As soon as the sun disappeared from the horizon, Hiroshi led his soldiers to Hatsu province where Kuro, the commander of the clandestine Crows was tasked to stay and infiltrate the city.
"Movement on our ten!"
"Wait, wait! Friendly, friendly!"
"Oh crap… I almost shot our man…"
At the forest outside of the walled city of Ikki, a Crow agent hopped down from a tree and greeted his master who immediately asked about the situation inside the city.
"It's too late, Your Highness… The fire is already out after consuming the majority of the city…"
"Tsk! How about the peasants and their leader?"
"We had to expose ourselves to save those who ran to the gates that Captain Kuro ordered to be opened. We saved a few hundred from the several thousand in this city but… there were too many dead people that we just lost count half-way…"
The depressing news assaulted Hiroshi who quickly ran into the ashen city where buildings and homes became nothing more but crumbling charred huts and homes about to collapse.
"Why? Why do you have to do this?!"
"Huh?"
A woman suddenly shouted as she saw him. She had a part of her arm's skin burnt while her young son was crying at her arms whose leg was held in place by a bandage.
"We were just peaceful citizens! Why do you have to do this to us?!?!"
"No… this is…"
Hiroshi didn't want to believe that this was his doing, but there was a part in his mind that pushed him to believe that it is something that he's involved with.
"Your Highness!!!"
"Kuro! Explain what is happening here!"
The explanation couldn't have been more heartbreaking.
"We were surveilling the castle and the soldiers guarding it when a cart at the eastern gate exploded and gathered the attention of our group and the soldiers protecting the city… Even I got distracted that I didn't noticed that some hooded men suddenly threw torches and firebombs across the castle walls which started a fire in the gunpowder shed of the castle and consequently detonated it."
"Firebombs? Are you saying that-"
"No sir… They are not our soldiers, but the firebombs they used are almost alike. We usually use fragile glass bottles, but those men used clay bottles with wicker fuses. And this hood that we recovered from one who didn't get to run away in time…"
"This is…"
The hood was the same as the one worn by those who are being sent to kill him.
"Where did they go?"
"Outside of the city… they left their horses there and left immediately after setting more homes on fire. We weren't able to catch them."
Kuro begrudgingly spoke and gritted his teeth after failing mission and not being able to stop a tragedy for the innocent people here.
"How about their leader?"
"…He's dead. While being evacuated, a blowgun dart hit him on the chest… a poisoned dart of all things…"
In anyway that he can see, this has been a deliberate and planned out attack that has no regards for the safety of the people nor their livelihoods.
"Kuro… I'll leave the infantry here. Their carts can't travel anymore so I want you to make them clean up the city and help the wounded after I leave."
"Understood. I'll send a radio message to General Shimura that you'll be there soon."
Even though he was still in shock, Hiroshi shook it away from his head and proceeded to continue to Kaiji Province's Yuki city where Nobisuke, Mitsuha, Kotaro and Reika was tasked to fight off any alternative invading force from the province.
"Damn it all!"
There, the same sight welcomed him.
"Iwasawa-sama!"
"It's His Highness!"
"Line up on attention!"
The soldiers who were supposed to either be cleaning their selves to sleep after their duty or was dressed in combat gear as it was their turn to guard the perimeter, lined up outside which made for quite the sight of men wearing their helmets and ammo belts over thin, cotton nightrobes, holding a gun while having a toothbrush stuck on their mouth or raising a salute while half of their face's stubble is yet to be shaved off. As embarrassing as it may sound, that is just how they are taught to do to welcome their leader. Whatever embarrassing thing you are doing, you better not be left out of the line when the Daimyo enters the camp.
"…Settle down and continue what you're doing. Thanks for the welcome but I can't receive it right now."
"""Understood, Iwasawa-sama!"""
The soldiers quickly dropped their salutes and went their own way, even though it was short, the sight of the soldiers who didn't mind the shameful and inconvenient situation they are in just to welcome their master amazed the other armies' soldiers who was inspired to also have the same level of discipline and honor as them.
"Shimura, you have 30 seconds, explain everything."
"A-Ah! Kou-sama! Wait…"
"20 seconds!"
"Y-yes!"
The unusually pressuring Hiroshi startled Nobisuke who cannot put his explanation into words and simply sighed to ask his master one thing.
"Please wear your gas mask and follow me."
"What?"
"The city is… not a good place to breathe in right now."
Along with a few cavalry guards, Nobisuke and Hiroshi entered the deserted walled city whose houses are sporadically spurting out flames and where the people are lying on the streets, seemingly just sleeping but already breathless.
"What the hell happened here?"
"…These were responsible, my lord."
"Carbon monoxide gas?!"
