Although Musashi Province wasn't large, it still spanned several counties. Maple Village lay relatively deep within Musashi, so reaching the province's border—even at the speed of Yae Sakura and Kikyo—would take nearly ten hours.
As for why they weren't riding horses...
This was feudal Japan, a time of constant war with few resources. Good weapons were hard enough to come by—forget about horses.
Horses were crucial for military strategy. Even though Japanese horses were generally small, they made transportation much easier.
Only high-ranking samurai or personal guards of powerful lords could afford them.
Cavalry units were rare, and actual horseback combat even rarer.
Even the Takeda clan, known for their cavalry expertise, mainly used horses for mobility. Most battles still involved foot soldiers.
In short, Maple Village had no horses.
So Yae Sakura and her friends had to walk.
Luckily, Yae Sakura now inhabited the body of an SSS-rank Valkyrie. If she still had her old body in this untamed ancient wilderness, she'd be in serious trouble.
"Kikyō, there's a river up ahead," Yae Sakura said. "Let's rest and eat something before we continue."
After walking for hours, Yae Sakura felt hungry.
"Good idea!"
"Big sister, I want some warm, soft, and chewy fried tofu." Hearing talk of food, Higokumaru eagerly grabbed Yae Sakura's hand, looking at her longingly.
"Hmm... Where would we get tofu here?"
"There isn't any..."
"We'll have to look for somewhere that sells fried tofu next time."
"Mm..." Without her favorite fried tofu, Higokumaru looked quite unhappy.
-
We reached the riverbank and looked at the small, crystal-clear stream before us. We could see plenty of fish swimming clearly in its waters.
This must be what the best places in ancient times were like—no pollution, nature thriving...
"Let's eat fish today!" Yae Sakura's eyes lit up as she gazed at the fish in front of her.
"But we didn't bring fishing rods," Kikyō pointed out. "Are you going to catch them with your hands?"
"Heh heh, watch me."
What's the point of fishing? Electrocuting fish is way more fun.
As Kikyō watched curiously, a massive purple cross suddenly appeared in Yae Sakura's hand.
It was a four-star cross-type weapon: Lightning Angel.
"Go! Lightning Angel!"
Yae Sakura tossed the giant cross directly into the river.
Immediately, the Lightning Angel activated its weapon skill.
After being deployed, the Lightning Angel emitted an electromagnetic burst every 1.5 seconds from its center, causing lightning damage within a ten-meter radius and stunning enemies.
This continued for six seconds...
"Kikyō, let's go gather the fish!"
Seeing that all the fish in the river had been either stunned or killed by the electricity, Yae Sakura quickly recalled the Lightning Angel. She jumped into the river, gathering all the helpless fish and throwing them onto the shore.
"Oh..."
Kikyō hesitated briefly before also wading into the river.
-
"That should be enough!"
Looking at the large pile of fish on the shore, it seemed like more than enough for a meal.
"Mm-hmm."
Kikyo was becoming increasingly curious about Yae Sakura, as if she were some kind of magic bag that could produce anything.
Fishing with that cross had been way too easy.
-
"Big Sister, look at what I caught."
As Yae Sakura started a fire to grill some fish, Higokumaru suddenly burst out from the bushes, looking very excited.
Yae turned to see what had happened. She saw that Higokumaru had caught a snake and was running over with it.
"Higokumaru... we don't need snakes!"
Snake meat is good, but it's hard to prepare.
"Don't you want it?"
Higokumaru looked at the snake in her hand, and her expression froze.
"Never mind, go ahead and deal with it!"
Seeing Higokumaru's disappointed face, Yae's heart softened.
"Okay, thanks, Big Sister!"
After finishing their meal, Yae Sakura and her companions continued on their journey.
They finally arrived at the border battlefield just before dusk.
The battlefield wasn't flat; it was a dense forest of mountains.
Strangely, despite the bright sun overhead, a thick fog shrouded the area ahead. It was impossible to see what lay within. Something about it felt eerie and dangerous, sending chills down their spines.
Such heavy resentment and miasma...
Gazing into the mist before them, Kikyō realized this wasn't ordinary fog—it was formed from intense hatred and toxic energy.
"We should go in now," she said. "It might be safer during the day when sunlight can suppress some of that resentment. At night, it could be much worse."
Kikyō took a serious stance as she faced the swirling mist. She had never encountered such strong resentment and miasma before—even for a battlefield.
"Don't be scared, Big Sister!" Higokumaru flew confidently beside Yae Sakura's shoulder. "I'm here with you. I'll use my fox fire to keep away any evil spirits."
Yae Sakura remained silent—Who said I'm afraid?
Yae Sakura didn't answer. She followed Kikyō into the mist. As soon as they entered... the temperature dropped quickly, turning the hot weather cold.
The mist grew thicker the further they went inside. Soon... they could only see about a hundred meters ahead.
"So many bodies... How many people died here?"
They saw soldiers' corpses lying on the ground, scattered everywhere with no one to bury them.
Even if it wouldn't attract monsters, surely this would cause a plague?
"I heard the Hojo clan sent nearly ten thousand soldiers this time. Less than three thousand made it back alive. Thousands more from Musashi province also died. That's probably close to ten thousand in total!"
A war where ten thousand people died was considered a major battle during these warring times in Tōei.
No wonder the Hojo had given up attacking other countries for now, choosing instead to rest and recover their strength.
"War... All because these lords want what's best for themselves..." Yae muttered. "Huh? There's a monster..."
"Purifying Arrow!"
Suddenly, several unknown creatures appeared ahead, feasting on the dead bodies. With a swift arrow, Kikyō completely purified one of them.
This seemed like just the beginning. Gradually... more and more undead spirits, corpses, and vengeful ghosts materialized before them.