Chapter 304: The Eight Headed Serpent
Imperial Princess Shizuka, the beautiful sovereign of Hinomoto, was bowing deeply before me.
Seeing the sacred queen of this land with her head lowered had left the assembled roju officials in stunned silence, holding their breaths.
「Please, raise your head.」
When I said this, Shizuka flashed a bright smile and moved in close.
「Then, will you grant me this favor?」
「Well, I’d need to hear it first…」
A bit too close. First she asks for my help, now she’s trying to charm me.
A sweet fragrance wafted from her long, black-silk-like hair. Though she reminded me a little of Silhouette at first glance, Shizuka’s personality seemed quite a bit livelier.
The Imperial Princess Shizuka, daughter of Great Emperor Asama, swiftly flicked her silk sleeve as she began to explain.
「Hero of Great Emperor Asama, I humbly beg of you—please, defeat the Yamata no Orochi!」 「Ah, that thing. We encountered it on our voyage, and it capsized my ship.」
Shogun Minamoto no Yoshie’s expression turned grim.
「So, the Hero of Great Emperor Asama was also attacked by that creature?」
「Yes, it was quite the nuisance, to say the least.」
「My forces, too, have marched to face the Yamata no Orochi as it emerged from the sea, but in battle with the eight-headed demon dragon, three provinces have already lost cities and ports to its destruction.」
It seemed this country had suffered serious damage as well.
「Understood. I’ll take care of it swiftly. Right, Kaara?」
When I looked at her, Kaara nodded firmly.
「Understood, Nation’s Father.」
「Can you take on such a task so easily? This is a monster unlike any other—many warrior clans have perished trying to bring down even one of its heads.」
I gave Yoshie a reassuring smile.
「Don’t worry, Yoshie. It won’t be easy, but I’ve dealt with enemies of that scale before.」
With eight heads, it was bound to be stronger than the average dragon. Judging by its strength when it overturned my ship, it must be like facing eight great sea dragons at once—maybe even stronger than the demon dragon Lindwurm.
It’s best to assume this is a mythic-class threat, surpassing legend-tier foes, but it’s unlikely it’s stronger than a Great Demon God. Although Great Emperor Asama’s blessing is weaker at this distance, with the Mother of Chaos’s blessing as well, I should be able to handle it.
「Oh, truly, you are indeed the Hero of Great Emperor Asama!」
Great Shogun Yoshie raised his hands in celebration.
「In return, please honor the friendship treaty with my nation.」
「Of course! Our country will give you everything we can!」
Imperial Princess Shizuka nodded as well, so it seemed my objective would be achieved. I had planned to take down Yamata no Orochi anyway, as it was blocking the trade route I wanted to establish with Hinomoto.
If I could earn favor from them at the same time, all the better.
「Lord! There is grave news! The Yamata no Orochi is approaching the capital!」
A samurai rushed in, stumbling over his words as he reported.
「Hero of Great Emperor Asama…」
「Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.」
Although I was slightly concerned about protecting this defenseless capital, I couldn’t allow it to reach here. I’d have to intercept it before it got too close.
「By the way, do you have any sake?」
「But of course, we have sake. At this point, I am resolved as well. A toast before a grand battle sounds fitting, does it not?」
Despite the great shogun’s casual words, I had a plan.
「I have a little idea. Could you gather as much sake as possible?」
If the old legends were true, this should work. Thus began the mission to defeat the eight-headed Yamata no Orochi.
※※※
The place chosen to intercept Yamata no Orochi was in the mountainous borderlands. Since there were no dwellings nearby, it was the perfect battleground.
The local population had been evacuated, meaning we could fight without holding back. Orochi would likely head for the capital through the valley rather than going over the mountains.
「Do you really think Yamata no Orochi will drink the sake?」
Eight enormous casks of sake, filled to the brim with Japan’s finest, had been arranged in the valley. Yoshie looked skeptical, but I couldn’t afford to show any doubt.
「Nation’s Father’s plan may indeed be sound. The term uwabami refers to a great drinker and also to a giant serpent.」
Kaara quickly chimed in support.
「Yes, uwabami does refer to a monstrous snake.」
「Exactly. Snakes and dragon-type monsters are known for swallowing anything whole. However, they’re often weak to alcohol and can easily get drunk. Nation’s Father’s plan to exploit this weakness is truly insightful!」
The shogun nodded, reassured. We were trying every possible measure to defeat Orochi.
「All right, let’s set up the sake and observe from a distance.」
With the unprecedented monster approaching so close to the capital, Shogun Yoshie had brought a battalion of samurai. Although the number was slightly under ten thousand, which seemed smaller than expected, perhaps this was his entire force.
The samurai, dressed in traditional armor resembling that of historical warriors, were equipped with various weapons: spears, naginata, and even some modified crossbows.
The real-fantasy version of Hinomoto seemed to have taken a different historical path than the one I knew, which was fascinating. However, an army was of limited use against a massive beast like Orochi, so a small force was acceptable.
「It appears Yamata no Orochi is indeed drinking the sake.」
The serpent had found the eight casks, and each of its heads plunged into them, gulping down the sake with enthusiasm. Its massive tail whipped around, gouging out chunks of the mountainside as it drank.
