Ryou suddenly felt a sharp pain in his body, and then his consciousness gradually faded away.
He felt as if he was falling endlessly into a bottomless abyss, and suddenly, his vision was filled with white light.
When he regained consciousness, he found himself once again at the bottom of the stone steps leading to Ryuudou Temple.
Was I... defeated in one strike!?
That... was the legendary secret sword technique, Tsubame Gaeshi, wasn't it!?
Was that meant to be a warning shot?
Ryou could hardly believe that Sasaki Kojiro would use Tsubame Gaeshi on him right from the start.
Even though he had been slain, he hadn't been kicked out, which meant that failing once didn't count as failing the trial.
With numerous questions swirling in his mind, he quickly ascended the steps back to the entrance of Ryuudou Temple.
As expected, the figure stood there like an unchanging statue, quietly waiting. The only difference was that the massive long katana previously on his back was now in his hand.
"You're back. I've been waiting for you," Sasaki Kojiro greeted with a smile.
Ryou's expression was a bit stiff—who wouldn't be after being cut into pieces in a single strike?
Moreover, the sensation of death was truly unpleasant, the kind of empty despair that could almost drive a person mad.
As if sensing his many questions, Sasaki Kojiro began explaining without prompting, chatting away like a lonely old man before entering battle mode.
"You must be wondering why you didn't die and why the trial didn't fail. It's natural because this is a dream.
As long as you don't admit defeat, you can revive infinitely and challenge me as many times as you like.
If you manage to defeat me, you'll learn Tsubame Gaeshi.
Of course, you can choose to give up, but that would permanently destroy the Descend Card.
The choice is yours."
As Sasaki Kojiro continued his long-winded explanation, Ryou suddenly interrupted him.
"In short, I just need to defeat you, right?"
"Exactly. But you must have noticed by now that you cannot use any Noble Phantasms or skills here. Both of our base attributes are equal."
Sasaki Kojiro once again unleashed the terrifying aura that only a swordmaster could possess.
"So to defeat me, you'll have to rely solely on the katana in your hand!"
"Then let's get started, I don't have all day!"
Ryou raised his long katana and charged at Sasaki Kojiro again.
This time, however, he was wiser. As he approached the range of Kojiro's attack, he no longer charged in a straight line but instead zigzagged in an 'S' shape.
"It seems you've gotten a bit smarter, but such trivial tricks are meaningless!"
Three flashes of light flickered, and once again, Ryou was effortlessly slain.
"Again!"
This time, as he approached, he threw his katana straight at Kojiro, following closely behind it with clenched fists, intending to engage in close combat.
Ryou planned to force Kojiro into a brawl, then use his brawling skills to win.
Seeing this, Sasaki Kojiro frowned slightly but said nothing.
The plan might have been good, but it still depended on who the opponent was.
This time, Kojiro didn't even use Tsubame Gaeshi; he simply struck Ryou's katana, sending it flying back with greater speed and piercing Ryou's throat.
Damn it!
Being repeatedly killed by Sasaki Kojiro only fueled his stubbornness.
And so, Ryou experienced countless different ways to die.
He tried every possible tactic, but no matter how he dodged, he couldn't escape those terrifying three slashes.
After dying around ten thousand times, he started to feel numb.
Suddenly, the system sent a notification:
[—Today's challenge time has reached its limit. Host, please choose:]
[Give up (permanently destroy the Descend Card)]
[Save (continue the challenge tomorrow)]
Ryou unhesitatingly chose to Save!
Are you kidding me? After killing me ten thousand times, you expect me to give up? No way.
I'm going to pass this second-stage trial!
When Ryou exited the dream trial, he immediately noticed that this trial hadn't been without gains.
His Basic Cold Weapon Mastery, which hadn't improved in a long time, had increased by 1%.
This was just a visible improvement.
As Ryou recalled his battle with Sasaki Kojiro, he quickly realized that his opponent had been demonstrating various combat techniques in real time towards the end.
Just as Kojiro had said, it's better to communicate with swords than with words.
This was Sasaki Kojiro's unique teaching style.
Recalling this, Ryou's expression turned a bit strange.
Why do all the teachers I encounter prefer to teach through combat? Can't any of them teach in a more orthodox way?
Damn it!
Feeling somewhat frustrated, he finished washing up, only to find that as soon as he stepped into the office, Jeanne followed closely behind with urgent news.
