-view of ”size er the better”
In addition, there was another worrying element
Compared to Rikka and Hatsune, Fujinoure was merely ”half-baked”—Would this make her insufficiently attractive?
(These thoughts are totally less)
Recently, shi+ori found herself inexplicably bothered by suchwhether Fujino in attractiveness compared to the women around her
She had never faced similar troubles before
(Why a over this? Fro e norms)
shi+ori knew on a rational level, but could not stop thinking about it This was quite a conundrum
They were about to attack Hakone and she forced herself to banish these thoughts
At that irls had spontaneously fallen silent Everyone was conteure
”B-By the way, Princess and Rikka-sa we just saw earlier He's pretty handsome”
”I would agree, but of course, he is just not my cup of tea”
Unexpectedly, Rikka joined in on this type of frivolous conversation
Perhaps she wanted to dispel the current aard atmosphere too Presented with this chance opportunity, shi+ori decided to take it up
”His elder sister was a renowned beauty who becan marked the pinnacle of the Han Empire Perhaps he bears quite a facial resemblance to his sister”
The beautiful Wei Zifu had rose fro the emperor's beloved concubine to official empress
The Wei fainally lowly co, Emperor Wu's elder sister, which was how she found the opportunity to catch the emperor's eye
Hers would be the quintessential tale of rags to riches, and the saer brother too
”Living in the reas a laborer in the imperial palace thanks to his sister's connections After learning of this, Eave him an army of ten thousand to command”
”T-Ten thousand troops for a newcoht off the bat!?”
”Yes First of all, he was the younger brother of the emperor's beloved consort Additionally, it was because the enenu nomadic tribes”
shi+ori sht of Hatsune's look of astonishment
”General Wei Qing grew up relatively close to the Xiongnu sphere of influence Further days—In other words, he had quite a few Xiongnu acquaintances This also meant that he knew the ways and customs of the enemy better than anyone else”
”But even with these reasons, isn't he being favored way too much?”
”Noric end, such as leading the ar back to the capital in disgrace Surprisingly, all the other generals were defeated by the Xiongnu, but only General Wei Qing returned in triumph”
”Meaning that the aforeeneral, to an unbelievable degree, right?” Rikka was extremely impressed
shi+ori nodded and said, ”Yes, General Wei Qing would continue to distinguish hi to the dual posts of Chief Defense Minister and Generalissimo However, for better or worse, his personality was extreht in the army and the imperial court I suppose one could call hientleman who treated his subordinates with kindness”
”Your mission is as I've just explained Do you understand?”
”Understood”
Masatsugu confiraze in response to him
However, the reply eak and lacking in confidence It was hard to say that a dialogue had been established
The one whoenie, Sakuya
Sakuya looked like a young black-haired girl dressed as a shrine awarajou's central keep, overlooking the streets of Odagawara City and Sagami Bay
This regional city facing the Pacific Ocean was located on the western end of the Kantō plain
During the Sengoku period, the Houjou clan dohold Like Atsumi, this historic castle toas the port city nearest to Hakone
”Why can't you be more like that Rindou-sensei?”
”?”
”Rather, I suppose Rindou-sensei is the exception”
The first thing Masatsugu did after arriving at this castle was establishi+ng a tutelary pact with the underground water shrine
The girls in his co to replenish ectoplasu used this opportunity to talk to Sakuya, who had been brought here to undertake a certain ue was not lively at all
”Looks like asking Rikka-dono to coht decision”
Sakuya was the Suruga tutelary fort's guardian spirit The principal ia
They had brought Sakuya along for her to fulfill a certainto open her heart to long-tied, sou-dono, I presume?”
”And you are—General Wei Qing, right?”
This was the first encounter between these two, brought back to life from their deaths in the ancient past
This general of the Eastern Ro handsou earing his usual stiff-collar uniform with a new battle surcoat on top
”I a By the way, are you sure you don't mind?”
”What do you mean?”
