A Den of Demons

"Damn it! DAMN IT ALL!!!"

"Miyazono-kou-sama, I wish you would calm yourself even with this situation upon us…"

"You shut your mouth! You think this is something that we can still hang back with!?"

"…"

"Those two pests made it… They got to the Shogunate capital before we surrounded it! Damn it!!!"

Deep in the mountains of Mikia province in the Northern lands, the news that the entirety of the Central Plains has either been conquered or has turned to the side of the Southern Quartet Alliance turned the usually in-control and viciously conniving master of the Northern Coalition into a fit of rage inside a dark room where he berated his subordinate for stopping him from expressing his anger.

"How is master doing?"

"Terrible, but he's managing it well for now… In any case, we should start this meeting now by ourselves."

"Understood… Everyone, I think you have already heard the news even before you arrived. We have lost our influence in the Central plains, and it is now at the hands of our enemy."

"Hmph! After I have handed much of my slaves to the coalition army too… They better be returned to me if we won't be continuing with the invasion of Yamato province!"

"You shut your trap, Aoyama! Even in such a precarious situation, your only concern is money and your slaves!"

"Hah! Pompous braggarts like you are the ones who needs to watch their mouths, Irido!"

On the other end of the table, a woman smoking from a cigar pipe demanded to have her slaves that was leased to their army back, gaining the ire of a muscular and topless man who exuded the vibe of a veteran warrior.

"Speaking of which… I believe the news already reached your ears now, didn't it, Natsuki?"

"…"

"He's coming for you now that they have pushed their way into the Shogunate capital. With their military capabilities, your precious cash cow land of Kisaragi might become the next Kise province-"

"You seem to be forgetting who is providing the slaves that are keeping your province's narcotics trade alive, Hakata. Isn't that the only thing that are keeping your land fed and your legitimacy to be one of us amongst this table?"

"Tch!"

"What if I pull them out of your province and we see whose land will be the next Kise province?"

"That's enough out of you two!"

The one sitting to the right side of their coalition's leader shouted and hit his fist on the table, shaking the wooden furniture and all that is placed on it.

"Aoyama, Hakata… You two must let go of your rivalry if we are to bounce back from our current predicament. This is not the time nor place for us to be going after our own objectives."

""…""

"It's exactly because we have hooked those selfish and stubborn nobles in the Central Plains with the prospect of finally ridding themselves of the watchful eyes of the Shogunate that they weren't able to form a truly unified front against the Alliance and thus, fell to them one by one… We cannot afford to make the same mistake."

Though the two understood and seemed to agree on what their Coalition master's right-hand man just said, they didn't look any less hostile against the other as they averted their eyes and kept their silence afterwards.

"In any case, what do you propose that we do, Aragami?"

"…I would like to have you ask that to our master… but with him like this right now…"

As the right-hand man spoke to the left-hand man who each flanked their master's chair, they looked to the side and saw his empty seat, and from where they are seated, they can slightly hear his maniacal howling and hollering from the room next door, a sign that he has underwent a mental breakdown again.

"Master cannot possibly last long at this point. Starting from the failed assassination of the Kirin Lord three years ago, he has been on his lowest point mentally to this day."

"Still, we have the obligation to pursue the world that he promised to us. It's one thing to give up on what he is right now after all of the foiled plans that he made… but that doesn't change the fact that we have promised to bring the world he envisioned into reality. We cannot give up on him right now when he is at his lowest, what we have to do instead is to bring him back to his grandeur when we first met him."

"Right… And to do that, we have to do more taboo things."

The eleven provinces of the Northern Coalition have recently come under new leaderships courtesy of Miyazono Keiji who was the mastermind of the act. Using assassinations, slanders and faked peasant revolts, the people that the Shogun trusted to maintain the Northern provinces during his absence either lost their positions or lost their lives.

Now, they are replaced with people working under Miyazono Keiji and his two underlings. It was a strong and dependable alliance, but now, there are only five out of the eleven Daimyos that are supposed to be in attendance.

