Chapter 102

The spell traveled from the striker to the bell, where it was amplified before rippling out across the whole of Yamato, along with a deep gonging. Yamato’s native spirits were released from Mayoi’s wicked yoke. The change began with the spirits’ microscopic world, then gradually expanded until the effect was visible to the naked eye. The dominion army had been going on a mindless offensive, but now, they began dropping their weapons and stopping their horrible, suicidal advance. The civilians who’d rushed into the castle did the same. And the spell didn’t stop at Azuchi. It wove through forests, crossed mountains, and spread to all of Yamato. “…………Ah…” West of Azuchi, up on the Amagi Pass, it reached the ears of a group of samurai right as they backed Kira into a corner and raised their swords to strike him down. The earth spirits that made up their bodies had been manipulated to fill them with a powerful obsession, but that false loyalty faded in the blink of an eye. Their long-sealed memories were free, and they remembered everything. Recollections of the three years since Yamato lost the war returned, including everything lost, as well as who had taken it and commanded the mind-controlled people’s blind devotion. And they remembered who it was they were fighting. “………Master… Kira… What…have we…?” The raised blades slipped from the samurai’s hands and clattered to the ground. Tears streaming down the samurai’s cheeks stained the abandoned weapons. When Kira saw the lifeless expressions break, he understood what had happened. The bell’s song was one of good fortune, produced by Tsukasa’s Azuchi invasion team. At last, Yamato was liberated from Mayoi’s spell, and its denizens had their memories and emotions back. However…Kira couldn’t bring himself to celebrate. “………” The samurai’s abrupt awakening left them overwhelmed, and Kira had no idea how to console them. He and the Resistance had spent the past three years loathing Mayoi and the empire, but the same wasn’t true of those under the wicked princess’s control. After Yamato’s crushing defeat, they’d been robbed of the opportunity to hate the people who’d hijacked their nation, families, and souls. In fact, they’d been forced to revere their enemy and fight to protect her. All that time and all those lives were forever lost. There were so many things they would never get back, and there was naught to show for it. And yet… “!” …all of a sudden, a dazzling light crested on the horizon, forcing Kira and the others to squint. Kira faced the radiant glow and saw that dawn had finally arrived. Transfixed by the brilliance, he spoke, “…It’s over. It’s finally over. The long night has finally ended…” On hearing that, the Yamato members of the dominion army collapsed to their knees… “““AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!””” …and wailed so hard they nearly coughed up blood. They cried for three years of imprisoned sorrow, for all the rage they could no longer contain, for all the anguish beyond words, and for all else pooled in their souls. Those wails told Kira that the battle was truly at its end. The tension of the situation had kept him fighting, but now, the fatigue struck him hard. He swayed on his feet, but the moment before he collapsed, Hibari—who was even more injured than Kira—offered him her shoulder. Her face was covered in lacerations and drenched in blood, but her smile was one of utmost relief. “…We did.” “That’s right,” Kira replied, nodding slowly. “And now, the true battle begins.” He understood. The people had woken from their long nightmare, and it was time to start moving again. Yamato would need to confront an unpleasant reality—the Freyjagard Empire would not be pleased with its colony’s desire for independence. Yamato was exhausted, and its people were wounded, but it would have to stand on its own as it once did. Such was the price of reclaiming freedom and dignity. “I guess there’s no rest for the wicked,” Hibari remarked. Kira nodded. “You can say that again.” Come what may, they were going to have to make it work, for this was their home.