Chapter 241: The Decisive Battle with Maou Nobunaga
Mochizuki Chiyome was born into a family of ninjas, serving the local daimyo, Takeda Shingen.
Since birth, she had been a cursed individual. Because her ancestors shared a connection with the Great Deity, Yamata-no-Orochi, the descendants of the Kaga clan would possess a portion of this cursed power to varying degrees. Though it brought torment, if utilized properly, it also provided powerful toxins and combat strength.
However, this curse was excessively strong when it descended upon Mochizuki Chiyome.
Even as an infant, her body bore marks as if she were being constricted by a snake. As she grew, the "snake" upon her body grew as well. Because of this strangeness, she was feared and ostracized by others from a young age.
Yet, this powerful curse could also be turned into powerful strength. Consequently, the leaders of her clan raised her as a mere tool.
She grew up amidst pain and suffering. Her life felt hollow and void, as she was trained as a ninja and a shrine maiden (miko). She learned all these things, but none of them were her own choice; everything was passively forced upon her. If she did not comply, she would have no value to continue living.
On one hand, she studied ninjutsu and assassination, requiring her to remain a mysterious ninja. On the other hand, due to the god's curse, she possessed a link to the Great Deity and thus the qualities of a miko.
Because of this, she was appointed as the leader of the shrine maidens, appearing in public to preside over ritual activities, teaching shrine maidens in various regions about dance and sacrifice while gathering intelligence and news from all over.
These were not things she wanted to do, but as they were her reason for living—the only way to find her own value—she exhausted every effort to complete her missions.
In the end, she earned the appreciation of her lord, was granted a marriage, and had her own husband. Although it was a political marriage, that man did not fear the curse on her body or the marks of the great serpent coiling around her.
That alone was enough for happiness. She lived the life of an ordinary woman, but everything was eventually destroyed by war.
Her salvation collapsed because of the war. The Takeda family was defeated by Oda Nobunaga. Her husband was killed on the battlefield, and the clansmen who participated in the war all died in the line of duty.
Facing the massive Oda army taking over the Takeda lands, she was forced to lead the remaining remnants of the Mochizuki clan to find sanctuary, eventually turning to a new lord: the Sanada clan, who were willing to accept them.
In this chaotic era, that was a man who possessed a rare heart of integrity and loyalty. Once again, she had a lord to serve faithfully, allowing her to survive.
However, in the end, the Sanada clan was also defeated. This was the nature of the chaotic era; perhaps this was her cursed fate—a world at war where she could find no place to belong.
After coming to this world, the curse within Mochizuki Chiyome's body had lessened significantly. It wasn't that she hadn't considered it, but this place too was a chaotic era. Everything was merely a restart; ultimately, she failed to find salvation here.
Anger and resentment—these negative emotions were the food for the curse. Wicked energy and evil thoughts strengthened the great serpent within her. The serpent's curse, in turn, blurred the memories of her life; she could no longer recall anything related to happiness, remembering only the painful events.
When the power of the Holy Grail polluted her heart, only anger remained.
But in the end, she was still a girl bound by fate with no sense of self. Having failed to find a lord and with no one to command her, she was aimless and meaningless, moving like a living corpse.
It was at that moment she saw Maou Nobunaga. Thus, the only thing she could think to do was to seek revenge...
"Ah... it's over... I feel as though my body has become much lighter," Mochizuki Chiyome said with a sigh as she lay on the ground, gazing up at the sky through the shade of the trees. At the brink of death, she could no longer feel the torment of the curse.
"I'm sorry, but the path of revenge is one that can never truly end. I hope you can find happiness hereafter," Shirou said to the dying girl as he looked down at the fallen ninja.
Hearing these words, Mochizuki Chiyome opened her eyes wide. One was a deep blue jewel, while the other was a golden vertical slit like a snake's. In the girl's eyes, the appearance of the man before her was already blurred.
Yet, within that blurry figure, she suddenly saw him overlap with a man she had known in the past.
Her husband—the man who did not fear her body and did not feel disgusted by the ugly snake-patterned marks on her skin, the man who had held her gently.
