A New Danger

As per their agreement to share intel, the news that a Dutch armada was gathering in their southern islands were shared by the Shogunate to the rest of the Alliance and in a move that aims to not gather the attention of the public, active-duty soldiers were excluded from the redeployment orders to the islands of Okinawa.

"Admiral Ryuusui, the fleet will arrive in the naval base by afternoon. Do you have any message to give them?"

"…Not for now. I'll say what I need to say once we see for ourselves what these invaders are here for."

"Understood, sir."

For some reason, even this new world whose history has been twisted in all kinds of ways have been running on tidbits of historical facts. One of which is the truth that the Dutch were the first ones to establish a large colonial holding amongst the countries of Europe and have kept their trading routes essentially guarded from every other European power… even in the cost of sinking and annihilating any ship that they come across.

However, unlike in the past world, the routes of seafaring has already been established in the knowledge of many sailors in Europe and even with their iron grip on the isles of Asia, the Dutch cannot keep their monopoly any longer.

"Sir, they are appearing on our radar now."

"Alright then, give the order to dive. Lock this sub and let's head down to the waves."

"Aye-aye, sir!"

"Set the sonar in wide-band search setting! I want to see how many of these invaders are here!"

Little did they know that more than their rival countries in Europe, the truly horrifying enemies lie in wait at the country that they aim to conquer.

Back in their naval base in Okinawa, General Garou read the latest report from the submarine force that they have found the Dutch armada and are encircling it to find out how many vessels are present for a potential invasion of their territories.

"Currently more than a hundred… Argh, this is a damn headache."

"Don't sound so glum or else, you'd get more wrinkles."

"I already have enough of it… How was the plane trip towards here."

"I rode the transport plane alongside the few officers sent by the Alliance. They tried to make the trip as comfortable as possible, but it's far from what a modern person would expect. Even riding on Economy class would be a luxury in comparison to that experience."

As Endou stretched his limbs, he complained that the plane trip was far from what he experienced in their modern previous world.

"Now you're the one sounding glum… Just keep it in for now, things will get better before we're too old to fly."

"I sure hope so too… In any case, they're really being ballsy with this possible invasion."

"Ballsy would be putting it lightly. If the first shadowing done by our own submarine said that it was possibly a hundred, Kiko's submarines that has better sonar and other instruments can accurately count it beyond a hundred."

"You're sounding a bit too pessimistic with that."

"I know that, but with the intel that you handed me about the Dutch in this world, I can't help but remember the day when Sora and I met up again and he asked me to lead his army when I only have the most barebones of experience back in the past world."

"Little Cannon Runner… that was your nickname back then, right?"

"Yeah, during the third world war… Sora and I were message runners during the time when the military and militia forces were defending our city. Sora was as brave as he is capable and he manages to go beyond expectations whenever he is out there in the battlefield. He even-"

"Yeah, yeah. He called a rocket barrage on the commanding general of the enemy forces, and it basically caused a large flank of the enemy side to go into a rout and collapse their lines. I've heard about that from you before."

Having been reminded that he already spoke about that story of Sora, Garou then told him about his own story during that worldwide conflict.

"As for me, my dad was an artillery commander and even against mother's wishes, I volunteered to be a message runner for the artillery forces. I really didn't do much other than relay information from our forward scouts to our artillery batteries whenever the radio communicators are hit by enemy jammers. I did good here and there, but nothing too fancy to be completely honest."

"That sounds awesome to me regardless."

"…Thanks. I rarely receive comments like that."

The two conversed casually for a while until the fax machine sounded and spat out a letter that both of them read with a heavy look on their faces.

"I see… this is bad."

"Right, we can handle this, but it wouldn't be easy."

"Indeed."

The contents of the letter were a statement that was straight to the point.

["Enemy fleet is about 412 ships. Convene with other commanders if you will permit us to sink half of it."]

