Chapter 113: Takeda and Hojo, Tsubaki's Conspiracy
Kai Province.
The Takeda Clan Residence.
This castle bore none of the imposing stone walls of Odawara, nor the garish, gilded decorations favored by the Imagawa of Suruga. It was a residence built against the mountains, fortified by deep moats and simple wooden fences, appearing far too humble for the seat of a great daimyo.
Yet, no one in the land dared to underestimate this place.
For the woman who dwelled within was the Tiger of Kai.
Takeda Shingen.
Just as the Imagawa Clan descended from a branch of the ruling Ashikaga Shogunate, the Takeda Clan's lineage was equally storied, tracing its origins back to the Minamoto clan of the ancient Heian period. In terms of sheer nobility, they were second to none, perhaps even surpassing the Imagawa.
And Takeda Shingen was the most brilliant leader the Takeda had produced in generations. She was the one whispered to have the best chance of conquering the world.
At this moment, in the deepest hall of the castle, steam billowed, thick and warm. A natural hot spring gushed from the mountain rock, feeding a large pool ringed by massive stones. A few crimson maple leaves floated upon the water's surface, looking like deliberate decorations, though they were likely just gifts from the autumn wind.
Takeda Shingen was soaking in the pool.
She appeared to be under twenty, with a handsome face that carried an air of heroic strength. Her features were not delicate but were striking in their grandeur—strong brows, sharp phoenix eyes, a straight nose, and slightly full lips that naturally conveyed an oppressive authority, commanding respect without a hint of anger.
Her long, deep red hair clung wetly to her shoulders, sliding down the elegant line of her spine and into the water. The curve of her shoulders and collarbones, exposed above the surface, was smooth and powerful. Further down, her silhouette was a tantalizing mystery, obscured by the rising steam and the shimmering water.
Hojo Ujiyasu had not been wrong.
The term 'well-endowed' was an understatement when it came to Takeda Shingen. The surface of the water rippled gently, but the two prominent mounds buoyed by the hot water could not be concealed by the motion.
She had her eyes closed, a simple pottery bowl cradled in one hand. It was half-filled with cloudy sake, the rest already consumed.
She was the picture of comfort.
"—Let go of me! You barbarians! I am the head of the Hojo Clan!"
A very uncomfortable voice shattered the tranquility from the end of the corridor.
Takeda Shingen's eyebrows twitched, but she didn't open her eyes.
The sound of footsteps grew louder, hurried and chaotic. The sliding door was slammed open with a resounding crash.
Hojo Ujiyasu stormed into the bathing hall.
She was still in her armor. Her long black hair was an utter mess, having been carried under some soldier's armpit as they sprinted all the way here. Her face was a mask of rage and humiliation. Her deep purple kimono was wrinkled beyond recognition, and smears of mud marred her armor plates.
"Takeda Shingen—!" Hojo Ujiyasu bit out, enunciating every syllable. "What is the meaning of this? Why did your men drag me here?"
Takeda Shingen finally opened her eyes. In the steam, those phoenix eyes looked exceptionally languid. She swept a lazy glance over Hojo Ujiyasu, then closed them again.
"I will not sit!" Hojo declared, seeing Shingen's dismissive attitude.
"Then stand," Shingen replied coolly. She lifted the hand holding the wine bowl and gestured toward a wooden stool nearby. "The wine is over there. Pour it yourself."
A vein throbbed at Hojo Ujiyasu's temple. "I didn't come here to drink."
"I know." Takeda Shingen drained the last of the cloudy sake in her bowl and casually placed the empty vessel on the stone beside the pool.
Then, she stood up from the water.
Streams of water cascaded off her, flowing down a tall, toned body.
She wore nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Hojo Ujiyasu's face flushed crimson in an instant, and she jerked her head away. "Put on some clothes first!"
"This is my territory. I'll wear what I want, when I want. Or not at all," Takeda Shingen stated, her voice laced with amusement. She walked to the edge of the pool, picked up a thin gauze yukata, and draped it loosely over her body. She didn't bother tying the sash, leaving the front wide open.
She leaned against the stone at the pool's edge, her wet red hair clinging to her neck, and regarded Hojo with those half-lidded phoenix eyes.
"Talk business."
Hojo Ujiyasu took three deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down. "You sent Yamagata Masakage to attack Imagawa's rear guard, and then you had me snatched away. What are you playing at?"
"Saving you."
"I don't need you to save me!"
"You let Imagawa Yoshimoto bog you down in a stalemate, leaving your rear undefended. Meanwhile, Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo has just shattered your northern defense line," Takeda replied, as if stating the obvious. "If I hadn't intervened, you and Imagawa would still be grinding each other down at Jentai-ga-hara until the end of the month. By the time you came to your senses, the fields outside the north gate of Odawara would likely be filled with banners bearing the character 'Bi'."
Hojo Ujiyasu's expression froze. "Echigo… broke through the north?"
"Three days ago." Takeda Shingen raised a hand and casually counted on her fingers. "Your northern outposts were completely wiped out. Uesugi's vanguard has already pushed into the heart of Musashi Province. That woman who fancies herself the avatar of Bishamonten is playing for keeps this time."
Hojo Ujiyasu fell silent. It wasn't that she didn't believe it. It was that she didn't dare to.
"Why tell me this?" she asked, her gaze sharp and wary.
"Because it does me no good if Uesugi picks up the scraps while you and Imagawa are busy tearing each other apart," Takeda said bluntly. "I don't mind watching you two fight, but if Uesugi takes Musashi, her blade will be pointed directly at Kai. Don't forget, we are allies, after all."
