On the eve of the Fire Festival, just as the people of the Flower Capital were preparing to celebrate this annual event with the same spirits as always, they suddenly noticed the crosses erected beneath the shogun's estate.
One after another, people dressed in fine silk but looking utterly wretched were bound to those crosses, with tall piles of firewood stacked beneath them.
The citizens' faces all changed. They seemed to realize something, yet found it hard to believe. Most of them stood frozen in place, gazing in that direction with fear in their hearts.
"Isn't that person... the lord of the Takayanagi family?" Some sharp-eyed individuals recognized a few of those bound and couldn't help but cry out in shock.
Gradually, they realized that almost every single person tied up was a noble lord.
The aristocrats who usually stood so high above everyone else actually had a day like this too. It sent chills down many a spine.
Kurozumi Orochi, judging the timing was about right, stepped out before the crowd and took his seat at the highest point. Beside him, surprisingly, an even larger chair had been prepared — one that sat almost level with the shogun himself.
"Everyone, I'm sure you're all wondering. The annual Fire Festival night was supposed to be a grand celebration of watching the beautiful courtesans parade through the streets. Yet the courtesans have vanished, and these criminals have appeared in their place."
Orochi's words were like stones thrown into a lake, making the already turbulent waters surge even more violently.
"Criminals... what does that mean..."
The common folk below stared in stunned disbelief.
In truth, many of them, due to their low status, had no idea who these bound nobles even were. They simply found it cruel — such brutality displayed so brazenly before their eyes.
Even if those who died were truly guilty, there was no need for this.
"Orochi..." The towering Hyogoro frowned, but didn't act rashly.
Honestly, he did have thoughts of saving these people. After all, he was the yakuza boss of the Flower Capital, and his interactions with these officials and nobles were actually quite frequent.
Strictly speaking, none of these people could be called good. But as a yakuza leader, he was barely considered part of the ruling class, and couldn't entirely view things from the perspective of ordinary citizens.
However, when Hyogoro's gaze fell upon the enormous chair placed beside Orochi, he still managed to suppress his impulse. He had already learned the details of this matter beforehand.
It was simply a matter of a few former old nobles losing their minds — they had actually sent assassins after Orochi. But the killers they dispatched had been completely defeated by a mysterious man.
These nobles would never admit the assassins were their doing, but that was pointless. They had even considered asking him for help when planning the scheme, though he had refused. And Orochi didn't need evidence in the first place.
His goal had always been to deal with these people anyway. Whether there was evidence or not made no difference.
Hyogoro sighed and ultimately fell silent.
"Just a few days ago, these scoundrels actually sent assassins to infiltrate the shogun's estate, attempting to kill me. I, Orochi, may only be an acting shogun, but since Lord Sukiyaki entrusted this nation to me on his deathbed, I cannot betray Lord Sukiyaki's trust before Lord Oden returns. I must govern this country properly!"
Orochi spoke beautifully. In reality, it was difficult to find fault with anything he had done publicly so far. You couldn't exactly say governing by law was wrong.
So at this point, Orochi was actually still quite beloved by the people.
Hearing that Orochi had been targeted for assassination, even more people grew angry on his behalf, crying out in injustice.
But Hyogoro felt something was off.
"Everyone need not worry about my safety. I, Orochi, will fulfill the lord's charge even if it costs me my life!" Kurozumi Orochi's words were entirely heartfelt. It was just that the "lord" he spoke of was clearly not who everyone else thought it was.
"Furthermore, I happened to have a friend by my side at the time, who protected me." Saying this, Orochi turned his head back and called out, "Lord Kaido, won't you come out and greet everyone?"
Hearing Orochi's call, Kaido sauntered out with a theatrical flourish.
His enormous frame immediately drew everyone's attention. The citizens gathered there marveled without exception — it was their first time seeing someone so tall.
And this man had blue horns growing from his head. Combined with his naturally ferocious face, he looked like some legendary demon god, sending chills through all who beheld him.
Hyogoro's pupils contracted. He could sense the aura of a powerful warrior radiating from Kaido, so overwhelming that his own body was trembling.
'A man of this caliber — where on earth did he come from? I'm afraid only Oden could stand on equal footing with him.'
A bad premonition took root in Hyogoro's heart.
Orochi had been speaking pretty words all along, but what about the reality?
Over these past few years, the power he commanded had grown ever stronger. Previously, with Kozuki Oden serving as a stabilizing force, Hyogoro hadn't worried much.
But Kaido's appearance had clearly become a massive variable.
Orochi held political power, and now had overwhelming military might to back it up. When Oden returned to the country, would he really be willing to hand this nation back to Kozuki Oden?
Amidst Hyogoro's heavy deliberations, Orochi announced that Kaido was being granted the title of "Guardian Deity of the Nation," a position second only to the shogun within the country.
And so, this extraordinary Fire Festival night began with the condemned being put to death by burning.
Amidst the flames, dozens of people let out hoarse screams. They couldn't produce words — their tongues had already been cut out by Orochi. They could only twist their bodies, casting black shadows like burning demons.
The news of this event quickly spread throughout the entire country.
Shimotsuki Yasuie, who also sensed something was amiss, hurried to Kuri at top speed, meeting with Keiko and Yuriko in the daimyo's estate assembly hall.
Before arriving, he had also received a letter from Hyogoro. These two highly respected figures shared the same concerns about the matter.
"We must get Lord Oden to return immediately!"
He looked at Keiko and Yuriko with a grave expression.
"That's easy to say, but the harbor at Hakumai is now under Orochi's control. We can't even reach Lord Ren, let alone Kozuki Oden." Yuriko put on a face that said she was just as troubled.
She was far better at putting on appearances than Keiko. Recently, Keiko had been spending all her time besides handling official duties buried in the documents from the Tree of Omniscience that Ren had sent back. She read voraciously every day, making people worry her eyes might go bad from all the strain.
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