The Fall of Daigo
Book 3 of the Dororo Novel Series
Toriumi Jinzō
Part 5 - Mental Warfare
Chapter 3
Hyakkimaru and the others left Eguri Valley, traveling along the line of the Tedori River toward Namitarō's ship. Tokuzō had already run ahead to tell Namitarō that Hyakkimaru and Dororo were safe.
"Captain!" Hyakkimaru called out when he was close to the ship. "It's been a long time."
Namitarō came to shore and pulled Hyakkimaru into a tight hug. "Look at you! You grew up big and strong like your dad always wanted. We came to help, as you see." He gestured toward the ship. "No one messes with us and gets away with it. I don't care if it's demons or people."
Dororo and Namitarō had never met in person before, but Jukai had mentioned Dororo in his letters.
"Dororo, huh? You're thin and scrawny as a girl, but I know you've got the courage of ten men."
Dororo scowled at the first part of his sentence, but his face brightened by the end of it. "Nice to meet you or whatever."
Namitarō also greeted Ochika and a few of the bandits that had accompanied her. "I understand you ran into some trouble," he said. "But now, you're in competition with us. Whoever reaches the demon first gets to kill it." He grinned wolfishly.
"We ‘ran into trouble' because we were at the fortress," Ochika said, a touch acerbically. "Where were you, Mr. Captain?"
Namitarō laughed, then said, "Well, we've all had our fair share of trouble, but it's true that you overlanders beat us to the punch at the fortress. Don't worry. When the time comes to fight again, we won't lag behind."
Saruyoshi and a small force had traveled with Ochika for a little way after leaving Eguri Valley. They had gone on ahead to intercept Hōichi while Ochika, Jukai, Hyakkimaru and Dororo met with Namitarō. Jukai told Namitarō about Hōichi's encounter with an evil spirit on Mount Dankun.
Hyakkimaru, Jukai, and the others stayed aboard Namitarō's ship overnight and prepared for the voyage to Noto Province.
***
Hōichi was staying in Unotani Village, at Chōsuke's house. Saruyoshi delivered the news that Jukai and Hyakkimaru were coming by ship and had arrived safely on Noto's shores. Hōichi clapped for joy.
"I'm glad they made it, though I doubt it will be safe here for long," he said. "The stretch of land is prone to earthquakes at the moment."
Hōichi's predictive powers were good. That night, a roar like thunder shook the earth, coming from the direction of the burial mounds.
"Saruyoshi, come with me," Hōichi said.
"Huh?" Saruyoshi rubbed sleep out of his eyes and followed Hōichi outside.
Chōsuke woke up his family in case there was trouble coming, so that they could prepare to flee. "Something strange is happening here," Chōsuke said. "We should leave the village until things settle down."
Hōichi and Saruyoshi approached the first long line of burial mounds in the moonlight. The night was eerily still. It felt like the whole world had gone to sleep, with only Hōichi and Saruyoshi left awake. They took up position in a clump of trees and waited. Hōichi's powers of perception were the same regardless of whether it was day or night, but Saruyoshi could scarcely see anything. He kept alert to sounds and tried to stay as quiet as possible.
There was a sound like thunder in the distance. "What's happening?" Saruyoshi whispered. "Is something coming?"
Hōichi didn't answer.
A moment later, the ground bucked under Saruyoshi's feet. "Ah!" Saruyoshi fell on his back, face toward the sky.
Then Mount Dankun started to shake. Saruyoshi saw the shifting shadow of the looming mountain, even in the darkness. Trees dotting the slope came loose in a landslide caused by the earthquake and slid toward Saruyoshi and Hōichi.
People in the village, alarmed by the noise, awoke and saw what was happening. Many started beating on doors and sounding the alarm bell to tell their neighbors to run away.
Hōichi grunted like he was in pain. If he was grappling with an evil spirit, it seemed to be winning.
"What's wrong?" Saruyoshi asked, springing up.
The peak of Mount Dankun, formerly somewhat rounded, had become a sharp point. From that point, a tall stone structure like the tower of a castle raised like a fist into the night sky.
