"What..."
A patrol of foot soldiers immediately noticed Ryou's figure. The leading soldier shouted, trying to alert his comrades. Unfortunately, they were facing death incarnate.
Ryou suddenly crouched low, his feet digging into the ground, creating a small crater. He shot forward like a black lightning bolt.
Before the soldier could finish his sentence, a silver-white arc of light flashed under the moonlight—cold and beautiful.
Slash!
A head flew into the air.
"Enemy attack!"
The remaining nine soldiers were thrown into chaos, but before they could even cry out, the silver-white blade flashed repeatedly.
Five slashes, nine lives.
Ryou realized that the long katana, over 1.5 meters long, was surprisingly effective in group combat.
Before the distant soldiers could react, he had already annihilated an entire ten-man squad.
As the remaining soldiers came to their senses, they immediately began shouting, their high-pitched voices almost tearing through the night sky.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Their voices were filled with terror.
Many soldiers raised their steam guns and fired wildly at him.
Ryou quickly moved left and right, swiftly closing in on the soldiers.
"Don't come near! Don't come near, you monster!"
One soldier screamed, frantically pulling the trigger. This irrational behavior did not harm Ryou but instead caused several soldiers to be hit by friendly fire, collapsing to the ground and groaning in pain.
Slash!
Ryou's figure swept past him, a silver line flickering and disappearing.
He continued without slowing down, charging toward the remaining soldiers.
The soldier froze as if someone had pressed a pause button. A red line appeared on their neck, and their terrified head slipped to the ground. Blood spurted several meters into the air like a fountain.
The fighting strength of these soldiers was already inferior to that of the samurai. Their morale and courage were even lower. After Ryou charged into them like a tiger among sheep, the soldiers quickly collapsed, dropping their heavy steam guns and scrambling away on all fours.
He ignored the fleeing soldiers. The commotion had already attracted attention, with shouts and the light of torches rapidly approaching from the distance.
Strangely, the samurai guarding the warehouse seemed deaf to the commotion, remaining completely still. The entire warehouse was eerily quiet.
"How unoriginal," Ryou amused, walking up to the warehouse door without hesitation. He raised his katana and struck, slicing the door in half.
"Fire!"
Inside the warehouse, two rows of samurai stood facing the door, one row standing and the other kneeling, steam guns aimed squarely at the entrance.
As the door shattered, revealing Ryou's figure, the leading samurai immediately gave the order.
A volley of gunfire erupted, and amidst the white steam, dozens of dark gray bullets shot toward him.
As the bullets hurtled toward him, Ryou's pupils dilated, and he focused intently on the projectiles.
In that split second, a thought flashed through his mind: Perhaps he could slice the bullets with his katana!
Ryou was fearless; even if he failed, the bullets' power wouldn't be enough to pierce his skin.
As his resolve solidified, his concentration reached a peak. Suddenly, the world seemed to slow down.
This is the moment!
Ryou's wrist flicked, and a silver-white thread appeared before him.
Unfortunately, the blade's edge barely missed the bullet, striking sparks off it instead of cutting it.
The world returned to normal speed, and the bullets hit his body, then... bounced off with a clatter.
Ryou's eyes gleamed even brighter; he seemed to have found a rhythm.
Unbeknownst to him, the [Intermediate Cold Weapons Mastery skill] on his system panel had suddenly jumped, its proficiency increasing.
Ryou felt an urge to continue, while the dozens of samurai opposite him were horrified—they had never faced an enemy immune to bullets.
"Monster!"
A samurai cried out in terror, dropping his steam gun and trying to flee.
A dagger immediately pierced through his body.
Suppressing their fear, the samurai leader shouted, "Don't just stand there! Keep firing!"
As a professional warrior, the samurai had far better psychological resilience than the foot soldiers.
Sweating profusely, they frantically pulled the triggers of their rifles.
Ryou, eager to master that special state, didn't rush to kill them.
Thus, a bizarre scene unfolded.
Dozens of samurai fired repeatedly at a figure that swung a long katana as if trying to cut through something invisible.
Ryou found it difficult to slice through the bullets.
His physical abilities were more than sufficient, but his timing was off. His swordsmanship was too crude, always either too early or too late.
