Act 6 "Master and Servant"

Um... Fujimaru. I suggest that we stop our advance.

There is what appears to be a checkpoint ahead.

Hey, you there, sweaty Benkei. You came from the settlement ahead. How did you get around this?

I'm embarrassed to say... I didn't get through the checkpoint. I lost my footing and fell down the cliff.

It was a fortunate mistake. Thanks to that, I was able to arrive at the settlement you were at.

Dear me, am I ever embarrassed about that. If I hadn't been in good shape, I would have died instantly.

With age, my eyes have been opened to the greater truth: that muscle trumps wisdom!

Hmm. You still don't look like Benkei to me, but whatever. Hanging out with you is fun, and you don't require any sympathy when you're left behind either.

Hahaha! You're sharper than ever, Lord Yoshitsune! You're really keeping me on my toes!

...Hey, Boss. I know I'm not the one to say this, but are descendants of Minamoto always this unsettling?

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Oh, my lord. Praising me as a genius in front of other people like that... It's pretty embarrassing...

...With her kind of one-way dependence and affection... I have no problem understanding just how difficult it was for Ushiwakamaru's brother...

But I don't think that the path Benkei took was necessarily foolish.

With mountains of this scale, you may as well ignore the roads when going down. Jumping off a cliff means you can forget about the gates.

The problem for us is having to go up the mountain.

These are cliffs we cannot scale; even if we have the strength as Heroic Spirits,

if the oni spotted us while we were climbing up, it would be the end of us.

Ultimately, the only choice we have is to follow this mountain trail to the top.

The path is narrow, and there are steep drops on either side... There's no other way around. What should we do, Master?

The checkpoint itself is smaller than the gate guarded by the great oni...but the number of oni I'm detecting is quite high.

There's a lookout as well, so it's nearly impossible without a plan.

Well, I'm detecting a large number of oni from over there. It's too dangerous to try to force our way through.

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You know...the one thing that my Bear can do is to bust into them at full throttle!

Well then...how about this?

We'll distract the lookout and then sneak into the checkpoint.

After that, we'll cause a commotion to throw them into confusion, and then right at that moment, Kintoki charges in

Basically, we'll conduct attacks from inside and out simultaneously.

You mean I'll show up at the very end? Now that's what I call being a golden hero, man!

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Got it. Just let me prepare a little for this...

All right. How does this look?

Wow! That's an amazing disguise! As expected of a ninja... Is that also part of Fuuma's secret techniques?

No, it's simply a kind of makeup I'm simply mimicking their looks. It's not that difficult at all.

The secret technique of the Fuuma is to wield the power of a true oni, so that Never mind, that's not important right now.

Let's infiltrate by acting as if we're bringing in fresh human laborers.

I'm sorry, everyone, but please let me tie this rope around your waists.

It needs to look as real as possible. If you would, please.

Excellent. Now, then

Gah!? Halt! Who are you!?

Gah ha ha! By the Great Oni's orders, I've captured more humans and I'm bringing them in. Let me through.

(He talks like them, too!)

Nobody told me about this...

You know how bad communication is. If they're late, I'll catch hell. Get in touch with them later. Come on...

Hmm... Yeah, well, I guess it's fine. I'll just note what kind of humans you brought along...

First, there's a fairly healthy human that's pretty darn pale...

A powerful male that looks like he'll work hard.

Is this a monk? I guess even humans need your type to relieve their discontent, huh?

...Dang, you really caught one here... This one's like a tsuchinoko...

Oh! And this female certainly looks soft! Kyahaha! I guess you'll be fixing meals for the humans, eh?

And then

...

...Wait.

...What is it?

That one there just isn't right! What the heck is with that shameless outfit?

She's far too small to be doing any work that needs muscle. And I sure don't think she can do any woman's work.

Just look how shameless she is! Are you sure the Great Oni said to bring this one!?

...(Not good!)

Hold it right there, Mr. Oni! Though I am a captive, let me, a monk, ask you a question!

You say there's a woman dressed shamelessly... But is that what you really see?

...Huh?

With all my training as a monk, I might sense her presence... However, I am not sure about the others... (Glance)

R-Right. What the heck are you talking about!? There's nobody like that here.

No, hold on. That one right there

But still you insist? Then it must be true. She is a seductress!

Even an oni cannot resist being captivated by a seductress. Dangerous, dangerous. Far too dangerous. In that case, I shall eliminate the threat!

Take that!

Ouch!?

(H-He just gave Ushiwakamaru a really nasty punch!)

...Whew. I have eliminated the threat. Namo.

Even if she was a seductress, then this should have taken care of it, right? Now then, I beg your pardon.

(He's dragging along the completely unconscious Ushiwakamaru...)

(Passing the flabbergasted guard)

(A-At any rate, we've passed into the checkpoint!)

...Wait. Wait, wait, wait! There really is something odd about you!

We've made it this far. Now that we're inside the guard will be easy.

We just set off a false alarm, destroy the facilities, and lead them into infighting. We'll cause all kinds of confusion

It's about time. I'll send Kintoki the signal!

Hah! Finally! That's the signal... Let's rock! You and me, Kotarou, let's rumble!

Use that incredibly cool Noble Phantasm to mess them up! What was it called? The Immortal Golden Brigade?

I think the name is a little different...

Yes! It is an honor for a Fuuma to be summoned by you, Kintoki! Take this! Immortal Golden Brigade!

He's totally gotten into it! Is he going to be all right?

Either way, thanks to Kintoki and Kotarou, the enemy is in disarray! Let's finish them off now, Master!

We defeated the whole crowd of them. Thank you, everyone... Especially you, Kotarou.

...Not at all. I couldn't have done it alone. We defeated them because we worked together.

There were a couple of times that felt like we weren't going to make it. Especially when... Um...

Okay, the time has come. You, Benkei! Right there! On your knees! Head down!

(Ushiwakamaru already has her hand on her sword! Senpai! You have to stop her!)

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Hahaha! All right, I see. This brings back memories!

What?

Subscription list, you know. The subscription list. This is just like that time. You remember that, right?

On our way to Hiraizumi, when we crossed the border of Kaga, and that Togashi fellow spotted you, Lord Yoshitsune.

I read a false subscription list, and later I ended up having to slap you around

...You dare to speak of the subscription list? Do you even understand the meaning behind the tears shed by Benkei?

Of course I understand. I am not Benkei just for the fun of it.

My body, my spirit, my belief are all true. If I ever make a mistake, then you may dismiss me on the spot.

...Fine. That was quite a feat you accomplished with that dunderhead.

W-Well, at least we got past that difficult spot. Why don't we keep on moving ahead, okay?

Ushiwakamaru, I understand how you feel, but...

I'm not angry. It was all thanks to Benkei that we got past that point.

...However, the mystery continues to deepen. How come Benkei is so powerful on this island?