At that moment, unbeknownst to the foreign invaders, their lives are at the tip of Death's scythe.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Back in Shinka, the meeting of Kyoko, Shizuka and Nobisuke with Chiasa, was being held in her private residence away from the capital of the province. While there is the fact that these four are high-ranking leaders of their respective areas, there is also the fact that save for the Otherworlders, they are people most privy about the information concerning the connection of the destroyed past world and their present world.

As the last set of actions regarding the tea ceremony was flawlessly finished by the youngest of the four, the end of the formalities and the beginning of the discussion began which was started by the only man in the gathering.

"To say that this meeting was arranged and held a tad too quickly would be putting it lightly… wouldn't it, Chiasa-dono?"

"…I understand the sense of inconvenience that I have imposed upon the three of you but given the events that transpired just these past few days, I believe it wouldn't be wrong to say that this meeting must be made as soon as possible."

"…Wow."

After Chiasa gave that response to Nobisuke's words, she took her cup of tea and sipped on it with delicate etiquette, causing even Shizuka to be slightly stammered with her sense of grace.

"You say that this meeting is being held with a sense of urgency… Why?"

"…Because even after we have defeated Keiji and the monster within him that was hanging the fate of our world on its hands, the damage has already been done and there is much work to be done in order to set things straight."

"Are you saying that…"

"Right. I have already consulted Sora about this while we are away in Okinawa. I asked him if it would be the right course of action…"

"Hold on, what is this all about? Why do I feel like I am being kept in the dark about this very thing that I was called in here for?"

As per Nobisuke's interjection that he doesn't know what they are talking about, Kyoko told her that this was about the thing that they all had discovered at the dungeon of the Shogunate castle… the "truth of this world", as it came to be named by the few of them who learned about it.

"I can see now why you were so concerned to have this discussed as soon as possible."

"Back then, it was only an option that we have the freedom to choose between telling the people or burying until it becomes relevant… but now that we have been victorious and we are conducting a regime change to unite and sustain this nation way beyond our lifetimes, I believe my idea is not far from being something that requires us to disclose it."

"The truth of this world…"

"Would it be the right choice in the end?"

Normally, any sensible person would certainly dismiss being told that "everyone is a reborn soul from this world where we all previously came from and this and that happened and now, we're here with our new lives" as nothing more than a stupendous story that has to be the ramblings of a delusional drunk person.

But with the horrifying creatures that came out during the war, the rumors that supernatural creatures have started to roam the earth again after a village opened up to the world from a certain isolated province and many more normally unexplainable events reached the public discussions, it wouldn't be wrong to assume that if such an information was told publicly, it wouldn't be dismissed so easily.

And yet, the counterpoint also exists, and it has far worse repercussions.

"If we told this to the public, there would be mass panic and there can possibly even be some riots… especially those from religious communities."

"If we won't though, there is the very real danger that this would come out to the people later and the government would be in the firing line for keeping this as a secret."

"Damned if we do, damned if we don't…"

"Indeed."

"There's also one facet that is connected to this but isn't a problem… at least not yet."

After Chiasa took a binder book from her attendant, she opened it to show some aged documents that certainly doesn't belong to this world.

"While a majority of them came from the previous world from summoned or strayed Otherworlders, there are some of these things that were recreated here from the detailed memories of the people that reincarnated."

"You mean…"

"Right. These documents over here are made from the recollections of Garou-san and he said that this might be key to our goal of keeping this country in peace and stability from here and henceforth."

Inside the binder book are papers which contain all kinds of information about the past world and what led to the beginning of the last world war over there. 

From disputes about the territories, political party and group infighting, indifference of the haves towards the have-nots and probably the greatest of all, the innate inclination of man towards receding into disorder in the face of insurmountable hopelessness, all of it was there in either recreated news clippings, essays or even in excerpts of literature with striking exchanges of dialogue.

"In short, my point is that there must be a cordial and fair rapport between the governance and the governed. While just like many other Otherworlders, I have my misgivings about democracy and how it ends up degenerating into an oligarchy of career politicians or the anarchy of the debauched, I also don't wish to subject the populace inside a repressive autocratic regime where they would only exist to obey what is ordered of them… that is not our vision for this world."

