Horizon:Volume 9A Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Outstanding Achievers on the Snow

You might have a disadvantage

But you don’t have to worry

Remember that

Point Allocation (Work is Tough)

●

Kasuya could tell it all came down to the next 2km.

Her unit was currently heading straight toward the Shibata Fleet. Spells formed snow skating blades on their feet as they descended the snowy forest slope.

The Azuchi’s measurements said the forest would end in just over 2km. There was a clearing beyond that and the fortress wall of ships was about a kilometer from there.

Her sight enhancement spell drew out red lines to show her the location of the trees and any large rises or drops. The enemy was occasionally outlined with an orange alert, but she never got a clear reading and those outlines would vanish before long.

…Are they using ninja stealth spells!?

Projectiles flew her way. She thought it would be gunfire, but it was mostly kunais. The Takigawa Unit was swiftly descending the mountains on either side, but instead of coming directly for Kasuya’s unit, they arrived ahead, behind, and sometimes above them.

“Tonight we enjoy another dance upon the snow!”

They would rapidly spin three or four times while skating along and used the motion to throw the blades.

Kasuya could have handled it if they were only throwing one, but they threw countless kunais while constantly changing their rapidly intersecting routes.

“Tonight we invite you to the world of illusion!”

…Sh-shut up!

But their attacks were precise. Unsurprising for people who served under Takigawa. When the attacks arrived, Kasuya’s unit would take evasive action or produce metallic sounds as they blocked the kunais. Some of them were slowed each time that happened.

Kasuya realized the enemy was gradually spreading her unit out front to back.

Kousaka and some others were making their own attacks to deter the enemy, but pursuing the enemy on the mountains meant climbing the slopes. That meant these attacks somewhat slowed them too.

“Captain!” called Kousaka as she fell behind.

But she said nothing more. Because the enemy was close enough to overhear anything she might say. Which meant…

…Are we in trouble!?

If Kasuya’s unit was spread out too far, they would have difficulty after leaving the forest. Once they were in the clearing leading to the fortress wall of ships, they couldn’t scatter the enemy fire if they were spread out and their own supporting attacks would be thinned out.

Kasuya realized she needed to slow down and allow the others to catch up. But…

“––––!”

She accelerated instead. She moved out alone, pulling away from the others.

●

The Takigawa Unit mentally nodded in understanding of Kasuya’s decision.

…A smart choice!

The Battle of Shizugatake was when the younger members of Hashiba – who would go on to be known as the Seven Spears – were first discovered. If she was meant to be one of Hashiba’s top fighters…

“She needs to be able to breach our defenses singlehandedly!”

They blamed her for Takigawa’s death. They weren’t sure if they should pursue her, but if they did, the rest of her unit would reach the clearing below unharmed. That was probably what Kasuya wanted to happen. So…

…She isolated herself and left herself vulnerable to act as bait!

Pursuing and slaying her would be so easy. But…

“It would be even easier to crush her unit and then catch her in a pincer attack with Shibata-sama and the rest!”

Okay, they decided, changing course. There’s no point in taking the bait.

So they crossed paths with each other and occasionally took each other’s hands to take sharper corners and build up speed.

“To deal with them more quickly, we will first split up!”

They took a circular path. But instead of a single large circle, they split into three circles spread out across the length of Kasuya’s unit.

“Split them into three and surround them!”

●

Inada, who was now commanding the majority of the unit with Kousaka, regained his skating speed and spun around backwards.

The Kasuya Team had been split into three and surrounded by the three circles formed by the Takigawa Team.

The two sides of the valley acted like a halfpipe. The sounds of skates on the snow came constantly from the mountains. The Takigawa Team would accelerate within the mountain darkness and suddenly appear in the valley with the Kasuya Team.

…Here they come!

As soon as Inada aimed his gun toward one mountain with a two-handed grip, the ninjas racing down the snow on either side and out in front performed four rapid spins.

“They aren’t just to the sides and above us!?”

He put up his defenses against this surprise.

“Inada!” called Kousaka out ahead while two sounds rang out in quick succession.

They both came from up ahead: Kousaka’s gunshot and a clang of metal from overhead.

Not from below. From overhead. There was someone coming from below, but there was someone else coming from above.

The ninjas on the right and left were pulled by their comrades’ hands, disappearing back to the sides. At the same time, another ninja a mere meter overhead had been stopped by Kousaka’s shot.

“I nearly had you,” said the ninja before jumping away.

And while those ninjas drew the Kasuya Team’s attention, more arrived. They skated down the form the forested slopes on the right and left.

“––––!”

They used a gap on the slope as a ramp and jumped overhead. They performed a sideways spin in midair, threw kunais, and took their neighbors hands to alter their trajectories.

Instead of forming a simple circle around the Kasuya Team, they had created…

…A three-dimensional birdcage!

●

“Ha ha ha ha ha! Your luck ran out as soon as you entered the forest!”

The Takigawa Unit had formed three circles and set up a circulation between them.

They all skated quickly and added speed by using the edge of their skate spells to kick off the snowy ground.

