BOOK ELEVEN　DOKUTO THE BASILISK

■　■

When the land was in chaos, during the Age of Warring States.

Long, long ago.

In a place called Tango.

Deep in the mountains, a far cry from the Capital, a young warrior stood all alone, swinging a sword with total focus.1

Fit and muscular.

His sword, too, had the gleam of a fine piece.

The young warrior was silent, swinging his blade again and again─if you looked closely, it appeared that he was trying to slash the leaves as they fell from the trees around him. A worthy effort if there ever was one─however, the warrior was unable to successfully cut through even a single leaf.

The word practice is far too gentle to suffice.

Same goes for the word training.

This was different─this was religious.2

In this chaotic era, when there was always a battle being waged somewhere in the world─the warrior had chosen to retreat into solitude, so he could focus exclusively on honing his own skills, deep in the mountains where no one could distract him.

Call it discipline─or call it irresponsible.

“So rudimentary.”3

In these mountains where no one could distract him─a man approached the warrior.

Out of nowhere.

Suddenly behind him, the man casually addressed the warrior, as if they had known one another for a dozen years.

“This is child’s play─it’s a wonder you can even swing a sword.”

“…”

The warrior did not turn around.

And just continued swinging his sword, as if he had not heard or noticed him.

When the warrior did not turn, the man did not appear concerned.

“Let’s put it this way,” he continued. “You’re a tenderfoot4─when it comes to swordplay. I’ll go ahead and say you have no talent whatsoever. You have no aptitude; your form is awful…and worst of all, I don’t think you have the guts5 to kill.”

“…”

The warrior would not turn around.

“You could cut through thousands upon thousands of those leaves, but it would never make you any stronger─if you want to make any progress as a swordsman, you’ll need to start by cutting people down. The sword is a weapon. Meant to kill. Which is why a swordsman must kill at least three hundred─before he even calls himself a novice.6 And here you are,” the man said, “unable to cut a single leaf.”

The warrior registered no reaction.

By now the man was getting fed up.7

“When I heard there was a promising young warrior hiding in the mountains, devoted day and night to honing his abilities, I trekked far afield from the Capital, despite my busy schedule─and what do I find but a runt like you─ugh. I must be losing my edge8─ramping things up from my masterworks to my magnum opus has got me acting hastily, out of character.”

“Masterworks? Magnum Opus?”

When the man stiffly9 scratched his head and twisted his torso─the warrior stopped swinging his sword and turned around, as if the man had finally caught his interest.

Who was this guy?

Dressed in light clothes hardly fit for a hike deep into the mountains, he carried almost nothing on his person.

The warrior glanced down at his sword.

He knew not why this man was here─if he could be trusted, he was simply here to visit him─but if they came to blows, the warrior was the one armed with a sword, which gave him the advantage.

Thus was his judgment of the circumstances.

And as if reading the young warrior’s mind─

“Give up, tenderfoot.”

The man told him who was boss.

“Every sword across the land is on my side─nay, every sword across the land is working under me. Your pitiful ineptitude aside, that sword would never lay a scratch on me.”

“What’s this about your masterworks and magnum opus?” the warrior asked, ignoring the man’s comment.

Glaring at the man.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like─what part don’t you understand? I guess for a novice such as yourself, my masterworks are way out of your league, not to mention my magnum opus.”

“I’m well aware that my swordplay has a long way to go,” the warrior said. “That’s why I’m out here, training like crazy.”

“Like crazy? While I commend your dedication─you better hurry, tenderfoot. Pretty soon─the wars will pass you by.”

“Huh?”

“Not like you would have a clue, shut off from the world out in these mountains─but the conditions10 out there have changed considerably from what you used to know.”

“Who cares about conditions.”

“Excuse me?”

“My only interest is honing my abilities─taking my study of swordplay to the extreme. Whether this be an age of war or peace has no influence on my path.”

“Hahaha.”

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, though I must say your dedication truly is commendable─and on top of that, I’m quite taken by your disinterest in the happenings of the world. I almost thought I was wasting my time…but I guess this means you pass the test, however barely,” said the man. “To be honest, I have no interest in the world myself─if anything, I prefer to dabble in a little thing called history, in the broad scheme of which the things that we refer to as society or the world are merely a façade,11 strictly the surface.”

“History? Huh?”

The warrior frowned.

“What the heck─I’ve barely understood a word you’ve said since you arrived. You some kind of megalomaniac12 or what?”

“That accusation is not entirely mistaken─to most people out there, I suppose I am. Which is precisely why I must keep up the fight─though things are sure to go wrong soon enough. Blame a lack of access to materials─but nothing I can do about that.”

“Materials?”

“That’s right. Without materials, how’s a guy supposed to make his swords? Now, where was I? I’d say you passed, though barely squeaking by. Or wait, you wanted to know what I meant about my masterworks and magnum opus?”

“Not necessarily.”

The warrior shook his head, as if developing a distaste for the man’s elusive manner of speaking, which grew more puzzling the more they spoke. Perhaps he was regretting he had ever turned around.

“At this point, I could care less─would you please let me be? I have a lot of things I gotta do. I haven’t crossed off13 half of my program for the day.”

“By program, are you referring to your ineffectual training regimen? It’s like I told you, tenderfoot─if you want to progress as a swordsman, you need to start by cutting people down.”

“Kill at least three hundred─before I call myself a novice?” the warrior asked the man, who seemed ready to repeat himself. “You make it sound like you’re a role model14… If I want to be a model of a man, how many do I have to kill?”

“Hard to say. These days, I’m not sure we have any model swordsmen to point to…just a bunch of third-rate chumps who can’t handle the swords I make.”

“The swords─you make?”

“Huh? Didn’t I just say that?” the man asked.

Grandiloquent in tone.

“I’m not a swordsman─I’m a swordsmith.”

“S-Swordsmith?”

“I used to be a fortuneteller,15 but it stopped paying the bills─enough about me, though. Let’s talk about you, tenderfoot. I’m going to see to it that your painful efforts come to fruition.16 That said, it’s up to you whether your roots take hold,17 Kazune Yasuri─”

This was a few centuries ago.

When the land was in chaos, during the Age of Warring States.

Long, long ago.

Thus was the advent of the relationship between Kazune Yasuri, who would go on to establish the Kyotoryu─and Kiki Shikizaki, who at this point was already a living legend.

■　■

And Shichika Yasuri put it into practice.

Their quest for the Twelve Possessed of legendary swordsmith Kiki Shikizaki─the Sword Hunt launched at the beginning of the year, is passing through its latter stages, fast approaching denouement.18

Zetto the Leveler, check! Zanto the Razor, check! Sento the Legion, check!

Hakuto the Whisper, check! Zokuto the Armor, check! Soto the Twin, check!

Akuto the Eel, check! Bito the Sundial, check! Oto the Cured, check!

Seito the Garland, check!

Among the Twelve Possessed─two remain!

Dokuto the Basilisk!

Ento the Bead!

This late in the game, no need for declarations or fanfare!

Let’s unroll the scroll of this war of katanas!

This sanguinary, slipshod period piece!

Book Eleven of the Sword Tale ♪

1 一心不乱 ISSHIN FURAN “one heart, undisturbed”

2 修行 SHUGYŌ monastic asceticism

3 ちょろい CHOROI weak, easily defeated

4 小僧 KOZŌ “little monk” child

5 気概 KIGAI spirit, mettle

6 半人前 HAN’NIN MAE “half a person” beginner

7 鼻白んだ HANAJIRONDA “white-nosed” (from lack of blood) scrunching one’s nose to show displeasure

8 焼きが回った YAKI GA MAWATTA overheating (a sword) during quenching; declining in acuity (with age)

9 ぼりぼり BORI BORI onomatopoeia for cracking or abrasion

10 戦況 SENKYŌ war situation

11 上澄み UWAZUMI the clear uppermost portion of a liquid in which any solids have begun to settle

12 誇大妄想狂 KODAIMŌSŌKYŌ “madness of exaggerated hallucinations”

13 消化 SHŌKA digest (food); meet (quota)

14 一人前 ICHININ MAE “full person” a grownup; a pro

15 占い師 URANAISHI augurer by trade

16 花実を咲かす HANAMI WO SAKASU “bear flower and fruit” allusion to 七花 SHICHIKA “Seventh Flower” and 七実 NANAMI “Seventh Fruit”

17 根っこ NEKKO radicle (of a plant) allusion to 一根 KAZUNE “First Root”

18 最終段階 SAISHŪ DANKAI “final steps”

■　■

Shichika Yasuri, Seventh Master of the Kyotoryu.

Turning twenty-four this year.

Yet of his twenty-four years, he remembered little of the first four─not like he was unable to recall, not like he had forgotten; he had simply not retained the details.

For Shichika, life began on a certain desert island, nominally part of Tango.

Around twenty years earlier─when his father, Mutsue Yasuri, Sixth Master of the Kyotoryu, found himself banished to the place that they would later call Haphazard Island, Shichika and his older sister, Nanami Yasuri, were dragged along.

That was the day his life began.

The precepts of the Kyotoryu─and battle.

On rainy days and windy days and snowy days and stormy days─these things were hammered into him, through personal instruction from his father.

The Kyotoryu.

The swordless school of swordplay, forsaking every type of blade.

A discipline1 in which the body is treated like a sword and honed to a keen edge─in the confines of that desert island, Shichika was raised to be the Seventh Master.

The late Rebellion.

Spurred by Takahito Hida, Kaoyaku of Oshu, this was essentially the only battle to take place during this age of peace and order─the conflict quelled by his late father, once dubbed a hero of the war, by whom Shichika was trained morning, noon, and night.

Training so much he had no time to think of anything else.

As a result, even in the years following those first four, where his memory began, it was as if his life as such was nil.2

Training, training, and more training.

None of the things which normally make up a life.

Special mention should be made here of the genius on the sidelines of this lifestyle that was not what most would call a life─for Shichika had a sister, three years older, named Nanami Yasuri, who was a monster of a genius, or perhaps a genius of a monster, and whose constant presence must have impacted his personality immensely.

If Shichika was made of effort, then Nanami was made of genius.

The Hero of the Rebellion, Mutsue Yasuri, feared her genius so much that he chose Shichika, not Nanami, to be the Seventh Master of the Kyotoryu─and when Shichika came to realize this had happened, his heart of hearts was anything but serene.

Yet the difference in skill between Nanami and Shichika was beyond absolute.

This way of life lasted for nineteen years.

Continuing for nineteen years─uneventfully and dependably.3

Shichika Yasuri, Mutsue Yasuri, and Nanami Yasuri all adapted to this lifestyle, as if it were perfectly natural─for Shichika, being coached by his father came more naturally than breathing; while for Mutsue, coaching his son came more naturally than breathing; and for Nanami, secretly watching the both of them came more naturally than breathing─all three of them, the hero and the next master and the genius, took for granted that this lifestyle would go on for another nineteen years, and another nineteen after that, ad infinitum. But just then.4

Something happened.

Mutsue Yasuri realized that Nanami Yasuri’s genius, or genius capacity, was developing even further─although he only realized due to Shichika’s lack of discretion.

Nanami made no effort to hide her genius from her hard-working younger brother─one might call this an uncharacteristic indiscretion on her part as well, though she was caught totally unawares. Why would she expect her genius to be sufficient reason─for her father to attempt to murder5 his own daughter?

One night.

When Nanami was fast asleep, Mutsue tried to strangle her to death, without relying on the Kyotoryu─and when Shichika realized what was happening, he killed his father to save Nanami.

It was a fight between the Kyotoryu.

His genius sister made no attempt to intervene6─watching the two of them battle in the same manner she had always watched them practice.

Simply watching.

Though lauded as Hero of the Rebellion, at this point Mutsue was past his prime7─and by the age of twenty-three, Shichika Yasuri had already surpassed his father, both in brute force and in repertoire.

Hence─Shichika managed to kill Mutsue.

Thus, through this abnormal sequence of events, Mutsue Yasuri lost his life, and in the process Shichika succeeded him as Seventh Master of the Kyotoryu.

Their life as a family of three on that desert island became a life shared between siblings.

With the death of Mutsue Yasuri, the one who had been banished here a criminal, Shichika and Nanami had no reason to remain there on the island─but like their father, the two of them were resolved to live out their lives8 on Haphazard Island.

Especially Shichika─who chose to suffer the same fate as the Kyotoryu, and turn to rust.

For him, there was no other option.

Lacking the war record of his father or the genius of his sister─he had nothing but the Kyotoryu.

“Listen, Shichika.”

At some point or another, his sister Nanami gave it to him straight.

“To be perfectly honest, I think you’re a fool─to waste your time working so hard. I respect effort itself. You and Dad working so hard, like it was nothing, is something I instinctively9 admire. That’s why I can’t sit back and watch effort going to waste. It’s too much.”

Shichika talked back to her.

Defiant for a change.

“If I’m wasting my effort, aren’t you wasting your genius, sis?”

The turning point came one year later.

In the first moon10 of the following year.

Haphazard Island─so small it was not even listed on the map, enjoyed its first new visitor in quite some time.

Bedizened in two dozen layers of brash and brilliant finery.

White hair the likes of which they’d never seen, completely without pigment.11

Armed─with a sword.

The first real sword that Shichika, though swordsman he may be, had seen in all his life. In actuality, it was extremely rare for this woman to wear a sword─that was how frantic she was feeling; though at the time, Shichika had no way of knowing this.

The woman said that she had come to Haphazard Island seeking Mutsue.

When Shichika said his father was dead and introduced himself as the present master, the woman didn’t skip a beat.

“I see,” she said. “You have a nice build. You’re in good shape. I’d say you pass muster.”

She continued.

“My business remains with the master of your school. Which means, young master, that my business with your father is now with you─”

The woman introduced herself as Togame the Schemer. Grand Commander of Arms of the Yanari Shogunate Military Directorate, Owari Bakufu─being her full title.

She came here on a sword hunt.

In plain terms, that was the business she referred to.

The legendary swordsmith Kiki Shikizaki had effectively reigned over the Age of Warring States─and the swords that he created were called the Mutant Blades.

One thousand in total.

Among which the Owari Bakufu currently held nine hundred and eighty-eight.

Which left twelve Mutant Blades.

Yet these twelve swords were more than a handful.

Zetto the Leveler.

Zanto the Razor.

Sento the Legion.

Hakuto the Whisper.

Zokuto the Armor.

Soto the Twin.

Akuto the Eel.

Bito the Sundial.

Oto the Cured.

Seito the Garland.

Dokuto the Basilisk.

Ento the Bead.

These were the most sophisticated, refined, and masterfully designed of all the Mutant Blades produced by Kiki Shikizaki─twelve swords.

The Twelve Possessed, his masterworks.

The swords not even the first leader to unite the nation─the Old Shogun, as he is known today, had been able to collect, for all his might. The nine hundred and eighty-eight Mutant Blades currently held by the Owari Bakufu represented the total of what the Old Shogun managed to capture─but these last twelve evaded even him.

Togame the Schemer asked12 the Kyotoryu to round up these twelve swords for her.

To justify why she would launch this risky sword hunt now, amid these times of peace and order, with the late Rebellion only a faint memory─the Schemer offered a variety of reasons, but Shichika failed to grasp the logic of her explanation.

Or rather, the very concept of logic was beyond him─

He wasn’t really interested.

Brought up on that desert island, Shichika was a mellow guy.

Little of what the Schemer told him sank in13─or, rather, perhaps some of it sank in, but not enough to make him want to leave the island.

What got through to Shichika was not the words Togame the Schemer used─but her heart.

That was enough to make him leave the island.

The Kyotoryu, swept into a corner of history in this age of peace and order─was able to go back into the world.

The trajectory of their Sword Hunt for the Twelve Possessed was not without its unwelcome surprises─but they had managed to round up one sword after another.

In the first moon, Zetto the Leveler.

Wresting the hardest sword in all the world, Zetto the Leveler, from Komori Maniwa, one of the Twelve Bosses of the Maniwa Ninja Clan, who had come to Haphazard Island seeking information on the Sword Hunt from Togame the Schemer.

In the second moon, Zanto the Razor.

Wresting the sharpest sword in all the world, Zanto the Razor, from Ginkaku Uneri, a master of iainuki, who was holed up in a room of Gekoku Castle, the only person who insisted on living in the harsh climate of Inaba Desert.

In the third moon, Sento the Legion.

Wresting the most myriad sword in all the world, Sento the Legion, from Meisai Tsuruga, Mistress of Triad Shrine in Izumo, who looked after the thousand Kuromiko and practiced the Sentoryu, in some ways the polar opposite of the Kyotoryu.

In the fourth moon, Hakuto the Whisper.

Wresting the frailest sword in all the world, Hakuto the Whisper, from Hakuhei Sabi, the Fallen Swordsman, who lost the cherished title Strongest Swordsman in Japan on Ganryu Island in Suo, a holy site where once a man bearing a greatsword and another bearing two fought what has since been called a holy battle.

In the fifth moon, Zokuto the Armor.

Winning a one-on-one match14 against Kanara Azekura, one of the pirates based out of Dakuon Harbor in Satsuma, from whom they wrested the toughest sword in all the world, Zokuto the Armor.

In the sixth moon, Soto the Twin.

Wresting the heaviest sword in all the world, Soto the Twin, from Konayuki Itezora─a girl of monstrous strength, and sole survivor of the Itezora Clan, who once populated the Level One Disaster Area of Mt. Odori in Ezo.

In the seventh moon, Akuto the Eel.

Wresting the wickedest sword in all the world, Akuto the Eel, from the genius Nanami Yasuri, who had left Haphazard Island in pursuit of Shichika and fell to him at Seiryoin Gokenji Temple in Tosa, one of the holy sites for swordsmen, alongside Ganryu Island, and shelter of the Katana Buddha, wielded as a pretext by the Old Shogun in his sword hunt.

In the eighth moon, Bito the Sundial.

Wresting the most humanoid sword in all the world, Bito the Sundial, from the mechanical sentry known as Skytron, who patrolled15 Lake Fuyo in Edo, a Level One Disaster Area like Mt. Odori in Ezo, thus capturing Skytron itself, for this owner of the Twelve Possessed was both robot and katana.

In the ninth moon, Oto the Cured.

Wresting the most innocuous sword in all the world, Oto the Cured, from Zanki Kiguchi, the embodiment of solemnity, and the Twelfth Master of the Heartland School, a discipline of swordplay intent on giving life that had been handed down for generations in Shogi Village─the holy land of shogi players─in Tendo, in Dewa.

In the tenth moon, Seito the Garland.

Wresting the sincerest sword in all the world from Rinne Higaki, a hermit magus and acquaintance of Kiki Shikizaki, in Mutsu, Oshu─at Hyakkeijo, the site of Hida Castle, where Takahito Hida, the Kaoyaku of Oshu, once resided with his family, and where almost everyone associated with him had been put to death.

Ten swords in total.

Though suffering vicissitudes─they had captured ten of the Twelve Possessed.

Accessing knowledge.

Accessing feelings.

Though prepared for the worst, their journey was proceeding steadily.

Granted,16 a few concerns remained.

For one thing, the Maniwa Ninja Clan, that band of expert assassins who were conducting a sword hunt of their own.

For another, Princess Negative, sworn enemy of Togame the Schemer and Inspector General of the Yanari Shogunate, Owari Bakufu, along with her confidant, Lieutenant Emonzaemon Soda.

And then the lessons─of Oto the Cured and Seito the Garland.

What they had learned through rounding up these two swords reshaped17 their entire concept of the Sword Hunt going forward─not to say their impression of the Sword Hunt as experienced thus far.

Two swords remained.

Dokuto the Basilisk.

Ento the Bead.

In both cases, Shichika expected to discover them in little time at all─an assumption that the Schemer might deride as being overly optimistic. Nevertheless, he had been thinking about what would happen after the Sword Hunt ended. He had been thinking of this all along─but recently the thoughts had drastically increased in frequency.

The end of a journey.

When his journey with the Schemer was over─what would he do with himself, when he was no longer her sword?

What would become of him?

What would Togame the Schemer─do with him?

The Schemer had enlisted the Kyotoryu for the duration of the Sword Hunt─but what use would she have for the Kyotoryu when it was over?

He didn’t know.

Or rather, didn’t want to know.

He didn’t want to think about it.

Reason being: for Togame the Schemer, the Kyotoryu was inextricable from Mutsue Yasuri, Shichika’s father and Hero of the Rebellion, who murdered her own father, Takahito Hida, the Kaoyaku of Oshu─and that made it the bane of her existence.18

■　■

“Don’t ask me,” Togame the Schemer, Grand Commander of Arms of the Yanari Shogunate Military Directorate, Owari Bakufu, replied─with a shrug of consternation, to Shichika Yasuri, Seventh Master of the Kyotoryu.