And the valiant and wise lord of the Sanada family, who did not fear her ominous background and had accepted the Mochizuki clan.
"Thank you... I remember now. Someone said words like that to me before... Yes... it turns out my life wasn't entirely made of things I hated..." For the first time, the girl revealed a smile from the bottom of her heart, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Is that so? Then that's good." Shirou brushed his hand over the girl's face, helping her close her beautiful heterochromatic eyes and wiping away her tears.
Shirou stood up, holding the katana that was now emitting a purple aura.
This katana, which he had personally modified, was covered in the blood from the great serpent's body. The blood did not drip off but was instead absorbed into it. Like drawing in necessary moisture, the sharp forged steel blade absorbed the serpent's blood.
Shirou walked to the serpent's head, raised his sword, and plunged it in completely, leaving only the hilt outside. Through the serpent's fangs, the blade pierced the poison sac connected inside. The sharp blade was enveloped in venom and cursed blood.
Like a greedy demon, it continuously absorbed the toxic blood and curses within. The silver-bright blade began to undergo a change; the patterns on the blade were gradually covered by a layer of purple. A purple snake pattern, its mouth open in a hideous gape, was imprinted upon it...
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At the village entrance, ten minutes earlier.
"Waaaaah!"
A figure let out a cry and was sent flying from the direction of the village gate back into the village. Souji had been caught off guard by Maou Nobunaga, kicked in the abdomen, and sent flying.
"Puh!!!" blood sprayed from Souji's mouth.
"Miss Okita! Are you alright!" Young Yukino screamed and rushed forward.
Opposite them, Maou Nobunaga, who had knocked Souji away, strode forward. Her long black hair fluttered high under the wind pressure generated by her surging magical energy. Behind her, the scorching, searing fires of Purgatory began to burn.
"Wait!" Nobu, who had been guarding the elderly and weak in the village center, ran forward and stood in front of Souji, complaining to the girl behind her: "Okita! That was pathetic! I already gave you the power of the Holy Grail; can't you manage to not cough up blood at a critical moment like this?"
"Shut up! I'm actually injured, okay! Bad Nobu has a massive amount of magical energy! If that happens again, I'm really going to die!" Souji propped herself against a wall and, with Yukino's support, stood up and walked to Nobu's side.
"My other self, are you two going to join forces to oppose me?" Maou Nobunaga said with a smile as she looked at them.
"Bad Nobu, you are indeed strong—as expected of me! But right now, the magical energy on this side has the advantage! Surrender peacefully!" Nobu pulled the Holy Grail from her clothes and held it high with her left hand. She raised her matchlock with her right hand, aiming the muzzle at Maou Nobunaga, and said with a laugh: "Bet you didn't expect this! We found the Holy Grail you hid in the bandit fortress over there!"
Oda Nobunaga, like all Sengoku daimyos, was an existence with intense desires. She could be humble to the wise and talented, and she could tolerate her subordinate generals having the ambition to become lords of their own and compete for the realm—she even enjoyed the thrill of competing with others.
But she could also fly into a rage, showing no mercy, taking lives and slaughtering at will.
Everything was done according to her whims. Thus, she had essentially completed all the things she wanted to do in her life. Her hobbies, aside from novel foreign goods from the West, consisted of little more than tea ceremonies, Go, cross-dressing, and singing and dancing.
When she was young, she acted willfully, disregarding societal opinions, and did not care if she was called a "fool."
In her spare time, she would shed her war robes and samurai gear to put on a woman's brilliant kimono, using her pretty looks to tease her subordinates outside the lord's manor.
She employed the "Tea Saint" Sen no Rikyu as her tea master, having him personally prepare matcha for her in the tea room every day.
Before the Honno-ji Incident occurred, she was playing Go with the contemporary Honinbo.
For her personally, she truly didn't have any major demands for the Holy Grail.
From beginning to end, the black-haired, red-eyed girl adhered to her favorite waka poem, "Life is Fifty Years" (Atsumori), dedicating her life to pursuing brilliance and achieving great deeds. Naturally, she had many wishes, but she could strive for and realize these wishes through her own actions.