The forest was a skater’s paradise. The snow had covered and hardened on fallen trees and large rocks, creating natural ramps. So the veterans could rush in and “level out” the snow while performing jumps.

The rest followed, those skilled enough to jump jumping and the rest remaining below. This created…

“A snowy night illusion!”

“We invite you to a world of gasps and surprise!”

They attacked. The vines hanging from the branches were superb. They could grab those and swing on them. When they were targeted, they could let go and perform three and a half twirls. When landing, they could include a double Lutz.

The enemy skating below had to hurry on head, so they wouldn’t have time to aim and fire on the Takigawa Unit moving between the left and the right, the top and the bottom. Because they were jumping from shadow to shadow within the forest. Every time they leaped from the snowy ground, it would distract the enemy’s focus. But…

“All hands, fire!”

The enemy girl skating within the central circle raised her right hand and her voice.

“Right side, focus your fire!”

●

The Takigawa Unit saw the enemy’s response. It was an incredibly simple thing, but…

“They’ve made their decision!”

The skating enemy split their roles between the two sides.

Their left side defended to the left, front, and back while their right side took aim at the right slope and…

“Fire!”

The central girl shot a tracer spell bullet toward a point on the right slope.

Immediately, their entire right side fired their rifles toward the same height as the tracer.

They unleashed a united volley as a group.

“…!”

The Takigawa ninjas on the left slope did not hesitate.

But they know what had happened to the ones on the right slope.

The height the central girl had fired on was the height they used most often. That height gave them the most leeway when turning toward the bottom of the slope.

Of course, they weren’t always at that height. Each one of them skated differently and when they picked up speed to reclimb the slope, they would often overshoot that height.

But that height was still a threat. So…

“––––!”

Several kunais flew from the shadows created by the trees on the right slope.

They were directed down toward the enemy’s right side, preparing their next move after firing.

They hit.

The enemy wasn’t blown away, but a few flinched or swerved, losing a lot of speed.

That had been effective, but they all knew the truth.

Those kunais were a sign that they had taken real damage.

The ninjas who had been shot and immobilized in the darkness had thrown them to try and hit the enemy moving on ahead.

They had been trained to throw several each, so based on the number thrown, around 7 had been hit by the gunfire.

The kunais had hit about the same in return. But…

“Take aim!” shouted the girl in the center circle as she accelerated her skating. She swung her right arm and pointed at the right slope. “Fire and charge the right slope!”

●

Kousaka’s first thought was to secure the slope.

Once they held one side, the enemy could no longer surround them or pass by overhead, in front, or behind them.

But that required charging the slope.

This would delay the entire unit’s progress and likely lead to casualties.

Also, this was not Kousaka’s unit. It was Kasuya’s.

She wasn’t sure how far she should take this, but…

…The captain left me in charge, so every person I lose is to my shame!

This wasn’t their only enemy. Their true opponent was the Shibata Unit. Their job was to open a hole in the fortress wall of ships.

That meant their one and only objective was breaching that line.

But this immediate enemy was different. While they did want to pursue Kasuya, they were primarily focused on crushing Kasuya’s unit here.

They had to hold a grudge against Kasuya, but as ninjas, they did not lose focus on the battlefield.

“Honestly!”

It was said ninjas placed their heart under the blade, but they did not hide their hearts. They had to want to catch up to Kasuya as soon as possible, but they kept responding calmly to her unit’s actions.

So Kousaka knew she and the others couldn’t afford to make a mistake. They had to consider this opponent first and foremost.

A chance to defeat them would eventually come. So to remain safe until then…

“Charge!”

This would slow their skating, but that was fine. They had to defeat this enemy first.

Kousaka’s side was equipped for a ground battle which would include artillery, but their enemy was equipped for a mountain and forest battle. That meant her side was more heavily equipped.

In a direct clash, they would have the advantage.

Once they had dealt with one side, they would form up for defense and attack the other. So…

“There!”

She fired a tracer bullet. A volley raced out toward that height. And…

“Chase down the Takigawa Unit!” she shouted while they all moved.

At the same time, Inada shouted up from behind.

“Kousaka! The enemy on the left slope is charging!”

…So they’re coming!

While they charged the right slope, the enemy charged in from the left slope.

This created a pincer attack. And Kousaka saw something else.

The enemy on the right slope should have been pushed back and on the verge of defeat, but…

“Huh?”

From her perspective, they took a simple action.

The slope of the dark and snowy forest grew steeper the higher it went, ultimately forming a vertical wall. The bare rock was visible in some places.

But the enemy “fell back” onto that wall.

They moved up and out of reach.

They even skated up an overhang of more than 90 degrees.

●

The Takigawa Unit skated along the snowy wall, out of reach of the Kasuya Unit’s charge below.

“Ha ha ha! Did you forget we’re ninjas!?” shouted the veteran in the lead.

“Far Eastern ninjas and Chinese martial artists know how to ignore gravity! Haven’t you ever played a fighting game!?”

“Oh, shut up!”

The enemy’s temporary commander’s shout was nice to hear. The Takigawa ninjas on the right slope wall nodded in appreciation, knowing they had made the right decision.