They were in Dewa, staying at an inn.

In a room on the second floor.

Sitting, facing one another, across a futon unrolled in the middle of the room upon which lay─

A boy.

Sleeping soundly─or perhaps more aptly, sleeping so heavily19 he almost looked like he was dead.

He was alive, however barely.

But from the looks of him, you would have thought that he was dead.

“If this kid can be trusted─we can’t stay here forever. Since he was not mortally wounded,20 he’ll probably recover. We should depart as soon as possible.”

“Yeah,” Shichika nodded. “I’m not sure how I feel21 about that─it feels real fishy.22 It could easily be yet another trap.”

“True, considering who he is, that’s not out of the question.”

“I had my doubts about this from the start.”

Shichika pointed at the boy sleeping between them.

“Could this kid─really be a Maniwac?”

“I’ll vouch for that,” Togame told him, nodding. “He’s one of the Twelve Bosses of the Maniwa Ninja Clan─Pengin Maniwa, of Fish Unit. He and I have met before. I’m positive… Of the Twelve Bosses, he was feared more than any other, next to Hohoh Maniwa.”

“This little guy? Hard to see it, from the looks of him.”

“I don’t know anything about his ninpo. Though by one account,23 it is said to surpass even that of Hohoh─hmm.”

“Is that right…”

Even with this confirmation from Togame, Shichika was skeptical.

Then again, if it was true─

That fearsome ninja─in his current state and physical condition?

It was scary enough on its own.

If the story this kid Pengin Maniwa had given them was true─

“…”

This had begun the previous month.

On the road home from Hyakkeijo, the site of Hida Castle in Mutsu, Oshu, where they received Seito the Garland from the hermit magus known as Rinne Higaki.

The road home─to Owari.

It happened after crossing over from Mutsu into Dewa.

Pengin Maniwa was lying facedown in the road ahead of them.

When Shichika sat him up, they realized Pengin had been slashed across the chest. An outrageous wound which could easily have proven fatal24─though miraculously, the slash had missed his vital organs.

This was no normal gash.

But before Shichika had a chance to realize that this boy’s appearance─his sleeveless ninja garb, the chains wrapped around his body, signified a particular allegiance; and before Togame the Schemer realized the boy was in fact Pengin Maniwa─he told them something.

“Please help Hohoh.”

And with that─Pengin lost consciousness.

As goes without saying, Togame the Schemer and the Maniwa were bitter rivals─though they had been the first party whom she called upon to join the Sword Hunt she had personally planned and devised.

A Maniwa Boss by the name of Komori Maniwa, her partner for a time, had done a splendid job of rounding up Zetto the Leveler, only to betray her forthwith.25

As a result, Togame had found herself in quite the fix26─and when she was betrayed again, this time by Hakuhei Sabi, back then the Strongest Swordsman in Japan, it only added insult to the injury of the betrayal of the Maniwa.

Togame had a tendency, which Shichika had witnessed time and again, to lose her cool the second she beheld a Maniwa Boss. He would have thought the boy’s affiliation with the Maniwa would be enough for her to refuse to help him in the first place─

But after all, he was only a boy.

And had been seriously wounded.

Unable to care for or fend for himself.

In the end, she decided to forego their plan to return to Owari, instead stopping at a nearby inn─when they carried the savaged body of the boy inside, the innkeeper protested,27 but Togame shut him up with money.

She was not the type of person who thought twice28 before exercising her powers.

As they waited for Pengin to recover─the calendar flipped.

From the tenth moon into the eleventh.

“Listen, Togame. I know the doctor said there’s no reason to worry about the wounds themselves─but I’m concerned about how slowly he’s recovering. He can only speak for a few moments each day─and when he does, he stumbles over his words.”

“He always talks like that,” Togame said, glancing down at Pengin Maniwa as he slept. “Evidently his ninpo is too strong for even him to handle─hence his sickly appearance, and a personality unlikely for a ninja.”

“Pretty thorough.”

“Komori told me.”

Togame sighed and sprang to her feet.

“Come on, we can’t stick around here forever─after what Pengin shared with us today, I think I can connect the dots. I know that this is only a hypothesis, and I can’t deny the possibility that this might be a trap, just like you said─but you and I are out here on a Sword Hunt. If Hohoh Maniwa has Dokuto the Basilisk, one of the Twelve Possessed of Kiki Shikizaki, we have no choice but to go and capture it. Way safer bet than getting wrapped up in some complicated dealing.”

“What do we do about the kid?” Shichika stood, following Togame, but pointed back at Pengin. “Are we just gonna leave him here?”

“Dokuto the Basilisk seems to have many characteristics─but apparently the blade itself is laden with venom. Doubtlessly to blame for his most sluggish recovery. Therefore, I see no problem leaving him behind─if he is able to get up, we will be well enough ahead of him that he could never catch us anyway. We’ve heard all we needed to hear. He is no longer our responsibility. Besides,” added Togame, “I doubt the innkeeper would be so heartless as to give a child like him the boot.”

With that, Togame prepared for their departure.

Doffing29 all two dozen layers of brash and brilliant finery, and donning30 two dozen different layers of brash and brilliant finery.

Changing from her loungewear into her travel clothes.

Ever since Shichika’s sister Nanami cropped Togame’s hair short at the shoulders, freshening her look, the time it took for her to change her outfits had reduced considerably. As he helped her change (while doubting somewhat whether changing clothes was really necessary), Shichika continued.

“That’s not what I meant. After all, he is one of those hateful Maniwacs… Shouldn’t I finish him off or something?”

“You mean kill him?”

Though not changing her tone or facial expression, Togame took the opportunity to recast Shichika’s chosen euphemism31 in direct language.

“Take it easy, Shichika. The Maniwa certainly are hateful─I’m not about to condone their betrayal, but why murder this one for no reason? I’m not so violent as all that.”

“Okay…I guess we can leave him.”

“Pengin Maniwa may have the most fearsome ninpo out of all the bosses─but given the circumstances, there is no need to kill him off. Why not do them a favor instead, and reap the benefits?32 They may not thank us for our generosity,33 but we’ll make sure they owe us one. They can repay us later, though it might not be until after the Sword Hunt is over. This little ninja is far more useful34 to us alive.”

“Useful, huh.”

After the Sword Hunt─

This casual remark from Togame snagged Shichika by the heart─and though she may or may not have guessed what Shichika was feeling, she did a hair toss, making that bob look like it had been her style all along.

“Alright, let’s head along to Iga,” Togame announced. “It’s time we paid a visit to New Maniwa─where Hohoh Maniwa headed when he went berserk.”35

1 流派 RYŪHA sect, school

2 あってない ATTE NAI here, but not

3 単調に 順調に TANCHŌ NI JUNCHŌ NI simple rhythm steady rhythm

4 矢先 YASAKI turning point (literally, “arrowhead”)

5 手にかけようと TE NI KAKEYŌ TO try to kill (with own two hands)

6 手を出さず TE WO DASAZU not reaching out a hand

7 全盛期 ZENSEIKI “full-flourishing era”

8 骨を埋める HONE WO UZUMERU “bury one’s bones” often used to express dedication

9 生まれつき UMARETSUKI “by dint of/since birth”

10 睦月 MUTSUKI first month in the Japanese lunar calendar

11 色素 SHIKISO “color element”

12 依頼 IRAI request (a service)

13 届く TODOKU arrive, reach

14 一騎打ち IKKI UCHI duel, vs. a battle between groups

15 守護 SHUGO protect, as a guardian

16 むろん MURON inarguably

17 塗り替え NURIKAE repaint (a map)

18 憎き刀 NIKUKI KATANA “hated sword”

19 ぐっすり ぐったり GUSSURI GUTTARI onomatopoeia for pleasant sleep vs. exhaustion

20 命に別状はない INOCHI NI BETSUJŌ WA NAI no adverse threat to life

21 半信半疑 HANSHIN HANGI “half believing, half doubting”

22 嘘臭い USO KUSAI “stinking of lies”

23 一説 ISSETSU one theory

24 致命傷 CHIMEISHŌ mortal injury

25 直後 CHOKUGO immediately afterwards

26 窮地 KYŪCHI “place of suffering”

27 難色を示した NANSHOKU WO SHIMESHITA “showed troubled colors”

28 ためらいを覚えない TAMERAI WO OBOENAI not experience hesitation

29 脱いで NUIDE taking off

30 着る KIRU put on 着物 KIMONO “thing one wears”

31 遠回し TŌMAWASHI roundabout (expression)

32 恩を売る ON WO URU “peddle favors” an act of kindness performed transactionally

33 恩を感じぬ ON WO KANJINU not feel emotionally indebted

34 利用価値 RIYŌ KACHI “utility value”

35 乱心 RANSHIN “chaotic heart” lose one’s wits

■　■

Luckily, there aren’t so many characters to review.

First off.

Our very own Togame the Schemer.

Grand Commander of Arms of the Yanari Shogunate Military Directorate, Owari Bakufu.

She-devil of the bakufu, whose real name and personal history were unknown.

The whitehaired woman always dressed in brash and brilliant finery.

Though the truth2─which, if discovered, would have put her life in danger, was that she was the daughter of Takahito Hida, Kaoyaku of Oshu, and Mastermind of the Rebellion.

In the hopes of taking down the enemy of her father, who lost his life in the Rebellion, she devoted her body and soul to the Owari Bakufu she resented.

Making a name for herself, climbing the ranks.

Her goal was to slip from the inner circle of the bakufu─into its heart.3

The Sword Hunt for the masterworks of Kiki Shikizaki was a means to an end.

Unskilled in the martial arts.

Weaker than shoji paper.

She had made it this far, willy-nilly, through her ingenuity and intrigue, relying only on her schemes─and certainly planned to do so in the future.

Though at present, after rounding up the last two swords, Oto the Cured and Seito the Garland, with barely any effort, she was beginning to doubt4 the Mutant Blades of Kiki Shikizaki─

Next up.

Our own Shichika Yasuri.

Seventh Master of the Kyotoryu.

The Swordless Swordsman─a katana incarnate.

A tall young buck with tousled hair.

Raised on a desert island, he was something of a yokel, but he had been selected5 by Togame the Schemer─and partook in the Sword Hunt of his own accord.

In his fifteen fights thus far, he had experienced eleven wins, three defeats, and one draw.

That said, the fight resulting in that final draw was not a proper battle to begin with; and of his three defeats, the first resulted from him underestimating Konayuki Itezora, who was only a young girl, while another resulted from him getting tangled in the niceties of kendo, so that his only true defeat (or the only defeat that could not be explained away) was in his fight against the genius Nanami Yasuri.

After all, he had obliterated Hakuhei Sabi─

At present, Shichika was the Strongest Swordsman in Japan, a position well beyond reproach.

And crucially, for the developments to follow─Shichika was in fact one of the Mutant Blades of Kiki Shikizaki.

Not one of his masterworks, but his magnum opus.

The thousand Mutant Blades, including the Twelve Possessed, being mere prototypes for his final sword.

Shichika Yasuri.

Though strictly speaking, the magnum opus was not just Shichika, but the entire Kyotoryu.

In their pursuit of Seito the Garland, Togame had learned of this from the hermit magus Rinne Higaki, which meant that Shichika heard the story secondhand─though unfortunately, since he lacked her laudable tendency to ponder the significance of life, he didn’t really seem to care.

Though needless to say, his status as the magnum opus of Kiki Shikizaki will greatly influence6 the shape of the story ahead.

Thirdly.

Princess Negative.

Inspector General of the Yanari Shogunate, Owari Bakufu.

Real name and personal history unknown.

A woman with blond hair and dazzling blue eyes, whose appearance in this closed society was an anomaly.

Another she-devil of the Owari Bakufu.

Sworn enemy of Togame the Schemer.

As chief investigator of the government, she was merely fulfilling her duties by probing7 the behavior of Togame the Avenger,8 but had their work not pitted them against each other, these two would still have never got along.

Togame had crushed Princess Negative countless times before.

And every time, the Princess had bounced back─more powerful than ever.

Perturbed by her tenacity, Togame made sure to crush Princess Negative once and for all as she worked the plans out for her Sword Hunt─to ensure that this time, Princess Negative would not bounce back─except she did.

Reemerging in the space of half a year.

Once again─more powerful than ever.

The Princess began to offer her two cents on the Schemer’s Sword Hunt─betraying that Nanami Yasuri, then owner of Akuto the Eel, had occupied9 Seiryoin Gokenji Temple, a holy site for swordsmen. Intimating that Lake Fuyo in Edo was where Kiki Shikizaki had once kept his workshop. Intimating that the hermit who resided at Hyakkeijo in Oshu was in possession of none other than Seito the Garland.

Togame was all the more perturbed by the veracity of this intelligence─but the fact of the matter10 was simple. As established in the previous installment, Princess Negative was the descendant of the legendary swordsmith Kiki Shikizaki.

Unlike Togame the Schemer, hers was not a personal history which would prove to be a burden once revealed─but all the same, she had shared this information with nobody but her confidant.

At least, for the time being.

Just as Togame the Schemer had her aspirations─Princess Negative had her aspirations.

Though perhaps a bit too…negative to describe as such.

In any event─her personal circumstances afforded her with inside knowledge of the Mutant Blades of Kiki Shikizaki. Although at present, it would seem the Princess lacked an understanding of that sword which was a cut above the Twelve Possessed, the magnum opus for which all previous swords were prototypes.

Not even Princess Negative knew everything.

Which is to say, she was unaware of what Shichika Yasuri embodied.

Unaware, as of yet.

Fourthly.

Lieutenant Emonzaemon Soda.

Counselor to the Inspector General of the Yanari Shogunate, Owari Bakufu.

A former ninja, who dressed in a coat and trousers.

The confidant of Princess Negative, discussed above.

As with his liege, his personal history was shrouded in mystery, though he apparently was not concerned with keeping it a secret, for by now Togame the Schemer was in the know─aware that this man was the last descendant of the Aioi Ninja Clan, wiped out by the Maniwa one hundred and seventy years earlier, after a long struggle.

In addition to Aioi Ninpo, Emonzaemon knew Aioi Kenpo and Aioi Swordsmanship.

He was also a co-owner of Ento the Bead, the last of the Twelve Possessed of Kiki Shikizaki.

Ento the Bead.

A revolver.11

And an automatic.12

Apparently, he shared his ownership with Princess Negative, descendant of Kiki Shikizaki─by whom.

He had been tasked with the assassination of Hohoh Maniwa, effectively the head of the Maniwa Ninja Clan.

With whom it seemed he had some kind of a history, their link yet remaining to be disclosed.

Our fifth character, Hohoh Maniwa, and our sixth character, Pengin Maniwa, are best reviewed together.

Two bosses of the Maniwa Ninja Clan.

“Pengin the Breeder,” Pengin Maniwa, of the Maniwa Fish Unit.

“The Divine Phoenix,” Hohoh Maniwa, of the Maniwa Bird Unit.

Pengin Maniwa─had two ninpo moves.

Fate Blaster and Lucky Pucks.

Hohoh Maniwa─at this point had three ninpo moves.

Life Line, Decapitation Cycle, and Infovac.

The Maniwa, that band of expert assassins, originally joined the Sword Hunt as hired hands─called upon by Togame the Schemer to round up one of the swords, a task which they were of a mind to carry through.

But that was easier said than done.

The situation in the village had grown dire─in these times of peace and order, how was a ninja assassin supposed to make a living? But the Maniwa were not so timid as to molder away in obscurity13─hence.

The Sword Hunt for the Mutant Blades of Kiki Shikizaki was just the sort of fundraiser14 they needed.

In all likelihood─this could be the last big job entrusted to them by the bakufu.

Except their bucket had a hole in it.15

Things got off to a good start─they seized Zetto the Leveler from Rairaku Namida of Mino, after which they beat Togame at her own game and stabbed her in the back (despite the Schemer having taken several precautions against being betrayed by the Maniwa)─but things fell apart from there.

“Komori the Hell-Made,” Komori Maniwa, of the Maniwa Beast Unit, fell to Shichika Yasuri.

“Backwords Shirasagi,” Shirasagi Maniwa, of the Bird Unit, fell to Ginkaku Uneri.

“Kuizame the Sand Trap,” Kuizame Maniwa, of the Fish Unit, fell to Meisai Tsuruga.

“Kamakiri the Head Hunter,” Kamakiri Maniwa, of the Bug Unit.

“Flying Butter Chocho,” Chocho Maniwa, of the Bug Unit.

“Mitsubachi the Sharpshooter,” Mitsubachi Maniwa, of the Bug Unit.

All three of whom fell to Nanami Yasuri.

“The Dogged Scourge,” Kyoken Maniwa, of the Beast Unit, fell to Shichika Yasuri.

“The Nosey Otter,” Kawauso Maniwa, of the Beast Unit, perished before he had the chance to fight.

“The Immortal Turtle,” Umigame Maniwa, of the Fish Unit, fell to Emonzaemon Soda.

“The Feathered Reel,” Oshidori Maniwa, of the Bird Unit, fell to Emonzaemon Soda as well.

By now.

Of the Twelve Bosses, there were only two.

Such was the current situation of the Maniwa─nay.

The situation of the Maniwa was far worse than even this─one might even say things were as bad as possible.

A story that is about to unfold─but thus, six.

Three camps of two, embroiled in a three-way struggle.16

The first camp─Togame the Schemer and Shichika Yasuri.

Ten swords to their name.

Zetto the Leveler, Zanto the Razor, Sento the Legion, Hakuto the Whisper, Zokuto the Armor, Soto the Twin, Akuto the Eel, Bito the Sundial, Oto the Cured, Seito the Garland.

Ten swords in total.

The second camp─Princess Negative and Emonzaemon Soda.

Having one sword.

Ento the Bead.

The third camp─Hohoh Maniwa and Pengin Maniwa.

Having one sword.

Dokuto the Basilisk.

Now then, which camp will finally succeed in rounding up all twelve of the masterworks of Kiki Shikizaki?

At present, the answer is unknown─but very soon, the answer will be known to all.

■　■

This book is turning out to be a mishmash of recapitulations, reviews of characters, and reminiscences, while the central story makes no progress; but in this reminiscence, some progress will be had.

We return to the month prior.

When Pengin Maniwa and Hohoh Maniwa were walking side by side, heading straight17 for Hyakkeijo in Oshu─hoping to have a word with Togame the Schemer, who they gathered was at Hyakkeijo in Oshu, attempting to secure Seito the Garland.

In that sense, things were proceeding as planned.

Having been made keenly aware of the strength of Shichika, and of the other owners of the Twelve Possessed, Hohoh Maniwa had visibly taken a step back, fine with attaining the bare minimum─just one of the Twelve Possessed.

They would leave the bulk18 of the Sword Hunt to the Schemer and the Kyotoryu.

And overtake19 them afterwards.

That was the plan.

In service of which he had forged an alliance with the Schemer and sacrificed a comrade.

Proceeding as planned─indeed.

At that point, Togame had gathered nine of the Twelve Possessed, and Hohoh Maniwa was carrying Dokuto the Basilisk on his person─making it perhaps as good a time as any to attempt to turn the tide.

Pengin thought it would be best to overtake the Schemer after she had captured one or perhaps even two more swords, bringing her count to ten or eleven─and wondered, too, whether they might wait for her to come to them, rather than go to her, but Hohoh seemed to believe that doing so would make them miss their opportunity.

Which was probably correct.

His belief was not the problem.

Remember, all of those belonging to the Maniwa Ninja Clan, including Pengin, were in some way or another broken souls, poorly suited to the task of crafting strategies─or even executing them. In fact, the plan crafted by Hohoh had been temporarily snafued20 by one of the Twelve Bosses, “The Dogged Scourge” Kyoken Maniwa. It fell to Hohoh Maniwa, effectively the head of the entire ninja clan and the sole boss endowed with some degree of sociability,21 to mobilize the other ninjas around a counterstrategy.

Which is why─Pengin had no right to talk back.

If Hohoh thought they should take action now, he must be right─although in retrospect, Hohoh was perhaps already too late.

“Discontinued.”

Then.

After crossing over from Dewa into Mutsu, they were nearly at their destination─when Pengin and Hohoh saw a figure blocking the road before them.

A man dressed in a coat and trousers, wearing a pair of swords.

A mask covering his face─on which were scrawled the words “NON-NINJA.”

“I knew that if I waited here you would turn up─Hohoh Maniwa…and Pengin Maniwa? Ah yes…since it would be insufferable if you asked me question after question, I’ll introduce myself before you have the chance─I am Lieutenant Emonzaemon Soda, and I am here to kill you both.”