"Aoyama, Irido, Hakata, Hachifuji, Mutsushio… What do you know about the other six who are not here tonight?"

"It's as we predicted. Most of them are busy hunting down and executing Shogunate Loyalists or the ones who still hasn't given up their power. We don't think they would come to our meetings any sooner."

"And what of the few that aren't in that situation?"

"Probably trying to throw their weight around their new lands in order to show the peasants who is their new leader. I heard Kimura has been forming his own harem out of both noble and peasant girls while Kiyakawa has been turning his people into zealots that are hunting down his political dissenters through a rabid belie in that foreign ideology. The peasantry's shouts of "Burn the infidels!" and "the heavens are with us!" hasn't stopped since then."

"I see… I guess it's not that bad so long as they know what they are doing."

While they are conversing, the door leading to the room next door opened and out of it came out their Coalition's leader who is wiping his bloodstained hands.

"Aoyama, I've had my fun with that "toy". Send me a new one as soon as you find a good replacement."

"As you wish, master…"

After he took his seat and threw away the bloodied cloth that he used to wipe his hands, he proceeded to give one order to all of his subordinates whom he have united through his influence and their interest with the country and world that he described to them years ago.

"I want those two to regret ever being born! They have done more than enough damage to our goals and if we allow them to continue unabated, we may end up being the ones crumbling into defeat… Thus, we have to strike front and center before they consolidate their strengths."

"What do you suggest that we do then, master?"

Ther was a short pause after that was asked from him, but soon, a deranged grin formed on his lips as he chuckled lightly before telling them what he had in mind for their enemies.

"Since both of them love their people way too much, let's use them to our advantage…"

"And that means…?"

"Let's see if the famed Kirin Lord and the beloved Amanogawa Shogun has the guts to order their soldiers to shoot down or stab to death their own citizens…"

As this sick plan of pure cruelty was given, the two people who are in the head of the allied forces met inside a large but relatively plain bedroom in the Shogunate palace.

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

"…Ow!"

"Don't move or I'll stab you with another one if this goes to waste."

After I drew out the needle of the syringe from the vein in his forearm, I quickly covered it with a cotton ball and taped it securely. Being a doctor by trade, it was common for me to do things like this for my patients without any hitches.

"I'm surprised that you know about your father's special intravenous formula. Considering that your talents are in engineering, I found it amusing that you took ACES for Medicine back in our past world."

"It's more like the original Miyazaki Hiro wanted to follow on the steps of his father. In truth, he's actually a medical whiz before the incident that did him in alongside a few of his family. It was only when I replaced him that it changed into a mechanical interest."

"So, you're saying that those snobs in the Genetic Laboratory made a miscalculation, and the inconsistency is that your true interests didn't align?"

"Yep. Although I still continued on with his ACES course and are just as good as he is, my interest is in inventions and engineering. What medical knowledge I have is just a hand-me-down from his memories."

After I put back my tools inside my bag and disposed the needle that I used to inject him with a special IV liquid to help his body to stop deteriorating, a timely knock on the door came and with his nod of approval, I came to open it to let four people come inside the room.

"Esteemed leaders of the Southern Quartet Alliance… I apologize for having us meet like this in an informal chamber. But given my health issues, I must ask for your consideration and wish that this wouldn't be a bother to any of you."

"The state of your health is no mystery to us, Shogun. We have no issues discussing things in your bedchamber if this is the place where you are most comfortable in. You have our consideration and sympathy."

Heading the other three, Kyoko replied after taking her seat on the round table at the foot of his chair. As another one of the allied daimyos, I took my seat too before we proceeded further in our meeting.

"I believe that you have received the espionage and deep recon reports from Endou's men before you came here, yes?"

"We did. I made sure that everyone has read and understood it before we came here."

"I've also made our Allied Intelligence Agency cross examine it and it's about as good as what the Crows and the Special Sparrow Units have in their archives… except for the fact that you supposedly have someone on your side that is directly serving him as a left-hand man."

