novelraw Chapter 269-2: Yutaro’s Rice Ball, the Ogiwara Clan Head’s Ambition (2)
Chapter 269-2: Yutaro’s Rice Ball, the Ogiwara Clan Head’s Ambition (2)
Next came the big haul dropped by the clan head.
Three hundred thousand Spirit Essence combined with the hundred thousand from the Chief Retainer brought Lin Xun’s total Spirit Essence back up to one million one hundred thousand, returning to the seven-digit threshold.
[Ogiwara Clan Command Banner (Epic+ Item): A long black standard, upon which two bold lines of calligraphy are written in sweeping strokes: As swift as the wind, as orderly as the forest, as fierce as fire, as unshakable as the mountain.]
[When the Ogiwara Clan Head served as a hatamoto samurai under the great general, he carried this black banner at the head of cavalry charges. Millions of troops followed the command banner into battle.]
[Using this item, you will summon the Ogiwara Clan’s elite Red Armor army to fight for you. The army includes foot samurai, horseback samurai, ashigaru generals, bannermen commanders, and siege engines such as giant ballistae, catapults, war chariots, and tower wagons.]
[Using this item consumes at least 1 point of soul strength. The more soul strength expended, the larger the summoned army and the stronger their combat power.]
“Damn… if you used something like this in reality… the impact would probably be terrifying.”
Summoning a whole Fifth-Difficulty army into the real world, just imagining it made his scalp prickle.
Fortunately, these hell-difficulty chapters were accessible only to Lin Xun. If a summoning item like the Command Banner fell into the hands of New World, its destructive power would likely rival an S-Class Source of the Apocalypse.
[Great Seal of Yomi-no-Osho Jinpi-Yasha (Epic Accessory): Yomi-no-Osho Jinpi-Yasha is an honorific title for the Great General. Jinpi means the righteous god who purifies calamity and corruption, while Yasha refers to the new god, Ancient Heavenly Enma.][As the ruler of Sakura Falls, the Great General was regarded by countless people as a divine incarnation walking among mortals. To place a god’s title before Osho was the highest expression of respect.]
[This half of an ancient square seal is the Yin Seal of a paired set. Combined with the Yang Seal, it forms the complete sigil used by military commanders to mobilize troops.]
[Throughout Sakura Falls, there are many Yin Seals, but only one Yang Seal, which is held by the Great General himself.]
[While carrying this accessory, all your summoned creatures and special summons receive a minor boost to their attack power from the Yin Seal’s influence.]
“This seal accessory is probably meant to empower the samurai units, but the buff isn’t limited to the army, all summons get the benefit.”
Judging by the words ‘minor boost,’ the effect shouldn’t be too strong. Maybe completing some storyline or quest involving the Great General would grant the Yang Seal and greatly improve the accessory’s power.
[Ushimitsu Mairi Straw Doll (Special Item): A palm-sized straw doll with five long spikes nailed into its head and limbs. A few strands of hair are mixed into the straw torso.]
[When using this item, drive the final spike into the doll’s chest to inflict severe injuries and a powerful Weakened effect on the target.]
“Hm? Weakened effect…”
Lin Xun recalled seeing a similar item before, the White Dwarf Star elixir he’d used when fighting the Legendary Starborn boss.
The Weakened debuff had drastically reduced the Thunderbeast Mammoth’s strength, proving extremely potent.
[As you examined the item in your hand, memories from within the shell gradually resurfaced…]
[Once the most valiant hatamoto samurai under the Great General’s command, you had earned countless military merits in pacifying the chaos of Sakura Falls. If all the corpses of your slain enemies were piled together, the mound would surely rival Kyoto’s sacred Mount Tenmei.]
[In your eyes, it was your contributions that had enabled the Great General’s unification of Sakura Falls.]
[For decades you served the Great General. Whenever war erupted, you were always at the vanguard, roaring commands and leading countless warriors into battle…]
[Over a hundred battles, large and small, you never knew defeat!]
[Yet years of relentless warfare had left your body riddled with injuries. Whenever the weather turned damp and cold, your old wounds flared in agony.]
[If not for your peerless martial skill, you would have long since perished and become a forgotten grave.]
[Your entire life had been devoted to the Great General.]
[But what did it matter? The Great General, citing your advanced age, stripped you of military authority, leaving only the loyal Red Armor army you had painstakingly trained to defend the territory of Thousand Orchid City.]
[Thousand Orchid City was meant to be your retirement and burial ground. As the city closest to Kyoto, it was prosperous and rich, and you should have had no complaints… Unfortunately, the fief was not hereditary.]
[After your death, neither your son nor your grandson would inherit the title of daimyo.]
[You raised your voice to argue with the Great General, but he refused you, saying that hereditary rule would corrode the nation’s foundations.]
[You knew he was imitating the institutions of the Vermilion Empire, but this was Sakura Falls, not Vermilion!]
[You argued again, but the Great General only shook his head. He declared that unless you defeated him in a duel before the Imperial Court, he would never change his mind.]
[The Great General’s skill had reached the realm of the transcendent. Even if you regained the strength of your youth, even if ten of you in your prime joined forces, you would still be no match for him.]
[You returned in despair to Thousand Orchid City. And there, the seeds of rebellious ambition quietly sprouted in your heart.]
[You spent a fortune and personally took on the role of master instructor, secretly training ever more warriors to join the Red Armor army!]
[But this was still not enough. You sought out the Palace Master of Iya for the secret art of immortality, hoping to regain your youth and restore your former strength.]
[And even this was far from enough. You traveled among the common folk, searching for extraordinary individuals, seeking forbidden sorceries to defeat the Great General!]
[You knew that relying on martial skill alone, even if you were given another five hundred years, you would never surpass the Great General’s mastery. Only those long-lost secret sorceries could help you triumph over him!]
[After years of arduous searching, perhaps it was your unyielding determination that moved Ancient Heavenly Enma. At last, you discovered the forbidden art that could defeat the Great General, Ushimitsu Mairi!]
[This was an exceedingly insidious curse. To cast it, the practitioner had to visit a shrine at the hour of the ox and offer prayers before the divine statue. The target’s effigy, a straw doll, had to be nailed to an old tree nearby, with the victim’s hair, fingernails, or scraps of skin sealed inside.]
[Driving in the five long spikes into the head and limbs of the straw doll forged a hidden link to the victim. Finally, when the spike was driven into the doll’s heart, the target would die in unbearable agony.]
[You bribed one of the Great General’s attendants and thus acquired a lock of his hair, preparing to perform your secret ritual.]
[At the same time, after experimenting with the Palace Master Genichi’s return to youth secret art, you felt more confident than ever about your final plan.]
[Of course, such petty sorcery would never be enough to kill the Great General outright. But if you could cripple his martial prowess with Ushimitsu Mairi, that would be enough!]
[Your body, rejuvenated and brimming with strength, would surely lead the Red Armor army in sweeping through Kyoto.]
[And in the end, before the eyes of millions, in the fairest duel of all, the Imperial Court duel, you would defeat the Great General openly and honorably, and become the new ruler of Sakura Falls!]
[You looked at the Ushimitsu Mairi Straw Doll in your hand and could not help but reveal a gleeful smile…]