The tower kept rising, huge and forbidding, until it left the mountain behind. Mount Dankun collapsed to rubble, like its core had been removed, leaving nothing in its place but a pile of loose rock.
Another earthquake shook the ground. Saruyoshi and Hōichi clung to trees and held on for dear life. The pulverized mountain released a cloud of black dust that stained their faces and made them cough violently. Hōichi did his best to remain calm and tilted his head as if he were listening for something. He kept his white eyes fixed on Mount Dankun.
The dust settled over everything, making the earth appear black under the light of the moon. Mount Dankun faded away like it had never existed.
"Hm."
"What?!" Saruyoshi went slack-jawed, seeing the mountain disappear before his very eyes.
Hōichi shifted his gaze to the tower. A stone platform spread out beneath it, and around it, more towers and walls formed: a fortress. Mount Dankun's collapse had caused it to appear.
The fortress was bathed in blue light brighter than the moon. A gate leading inside was just barely visible, but it was shut, and the whole fortress was surrounded by a low fence. Archers stood atop the walls, prepared to fire. The design of the fortress was ancient, like something out of an unremembered past, but its strangeness did nothing to reduce the threatening menace it emanated. It was an evil place.
"Uh..." Saruyoshi blinked. "Did that mountain just turn into a castle?" He thought he was dreaming or hallucinating. But even if that was the case, he wasn't a coward. He wanted to know what was happening so that he could face it bravely.
"Not just any castle," Hōichi said. "That's Daima Fortress. 1It's very old, constructed of demon magic."
"I didn't know demons could build something like that." Saruyoshi blinked again. He kept expecting to wake up. His hair stood on end as the fortress' atmosphere overwhelmed him.
"It's like Nomitadani Fortress all over again," Hōichi said. "This is the place they've chosen to hide."
The archers atop the walls were joined by a small army of warriors, wreathed in smoke. They didn't look like any Japanese samurai or warriors that Saruyoshi had seen before. Were they Chinese? Something else? Like the fortress, their weapons and armor appeared ancient in style.
"Hahahaha...."
The warriors were laughing. The blue light of the fortress glinted on their helmets and armor, making their epaulets shine. They were armed variously with spears, swords, axes, and halberds. The archers standing on the low fence crouched down protectively, prepared to attack at any time. Their bows were made of bamboo and compound, allowing arrows to pierce through armor and even stone with ease.
"They look...kind of terrifying," Saruyoshi said.
"They're using an onryō's power," Hōichi said.
Saruyoshi went pale.
It was almost dawn. Daima Fortress remained still and quiet, emitting eerie blue light, but the soldiers inside completely disappeared when they were touched by the first light of the sun.
"Why did that happen?" Saruyoshi asked. "Why is the fortress there, but not the soldiers?"
"The soldiers are being manipulated by the onryō," Hōichi said. "They'll only be out at night."
Saruyoshi looked up at the fortress and shuddered.
***
Hyakkimaru and the others were still traveling to Unotani Village when Daima Fortress suddenly appeared in front of them. Like Saruyoshi, they all went speechless at the sight, then started asking a lot of questions.
A mountain had turned into an enormous castle. That wasn't something that just happened. The people they passed as they traveled feared the curse of an onryō they called Jiraiya. By the time Hyakkimaru and the others reached the village, it was deserted.
"It's like Hōichi feared," Jukai said. "Daima Fortress has appeared. The Hall of Hell demons must be using it to shield Daigo Kagemitsu. They want us to come to them so that they can wipe us all out at once."
"Then it all ends here," Ochika said in a tone of resolve.
Namitarō nodded hugely. "But we can't just rush in there without a plan. I don't intend to let those demons kill a single one of us."
Ochika considered. "I'll take a few of my scouts, and we'll see what the situation is and report back."
"No," Hyakkimaru said. "You might be able to get in, but you'd never get out again. We don't know what's waiting for us for sure, but we're definitely being lured into a trap."
Seeing Hyakkimaru's strong opposition, Ochika made her appeal to Jukai. "Traps and escape plans are my people's stock in trade," Ochika said. "If we can get in, we can also get out."