Both I and Kyoko responded to his question, and I even confessed that his intelligence network surpasses ours as he managed to plant someone who is literally an arm-reach away from Keiji.

"That guy is in deep undercover and can only act as our eyes and ears inside his circle. I can't risk having him dispose of Keiji directly without making him risk death as well."

"Why so? If he agreed to be that deep into the act, why can't he rid us of him and end all of this?"

"It's because even if he landed the left-hand man's position and was given access to many of the surface-level crookedness of their group, that guy isn't as trusted as the right-hand man who deals with the more unsavory wrongdoings of the bastard. I think the first time he accompanied and saw firsthand what Keiji does in wherever he spreads his influence and power."

"And this place is?"

"Mizuki Island, a year ago. He executed the Arakami Pirate Lord before he can escape and probably rat out the involvement of the Northern Coalition in the pirate group's take over of the land. I believe the young lady there knows about this as well as General Shimura, yes?"

"I do and Nobisuke- I mean, General Shimura knows as well. We just didn't know that you also have information about this…"

"It's something that Endou inquired him further before declaring it as official. With him only being able to send reports twice a month since everyone in the group is in tight surveillance, he oftentimes don't get to send us as much information as we need."

"In any case, it's confirmed already that we can safely move our teams into the northern provinces, right?"

After we got into a short segue, Koshiro-kun raised his hand and brought us back to the topic at hand. One of which is the beginning of our guerilla war to slowly take back the provinces north of Yamato province which was taken over by the group led by Miyazono Keiji.

"It is. Endou and his men managed to reassure the confederation of shinobi clans that we once allied ourselves with that we can take back the provinces from the Northern Coalition and give back the lands that I have bestowed to them before."

"And they set up an entry point for our men?"

"It's more than that. They also offered to secure a supply network through the rivers and streams that they are familiar with. I believe that you are familiar with this, Lady Kusanagi and Lord Yamaguchi."

"What do you mean?"

"Kusanagi Kenji and Yamaguchi Hagata, your father and your great uncle respectively, once had a skirmish near what you call as your border today. Being masters of mountain warfare and ambush tactics, General Hagata easily overpowered the Kusanagi forces who had a hard time climbing up the unhospitable faces of the mountains and lacked the know-how on how to properly wage war in such confined spaces."

"I think I learned about this from Ishigawa-san. He said that since he was handling the security of our border with the provinces held by the Satou clan, he wasn't able to join my father and provide his expertise and advice to him."

"Right… Lord Kenji did find a way to get around this though by using the rivers that courses through the mountain valleys during the new moon and transporting thousands of warriors almost to the gates of Yamagata city, the capital of Fuku province."

"And the way father did it is…"

"Bamboo rafts. They're easy to make, reliable for short-distance travel along river currents, and they are silent."

After we deduced what it was that the late Kusanagi lord used to transport his forces, Sora gave his nod of approval, showing that we were right and telling us what the ninja clans that are on our side are offering.

"Correct. And they are a better fit for the job than the boats that you have. After all, past Yamato province, the Megumi River becomes a beast that is rarely tamed by anyone. It's on that wild current of the river that we will have to place our bets on the most… and it only happens during the early morning when the dew from the morning mist reforms into water droplets and joins river water."

"Why so? Why can't we imitate late Lord Kusanagi's tactic of sending his men through the lines in the dead of the night?"

Seemingly confused with the Shogun's mention of riding a wild current, Mitsuha asked that question and was promptly answered by him.

"Because Keiji knows about this thing as well…"

"How so?"

"…I have enough reason to believe that alongside stealing the information about and how to make use of my MK Ultra EX procedure, he also siphoned information about my military and diplomatic exploits since I became the Daimyo of Niijima province. That's why I believe he will be posting hundreds of lookouts by the river at night in order to hinder the tactics that he knows I am used to do in battle."

