Her heart seemed to be being squeezed heavily from the outside, making Isshikika feel like it was becoming difficult to breathe.
He blinked his eyes hard twice and repeatedly confirmed the appearance of the person in front of him.
You didn't see the wrong person.
There was no mistaking the person.
Goosebumps started to appear all over my body.
There is a sense of relief that the scattered puzzle pieces can be put back together in an instant.
It's like successfully hugging a tree floating on the river when you're about to drown...
At this moment, Isshikika felt that the uneasiness, worry, sadness and other emotions accumulated in her chest suddenly burst out, and the blocked emotions overflowed instantly.
Her body reacted before her consciousness.
Without any hesitation, she threw the cloth bag containing food, water, money and other items that Chu Guang had just given her at her feet, and then jumped into the arms of the person in front of her.
…
…
Ogata looked at Isshiki Hana crying on his chest with surprised eyes.
He subconsciously wanted to open his mouth and ask Isshikihua "What's wrong" and "Why are you here?"
But after seeing Isshikika's shoulders shaking slightly and feeling the fabric on her chest being moistened by warm tears, Ogata silently closed her already open lips.
After a long time, Isshikihua's shoulders gradually stopped shaking.
"Master Ittousai..."
Isshikika slowly raised her head from Ogata's arms.
At this time, she no longer looked like the cold female swordsman she once was.
His eyes were red, and there were still a lot of tears in his eyes, like a helpless child.
"It's great that you're okay..."
"Miss Isshiki..." Ogata didn't ask Isshiki until then, "What's wrong? What happened? Why are you here?"
"...Ittosai-sama..."
The tears in Isshikihua's eyes swayed slightly.
"What should I do now..."
…
…
Turn back time to just now
Osaka, Isshikika's prison
Isshiki Hana, who was tied to the wooden post with gentle techniques and a piece of cloth was gagged in her mouth, slowly raised her little head and looked at the closed window next to her, looking worried, uneasy, etc.
Colorful eyes.
Several days have passed since Chu Guang was locked up in this small room.
In the past few days, Isshikihua has been taken good care of by an old woman who lives in the same house with her.
Every meal is hearty and delicious, and Isshikihua is never left hungry or thirsty. Everything is fine except that she has no freedom.
But even so, Isshikika still feels like every day is like a year.
Worrying about her family made Isshikihua feel like there were countless ants crawling on her heart.
After Chu Guang sent her into this room, she never showed up again.
She tried to ask the old woman responsible for taking care of her if she knew about the current situation of her family, but the old woman said she had no idea.
Worry about her family had already made Isshiki Hana worried. But unexpectedly, another wave started just now. She heard the sound of gunfire outside the house.
She asked the old woman, who also expressed worry that she didn't know. She only said that it was very chaotic outside, and you could see firelight and people fleeing everywhere.
What's going on in Osaka now...?
Grandpa...Mom and Dad...how are they doing now...?
These two worries stirred up Isseyka's pretty brows, which had been frowning since just now.
After looking away from the closed window next to her, Isshikika's head drooped in frustration and annoyance.
After taking several deep breaths, Isshiki Ka started doing what she had done countless times every day in the past few days, silently reciting Buddhist scriptures and praying for the Buddha's blessing so that her family would be safe and sound.
This is also the only thing she can do in these days as a devout Buddhist.
Isshikika is not just praying for her family.
In addition to her family, she was also praying for...the young man who the mysterious organization did not hesitate to arrest her whole family in order to find him.
Grandpa... Mom and Dad... Lord Ittosai...
You must all be safe...
Isekhwa recited the Buddhist sutra completely in her heart, and when she was about to recite it for the second time
Dong dong dong...
There was the sound of people walking quickly on the wooden corridor outside the room.
Isshiki Ka was so startled by the voice that as soon as she opened her eyes, the door in front of her was opened.
The person who opened the door was Chu Guang, who had not seen each other since we said goodbye a few days ago.
Behind Chu Guang, there stood a man who looked familiar to Isshiki Ka.
After thinking for a moment, I remembered that this man was the young man who had greeted Ogata at the "Grand Trial Match", and his name seemed to be Shibata.
"Long time no see, Miss Isshikika."