“Yee…”

Pengin heard himself shriek.

This was not their first encounter with this man─in the ninth moon22 in Izu, when Hohoh Maniwa, Pengin Maniwa, and Oshidori Maniwa were gathered around Dokuto the Basilisk, their recent find, determining a course of action, out of nowhere─this bemasked gentleman appeared beside them.

On that occasion, Oshidori staved him off.

Using her body as a shield─to protect Hohoh and Pengin and Dokuto the Basilisk.

The efficacy of which was now in question.

The only certainty was that Oshidori had yet to rendezvous with them─

“Wondering about Oshidori Maniwa? I killed her.”

Reading into the look on Pengin’s face, which was rather juvenile for a ninja, the bemasked gentleman─Emonzaemon Soda doubled down.

On account of his mask, Pengin was unable to read his expression in return.

He could not possibly.

“I mentioned this to Oshidori─so I may as well tell you. I killed Umigame too.”

Pengin was speechless, but Hohoh remained unfazed, taking a step forward so as to protect Pengin.

“Ah,” he said. “Umigame, huh.”

“I’m sure you weren’t expecting him to be alive─get the picture, Hohoh Maniwa? Of the Twelve Bosses of the Maniwa, you two are the only ones left.”

“We get the picture, no thanks to you. You think this news is gonna scare us off? Don’t make me laugh,”23 said Hohoh. “A ninja lives to die.”

“You never change,” said Emonzaemon. “You haven’t changed a bit, Hohoh.”

This comment was disturbing.

Indeed.

He made it sound like he and Hohoh were old acquaintances─although.

Having suspected this, Pengin had brought it up with Hohoh just the other day─but his answer was not that they were “old acquaintances.”

There was a man he used to know.

But there was no way this was him─

“Well,” said Hohoh. “What took you so long to come after me? I’ve been ready, you know. Don’t think you’ve caught me by surprise by ambushing me on the highway.”

“I’m a busy man─with lots to do. Assassinating you is but a minor errand. Let’s get this over with. I’m eager to get back on track.”24

“Back on track, huh? You and me both…hold on, though, I can’t let what you said slip by. About how I never change? That makes it sound─like you’ve known who I am for ages.”

“Spare me, Hohoh─there’s no way that you’re serious. Surely you figured things out last time─when we ran into one another in Izu. Why else would you have run away?”

“Run away? No chance I’m letting that slip,” Hohoh said. “But more than anything, I can’t let you get away with this ludicrous name, Emonzaemon Soda─if you really are the person I think you are, why not sing it loud for all to hear? What’s stopping you from standing tall and announcing who you are?”

“Sorry, Hohoh, but that’s my real name now,” replied Emonzaemon Soda. “You and I are different. Can’t you see?”

“─You certainly have changed. Hey, get back there,” Hohoh warned Pengin, without turning around. “This open country is no place to try and use your ninpo, not the Fate Blaster and definitely not the Lucky Pucks.”

“O-Okay─”

Pengin nodded and scooted away from Hohoh.

“B-Be careful, Hohoh. If he really did k-kill Umigame and Oshidori─this man is really powerful.”

“I know,” acknowledged Hohoh. “You’re saying that he’s basically as powerful as me─”

“Incorrigible,” said Emonzaemon, reaching for the swords slung from his hip. “I cannot suppress my laughter, Hohoh Maniwa─you sound like some kind of a comedian. You and I, equally powerful? Thanks for stating the obvious─”

As Emonzaemon spoke─Pengin was certain he would pull out his swords. He guessed that this bemasked gentleman must favor the dual wield─though while Emonzaemon indeed pulled at his swords, he pulled them off entirely, scabbard and all.

Whereupon he tossed both weapons haphazardly aside.

“My Aioi Swordplay failed against both Umigame Maniwa and Oshidori Maniwa─I hope you don’t mind if we skip ahead. Besides, I’m not really a swordsman─there’s no rule saying that I need to use a sword.”

“Fair enough.”

But then.

Hohoh did the same─pulling his sword from his waist, scabbard and all.

His sword, of course, being Dokuto the Basilisk.

One of the Twelve Possessed of Kiki Shikizaki.

“Hold onto that,” Hohoh instructed Pengin.

A fight where both opponents tossed aside their swords.

At least, that’s what appeared to be transpiring.

“No weapons. Ain’t that right─what was it, Emonzaemon?”

“Emonzaemon. So it is,”25 affirmed Emonzaemon.

“A fight relying solely on our physical and mental caliber,” Hohoh said. “Works for me.”

“Great,” nodded the lieutenant.

And right before he finished nodding─Hohoh made the first move.

Deploying26 the cache of shuriken he had been hiding in his palm, right before Emonzaemon could act.

But Emonzaemon was no slouch.

Though acting a moment behind, he answered with shuriken of his own─unlike those deployed by Hohoh, his were long like darts, essentially kunai, which made them all the faster─so that in the end.

The shuriken each ninja threw collided in midair between them, spraying off in random directions.

They had agreed to battle without weapons, only to throw shuriken, but neither of them protested. The fight continued─and why not?

Both were ninjas.

The fact that one of them was actively a ninja and the other a former ninja notwithstanding─dirty deeds were how they made a living.

However, Pengin Maniwa had no way of knowing that Emonzaemon was a former ninja as he watched them from the sidelines─as one of the youngest ninja in the village, in fact just a kid, there was no chance that he knew about the Aioi Ninja Clan, who had been wiped out one hundred and seventy years earlier.

No chance he knew─and yet.

From the way Emonzaemon threw those shuriken, he intuited that the non-ninja had some kind of a background27 in the ninja arts.

─That being said.

If they got closer, Hohoh would be sure to win.

Of that much Pengin was certain.

Up close and personal─Decapitation Cycle was guaranteed to reign supreme. Emonzaemon Soda may have taken care of Umigame Maniwa and Oshidori Maniwa─but up against that move, the game was over.

Which is why─Pengin was confident that Hohoh would be victorious.

Confident─and yet he was unable to shake this feeling of unease. Or, even if he shook it off, it bubbled back─again and again and again.

Unease.

A nasty feeling.

This went beyond Pengin being easily worked up.

In actuality─when these overtures28 were over, and Hohoh Maniwa and Emonzaemon Soda entered into the very sort of close-range combat Pengin had envisioned─the fight seemed like it could carry on indefinitely.

Neither one could make a hit.

Nor stand still for a second.

No clincher came from either side.

Not that they could neglect defense.

Pengin watched them from the sidelines, as they wore each other down.29

Exhausting each other─in a battle of attrition.

They may have been unarmed, but from the look on Hohoh’s face, this was anything but easy─while it was impossible for them to read the face of Emonzaemon.

─But why?

Clutching Dokuto the Basilisk to his breast, Pengin felt perplexed.

─Why isn’t Hohoh using the Decapitation Cycle?

From that distance─Emonzaemon was well within the range of his Ninpo Decapitation Cycle─

So why not use it?

“H-Hohoh!” Pengin exclaimed. “D-Decapitation Cycle! Use the Decapitation Cycle!”

“Ah, yes.”

This affirmation came not from Hohoh, but from Emonzaemon.

“So, Hohoh, that’s what you’ve named that move─the Decapitation Cycle?”

“…”

Hohoh declined to respond.

He could not rest from his attacks─or his defenses.

Same goes for Emonzaemon, who while keeping up his side of the fight, turned breezily to Pengin and continued, “Listen, Pengin─this Decapitation Cycle you mentioned. In the Aioi tradition, we called that ninpo Gored Alive─”

“G-Gored alive?”30

“And now, as part of my non-ninpo, I call it─Endlessly Unsparing.”

“Gah!”

Pengin was no dimwit31 youngster. He may have had weak nerves, but his mind outstripped any of the adults.32

Now─he had heard enough.

Everything was clear.

“It’s funny, Hohoh,” said Emonzaemon. “You’re a fine ninja─so fine that even as the other bosses die away,33 the Maniwa remains formidable, as long as you’re around. But make no mistake─I cannot lose against you.”

“…”

“Because you are me.”

Life Line.

Alongside the Decapitation Cycle, this ninja move could well be called synonymous with Hohoh Maniwa. Using this ninjutsu, he could take on the moves of others─by slicing off their body parts and grafting them onto his body.

To wit, the left arm he was using had previously been the left arm of Kawauso Maniwa, another of the Twelve Bosses of the Maniwa, enabling Hohoh to employ Kawauso’s Infovac, a move similar to psychometry.

If the Decapitation Cycle was originally the move of Emonzaemon Soda─and the same move as “Gored Alive” and “Endlessly Unsparing”─then no wonder Hohoh was unable to deploy it.

For knowing an advanced move inheres a comprehension of its shortcomings.

Indeed.

This is why Hohoh had said there was no way this man was him when Pengin asked if he and Emonzaemon were acquaintances─the Life Line necessitates that you kill off your opponent, as a preliminary condition!

…

But in that case, how was it possible that Emonzaemon Soda was here now, and alive?

“I died once,” declared Emonzaemon, as if answering this question. “Matters of the flesh aside, you killed my spirit. But I was rescued by my liege, who negated this death on my behalf─which is why I will devote my soul entire34 to the execution of whatever order I receive from her.”

“Negated? I suppose that means your liege─is the Princess?”

“Took you long enough.”

“Hah.”

Though hearing Emonzaemon out─or rather, letting his words in one ear and out the other, Hohoh Maniwa showed absolutely no signs of agitation.

Or bravado.35

An acquaintance whom he had taken for dead─whom he had thought he killed by his own hand, had materialized before his very eyes, but Hohoh seemed rather unimpressed.

“Sure, Emonzaemon, but this door swings both ways─if you are me, then I am you. Which means that if we keep this up, I may not win, but I won’t be losing to you either.”

“Perhaps,” said Emonzaemon.

Speaking─as the two of them fought on.

It would seem they had both exhausted their supply of shuriken and other secret weapons, so that the fight between Hohoh Maniwa and Emonzaemon Soda became a matter of hand-to-hand combat.

Close range─and a close contest.

From a certain angle, it almost looked as if the two of them were carrying out a choreographed performance. Such was the precision of their movements─evenly matched to boot.

Achieving a graceful equilibrium that seemed to shun any outside assistance.

If Pengin were, in fact, to leap into the fray, they should be able to tip the balance against Emonzaemon, since there were two of them and one of him─Pengin realized this (albeit after the fact) but was unable to act on it (having realized after the fact).

Had he leapt into the fray and messed things up, however, he could have tipped the scales unfavorably for him and Hohoh.

Such was the balance of their equilibrium.

Hence, no clincher came from either side.

─He’s basically as powerful as me.

Pengin was reminded of these words from Hohoh.

This fight was serious as they come, but to Pengin it appeared they were exchanging only token blows36 because their lives hung in the balance.

─Which is why.

Which is why Pengin believed that the longer things were drawn out─the greater Hohoh’s chance of being defeated. This went beyond Pengin being innately pessimistic; it was a fundamental truth.

Consider Nanami Yasuri.

The move, if you could even call it that, called Watch and Learn, which was her genius manifest, had something in common with the Life Line─as Hohoh had admitted once himself.

But with a crucial difference.

She needed not kill her adversary or graft on one of their body parts. She simply watched. Watch a move once, and she would learn the ins and outs; watch twice and she would make the move her own. This was what made the Watch and Learn so terrifying─Nanami could come away wielding a move so masterfully that she surpassed the person she had learned it from.

She was a genius.

While Hohoh Maniwa may have been a fine ninja, he was unfortunately not a genius.

Since he had yet to grow accustomed to the arm of Kawauso, or for that matter his ninpo, which still felt somewhat foreign, Hohoh could not yet claim a mastery of the Infovac.

Though it was unclear when─Hohoh Maniwa must have stolen the Decapitation Cycle from Emonzaemon Soda quite some time ago.

By now he must have developed some degree of mastery.

And yet─it was doubtful that his mastery surpassed that of its original practitioner, Emonzaemon Soda.

Of course, by now Hohoh Maniwa had used his Life Line to acquire not only the Decapitation Cycle and the Infovac─there was no counting all the moves his body housed.

Surely there were plenty of moves that Pengin did not know about.

And yet─Hohoh seemed to lack any opportunity to use them.

Emonzaemon would not give him the chance.

It would seem he understood not just the Decapitation Cycle─but had a seasoned understanding of exactly how to fend off “The Divine Phoenix,” Hohoh Maniwa.

Emonzaemon fought less like someone who had prepared the right strategy, than like someone who had known it all along.

The bond of old acquaintances.

The bond of stolen ninpo.

The bond of a killer and the killed.

Which is why─though it may look as if they had achieved an equilibrium, there was no way they could keep this up forever. Because Hohoh was fighting someone he assumed to have been dead for ages, while Emonzaemon was not.

Surely Hohoh had been wondering about this since their encounter at Izu─but he must not have been certain.

He could not possibly have understood all that had happened.

In the meantime─Emonzaemon had understood it all along, with obdurate37 endurance!38

He understood both past and present!

“H-Hohoh! Hohoh─use this!”

In that instant.

Pengin Maniwa─made a mistake of judgment.

Considering the circumstances, it was the worst mistake imaginable.

Of course, when Pengin made this mistake, he had no idea his judgment was mistaken─in fact, he thought this was the only way to break the equilibrium at play between Hohoh and Emonzaemon.

And so.

Pengin─flung Dokuto the Basilisk, sheath and all, which Hohoh had instructed him to hold, sending it spinning toward his back.

One of the Twelve Possessed of Kiki Shikizaki.

Venom stronger than any other─despotically toxic.

While spinning through the air, the sword slipped from its sheath. The scabbard fell by the wayside─but the katana flew straight ahead.

There was something meaningful about its rectilinearity─as it flew in a straight line toward Hohoh.

A sword does not choose who to kill.

But a sword will choose its owner.

Exactly as the saying goes─as if choosing its owner, it flew toward Hohoh.

What follows is what Pengin thought would happen.

A juvenile way of seeing things.

The Mutant Blades of legendary swordsmith Kiki Shikizaki─which influenced the power balance of the Age of Warring States so immensely that the number of swords owned by a state was a direct indication of its power.

Among which were the masterworks, boasting a level of perfection far above the rest.

And among these was Dokuto the Basilisk, whose venom was the strongest of them all.

If he used this─Pengin believed that Hohoh could break through the symmetry that had been formed, at least as far as he could see, between him and Emonzaemon.

If Hohoh Maniwa used Dokuto the Basilisk.

Then surely, he could topple Emonzaemon─or so Pengin thought.

The thought itself was worthy of consideration.

But acting on it was an error.

To say the least─a strategist like Togame the Schemer or a tactician like Princess Negative, even on the worst of days, would never think of opting for such a move.

Hohoh had strictly forbidden the unsheathing of the Basilisk. As a result, when Pengin threw the sword and saw it slip free from its scabbard, he laid eyes on its blade for the first time.

The katana─was pitch black.

Dokuto the Basilisk─a black blade with an obsidian sheen.39

Blacker than night, it had a sinister air.

Just shy of five feet long.

Lacking a handguard, the sword had a pronounced curve.

“Uh!”

For his part, Hohoh Maniwa might have realized Pengin’s mistake already.

But given that an unsheathed katana was flying at him from behind─even a ninja of his caliber had no choice but to catch it.

Especially in the throes of his fight against Emonzaemon.

He could not jump away.

Or rather, even if he jumped away, he would not get away with it─for jumping away was tantamount to handing Dokuto the Basilisk to Emonzaemon, left standing in his place.

Which is why.

Hohoh Maniwa reached out his left hand─and without turning around, seized the grip of Dokuto the Basilisk as if his life depended on it.40

■　■

So simple, and yet so painful for Pengin Maniwa to recall.

Point being, when Hohoh Maniwa caught Dokuto the Basilisk.

He cut down Emonzaemon Soda.

And backhanding it,41 cut down Pengin Maniwa.

Carrying the bare blade, paying no mind to the scabbard flung down by the wayside─he turned about and left that place behind.

Hence how Hohoh Maniwa, one of the Twelve Bosses of the Maniwa, went berserk.

1 紙幅 SHIFUKU “paper width”

2 実体 JITTAI “real body” actual identity

3 中枢 中心 CHŪSŪ CHŪSHIN center core

4 不信感 FUSHINKAN sense of distrust

5 抜擢 BATTEKI hand-picked, for a promotion vs. 刀は持ち主を選ぶ KATANA WA MOCHINUSHI WO ERABU “a sword chooses its owner”

6 左右する SAYŪ SURU “(nudge) left and right”

7 目を光らす ME WO HIKARASU “shine one’s eyes”

8 復讐者 FUKUSHŪSHA one who seeks revenge

9 占拠 SENKYO take over (a castle, city, etc.)

10 種を明かしてしまえば TANE WO AKASHITE SHIMAEBA once the (magic trick’s) working is revealed

11 回転式連発拳銃 KAITENSHIKI RENPATSU KENJŪ “revolving-type rapid-fire handgun”

12 自動式連発拳銃 JIDŌSHIKI RENPATSU KENJŪ “automatic-type rapid-fire handgun”

13 黙って朽ち果てていく DAMATTE KUCHIHATETE IKU “rot away in silence”

14 資金繰り SHIKIN GURI “spinning finances”

15 泥船 DOROBUNE boat made from mud (which dissolves once in the water)

16 巴戦 TOMOE SEN “swirling battle”

17 一路 ICHIRO “one road” (i.e. no shortcuts or diversions)

18 大半 TAIHAN “big half”

19 引っ繰り返す HIKKURI KAESU flip over (in a come-from-behind victory)

20 台無しに DAINASHI NI deprived of a (Buddhist statue’s) base

21 社会性 SHAKAISEI social nature, i.e. people skills

22 長月 NAGATSUKI “long moon” ninth month of the Japanese lunar calendar

23 片腹痛い KATAHARA ITAI “my belly hurts on one side” i.e. from laughing

24 本題に戻りたい HONDAI NI MODORITAI wish to return to the main topic (or issue)

25 そうだ SŌDA “indeed” homophonous with 左右田 SŌDA, last name of the lieutenant

26 投擲 TŌTEKI hurl (e.g. a grenade)

27 出自 SHUTSUJI “where one emerges” origins

28 序盤戦 JOBAN SEN opening stages of a battle

29 削り合い KEZURI AI mutual abrasion

30 生殺し NAMAGOROSHI nearly killing, but not quite (sadistically)

31 察しの悪い SASSHI NO WARUI bad at perceiving

32 大人顔負け OTONA KAO MAKE “(even) adults lose just at the sight of his face”

33 目減り MEBERI decrease (in number or value)

34 全霊 ZENREI “total spirit”

35 虚勢 KYOSEI “false valiance” vs. 虚刀流 KYOTŌRYŪ

36 牽制ばかり KENSEI BAKARI all feints

37 絶えることなく TAERU KOTO NAKU ceaselessly

38 耐え忍びながら TAESHINOBI NAGARA continuing to withstand pun on 忍び SHINOBI ninja

39 黒光り KUROBIKARI “black shine”

40 がっしりと GASSHIRI TO onomatopoeia for holding something tight

41 返す刀で KAESU KATANA DE “with turned sword” striking on a new side in quick succession

■　■

At Mansion Negative─abode of the Inspector General of the Yanari Shogunate─within one room of which.

Princess Negative, as usual, stood alone.

Not lighting any lamps─nor sitting down.

Metal fan in hand.

Standing.

“…”

But things were not as usual.

There was something different about the tableau.

In the hand not holding her metal fan, the woman with blond hair and dazzling blue eyes held a one-page letter.

Sent by her confidant─Emonzaemon Soda, from the field.

Freshly delivered─a report.

And what did this report have to say?

“Togame the Schemer…”

Princess Negative muttered to herself with a melancholic air─and in a languid tone.

“Oh, Togame─how I sincerely loathe you. I despise you from the bottom of my heart. Here I am, so confident in how I feel, that I would crush you even if you were a nobody, even if you were not plotting anything at all─I thought that we were enemies, and in a way that goes beyond my function as Inspector General. I thought we had something, a bizarre kind of bond, something that would last─this is the last straw.”

She crumpled up the letter in her hand.

As if that piece of paper were the most repulsive thing imaginable.

Crumpling the paper─as if rejecting its existence.

“I never wanted things to end this way,” she said. “It’s such a shame─Schemer. Your carelessness revolts me to no end…hmph.”

Princess Negative tossed the letter, which had been crumpled in a messy ball, into the corner of the room─and set her gaze beyond the chamber.