"But then, that would mean telling them this ridiculous sounding yet real fact. As I said before, it may just cause a lot of people to question their very existence and may even cause problems between us and the religious communities."

"Then tell me, Shimura-dono. What would be better? Being told the horrid truth or being pleasantly lied to?"

"…"

"It's a difficult situation but this fact is the fact… there is no other way to get through this other than go forward with our people in tow."

Both sides have their own rightful plans of the future that differ only in practice.

For Kyoko, Shizuka and Nobisuke, they worry that telling the people about the fact that all of them who were born in this world and isn't an Otherworlder are just reincarnations of their past selves from their destroyed former worlds would lead to widespread distrust and even hostility with some groups. For Chiasa though, this will act as a way of showing the people that the new government would be transparent and be trustworthy enough to rule over them. 

Although both sides admit that the other side's reasoning has its own merits, they know that they cannot simply give in to the logic of the other since it would undermine the merit of their side.

"If it was Sora and Hiroshi, this would already be settled before it became this complicated."

"Somehow, I don't doubt that… but something tells me that those two cannot be handed the responsibility of taking on that huge of a responsibility."

"Why so, Nobisuke-dono?"

"Shogun Sora is one thing, but Iwasawa-sama… unlike the Shogun, Iwasawa-sama will surely give in to the idea of just keeping this a secret."

"How can you be so certain?"

"I heard from those who joined him in his journey that he made them swear to secrecy much of the things that he did while he was away from Kiko. Whether it be things that would be ruined if ever it comes to light, or things that he witnessed that he doesn't wish to be reminded of anymore, Iwasawa-sama does keep his own share of secrets."

"I'm surprised that you don't suspect that the reason he swore them to secrecy was because he's keeping some bad secret."

Following a dismissing turn of his head, Nobisuke gave a curt response to Kyoko's jab on his master.

"Far from it. I know Iwasawa-sama… He's not that kind of man."

"Well, I know that too. Which gives me a weird sense of relief and annoyance."

Getting their meeting back on track, the two sides were locked in an impasse with no side able to find a way to compromise. This is when Shizuka, who has listened and gave short responses all this time, beckoned the attention of the three and gave a simple yet brilliant idea.

"Then why not disseminate it publicly but keep it buried beneath the other ongoing news?"

"""-!"""

"Legally, we have fulfilled our obligation to be transparent and practically, by how things are going, there are a lot more events that would happen in the near future that can act as the smokescreen to soften the distribution of that information."

Although it wasn't yet their final plan, all four of these leaders agreed that her suggestion should be able to act as the blueprint for the rest of their discussions. As they parted ways, with Nobisuke being speeded into the Army Headquarters for a meeting and Kyoko riding a train back to her castle in order to attend to her remaining duties as Daimyo, Chiasa was about to leave as well before Shizuka asked her to stay for a moment.

"Why did you ask me to stay here for now?"

"…I need some answers, Lady Chiasa."

"Answers about what exactly?"

"I wish to know why it was my family that were subjected to the fate of being the seed of revival of the past world's sins."

That question made Chiasa think a bit deeply, trying to ascertain why Shizuka seems to be resolute on knowing the answer for it.

"You are an Otherworlder and you are among the few people who knew that the Daigo clan would betray the Alliance way before Akari-aneue and the other elders proceeded with their plan of backstabbing the three other provinces."

"…"

"So please… I wish to know why such a fate was given to us. And why they accepted that it is the only way for us."

Chiasa paused for a moment, trying to ascertain if this last scion of the Daigo clan, the great family that betrayed not only the alliance but the hope of a peaceful Japan, somehow carries the ember of vengeance or her family's curse.

"If you want to know that answer, why not place yourself in the shoes of your elder sister?"

