Ryou was not done yet. He made a thumbs-down gesture and then turned and disappeared into the darkness.
"He ran that way! Chase him!"
Someone shouted, and over three thousand furious men, without thinking, grabbed their steam guns and gave chase.
Ryou didn't speed up; he maintained just the right pace, enough for them to see him but not catch him, leading the three thousand men behind him on a continuous run.
When the distance increased, he even slowed down, waiting for the troops to catch up.
And so, a strange scene unfolded in the pitch-black night: one man running ahead, followed by three thousand people gnashing their teeth and chasing after him.
Night running with inadequate light is extremely dangerous, and people in the group of three thousand were constantly tripping and falling. The unlucky ones were trampled by the crowd, with some even being crushed into pulp.
Despite the occasional person falling or the occasional scream, not a single person stopped.
If their commander, Sekiguchi, were still alive, he would never have allowed such a thing to happen. Therefore, to avoid failure, Ryou killed him at the first opportunity.
The five-kilometer distance passed in no time.
Ryou could see shadows moving in the North Army's camp in the distance, clearly alarmed by the commotion.
But in the dark of night, their leader, Kimura, didn't dare act recklessly. He just ordered everyone to stand up and be on alert.
Seeing things develop as he expected, a cold smile spread across Ryou's face. He took out a steam gun from his storage space, aimed ahead, and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
A samurai fell to the ground.
He then tossed aside the steam gun, raised his large sword, and shouted, "Kill!"
At this moment, the three thousand men following him began to emerge from the darkness.
"Enemy night attack!"
This was the first thought that sprang into the minds of the North Army.
"There's an ambush!"
The South Army, following Ryou, had similar thoughts when they suddenly saw a large crowd in front of them.
With the dim light only revealing silhouettes, they couldn't make out the other side's uniforms, leading to a wonderful misunderstanding.
A guard beside Kimura instinctively felt something was wrong, but before he could speak, Kimura shouted, "Damn it! Open fire! Shoot them down!"
Kimura drew his sword and swung it forward.
Already tense, the North Army immediately fired their guns at the crowd.
The South Army didn't back down and frantically shot back.
The sound of over a thousand steam rifles firing shattered the peaceful night sky, which was already tense with the crackling of gunfire.
Initially, a few people might have stayed clear-headed, but when they saw their comrades falling beside them, their eyes filled with hatred.
Both sides completely lost their minds, shooting wildly at each other.
When the chaotic and bloody night finally passed, the ground was littered with corpses riddled with holes, and the earth was stained dark red with blood.
Out of nearly five thousand troops combined, less than half were still standing, and even fewer were unharmed.
As the first rays of sunlight appeared on the horizon, even with his limited intelligence, Lord Kimura realized they had been tricked.
"Cease fire! Everyone, stop shooting!"
The gunfire gradually subsided, and as they looked at their comrades on the opposite side, the troops from both sides were on the verge of tears.
They had spent the entire night fighting each other.
At that moment, a loud bugle call rang out from behind the North Army.
A spirited army appeared behind them.
At the forefront was Joan of Arc, the Holy Maiden of France, holding the sacred flag.
"Fellow Christians! For the glory of the Lord, charge!"
Jeane waved her flag fiercely, and the sunlight bathed her, making it seem as though she was wearing golden armor.
Jeanne looked like a Valkyrie descended to earth, heroic and awe-inspiring; even women would bow down to her.
The soldiers behind her, invigorated as if filled with adrenaline, shouted:
"Charge!"
"With the Lord above!"
The troops of the Yomogawa Army, filled with an overwhelming fervor and fearlessness in the face of death, charged towards the enemy.
Though the Yomogawa Army had only 550 soldiers and 1,000 foot soldiers, far fewer than the enemy, their unmatched fervor and readiness to die made them more fearsome than a thousand-strong army.
Moreover, they had rested well overnight and were in top condition.
In contrast, the South and North armies, after a night of fighting each other due to Ryou's machinations, were now exhausted, hungry, and utterly confused.
On one side, morale was high; on the other, they were tired, confused, and disoriented.
The outcome of the battle was sealed from the start.
The combined South and North armies were quickly routed.
Many soldiers threw down their weapons and surrendered.
The battle was lost in minutes, with victory decided in no time.
Through Ryou's meticulous planning, the Yomogawa Army, having taken advantage of the situation, achieved a brilliant victory!
"Glory to the Lord! We have won!"
Jeanne raised the sacred flag high.
"Oh!"
The Yomogawa Army raised their steam rifles and cheered loudly.
Seeing the scene bathed in golden sunlight, Ryou, hovering in the air, couldn't help but show a look of admiration as if gazing at a priceless treasure.
So radiant! I knew I was right. My dear wife Jeanne, you are a woman fit to lead ten thousand soldiers!
This was a glorious victory.
Out of nearly ten thousand soldiers from the South and North armies, under Ryou's extraordinary power, the Yomogawa Army suffered only a few dozen casualties and annihilated the enemy, capturing nearly two thousand, including Kimura, the lord of Hayatani Station.
With the combined strength of Ryou, Jeanne, and Ais, they could have easily crushed the attacking enemy forces with just three people.
Even though all abilities were suppressed to C-rank, it would have taken just a bit more effort to kill nearly ten thousand enemies.
But doing so would have defeated Ryou's purpose.
His mission was to clear the world of Kabane while ensuring a certain number of humans survived.
With billions of people, even if only half turned into Kabane, the number would be so overwhelming it would drive one to despair. How long would it take to kill them all alone?