”General Wei Qing, you will be serving asyou to such an unassu role”
With Alexis Yang as the liaison, the Tōkaidō side had contacted the Roawara a nuh retainer beasts, there were many opportunities for direct communications
Of course, the Ogawara castellan essentially agreed with everything said by the Roman side
In actual practice, General Wei Qing was the only person whou needed to talk to The battle plan the two of theu's ideas
The was because General Wei Qing had accepted all requests made by the Tōkaidō side
When the discussion was essentially over, Masatsugu wondered to hiainst Tōkaidō at all?
Was he passive as a person or did he not have any plan better than Masatsugu's?
Or perhaps, he held a kind of enlightenment and confidence—He was deeply convinced of his ability to prevail over any kind of situation? For sou felt that this was the most probable
”Hahaha, please do not let so so trivial bother you”
Masatsugu had apologized first, but General Wei Qing laughed cheerfully
”This is actually better because I do not like excessive attention”
”It's great to hear that from you”
Looking at General Wei Qing's handsou was very certain
Richard the Lionheart, Edward the Black Prince, and Generalissi the center of attention, but this man was the complete opposite
Perhaps because of that, Wei Qing was a faeneral with unique qualities—
Masatsugu noticed General Wei Qing staring at him with curiosity
”Is there so on my face?”
”No, actually, I have this unbelievable feeling”
The handsoia
”When speaking to you, I get this i so forward, but ins?”
””
”Born within the borders of Chinese territory—That does not seem to be the case for you How unbelievable”
”Don't ask questions of this sort I can't answer you”
”My apologies” General Wei Qing apologized to Masatsugu with a light set I ever asked”
Prior to setting off to this battle, Masatsugu had received a great amount of ectoplasmic fluid
This ed to the three girls helping hi from him made it impossible to hide the fact that he was a Resurrectee
Masatsugu politely declined probing atte accepted with an open mind
In any case, the two ancient generals were about to fight a common enemy in a joint operation
Part 2[edit]
”Prince, you do not seeht?”
The spirit Morrigan went straight to the point
”You do not trust, the inability of this fortress, Hakone Checkpoint”
”It is not as though I distrust it I sis used by huree?”
Edward the Black Prince sounded confident and composed in his answer
The two of thehly forty round Hakone Yumoto's skies were overcast today with thick, dark clouds
It was currently late November, on the afternoon of the 22nd Winter was fast approaching
Mountain as howling and the air was quite cold
This location was the eastern part of Hakone Checkpoint, the first tutelary fort Seiryuu Gate—On the roof of the nation-protecting keep in thewith her superior officer
Since this area was an entrance into Hakone, the altitude was much lower than at the center
However, the temperature today had definitely dropped substantially
”That is why you issued the order, 'Retreat froht?”
This was the order that Prince Edward had issued ten o
He had discreetly relayed the order to his adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Grayson, at the third tutelary fort Byakko Gate on the west The pre-condition for carrying out this order hen circu the battle
”Relax Grayson will be fine If deemed necessary, he will surely lead all our forces into the Izu Peninsula or the Pacific decisively”
The Black Prince was calh he were uninvolved, even in the an's response was equally calm
”Battle has coht?”
”This is a necessary coone to the front line Today's opponent is the Resurrectee in the Ro to intelligence, he is a fa”
Roughly two hours earlier
Hakone's four prided tutelary forts, situated in the four cardinal directions, were attacked simultaneously
Attacking the first tutelary fort on the east were a thousand Centuriae led by the ru
Attacking the second tutelary fort on the south were a hundred and twenty Centuriae, also froether with seventy Ka to the Kantō Fiefdom
Attacking the third tutelary fort on the ere two hundred Tōkaidō Kamuys from Fuji
Attacking the fourth tutelary fort on the north were a hundred and eighty Tōkaidō Kamuys from Yamanashi+
”Recon from retainer beast units and analysis by the noetics team, complete”
A sprite retainer beast happened to arrive with a e
Morrigan used noetic waves to read its contents and reported indifferently
”Apart fro's army, all others are formed from multiple Chevaliers—Mixed forces, in other words Furtherions' have been seen at any of the four battlefields”
”Tachibana-dono has yet to take to the field, huh?” Edward muttered to himself
In the sky over the nation-protecting keep, a three-eyed golden dragon manifested
This was thedeployed a secure noesis barrier around the first tutelary fort, Seiryuu Gate, they were ready for anything
As for the thousand Centuriae under General Wei Qing's command
Looking out fro the sky in the Odagawara direction in a square wall formation
Compared to the donut-style encirclehtly farther away
”Has the enemy discerned the ifrit's weakness?”