"…"

"Your family prospered through the legacy of the First Otherworlder, the wisdom passed down from the past world and the connection they forged with the realm of Yomi as they descended to become Yomi cultists… Being handed all of those good things by their myriad of connections with the supernatural, it shouldn't surprise you that those perks come with their own repercussions."

"Are you saying that we were just paying for the bountiful life that we lived by?"

"Why are you asking me that? You are the one who belongs to the Daigo clan. Tell me, did you live a bountiful life not lacking with everything to the point that it sometimes made you question if you deserve to be born into such a life?"

"That is…"

"Whether it be an actual sense of guilt or there is truly an underlying reason that forced your family to carry out those horrible crimes, you're really the only one who can answer that."

Left with that vague answer and advice to seek the truth within her means, Shizuka was left in the tearoom as Chiasa was escorted out by her bodyguards. With that, she was left alone in the room, thinking about all of the things that she knows about her family and how they could've ended up the way they did.

"Aneue… just what future was promised to us for you to choose to perpetrate those sins…?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

As the celebrations all across the nation spread on and on, each of the people had their own ways of celebrating the victory.

"Come on! Drink up!"

"Gimme a refill over here, would ya?!"

Some drank in excess to the victory, savoring the long-awaited end of the civil war.

"We won, everyone… You went on before I did but I know that you are here with me."

"Grandma…"

While there are those who visited the graves of their loved ones, many of them young soldiers who met an early death in the bloody war that has just ended.

However, even if the civil war has ended, those who know what is happening at the islands south of the nation knew that this peace may reach an untimely end with the arrival of an outside force.

"They're being slowed down by the ships-of-the-line, but their sails aren't showing any sign of stopping."

"There are hundreds of ships, sir. Carrying possibly tens to almost a hundred thousand warriors ready to land on any island that they find."

"…"

With the impending arrival of the Dutch armada in Okinawa, the highest-ranking commanders available for this meeting assembled in the headquarters of the Alliance in the Hikigaya clan's domain in Kiko province. Headed by General Shimura Nobisuke, they discussed what should be done either in defense or offense against the invaders.

"Even after the end of the civil war, the Alliance's chain of command is yet to be disbanded… for that reason, we ask for your opinion, General Shimura."

"""Please lead us, sir."""

Although the public truly believed that from here on out, there would be no more conflict to be had in the country, the fact is that in this room, another conflict is brewing and all of it rests upon the shoulders of the young man left to command what is undoubtedly the strongest armed force in the world without the wisdom of his master.

"…Just like before when we battled against hostile provinces and their leaders, our order from Iwasawa-sama is to do everything in our power in order to defend not only Kiko but this entire nation starving for peace."

"""…"""

"Is our line with Admiral Fumikage still open?"

"Yes, sir. Always."

"Patch me through."

After a moment of arranging for it, Nobisuke was handed the phone that was connected to the submarine commander.

"Are you still shadowing the enemy fleet without being detected?"

{"Yes. Our sonar shows us that there are over four hundred ships here… and I have enough reason to believe that this is just the first wave."}

"Why so?"

{"Their sailing speed being slow in order to accommodate their heavy warships is a given, but there is something strange with how they're constantly stopping their entire fleet and dropping their anchors to avoid sailing by night."}

"Are you saying that they are stalling in order to wait for their comrades?"

{"Not necessarily. Being someone in the navy, I am aware that some sailors are finicky about making sure not to enter rough waves. Whether it is under the orders of the enemy fleet commander or the independent decisions of the individual ship captains, they won't sight land for the next few days."}

"About that… I will still seek the final approval of Lady Kusanagi, but even with my current authority, I can already give your fleet the order to sink them using torpedoes."

{"I understand. We have enough fuel to keep our submerged status for two more days, but anything beyond that we'd have to surface."}

"Relax. I'd handle this personally. I won't leave her audience chamber without getting her full approval."

{"Got it. Contact me again once you have news."}

After the line was cut, Nobisuke turned to his subordinates and gave a short order for them.

