Ultima Cantica: The Stage of Carnage, Onriedo (Beginning)

Okay! Here we go. Upsy-daisy!

... ...

...Say, Tasuke, do you mind if I talk for a little? I'll keep doing upsy-daisy in the meantime, okay? Hehe, thanks.

I saw something that really surprised me recently. Remember those oni from the other day?

One of them outright said she was broken... I couldn't believe it. I'm glad she said it after our duel was over.

She wasn't the first cool and collected oni I've met, but...she was definitely the first to own up to her own failings like that.

I wonder how she must have felt...what made her feel the way she did to call herself "broken."

... ...

If by "broken" she meant "incomplete," then I'm in the same boat as her.

Even though I was born a woman, I never planned to get married, or even carry on my own family's legacy.

That sort of thing might fly in Fujimaru's time, but not in the age of war.

If someone were to point out to me that I'm fundamentally flawed, all I'd really be able to do is agree with them.

As far as I can tell, I'm the only one living her life like this.

Even the other swordsmen I've met have all been able to settle down to some degree.

But not me. I just can't seem to stay put.

I'm always traveling, and I never really look back. That must be why I keep wandering into other worlds.

No matter where I go, no matter what I do, I never leave any lasting impression on that world.

That's why I keep popping up in all sorts of different places. It's like every world is telling me, "Oh, sure, you can come in, since you don't matter."

And then, "All done? Right, out then. I couldn't care less about you."

Truth be told, I'm more of a ghost than a person.

I know all sorts of things most people don't, and I'm constantly meeting new people and leaving them behind when I get kicked out to the next world.

But if you were to ask me why I'm doing all this, all I could say is that I'm trying to surpass my dad.

(Sigh) When you get right down to it, I'm really just petty.

I love money and honor and all that stuff, but the one thing I can't budge on is my silly childish pride.

Oh well, nothing I can do about that! When you get right down to it, I'm a fool who only knows how to live for the moment!

As long as I'm striving to reach the void, I'll be a wandering warrior. As for my future...

When the god Tenjin comes to reside within my blade... When it reaches the pinnacle of Tenman Daijizai Tenjin, or even just Ishana-Ten...

...that's when I'll accept my fate.

In the void lies virtue, and no evil. Wisdom exists, principle exists, the Way exists, spirit does not.

A state of being second to none. The domain of mastery beyond mastery.

As much as I talked about that sort of thing, I never thought I would ever actually go down that path...

Haha, I guess it was worth spending so much time learning about martial arts!

It's hard to believe, but I really got the hang of it during my duel with Lady Raikou!

...Which means the big problem still lies ahead. Pretty soon, my Niten Ichiryu will be complete.

Once it is, I will have lost the only purpose I had in life. I don't know how to get home, and I have no one to settle down with.

Once my sword is truly invincible, I don't know what I'm going to do with myself.

？！

Oh, morning, Fujimaru. I was just out watching the sky and talking to Tasuke.

Just so we're clear, I wasn't trying to get out of helping with meal prep or anything, okay?

Besides, Onui was so busy taking care of breakfast that I didn't want her to have to watch Tasuke too.

Speaking of which, here you go, Onui. You can have Tasuke back now.

Thanks for watching him, Ms. Samurai! Breakfast is all ready now!

Ga ga ga♪

Great, I'll be right there. Mmm, I can smell the miso soup already!

Of course. It's so pretty. I was watching the clouds go by while I played upsy-daisy with Tasuke.

It really is! ...Come to think of it, what's the difference between a beautiful day, and one that's just nice?

I'm sure there's a difference, but I can't think of how to describe it. Can you, Fujimaru?

？！

Okay, that's enough chitchat! We should eat soon, or Grandpa might get upset!

Okay!

...The time has come.

At last, what I have sought for so long, Onriedo, will materialize. This is where the dark Jesuit sorcery bestowed upon me by Satan will bear fruit.

The lone obstacles standing in our way were the Master of Chaldea and Shinmen Musashi, and neither of them are near Toke Castle now.

Saṃghāta Hell and Kālasūtra Hell did their job well. This is the perfect opportunity for Onriedo to take form.

Lower the veil of night, Caster of Limbo. This world no longer needs a proper sun.

As you wish.

Sun! Sun! Hear me, sun! You bring the blessing of light to all living things! Now, I command you to set!

Set! Set! I command you to set! Close your eyes, and sleep! Slumber in death like unto night!

Perish, sun! Now is the time for we demons to awaken!

Come, darkness, and kill all living creatures!

Come, souls bearing the power of the Five Heroic Spirit Swordmasters, who died with hate and regret! Come, souls of the people they killed till their final moments!