The shouting and torchlight drew nearer, clearly indicating that time was running out.
Despite this, Ryou only grew calmer.
Failure!
Failure!
After several more failures, a sudden flash of insight struck him. This time, it would work!
Unaware that the [Intermediate Cold Weapons Mastery] on his system panel had reached 100%, Ryou focused intensely. The words flashed with a golden glow, ready to evolve at any moment.
The gunfire erupted once more, and his concentration reached unprecedented levels.
The world slowed down more than ever before.
Now!
Ryou's eyes shone brightly. Without any visible movement, his sword shot forward like lightning.
A perfect silver arc appeared in the air.
Sparks flew as the bullet was flawlessly sliced in half, the pieces flying past him on either side.
On his system panel, [Intermediate Cold Weapons Mastery] had evolved into [Advanced Cold Weapons Mastery].
Ryou suddenly felt as if the katana in his hand had become an extension of his arm, moving with effortless precision.
"I let you live long enough; it's time to send you off."
Ryou smiled warmly at the samurai, his mood as bright as his expression.
But the samurai felt as if they had been plunged into an icy abyss.
"Fire! Don't stop! Reinforcements are almost here!"
The samurai leader shouted desperately.
The samurai instinctively pulled the triggers, only to find that their target had suddenly appeared at the front of their formation.
A slash, a silver flash, and blood splattered everywhere.
In less than ten seconds, dozens of highly trained, fierce samurai were decapitated one by one.
Surveying the warehouse filled with food, bullets, firearms, and even artillery shells, Ryou smiled in satisfaction.
Yokosuka was in a critical phase of development, and every bit of material was extremely valuable.
And he happened to have an immense storage space at his disposal.
Five minutes later, when the reinforcements arrived, they found only a field of corpses and an empty warehouse.
...
The next morning, Ryou soared high in the sky, looking down at the warehouse below, which was tightly surrounded.
Under the heavy protection of a group of samurai, a middle-aged man wearing a black swordsman's uniform arrived at the warehouse district. He had a square face marked by a scar and exuded the aura of a battle-hardened soldier.
It seemed that this middle-aged man was the commander of the Southern Army.
"So that's it, a veteran of the battlefield," Ryou nodded slightly.
This made sense—the commander of the Southern Army was the main force sent by the Shogun to suppress the rebellion.
As for the Northern Army's commander, it was obvious he was just some desperate fool trying to make a name for himself in front of the Shogun.
The Shogun was counting on this veteran below.
To ensure the success of his plan, Ryou suppressed the urge to fly down and kill him in one stroke.
It wasn't the right time yet.
Meanwhile, there was a change in the situation below.
A man, clearly a foot soldier leader, knelt on the ground, explaining and pleading.
However, the Southern Army commander said something that made the leader lower his head in resignation.
Then the commander swiftly drew the sword from his waist, took a clean step forward, and beheaded the man.
Ryou's expression became serious.
Cautious and decisive, with rich combat experience—he was indeed a formidable opponent.
Without extraordinary means, in a situation where he was outnumbered, Ryou might not have been able to take down such a seasoned veteran.
He thought that after such a blow, the enemy army would at least rest for a day, waiting for reinforcements.
But unexpectedly, shortly after sunrise, around 8:30 AM, the Southern Army quickly began to advance towards Yokosuka.
"They think I'm just bluffing and stalling for time, so they're planning a quick march to catch me off guard?"
Ryou immediately understood the opponent's intention.
But unfortunately for them, while the Southern Army commander was indeed a veteran, his opponent was no ordinary man like him.
Extraordinary methods were beyond his imagination.
He couldn't even guess Ryou's true intentions.
One wrong step leads to more mistakes; the only thing waiting for him is a one-way ticket to hell.
This Southern Army commander named Sekiguchi was indeed competent.
Under his command, both samurai and foot soldiers alike carried their heavy gear without complaint, marching towards Yokosuka at a speed of over 5 kilometers per hour.
At this pace, they would reach the outskirts of Yokosuka, 50 kilometers away, by tonight.
In comparison, the Northern Army's march, having left the trains behind, slowed drastically to less than 10 kilometers a day—a world of difference.