While Chuguang greeted Isshikika softly, he rushed forward and took off the cloth that blocked Isshikika's mouth.
Isshikika's reaction was also very quick.
As soon as the cloth strip on her mouth was removed, she immediately asked Chuguang:
"How are my family doing now?"
Chuguang: "..."
Faced with Isshikika's question, Chuguang didn't answer.
After pursed her lips, she said in a calm tone:
"Miss Isshikihua, I am here this time to set you free."
"Now those in the Toyotomi Army no longer need to obtain information about Ogata Ittousai from the Isshiki family... and now they don't have the energy to go find the Isshiki family again."
"Currently, almost all manpower has been used to hunt down Ogata Ittosai."
"You are safe now, so there is no need to lock you here anymore."
"Hurry up and get these things."
Chu Guang winked at Shibata behind him.
Shibata immediately and conspicuously took out a package from somewhere.
"This package contains food, water, a wakizashi and some money."
"It won't take long for this place to be affected by fire, so get out of here quickly."
"It's best to leave Osaka directly. Osaka is very dangerous now."
"Mother-in-law, hurry up and pack your bags and get out of here!" Chu Guang turned to the old woman who was waiting outside the room and shouted to the old woman who had been taking care of Isekihana these days, "If you continue to stay here, you will be burned to death.
!”
"Escape?" Isshikihua's beautiful eyes widened, "What about my family? How is my family doing now? Answer me quickly!"
"And what's wrong with Ittousai-sama? What do you mean by 'almost all manpower has been used to hunt down Ogata Ittousai'?"
Chuguang: "..."
Chuguang fell silent.
After a moment passed, she raised her gaze and looked at Isshikika with complex eyes that were difficult to describe in words.
His face was full of hesitation.
"...Your family...was moved away a few days ago."
In the end, Chu Guang seemed to have given up thinking and struggling, and the hesitation on his face turned into apologetic helplessness.
She lowered her gaze, not looking at Isshiki Ka.
"Where it was moved...I don't know."
"I don't know where your family is now, nor what their situation is..."
"I only know that they must not be in Osaka now."
"As for Ogata Ittosai... he is currently being hunted by the Toyotomi Army, and his whereabouts are unknown."
After saying this long words in one breath, Isshikika slowly raised her gaze and looked into Isshikika's eyes.
At this time, Isshikika... seemed to have lost her soul.
Her beautiful eyes were wide and her expression was dull.
"...I will do my best to find your family and ensure their safety."
After muttering this in a low voice, Hatsumi silently untied the rope that tied Isshikika to the wooden pillar.
The moment the rope was removed and his body regained its freedom, Isshikika immediately pounced on Hatsuko like a hungry tiger, and pushed Hatsuko down on the tatami with Isshikika on top and Hatsuko on the bottom.
Shibata was startled by the sudden explosion of Isshikika. He subconsciously wanted to push Isshikika away, but Hatsuko stopped him with his eyes.
"Those guys who kidnapped my family...who are they?! Why did my family have to suffer such a thing for no reason?!"
Isshikihua, with her red eyes, roared towards Chuguang.
With a calm face, Hatsumi silently endured Isshikika's emotional venting.
"...I will do my best to ensure the safety of your family so that your family can return to Osaka safely."
After repeating what he just said, Chuguang continued:
"Hurry up and take this cloth bag and leave here."
"Don't go back to your home yet."
"I just saw the direction where your house is... the fire was very heavy..."
"Your home...should be gone now."
As if she had lost all her strength, Isshiki slowly released her hands that were holding Hatsuko down on the tatami, leaned back, and collapsed on the ground.
Chu Guang stood up slowly.
"Leave Osaka quickly. Come back after some time."
"We still have a lot of things to do next, so I'll take my leave now."
"I wish you... a safe journey."
After leaving these words and the cloth bag filled with food, water and money, Hatsuko led Shibata and strode away from Isshikika.
In the house, only Isshiki Hana was slumped on the ground and the old woman was busy packing her luggage.
…
…
"I can't even remember how I got out of the house where I was locked up for several days."
The story of Isshikika is not over yet.
"That first light told me: My home is gone now."
"I didn't expect that she actually got it right."