"Inform the regional and provincial allied army commanders. Tell them to silently set the armed force alert level to the second level. Although we hugely outpower them in terms of technology, it wouldn't hurt to secure the country."

"""Understood, General!"""

As his subordinates left the meeting room to attend to his orders, Nobisuke took his peaked cap and coat to leave for Shinka province.

"Please lead me with your wisdom, Iwasawa-sama… even if you are not here."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

In the special observation room which contain the three Otherworlders who battled against their last enemy, one of them has regained her consciousness much to the happiness of her close friends and follower.

"Maya-sama!"

"You're finally awake-mujina!"

"Heh… I knew you'd pull through somehow."

As she opened her eyes, her close friends flocked around her to congratulate her recovery.

"W-Who…"

"M-Maya-sama…?"

"Who are you guys?"

"-!!!"

At that same time, in another room that contains one of the three said Otherworlders, awakened another of them.

"S-Sora!"

"Papa!"

"…"

It was Shogun Amanogawa Sora. He opened his eyes while being visited by his wife and adoptive daughter.

"Papa! Welcome back! I missed you!"

"…"

"Sora? Is something wrong…?"

"Chi…asa…? Is that you…?"

Even with his weakened body, he desperately reached out towards his wife like a famished man reaching out to a table filled with a feast. It ended up with him pulling his intravenous line and other wired nodes, much to the shock of his wife.

"S-Sora!"

"Urgh… this is… why am I-?"

"N-Nurse! Someone get here this instant!"

In a moment, the nurses came to patch up the uprooted intravenous lines that was spurting out blood and helped the ailing man to get back to his bed. This is when his wife approached him and asked him what was wrong.

"Sora… what happened? Why are you-"

She wasn't even able to finish her question when her husband wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close into a tight embrace.

"It's been years… no… decades."

"Decades?"

"This must be it… the last illusion I would have before I become damned."

"D-damned? What are you…"

She was very puzzled about what her husband was talking about which was when Chiasa saw the expression on his face.

His eyes were sunken and showed a sense of terror. His body shivered as if in deep fear and betrayed his usual confident and resilient self.

"P-Papa…?"

"Kichi… I missed you, darling…"

His tone and the tears that fell from his eyes conveyed a long held back pain. It showed that the week-long unconscious state of his must've seemed like a very long time to him.

"Tell me, Sora. What happened to you while you're unconscious?"

His answer caused those who heard it shiver in terror.

"I saw everyone who went to hell in the past world."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Later that evening, in the sea south of Okinawa. The rough waves hit the gathering of ships, making them rock to and fro much to the discomfort of even its most veteran sailors.

"Those damned fence-sitters… Everyone knows that they're double-crossing us with the British and Prussians."

"Right… they're really dragging their feet towards here."

"Just suck it up for now. Whether you like it or not, we're under them."

These privateers or pirates supported by their government belong to the Dutch East India company who in this new world not only control Malaysia and Indonesia but many other lands in Asia. Now, they have set their eyes on another land which they heard to be overflowing in riches and opportunities. 

However, they seem to not have been informed that it is also a land that has just come out of a long and bloody civil war and has enough power to turn an entire country to a sea of glass.

"Still, can't we write to Amsterdam that we want them to change our supervising officers?"

"Nah. They'd probably burn that letter before it even reaches Europe. I don't think they'd ever want to get off that high horse of theirs, especially when they have all the perks that they have over here."

"Right, they'd stick to those positions even when they become ghosts."

Having left port a month ago, much of the provisions left in their ships are becoming leaner and leaner not only in their portions but also in their quality. The well-risen bread and well-done beef skewers they used to eat at the start of their journey has turned into rock-hard crackers littered with maggots and salted meat that has begun to smell rancid.

This caused the usual downturn of morale and a rise in the chance of a mutiny starting up, causing some of the ships' officers to look over their shoulder in fear of being assassinated and conversely, the crews have also been fearing that a purge of suspected mutineers would happen soon.

