Archers' Battle

Gorou continued playing around with Itto, avoiding him with his greater agility and keeping up the teasing, drawing him away from the battle.

"I've had enough!" Itto shouted in frustration as he slammed the ground with all his strength, cracking it and deforming the surrounding terrain.

"Whoa!" Gorou lost his footing just as Itto charged toward him.

"Tch!" Gorou struck the ground to stabilize himself, trying to create distance and reposition. But he suddenly hit something, something blocking his path.

"Muuuu!"

"Hahaha! Good job, Mushi!" Itto laughed as his companion, the bull Mushi, stood proudly in Gorou's way, blocking his escape.

"Oh, shit," Gorou's eyes widened as he realized he had no way to avoid Itto's incoming swing. He crossed his arms and focused his elemental energy on them, bolstering his defense.

BOOM! Gorou was struck hard, flung a good ten meters away.

"Hahaha! It's the great oni, Itto's win!" Itto cheered victoriously as he approached the downed Gorou, who lay heavily injured on the ground.

"Itto… w-why have you joined the Shogun? Weren't you just a thug?" Gorou asked through the pain.

"It's simple! I lost again to Sara and ended up in jail," Itto said honestly. "Nobody was gonna help me out, so when Sara came and said she needed the help of the number one oni, I made a deal: freedom in exchange for fighting. I accepted!" he said, laughing again.

"And wouldn't it have made more sense to join us in the resistance? Your style isn't exactly Shogun-like," Gorou asked, trying to reason.

"A man has to keep his word. I accepted defeat and made a deal with Sara, so I can't back out now," Itto replied seriously. "Anyway, it's my win." Itto raised his giant weapon, ready to finish the job. "Next time, fight like a man!"

Paf! Just as Itto was about to land the final blow, Gorou tossed something that looked like a small pouch at him.

"T-this…" Itto froze, turning red. "B-beans!" He suddenly began itching all over and gasping for air. "F-FUCK!" He bolted from the battlefield, cursing loudly.

"I thought that was just a made-up story, that oni were allergic to beans…" Gorou muttered, watching Itto flee. "Seems I was lucky it turned out to be true."

…

Fweee Sara charged her bow and loosed arrows across the battlefield. She scanned the combat flow and fired with precision, each shot aimed at disrupting enemy movement and targeting key commanders.

Paf Paf But no matter how hard she tried, every arrow was intercepted by a perfectly-timed counter shot—enemy arrows knocking hers from the air.

"How can this be?" Sara's hands began to tremble as confusion turned into frustration. Countering an arrow was extremely difficult—even impossible when targeting multiple directions. Yet all her arrows were nullified. And it didn't stop there.

She tried to identify the enemy archer by tracking the return shots, but quickly realized it was futile. Each counter came from a different direction—meaning the enemy was constantly moving, seamlessly blending into the chaos of battle.

"Who the hell is it?" she muttered. It was inconceivable. The opposing archer not only read her movements and controlled her rhythm but did it while moving across active warzones. It required supernatural precision and mastery of the battlefield.

Sara felt caged. Like she was being toyed with by an enemy far above her league.

"Why? Why?!" she shouted, unable to understand. Someone this skilled should have already ended the battle. That they hadn't could only mean one thing—the enemy was playing with her.

"Damn it! I won't let you toy with me!" Sara soared into the air, spreading her wings. She summoned every bit of her elemental energy, dark clouds swirling overhead.

"I'll force you out!" she declared, charging a powerful arrow. She fired it into the sky—an attack so overwhelming, she believed no ordinary counter could stop it.

Fweee! Just before the arrow reached the storm clouds, another arrow intercepted it—this one lightly infused with Electro energy. It was weak, requiring barely any power… but it was enough to tilt Sara's shot just slightly.

BOOOOM! A tremendous lightning bolt fell from the sky, but the deviation caused it to strike an empty patch of land, doing no damage.

"It's incredible…" Sara admitted. The enemy had used the bare minimum of power to stop a massive technique. "But this was the real plan. You've exposed yourself now."

Every elemental attack leaves a trace—a lingering echo that can be followed with Elemental Sight. Even if the archer moved, that faint trail would remain, just long enough to track.

Sara activated her Elemental Sight.

"What?!" she gasped.

She was surrounded by a dense haze of weak Electro traces—so many that it completely scrambled her senses. It was like a fog of misdirection, deliberately laid out to blind her from the truth.

Fweee! Two arrows suddenly flew at her. She twirled her body mid-air, barely dodging them.

"Wha—?!" But hidden behind the first pair were two more arrows, this time striking her wings dead on.

Pam! Sara was shot from the sky, crashing into the ground, unable to move.

"You're quite good," said a young girl with a bow, approaching Sara calmly. "Your battlefield awareness is impressive."

"W-who are you?" Sara growled, glaring at the blonde girl as she approached.

"But you lack real experience against other seasoned sharpshooters," the girl said plainly. "Basic tactics like masking your position, scattering false elemental trails, and moving constantly… you ignored all of them. Even after realizing you were discovered, instead of escaping, you tried to locate me. A novice mistake."

"W-why are you here? Why are you just playing around instead of ending this?" Sara demanded. The girl's cold demeanor and youthful face made it hard to believe she was the one who had just humiliated her. It didn't make sense—someone so young shouldn't be this skilled.

"I don't usually involve myself in petty conflicts," the girl said indifferently. "But for a certain favor, I intervened in stopping you. I wasn't planning to shoot you down directly. But then you made that last move… wasting your energy and creating chaos across the battlefield, breaking completely the flow for both sides. I had no choice but to stop you. If I hadn't, the battle might have spiraled out of control."

Sara blinked, slowly realizing how close she'd come to completely unraveling her own side's tactics.

"Losing someone hurts," the girl continued quietly. "Especially when they think sacrificing themselves is what's best… leaving you no say in it."

"…What are you talking about?" Sara narrowed her eyes.

"Niwa Tomoki," the girl said softly.

Sara froze, her hands trembling.

"Don't say that name!" she barked, fury flashing in her voice.

"See? It hurts," the girl replied, unmoved. "People think anger's easier to live with than sadness, but it poisons the soul. It turns memories into obsessions."

Then she handed Sara a sealed letter.

"What is this?" Sara demanded.

"It's from Tomoki. Something he asked to be given to you, if you couldn't forget him. Read it… or burn it. Your choice. But it may change the way you see him."

Sara opened the letter.

It began with an apology.

Tomoki explained how much he cherished their childhood, how he hated what he'd become, how he was dying. He didn't want Sara to grieve—so he chose to stay away, even faking cruelty to sever their bond. He threw that final duel against her on purpose, so she'd hate him… and not mourn.

He hoped she would find happiness without him.

And if she couldn't—and ever turned her anger toward someone undeserving—then this letter was to be delivered.

At the bottom was a gift… a little pressed flower from their childhood. One she'd given him years ago.

The girl left, leaving Sara sobbing on the field, the letter in her hand.

…

Back at Watatsumi's camp, the girl returned silently.

"Are you okay, Fischl? You look a little sad," Endora asked, tilting her head with worry.

"It's nothing," Fischl replied, sitting down and closing her eyes. "I just hate it when people sacrifice themselves for others."

…

Meanwhile, over at the Shogun's camp, the Raiden Shogun herself still hadn't moved—eyes closed on her throne. But now—

"It seems eternity is falling apart," she whispered.

She stood.

"I will protect this eternity."

She stepped forward.

The Shogun… entered the battlefield.