Isshikihua showed a dry smile that looked ugly even if she was crying.
"How could I ignore my own home..."
"After leaving the house where I had been locked up for several days, I immediately went home."
"As a result, after I returned... I could no longer see my home. I could only see the houses that were engulfed by the spreading fire..."
"At that time, I already...didn't know where else I could go, who else I could find, and what else I could do."
"The only thing I can think of to do... is to pray to the Buddha..."
Isshikihua's hands that were resting quietly on her legs slowly clenched tightly, and then she slowly turned her gaze to the wooden Buddha statue next to her.
"Besides praying to the Buddha and asking him to keep my family safe, I can't think of anything else I can do..."
"So I came to this Buddhist temple where I often come."
"Then I met you here."
"The whereabouts of my family were unknown, my home was burned down, and after encountering so many terrible things, I finally encountered something happy."
After saying that, Isshikika showed Ogata a smile that finally looked better.
Ogata had been quietly listening to Isshikika telling her story.
As Isshikika narrated, Ogata's expression also changed several times.
After learning that Hatsumi and Shibata, who had an acquaintance with him, were not ordinary musicians and guards, as well as Isshikika's family, they were all captured by the Toyotomi army. The reason for their capture was because Toyotomi
After the people in the army learned that the Isshiki family was related to Ogata, Ogata's expression changed suddenly several times.
So...Miss Isshiki and the others are implicated by me...
The Toyotomi Army and the Iga Ninjas...
The fog that had been shrouding Ogata's mind since tonight suddenly lifted.
He finally knew who the enemies who had been pestering him tonight were.
"Ah, do you want some water?"
Isshikika smiled and said to Ogata.
"I see that your lips are dry. There is a lot of water in the cloth bag that Chu Guang gave me. Let me get you some water."
After finishing speaking, Isshikika stood up and was about to get the cloth bag that she had thrown aside just now.
"...Miss Isshiki."
"Um?"
Isshikihana was suddenly stopped by Ogata and stopped in her tracks.
Ogata raised his gaze and looked directly into Isshikika's eyes.
"I will definitely rescue all your family members."
No complicated words were said.
Nor did he use a tone that sounded loud and clear.
All he has is firmness like a rock.
Isshikihua opened her eyes wide in surprise.
The smile on his face faded at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In an instant, his eyes were filled with tears.
Isshikihua opened and closed her mouth repeatedly. She seemed to want to speak, but what she wanted to say failed to turn into words.
"You must be very hard and uneasy these days."
"But it's okay."
"No matter where your family is being held now, I will rescue your family and make those who captured your family pay the price they deserve."
"I promise you that."
The whereabouts of her family were unknown, and her home was devoured by fire. Isshikika, who had been alone and uneasy, vented her accumulated uneasiness in one breath.
Like a helpless child, she flew into Ogata's arms again and burst into tears in Ogata's arms.
Ogata lowered his eyes, looked at the Isshiki flower in his arms with an apologetic look, and then slowly closed his eyes.
When his eyes opened again, sharp light burst out in his pupils.
At this moment, neither Ogata nor Isshikika noticed that the area of purple skin on Ogata's left neck had become much smaller...
…
…
Osaka, somewhere
"Osaka is so miserable now..."
Shibata, who was standing on the roof of a certain private house with Hatsuko, said with emotion.
Looking up, there were flames all around.
"The good thing among the misfortunes is that there is no strong wind tonight." Chu Guang said calmly, "If there is a strong wind tonight, and the fire takes advantage of the wind and the wind helps the fire, the casualties in Osaka will be even more severe."
"But even so... almost one-sixth of Osaka has been devoured by fire..." Shibata let out a long sigh, "Miss Hatsumi, what should we do now?"
"There must be many citizens who have not been able to escape Osaka in time," Hatsumi said. "Anyway, let's do our best to rescue as many Osaka citizens as possible."
"It's very difficult..." Shibata said with a bitter smile, "If people find out that we are not doing the right thing, but are just going around saving people..."
Before Shibata finished speaking, Hatsumi smiled and interrupted Shibata:
"So we have to be more careful."
"Isn't this how we have always been? Disguising ourselves carefully so that no one can discover that we are always thinking about how to make the Toyotomi clan and Iga completely disappear into the long river of history."