Edward smiled fearlessly Last time, the British side had used the Four Gods to deliver e of that hty meters outside of the noesis barrier
Having discerned this, Wei Qing had forbidden his Legions froe
Fro's Centuriae entered a square wall for volley fire
”Open up the top, Morrigan”
”Roger, that”
So far, the dome-shaped noesis barrier had covered the entire tutelary fort
Obeying her superior's coed the top portion of the noesis barrier A group of Legions were looking up at the hole over their heads
They were the four hundred Knights of the Garter that had gathered in the courtyard of the first tutelary fort
They were all ar their bows in their left, the four hundred black knights aionally up, then nocked their arrows and drew their boith their right
”My loyal knights, fire English arrowheads into the Roman position!”
At the Black Prince's coions, that had turned into archers, began to shoot
These longbowets They simply fired at the ”opened top of the doht
Thousands of arrows of light shot into the sky then descended along parabolic trajectories
In other words, countless arrows kept falling from the sky in a literal ”rain of arrows” Furtheric projectiles that could not be stopped by the protective barriers of Legions—
One after another, the silver Roions were shot down by the arrows
The black knights' shots did not follow straight lines and were different from pinpoint penetration
This method relied on luck in order to strike vitals Even so, these arrows inflicted definite daardless where they hit
Even as a rando poas still astounding
Compared to last time, the efficiency in enemy elimination was not as superb, but still extraordinary
This type of application was a characteristic of the English longbow forood use of secure defenses with the Archers of Crécy was Prince Edward's specialty
”Prince, situation reports fro on powerful noesis barriers, every tutelary fort continues to hold against the enemy In every battlefield, our side, the Restoration Alliance, is holding the upper hand”
Edas the only Chevalier defending the first tutelary fort, Seiryuu Gate
All the re Chevaliers had been sent to defend the other three tutelary forts Back when the British learned that General Wei Qing was attacking Seiryuu Gate, the Black Prince had decided to defend this spot himself
”Despite what I said earlier, the Four Gods have definitely proven to be very powerful With the divinity stationed at Seiryuu Gate in the east, to think that it is possible to deploy equally durable noesis barriers at the tutelary forts in the west, south, and north”
Prince Edward smiled wryly
Thea key role at three other locations
At the second tutelary fort in the south, Suzaku Gate, a giant three-eyed phoenix had manifested
At the third tutelary fort in the west, Byakko Gate, a three-eyed tiger with golden fur had manifested
At the fourth tutelary fort in the north, Genbu Gate, a three-eyed golden turtle with a snake for a tail had manifested
Each divine beast was equal in power to the ”three-eyed golden dragon” guarding Seiryuu Gate This four-in-one collective entity was precisely the ed divinity of the Four Gods
By coy of four ifrits, it was said that their power could be raised to the fourth power
This was the defense concept behind the Four Gods system, but of course, its power reached only three or four fold in practice, nowhere as outrageous as raising to the fourth power Moreover, extended usage could cause instabilities in the Hakone region's ley lines, hence it must not be overused arbitrarily
Currently, the attackers were invading from the four cardinal directions simultaneously, hence, the power of the Four Gods was also intentionally dispersed
This was a wise decision Once any of the other three locations no longer needed defending, the freed up Four Gods could be temporarily ”lent out” to another tutelary fort for combined defense
Sinable This experi
”Say, Morrigan”
”What is it? Prince”
”Wouldn't you agree that it is time for him to take action?”
””
”The power of the Four Gods is indisputable However, it is ultimately a power bestowed upon this nation by Lord Tenryuu, Iet Eleanor's warning”
”Of course, I have not forgotten—Prince, another e!”