So, he had to build up human forces capable of standing up to the Kabane.
That's why Ryou went to such great lengths to orchestrate this brilliant victory.
In the future, this army will be his main force, helping him conquer cities and eliminate the Kabane!
...
The battle on land had ended in a great victory, but the war was far from over.
At this very moment, hundreds of warships were heading toward Yokosuka Port.
While Ryou and Jeanne achieved a brilliant victory on the land battlefield, at the same time, in a seaside villa in Yokosuka Port, Yamato was wearing a charming apron and softly humming a tune as she prepared breakfast. Ais sat obediently at the dining table, waiting for Yamato to serve the food.
Perhaps due to the historical stories about the Yamato Hotel, Yamato had an unusual bonus to her domestic skills. She was especially good at making Japanese home-cooked meals.
Just as she brought the fragrant and delicious fried eggs and bacon to the table, Yamato suddenly removed her apron with a serious expression. In an instant, the gentle Yamato Nadeshiko transformed into a valiant general.
"Ais-chan, the enemy is here, 100 kilometers offshore! I must go meet them!"
Ais quickly devoured the fried eggs and bacon, then quietly stood up.
"You want to come with me, don't you?"
Yamato asked in surprise.
As nodded gently.
Yamato frowned slightly but quickly recalled the Admiral's instructions.
"Alright, then, come with me."
Three minutes later, the two figures boarded the majestic and powerful Yamato. Five minutes later, the Yamato, fully prepared for battle and navigation, skillfully left the dock without the help of any tugboats.
The Yamato quickly accelerated to a terrifying speed of 50 knots, surpassing the fastest destroyers of World War II by a large margin. And this wasn't even the Yamato's top speed.
With the boost of faith, the 200% increase wasn't just for show. If pushed to its limits, the Yamato could reach an astonishing speed of 60 knots! This speed was comparable to modern speedboats.
From above, the waves were crushed by the massive bulbous bow, splitting to the sides as the Yamato sped forward like a giant sword slicing the sea in half.
Due to the relative motion of both sides, after about half an hour, a large fleet appeared in Yamato and Ais' sight.
Yamato closed her eyes to sense, then rattled off a series of data.
"Seven battleships, twenty-five cruisers, seventy-one destroyers, average speed 20 knots... quite the grand display."
Hearing the string of data, Ais had a look of admiration on her face, as if saying, "You're amazing!"
Facing such an overwhelmingly stronger opponent, Yamato, usually gentle and calm, now showed a face full of battle intent.
"Do you need me to do anything?"
Ais asked softly.
Yamato tapped her finger on her chin, thinking for a moment.
"Could you handle the destroyers?"
Ais tilted her head, looking adorably confused.
Yamato immediately knocked on her head, producing a metallic clang. She remembered that this girl came from a high-magic, low-tech world and had no idea what a destroyer was.
"Then, could you take care of the smallest ships?"
Ais nodded. She understood now, as the difference in size between the ships was obvious.
"Yamato battleship, engage!"
With Yamato's command, the Yamato instantly accelerated to its maximum speed. At such terrifying speed, the heavy bow lifted slightly, and the stern sank significantly.
The distant Allied fleet also noticed the rapidly approaching Yamato, almost flying over the sea. The entire fleet began to panic.
"Don't panic, it's just one ship. We can easily sink it!"
As both sides approached within the main gun range, Yamato, with precise adjustments, targeted a battleship and fired first.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Six glowing shells flew from the long barrels, drawing a perfect arc toward one of the battleships, clearly identifying it as one of the Kongou-class sisters.
With just the first probing volley, the Yamato, boosted by the power of faith, achieved remarkable results. One armor-piercing shell grazed the bridge, wiping out the senior officers, while another drilled under the main gun turret, directly hitting the ammunition magazine.
A few seconds later, intense flames shot skyward, and the massive turret was blown into the air. Continuous explosions followed, tearing the ship into two parts.
In just a few minutes, the 10,000-ton battleship sank into the sea.
Yamato had scored a one-hit kill!
The turret launched high into the sky and took a dozen seconds to come crashing down, landing squarely on the smokestack of another Kongou-class battleship, severely damaging it.
With just six shells, Yamato had caused one fatal and one severe casualty.
Watching the awe-inspiring display from the Yamato, Aiss' eyes sparkled, her fair cheeks slightly flushed, as if she had awakened some dangerous trait.
"A true virtuous wife must be skilled in household affairs and help relieve the Admiral's worries."
Yamato casually brushed her black hair back, fully entering the battle mode, seemingly transforming into another person.
Meanwhile, the Allied fleet was nearly paralyzed with fear.
"Admiral Yamamoto, the Kirishima has been completely sunk! Hiei is lightly damaged, but her speed is reduced and will affect combat!"
In the fleet's command center sat a short, stern-faced admiral who resembled a certain actor.
"Don't panic! That was just a fluke! The enemy has only one ship, and we have the absolute advantage! Order all battleships to turn hard to port and form a battle line! Destroyers and cruisers, flank the enemy and prepare for torpedo attacks!"
Despite Yamato's devastating first strike, the admiral remained calm, issuing orders steadily.
His composure seemed to reassure the other officers.
"Yes, Admiral Yamamoto!"
Orders were quickly relayed, and the well-trained Allied fleet rapidly adjusted its formation.
The remaining six battleships turned hard to port, forming a line with their right broadsides facing the Yamato. Meanwhile, the destroyers and cruisers split into two groups, flanking the Yamato like a massive pincer.
From above, the entire fleet resembled a slowly blooming flower—beautiful yet deadly!