Nguyen, face crimson with fury, roared, “You bastards! You and your clever tricks!”
I tightened my grip on my beloved sword’s hilt, relishing in the familiar sensation. There was a hint of anxiety on Hakurei’s face, so I called out to her, “Hakurei, don’t worry.”
“Of course.”
We nodded at each other and then turned to face Nguyen. Without unsheathing the swords, we charged in a pincer formation.
He spun his massive halberd above his head and yelled, “Foolish! Did you think that if you two worked together, you could defeat me?! Die!”
“Hakurei!”
“Sekiei!”
As Nguyen swung his halberd with all his strength, we both yelled, ducking at the last second and letting the blade sail over our heads. Our swords were unsheathed in a single movement! White intersected with black as we slashed out, cutting through the metal armor straight to the Wolf’s flesh underneath.
Blood poured from his mouth and the halberd fell to the ground, its tip stabbing into the dirt. His helmet tumbled from his head and I could see his eyes were wide with surprise. “Swords of black and white that can cut through steel... I-Impossible... The Heavenly Swo...” In the next moment, Gen’s Crimson Wolf collapsed onto the ground.
With the last of my strength, I raised my voice and roared, “Chou Hakurei and Chou Sekiei have killed the enemy general, the Crimson Wolf!”
Cheers, sobs, and screams filled the air. The enemy lines were in complete disarray and the soldiers threw their flags onto the ground. Most of them ran for the north. They should have headed for the west if they wanted to avoid Raigen capturing them, but the enemy no longer had a commander capable of such rational decisions. I almost pitied them.
Somehow I managed to return my sword to its sheath and then I lowered myself down onto the ground with a slow exhale. I hadn’t noticed the approach, but I found myself surrounded by a small mob of ally cavalrymen, protecting Hakurei and me from any attack. I recognized the combination of admiration and fear in their eyes. This might be a problem in the future. “Hmm?”
Sensing something odd, I turned towards the hill in the north, narrowing my eyes to try and get a better look. I thought I felt someone’s gaze on me, but maybe it was just a trick of my mind. Hakurei finished barking out orders and returned her own sword to its sheath. She turned to Getsuei and took a bamboo bottle from the pack tied around its saddle; the moment she splashed water from it onto my left arm, white-hot pain shot through my body.
“Don’t move,” she said as I twisted my face and bit back a scream. “Is there anything you’d like to say?”
“You returned sooner than I expected,” I managed to force out through the lancing agony. “How’d you do it?”
No matter how fast your horse was, it would take at least seven days to travel from Rinkei to Keiyou. You could, of course, take a sailboat and travel via the Grand Canal—but not with the current strong northern wind.
Hakurei sat down next to me, clear dissatisfaction on her face. “That’s not it. Now, try again.”
I scratched my cheek for a moment and then lowered my head without a fight. “Th-Thanks. You saved us.”
“Good.”
Hakurei nodded, happy with my answer, and wrapped a piece of cloth tight around my left arm. Blood soaked through the fabric immediately. I could hear our allies’ triumphant cheers from the base of the hill.
“We won, huh?” I murmured.
Hakurei didn’t reply for a moment, busy wiping the dirt from my face—but then she smiled, looking truly happy. “Yes, we did. Mister Freeloader, you were the one who guided us to victory, you know? And you still wish to become a civil official?”
“I’m not really the hero type. I’ll let you and father take all the credit and—whoa!” Getsuei licked my cheek and nickered, sounding like it was scolding me. I sighed and shook my head in theatrical disappointment. “You’re not gonna let it slide either? Don’t I have any allies here?!”
“Dummy. You have an ally right in front of you. Most people are your enemy, though, yes. Here you go. I’ll return it to you while I remember.” Hakurei handed White Star to me, still in its sheath. I was about to answer when—
“Huh?” I fell forward, leaning my weight onto Hakurei. Shoot... I’m losing consciousness...
“Whoa! Wh-What are you doing?! I need some time to prepare myself, so you should tell me in advance when you... Sekiei? Sekiei! Someone, please help! Sekiei’s—!”
Ahh, I’m fine, all right? So stop...crying so much...
I lost consciousness with the panicked screams of my childhood friend echoing in my ears.