"A disguised raft at early morning it is then… With that covered, let's move into the issue regarding the possibility of foreign intervention in our war as evidenced by the clues found by both our intelligence groups."

Having finished the discussion about who we will insert our men into the projected battle areas, I mentioned the next focus of the meeting which is something that made all of us concerned about what kind of enemy we will be facing in there.

"Unlike the Tanegashima-pattern muskets and crude imitation of rifled guns in the Southern Triad and the Central plains, the guns that our agents managed to steal from the north closely resembles the guns that both Legion Officer Zettour and Sister Camilla identified to belong to European armories."

"…"

"According to Legion Officer Zettour, they have confirmed that only the Dutch has managed to successfully cross the Pacific Ocean and has been guarding that passageway of theirs tightly in order to monopolize in the route. Because of that, I believe that it wouldn't be wrong to assume that the faction that has attacked and sunk the expeditionary fleet of our foreigner friends has also formed arms trade with our enemies."

"Now that you mentioned it, I remember old man Kurogawa reporting to me that he blacklisted a few ships who docked in Naka harbor a few years ago and started to demand that we form exclusive trade contracts with them. I think those are the Dutch since most of their demands included tax-free trading of spices and cloth."

"Is that so? What did your minister do then?"

"He said the fleet's commander ordered for their ships to bring out the cannons out of the ships' murder holes in some kind of display of military might. Little did they know that a Land Guard turret tower was nearby and as reply to their provocative action just months after the pirate attack at that same place, they riddled the main masts of the ships with holes using their machine guns and hurled firebombs at the decks. The panicked officers ran back to their ships and sailed away never to be seen again."

"Exclusive trade, trading without taxes and even doing something reckless like that in a place that was just devastated by a terror attack… They deserved more."

"In any case. It seems like battling the Northern Coalition would be a bit more troublesome now that they have friends from beyond our borders. Although I want to keep out foreign intervention in this war, it seems like we too have to band together with new friends in the west…"

"Wait… are you saying that-"

"Right… It's a hard decision and it will take a lot of time. But if we are to win and secure the safety and longevity of our country, we need more than just our people's strength. I think you and Rin-chan over here will understand what I am trying to say as we three are Otherworlders… This country cannot survive without being in good terms with its neighbors and even those halfway across the world."

He is right. We cannot repeat what happened historically in our world where in exchange for a stagnant peace, Japan was brought to its knees by a world more advanced than itself and caused more strife later for both its people and those outside of its borders that was affected by its overly-ambitious desires after it finally caught up to the other nations' powers.

"Then who will we be sending? If it was that foreigner man who is serving you, it would be easy. But it seems like he is busy handling the preparations for sending your army into the north."

"You're right in that, Lady Kusanagi. I cannot afford to send Hans back to Europe now when he has found momentum in the task that he took on. Instead, I want to ask Hiroshi if he can convince Sister Camilla to act as our representative to the combined Imperial courts of Britain and Prussia."

"Shogun… It's my fault for not bringing it up, but Sister Camilla has some complicated issue with the nobles of both nations. I think you need to reconsider who to send since she-"

"She was exiled for being the cousin of the British monarch who be used to challenge his reign... Don't worry, I am aware of that, and I plan to make use of it."

"What the-? How did you know about that?!"

"She told me about it when she talked to me and Hans and I already opened up the possibility of us sending her over as our ambassador back then. She said that she wants you to make that decision, and only then will she accept it."

"…I see."

"Well then. I'll let you consider it for now and let's finalize it later. What's most important for us to discuss is what we will be doing once the skirmishes start. Lady Kusanagi, what do you have in mind?"

"Well, to put it simply, it would be hard for all of us to properly just decide on one thing and call it a day. With this war that has no clear battlelines or a single strategy and objective that is uniformly given to all army groups, we have to leave it to the field commanders and officers to decide the day-to-day tactics and what among the opportunities they find out there will they pursue to win against our enemies."