"Is that what this "CO (g)" thing in the white square means?"
There was no denying it. The symbol on the metal gas tank was more than familiar to Hiroshi who is both an inventor and a doctor.
"What the…? How can a gas tank exist here?"
"Whatever it is, my lord, it silently spewed out from several carts left in every corner of the city. Before long, the citizens suddenly fell down or became sleepy. The reconnaissance teams from the camp saw it from their telescopes and reported it immediately to me."
"Wait… where are the three other lords?"
"They're at this way. Please follow me."
The group marched to the city center and found four people there who had gas masks on their faces while riding their horses. The one atop an armored steed was undoubtedly Mitsuha, the one wearing a miko's attire while chanting prayers was Reika while Kotaro is riding in front of his assistant and court lady named Nayoko.
"You're here…"
"Yeah… but this sure isn't what I expected to see here."
Through their masks, the four leaders spoke while looking at the now desolate town.
"Whoever did this has to burn in hell…"
"Indeed, I will even pray for it if I have to."
"This is… not good to do to innocent people."
"That's right, Ko-sama. This is wrong."
It seems like the sentiment was uniform. All of them didn't like this thing even if it meant that they have won.
"Shimura-sama! We found something!"
Suddenly, a soldier shouted from a street corner leading to the city's market area. With the report, the group and their guards followed and soon arrived at a warehouse.
"Tweet! Piip!"
"…I think it's safe to take these off."
"Huh? The poison is just outside. We might die, you know?"
"Trust me. Those birds are still alive, and we are larger than them. And it's not poison, the air just lacks oxygen and it's what killed the people through suffocation."
"I don't understand a thing, but since you're the doctor here…"
All of them entered the warehouse and took off their masks.
"It's pretty much just a simple storage house. What's in here?"
"This, Lady Ayanami…"
"A tunnel?"
Under a few crates, a small hole with a wooden ladder was hidden.
"Is it safe down there?"
"Yes sir. A few of our buddies are still there who said that they'll stay to dig out a cave-in. I think they already made it through."
"Good. I'll go down now."
One by one, they descended into the hole and crawled through narrow passages. Ayanami Mitsuha, for… four visibly large reasons, if it can be said in that way… got her chest and bottom stuck in some places as she passed through said narrow passages and frequently cursed which prompted Nayoko to cover her lord's ear constantly while looking down disappointingly at her own chest.
But back to the point, the group finally linked up with the soldiers who dug the cave-in and Hiroshi asked them.
"What's in here?"
"…"
"Hey! Answer your master's question!"
Nobisuke shouted at the seemingly distressed soldier who softly responded.
"Your Highness…"
"What?"
"Is hell real?"
"What? Why?"
"Please tell me that whoever did this will go there."
As he said that, he stood up and led them to the cave chamber who seems to be man-made because of its size and leveled floor. But as soon as the soldier pulled something like a huge lever, all of them froze on the spot as the chamber was lighted up by the unusually large light bulbs on the ceiling that exposed the contents of the room.
"These are the ministers of Kaiji... even the daimyo!"
"Are those soldiers from Yukonami?"
"H-Hey! That's the messenger we sent to the forces in Hatsu!"
The other officers were shocked as they approached the familiar and not so familiar people strewn on the floor who looked like they were tortured to death.
"No… it can't be…"
But the one who was in most shock was Hiroshi who walked to a certain corner of the room where decapitated heads and dismembered limbs are strewn about.
"URK-!!!"
"Kou-sama!"
He can only hold his mouth and stomach tightly after seeing the scene in front of him. He did his best not to puke and closed his eyes in pain as the feeling of pity and regret assaulted him in conjunction.
"Is this… really my fault?"
"Iwasawa-sama?"
"Where have I gone wrong…?"
He can only mumble those words as he fell on his knees, hit his hands on the ground and let his tears to flow as his pained cries echoed in the cave.
"Who are these dead people…?"
As Mitsuha asked that, a soldier stepped forward to answer it in the stead of his currently grieving master.
"These are the peasants that Iwasawa-sama helped yesterday. They offered Kou-sama whatever precious thing they have left to beg for him to let them pass through. But in his grace, Iwasawa-sama turned it down and let them pass for free, even going as far as giving them provisions for their trip."
"Who the hell is behind this…?"
"This isn't the work of a human being."
"Reika-sama? Is something wrong?"
"No. I was just thinking about something…"
Among them, one woman was thinking about something but stayed silent as she seems to not be convinced by her thoughts.
"Shimura-sama… we found this in a table."
"…My lord, I think you need to see this…"
Even though he was still grieving, he took the folder from his retainer and the first line alone told him about what happened here.
"[Project MK Ultra EX: A research for advanced brain washing and in-depth mind control.]"