The sacrifices tinged with suffering, regret, and hate offered up to Lucifer, the great Satan himself, are now complete!

Show yourself, my Holy Grail! My Onriedo!

The time has come to reveal your True Name. The grandest of monuments ever to guide a mountain of bodies and river of blood: Onriedo Castle!

Wh-what the hell are these things!? H-hey, let go of me...! What's going on!? I thought the monsters had all been defeated... AHHHH...!

Wh-why are there so many of these dark monsters here!?

I know! Lord Tajima! He's still in the castle, he'll... Rr, rrr...

H-hey...why's your head swelling up like that...?

Aaah! M-my wife just turned into a monster!

S-stop it! Don't you recognize me!? I'm your husband! C-cut it out! D-don't you bare your teeth at me! Stay back!

Aaaaaahhh! S-somebody! Anybody! H-help me...! Th-there are oni here...!

Oh god...what happened to my child? Come here, Mommy's here... Ah!!!

Dammit! I was so preoccupied with the sudden change to Toke Castle that I didn't notice what was happening in town. This is so awful, I can hardly bear to look...!

I must inform Lord Tajima at once! We must save as many of these townspeople as we

Mister... Hey, mister...?

Please, help...! M-my mom was just attacked by a giant monster...!

Ahh, thank goodness you're still alive, child! Where is your mother? I'll go help her right away!

Ghk...!

Help me, mister... The monster that attacked her...? It was me!

Hngh... Gaaah!

I'm sorry. That must have been a nightmare for you... I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner...

Look at you now, Tokugawa lapdog.

You meet your end so pitifully? The great Sakon, who committed such atrocities in Shimabara?

Aren't you the one who killed over thirty-eight thousand of my comrades? The one who mercilessly killed women, children, the elderly, without a moment's hesitation?

What was that you said about this town? So awful you can hardly bear to look?

Bah, you, of all people, say that? You, who were responsible for scenes just like this hardly a year ago?

You filthy curs of the Tokugawa were killing Christians left and right, insisting we weren't human!

Haha, hahahahahahahahaha! Just look at the great hero who destroyed Shimabara now!

Now that the sun has been reversed, all reason shall disappear from this world! Tonight is the night that all of you will be slaughtered like dogs!

Well done, Caster of Limbo! Your Noble Phantasm shall usher in a new, evil world order!

This darkness marks the end of this world! The fall of the Tokugawa regime! I have never before seen such a beautiful sight!

You are to be commended! Satan will be most pleased!

This world has gladly accepted the Tokugawa regime! It has forgotten the hell of Shimabara!

How dare you... The rest of you may have forgotten, but I do not forget, and I do not forgive!

Now I, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, shall avenge the atrocities of Shimabara through the glory of Onriedo Castle!

Haha, hahaha, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

The sky's gone dark...! What happened!? I thought it was morning!

W-w-waaah!

There, there, Tasuke. Don't cry...

A bloodred moon! Every time the sky looks like this, one of the Heroic Spirit Swordmasters appears! But, I don't sense any Servants nearby.

？！

Yes, Master!

Well, at least we got to finish breakfast before all this! But...aww, I have a feeling I'm gonna miss lunch now...

This is the WORST! We've had dinner AND breakfast at Grandpa's hermitage before, but we STILL haven't gotten to have lunch here!

The damn sun just vanished from the damn sky in the middle of the damn morning and THAT'S what you're worried about?

Guess I can understand how you feel a bit. We've seen this happen a fair few times, now.

In fact, I kind of admire that unflappable nature of yours. If you weren't a swordsman, I'd have taken you in as my apprentice.

At any rate, does this mean one of those Heroic Spirit Swordmasters is showing up?

Kotarou, you said this only happens before they appear, right?

That's right. I'm not sure exactly how it works...but that's how it's been almost every time so far...

Allow me to handle this. I shall send up a flying observational device.

Wow! Th-that was amazing! Was that a firework!?

My apologies, Lady Onui. It was not a firework.

？！

"Rocket"? I am not familiar with that word, but this device allows me to see great distances from high up in the sky.

A moment, please. I shall have the results for you soon.

...I have visual confirmation. Toke Castle has been radically transformed.

Huh!? The whole castle transformed!?

Yes. It is difficult to describe... Simply put, it has taken on an exceptionally evil appearance.

Evil...

Given the sky's current state, it's safe to say that the remaining Swordmasters and the sorcerer are behind this.

Since they're not trying to attack us this time, their target must be Toke Castle now...

Now that you mention it, I think Inferno said she wasn't allowed to cut loose near the castle...