Namitarō was impressed by Ochika's confidence. "Shit, we'll help you, then."
Jukai looked to Hōichi. Hōichi leaned on his cane and stood still. "Nobody move," Hōichi said. "You'll understand soon enough."
Hōichi struck the earth with his cane. "There are potential allies close by. They will have seen the castle by now."
"The Hatakeyama Clan," Namitarō said. "We almost bumped into them on the way here."
Hōichi nodded. Noto Province's governor was Hatakeyama Yoshimune, whose seat of power was in Nanao. He blocked the Western Army's access to the capital. He would undoubtedly oppose Daigo Kagemitsu after learning of his defection.
Besides that, there was an enemy fortress on Hatakeyama territory now, albeit a bizarre and inexplicable one. The Hatakeyama Clan would almost certainly move to attack that fortress, for that reason if nothing else.
"The Hatakeyama Clan doesn't know that they should fear the Hall of Hell demons," Hōichi said. "It's likely that they'll try to take the castle for themselves."
"We should gather intelligence before the battle," Jukai said.
"Leave that to us," Ochika said. "It's dangerous traveling through the province. I'll go with Saruyoshi."
Saruyoshi frowned. His shoulders collapsed inwards a little.
"What's the matter?" Ochika asked. "Are you scared? If you are, I'll bring Dororo."
"I'm not scared," Saruyoshi said. "It's just...why do I have to go to Daima Fortress, huh?"
"No one's going anywhere yet," Jukai said. "We need everyone here for now, in case we suffer an attack from the fortress."
Ochika bowed her head.
＊＊＊
The next morning, Ochika and Saruyoshi rode back to Unotani Village. They rode all day until dusk and discovered signs of an assault by the Hatekeyama Clan. Their army had surrounded the fortress, thinking that their opponents were human warriors. Arrows fell like rain on both sides of the battlefield, but the Hatakeyama Clan made no headway against the fortress' defenders. Even when they were stuck full of arrows, the fortress' soldiers kept attacking and would not fall.
The arrows released by the fortress' archers were infused with the onryō's power. A single volley of arrows reduced the Hatekeyama Clan vanguard to a scattered mess.
Blue-white lightning struck the battlefield and blazed upwards in a long line, charring the Hatakeyama Clan's archers black. None of the men standing in the lightning's path survived.
The Hatekeyama Clan's forces finally understood the danger they were in. Their generals called a fast retreat, and the survivors pulled back from Daima Fortress with all speed.
As the generals and soldiers started fleeing, a warrior appeared high up on the tower of Daima Fortress, looking down. He laughed. "Fight with demons and you'll go to hell, you cowards."
The Hatakeyama generals shouted obscenities at him.
"That's Daigo Kagemitsu," Ochika whispered. "It must be." She and Saruyoshi were still hidden. Ochika held her breath.
"So he escaped after all," Saruyoshi whispered back. Hyakkimaru had always believed that Kagemitsu was spirited away from Nomitadani Fortress by the Hall of Hell demons. His suspicions were proved correct, though it was still unclear exactly how the demons had managed to get Kagemitsu out.
Daigo Kagemitsu laughed again, then went back inside the fortress.
The Hatakeyama Clan army lost over half its numbers in its attack on Daima Fortress. The army retreated and did not return.
***
Ochika and Saruyoshi returned to Hyakkimaru and the others to give them news of the Hatakeyama Clan army's defeat at Daima Fortress. The fortress would be strong even if it wasn't fortified with demon magic and soldiers, so it seemed unwise for their small force to attack it.
"I think the only way to get in is to lure all the defenders outside, then slip past them," Ochika said.
Namitarō nodded in agreement. "We need firepower. Hyakkimaru could blow a hole in the wall. That would give us an opening."
Hōichi put up his hand in a forbidding gesture. "We don't know what's waiting for us inside," he said. "It's foolish and reckless to rush in. We might be putting ourselves directly in the demons' power."
"Hōichi is right," Jukai said. "We only have one chance to succeed.