Having said this, Takeda paused for a moment before continuing. "With Uesugi marching south, the Shogun and the court nobles in Kyoto are just watching the show. I've heard the Onmyo Bureau has been observing abnormal Yao Qi in various places recently. Those old fools are considering whether to issue an imperial decree—letting the daimyo of each province purge the demons themselves."
"If that decree comes down, Uesugi's recent actions will have a legitimate justification. She is purging demons under the banner of Bishamonten; who could say no to that?"
Hojo Ujiyasu's fists clenched. Kyoto. The Shogun. The Onmyo Bureau. These seemingly distant powers were still influencing the course of war in the Kanto region.
"Then what about your people?" Hojo asked suddenly. "Those monsters under your command—the likes of Yamagata Masakage. How many more are there?"
Takeda Shingen glanced at her and smiled. It was a smile neither deep nor shallow, carrying a distinct hint of playfulness. "You will know in due time. That is not what you should be worrying about right now."
She stood up straight, the front of her yukata slipping slightly. The exposed skin made Hojo Ujiyasu avert her gaze once again.
"First, reinforce your northern defense line. As for Imagawa…" Takeda's smile sharpened. "She will not move for the time being."
It was not that she dared not, nor that she could not. It was simply that she would not.
Musashi Province, Kaede Village.
Twilight was approaching.
Unlike the blood and fire raging on battlefields hundreds of miles away, this small village retained a rare tranquility, a veritable sanctuary in the chaotic Warring States period. The ears of rice in the paddies hung heavy, smoke curled from the rooftops, and occasionally, an ox cart would creak its way down the village path.
The shrine was situated at the highest point of the village. The light of its barrier shimmered faintly in the air. The compound barrier set up by Kikyo was still operating perfectly—three layers of defense, warning, and purification, enveloping the entire village in its protective embrace.
But outside the barrier, on a hill to the north, a lone figure stood watching.
She wore the white robes and red hakama of a miko. It was Tsubaki. She was alone. She had not brought her junior sisters, the red-and-white-clad Momiji and the blue-and-white-clad Botan. She had simply come ahead, arriving in advance.
Though she had already prepared her strategy for dealing with Kikyo and Hikaru, Tsubaki did not rush into the barrier. She merely lifted her head, her gaze fixed on the distant shrine. A carefully crafted smile hung on her beautiful face, the upward curve of her eyes radiating arrogance.
Her hands were hidden in her wide sleeves. In one, she clutched a small porcelain bottle.
The liquid inside was a dark, viscous red. Demon blood.
It was the blood that had splattered from that immortal demon when he had attacked outside the Demon Slayer Village. After the battle, Tsubaki had secretly collected some.
As a miko, her direct combat ability was certainly not top-tier. Compared to the terrifying spiritual power of Kikyo—who could slay high-level demons with a single arrow and even threaten Great Yokai—she was leagues behind. But she possessed the cunning of a top-tier spellcaster. Given enough time, she could devise countless methods to deal with powerful enemies.
Over the past month, she had conducted exhaustive experiments on that bottle of demon blood. She had found no way to break the demon's immortality; the nature of that regenerative ability, which seemed to have no connection to demonic energy, was beyond her understanding. It wasn't Yao Qi, nor was it spiritual power. It was more like an incurable disease… or perhaps, a medicinal effect?
But she had discovered one crucial thing. High concentrations of this blood held an extremely strong attraction for its own kind. Within a hundred miles, if this bottle were exposed to the air, the lesser demons hiding in dark corners would swarm toward it like sharks smelling blood in the water.
Tsubaki gazed at the faint spiritual light shimmering above the distant shrine. She could feel that the barrier was very strong, the spiritual power contained within it even purer than before. Kikyo's strength had grown since their last meeting; she had improved again.
But it didn't matter. Tsubaki's goal was not to defeat Kikyo head-on. Her goal was to make Kikyo 'kill'—or more precisely, to make others believe that Kikyo was killing people.
Demons were not yokai. They were beings created when humans were infected and mutated by that special blood. In the perception of a Tahoto miko, the life aura of a demon was extremely similar to that of a human, because they were human. They were patients. Patients eroded by a disease from which there was no return.
If Momiji and Botan were to arrive and see Kikyo standing among a pile of human corpses—then all the lies Tsubaki had fabricated would become obvious truth.
'Fallen miko.''Accomplice to a ruthless, murderous demon.''A wicked woman who would even kill the sick.'
As long as she could make Kikyo waver for a single instant… she would have her chance.
Tsubaki's fingers stroked the mouth of the porcelain bottle, and the curve of her lips deepened. Momiji and Botan were still on the road; she had deliberately set out a day early. She needed time. She needed to set the stage for this play before her two junior sisters arrived.
"Kikyo, oh, Kikyo…" she whispered, a cold, sinister smile gracing her beautiful face. "This time, you cannot win."
The twilight deepened into dusk.
Tsubaki's figure retreated into the thicket beside the mountain path, vanishing from the barrier's sensory range.
She was waiting.
Waiting for nightfall.
Waiting for the lesser demons, drawn by the scent of their own kind's blood, to crawl out from the darkness.
Waiting for them to swarm toward Kaede Village.
Waiting for Kikyo to be forced to act.
Waiting for Momiji and Botan to witness the most 'appropriate' scene at the most 'appropriate' moment.
Her plan had only just begun.
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]