Ryou's face broke into a cold smile, and he turned and flew directly along the railroad tracks.
What the Southern Army couldn't see was that about 60 kilometers ahead of them, a defeated remnant of troops was retreating along the railroad from Yokosuka.
...
The day quickly passed as the Southern Army marched on.
This veteran was indeed cautious; he maintained the marching speed at the highest rate that wouldn't impact combat readiness.
That way, even if they encountered an ambush along the way, they could immediately engage in battle.
His tactical planning was nearly flawless.
Ryou grew increasingly impressed. If this commander were to become a heroic spirit, his leadership would at least be at a D-level.
Don't underestimate that—F-level is the level of an ordinary person, E-level is that of an outstanding elite, and D-level is already the level of famous generals in history.
As the sun slowly set, the Southern Army just crossed into the outermost boundary of Yokosuka.
This area happened to be where the coastline met Yokosuka, the very spot where Ryou had planned to build a wall.
After the Southern Army finished eating their dry rations in batches, leaving enough personnel to patrol, the entire army immediately began to rest.
Just five kilometers away, a completely disorganized group of soldiers lay sprawled on the ground, resting.
Night fell, and the sky was covered in dark clouds, making it so dark that you could hardly see your hand in front of you.
A dark and windy night—the perfect night for killing!
Sekiguchi Shoichiro, the Southern Army commander, was carefully studying the map under the dim light of an oil lamp.
Years of battlefield experience had given him an unusual sense of intuition.
He had a nagging feeling that he was being led by the nose, which made him extremely uneasy.
But he couldn't quite put his finger on why.
Just then, a sharp, piercing sound suddenly came from directly above him.
Sekiguchi Shoichiro instinctively looked up at the sky.
It was the last thing he ever did.
A beautiful, silver crescent of a blade descended from the sky.
Sekiguchi, despite his large and sturdy build, was effortlessly cleaved in half.
Sorry, Yuriko, it looks like I'll have to break my promise...
In the final moments of his fading consciousness, Sekiguchi Shoichiro couldn't help but think.
"An assassin!"
"Lord Sekiguchi has been killed!"
The nearby guards instantly fell into chaos, and soon the entire encampment was in utter disarray.
At that moment, some guards noticed Ryou's figure.
After killing Sekiguchi, Ryou didn't immediately leave. Instead, he calmly wiped the blood off his blade.
"Who are you?"
A guard immediately spotted him standing beside Sekiguchi's corpse.
Seeing the bisected body and the over 1.5-meter-long great katana in hi's hand, it was clear who the assassin was.
"It's him! He killed the lord!"
"Get him!"
Several guards shouted, drawing their swords and charging at him.
Then, within seconds, several heads flew into the air, one after another.
"Kill him! Kill him!"
Facing such a terrifying enemy, no one spoke of capturing him anymore.
All around, the sounds of rifle bolts being pulled echoed.
Ryou smiled, beckoned with his hand, then quickly darted away into the distance.
The night was so dark that only the faint light from the campfires could be seen, and with his speed, no one could even aim at him.
But with Sekiguchi gone, the entire Southern Army was leaderless, panicking and shooting wildly at every shadowy figure.
Screams of pain rang out incessantly as many were injured by friendly fire, falling to the ground in agony.
The entire Southern Army camp was in complete chaos, almost entirely losing its combat effectiveness.
Ryou moved through the crowd, swinging his great katana, cutting down anyone who stood in his path, leaving a trail of blood and carnage.
In his wake, a thick fog of blood slowly dispersed.
As he slaughtered the enemy, his mind remained extraordinarily calm.
Estimating that the time was right, he began to fight his way towards Yokosuka.
As the Southern Army floundered like headless chickens, a blinding light suddenly illuminated the darkness.
Ryou had used a primordial rune to light up his position!
The panicked Southern Army instinctively looked towards the light, only to see a figure standing with his back to the light source, facing them, making a throat-slitting gesture—it was Ryou himself.
With old and new grudges combined, the entire Southern Army—1,000 samurai and 2,000 foot soldiers—exploded with rage.
"He's there!"
"Kill him!"