Shibata smiled and scratched his head: "That's right..."
At this time, Shibata paused.
"Then...what should Ogata Ittousai do? Should we try to find him?"
"...If possible, I would also like to help Ogata Ittosai." Hatsumi said slowly, "But Osaka is so big, we have nowhere to go to find him."
"Right now, saving people is our top priority."
"While rescuing people, let's look for Ogata Ittosai."
"Maybe we happened to find him while rescuing someone."
"If you find him, help him as much as possible."
"If he can't find it... I can only hope that he will ask for his own luck."
"Okay..." Shibata nodded, "I understand."
"Let's go to the fire scene over there first." Chu Guang turned his gaze to a block not far away that had been mostly swallowed up by the fire. "There might be citizens over there who were trapped by the flames and escaped...
"
Woo!
boom!!
The roar and vague air waves caused the skirt-like hem of Chu Guang's lower body to flutter slightly.
Woo!
Woo!
Woo!
…
boom!
boom!
boom!
…
The sharp sound of breaking wind and the sound of huge explosions came one after another.
"Fa, what happened?" Shibata panicked.
After a brief shock, Hatsumi followed the sound with a sullen face towards Osaka Port in the direction from which the sound came.
"Navy gun..." Chu Guang bit her teeth.
…
…
Osaka, Osaka Port, on the sea outside the port
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom...
Wishes of red light flickered on the sea outside Osaka Port.
This is the light when the cannon fires.
The dark sea surface was churning and roaring wildly.
Two British-made sailing battleships were arranged in a neat "long snake" and fired at Osaka Port.
Huge cannonballs flew out of the barrel, crossed a beautiful parabola, and landed on Osaka Port or on ships docked in Osaka Port.
In the blink of an eye, Osaka Port was engulfed in flames.
The flames when the shell exploded illuminated the entire Osaka Port and the surrounding area. The buildings in the port and the ships in the port disappeared. They were smashed, ground into fine pieces, and torn into pieces by the gunfire.
"Ah...what a...beautiful night view..."
Toyotomi Nobuhide, who was standing on the side of a certain battleship, held the purple-handled katana hanging on his left waist with his left hand, and held the railing of the ship's side with his right hand. He looked intoxicated at the man in front of him who became a man after being caught in the fire at Osaka Port.
A more flaming, more "red" Osaka.
Round after round of shelling, the deck of the battleship was filled with thick smoke and heavy fog from the cannons, the air became spicy and pungent, and the smoke of gunpowder gave a strange taste in the mouth, but Toyotomi Nobuhide remained calm and composed.
"Mr Smith."
Toyotomi Nobuhide turned his head, smiled at a blond white man standing behind him and said:
"Thank you so much."
Toyotomi Nobuhide patted the railing of the ship's side.
"You helped us get such great things. You are the best arms dealer I have ever seen!"
"Hahaha." Smith gave a Western-style salute to Toyotomi Nobuhide, "This is mainly because of your amazing financial resources, Toyotomi-sama!"
"But there's something I don't understand." Toyotomi Nobuhide shrugged, and then moved his right hand away from the railing.
The spot where his right hand was holding just now was painted with a red crescent moon.
"It's enough to have a red crescent on your guns and cannons. Why do you have to engrave a red crescent on your ships?"
"Oh! Lord Toyotomi, the red moon is the crest of our family, just like yours."
"It is my habit and insistence to have our family's crest engraved on all the weapons I sell."
"Please forgive me and tolerate this little habit of mine."
After saying that, Smith saluted Toyotomi Nobuhide again.
"Okay." Toyotomi Nobuhide once again put his hand on the railing, "Anyway, the weapon is easy to use."
"Toyotomi-sama!"
A petite young man was running towards Toyotomi quickly.
"Osaka Port and all ships in Osaka Port have been destroyed!"
"Very good." Toyotomi Nobuhide nodded, then raised his hand and patted the petite young man on the shoulder, "Kasuzu, you did a great job. I was worried that you would not have time to bring the warship here before tonight.
."
"It seems I'm worrying too much."
"Osaka is so lively tonight." Kazuho's face glowed with excitement, "How can I and my two battleships be absent?"
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