…But it was honestly a close thing!

Even with their skating spells and their ninja martial arts, climbing a steep forest slope in unfamiliar territory was a dangerous thing to do.

The other side was just barely managing it and the same was true of them. But bluffing was a virtue.

Also, this had been well worth doing. It was fortunate the enemy’s charge hadn’t reached them. And…

“The left group has arrived!”

Their comrades had arrived to attack he enemy from below, but they primarily used projectile attacks to avoid a clash that would only put them at a disadvantage.

They had successfully set up a pincer attack.

The situation was devastating for the enemy.

But they all saw the enemy’s current leader – the girl wielding a rifle – looking up at them.

Despite being on the receiving end of a pincer attack, she raised her right hand and her voice.

“Aim!”

Her people at the leading edge of the charge aimed their guns while doing a less than stellar job of skating.

They remained focused on defeating one side. The imminent clash did not shake them. Which meant…

“They are our definite enemy!”

●

Hearing gunfire, the Takigawa Unit dodged, attacked, and responded.

Sounds of spell gunpowder echoed through the forest and great force struck both sides.

Some of the Takigawa ninjas were knocked off course and some of the enemy were blown away. And…

“Ohhh!”

They did not stop. The gunfire was incessant and the throwing blades soared through the air.

“Yes,” someone said. “That’s right.”

“It ends here. It must end here, so it will end here!”

“Yes,” someone said. “The Takigawa Unit ends here!!”

As soon as their voices roared out, a flowing sound reached them. It came from far to the south. From the Shibata Team’s main formation.

“Music?”

It seemed out of place, but they knew what song it was.

“That’s a skating song. But…”

But as quiet as the music was from here, it wasn’t exactly graceful. All the parts that would require a conductor had been eliminated, creating something more like the popular music you would hear around town. That could only mean…

“Yes, that’s right.” The veterans lifted the corners of their mouths. “There’s no point in following the program any longer. This is an exhibition match.”

A few of them expressed their agreement. This battle was all about exhibiting the glory of the Takigawa Unit.

But who was playing this music?

“Is it Niwa-sama?”

No. It wasn’t. Who was she on this battlefield?

“It’s Takigawa-sama!”

●

Niwa sang within the Shibata Unit’s main formation.

Of her 3000-person mehter, only around 200 had appropriate instruments. Of those, she had chosen six of the best as her backup band. For the rest, she applied acoustic spells and sang.

“Ah.”

That one sound left her throat. Artillery fire was booming all around and all the moving people created footsteps and the clattering of equipment, so she had to find a sound that would break through all of that.

She found one. So…

…This will work.

She raised her right hand and the drums started. The four-on-the-floor beat wasn’t one she used often. It kind of reminded her of the Technohexen from Nördlingen, but that beat would work for now.

She had lyrics to use. The Far East had many songs that had been sung since ancient times. She chose one of those here.

“Hey, how are you doing? Still going at it like you used to?”

Ki no Tsurayuki was a major Far Eastern singer. He was from more than 300 years ago now, but he had obliterated the slow city music scene at the time and discovered several new talents. And he had sung this song.

“There’s no place like home. The plums are coming soon.”

But…

“Look at all the white clouds. So very far away.”

However…

“But do not wall yourself off. Do not distance yourself. Someone is thinking of you.”

She sang.

“I know I am. No one knows what the future holds.”

And…

“Today again I haven’t done a thing, but the sun will set all the same.”

And yet…

“I miss you dearly.”

●

The Takigawa Unit nodded at the lyrics they heard.

Yes, they thought. This was something they hadn’t been aware of. But this feeling they had thought was only anger was much better described by this piece given to them here.

They allowed themselves to accept how much they missed her.

…Takigawa-sama.

She wouldn’t have wanted them to do this. If she were still leading them, she would have chewed them out for it. In fact, she wouldn’t have allowed it to happen in the first place.

But this was what it meant to them.

“The Takigawa Unit will never vanish!”

They were here. They hadn’t given up and left. They were still here.

That was what they had wanted. They had wanted to stay this way. So…

“Never forget! Takigawa Ichimasu, known as one of Oda’s Four Heavenly Kings, is here by way of her unit!”

They launched an attack on their enemy struggling on the slope.

They were on a slope so vertical it was practically a cliff face. But they were ninjas and they had trained with Oda skating spells.

So they knew exactly what to do.

“Attack from above!”

The veterans in the lead located the footholds.

Snow had covered and frozen on the fallen trees. By using those as ramps, they could perform vertical backflips. From there…

“Go, V360 Turn!”

More than 10 of them threw kunais while performing great flipping leaps through the air.

They soared over the enemy’s heads and sent attacks into their midst.

But in that instant, they saw something.

With a bouncing sound of impact, the wind repelled them.

●

Kousaka saw it too.

“She’s finally here!”

A gale blew by overhead, scattering the enemy.

She knew what this was.

A certain power had launched a high-speed counterattack from the direction of the Shibata Team up ahead.

“Kasuya Takenori!”

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