“At this point, I hope you’ll at least carry out your final duty─where was it, Iga? Maniwa Village? You must be nearly there. By now I bet you’re on the Tokaido Highway.1 I hope you’re ready for a challenge. I can’t claim to understand the extent of the Kyotoryu, but my ancestor is as tough as they come, I tell you what. I mean, he had abilities that never made it down to me. At the very least,” said Princess Negative, “I hope you sign off with a flourish.”

■　■

“If we stop in Owari, I am professionally obligated to pay a visit to the castle─and meet with Princess Negative to boot. Costing us a day or two, which right now is more than we can spare. Besides, visiting the castle is all about fanning egos. What could be more boring than extending pleasantries with the high and mighty?”

If they had time and energy to waste on that sort of thing, Togame reasoned that they may as well spend it on their journey, to get themselves to Iga even one day faster.

“Hey, Togame.”

They had traversed more than half of the Tokaido Highway on foot, putting them well past Owari─when Shichika brought it up.

“Crazy, right…like it was right under our noses this whole time.2 We got this far with no idea where to find New Maniwa, and it’s in Iga, of all places.”

Iga, of course, being home to the headquarters of the Onmitsu, the group of ninjas in the service of the bakufu.

Shichika had learned this earlier in the Sword Hunt. If the bakufu had failed to realize the New Maniwa had chosen Iga as the site of their new settlement, they had made quite the oversight.

“After the New Maniwa went rogue, the Onmitsu lost a considerable degree of clout within the bakufu─this must have been their way of using that against them. If word got out, the Onmitsu are liable to fall even further toward the ground. Or may even go underground, at this rate.”

“What? Is that why we’re not stopping at Owari? So you don’t have to tell them?”

“Don’t be silly. Why on earth would I feel obligated to cover for the Onmitsu? I merely felt that a report like that would serve us little, given the task at hand. Last thing we need is the Onmitsu catching wind and making a big stink.”

“Iga, huh… We’ve been all kinds of places on this Sword Hunt, but oddly enough I think this is our first time in Kansai.3 Strange how things worked out…but I guess we stayed in Kyoto for a little while at the start of it?”

“Let’s see.”

Prompted by Shichika, Togame counted on her fingers.

“We started off on your home turf on Haphazard Island…then Inaba, Izumo, Ganryu Island, Satsuma, Ezo, Tosa, Dewa, Mutsu…right? And now Iga. If you factor in the stops we made along the way, we’ve made a loop around Japan. Though I suppose we’ve skirted the Hokuriku area.”4

“Yeah.”

“When the Sword Hunt is over,” Togame said, “it might be fun to take a little trip there, just the two of us.”

“Huh?”

“Then I can produce a map of the whole country and sell copies. You know how I’m real good at drawing maps? There’s plenty of charts out there with suspect proportions, but come to think of it no one has made a definitive5 map of Japan since this country was founded─I’ll make a killing.”

“Uh, um.”

Shichika was distraught.

As far as he could recall anyway, this was the first time that Togame had mentioned what they would do after the Sword Hunt was over─at least in terms of concrete plans.

Up until now, she had diligently avoided any such discussion.

When Shichika had brought it up, she had responded in the vaguest terms.

And yet.

“So Hohoh Maniwa has gone berserk,” Togame changed the subject before Shichika could sort himself out. “Hard to say if this is good news or bad news. What do you think?”

“Yeah, uh, not too sure.”

Knowing there was no going back when talking with Togame, he went ahead and answered her question.

“I gotta admit, I’m lost about this whole berserk thing. What would make Hohoh Maniwa behave like that?”

“Confused? And yet you nodded sagely6 the whole time Pengin spoke… What am I going to do with you?” Togame sighed dramatically. “Clearly, he has been poisoned by the venom of his Shikizaki blade.”

“The venom─of his Shikizaki blade?”

The turn of phrase sounded almost nostalgic to Shichika.

“I suppose for quite some time,” Togame said, “our rivals have shown no signs of being stricken with the venom of the Shikizaki blades─especially with Rinne Higaki and Seito the Garland, and with Zanki Kiguchi and Oto the Cured, but also with Nanami Yasuri and Akuto the Eel. Her genius gobbled the venom up. And don’t forget Konayuki Itezora, who only had Soto the Twin for a short while. Which means the last time we were up against someone noticeably affected by the venom was way back with Kanara Azekura.”

“Wow…and Azekura was a pirate, not a swordsman.”

Aside from Zanki Kiguchi and Oto the Cured, the last time Shichika had fought an owner of a Shikizaki blade who was actually a swordsman was on Ganryu Island, versus Hakuhei Sabi.

Dokuto the Basilisk.

Venom stronger than any of the Twelve Possessed─

“Now that you mention it, though,” inquired Shichika, “Hohoh Maniwa isn’t a swordsman either, right? No matter how strong the venom of this sword is, could it really be so crazy that it poisoned him the second that he grabbed it?”

“Hohoh Maniwa is not a swordsman, I’ll give you that.”

Togame raised her left arm, as if showing it to Shichika.

“But his left arm being what it is─”

“Left arm?”

Of course─Hohoh’s left arm had originally belonged to Kawauso Maniwa.

Pengin Maniwa had mentioned this.

The Life Line─

When they first encountered Hohoh Maniwa in Satsuma, he had cut off his own arm, in negotiating his alliance with Togame the Schemer. The next month, when they crossed paths with him again atop Mt. Odori in Ezo, Hohoh Maniwa had a left arm alright, when he should have been without.

This had to do with the Life Line.

The left arm he had seemingly grown back must have been from one of the dead pirates found in Satsuma─but at present, his left arm used to belong to Kawauso Maniwa.

According to Pengin Maniwa.

The logic was already too convoluted for Shichika’s brain to process, but if he took some time, perhaps he could wrap his head around it.

But what exactly was she getting at?

“Stay with me, Shichika…”

This time, Togame sighed for real.

“We learned about the Infovac when we met Kawauso Maniwa in Ezo. It allows access, upon contact, to the memory of inanimate objects─in a word, psychometry. And now─Hohoh is able to use this very ninpo. By grafting the left arm of Kawauso onto his body, Hohoh can run the Infovac─which is how the Maniwa discovered Dokuto the Basilisk.”

“Makes sense.”

“And with that left arm, Hohoh Maniwa was unfortunate enough to make contact with Dokuto the Basilisk. Sending the venom coursing through his veins.”

“Whoa─”

From the sound of it, the Life Line and the Infovac had backfired.

The venom of the blade coursed through his veins.

From the tip of his toes to the top of his head.

Hohoh went berserk─turning his sword against both friend and foe and heading for Iga.

“Wow. When you put it that way, that ninpo sure does have its pros and cons.7 On the one hand, you get to have this ridiculous ability to take on any challenge imaginable, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to pay a price.”

“That isn’t exclusive to his ninpo. Your sister’s Watch and Learn has its fair share of commonalities with the Life Line.”

“Sure it does… Well, I guess this means that Dokuto the Basilisk actually does have as much venom as he said it does.”

“We’ll have a hard enough time capturing that sword from Hohoh, now that he’s gone berserk, but we’ll have to take extra precautions not to touch it. At least we already have the scabbard─”

Hohoh Maniwa had run off with the unsheathed sword. Meaning, the scabbard had been left flung by the wayside. Currently it was stuffed into the luggage Shichika was shouldering.

“─Since neither of us can use the Infovac, I doubt that bumping into it would do us any harm, but just in case.”

“Oh.”

Shichika remembered something.

Their practical discussion of capturing the sword─that is, wresting it from the berserk Hohoh Maniwa, jogged his memory.

“After everything that Pengin told us, we still don’t know a thing about this other ninpo Hohoh Maniwa can do─the Decapitation Cycle.”

“Fool,” Togame brushed this off unceremoniously. “Why would he tell us such a thing? That boy may not look like much, but he’s one of the Twelve Bosses of the Maniwa─any ninpo employed by the leader8 of his organization is top-secret information.”

“Suppose so.”

“Although we are not without some intelligence─specifically, we know that the Decapitation Cycle is the same move as Endlessly Unsparing, one of the non-ninpo practiced by Emonzaemon. Very, very interesting.”

“Wow.”

Endlessly Unsparing.

The non-ninpo formerly known as Gored Alive.

“So it started off as Aioi Ninpo, huh? I mean, we still don’t have a clue what it involves though, right?”

“That is correct. And as a former ninja, Emonzaemon would never offer up those details─hey, about Emonzaemon…”

Emonzaemon─cut down by Hohoh Maniwa.

And yet, his body was not laying in the road.

Which means─though Hohoh Maniwa cut him down, he had survived and escaped.

What a performance, thought Shichika, genuinely impressed.

If he was able to get up, his injuries must have been far less serious than Pengin’s.

“You think─he went back to Owari?”

“Perhaps─I suppose this means that Princess Negative’s directive to assassinate Hohoh Maniwa went awry? Although, I guess the Princess ordered Emonzaemon to assassinate Hohoh after those two guys picked up Dokuto the Basilisk─”

“Hey, Togame.”

Shichika had a question.

“There’s something I can’t understand.”

“If there’s something you do actually understand, perhaps you should start there. Though I suppose you should get credit for speaking up when something falls outside your understanding. Well, what is it? Tell me what you’ve failed to understand.”

“In Hohoh Maniwa’s ninpo, he kills his enemy, cuts off part of their body, and grafts it onto his, allowing him to use their skills. Right? That’s what he did with Kawauso Maniwa─but what about Emonzaemon? At first glance, he isn’t missing any body parts. He obviously isn’t dead, and his arms and legs and body9 are all fine. He’s in perfect shape.”10

“Well, the fact that Emonzaemon is alive means that we’re wrong about the necessary conditions. The Life Line requires Hohoh to kill his enemy─or so it seems, but evidently there are cases where it can be performed without a kill.”

“Whoa.”

“Death of the spirit would suffice─perhaps that’s how it happened. Too late for us to hope to understand, but that would certainly explain things.”

“Gotcha. But…”

“But?”

“Yeah, but…if Emonzaemon’s arms and legs and body are all fine, meaning he’s able-bodied─how did Hohoh Maniwa steal the Decapitation Cycle, or whatever it was called when it was Emonzaemon’s move?”

“Because he’s not in perfect shape,” Togame said, pointing at her own face. “If Emonzaemon Soda has a reason for wearing a mask, and why he never takes it off─that alone gives you an answer to your question.”

“…”

For a moment, Shichika was in the dark─but in the next moment, he saw the light.

“You mean…he peeled his face off?”

“And pasted that face onto his own,” the Schemer said, gulping down11 her emotions.

Togame the Schemer had witnessed a great many brutalities in her day─but this particular fact was so horrific she could not bring herself to say a word more than she did.

“I can understand why he would wanna switch arms…but switching faces is too much. All for the Decapitation Cycle? Is that how bad he wanted to learn this move?”

“No─from what I gather, learning the move was something of a bonus,12 in that case.”

“Bonus?”

“Though I cannot say for sure when Hohoh Maniwa usurped the face of Emonzaemon Soda─I doubt it happened recently.”

“Hmm.”

Surely this had been before Emonzaemon was scooped up by Princess Negative─in which case, if what Togame said was true, it could not possibly have happened recently.

That being said, apparently not even Togame had a clear idea of how long Emonzaemon had been the confidant of Princess Negative.

One day, out of nowhere, Emonzaemon and the Princess were inseparable.

“By my estimation, this happened before Hohoh Maniwa was chosen to become one of the Twelve Bosses.”

“Why is that?”

“What Hohoh Maniwa wanted─was not the Aioi Ninpo known as Gored Alive or the Non-Ninpo Endlessly Unsparing. I daresay what he wanted was Emonzaemon’s personality.”

“P-Personality?”

“One of the main reasons why Hohoh Maniwa is effectively the leader of the entire ninja clan is his sociability─he said so himself, did he not?”

For the most part, the ninja belonging to the Maniwa Ninja Clan had some kind of a personality defect─to put it bluntly, they were broken.

A fact of which Shichika was uncomfortably aware.

Komori Maniwa. Kuizame Maniwa. Kyoken Maniwa.

He wasn’t sure about Kawauso or Pengin─but those three were so morally corrupt that in a certain sense, they were far worse than any of the owners of the Twelve Possessed.

Or so he thought.

“Hohoh Maniwa is the exception─right? So you’re saying that his personality…the sociable side of his personality, originally came from Emonzaemon?”

That must have been─what Hohoh wanted.

More than ninpo or anything else─he wanted sociability?

“It would seem so.” Togame nodded approvingly. “I’ve already mentioned how in this age of peace and order, the Maniwa have steadily been losing power. Remember that?”

“Yeah. That’s why those guys stabbed you in the back. When you put it that way, it almost sounds like you might feel a little sympathy for them.”

“I feel no sympathy.”

On that Togame was clear.

It would seem her grudge against the Maniwa was deeply rooted.

“You see, the biggest reason for their loss of power and their impending ruin─is that they lacked adequate leadership.”

“How is that even possible? I mean, don’t they have twelve bosses?”

“Having twelve people in charge is exactly what I call bad leadership…a vestige of the times of chaos. Sure, back then, it was a fine idea─actually, when they instituted the Twelve-Boss System, it was a revolutionary13 concept. As a matter of fact, soon after introducing the Twelve-Boss System, they finally destroyed the Aioi Clan, with whom they had been warring for generations.14 Without question, that arrangement makes the most of the band of social misfits that is the Maniwa. However─in these times of peace and order, it loses its efficacy.”

“So without a leader, the organization broke down?”

“Yep. In fact, because the Onmitsu have such strong leadership, they remain prosperous up to the present day─strictly speaking, at the present moment, they have fallen out of favor with the bakufu, their employer, but only because they were dragged down by the Maniwa.”

The Maniwa, that band of miscreants.

Whose personalities were broken as their organization.

Perhaps that was par for the course.

A case of having no one but themselves to blame.

“Thing is, Hohoh Maniwa sought to prevent this─which drove him to acquire an unbroken personality. And Emonzaemon Soda paid the toll.”15

“…”

To be sure.

Bearing in mind─the personalities of Hohoh Maniwa and Emonzaemon Soda.

These two men were much of a muchness. So much so, though not to the extent of Rinne Higaki, the hermit magus they had met last month─it was almost as if one were the reflection of the other, in a mirror.

“The Princess made it sound like Hohoh Maniwa and Emonzaemon had some kind of a history,” Shichika said. “This must be what she meant. I guess it goes beyond the feud between the Maniwa and the Aioi.”

“Sure…but whether the Princess knows the entire story is unclear. Just goes to show you how slovenly and negligent a personality she has─she could care less about the past of Emonzaemon. That said, this doesn’t necessarily explain the grudge Emonzaemon has against the Maniwa.”

“Why not?”

“If Emonzaemon was apt to hold a grudge like that, Hohoh would not have desired his personality. Which must have been exactly what inclined the Princess to make Emonzaemon her confidant, regardless of his past. Well, then,” Togame made it sound like they were finished. “It feels like we’ve been traveling for quite some time─but from the looks of it, we have a decent ways to go before arriving in Iga. It could take three days, maybe four.”

“Okay. No way of knowing how long Hohoh will stay put. We better hurry.”

“Hmph─based on what we heard from Pengin, I see no cause for alarm…but there’s two sides to every coin,16 Shichika. This goes back to what I told you earlier. Depending on the interpretation,17 Hohoh going berserk might be a good thing for us after all.”

“You sure? I doubt it’s gonna be as bad as when a swordsman has one of the swords, but from what I can remember about Komori Maniwa, the combo of a ninja and a Shikizaki blade…is not a good thing, any way you look at it.”

“Yes, but now that he’s been poisoned by the venom, he no longer has access to the personality he stole from Emonzaemon.”

This was how the Schemer viewed the situation.

“If there’s anything I find scary about Hohoh Maniwa, it’s something about his personality. His way of being so at ease, despite being a member of the Maniwa, is what made him so menacing. But now that he lacks this menace─fighting him should be a walk in the park. Granted,” Togame admitted, “you’re the one who has to fight him. We were bound to have a showdown with the Maniwa sooner or later. This isn’t such an awful way to have to go about it. We can take down Hohoh Maniwa and capture Dokuto the Basilisk at the same time.”

“Dokuto the Basilisk…” Shichika spoke with an air of emotion. “Here we are, at the eleventh sword. When we were starting out, every time we got another sword, I felt anxious about the next─but at this point, it feels like the journey’s almost over. Not like it’ll be smooth sailing here on out,18 but still.”

“I see your point.”

Thus far, whenever Shichika let slip an optimistic comment such as this, Togame chided him or worse─and part of Shichika expected her to do so now, but things were different.

“You’re right. Our Sword Hunt is coming to an end.”

“Huh?”

Even though this was essentially what Shichika had said, Togame’s response was so uncharacteristic that he stopped dead in his tracks. Togame realized this a few steps down the road and turned around.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“No, nothing─it just startled me, hearing you say the journey’s almost over─you’ve mentioned that a couple times now. Like at the inn.”

“Hm? Oh, now that you mention it, I suppose I did. But it’s the honest truth─there’s no use getting worked up about it. Once we’ve laid hands on Dokuto the Basilisk, the Sword Hunt is as good as done.”

“Whoa, whoa. Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration? What about the twelfth and final sword, Ento the Bead? We still don’t know where it is or who actually has it.”

In an unlikely reversal, Shichika found himself the one berating Togame for getting ahead of the game. However─

“Wrong,” Togame negated his remark. “I think it’s safe to guess where we can find Ento the Bead.”

“Huh?”

“Likewise its owner.”

After speaking thus, Togame turned herself straight ahead and started walking─leaving Shichika to hurry up and take his place alongside her.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Safe to assume that Princess Negative has claimed Ento the Bead.” Togame said this facing straight ahead. “Or to be precise, she’s sharing it with Emonzaemon Soda─see?”

“Wha… Those two? They never let on like they had it.”

“Because they have no reason to… Honestly, Shichika, you need to learn to doubt people a little more.”

“And you need to learn to trust people a little more, Togame.”

Togame glared at Shichika, mildly peeved19 at this rare rejoinder, but she declined to make a comment, and instead changed the subject.

“Remember what the Princess said, last time we saw her in Owari? How Emonzaemon Soda put an end to Umigame Maniwa.”

“Yeah,” acknowledged Shichika. “Sure, I remember that. You were talking about how the Maniwacs are dropping left and right,20 behind our backs.”

Since as a general rule, Togame the Schemer did not believe a single word that Princess Negative uttered, she had not swallowed this particular statement whole; but in light of what Pengin Maniwa had told them, her information had not been contradictory.

At this point, it may as well be viewed as fact.

“I can understand Oshidori Maniwa. She stood between Emonzaemon and his directive from the Princess to assassinate Hohoh Maniwa─but not so for Umigame Maniwa. According to Pengin, Umigame was killed before the assassination was ordained.”

“The Maniwa Ninjas didn’t just betray you. Aren’t they considered traitors by the entire bakufu? I don’t see anything too crazy about a bakufu person like Emonzaemon killing off Umigame Maniwa.”

“Emonzaemon may work under Princess Negative, but I would hesitate to call him bakufu personnel─hence what makes him her confidant. Barring explicit orders from the Princess, he will not act gratuitously.”

Therefore.

There must be a reason that killing Umigame was not gratuitous.21

“So you’re saying this wasn’t about Emonzaemon…so much as Princess Negative? You mean…the Princess had some kind of a reason for killing Umigame Maniwa?”

“Correct. There was a specific reason, particular to Umigame Maniwa, among the Twelve Bosses of the Maniwa…that made killing him imperative. We could also say: having killed off Umigame Maniwa, the Princess found it necessary to kill off Hohoh Maniwa as well.”

“And you think her reason for killing Umigame Maniwa…involved Ento the Bead?”

“Of course.”

“Sure─I remember now. After making their agreement with us, the Maniwa went after Seito the Garland, Dokuto the Basilisk, and Ento the Bead. Hohoh and Pengin were in charge of capturing the Basilisk…while Oshidori and Umigame were each in charge of one of the other swords, right? I guess Umigame must have been trying to find the Bead─wait. Do you think that Emonzaemon attacked Umigame after he found it?”

“That’s how it looks to me,” agreed Togame. “If you think about it, the Princess has been aggressive about this Sword Hunt all along─it would not remotely surprise me if her plan was to claim at least one of the swords as her own. In fact, perhaps she felt that one of the swords─would be more than enough.”

“…”

“At this point, it would be difficult to imagine any reason she would want to kill one of the Maniwa that did not somehow involve the Sword Hunt─all the more so if Emonzaemon is the one doing the killing. Thus…it stands to reason that Princess Negative has Ento the Bead.”