Jeanne, busy as always, had taken over Shinjirou's role as his deputy, managing the affairs of Yokosuka due to her extensive experience in her previous life.
In addition, as the principal of the seminary, Jeanne sometimes had to give public lectures.
It should be noted that Jeanne's public lectures were extremely popular, often drawing crowds so large that they spilled out of the classroom.
Unable to cope with the crowds, Jeanne eventually chose to hold her lectures in open spaces like plazas.
It's not surprising, given her stunning beauty and her natural C-rank leadership skills.
Jeanne had once led the nearly defeated and demoralized French forces to victory against the formidable British invaders during the Hundred Years' War.
With just the wave of her sacred flag at the forefront of the battle, the demoralized French soldiers were instantly revitalized, transforming into fierce warriors.
"She's a natural-born leader!"
This phrase perfectly describes Jeanne.
And despite her lack of formal education, her eloquence was enough to out-argue several theologically knowledgeable bishops.
Ryou felt that bringing Jeanne to this world, where building and developing were crucial, was one of his best decisions.
However, Jeanne's workload was rapidly increasing.
Not that she minded; in fact, she was delighted to see more lambs convert to her faith.
After hearing Jeanne's report, Ryou's face showed a look of surprise.
"The northern forces have accelerated and are expected to arrive two days earlier?"
"Yes, Ryou. At 6:20 this morning, the northern attacking army passed the first observation point," Jeanne said with a serious expression.
Ryou, who had traveled from the modern era, understood the importance of intelligence in warfare.
Thus, he had taken the risk of sending reconnaissance units equipped with extremely expensive radio equipment to positions 200 kilometers from Yokosuka Port.
Now, this decision was paying off.
"What makes them so confident that they can win with just one army? Or is this a trap?"
Ryou still found it hard to believe.
"Although I hate to say it, it seems that the enemy we're facing this time completely underestimates our forces.
They've hardly conducted any reconnaissance and have been charging straight toward Yokosuka by steam train," Jeanne said with a hint of exasperation.
"Are they stupid or something!?"
Ryou exclaimed.
Even a child knows that splitting forces during an advance is a grave mistake, as it opens up the risk of being defeated individually.
Originally, I expected a tough battle, but I didn't anticipate the enemy would weaken themselves voluntarily.
In that case, I won't hold back.
A cold gleam flashed in his eyes.
After thinking for a moment, he quickly turned to Jeanne and said, "I'm planning to do this..."
Jeanne's beautiful eyes immediately lit up, but then her face showed a trace of concern.
"If this strategy succeeds, it will greatly increase our chances of victory. However, it requires you to take a great risk personally. Why not let me handle this task instead?"
Ryou waved his hand dismissively.
"I've already captured a battleship before; this is nothing in comparison. Besides, I won't be directly confronting the enemy. You need to have confidence in me. And it's not a man's place to let his woman take risks while he hides in the back."
Hearing Ryou's bold and masculine statement, Jeanne's face flushed red, and she quickly retorted, "I-I never admitted to being your woman!"
However, her tone sounded less resolute and more like a coy protest.
"It's settled then. The main force is under your command, but remember, you must leave behind 100 samurai and over half of the foot soldiers."
Ryou reminded her seriously.
With her strategic acumen, Jeanne immediately understood his intention.
"Ryou, you're preparing for the possibility of the prisoners taking advantage of the chaos to escape?"
Ryou nodded.
"I'm certain they'll seize this opportunity to break out! With the enemy attacking, our defense will be at its weakest. That's one reason.
They've already lost the critical base of Yokosuka, which is a grave offense. Even if the enemy wins, they won't escape punishment and will try to redeem themselves by disrupting our rear lines or even recapturing Yokosuka.
If we win, this would be their only chance to escape.
As long as the prisoners aren't complete fools, they'll grab this opportunity!
And our task is to eliminate the uncontrollable elements among them!"
In a single statement, Ryou decided the fate of hundreds, possibly thousands of people, as the murderous intent around him shifted into a more terrifying aura of authority.
Jeanne showed no discomfort in the face of his killing intent.
Only dead heretics are good heretics.
"If Gilles were as quick-witted as you, Ryou, I wouldn't have had to struggle so much back then," Jeanne suddenly remarked.