"I do think firepower is a good idea," Dororo said. "Aren't the Hall of Hell demons weak to fire? They don't seem to like it much."
Hōichi tilted his head, considering. "Explosives might harm the demons, but I don't know about the fortress walls themselves. No ordinary explosive could destroy them. And we would need a lot of firepower to destroy both the demons and the fortress. We might exhaust our supply of weapons getting in."
"But it's possible?" Namitarō asked. "To break past the walls and kill the demons with explosives?"
"Perhaps, but it's not sure enough," Hōichi said. He tapped his cane on the ground and fell deep into thought. "The Hatakeyama Clan has retreated for now, but they know that Daigo Kagemitsu is alive. This must irk them. They will try to attack again, sooner or later."
"So our best course of action seems to be to go to the Hatakeyama Clan," Jukai said. "We have information, and they have more ammunition. We don't know exactly what we'll find inside the fortress, that's true, but I think the Hatakeyama Clan might accept our information and help us."
Namitarō nodded reluctantly. He didn't like working with samurai armies if he could help it. "I have ten carts full of gunpowder and explosives," Namitarō said. "I'll get ‘em ready to move."
"Saruyoshi, we need every horse and all the weapons and equipment we can spare for a siege," Ochika said. "Can I trust you to get it all ready?"
Saruyoshi slapped his chest with both hands. "Leave it to me, captain."
While the others made their preparations, Jukai packed a bag and went on his way toward the retreating Hatakeyama Clan army. He'd decided to serve as a messenger to persuade them that a mutual alliance would be beneficial.
＊＊＊
Hōichi's guess that the Hatekeyama Clan would mobilize to attack Daima Fortress again proved correct. With the main army in shambles, Hatekeyama Yoshimune called in aid from the Yamagō Clan, who were staunch supporters of the Eastern Army and Togashi Masachika. The Yamagō Clan's army marched on Noto Province, fielding a little more than three thousand men.
Reinforcements were sent more quickly than usual in part because of the Hatakeyama Clan's stunning defeat. The three thousand men who were sent were all battle-hardened veterans used to fighting the Western Army, but they'd never even heard of a battle like the one the Hatakeyama Clan had engaged in at Daima Fortress. Survivors of the battle claimed that Daigo Kagemitsu had demons on his side. Demons or not, the Yamagō Clan's army would not allow Daigo Kagemitsu to live.
It was a hot day in the middle of summer when the Yamagō Clan army arrived at Daima Fortress. It was high noon, but there were no soldiers anywhere to be seen inside the fortress. The fortress had a menacing and creepy sort of vibe that made the army want to avoid it.
But the army couldn't ignore the invitation of the empty fortress for long. Some men scaled the walls to get the gates open, and the army marched inside. It was possible that the onryō's forces were only active at night, so they would have most of the day to prepare for an attack.
No sooner was the Yamagō Clan army inside Daima Fortress when there was a sound like rushing footsteps coming from deeper in. A huge army had been waiting--hiding--ready to spring an ambush. None of the fortress' soldiers had heads. They glowed with the same eerie blue light as the walls.
The Yamagō Clan army tried to retreat, but they couldn't get the gates open in time to avoid an attack of lightning very much like the one that had wiped out the Hatekeyama Clan army's archers. The Yamagō archers tried using fire arrows in retaliation, but the arrows were struck out of the sky by more lightning before they could reach their targets.
The Yamagō Clan army suffered many losses before they withdrew. Daigo Kagemitsu stood atop the walls of Daima Fortress and laughed, drunk on power.
"The world is mine!" Kagemitsu called out to his enemies. "No one will take it from me!"
"We'll see how tough you are without demons to hide behind, you bastard!" Lord Yamagō yelled back at him, red-faced and furious.
The face of a demon appeared behind Daigo Kagemitsu, grinning evilly at the the fleeing army. The demon's smile split the heavens hideously, making the already retreating army scurry like spiders away from the battlefield. The Togashi Clan's allies in the province had been defeated.
Translator's Note:
1 Daima is spelled 大魔, using the kanji for "big" and the kanji for "magic." ↩
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