In actuality, Togame’s evaluation differed from reality significantly.

Umigame Maniwa was killed by Emonzaemon Soda before the boss could reach Ento the Bead─for Emonzaemon Soda had acquired it long before he killed Umigame.

That said, though her evaluation had its flaws─Togame was essentially correct about the current owners of Ento the Bead.

“Alright…but why would the Princess hide that from us? If she has it, why not say so?”

“Your head is such a simple, pleasant place. As long as she has one of the Twelve Possessed, she maintains the potential to negotiate with us─and if she plays her cards right, she could steal all of the credit for herself. Her strategy is identical to that taken by the Maniwa. Though I suspect that the Princess is after more than just the credit─she may well be plotting to destroy me in the process.”

“She sure has tricked you plenty of times already.”

“What, all of that? What you have seen so far is child’s play for her─when that woman gets down to business,22 it will be nothing like the games you’ve seen so far. Same goes for me, of course─in any case, if our final enemy is Princess Negative, that’d be just the usual for me.”

“Just the usual?”

“Indeed.” Togame grinned slightly and continued, “Hence why I said the journey of our Sword Hunt is nearly over.”

“Over23─huh.”

“As long as Emonzaemon and the Princess have Ento the Bead, it must be in Owari, which means that Iga will be our final venue on the road. But don’t worry, on top of New Maniwa, Iga has all kinds of things to offer. It’s a great place for us to round things off.”

“Yeah…”

Shichika did his best to go along with it.

She hardly sounded like the usual Togame, but if she was correct, and Ento the Bead had already been captured by the bakufu (albeit by her political rival), Dokuto the Basilisk would essentially be their final sword. Which would explain her sounding out of character, mused Shichika─but her next line knocked the wind right out of him.

“Hey, Shichika. Once this journey is over, would you be inclined to stay with me?”

There it was. Togame said it.

“Unlike Princess Negative, I’ve never had a confidant or right-hand man for an extended span of time─I have people working under me in the Military Directorate, but no one I can trust. Developing that kind of confidence would only interfere with my ambitions.”

“…”

“I’ve made a habit of sabotaging any professional or personal relationships before they go too far─which includes my several attempts to defeat24 the Princess, in the name of self-preservation25─but I never want to do the same to you.”

After she spoke.

Togame stopped midstride.

Shichika gazed at her expression─as if conscious of his scrutiny, she spun away.

But she continued.

“At first, I planned for you to be my partner only for the Sword Hunt─but now that I no longer have the Maniwa or Hakuhei Sabi, I need your strength. To help me in my rise to prominence.”26

“Togame─”

“Though the Sword Hunt is coming to an end─my battles are far from over. Depending on how things turn out, it may be even harder once we’ve captured all the swords─I’m going to need your strength. And I’m going to need the reassurance that I feel, being around you. Therefore, Shichika Yasuri─” Togame said, still turned away. “I want you to become my confidant.”

“I dunno…”

Shichika stammered, faced with this unexpected development, and this unexpected assertion from Togame.

When Togame had finished the Sword Hunt, what was she planning to do?

Specifically─when the Sword Hunt was over, what would she do with Shichika?

This question had been bothering Shichika for as long as he could remember.

“I am the son of Mutsue Yasuri.”

“Right.”

“Mutsue Yasuri─who killed your father.”

“Right,” Togame answered perfunctorily. “So what?” she asked. “It’s not like you’re the one who killed him. The second that Mutsue Yasuri died, he purged my animosity for the Kyotoryu.”

“…”

“Especially considering how you killed Mutsue with your bare hands…but regardless, what reason would I have to hold a grudge against you? Please, don’t tell me you’ve been hung up on something so absurd─”

Togame snickered, turning her body toward Shichika.

To get an eyeful of him.

Because of their difference in height, this meant looking up at him from below.

“So what will it be?”

“It’s not like I have a home to return to. My sister is dead…why would I want to go back to Haphazard Island? If you still want to retain27 me, I can’t think of anything better.”

“Then we’re set.”

Togame said this almost casually.

She turned ahead and started walking─and Shichika followed.

Suddenly.

Togame held her hand out for Shichika to take.

And when he scratched his head, she frowned.

“What are you doing, you nincompoop?” she asked. “When a confidant is walking with his master, he holds her hand.”

“Oh, really? I can’t imagine Emonzaemon and Princess Negative doing that.”

“Those two are the exception. They won’t even face each other.”

“Okay.”

Though Togame had not entirely cleared things up for Shichika, he did as he was told and took her hand.

And so they walked off, hand in hand.

If anyone was the exception─it was the two of them; no matter how you looked at it, it wasn’t the usual arrangement for a master and her confidant─but this was beyond Shichika.

“I gotta admit, I definitely wasn’t expecting you to say that out of nowhere. I figured you would wait until the very end, so that we wouldn’t lose our sense of urgency28 or focus.”

“Just think how much you’ve changed in the past year,” Togame said. “You’ve learned of people and the world, gained knowledge and a purpose. You’ve grown a lot. And I’m going through some changes too, after a year of traveling, though not as much as you. This trip has given me the chance to do a lot of things I’ve never done before. Just last month, we met a hermit magus!”

■　■

He may have learned of people and the world─but he had no way of knowing.

He may have gained knowledge and a purpose, and he may have grown─but he had no way of knowing.

As has been the case for all travelers throughout history─he had no way of knowing that when the journey ends, it brings an end to everything.

1 東海道 TŌKAIDŌ “road along the eastern sea”

2 灯台下暗し TŌDAI MOTO KURASHI “dark at the base of the lighthouse”

3 関西圏 KANSAI KEN “Kansai region” populous area in western-central Japan

4 北陸地方 HOKURIKU CHIHŌ “northern lands” coastal region in northern-central Japan

5 精巧 SEIKŌ delicate, exquisite

6 もっともらしく MOTTOMO RASHIKU comprehendingly

7 一長一短 ICCHŌ ITTAN “one long (for) one short”

8 統率者 TŌSOTSU SHA “person who unites through command”

9 胴体 DŌTAI torso

10 五体満足 GOTAI MANZOKU “(all) five body parts satisfactory”

11 殺した KOROSHITA killing, in the sense of stifling

12 おまけ OMAKE lagniappe; something given for free, usually with a purchase

13 画期的 KAKKITEKI epochal

14 長年 NAGANEN “long years”

15 その犠牲者だった SONO GISEISHA DATTA was the victim

16 ものは考えよう MONO WA KANGAEYŌ it all depends on how one thinks of it

17 取りよう TORIYŌ way of taking things

18 順風満帆 JUNPŪ MANPAN “steady wind, full sails”

19 不快そうに FUKAISŌ NI showing displeasure

20 どんどん DON DON onomatopoeia for steady progression or regression

21 無駄 MUDA futile; irrelevant

22 本腰を入れ HONGOSHI WO IRE “properly sink one’s hips” i.e. brace, hustle

23 終わり OWARI The End pun on 尾張 OWARI

24 蹴落とそうと KEOTO SŌTO “trying to kick down”

25 保身 HOSHIN “maintaining one’s body (i.e. person)”

26 のし上がっていく NOSHI AGATTE IKU in order to climb up (the ranks)

27 雇い続けてくれる YATOI TSUZUKETE KURERU would continue to employ

28 緊張感 KINCHŌKAN “feeling of tension”

29 よし YOSHI reason, grounds for

■　■

The figure spoke.

Looking like Hohoh Maniwa─sounding like Hohoh Maniwa.

The figure spoke.

“Quicker than I thought─I really hoped to kill him. He must barely be injured. It only took a few hundred years, but I guess we have decent warriors now─thank goodness.”

And with the eyes of Hohoh Maniwa─

The figure gazed upon the prostrate body of Pengin Maniwa.

As if gazing upon something truly disagreeable.

“Then again…not everybody here’s a decent warrior. Well…I suppose it’s for the best? After all, I hoped to kill him too. Hey, bucko─can you hear me?”

There was no reply.

Forget the gash across his chest─this was pure fear.

Pengin was terrified─physically incapable of summoning his voice.

“You stay put, on the ground─I’m sure someone will come and help you soon. And whoever it is, you can tell them─I’ll be waiting in Iga.”

With that─

The figure swung1 the sword, to shake the blood away2─and with a single swing, the blood of Pengin that was clinging to the blade went flying.

The black blade.

Dokuto the Basilisk.

The figure rested the bare blade upon a shoulder.

“I’ll be waiting there to test my sword out3─haha. The Maniwa Clan, that band of expert assassins. I never would have thought that oddities like them, an accident of history, would last this long─evidently the Aioi Clan met their ruin first. I have to admit, they’ve done quite well for themselves. In any case…”

Looking like Hohoh Maniwa.

Sounding like Hohoh Maniwa.

This thing─spoke.

“Perfect for testing out my sword.”

“Ho-Hohoh!”

“Hohoh? I’m not Hohoh.”

Said the figure.

“The name is Kiki Shikizaki.”

■　■

Back at the inn, on the outskirts of Dewa.

In a room on the second floor─Pengin Maniwa sat up, shrieking wildly.

“Oh, oh oh…n-nightmares,” he murmured─in a shaky voice.

Murmuring as his entire body shook─although in actuality, this was no dream.

Not a dream─exaggerated as it may have been, this was reality.

Although only a memory.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa…ugh.”

Realizing he was drenched with sweat, he used the tenugui resting by his futon to wipe his face and neck.

Nightmares4 every time he slept.

Being awake was hard enough─but being asleep was even worse. What’s more, his body needed rest so badly he could only stay awake each day for a short time─but somehow, he had begun showing signs of recovery.

“…”

Pengin tossed aside the counterpane5 and scanned the room.

No one there.

The Schemer─and the Kyotoryu had left the inn several days before. Slinking away while Pengin was asleep.

Not like they owed him a goodbye; after all, they were enemies─asking the two of them for help could potentially be seen as an act of treason against the Maniwa.

Perhaps he would be denounced by his fallen comrades.

And yet.

The order came from Hohoh Maniwa─

No, not from Hohoh Maniwa.

For Hohoh Maniwa─had gone berserk.

He had no obligation to fulfill such an order.

However─

“The Schemer?”

Upon leaving the inn, Togame handed the innkeeper a sack of money, asking them to look after Pengin, allowing him to continue his recuperation even after they had gone─

─Togame the Schemer.

─This isn’t like her.

“I can understand why you would save me, in exchange for information…clearly I posed no threat to you, cut down by that katana. Still…why didn’t you kill me?”

He stood and stashed the folded futon in the closet.

Though he had yet to make a full recovery─he could not stick around this place and convalesce forever.

Indulging in the graces of the Schemer went against his pride as one of the Twelve Bosses─he couldn’t let the Schemer and the Kyotoryu save Hohoh on their own.6

Not when he was finally able to move around.

Which meant that he should make a move.

He had to catch up with those two.

“Berserk─that’s what I call berserk!”

Though his nervous tendencies persisted when he was alone─his voice stopped shaking when he was talking to himself.

Pengin murmured in a robust tone.

As if sorting out his thoughts.

“That she-devil─sure is opportunistic.”7

Frankly, Pengin had been ready.

After giving his account of Hohoh Maniwa, Dokuto the Basilisk, and Emonzaemon Soda, thus exhausting his usefulness to the Schemer─he was certain they would kill him.

He did his best to prevent this from happening─clinging to a great deal of the vital information─but he was sure that in the end, he could not prevent them from killing him.

And he was fine with that.

If it meant rescuing Hohoh─he could abide.

And yet.

The Schemer declined to so much as scratch Pengin.

Tending to his wounds and asking for the others to look after him.

This went beyond letting the enemy regroup8─she had underwritten the enemy’s recuperation.9

Even if she had been reluctant to take his life, she would have done well to break one of his arms or lop off a leg, rendering him unfit for battle, but she did not.

The old Schemer─would have done so.

The Schemer that Pengin knew─back in her honeymoon10 phase with the Maniwa Ninja Clan, would have done so in a heartbeat. He was sure of it.

Komori Maniwa had touched upon this once.

“That woman─is rotten to the core.11 Everything she does is calculated, from her demeanor to her choice of words. To her, the Maniwa are just another part of the equation. It’s truly no laughing matter.”

This was coming from Komori Maniwa, the ninja with whom Togame the Schemer had worked together most.

As far as Pengin was concerned, his word was credible.

Besides, in view of all the Schemer’s other strategies to date─the thought of letting Pengin Maniwa live to see another day was unbelievable.

It could only mean one thing.

“Has the Kyotoryu…transformed the Schemer?”

Most of his dialogue had been with the Schemer.

As a result, Pengin had barely exchanged words with the Kyotoryu─though from their brief exchanges, he had gleaned a certain understanding.

Remember, Pengin was a ninja.

Able to sense─the personality of the Kyotoryu.

“Whatever…at this point, no use fixating on the Schemer. Any way you look at it, I gotta chase them down,” Pengin told himself, as he changed from his nightclothes into his ninja garb. “I gotta head back to Maniwa.”

New Maniwa.

Their new home base in Iga, to which the bosses had made a pact12 not to return until the Twelve Possessed of Kiki Shikizaki were theirs─but now Pengin would have to break his vow.

Especially since Hohoh, the one who had proposed the pact─was already physically present in the very place to which they vowed not to return.

Pengin reached for the fusuma.

But before his hand could reach it─the fusuma flew open.

Someone had opened it from the hallway.

It had to be an inn worker.

Coming up to check on Pengin─but this would never do. He had planned to leave the inn in secret, but his timing had been off─and yet.

His guess was wrong.

Beyond the open fusuma, he beheld no worker.

“─Impasse.”13

But a bemasked gentleman, standing in the doorway─

Emonzaemon Soda, speaking in a voice Pengin had heard before, and could never forget.

■　■

Pengin Maniwa─shrieked once again.

Though this time, shrieking at the present situation, neither a memory nor an embellishment thereof─he flew across the room and pressed his back against the wall.

Showing little interest in the way Pengin responded, the bemasked gentleman─Emonzaemon Soda made his way into the room, closing the fusuma soundlessly behind him.

The words “NON-NINJA” scrawled across his mask.

Making his face impossible to read.

Nay─if the Decapitation Cycle had indeed originally been his ninpo, then there should be no face behind the mask at all.

How could there be?

Since Emonzaemon appeared to be in perfect shape, what body part could Hohoh have stolen from him─other than his face?

In any case, it was a horrific thought.14

Not Hohoh stealing his face.

In that moment.

The moment when Hohoh finally went berserk.

His manner toward the one who stole his face─the way Emonzaemon Soda comported himself faced with Hohoh, was what seemed exceedingly horrifying.

He was so exceedingly calm.

Most people─would display scorn or hatred, or perhaps despair.

Why not he?

“Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh…………………………………………………………………”

Pengin was moaning─but true to his profession,15 and one of the Twelve Bosses of the Maniwa, he made a rapid observation of his foe.

Noting any differences from the last time.

The shoulder of his suit jacket─had been slashed.

Exposing the skin of his shoulder─wounded by the katana.

The wound Hohoh Maniwa had given him with Dokuto the Basilisk.

Pengin had a similar gash across his chest─but the wound suffered by Emonzaemon was superficial.

When he took the blow, it looked like he was spraying blood─but Emonzaemon must have narrowly16 evaded a more serious injury.

And on his hip─was no pair of swords.

He must not have had the chance to recover the two blades that he had willfully flung by the wayside. Based on the fact he had not bothered to procure new swords─

He could not be a swordsman.

The man called himself a former ninja, but if you asked Pengin, he was as fine a ninja as they came─down to his fleetfooted escape.

“Undiscovered.”

Emonzaemon craned his neck and looked around the room, as if having no interest in Pengin whatsoever─then spoke quietly.

“No sign of the Schemer or the Kyotoryu─we must have missed each other. Too bad─but no matter. The two of them are walking. If I run, I’ll catch up with them in no time─”

“Uh, uh, uh.”

“─Either way, assuming you’ve provided them with all of the essential information, like New Maniwa being in Iga, and Hohoh Maniwa having gone berserk and fled there on account of Dokuto the Basilisk─I suppose I can sit back and do nothing.”

“It-It─”

Pengin spoke in a shaky voice─though nevertheless resolute.

“It-It-It’s your fault that Hohoh─”

“My fault? I suppose you’re right.”

Pengin was about to blow, but Emonzaemon viewed him with equanimity.

“Though you can hardly disparage me for that─when you and I are enemies.”

“…”

“As an agent of the Owari Bakufu, and as an agent of the Aioi Clan, I regard the Maniwa as enemies. Not to say I hold some kind of grudge against the Maniwa─” Emonzaemon added. “Both as a ninja, and as a former ninja─I have no personal agenda toward any of you. I have only a directive.”

“Wh-Where…h-have y-you been?”

Strange it had taken him so long to discover that Pengin was recuperating at the inn─showing up now, at this juncture, Emonzaemon was a little late.

“Did I not mention my main and actual mission?” asked Emonzaemon, by way of a response to Pengin’s question. “The way things are, assassinating Hohoh Maniwa is too much to ask17 of me…or more than should be asked. As Hohoh somehow felt the need to say himself, our powers are so equitable as to make rivalry impossible. Perhaps assassinating Hohoh Maniwa was too much for me from the beginning─”

“Equitable…”18

“As I was saying, I have decided to let the Schemer and the Kyotoryu deal with Hohoh Maniwa and Dokuto the Basilisk. Giving me a chance to focus on my main and actual mission. Though if you ask Princess Negative, it’s no more than an incidental errand.”

The main, actual mission─was an incidental errand?

What was this about?

While Pengin had his blinds spots about Togame the Schemer─he was in the dark when it came to Emonzaemon’s master, Princess Negative.

Her very personality.

Was beyond his ken─

But even if he knew more, there were other things to think about.

“And now that my errand has been taken care of, and I’m heading home, I thought that I might pay you a visit─since, incidentally, it was on the way.”

“In-Incidentally? O-On the way?”

“Listen, Pengin Maniwa,” said Emonzaemon. “Since you are just a child, some might say I should show some sympathy and let you go─but I would disagree.”

When Emonzaemon spoke these words, Pengin remembered how the Schemer had behaved. Had she shown him sympathy and let him go─because he was a child?

Hard to say.

He could not say; and yet the man before him.

Emonzaemon Soda─had made it clear that he was not inclined to do so.

This man─

Planned to take out Pengin incidentally─as if running an errand19 on the way home.

“Though I have not been ordered to destroy you─allowing a nervous ninja such as yourself to survive could only cause me trouble down the line.20 It is not in the best interests of the Princess. Now that Hohoh Maniwa has gone berserk─it’s time for the Maniwa Clan to meet its ruin. A decision resting solely on my shoulders though it may be.”

With these words, Emonzaemon Soda thrust both hands into his jacket, crossing one arm over the other.

And when his hands emerged─they gripped two21 lumps of metal.

Not like Pengin had any chance of knowing what they were.

A revolver.

And an automatic.

How could he comprehend these weapons, when they should not even exist in this era?

Look at them.

How could he have known these were the implements that killed Oshidori Maniwa?

“Just as you attempted to disturb the equilibrium between me and Hohoh using Dokuto the Basilisk, I had hoped to disturb the equilibrium between me and Hohoh using Ento the Bead─I never would have thought a kid like you would steal a march on me.”

“B-Bead?”

Ento the Bead.

One of the Twelve Possessed of Kiki Shikizaki.

A process of elimination─would not be necessary to confirm this was the Shikizaki blade that Umigame Maniwa had been after─

“I thought that Hohoh Maniwa had a more cautious personality─since we do have the same personality and all. Regardless, your intrusion was most unexpected, Pengin Maniwa. Which is why I am not holding back when it comes to you. Alright, let’s show you what the Bead can do─”

“H-H-Huh???”

Pengin Maniwa had no preconceptions regarding Ento the Bead.

Even if the meaning of “Bead” were to be unpacked for him, he would fail to understand the workings of this weapon.

He was perplexed and discombobulated.22

And without overlooking his bewilderment─Emonzaemon Soda activated23 Ento the Bead.

Activate being no exaggeration.

Barely moving─but to pull the triggers on these lumps of metal.

Bang.

Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang.

The tinny sounds─rang through the room.

The echo strangely hollow and enormous.

Unlike Oshidori Maniwa, shot from behind, Pengin had been staring at Ento the Bead the moment it was fired─and seeing it in action, its workings were so simple it was baffling.

While small and short in barrel─

These lumps of metal had the firepower of flintlocks.

Able to launch24 pellets25 using explosive powder.