...and that it was an important part of their plans, or something to that effect. Maybe they're planning to use it to establish a new land of demons?

？！

Slow down, kid. I get you're upset about this, but don't forget, someone just ripped a hole through your guts.

Your wound hasn't healed, and it's half a day's walk to the castle from here.

That may be, Grandpa, but we still haven't kept our promise to Lord Inshun.

On top of that, the pretty oni from before asked us to save Shimousa too.

If Onui and Tasuke are going to grow up happy here, we can't leave things like this. Not even with lunch on the line.

Isn't that right, Fujimaru?

？！

You two done? Can I finish now? ...I ain't saying you shouldn't go.

...When I buried the villagers, there were some horses left behind after the battle. I shared a few of them with the people from other villages that came to help, but I kept several for myself.

They're tied up in the stable 'round the back. Take them. Ride to the castle. Just don't touch the chestnut one. He's mine.

You had horses here in these villages...? I didn't think the Edo period used horses for agriculture...

Oh, of course! They must have belonged to the shogunate! Shimousa is famous for its horses, after all!

You got it. These horses belong to the Matsudaira, or basically Lord Tokugawa himself, but that don't mean a whole hell of a lot at this point, does it?

All right, I haven't ridden a horse at full gallop in a while. Make sure you don't fall behind!

You're coming too, Grandpa? On a horse?

These monsters came after the kids. If their boss is there, I'm going to make him pay for that.

Wow, I wish I could ride a horse too... Do Tasuke and I have to stay and watch the hermitage?

No, you two are coming with me. With everything going on right now, there could be monsters here, too.

...Speak of the devil.

Evil auras! There's several of them headed this way... They must be traveling in a pack!

I have detected numerous heat sources as well. I believe it is a group of monsters, numbering approximately twelve.

？！

Yes, Master. I'll make quick work of them!

Ugh, there really are more of them than usual! I wonder if this sky gives them energy or something?

Whatever the case, I'm ready for them!

Lunch or no lunch, I won't hold back. My stomach may be empty, but my spirit is as strong as ever. I'll make sure to finish this in one go!

？！

I guess I am! Like I told you before...

Here they come!

All hostiles defeated!

I can confirm there are no surviving enemies. Exiting combat mode.

Hurry up and get the horses. Onui, go make rice balls with the rice left over from breakfast.

Okay! We cooked heaps so I can make a bunch! Yummy♪

Ga-ga ga♪

Me too. Their smiles are so warm and bright they almost make up for the sun being gone.

Yeah, I'm not sure that's really a good thing, but I don't think we can do much about it right now.

Hopefully, when they're older...they'll look back on all this as just a weird dream.

？！

Anyway, let's go get the horses! Oh, if there's a white one, I call dibs!

I've always wanted to try riding a white horse at least once!

What are you, an idiot? There's no damn white horse! Just go get the horses already!

...

... ...

There you are, Lady Danzo. I've been looking for you.

The horses are all saddled up, so we'll be heading out now. What are you going to do?

I... I was just thinking about that.

...I see.

... ...

Lady Danzo, I know this is rude of me, but can I ask you something personal?

Are you concerned about this situation as an agent of the shogunate? As a lone ninja?

Or is there something else that's weighing on your mind?

I...

Personally, I'd rather you remain here. Things are bound to be more dangerous than ever at Toke Castle.

Lord Muramasa and myself are Servants. In my case, I can assure you that I'm much tougher than when I was alive.

I can fight without fear of dying from a stray bullet or a katana wound.

But you can't. You belong to this world.

...I am nothing more than a mechanical puppet. There is no need to worry about me.

Besides, I...I have already been given orders, so...if possible, I would like to join you...

Right, your orders from Lord Tajima. If Lady Musashi ends up fighting a Heroic Spirit Swordmaster, you are to accompany her, was it?

That's right...

It's too risky, Lady Danzo.

We could easily end up fighting one who is even more deadly than Saṃghāta Hell or Kālasūtra Hell.

We ninja don't specialize in head-to-head combat. All the more so when we're up against such dangerous monsters.

And I'm sure Lord Tajima wouldn't want to send one of his best subordinates to an early grave.

...I greatly appreciate your concern, Lord Kotarou.

Still... Yes... Thank you for telling me how you feel. You have helped me to make up my mind.

I will accompany you after all. Forgive me. I promise I will be of use.

I see...

Very well. If you insist on coming along, I won't stop you.

In that case, we'd better get going, before Lord Muramasa yells at us for taking too long.

That's true. This is a matter of grave importance, so I will do my best to hurry.