Yama Rising

Amid the sea of golden light and boundless killing intent, Yamata no Orochi finally returned to his senses before letting loose a thunderous roar and viciously slamming its tail down onto the ground.

A burst of shockwaves swept through the air, immediately following a series of huge torii gates erupted out of the ground in front of the inter-realm mirrors amid resounding booms. In the blink of an eye, over 100 torii gates had emerged in front of the inter-realm mirrors!

As soon as the spears of golden light crashed into the torii gates, they were significantly slowed down as if they had flown into a pool of treacle, and ripples were spreading through the air. All of a sudden, the tips of the spears began to glow brighter and brighter, and the golden flowers opened up further and further. Yamata no Orochi immediately roared, "Run!"

The Godslayer Spears were still advancing, albeit very slowly at this point, and they were most likely going to explode within the next half-minute!

In this situation, the flaws of the Nipponese Underworld's military system was highlighted once again. The Kunitsukami were completely incapable of comprehending signals, and as a result, the Yin soldiers at the front were retreating, while the yokai at the back were rushing forward, and the two were getting in each other's way. Ashikaga Yoshiaki could feel his own skin crawling at the sight of the pandemonium unfolding before him!

Time seemed to have slowed down, and he felt as if he could hear a countdown timer to destruction ticking down beside his ears. He even raised his hands in a powerless fashion as if he wanted to grab ahold of something, only to put them down again in a defeated manner.

All of a sudden, he felt as if his world had become impossibly bleak, and his mind was completely blank. The only thought in his mind was an instinctive one that wondered what the explosion was going to entail.

30 seconds passed by in the blink of an eye, and countless bursts of golden light erupted over the ground.

It was like a boundless Buddhist paradise designed to release lost souls from purgatory. A river of golden light exploded between the torii gates and inter-realm mirrors, and all of the nearby Kunitsukami were inundated by the golden light amid anguished screams. As for everyone else, they could only look on helplessly as the light advanced toward them.

Boundless light filled heaven and earth, sweeping over the ground with devastating power. All of the torii gates collapsed amid violent rumbling, and the earth was instantly torn apart by the resulting shockwaves before being reduced to dust by the all-devouring light. In the end, the resulting dust was swept up by the waves of wind to form walls of dust that were hundreds of meters tall before sweeping in all directions alongside the violent storm of light.

Futakuchi-onna faltered slightly upon seeing this, then immediately laid herself flag against the ground without any hesitation.

Several of the yokai around her drew a sharp breath in unison before fleeing for their lives.

Countless Godslayer Spears flew through the inter-realm mirrors like giant arrows, and the entire town of Hasami was quaking in the face of their formidable might. Only after what seemed like an eternity did the troops of the Nipponese Underworld regain their sense of hearing.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki stood up shakily from the ground. Countless Godslayer Spears had exploded at the same time just now, and the resulting power was beginning to resemble that of a forbidden art. As a result, he was unable to remain on his feet and had flattened himself against the ground.

The golden light slowly dissipated, revealing the entire area to have been severely ravaged. The entire army of Kunitsukami was in tatters at this point, and what little remained of them were slowly gathering together again.

All of a sudden, Ashikaga Yoshiaki raised his head and peered through the ravaged battlefield, casting his gaze toward the destroyed inter-realm mirrors.

Amid a cloud of dense Yin energy, he saw a mighty army of cavalry.

They were the heavy cavalry units of the Cathayan Underworld!

Not only had he caught sight of them, all of the Yin soldiers defending Hasami could sense as well because the ground was beginning to tremble and quake.

Fearsome killing intent pierced into Hasami through the broken inter-realm mirrors like sharp swords, and all of the Yin spirits were struck by a sense of impending doom.

"Engage the enemy!" Ashikaga Yoshiaki raised his sword in a shaky manner before roaring with all his might, "Engage the enemy! Stop these invaders!"

The 200,000 Yin soldiers of the Nipponese Underworld gritted their teeth before charging toward the mirror frames, and they were met by several hundred heavy cavalry units that were also charging toward them like fortresses within the black mist.

"Stop them!" Yamata no Orochi roared. The morale of the troops had to be raised again, and they couldn't afford to retreat any further. If Hasami were to be conquered, then Nagasaki would be completely vulnerable and exposed! After that would come the fall of Kyushu, and beyond that was Shikoku!

Ashikaga Yoshiaki was frantically using signal flags to rally all of the Yin soldiers and Kunitsukami, and the army was returning to its original formation as quickly as it could, but it was already too late.

The hundreds of heavy cavalry units had already charged through the mirror frames, and they were giving off boundless Yin energy as they charged into Hasami with unbridled killing intent.

"Charge!" The cavalier at the forefront had the flag of the Cathayan Underworld raised high above his head, and he was charging fearlessly toward the countless spear-wielding enemy soldiers up ahead.

The Nipponese Yin soldier at the forefront of the army also let loose a fierce war cry as he plunged his spear forward. This was a movement that he had rehearsed countless times, and it had already become second nature to him. In the face of the oncoming cavaliers, he readied his spear with his wrists and arms before piercing it forward as forcefully as he could.

Several dozen spears were plunged forward in unison beside him, piercing through the air toward the fearless cavalier.

However, in the instant that the spears made contact with the cavalier's armor, they discovered that their spears had been stopped cold in their tracks!

A burst of gently black and white light rose up, and a string of loud clangs rang out, but the spears were unable to pierce through the cavalier's armor.