At the very least, she was completely uninterested in a Holy Grail manufactured by others for their own purposes. She had burned down countless temples, continuously challenged the old order, and treated rules as nothing; her only faith was her own conviction.
That was why she was called the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven. To her, whether it was the legendary Holy Grail made by God that led people to heaven—the cup that some cannot see while others can, and only the chosen can touch—it was all as bizarre as a pyramid scheme.
And Holy Grails created by other beings had their own respective agendas.
Aside from being broken into pieces to be used as bombs, the Holy Grail had no other good use.
Therefore, the proud Oda Nobunaga would not carry the Holy Grail with her. This was true for both the current Nobu and Maou Nobunaga.
Knowing this, Nobu and Souji had searched everywhere in the manor after crawling out of the tunnel, and they eventually found the Holy Grail inside a box inlaid with platinum.
Nobu and Souji, who originally didn't want to borrow the power of the Holy Grail, had used the vessel—which couldn't be called particularly good—in order to oppose their troublesome opponents.
By relying on the Holy Grail to suppress Souji's "Weak Constitution" trait, she was able to use her swordsmanship and footwork to fight against the magically powerful Maou Nobunaga for so long.
"Is that so, is that so? You both used that Holy Grail!" The black-haired, red-eyed girl revealed a strange smile and then asked with a sneer:
"What? Nobu, we are the same person; our thoughts should be the same. The people here are all insignificant and not worth saving. Furthermore, when they block my path, I should kill them without hesitation. Let me teach Shirou and make him understand what he truly ought to be doing!"
"No! Bad Nobu, you're wrong! Even I, who has only stayed here for two days, can understand. These villagers—I want them to be able to live well." Nobu held her sword in one hand and raised her only matchlock with the other, aiming it at her opponent.
"Ha? My other self? Has your head become stupid because of the split? Since when does Oda Nobunaga do things like sacrificing herself for others? What in this world could be more precious than oneself? Is it friendship? Is it love?" As Maou Nobunaga spoke these words, the figure of that man flashed through her mind.
Nobu shook her head and said, "No, I am still me. It is for myself that I am doing exactly what I want to do. I don't dislike the people here, so I've come to stop you. That's all."
"My other self, you clearly know there's something wrong with this Holy Grail, yet you went out of your way to touch it. Once you use it, there's no turning back," Maou Nobunaga asked in confusion. Indeed, she and Nobu were different personalities split from the same body.
One could also say they were two facets of the Heroic Spirit Oda Nobunaga. Originally, they should have been intimately familiar with one another, but now she could not understand the other's thoughts.
"Ah! I felt it, but so what! I'm just jealous that you dared to take my place and eat up all the delicious lunch! So I'm going to give you a lesson! And... as expected, some part of you is broken. Otherwise, you wouldn't treat the companions by your side like that.
When I want victory, I indeed use any means necessary, but at the very least, I allow those who follow me to distinguish themselves and rise. But with you, this time is different. Whether it's the enemy's side or your own, the final result leads to misfortune. This is simply too strange."
Maou Nobunaga spread her hands and said, "Companions? No, I've already given them happiness. The bandits wanted power, so I gave them power. The woman of the Mochizuki clan wanted revenge, so I gave her the chance to stay by my side.
As for Izo, despite how he looks, he absolutely admires Miyamoto Musashi; to be able to fight a battle to the death with Kojiro must be the greatest happiness possible for him.
As for... Shirou, he wants to save this world, so am I not currently teaching him the correct method through my actions! Only in this way can he possibly realize the goals in his heart!"
Nobu seemed to understand something. Looking at Maou Nobunaga, she said, "I see. So this is what you are lacking. It seems there's no other way; I must correct you! As the same person, I am also responsible for what you do, so I must stop you."
"Stop me? The strong plunder and dominate the weak! Exactly where am I wrong?" Maou Nobunaga said angrily.
"This is exactly the part you are currently missing. This Holy Grail has robbed you of these feelings," Nobu declared, pointing her finger at the black-haired, red-eyed girl wearing the military cap.
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