But these weapons were far more diabolical than any flintlock.

For one thing, they were handy.26

And fired in rapid succession.

Every shot that Pengin Maniwa heard─meant one more bullet hurtling towards him.

What happened to be going through his mind was Mitsubachi Maniwa, another of the Twelve Bosses of the Maniwa, late of the Bug Unit, and his Blunderbuzz, a form of ninpo bearing comparison to a firearm─but this was on another level. What was it? How on earth had these small lumps of metal been invested with such power?

It was commendable for Pengin to comprehend so much in but a fraction of a moment─but even so, he lacked the time to act.

This was a scene of total despair.

Forget escape, he could not move a muscle─

“Whuh?”

He could not move.

And yet─not one of the seven bullets unloaded by Ento the Bead so much as grazed his skin.

All seven shots landed27 in the wall behind him.

“Whah?”

Emonzaemon Soda cried out with surprise─nay, with astonishment.

“I missed…or, did you make me miss?”

“No use,” said Pengin Maniwa. Though cowering─and shaking all over, his words were firm. “I’ve figured out what makes Ento the Bead tick… It doesn’t matter if this sword of yours can unload quicker and more precisely than the average28 flintlock. As long as it fires projectiles, it’s useless against me.”

“…”

“That’s one of my ninpo moves─the Fate Blaster.”29

Fate Blaster.

A move whose specialness30 set it apart from all the Maniwa Ninpo─and the reason Pengin Maniwa, a child of few years, had been chosen out of all the ninjas in the village to be one of the Twelve Bosses.

Its power neither offensive nor defensive.

In a word─it was vitality.31

As you may have guessed, Togame the Schemer and Princess Negative were among those who rejected predestination32─and while the Fate Blaster was based on this very notion, it served also, as the name suggests, to undermine the power of fate.

Pengin Maniwa─was plain lucky.

His luck was so incredible,33 it left a dichotomy like having “good” or “bad” luck in the dust.

Contravening theory and reason.

Thwarting all attempts at logic, he was perpetually under a lucky star.

Consider─Umigame Maniwa.

Who had been unfortunate enough to wind up seeking the Bead─and on the flip side, check out Pengin, whose good fortune it was to seek, in tandem with Hohoh, the Basilisk.

One might say his good fortune was essential to the Maniwa discovering it.

Pengin Maniwa’s powers of reconnaissance, unrivaled by Komori Maniwa or Kawauso Maniwa─were likewise founded in the resilience of his luck.

In another of the endless sampling of examples─when Hohoh Maniwa went berserk and laid into Pengin, hoping to take his life, and Pengin failed to block the cut in any way, he managed to survive─for no reason other than the strength of his luck.

Strong enough─to blast through fate.

Hence the name Ninpo Fate Blaster.

“Right. I think I get the picture,” said Emonzaemon.

Just as Pengin had instantaneously understood the workings of Ento the Bead, Emonzaemon was able to surmise the nature of the ninpo used by Pengin Maniwa from the phenomenon which just took place, the circumstances of their last encounter,34 and the nomenclature “Fate Blaster.”

Picture it all you want, thought Pengin. But once your fate is blasted, it will never be the same!

“Considering the deep resentment the Schemer harbors for the Maniwa Clan, it’s odd she let you live, especially in one whole piece─do we have the Fate Blaster to thank for that?”

“That’s not for me to say.”

Pengin took a defiant stance.

Though on the inside he was shaking uncontrollably as ever, he did his best to hide it.

This was the moment of truth.

If he was able to break through this impasse─not only would he be able to catch up with Hohoh in Iga: he could capture Ento the Bead from Emonzaemon Soda, however he had happened to become its owner.

Ento the Bead.

The ultimate souvenir for Hohoh Maniwa!

“What I will say is that no projectile, regardless of how much power is behind it, can get through to me. The bullets do the dodging for me.”

In a foreign folk tradition, there is a story of a king who sauntered proudly through a battlefield as arrows flew every which way around him─but the good fortune of Pengin Maniwa rivaled that of this fantastical king, in fact surpassing it.

Not even the most expert marksman35 in Maniwa Village could pin36 a shuriken on Pengin Maniwa. The Blunderbuzz of Mitsubachi Maniwa, which boasted one-hundred-percent accuracy, could not so much as graze his body. For Mitsubachi Maniwa, a bug who never missed his mark,37 he was without exception the sole exception─lo, Pengin Maniwa.

“But just projectiles, huh?” asked Emonzaemon. “I get the feeling that this ninpo─is not so almighty38 after all. If you have the power to blast through fate, how do you explain the mess you’re in? You never would have let Hohoh Maniwa go berserk, nor allowed him to cut you down with Dokuto the Basilisk.”

“…”

“For the record, even without projectiles─I have my ways of injuring you. In all your exultation,39 have you forgotten? Aside from Ento the Bead, I have what Hohoh has decided to call the Decapitation Cycle─which I personally refer to as Endlessly Unsparing.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Pengin reassured him. “But I have my own tricks up my sleeve─they call me ‘Pengin the Breeder’ for good reason. Can you guess why?”

“Does it involve cloning yourself?”40

“Not quite─but close.”

With that.

Pengin Maniwa pulled a weapon41 from his pocket. The Schemer and the Kyotoryu were kind enough42 to take leave of the inn without disarming him─

A black ellipsoid object.

Sized perfectly to fit into the palm of Pengin’s little hand.

It could not have been a blade─but neither could it be a shuriken.

Though certainly a weapon, it could only be described as a black ellipsoid object.

In fact, he held one in each hand─just as Emonzaemon wielded Ento the Bead.

“What the hell are those?”

“These are my Lucky Pucks.”43

“Lucky what? This is the first I’ve seen or heard of such a weapon… Do you toss those trinkets at your enemy?”

“You got it!”

By way of a response to this snide remark, Pengin simultaneously released both weapons─both the Lucky Pucks, chucking them at Emonzaemon.

The dictionary definition of projectiles.

Compared to the bullets fired by Ento the Bead, their speed was astronomically─slower.

Dodging these two missiles44 would be a cinch for Emonzaemon.

And yet.

“Whuh?”

The Lucky Pucks─homed in on Emonzaemon from behind.

Zooming past─and doubling back.

“Gah!”

Though it was not at all what you might call a cinch, Emonzaemon contorted himself and dodged them both─whereupon the Lucky Pucks came within inches of Pengin.

Blowing past him, and hitting the wall behind him─ricocheting.45

Not round like normal pucks, but ellipsoid.

Hence, they ricocheted in random directions.

Off the wall, the ceiling, the floor, the fusuma, the shoji─the pair of Lucky Pucks could not be stopped,46 boomeranging47 across the room.

Dazzling boomerangs.

Blinding─boomerangs.

“Hey, these things─”

They did not merely ricochet.

Normally, when we say ricochet, we mean an object expends energy and slows down every time it bounces off a surface─but every time these Lucky Pucks made contact, they bounced away with ever greater speed. They may have been a little slow at first, but at this point, they flew so wildly that calling them “high speed” was no exaggeration.

High speed, or even lightspeed.48

The Lucky Pucks were invested with unholy springiness.49

Whereby.

As if cloned repeatedly, the first two Lucky Pucks, by dancing left and right, manifested as a hundred, then two hundred.

Hence the origins of the sobriquet “Pengin the Breeder”!

“Ugh…are you─”

Obviously.

In their rampant traversals of the room, the Lucky Pucks were hitting Emonzaemon Soda. By now too fast for him to dodge─or even to block. Had they maintained the speed they had when Pengin chucked them, Emonzaemon might have been able to catch both Lucky Pucks; but catching an unknown enemy projectile barehanded would not have been a wise decision.

Although it would have been the right one.

At this point, the two Lucky Pucks─which, having multiplied, had become two hundred Lucky Pucks, were much too speedy for Emonzaemon to grasp. Soft and ellipsoid─they slapped him silly, endlessly colliding with his body.

Springy enough to bounce off even fusuma and shoji.

In their collisions with his body, they barely packed a punch.

And yet─Emonzaemon had been perfectly immobilized.

Besides, when all those little punches pile up─things change.

“Pengin Maniwa!”

Pengin, whom he addressed.

Stood amid the hurricane50 of ricocheting Lucky Pucks─not moving a muscle.

The Lucky Pucks not even skimming his body.

On its own, this ninpo─Ninpo Lucky Pucks, amounted to a suicide51 maneuver, to be used in only the direst of circumstances. Employed indoors, in a cramped space, to incapacitate both friend and foe and even its practitioner─essentially, this ninpo was a way of buying time.

It had some things in common with a smokescreen.

But though their impacts added up, there was no way that the interior of the space, things like the fusuma and shoji, was more resilient than the human body─and so, as dazzling as they may be, the Lucky Pucks could hardly be lethal.52

However.

In the hands of Pengin Maniwa, who at the same time practiced the Fate Blaster, things were different.

His Lucky Pucks not only dodged his body: their paths collided with the softer surfaces, like the fusuma and shoji─as infrequently as possible.

Whereby─in the hands of Pengin Maniwa, the Lucky Pucks were lethal after all!

Aimless as they may be─they yielded lethal results.

All thanks to Pengin Maniwa being lucky!

“Blending53 an innately passive tactic like the Fate Blaster with an innately evasive tactic like the Lucky Pucks─very menacing. I’m beginning to see why you were chosen to be one of the Twelve Bosses, despite your age.”

Emonzaemon had given up trying to deflect or otherwise impede the Lucky Pucks that ricocheted around the room─he stared at Pengin as they washed over him.

“Hate to break it to you, Pengin Maniwa─but you’re nothing special. Every generation has a handful of individuals loved by history─the darlings54 of their age─”

“Huh?”

“Take Nanami Yasuri. You’re basically the Nanami Yasuri of the Maniwa Ninja Clan─just the thought of that gives me goosebumps… Once I let my thoughts get the better of me,55 it really makes my skin crawl. These Lucky Pucks are one thing, but imagine what would have happened had Nanami Yasuri picked up your Fate Blaster using that Watch and Learn of hers─gives me the shivers. Still─”

Emonzaemon made no effort to evade the bouncing Lucky Pucks.

Why evade them─when he had Ento the Bead.

The revolver and the automatic.

He leveled them on Pengin Maniwa.

“No matter how beloved you are by the current era─are you certain that you’ll be loved by the world centuries hence?”

“Huh?”

“At the historical level─fate cannot be blasted through so easily.”

With that.

Emonzaemon Soda pulled the triggers on both firearms.

Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang.

Another seven shots, sending another flurry of bullets from the muzzles of the guns.

Even at their current speed, the Lucky Pucks were outstripped by the bullets─but Pengin knew it was in vain.

If the hurricane of Lucky Pucks did not so much as graze his skin.

Seven bullets had no chance.

This was a sorry act of desperation.

“Ugh!”

And yet.

The instant Pengin Maniwa assured himself of victory─he felt a blow from behind.

Nay─to say he “felt” the blow is too tame of a locution.

The blow had force, like something sharp had been thrust into him.

Such a blow─had struck him three times over.

“…Huh…?”

“Three shots out of seven─not bad at all.” Even amid these developments, Emonzaemon spoke without the slightest difference in tone. “Of course, I owe this stroke of genius to your Lucky Pucks. Just like these two projectiles─”

Glancing at the Lucky Pucks continuing to ricochet around the room─and making no attempt to prevent them from striking him, Emonzaemon continued.

“I figured that a ricocheting bullet stood a decent chance of hitting you.”

“R-Ricochet?”56

Baffled─Pengin spun around.

But he could not believe his eyes.

The Lucky Pucks were able to ricochet because of their extraordinary softness─whereas the bullets, surely made of iron or the like, could never possibly have bounced off of the walls, not at that speed.

Case in point, the first seven shots that Emonzaemon fired had all landed in the wall behind Pengin─

“…nkk, ahh!”

“Impasse.” Emonzaemon nodded, watching Pengin put it all together. “You got it. Jackpot.57 In this last fusillade, I was not aiming at you. Instead, I aimed at the seven bullets buried in the wall, after my first round58─iron bounces off of iron. As a result, three of these seven bullets nailed you in the back. If your favor was everlasting, the ricocheting bullets would have come straight for me…but alas, it would seem your luck will run out at some point in the next few hundred years─”

“Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you saying─”

“No need. You need not understand.”

With these words, Emonzaemon threw open the fusuma behind him─whereupon the two Lucky Pucks buzzing around the room flew out into the hallway. He promptly shut the fusuma to prevent the oval objects from reentering the room.

Pengin Maniwa.

Whose luck─had finally run out.

“Uh, uh, uh…”

Stood admirably upright─despite the sharp pains gnawing at his back.

Yet, unimpressed, Emonzaemon walked over to Pengin Maniwa.

“Since my bullets lost momentum in the ricochet, I doubt your wounds are fatal─I have to admit, you put up a good fight. Sit tight. I’ll finish the job.”

As promised, Emonzaemon shoved the muzzles59 of both handguns into a stunned Pengin Maniwa’s mouth.60

“I reckon your Fate Blaster is blasted out─but regardless, there’s no missing from a range like this. Well, Pengin Maniwa. If you have any last words, now’s your chance.”

“…”

Pengin Maniwa─

Shed a single tear from a dilated pupil.

“B-But…I don’t want to die,” he said. “I-I didn’t─even want to fight.”

Emonzaemon responded to these words with a huge sigh.

“Congratulations. You’re the first person in history to die after a sorry line like that.”

Enjoying the last word.

Emonzaemon pulled the trigger.

Merciless gunshots61 resounded62 through the room.

■　■

Had been reduced to one.

And that one boss─had gone berserk.

1 ぶん BUN onomatopoeia for a heavy object slicing air

2 血振い CHIBURUI “blood swing” waving a sword to clear the blade of blood

3 試し斬り TAMESHI GIRI “trial cut” trying out a new sword on a human body

4 うなされる UNASARERU made to groan (in a feverish state) common metonym for nightmares

5 掛け布団 KAKEBUTON comforter

6 任せっぱなし MAKASEPPANASHI entrust (a task) entirely

7 ひよる HIYORU “watch the weather” waiting for the right moment

8 敵に塩を送る TEKI NI SHIO WO OKURU “send salt to the enemy” aid and abet one’s foes

9 金銀財宝を送りつけた KINGIN ZAIHŌ WO OKURI TSUKETA “delivered hoards of gold and silver”

10 蜜月 MITSU GETSU literally “honey moon”

11 腹ん中 HARAN’NAKA “in the belly” an ironic accusation, coming from Komori

12 誓い CHIKAI pledge, oath

13 不行 IKAZU “not going”

14 想像 SŌZŌ imagination

15 しのびの端くれ SHINOBI NO HASHIKURE “a scrap of ninja”

16 ぎりぎり GIRI GIRI “cutting it close” onomatopoeia for being down to the wire

17 手に負えない TE NI OENAI “cannot be carried in the hands”

18 拮抗 KIKKŌ vying; comparable (skill levels)

19 駄賃 DACHIN short money (for a small task)

20 後々に ATO ATO NI later on

21 一対の ITTSUI NO “one pair of”

22 混乱 困惑 KONRAN KONWAKU confused distraught

23 発動 HATSUDŌ set in motion

24 発射 HASSHA “send shooting” fire

25 弾丸 DANGAN “round shot”

26 携帯性 KEITAISEI portable e.g. 携帯電話 KEITAI DENWA cell phone

27 めり込んだ MERIKONDA sank, burrowed

28 既存 KIZON extant

29 運命崩し UNMEI KUZUSHI “crumbling destiny”

30 希少性 KISHŌSEI rareness

31 生命力 SEIMEI RYOKU “power of life”

32 運命論 UNMEIRON fatalism: the idea that all events are preordained

33 強運 KYŌUN “strong” luck, as opposed to 悪運/幸運 AKU’UN/KŌUN bad vs. good fortune

34 対面 TAIMEN “meet faces” depending on context, 面 MEN can mean “face” or “mask”

35 名手 MEISHU “famed hand”

36 命中 MEICHŪ make a direct hit

37 獲物 EMONO prey

38 万能 BAN’NŌ “ten thousand abilities” good for all occasions

39 得意になって TOKUI NI NATTE becoming self-satisfied

40 分身の術 BUNSHIN NO JUTSU “self-division trick” a common trope of fictionalized ninjas

41 得物 EMONO “trusty object” a preferred implement of destruction

42 ご丁寧にも GOTEINEI NIMO “most respectfully” (sarcastic)

43 柔球術 JŪKYŪJUTSU “art of the soft balls”

44 投擲物 TŌTEKIBUTSU “thrown objects”

45 反射する HANSHA SURU to reflect

46 縦横無尽 JŪŌ MUJIN “uninhibited traversal” free range of motion

47 乱舞 RANBU “dance like mad” sometimes used to describe swift swordplay

48 高速 光速 KŌSOKU KŌSOKU “high velocity” “light velocity”

49 すさまじいまでの弾性 SUSAMAJII MADE NO DANSEI downright frightful elasticity

50 嵐 ARASHI storm

51 自爆 JIBAKU “bomb oneself”

52 殺傷能力 SASSHŌ NŌRYOKU “ability to kill or wound”

53 連携 RENKEI in concert

54 寵児 CHŌJI “favorite child”

55 想像をたくましくする SŌZŌ WO TAKUMASHIKU SURU “empower the imagination”

56 跳弾 CHŌDAN “bouncing ball (ammo)” the standard term, reserved until now in original

57 大当たり ŌATARI “big hit” the exact right answer puns on 当たる ATARU get hit

58 銃撃 JŪGEKI gunfire

59 銃口 JŪKŌ “gun mouth”

60 口 KUCHI mouth

61 銃声 JŪSEI “gun voice”

62 反響 HANKYŌ echo shares initial character with 反射 HANSHA reflect

■　■

“Welcome home.”

“Back for a visit?”

“It’s great to see that you’re alive and well.”

“We couldn’t wait to have you come home.”

“Boss, have you had any success?”

“Does this mean…that you’re here to stay?”

“But what became of all the others?”

“Boss, what’s up with the sword?”

“Boss.”

“Boss…”

“Boss Hohoh?”

The man answered.

With a flash of his katana.

“The name is Kiki Shikizaki.”

■　■

And yet.

Had they, blessed with clement weather, arrived in Iga one or two days, even a week earlier─reaching the enclave tucked between the hills where Pengin told them they would find New Maniwa, it would have had no impact whatsoever; even Shichika could see.

New Maniwa.

Shichika had no idea where Old Maniwa had been─but regardless.

The way they found it, this place was too far gone to call a village.

From their first step into town─a rude stench filled their noses.

Something foul.2

The stench─of rotting flesh and blood.

Lake Fuyo, the Level One Disaster Area which had been their destination in the eighth moon of the year─that godforsaken place, piled high with all manner of refuse, reeked horribly in its own right─but this was something else entirely.

Lake Fuyo was devoid of people.

Sure it smelled, but not the smell of corpses.3

Whereas─on this day in New Maniwa, corpses were the only thing that you could smell.

“Togame─”

“So this is what he meant by test his sword,” Togame stopped Shichika mid-sentence with a raised hand. “We’re going in.”

“…Okay.”

And so the two headed into the village.

Along the way─the situation of the village became clear.

All around them, as if set up like props─bodies had been cast aside like ragdolls.

No attempts to clean up.

Arms and legs flung from their bodies.

There was no need to conduct a sweep, peering into each and every house─no one could have possibly survived.

Though Shichika was unequipped to gauge the exact progress of the putrefaction,4 the rot had set in far enough for him to guess without a doubt the village had been sacked a couple weeks before.

Blood. Flesh.

Putrid.

Maniwa Village─had been annihilated beyond belief.

The only question was by whom.

But this, too, could be easily guessed.

“But how could─what the hell?”

“Not like your sister has a monopoly5 on annihilating villages. Still…”

Scanning the scenery, Togame did not slow her pace, but pain had crept into her tone of voice, and soon she let her eyes fall shut.

“…He murdered everyone,6 not just the ninjas from the village, but women and children, obvious civilians. He took no chances, acting thoroughly…hardly what I’d call berserk.”

Exactly as Togame said─the rash of corpses included many who were not dressed in the ninja garb, that esoteric getup that was the trademark of the Maniwa.

Villagers lay mown down everywhere they looked, wherever their eyes fell.

“According to the latest records of the bakufu, fifty people in all lived in Maniwa Village─minus the Twelve Bosses, that leaves thirty-eight. What do you say, Shichika? Shall we tally up the corpses?”

“I don’t really see a reason.”

“Fair point.”

Togame smiled ruefully and walked ahead, taking care to avoid the spilt blood that had stained the ground.