A new sprite teleported next to them
Morrigan instantly read the ht by the small retainer beast and projected ain midair
Instead of shoords, theplayed back a video in real time
A gigantic object appeared, one that was very faan But why? Why was it showing up here?
While confounded, Morrigan was filled with rage at the sight of her stolen belonging
”I see So such a move is possible too It is so simple, and so ridiculous, that I never expected it No, this e is far too wasteful!”
Prince Edward suddenly laughed cheerfully
Through astute perception, he had swiftly figured out the enemy's intent
However, rather than ”i?” through exasperated laughter
”In sight at last”
Masatsugu finally arrived in the air over Hakone
Riding a blue wyvern, he looked at the Hakone mountains beneath A couple hundred meters ahead were the vast waters of Lake Ashi+
His ally, Akigase Rikka, was also riding a wyvern, flying beside him
Their target was the second tutelary fort, Suzaku Gate, located on the south shore of Lake Ashi+—
”So that's the second of the Four Gods Now that's overly grand”
”Indeed, golden objects are too ostentatious”
Rikka agreed with Masatsugu's unbiased opinion
Hakone's second tutelary fort also featured star-shaped fortification walls
A giant phoenix with a wingspan of seventy s in an awe-inspiring display There was a third eye on its forehead—The an le Fay
This phoenix was the part of the Four Gods guarding Suzaku Gate
Just as in the east, an inable noesis barrier was deployed around the tutelary fort
Like at Seiryuu Gate, the top of the dome was open
Suzaku Gate did not have Garter Knights for defense Two hundred white British Crusades were standing ready inside
Conversely, the attacking side consisted of a hundred and twenty Centuriae
Mixed aions was a japanese arated helear worn by court nobles in the past
Before Masatsugu and company sortied, Hatsune had entered Hakone first
The Kurou Hougans and the Centuriae opened fire, slowlyupon the second tutelary fort, Suzaku Gate They were atteht
The defending side relied on their secure barrier but did not neglect to strike back
Powerful flaical decree invoked by the British were pinning down the approaching coalition force Whenever an opportunity arose, they sent a few dozen Crusades to fly out from the top of the dome to fire their rifles repeatedly
The attackers was thrown into disarray by the defending side's perfectly coordinated maneuvers
The Centuriae and the Kurou Hougans were unable to reach the noesis barrier and create a breach
If the battle continued at this rate, the defenders were al to win
”It feels like I don't have any extraordinary insight about conducting sieges” Masatsugu shrugged and said, ”Unlike Caesar, the siege expert, I can't think of any clever strategies But ultimately There's no need to deh to just breach it at one location”
”Yes, which is why specialized weapons would be transported in ancient times to break fortification walls”
Rikka conversed with Masatsugu from atop their wyverns
Ancient siege weaponry included battering raiant rocks And since the unpowder and explosives
”So asram?”
As soon as Rikka murmured, the object started its attack from the sky
Sied fro towards Suzaku Gate like a crashi+ng meteor”
The shi+p's total length was 183m with a loaded displacement of 15 thousand tons
The British destroyer with its streael, finally entered the stage—
The nificent and massive shi+p descended from the sky Confronted with this dramatic catastrophe, even the three-eyed phoenix could not help but squawk
Kwehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
The giant phoenix with a wingspan of seventybehind the noesis barrier that covered Suzaku Gate's surroundings to protect itself and the stronghold—
Now, the phoenix went through the barrier, co outside of it
It probably knew that eantic body exploded with an intense blaze, turning into a huous ”firebird”
The firebird charged at the Tintagel, trying to stop the shi+p's plunge
However, the flying destroyer was escorted by a defending force A hundred and fifty Kaase Rikka's army
These hundred and fifty Legions raised their rifles and shot in volleys, attacking the giant fiery phoenix with a curtain of gunfire
The Centuriae and Kurou Hougans that had started the battle also fired in volleys to pin down the giant phoenix
The hu beams and forced back momentarily
Like crashi+ng thunder, the large destroyer Tintagel smashed into the noesis barrier of the second tutelary fort, Suzaku Gate
Part 3[edit]
Weapons such as cruise missiles and ICBMs existed once