Using Kazuha's distraction, the swordsman had subdued Kujou Sara with his lightning-fast blade. Kazuha then threatened Kujou Sara's life to force the Shogunate forces to retreat. After that, Kazuha led the wounded samurai away from the shrine.
The shrine fell silent. The swordsman's blade remained at Kujou Sara's throat, never loosening.
Kujou Sara, one of the Shogunate's highest-ranking generals and the Raiden Shogun's trusted aide, had never suffered such humiliation. Worse, because of her, the progress of the Vision Hunt Decree had been delayed. This was unacceptable to her.
"If you have any honor, put down your sword. Let us fight fair and square—or even in a proper duel before the throne."
Kujou Sara was straightforward. She despised ambushes.
The swordsman saw her anger but did not relax. He kept his peripheral vision fixed on the bow and arrow in her hands. He knew she would not give up. She would look for an opportunity to shoot him. At such close range, even he would have difficulty surviving an arrow.
So he swung the pommel of his other sword. With a clang, it struck the bow, knocking it from Kujou Sara's hands.
Kujou Sara was furious. "You—"
The swordsman said calmly, "My only goal was to save those samurai. I have no intention of harming you. Besides, once they are far enough away, I will withdraw my blade."
A swordsman and an archer were fundamentally different types of martial artists. In the swordsman's view, a fight between them was meaningless.
Kujou Sara grew even angrier. This swordsman dared to dismiss her? But with her life in his hands, there was nothing she could do.
She said bitterly, "One day, I will personally take your Vision."
She studied his face, memorizing it.
And so, the swordsman kept his blade at Kujou Sara's throat for nearly twenty minutes. When he was certain Kazuha and the wounded samurai were far enough away, he spoke again.
"I apologize for the offense. Farewell."
Before Kujou Sara could respond, he sheathed his sword and leaped onto the shrine wall like a gust of wind.
"Coward, don't run! Take this arrow!"
Kujou Sara was enraged. But by the time she raised her bow, he had already disappeared beyond the wall.
At the shrine entrance, the Shogunate soldiers heard Kujou Sara's voice and rushed in. Seeing that she was unharmed, they were relieved.
"As long as you're safe, General—"
"They can't have gone far. Please give the order to pursue them."
The junior officers surrounded Kujou Sara. But anyone could see the complex expression on her face—anger, confusion, and something else. Even she could not explain it.
Kujou Sara, the pride of the Kujou Clan, the Shogunate general personally appointed by the Raiden Shogun to oversee the Vision Hunt Decree, had been subdued by a swordsman. Even if it was an ambush, this defeat was unacceptable.
She composed herself and said seriously, "Those two are far stronger than ordinary samurai. Their speed is extraordinary. You cannot catch them. We are returning."
With that, she ignored the officers and left the shrine, her thoughts troubled.
But as she stepped outside, she could not help glancing back in the direction the swordsman had fled. Her delicate hands clenched into fists.
She would find him. Fight him fair and square. Personally take his Vision and embed it into the statue.
...
Three hours later, on a cliff far from Inazuma City, Kazuha helped the wounded samurai to safety, guiding them into a cave.
"I'm worried about my friend. Kujou Sara is very strong. Stay here. I'm going back to help him."
He set the wounded down and was about to leave when the swordsman appeared at the cave entrance.
"You're back so soon? Kujou Sara didn't pursue you?"
Though this was their first encounter, everyone in Inazuma knew Kujou Sara's reputation. She was a formidable and relentless general.
The swordsman said calmly, "Kujou Sara is intelligent. Once we left the shrine and entered the forest, the Shogunate forces couldn't catch up."
Kazuha understood. "Right. An archer in the forest is no match for a samurai."
Then Kazuha and the swordsman entered the cave. Seeing the wounded samurai bleeding without medicine, Kazuha grew anxious.
"Without treatment, that leg is as good as lost. But to get treatment, we have to go back to Inazuma City—risking encountering Kujou Sara again—to find the best doctor."
It was a difficult choice. Refuse treatment, and the samurai would lose a leg. Go to Inazuma City, and they might be captured again.
Just as Kazuha was worrying, a retainer of the Kamisato Clan appeared on the cliff with another message from Ayato.
"The clan head anticipated you might be wounded. He has arranged a carriage to take you to Inazuma City for treatment."
Hearing this, Kazuha and the others exchanged uneasy glances. They had barely escaped Inazuma City. Returning was unappealing.
The retainer continued, "The clan head said the choice is yours. Even if you refuse treatment, a boat will take you off Narukami Island tomorrow."
Kazuha turned to the swordsman. "Do you think we should go?"
The swordsman thought for a moment. "I think we should. Even if we don't go back tonight, we'll have to enter the city tomorrow to reach the harbor. Going in under the cover of night is safer."