Not so large, as villages go.

Should be easy enough to find him.

All they had to do was find somebody on the move.

Or even somebody upright─and they would know.

“All the bloodstains make it hard to tell─but it looks like this village was really poor,” observed Togame.

“We knew the Maniwa had fallen on hard times, but this is worse than I imagined.”

Perhaps the fallen bodies slumped around them enhanced this impression.

But all the same─Shichika felt something.

He had a feeling.

The Maniwa must have had their reasons for doing things.

Togame always made it sound like they were undeserving of sympathy.

And yet Shichika Yasuri, as the present master of a school marooned7 by history─a school which for a time had fallen into obscurity.

Could not stifle his sympathy.

Not like any of the Twelve Bosses had asked him for any.

Komori Maniwa. Kawauso Maniwa. Kyoken Maniwa.

Mitsubachi Maniwa. Chocho Maniwa. Kamakiri Maniwa.

Pengin Maniwa. Kuizame Maniwa. Umigame Maniwa.

Oshidori Maniwa. Shirasagi Maniwa. Hohoh Maniwa─

The Twelve Bosses of the Maniwa Ninja Clan.

The Maniwa Ninja─a band of expert assassins.

“We’ve got company. Over there, Shichika.”

In the village square.

Leaning against the trunk of a girthy, sprawling camphor tree8 that stood like the main pillar9 of the village─there was a man.

Wearing the telltale sleeveless ninja garb.

Chains wrapped around his body.

A man whom they had not encountered in perhaps half a year.

The man─was Hohoh Maniwa.

“…”

Unlike the last time they had met, his left hand held a drawn katana.

The blade was black.

Blacker than the deepest night.

The longsword lacked a handguard.

It had a pronounced curve─and Hohoh wagged it idly, biding his time.

It would seem as if he had not noticed they were there.

“Whew,” breathed Shichika, after looking over Hohoh. “That was close─for a second I almost thought that black sword was Dokuto the Basilisk. But no sword made by Kiki Shikizaki would ever have a shape as nice as that. I guess he must have stashed the Basilisk somewhere.”

“It would seem so,” Togame seconded Shichika’s observation. “The black blade matches the description of the Basilisk that Pengin gave us, but I dare say that must be a coincidence. Or maybe Pengin was confused or something. No blade of Kiki Shikizaki would ever have a shape as regular as that.”

“Totally. Exactly. I figured the Basilisk was some kind of a liquid10 sword, like maybe pure venom or something. I dunno.”

“Interesting. Not a bad hypothesis. Sounds plausible enough to me.”

“Helloooo. I can hear you!”

Then.

Suddenly─Hohoh turned their way.

Raising the black blade high and resting it upon his shoulder.

After a chuckle, he continued.

“Seems like you two are having fun─trash-talking my beloved11 swords. Figures. No matter how the times may change, youngsters like you will always sound the same.”

“Huh?”

Shichika was bewildered by the aggression of his speech.

Hohoh spoke pretty steadily for a person who had gone berserk, but something about him made him sound unlike the Hohoh they had met twice before. Compared to the personality he had stolen from Emonzaemon─

This person was beyond different.

This man─was someone else entirely.

Not only with regards to speech, but in his bearing and his facial expressions─faced with12 Hohoh Maniwa, Shichika was certain he was not the Hohoh Maniwa they knew.

This was not like in the old days on Haphazard Island.

Back when he was unable to tell people apart.

At this point, Shichika could easily tell one person from the next, as long as he wasn’t dealing with a set of twins.

And yet─

“Hey, you!” Togame must have felt the same way. “Are you really─Hohoh Maniwa?”

“Me? Nope.”

Hohoh Maniwa.

Asked if he was Hohoh─shook his head, as if the answer should be obvious. “The name is Kiki Shikizaki.”

“What?!”

Under normal circumstances, Shichika would have interpreted this outburst from Hohoh as nonsense and blamed the wacky self-introduction on the ninja having gone berserk.

But he was in the know.

Shichika knew about─the Foaming Mouth.

The ninpo used by Kyoken Maniwa─one of the five bosses of the Maniwa whom Shichika had personally encountered.

This move allowed her to take over other people’s bodies.

Though to be honest, Shichika wasn’t sure if it was fair to call it a move.

And while it may have been the stuff of myth, they say the woman known as Kyoken Maniwa had been dead hundreds of years─surviving only as a disembodied will.

This will, going by the name of Kyoken Maniwa, used a form of ninpo called the Foaming Mouth to take over thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of bodies─allowing her to live for hundreds of years, up to the present day.

He knew about the woman and her ninpo.

Which meant he knew─a person’s will could persist long after she died.

Same goes for the will of legendary swordsmith Kiki Shikizaki.

Becoming venom and persisting through his swords was not the craziest idea─far from crazy, it made perfect sense.

It would be crazy for that not to be the case.

What was the venom of the Mutant Blades, if not the will of Kiki Shikizaki?

The spirit of the swordsmith, poured into his creations?

In which case─

The despotically toxic venom emanated by Dokuto the Basilisk, whose poison was the strongest of the Twelve Possessed, the masterworks of Kiki Shikizaki─

Could by rights be called Kiki Shikizaki, the man himself.

Moreover, Hohoh Maniwa had touched Dokuto the Basilisk with his left arm─the left arm of Kawauso Maniwa!

Making this─a culmination13 of the Foaming Mouth and the Infovac!

Sure he had gone berserk─but berserk was not the half of it.

Every aspect of Hohoh Maniwa─down to the last crevice of his body, had been taken over by Kiki Shikizaki!

“T-Togame!”

“Whatever it is you’ve realized, you can be sure I do too. Right now I’m busy thinking about what we should do next. Quiet for a second.”

As if the very circumstances steeled her nerves, Togame the Schemer spoke calmly─taking one step forward, as if to confront Hohoh Maniwa, or rather Kiki Shikizaki.

“It is my distinct honor to make your acquaintance─will that do,14 Kiki Shikizaki?”

“You can skip the stiff formalities. I hate that stuff,” Hohoh Maniwa─or Kiki Shikizaki, dismissed her searching greeting. “I see you in his memory. So you’re the Schemer, huh? I see you have a rather stylish15 way of doing battle… I like that. In an enemy.”

“In his…memory?”

“Yeah. Except there’s something different about how you look inside his head─did you cut your hair? What a shame. You were much prettier with long hair. Now you look like a child.”

“I suppose this is our first time seeing Hohoh since I cut my hair.”

Pengin had been caught off guard as well.

Shichika personally felt that Princess Negative had overreacted, but it showed how strictly folks identified Togame with her lengthy tresses.

He was not surprised that Kiki Shikizaki could tap into Hohoh’s memory.

Kyoken Maniwa had been able to do the same.

In fact, this helped explain things.

Shichika was unable to fully grasp what led Hohoh to head straight for Iga after he had gone berserk─though most likely Kiki Shikizaki, having taken over the body and the memory of Hohoh, had selected Maniwa Village simply for being a place full of people on whom he could “test out his sword.”

─Testing his sword.

Rotting bodies strewn about the village.

They could only have been killed by Kiki Shikizaki─in the form of Hohoh Maniwa.

What filled the hearts of all the villagers when he tore through their home defies the imagination.16

Watching the head of the community mowing down its people, killing both young and old and men and women alike─

“Do you remember Higaki?”

Togame left this open-ended, just in case.

Rinne Higaki.

Hermit Magus, and only owner of one of the Twelve Possessed who had received the sword from Kiki Shikizaki, the man himself─

“What? You mean Rinne Higaki? Yeah─I wonder how that guy is doing. Haven’t heard that name in forever. Wonder how he’s making out. Couldn’t have been easy dealing with Seito the Garland.”

“It was buried, deep in the ground.”

Togame likely opted to respond this way because she had derived17 a sense of truth from what Kiki Shikizaki said. Though she had been the one to speak the name Higaki, she had not given a first name, nor betrayed the slightest hint that Higaki had been the owner of Seito the Garland.

Though this was all still hard to swallow─

They had no choice but to accept that Hohoh Maniwa, as he appeared before them, was in fact Kiki Shikizaki.

“The Divine Phoenix, the bird that cannot die. Rather comical for a swordsmith who has been dead for ages to use the body of Hohoh to come back to life. But regardless,” said Togame, “I think this is the end─at least for Hohoh Maniwa.”

Using her Foaming Mouth, Kyoken Maniwa had taken over the body of Konayuki Itezora─but by slamming her with his Fatal Orchid Hika Rakuyo, Shichika had successfully expelled18 her will.

However─they could not expect the same move to work under these conditions.

Now that Hohoh’s body, by way of Kawauso’s arm, had garnered19 the venom of Dokuto the Basilisk.

Sending it coursing through the body of Hohoh Maniwa─head to toe.

“You see, the chief characteristic of Dokuto the Basilisk is a little thing called Venom Despotism.20 You want comedy? This whole thing is a comedy,” said Kiki Shikizaki. “This guy here’s been cobbling together body parts using his Life Line, stealing from these people’s lives. His body and his skills─even his personality, they’re all accessories.21 Stolen accessories, at that. The man is just one layer after another of gilding.22 How fitting to be taken over, in the end, by someone like me?”

“As they say, what goes around comes around.”23 Togame nodded cautiously. “Well? Tell me, Shikizaki─what exactly was your intention, luring us all the way out here?”

“You saying I invited you?”

“Quit playing dumb. Did you not enlist Pengin Maniwa as your messenger?”

“Ah, that I did.”

“How exactly do you explain that─how did you know that we would take that road in the first place? Seems to me that was a fairly unreliable way of relaying a message.”24

“One question at a time, Schemer,” Kiki Shikizaki said with a grim laugh. “In answer to your second question─I was able to predict that you would take that road.”

“Predict?”

“Predict, or rather prognosticate,”25 Kiki Shikizaki explained. “I’ll have you know I’m a clairvoyant.”26

“Excuse me?”

Togame was stymied by this unhelpful remark. For his part, Shichika had no idea what a clairvoyant even was.

“Sorry, Kiki Shikizaki…what did you just say?” the Schemer pressed.

“Huh? Did you miss that? I said I’m a clairvoyant. CLAIR-VOY-ANT─I had a hunch that in due time, the two of you, the Schemer and the Kyotoryu, would take that road.”

“So you’re some kind of…fortuneteller?”

“Sure. I did a bit of that back in the day. The Shikizakis have been in the soothsaying27 trade for ages─although at this point, it seems as if my roots are shrouded in mystery.”

Shikizaki had himself a belly laugh.

Togame was not in the most positive of moods. “This clairvoyant business doesn’t help your cause. I’d be more likely to believe you if you said it was a random guess.”

“Maybe so. But think it over, Schemer,” Kiki Shikizaki said, totally unperturbed. “How else can you explain, in concrete terms, how I could craft the Mutant Blades?”

“…Oh!”

“Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say no other explanation would add up.”

Togame groaned─how had she failed to see this before Kiki Shikizaki spelled it out?

Now everything made sense to her.

Not so for Shichika, however, who remained in the dark.

Instinctually he grabbed Togame’s shoulder.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.

“Basically…” Making a face like she was fending off a headache, Togame answered Shichika─without turning around, eyes fixed on Kiki Shikizaki. “He means the Twelve Possessed─were manufactured using methods of the future.”

Zetto the Leveler. Zanto the Razor.

Sento the Legion. Hakuto the Whisper.

Zokuto the Armor. Soto the Twin.

Akuto the Eel. Bito the Sundial.

Oto the Cured. Seito the Garland.

Dokuto the Basilisk. Ento the Bead.

“Whoa─not just the Twelve Possessed. All thousand of the Mutant Blades─were manufactured using methods reimported28 from the future, which I divined.”

“From the future? Reimported?”

“Get it?” Togame said, out of patience. “That’s why to us, living in the present day─they seem to possess characteristics that defy the laws of physics.”

So hard that it could never bend or break. Sharp enough to cut through anything.

Complete and utter uniformity. Tuned to be as light and frail as possible.

Ironclad and matchless armor class. The heaviest matter in existence.

The power to revivify the body. A robot almost perpetually29 in motion.

Precise alignment30 of the spirit. An ability to gauge sincerity.

Impregnated with ferocious venom.

Each and every one─had characteristics unimaginable in a regular sword.

But their unimaginable nature was strictly limited to the present age.

Who was to say they would not become regular in the years ahead─hence!

Nothing stops you in the present, if it can be done in the future!

Reimportation!

“Still, there’s a limit. When I was set up by Lake Fuyo, I was able to scrounge up31 basically anything I needed, but sometimes the parts or tools you need are nowhere to be found─you can’t get anywhere without the raw materials.”

“…”

“Ah, I’ll never forget my experience making Zanto the Razor. Boy, that was tough. We’re talking about a katana that can cut through anything─which means it shears through the molecular structure of objects. Folks won’t be doing that for what, like four hundred years?”

“Hmph…”

In a show of bravado, Togame crossed her arms and puffed up her chest.

“What can I say─this comes as a surprise, but it’s not out of the question. Indeed, no other explanation would suffice. It’s not like you can actually defy the laws of physics.”

“Correct. I’m telling you, the Mutant Blades are mere katanas, conforming with both physics and psychology.”

Saying this─Shikizaki lifted the black blade from his shoulder and cast a mild arc.

As if cutting through the air before him.

Letting the blade fall─without a sound.

“Making this thing something─of a period piece.”32

“Regardless of whether or not any of this is true, it makes no difference to us now. I could care less whether it’s a relic of the past or a gift from the future. But in any case, Shikizaki, I need you to clarify something about your story that has left me rather confused.”

“One question at a time.”

“I will abide,” Togame said. “Why was it─you made these katanas?”

“…”

“I don’t understand what drove you to create katanas using methods from the future. It would be one thing if you were a swordsmith by birth─but did you not say you come from a long line of fortunetellers?”

“I did indeed.”

“In the fortunetelling business, is there not a tacit understanding that the secrets of the future are to be divulged as sparingly as possible? Reckless mention of future events can potentially rewrite history─I was under the impression you could hint33 at the future, but nothing more. And yet you have bestrewn the Mutant Blades all over Japan.”

“Regrettably,” Kiki Shikizaki said, in answer to Togame’s question, unperturbed as ever, “my goal, from the first, was to rewrite history.”

“Rewrite─history?”

“Though perhaps revise34 would be a better way of putting it.”

Kiki Shikizaki lifted his back from the trunk of the camphor tree.

Then turned himself to squarely face the Schemer.

“Listen. Me and my kin have been in the soothsaying trade for countless generations─the Shikizakis were in the game long before this country reorganized itself as a nation. Way back when, legend has it we weren’t soothsayers, so much as what you might call shamans35─but the wheels have been in motion since the first Shikizaki. Forget your tacit understanding─little by little, slowly but surely, my kin has revised the history of this country. Changing the very future we foresaw,” intoned Kiki Shikizaki. “Until I came along─and revised things entirely.”

“But why!”

“Because of the Age of Warring States! That most balkanized36 of eras presented the single greatest opportunity to manipulate the course of history of this land─and as luck would have it, the Head of the House of Shikizaki at the time, none other than yours truly, happened to be the greatest fortuneteller in the Shikizaki lineage. Though not by accident─hence why my ancestors fiddled with history.”

“So that you, the greatest fortuneteller in the Shikizaki lineage─would be born at that exact moment in time? How is that possible?”

“Once you know what lies ahead, just about anything is possible,” Shikizaki laughed, nodding at Togame. “As it turned out, the most effective way of manipulating history in the Age of Warring States was to fabricate katanas. Which is why─I bet my life on fabricating swords.”

The legendary swordsmith.

Kiki Shikizaki─thus came into being.

And he sounded pretty pleased with himself.37

“My thoughts were occupied by nothing but making katanas─not like I didn’t have a little romance now and then. I’ve been known to shirk responsibility with the best of them.”

“I appreciate that personal insight,38 but you have yet to answer my question. I inquired as to what would make you want to try and revise history.”

“Not try. I did, in fact, revise it,” Shikizaki Kiki corrected Togame’s choice of words. “The world as you know it should never have turned out this way─the Itezora Clan? Come on. The Maniwa? None of their kind could possibly have existed in the normal course of history. Perhaps not even you─Togame the Schemer.”

“My father…” Togame said in a low voice. “My father gave his life─to right the history you revised.”

“Huh?” Kiki Shikizaki was bug-eyed, as if stunned. “You’re kidding─do you mean to tell me that somebody outside of the Shikizaki lineage39 caught wind of it? Here I thought that shogun was the only guy who noticed. That’s incredible─I know that I’m the one who did it, but hey, we’re talking about changing history here. Leave it to the owner of the Diamond to have a guy like that for a father.”

“Hey.”

Silent all this time.

Shichika Yasuri finally interrupted their conversation.

“You said the Itezora Clan and the Maniwa, and even Togame, could not possibly exist in normal history…but what about the Kyotoryu?”

“Hmm? Ah, yes, the Kyotoryu.”

It made Kiki Shikizaki smile, almost cheerfully, to hear Shichika ask this question.

“You’re a different story─since you, my boy, are among the katanas I created.”

“…”

“Didn’t you meet with Higaki? If so, he must have told you─the Kyotoryu is the last sword I ever made, my magnum opus, which I dubbed Kyoto the Diamond.”

The magnum opus.

For which the masterworks─were only prototypes.

“The first of you, Kazune Yasuri, was not what I would call the greatest40─though his foundational efforts were hardly in vain. They resulted in the successful generation41─of swords like you, Shichika Yasuri.”

“You know about our founder?”

“Know him? We were best friends,” claimed Kiki Shikizaki. “He may have been a dumbass swordsman, who could care less about history─but thanks to him, my Mutant Blades realized their ultimate potential. For that, I can’t thank him enough.”

“…”

“Quit staring, Kyotoryu─after all, I’m basically your father.”

“I only got one father─my old man,” Shichika insisted.

Mutsue Yasuri─Hero of the Rebellion.

The teacher who trained Shichika for nineteen years.

And the first person Shichika had killed─in his whole life.

“You’re nobody to me.”

“Such a cold-hearted42 thing to say. But that’s all well and good. No one has any obligation to concern themselves with where they come from─you’re who you are, and that is that, no matter who your father or your mother was.”

“You talk big, for a dead man.”

Togame made no attempt to mask her distaste for the wiseacre43 rants of Kiki Shikizaki.

“If you’re unwilling to answer my question about what motivated you, I will not ask again. It makes no difference to us anyway─now then. For almost a year, we’ve hunted down the swords that you supposedly made using methods from the future, working our way up and down44 the full breadth of Japan, and seeing everything under the sun along the way, or so we thought─but in retrospect, the idea that we would end up meeting you, their maker, is absurdly sensible, one might even say predictable.45 If we can meet a hermit magus, then surely we can meet a ghost. Who cares. I probably won’t even include you in the report I submit to my superiors─”

“Too cruel. Wouldn’t that mean revising history?” Kiki Shikizaki seemed to find Togame’s moodiness amusing. “Hey, I’m not against46 telling you what motivated me. It’s just kind of a long story─I bet my descendants could do a better job explaining things for you.”

“You have descendants?”

“Sure. They must’ve lost most of their clairvoyance, after I retired from the fortunetelling business─but I have a feeling someone’s out there somewhere. Though who knows if they’re using the name Shikizaki.”

“First you say you know the future. And now you’re telling me you don’t know the first thing about your own descendants?”

“You’re confused. Don’t you know that fortunetellers can’t read their own fortunes?”

“…”

“I highly doubt the family petered out, so have a look around─any descendant of mine is bound to be out there making moves, continuing the mission of revising history.”

“The mission─of revising history.”

“Right. You want a motive? There’s your motive.”

On that note, Kiki Shikizaki nodded solemnly.

He did not seem to be talking nonsense─what good would talking nonsense do him anyhow?

“Not like this comes anywhere close to your yearlong journey, but I’ve seen all kinds of things traveling here from Dewa, along the Tokaido Highway─for the most part, the country’s history turned out exactly as I thought it would. Allowing for a slight margin of error.”

“Why not foresee it, without having to see it for yourself?”

“No need to pick fights, Schemer─prognostication is no substitute for firsthand knowledge. You need to actually come face-to-face with people and hear what they have to say.”

“Face-to-face?”

“Indeed. At this point it feels a little late, Schemer, but I may as well answer your initial question now─I’ll have you know, I called you out here because I wanted to meet both of you in person. My magnum opus, Kyoto the Diamond─and his owner.”

With that─Kiki Shikizaki.

Brought his left hand to meet his right hand, so that both now held Dokuto the Basilisk─and took position.