"I understand. Still, the work of disseminating them across the battle areas in order to maximize their effectivity and efficiency is something that we need to do up here in higher command. With that, I ask that we all work together."

Our meeting dragged on for a long time and when we were finished, the long scroll containing a map and a list of instructions was sent to our subordinates who would further refine it for those in the field.

About a month after the liberation of Yamato province, everything seemed to be silent in the border between Yamato province and Mizushino province. Except for the regular patrols of both sides that passes by the border, there was nothing really remarkable to see and this was used by some people to sneak into the place through the river.

"Hey! Who are you people?!"

"We're bamboo cutters! We ran out of them, and we got some from Yamato province!"

"You idiots! What if you got caught?!"

"Them border guards and patrol officers know us! We're just humble bamboo workers!"

"Argh! Don't blame us if you get shot or harassed by them, alright?! You oafs are risking your lives for a few pennies!"

"We know what we're doing!"

"And watch the water current! Megumi river's water has been raging a lot these days!"

"We will! Thanks for the concern!"

Although the security in the border was supposed to be airtight due to the fact that Mizushino province has undergone a transition in leadership into one that goes against the Shogun, the fact that the people of these two provinces has lived next to each other way before their leaders have taken their positions was something that brought this plan into fruition.

"Hey. Aren't there too many of them and their rafts crossing over?"

"Hm? They might have just hauled a lot of bamboo, so they won't have to cross the border again for a while. It's possible that they got a big order too."

"That so? Huh… I guess I don't have to be too cautious. They're just working too."

And because of that, in the first day alone, half a division worth of men was able to cross the border and hide in the forests across the Northern provinces.

"Contact Nadeshiko HQ. Tell them that we're in position and ready to take orders."

"Roger that, sir."

After three weeks, the entire three divisions of men sent all across the eleven provinces has made their camps and are in full operability for the battles ahead of them.

["This is Alliance Chancellor Iwasawa Hiroshi speaking."]

"Sir! Lord Iwasawa is on the common encrypted line!"

"Put it on the speaker!"

["This is Shogun Amanogawa Sora on the line."]

"Captain! The Shogun is on the radiophone!"

"Mm. Let's hear what His Highness has to say."

Although these forces are split in two different command structures as both the Alliance and the Shogunate agreed that consolidating their military would take too much time, they do share the same objective and operational procedure as evidenced by the same speech given by the Hiroshi and Sora.

["It's been a year since we have begun this war. And though we have defeated their underlings in the Central Plains, we are yet to truly declare that we have won."]

["We still have enemies in the place that we once called home. People who have mercilessly fooled the populace into believing that the noble dream that we have shared for the betterment of this country is not worth pursuing and thus, shall be disposed of."]

["But we know better. We know that they are heartless monsters who have brought nothing but ruin in the places where they set their eyes on and blight everyone that they fool into believing that the future we envision hand-in-hand is not worth pursuing."]

["And to this-"]

["We say-"]

[""They should all burn in hell!""]

The growling tone of both of their leaders as they said those words at the same time towards different groups of soldiers sent shivers down everyone's spines.

["This country and its people do not share your sense of pessimism and submission to a senseless life and its cruel hedonism. This country may have faced countless eras worth of pain and suffering, but it is still a country of faith, hope and adoration. This is not a place where you and your rotten beliefs belong."]

["And thus-"]

["As the Kirin Lord and the Chancellor of the Southern Quartet Alliance…"]

["As the Shogun of the Amanogawa Bakufu and the True Leader of the Northern Coalition…"]

The declaration of the final arc of this story has been sealed.

[""I choose to declare war upon the beasts who has enslaved the people of this country under their false pretenses and destructive beliefs!""]

And on the other side of this war, the thundering voice of a man who should've already died in the past world echoed in the freezing chambers of the castle that he has stolen from its rightful owner.

"I WILL SLAUGHTER ALL OF YOU! NONE OF YOU WILL EVER STOP ME AGAIN!!!"