Ryou responded with annoyance, "Bluebeard? He's just a useless fool who couldn't even protect the woman he loved."
"We were just comrades-in-arms, nothing more!"
Jeanne quickly explained, as if afraid he might misunderstand.
Ryou was taken aback for a moment but then nonchalantly said, "I don't care about your past. I only know that you are my woman now, and that's enough."
He truly didn't mind at all. If he could marry other men's wives, what harm was there if someone else secretly admired or had unrequited love for his woman? If anything, it just proved how outstanding she was.
Jeanne's face turned completely red at his assertive words, and it seemed like steam might start rising from her.
"In any case, I'll go gather the troops now. Ryou, the Lord will protect you," Jeanne said hastily before fleeing from the room.
Shaking his head, Ryou followed her out. Then he used his primordial runes to inscribe the meanings of flight and wind.
With a whooshing sound, he flew into the sky, rapidly heading toward the enemy's approach.
...
At that moment, about 20 kilometers into Yokosuka Port, a steam train was speeding along the railway.
In the most luxurious car of the train, a burly man over two meters tall, dressed in splendid clothes, sat on a sofa.
Two young, stunning women, dressed in yukatas that exposed their smooth shoulders and delicate collarbones, were nestled beside him, feeding him fruits.
Clang!
A slight sound was heard, and the steam train noticeably slowed down.
"Someone, come here!"
The man's face immediately showed dissatisfaction as he shouted.
"Lord Kimura!"
The door to the car opened, and a guard holding a steam rifle entered, not daring to meet the man's gaze.
"Go and find out what's going on! Why has the train slowed down?"
"Yes, sir!"
The guard saluted and quickly ran out.
Not long after, the guard returned to the car.
"Lord Kimura, the steam engineer says that if they keep running at full speed, there's a risk the steam engine could explode, so they had to reduce speed temporarily..."
Before the guard could finish speaking, Lord Kimura picked up a wine cup and hurled it at him.
"Useless fools! Can't even handle a simple task!"
The silver cup struck the guard's forehead, causing blood to trickle down, but the guard didn't dare to dodge.
Lord Kimura pointed at the guard and roared, "You! Go tell those worthless engineers that I don't care if the steam engine explodes! We must reach Yokosuka before that southern bastard does! If anyone delays me, I'll have their entire family executed!"
"Yes, Lord Kimura!"
The guard knew well the brutal nature of his lord, who always followed through on his threats, and he rushed to relay the orders to the steam engineers and crew.
"Useless fools!"
Lord Kimura sat back down, and the two seductive women giggled, "Lord Kimura~ never mind them, come taste this."
"Taste this? I want to taste you~"
Lord Kimura's face twisted into a lewd smile as his large hand slipped into one of the women's yukatas.
Through the thin fabric, one could see his hand roaming over her body.
"Lord Kimura~"
The woman blushed deeply, not only failing to stop him but adjusting her position to make it easier for him to toy with her.
A short while later, the guards outside could feel walls starting to shake, accompanied by the man's heavy breathing and the woman's coquettish cries.
Meanwhile, the train suddenly jolted and sped up again.
Two minutes later, the man's high-pitched shout and the woman's screams could be heard from inside, although the screams sounded somewhat unsatisfying.
At that moment, the speeding train suddenly lurched and began to shake violently, tilting rapidly to one side.
Ryou hovered in the air, watching the derailed train plunge off the tracks, rolling like a dying giant snake, with debris scattering like bullets and dust quickly enveloping the area.
"Idiots," Ryou scoffed.
The enemy didn't even conduct any reconnaissance before the battle, clearly seeking their destruction.
It was evident that the consequences of the Shogun mobilizing 400,000 troops from across the country were starting to show.
In theory, the combined forces attacking Yokosuka from the north and south should have been eight or nine times larger than Aragane's forces. In reality, the attacking forces from both directions combined were barely four times as large.
Moreover, they lacked experienced officers, neglecting even basic warfare principles.
After Ryou discovered their weakness, he quickly sabotaged a section of the track ahead of the train.
The damage caused by a high-speed train derailment is terrifying.
If it were a bullet train traveling at 300 km/h, half the passengers would be lucky to survive.
Although steam trains aren't as fast, the casualties would still be significant—especially considering this train was loaded with fully armed soldiers and a massive amount of ammunition.
Boom!