His stance─was unlike anything that Shichika had ever seen.

Sinking low, he raised the sword up high so that its tip pointed toward them, and twisted his hips.

“See this? This form was devised by a genius swordsman to be born about a hundred and fifty years from now. I gather Hakuhei Sabi has been hailed the greatest swordsman of this era, but this guy is even better than Sabi. The darling of his age─though in the normal course of history, that age will be the last era of swordsmen. Trust me, the Triple-Decker Thrust47 that this bizarre form sets me up for is impossible to dodge.”

“A method─from the future?”

“I wouldn’t go that far. Alright, Kyotoryu─I think I’ve coddled you enough.48 Does that give you a basic understanding? No, it looks as though you’ve failed to understand, but your owner here, the Schemer, understood the bulk of it, so if you have any further questions, ask her later. For now─come and get it. Aren’t you planning to capture this masterwork of mine, Dokuto the Basilisk?”

“Togame.”

Prodded thus by Kiki Shikizaki─Shichika declined to answer, wanting to check first with his master─his owner, Togame the Schemer.

“What should I do in this case?”

“Why ask me such a thing…when you and I are only here to do one thing?” Togame said. “I don’t care if he’s Hohoh Maniwa or Kiki Shikizaki─fight him and take the sword. The negotiations were a bust. You are my bodyguard, Shichika Yasuri. Fight and win.”

“Understood.”

No matter─who his foe may be.

Once he had orders, he could act.

Togame sank back, while Shichika stepped ahead, taking her place─lumbering forward, until he was just barely out of range of the strange stance Kiki Shikizaki had taken.

Then Shichika, in turn, took his position.

Opting for Form Six─the Hozuki.49

Bracing his neck, he placed the blades of his hands on both sides of his head, to use their power for defense rather than offense, then jutted out his elbows in a symmetrical fashion and stood up on his tiptoes─affording himself incredible mobility.

If Form Seven, the Kakitsubata, was designed to give him total freedom to move back and forth, the Hozuki gave him total freedom to move left and right.

This choice was based on the observation that Kiki Shikizaki’s form centered on50 the thrust.

“I’ll say this going in, Kyotoryu,” said Kiki Shikizaki, keeping form. “I have already foreseen myself losing to you─but it remains to be seen exactly how I’ll be defeated. That’s prognostication for you. But know this: foreseeing a loss and losing are two different things entirely.”

“…”

“Visions of the future blur all too easily─otherwise, my family would never have felt the need to reshape history. And because I am a swordsmith, not a swordsman, I can ply the methods of the future all I want but never have a decent chance of beating you─though there is always the off chance. Don’t even think of going easy on me. Give me your blade, in all its sharpness.”

“Sharpness?”

“I want to use this body to test how masterfully─or rather, perfectly51 sharp Kyoto the Diamond is. Hence why I’ve been waiting here, to test my sword out. So now─you test it out, on me.”

Test out.

Cut down three hundred men─before you call yourself a novice.

At what point did you become a model of a man?

“Go ahead. Test your blade on my body.”

“It’s not your body, though.”

“Yet it possesses my history,” spake Kiki Shikizaki. “I get the sense─some part of you has already been broken,52 and handsomely at that─but that’s no reason for you to go easy on me. You only become a model of a man when you surpass your father. Let’s have it,” Kiki Shikizaki said, twisting towards Shichika. “Show me what you’ve got.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll show you─but too bad you’ll be torn to smithereens!”

Man, how long had it been?

The catchphrase Togame the Schemer assigned to Shichika Yasuri─made its first proper appearance in ages.

“May the best sword win─fight!”

Behind him.

Cried the voice of Togame the Schemer.

Though Shichika had never seen or fought someone who used a stance like this, he recognized that Kiki Shikizaki was taking a passive, patient, idle approach53─if someone was going to make a move, it would have to be Shichika.

Shichika shot to the right─then flew back to the left.

Bouncing from side to side so fast he left an afterimage.54

Picking up speed, Shichika edged his way within range of Kiki Shikizaki.

Whereupon.

As to be expected─Kiki Shikizaki thrusted Dokuto the Basilisk.

His triplet55─Triple-Decker Thrust.

Except by then, Shichika was up in Kiki Shikizaki’s grill─too close for the attack to be effective. Not close quarters─the closest quarters possible.56

Indeed, facing off at such minimal distance, their bodies all but touched. This went beyond close quarters; the two were nearly rubbing noses.57

But even in these circumstances, Shichika’s form gave him total mobility.

Fighting not with the hands and feet, but with the elbows and the knees.

Kyotoryu Form Six─the Hozuki!

“Kyotoryu─Noichigo!”

Dodging the entirety of the Triple-Decker Thrust, he parried with his elbow, scooping up the handle of the blade─

Dokuto the Basilisk broke free from Kiki Shikizaki’s grip and danced through the air.

Shichika was not so happy-go-lucky as to simply watch, amidst the heat of battle, as Dokuto the Basilisk pirouetted through the sky and lost to gravity, falling to the earth.

Immediately after the Noichigo, he transitioned to his next form.

Form Four─the Asagao.

Bent deep at the knees, to lower his enormous body─both feet faced to the side. Twisting his torso so extremely that he nearly turned his back on Kiki Shikizaki.

Left hand clenched tightly in a fist─and covered with the right.

Among the Seven Forms of the Kyotoryu, the sole stance in which he made a fist─Kyotoryu Form Four, the Asagao.

Then.

Normally, the form was followed up by Fatal Orchid Four: Ryuryoku Kako─but not exclusively.

In his battle against that other scion of the Kyotoryu, the genius Nanami Yasuri, he had worked out the ultimate expression of the Kyotoryu─showcasing its teachings to perfection!

Unleashing his seven moves at once, in the fastest sequence possible, for a maelstrom of Fatal Orchids!

“The Last Fatal Orchid of the Kyotoryu─Shichika Hachiretsu Redux!”

Fatal Orchid Four: Ryuryoku Kako

Fatal Orchid One: Kyoka Suigetsu

Fatal Orchid Five: Hika Rakuyo

Fatal Orchid Seven: Rakka Rozeki

Fatal Orchid Three: Hyakka Ryoran

Fatal Orchid Six: Kinjo Tenka

Fatal Orchid Two: Kacho Fugetsu

Suffering every single blow and every single slice with the full breadth of his body, his spirit, and his soul, a helpless Kiki Shikizaki was blown away─but smiling with satisfaction.

To be sure.

This was the smile of a craftsman satisfied with his work.

1 霜月 SHIMOTSUKI “month of frost” eleventh month of the Japanese lunar calendar

2 腐臭 FUSHŪ “smell of decomposition”

3 死体 SHITAI “dead bodies”

4 腐乱 FURAN “rotting wild” vs. 乱心 RANSHIN go nuts, berserk

5 専売特許 SENBAI TOKKYO “exclusive right” (to purvey)

6 皆殺し MINA GOROSHI “kill everyone” the same word described massacre of Togame’s kin

7 取り残された TORINOKOSARETA left behind

8 大楠の木 ŌKUSU NO KI aromatic evergreen, often occupies place of prominence at Shinto shrines

9 大黒柱 DAIKOKU BASHIRA chief support (literal or symbolic)

10 液状 EKIJŌ “liquid state” vs. solid or gas

11 愛らしい AIRASHII adorable, lovable

12 目前の MOKUZEN NO “before one’s eyes”

13 同時現象 DŌJI GENSHŌ “simultaneous phenomena”

14 と言えばいいのかな TO IEBA IINO KANA is that what I should say

15 味のある AJI NO ARU “flavorful”

16 想像を絶する SŌZŌ WO ZESSURU “beyond (the wildest reaches of the) imagination”

17 汲み取った KUMITOTTA drew out (water; meaning)

18 追い出す OIDASU chase out

19 読み調べられた YOMI SHIRABE RARETA gleaned the workings, as in Kawauso’s skill Infovac

20 猛毒刀与 MŌDOKU TŌYO “dispensation of the highly toxic sword” pun on 投与 TŌYO administer (a drug)

21 仮初め KARISOME temporary; in this case, things which have been tacked on

22 めっき MEKKI metal plating as in 毒刀 鍍 DOKUTŌ MEKKI Dokuto the Basilisk

23 自業自得 JIGŌ JITOKU reap what you sow

24 伝言 “sending word” vs. 伝説 DENSETSU legend (as in “legendary swordsmith”)

25 予測 予知 YOSOKU YOCHI “measure beforehand” “know beforehand”

26 予知能力者 YOCHI NŌRYOKU SHA person claiming knowledge of the future

27 占術師 SENJUTSUSHI fancy word for fortuneteller homophonous with 仙術 SENJUTSU hermit magic

28 逆輸入 GYAKU YUNYŪ “reverse import”

29 半永久的 HAN’EIKYŪ TEKI “half everlasting”

30 矯正 KYŌSEI correct (an imbalance or flaw)

31 手に入る TE NI HAIRU come into hand

32 時代物 JIDAIMONO relic of the past; work of art portraying a bygone era

33 暗示 ANJI “show darkly”

34 改変 改竄 KAIHEN KAIZAN alter falsify e.g. 歴史改竄 REKISHI KAIZAN revision of history; whitewashing or denying (past) events

35 祈祷師 KITŌSHI “master of invocations”

36 群雄割拠 GUNYŪ KAKKYO divided into rival territories

37 見得を切る MIE WO KIRU strike a pose (as in kabuki), or figuratively, preen

38 意見 IKEN “willful view” opinion

39 家系 KAKEI “house strain”

40 完了 KANRYŌ perfected as in 完了形変体刀 KANRYŌKEI HENTAITŌ magnum opus

41 生み出す UMIDASU beget; create

42 薄情 HAKUJŌ skimpy on the sympathy

43 知った風な SHITTA FŪNA know-it-all

44 津々浦々 TSUTSU URA URA coast to coast

45 平凡 HEIBON commonplace harsh criticism for the greatest fortuneteller ever

46 やぶさかじゃねえ YABUSAKA JA’NEH not mind

47 三段突き SANDAN TSUKI three-stage lunge vs. 三段跳び SANDAN TOBI triple jump

48 親切な解説編 SHINSETSU NA KAISETSUHEN kind explanatory portion (of the tale)

49 鬼灯 HŌZUKI “The Winter Cherry”

50 特化した TOKKA SHITA specialized in

51 完成度 完了度 KANSEIDO KANRYŌDO corresponds with “the masterworks”/“magnum opus”

52 折れている ORETE IRU bent; snapped compromised, capitulated

53 受けの構え 待ちの構え 静の構え UKE NO KAMAE MACHI NO KAMAE SEI NO KAMAE receptive stance, waiting stance, quiet stance

54 残像 ZANZŌ “persistent impression”

55 三連続 SANRENZOKU sequence of three

56 接近戦 超接近戦 SEKKINSEN CHŌ SEKKINSEN close-range battle super close-range battle

57 接触戦 SESSHOKUSEN “contact battle”

■　■

Zanto the Razor─check.

Sento the Legion─check.

Hakuto the Whisper─check.

Zokuto the Armor─check.

Soto the Twin─check.

Akuto the Eel─check.

Bito the Sundial─check.

Oto the Cured─check.

Seito the Garland─check.

Dokuto the Basilisk─check.

Among the Twelve Possessed.

But one remained─Ento the Bead.

■　■

Only after lashing the handguard tightly to the scabbard did Togame lift the sword, not by the handle but by the scabbard, and gingerly rest it on her shoulder.

The katana was rather heavy, on account of its length, but she deemed it was too risky to entrust it to a bumbling bumpkin1 like Shichika.

Her free hand─held hands with Shichika, who walked beside her.

Demonstrating─his status as her confidant.

“I know we’ve always shipped the captured swords back to Owari─but since this is essentially our final conquest, doing so would be out of the question,” explained Togame. “We would be handing Princess Negative an opportunity to snatch up all the credit for herself.”

All told─they had spent less than fifteen minutes in Iga, jaunting through New Maniwa.

Which was the most they could have handled.

To spend multiple hours immersed in such fetor would have been too much even for Togame the Schemer or the Master of the Kyotoryu. Witnessing Kiki Shikizaki breathe his last, they took their leave, without tarrying another moment.

Barely time─

To take a moment of silence2 for the late Hohoh Maniwa.

“What the heck happened back there?”

Shichika had yet to comprehend the situation.

Hohoh Maniwa going berserk.

The advent3 of Kiki Shikizaki.

The true story of the Mutant Blades.

All of this went way over Shichika’s head.

Which is why─once they had crossed the border and left Iga behind, he asked Togame.

“I don’t understand a single bit of it.”

“Well, I think Hohoh Maniwa simply went berserk and lost his mind. When that happens, it’s common for people to be convinced they’ve been reborn as someone else.”

“How many Maniwa are left?” asked Shichika. “Is that guy─Pengin Maniwa the last of them?”

“Pengin Maniwa…” Togame muttered, as if talking to herself. “More use to us alive.”

“Huh?”

“Look─that Emonzaemon Soda is as stubborn as they come. Uncompromising, if you will. Once he has taken aim, his quarry will not get away.”

“Okay─so I guess he’s probably…”

“I’m saying there is nothing we can do. In the eyes of the bakufu, the Maniwa are traitors, pure and simple. Regardless of his ulterior motives, I cannot intervene, so long as Emonzaemon is acting in his capacity as an agent of the Inspector General.”

“You make it sound as if you don’t want Pengin killed.”

“I suppose that’s true. That boy could be quite useful. I’d like to cash in on the favor that he owes us.”

Togame shrugged, acting dodgy.4

“The Maniwa are undeserving of our sympathy, like I’ve been saying all along─not to sound like Kiki Shikizaki, but after coming face-to-face with the wretched state of their village, I’d be lying if I said that I feel nothing.”

“Face-to-face.”

“Not just the Maniwa.”

Togame gazed off into the distance─as if stricken with emotion.

“Over the past year, you and I have journeyed all over Japan. I’m just a shot away5 from being able to draw a map of the whole country─we have been all kinds of places, and seen all kinds of people. This is the longest trip I’ve ever made─and it taught me just how shallow my world view really was. To think I had the gall to take you for an island monkey. I knew absolutely nothing,” she insisted. “And honestly─there’s so much left for me to learn.”

“This is getting pretty sentimental. You don’t sound like yourself. Maybe you’ve changed too, but aren’t you taking things a bit too far?” Caught unawares by Togame’s disposition, Shichika made no effort to hide his bafflement. “I guess if Princess Negative has Ento the Bead, that means your work is pretty close to done─but what about the mysteries of the Mutant Blades, the masterworks and the magnum opus?”

“It’s not my job to solve them,” answered Togame, smiling wryly. “My father devoted himself6 to correcting the history distorted7 by Kiki Shikizaki and his kin─but unfortunately, I lack the spirit to carry out his will.”

“Yeah, didn’t you mention that last month?”

Her link to Kiki Shikizaki.

When she faced Rinne Higaki, and thereby faced her failings─Togame the Schemer confronted memories that had been sealed off at a young age.

A matter we have already discussed.

This too─Shichika was unable to fully comprehend. “If Seito the Garland was buried underneath the castle, it could have technically belonged to Rinne Higaki, but still, its influence must have been unavoidable for Takahito Hida─was he beholden to it too, as a sorta owner, like maybe the Kuromiko at Triad Shrine?”

“I believe he sought its influence of his own accord. In which case─the fact that my father faced off with your father in his final moments is pretty curious indeed. However,” said Togame, “there will be time for such considerations when everything is over.”

“When everything is over, huh? I guess you’re pretty close to realizing your ambitions. Though if you’re set up for a final showdown with the Princess…that probably means I gotta fight Emonzaemon.”

“Wrong.” Togame shook her head at Shichika. “I’m not sure whether you will see this as a good thing or a bad thing, but my fight with the Princess is not so literal as that─I see us having a political discussion. It’s all about diplomacy. Acts of violence will help us none.”

“Okay…”

Though not a bad thing.

This definitely sounded like a pain in the butt.

Not Shichika’s cup of tea.

Emonzaemon─was perhaps better suited to this sort of thing than him.

“Oh,” Togame said─spotting something ahead of them. “Speak of the devil, Shichika─that Princess is as hawk-eyed8 as ever.”

Would you look at that.

Down the road stretching straight ahead of them─on the road leading to Owari, a man stood tall, awaiting their arrival.

A gentleman in clothes unfit for this time and place.

And on his feet, not straw sandals or geta, but shoes of leather.9

He bore a pair of swords, one big, one small─

And wore a mask, on which were scrawled the words “NON-NINJA.”

A man they had not met face-to-face since the eighth moon─Emonzaemon Soda.

When they were close, Emonzaemon said nothing─declining to make the first move.

He was not simply waiting for them.

The lieutenant─was ready for them.

“So he predicted our itinerary and beat us here posthaste─so be it,” declared Togame. “Helps to hurry things along. But since they’ve made the first move, the ball is in our court─okay, Shichika. We now commence our parley.”

“I’m not sure I can help with that─”

“All I want is your emotional support.”10

“Oh, okay.”

This jogged Shichika’s memory.

Something Kiki Shikizaki told them, while possessing Hohoh Maniwa─they may have lost most of their clairvoyance, but he had a hunch that descendants of the Shikizaki lineage were out there somewhere, even today.

If that was true.

Who were they─and what were they up to?

A silly thing for him to fret about─but he was stuck on it.

Besides─why had these folks been so intent on revising history?

That was still a mystery.

Togame had dismissed it as a reckless act of sadism,11 but unless they found a way to ask the descendants of Kiki Shikizaki, they would never know.

Stuck─on the idea.

Togame was about to commence her parley with Princess Negative, however, and probably had no time to get tied up in “irrelevancies”─

“Hey there, Emonzaemon.”

When they were close enough for him to hear, Togame greeted him, taking the initiative. “Thanks for taking the trouble to meet up with us─as you can see, we come bearing Dokuto the Basilisk. We also located12 New Maniwa─though why bother getting into all of that. From the look of things, Emonzaemon, I reckon you have some kind of a message for me?”

“Indeed I do.”

Emonzaemon bowed deeply in response.

Behind the mask, his face─was impossible to read.

Same goes for his feelings.

“I never thought Her Highness would say this─but she sends her congratulations. You are now one step closer to fulfilling your ambition.”

“Ambition? I don’t recall ever harboring such a thing.”

“I see. Perhaps the proper word would be revenge?”

Seeing through Togame’s self-derision, Emonzaemon twisted the knife.13

“Daughter of Takahito Hida, once the Kaoyaku of Oshu─Princess Mercy.”

“WHAT!”

“No need.”

Bang.

Bang.

Out of nowhere.

The lumps of metal Emonzaemon had produced from inside of his jacket─sent fire from their muzzles, with hollow clangs.

The bullets soared.

Both rounds─pierced14 Togame the Schemer’s torso.

Her petite body─doubled over from the impact and flew backwards.

The hand which had been holding Shichika’s─torn away.

“To-Togame!”

Hearing Shichika cry out.

And retrieving Dokuto the Basilisk, which had been fumbled by the Schemer─Emonzaemon Soda spoke in the most heartless tone imaginable.

“Now, Schemer. What manner of last words can I hear from you?”

■　■

Dokuto the Basilisk: Check

End of Book Eleven

To Be Continued

1 うっかり屋 UKKARIYA absentminded person

2 弔う TOMURAU observe a death, usually in an ad hoc manner

3 降臨 KŌRIN “descend and near”

4 はぐらかす HAGURAKASU avoid a direct answer by changing the subject

5 あと一息 ATO HITOIKI “after one more breath”

6 奔走 HONSŌ “run about” make every effort

7 歪曲 WAIKYOKU warp, bend out of shape

8 目敏い MEZATOI quick to notice

9 洋靴 YŌKA “Western footwear” 靴 KUTSU = 化けた BAKETA transformed 革 KAWA leather

10 安らぎをくれ YASURAGI WO KURE give reassurance

11 愉快犯 YUKAIHAN crime committed for fun

12 発見 HAKKEN discover

13 斬りこむ KIRIKOMU cut deep, or in

14 貫通 KANTSŪ pass through (to the other side)

AFTER(S)WORD

Here we are, at the end of the eleventh book of Sword Tale. The fact that there are now eleven of these books is more perplexing than surprising. Crazy stuff. So many things have yet to be explained. But having made it through eleven books, all that remains is the home stretch to the finish line, and I intend to write my way to the end giving it everything I’ve got. I know I’m getting ahead of myself, but I’d like to offer my most humble thanks to our illustrator take, who has been along for the entire ride. So much for Book Eleven: Dokuto the Basilisk.

One book left!

NISIOISIN