However, neither of these things caused by that atmosphere of distrust and distress is the greatest threat to their lives… for under the rough and dark waves of the sea, a pack of wolves stalking their hapless prey waited patiently for their orders to hunt them down to come.

In the command submarine, the patient admiral of the submarine task force sat on his chair, awaiting a coded call to arrive from back in the mainland.

"It's getting late... Ah-"

"Then I apologize in behalf of the entire upper brass, seaman. But your service is still needed in that console in front of you."

Amidst the silence of the submarine's cabin, even the complaint given by the soldier through a whisper under his breath reached the ears of Ryuusui who immediately gave a cold and pressuring reply wrapped in an sarcastic polite apology.

"I-I'm sorry, sir! I am-"

"Don't turn away from your console just to apologize."

"S-Sir?"

"Get back to your station, dammit!"

The painfully long silence inside the cabin has been going on since they began to shadow the enemy fleet. Although there is no reason at all to stay silent like this because their enemies are using wooden ships-of-the-line that certainly doesn't carry any sonar instruments, they still kept silent, following the standard operating procedures they were trained with.

"Admiral. With all due respect, I believe we should send another radio communication to Kiko that we cannot remain here in the open sea any longer and still have the ability to get back to an allied replenishment base."

"…"

"Our engines and electrical generators only have enough fuel to bring us back to the new submarine base in Okinawa. Remaining any longer in here may end up with us calling this submarine as our grave."

Hearing their captain speak like that caused some of the crew to look shaken. If even he is becoming skeptical of continuing this mission, they knew that the circumstances are dire.

"Calm down, captain. We can still wait for a few hours… and about your concern with fuel running out, I've already contacted the Shogunate to ready a fuel replenishment vessel for us. If push comes to shove, we will surface and await for the allied tanker to arrive with supplies."

"Is that so? I see. Well addressed, sir."

Ryuusui's reply assured the crew that they won't be lying with the fishes deep in the sea. With that, the painful silence returned once again in the cabin… or not. Because beneath his breath, he gave a complaint that was heard by some of the crew members.

"Come on, Nobisuke… what the hell is holding you up over there?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

In the meeting between Kyoko and Nobisuke, the two were in an impasse.

"While it's true that they have come here with the intention of conquest, we are still obliged to reach out to them and only then, to act accordingly."

"I digress, Kusanagi-dono. Right now, we have the element of surprise and it would be a disastrous waste to not use it."

While both agreed that they have to deal with the incoming Dutch armada, they didn't share a plan of action against them.

Kyoko, after having more than her own ideal fill of bloodshed and war, was now advocating for a milder response in contrast to Nobisuke who wanted to sink the armada before they can even sight land.

In truth, her disapproval has nothing to do with whether or not the order to attack the enemy fleet would be given. Officially speaking, the submarines shadowing the armada are from Kiko and are receiving orders from their own homeland. Nobisuke, by using his official position as "Kiko's highest ranking military officer" was to give that order, no one can stop him and he is highly likely to do this no matter the amount of disapproval that he may receive.

However, that is something that only the younger and less mature Nobisuke would do. After hundreds of battles and accumulating not only experience in modern era warfare but also in his personal life, he knew that pushing through with it and acting on his own would bring dire consequences not only to him but also the entire nation that has just come out of a brutal civil war.

As such, the disagreement between the two, although they clearly understand the point and stand of the other, remained and made the finalization of the decision to lag behind… or that was what could've happened if not for the arrival of a certain news that pushed the importance of this decision aside into a quicker conclusion.

"Pardon the intrusion, Kusanagi-sama and Nobisuke-dono… but I have news from Kiko."

"News from Kiko? What could be so important that you would interrupt this meeting?"

"Let him speak first, Nobisuke… Go on."

It was news that was both good and bad.

"Lord Iwasawa Hiroshi has awoke… but the doctors say that he has acquired a certain complication."

"What?!"

"What happened to him!?"

The long journey and all the things that he experienced… now all gone with the wind.

"He has changed. He has no memories of being Iwasawa Hiroshi."