As the top-tier military formation of the Cathayan Underworld, the Wumu military formation definitely wasn't something that the Yin soldiers of a third-rate underworld could contend with!

The veins on the arms and foreheads of the Nipponese Yin soldiers were bulging as they strained every sinew of their bodies to drive their spears forward, but a sense of despair and powerlessness was quickly taking root in their hearts.

Is this the power of one of the four pillars? We can't even pierce through their armor!

That was the last thought they ever had. In the next instant, their heads flew up into the air, having been decapitated by a sweep of the cavalier's longsword.

The first row of foot soldiers were quickly reduced to specks of netherfire that rose up into the air, and the foot soldiers behind them faltered momentarily, but their fury and adrenaline overwhelmed their fear and despair as they continued to rush forward with their spears raised.

However, the Cathayan Underworld's cavaliers were just as fierce as they were. After the first row of foot soldiers was vanquished, the cavaliers swarmed upon the remaining foot soldiers with their longswords brandished. They were building up more and more momentum as their warhorses galloped along, and they harbored no fear whatsoever toward the spears directed at them.

They were willing to use their own lives to open up a path for their comrades!

Taking advantage of this window of opportunity before the Nipponese Underworld's forces had recovered their formation, they were going to charge as far as possible!

After several waves of spear strikes, the defenses of the Wumu military formation was finally pierced through, and the first line of heavy cavalry units were reduced to specks of netherfire that rose up into the heavens. However, all of the foot soldiers discovered that at this point, these cavaliers had already forced them back by around a meter!

Even though they had just been severely ravaged by the explosions from those A-grade weapons of war, this was still an army of millions, yet they had been forced back by a meter by just several hundred cavaliers!

Furthermore, this was only the beginning.

Before the first wave of cavaliers had concluded their charge, the next wave of several hundred cavaliers had already emerged to follow them, and they plunged viciously into the ranks of the Nipponese Underworld's troops.

The Nipponese Underworld's forces were still in disarray, and they were forced back several more meters by this ferocious charge!

The cavaliers were greatly encouraged by this, and they pulled out the large shields from behind them. The surface of the shields was riddled with hooked barbs, and with the shields held up in front of them, the cavaliers continued to charge onward with unwavering determination.

"Stop them! Stop them!" Ashikaga Yoshiaki felt as if he were about to go insane. Never did he think that the flaws of a decentralized military system would be exposed so severely. From his vantage point, he could clearly see that the group of just several hundred cavaliers had managed to charge over 10 meters through the Nipponese Underworld's ranks!

The ground that they had gained on the Nipponese Underworld's army was like a nightmarish gash that couldn't be closed!

However, before the Nipponese Underworld's Yin soldiers had a chance to assemble, more and more cavaliers emerged in waves.

In the short span of less than 20 minutes, the Nipponese Underworld's army was comprehensively crushed. The fearless cavaliers of the Cathayan Underworld had managed to force back the enemy by over 50 meters, and countless Nipponese Underworld Yin soldiers were being trampled to death by the second!

Furthermore, the fourth and fifth waves of cavaliers were completely different from their predecessors.

All of them were wearing suits of armor that were riddled with hooked spikes, and they were riding giant skeletal warhorses that were burning with scorching flames.

The warhorses raised their heads and neighed toward the heavens, crashing around in a chaotic and frenzied fashion. For the first time, the Nipponese Underworld's army began to panic.

"Stop them! Stop them!" All of the commanders were yelling with all their might, but the flaming warhorses were crashing through the enemy ranks like fiery wrecking balls, and no one could stand in their path!

How could this be?

Yamata no Orochi looked on with an astonished expression, scarcely able to believe its own eyes.

The situation had completely spiraled out of control in what seemed like nothing more than the blink of an eye, and the Nipponese Underworld's forces were being completely crushed!

If things were to continue like this, then defeat would be inevitable!

No, I can't allow things to go on like this any longer...

It gritted its teeth tightly as its massive body abruptly elongated, and its eight heads rushed rapidly toward the inter-realm mirrors.

If these Yin soldiers and yokai can't do the job, then I will stop the enemy forces myself! The Cathayan Underworld cannot be allowed to pass Hasami!

It was traveling extremely quickly, and it paid no heed to the Cathayan cavaliers that were already wreaking havoc within the Nipponese Underworld's ranks. It knew that all it had to do was cut off the cavaliers that were still to come, and the battle would be as good as won.

"Yamata no Orochi Sama has joined the battle!" a Yin soldier suddenly yelled, and the morale of the Nipponese Underworld's army was given a significant boost, allowing them to stop the Cathayan Underworld's assault cold in its tracks!

"Victory is ours!"

"Long live, the Nipponese Underworld! Charge!"

"Don't let them get past Hasami!"

"Force them back!"

Yamata no Orochi had become the psychological pillar of the entire army.

It was traveling extremely quickly, yet right as it was about to reach the inter-realm mirrors, it suddenly realized that no more Cathayan Yin soldiers were coming through.

Before it had a chance to consider why this was the case, a burst of Yin energy that wasn't inferior to its own suddenly erupted through the mirror frames, following which a figure seated on a three-meter-tall warhorse emerged, wielding a longsword in one hand.

"Long time no see, Yamata no Orochi."

Yamata no Orochi faltered slightly upon hearing this voice, following which it exclaimed in an incredulous voice, "Oda Nobunaga?! Why are you here?!"