CHAPTER 319: ENTERING THE PRELIMINARY ROUND

 

Amane-kyo’s eastern gate.

Although the sun had yet to fully rise, the plaza before the gate was already packed with people.

Warriors.

Warriors.

And more warriors.

Swordsmen, spearmen, archers, and martial artists.

Their number—256.

Every last one of them was a participant in the Shurasaki Festival Martial Tournament. In just a few minutes, the gate would open, and they would all set foot upon the tournament grounds—the Battlefield of Scattered Blossoms.

「Now this is quite a sight.」

I couldn’t help but mutter aloud.

Not all of them were necessarily strong.

But at the very least, every person standing there had devoted their life to the martial path.

The air around them felt different.

It was taut with tension and restless anticipation, yet somehow bright and cheerful at the same time.

They were like children waiting for a festival to begin.

「Mm. Everyone looks like they’re having fun.」

It seemed Kinu had sensed the same thing beside me.

She didn’t even need to read their emotions to tell.

Anticipation outweighed fear.

Excitement outweighed anxiety.

The warriors gathered here intended to enjoy the contest itself, regardless of whether they won or lost.

That’s how Bukyo’s people are.

「Aun, I will make my way to the front.」

The one who called out to me was Zen.

His cherished sword hung at his waist.

And, as always, the white tiger Mi-chan stood beside him.

Heading to the front must have been part of some plan or strategy of his.

Right after Zen left, a loud voice rang out from behind me.

「Well, well! So you’re the grandson of the 【War God】?」

I turned around to find an enormous man standing over two meters tall.

「Onigawara Gantetsu, was it?」

「That’s right! Out of everyone here, you’re the one I wanna fight the most!」

「What a coincidence. I was thinking the same thing.」

「Gahahahaha!! Then it’s settled! I don’t wanna wait until the main tournament, but it’d be no fun with too many people getting in the way! I’ll put some distance between us at the start, but the moment I find you, I’m attacking—so be ready!」

The guy sure knew how to laugh his head off first thing in the morning.

The surrounding participants looked at him in annoyance, but he couldn’t have cared less.

「Yeah, I’ll be looking forward to it.」

Gantetsu nodded in satisfaction upon hearing my reply, then headed in the same direction as Zen.

There was no way the Shurasaki Festival preliminaries were going to begin quietly.

Many participants were already clustering around those considered favorites to win, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

More than a few were also keeping a close eye on me from a careful distance.

Thanks to Gantetsu, it seemed word of who I was had spread through the crowd.

Well, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

――RUMMMMMBLE…

Right on schedule, a sound like the rumbling of the earth echoed through the plaza.

At once, every participant turned their gaze forward.

The enormous gate leading to the Battlefield of Scattered Blossoms slowly opened its maw.

Beyond it lay—White Mist Basin.

A wasteland stretched as far as the eye could see, with the crumbling ruins of a fort appearing tiny in the distance.

Most striking of all was the white morning mist hanging over the entire basin.

It looked as though the breath of the dead had blanketed the earth.

「…So this is the Battlefield of Scattered Blossoms.」

I couldn’t help but hold my breath.

It was like an entirely different world.

「Hey, look at him…」

Someone muttered.

I followed their gaze.

The participants were naturally parting to open a path.

A lone man walked through it.

Two katana hung at his waist.

「…………」

No one spoke to him.

No one approached him.

Paying no heed whatsoever to those around him, the man stopped a few steps ahead of me.

「Hozuki Retsuma…」

Someone murmured his name.

There was definitely something special about this man.

It felt as though he had already reached the pinnacle of concentration, and there wasn’t the slightest opening in his guard.

Even his back seemed to say, Go ahead. Attack me right now.

As I considered that, a military officer appeared atop the raised platform ahead of us.

「Contestants!!」

His booming voice reverberated deep in my gut.

The gazes of all 256 participants naturally converged upon him.

「The preliminary round of the Shurasaki Festival Martial Tournament now begins!」

A roar of cheers erupted.

The officer raised an Oni Tag above his head.

「The rules are as you have already been told! Gather five Oni Tags and return to the eastern gate!」

The cheers swelled even louder.

No one was afraid.

No one hung their head.

Not a single one of them wore the expression of someone about to enter a battlefield where their life would be at stake.

「Thirty-two contestants will advance! Only the strong shall proceed to the main tournament!!」

The strong.

Those two words sent the excitement around me soaring even higher.

「Now then, contestants—」

The officer swept his right hand downward.

「May fortune favor you in battle!! Enter the Battlefield of Scattered Blossoms!!」

At that instant, every warrior charged forward at once.

At long last, the Shurasaki Festival was beginning.

Ten minutes from now, when the bell rang out, the curtain on the battle would finally—rise.