「As expected, Nation’s Father’s plan is flawless. It’s getting thoroughly drunk.」
「Let’s not get too confident.」
I replied. I wasn’t entirely sure this would work.
Still, it seemed the old myths held some truth. After downing the copious sake, Yamata no Orochi raged for a moment before collapsing, sound asleep.
「Bring forth the Great Demon Slayer!」
At Yoshie’s command, a colossal blade, with a length of five meters, was brought forth. The massive sword was excessively thick and heavy, far beyond anything a human could wield alone.
How are they planning to use that?
As I watched, I saw that ten samurai had gathered around Yoshie, preparing to lift the sword together and swing it down as one.
「This mighty blade, passed down from my ancestor Minamoto no Raiko and gifted by Great Emperor Asama, once slayed a giant demon. Now, watch its power wielded by me, Raiko’s descendant!」
As if it were a holy sword, Yoshie shouted, and the blade began to glow blue. Each swing created a fierce gust of wind.
Watching ten grown men lift it together, stumbling like a team game in a school sports festival, was honestly a bit comical. But the power behind it was genuine. I’d heard of legendary heroes, and it seemed this Raiko, Yoshie’s ancestor, might have possessed the superhuman strength needed to wield such a monstrous blade alone.
「All right, Yoshie-dono, let’s split the task and slice off each of Yamata no Orochi’s heads!」
「Aye, let’s slay the beast!」
The exhilarated shogun tottered under the massive blade, then brought it down with a tremendous swing, severing one of Orochi’s heads in an instant. The beast writhed in agony, thrashing violently.
「Kaara, it’s our turn!」
「Yes!」
Kaara held me aloft, and I drew upon the Sword of Light and Neutral Sword, powering them up.
「Take this!」
As Kaara flew me from one head to the next, I sliced through each with the fully charged Sword of Light.
「Amazing! As expected of the Great Emperor Asama’s warrior!」
「Well done!」
The samurai cheered, their voices ringing out.
「As a shogun, I can’t be outdone. Men, on to the next one!」
With difficulty, Yoshie managed to sever a second head. Gradually, we eliminated all eight of the dragon’s heads.
With all its heads gone, Yamata no Orochi slumped lifelessly. So much for an unbeatable foe.
「We did it! We won!」
Just as the thousands of samurai let out a victorious cheer—
「Nation’s Father!」
「This thing can regenerate?」
Orochi’s enormous body began to shake, and from the stumps of its severed necks, new heads began to sprout. It had regeneration powers, like the Hydra from Greek myth.
「I’ll hold it off!」
If nothing was done, the samurai would be in danger. Kaara began chanting a large-scale spell, something she hadn’t done in a long time.
「Pinpoint the attack; we’ve got allies on the ground.」
「Understood. Kaara Demonia Demonicus humbly beseech you. Ruler of the Morning Star, shining from the distant heavens, emerge from the rift in spacetime to vanquish the enemy of my lord—Meteor Impact! 」
The sky darkened suddenly, revealing a star-studded expanse. From it, a rain of meteors streaked down, each a blazing spear that pierced Orochi’s colossal form.
「Did we get it?」
A cry of horror rose from the samurai, for as the smoke from the meteor strike cleared, Orochi’s heads appeared again, stretching out of the debris.
The samurai fired volleys of arrows and crossbow bolts, but such weapons were no match for this enemy. It was time for me to step in.
「Nation’s Father!」
「Don’t worry, Kaara. You did well. Leave the rest to me.」
Reluctant as I was to use it, I channeled my power solely into the Neutral Sword and called upon the Mother of Chaos’s blessing. Here in Hinomoto, Asama’s influence had waned, but the power of the Mother of Chaos surged in its place.
I’d been using the Sword of Light to help restrain the chaotic energy, but there was no choice now.
If Yamata no Orochi was this tenacious, I’d have to unleash everything I had.
「N-Nation’s Father…」
「Uwooooaaah!」
The dull silver sword in my hand surged with power, growing fearsomely beyond anything a weapon should contain.
It was no longer a sword. Emerging from my hand was a massive silver serpent, towering far above the colossal Yamata no Orochi. The enormous, silvery serpent engulfed everything in its path, swallowing Yamata no Orochi whole along with the very ground beneath it.
「Nation’s Father…truly astounding…」
Even Kaara seemed slightly taken aback by the sheer scale of what had just unfolded before her.
「Yeah…maybe I overdid it a little.」
The mountainous terrain leading toward the capital had been gouged out by the immense silver serpent, transforming the landscape into a vast, unbroken plain. It was a power beyond natural disasters, a force of creation itself.
Marrying the Mother of Chaos… this is what it entails. Even I couldn’t help but laugh at the sheer, overwhelming scope of it all.
The samurai who’d cheered or cried out in shock moments earlier now stood frozen, mouths agape, rendered speechless by the incomprehensible display.
When faced with the unspeakable, all one can do is remain silent.
And so, the threat of Yamata no Orochi was finally laid to rest, lifting the shadow over the capital.
Though, it seemed the geography of Hinomoto might have…changed just a bit.