Game’s Dogma

‘Hoho,’ Oda Nobunaga laughed and said, ‘my hands are full of blood, for I have slain countless people. I have long given up on meeting a good end. Brother Hon once said to me an interesting saying: “Those who tread their own paths have to take swords head on”. An unrefined saying it is, but the underlying principle is clear. To achieve something, one must pay the price.’

Oda Nobunaga’s gaze turned distant, as if he was in a daze from looking at the candlelight.

‘When I was young, I was arrogant and loved pulling off pranks. I was also ignorant and neglected my duties, earning myself the nickname “idiot of Owari”.

‘That was until my father died. They thought my temperament changed because of my father’s death, when in fact it was completely unrelated. My relationship with my father had always been a superficial one, though it was never made known to others.

‘What truly changed me was when I saw what the Saito clan did to our cities after they defeated us, the Oda clan, in a major battle.

‘Do not involve peasants in battles, or so it was the rule. In a true war, however, such words were laughable, almost mocking.’

Oda Nobunaga’s voice turned cold, as if it had triggered unpleasant memories.

‘After the battle, soldiers of the Saito clan entered our city. They slaughtered our citizens and raped our women. My father was a coward, and all he came up with was negotiating for peace with the enemy. It was on that day I awakened.

‘It is not just about the Saito clan, but the entire continent. The whole of Japan was in a state of survival of the fittest.

‘I wanted to put an end to it, I had to put an end to it. And the way to end war is to wage war.’

Oda Nobunaga’s aura gradually turned savage, and the candles shrunk under his growing aura, stretching his shadow longer. The silhouette of a hideous devil was projected onto the temple walls.

‘That is why I kill, to kill all who have ambitions. Uniting the nation by force is my ambition. Only force can put an end to force, put an end to needless slaughter. By killing ten thousand, I shall save a hundred thousand peasants. There shall be no wars when I unite the nation. People shall no longer flee from their homes. Before this happens, I shall take on the name Devil of the Sixth Heaven and slaughter all those who stand before me. Retribution or karma, I, Oda Nobunaga, shall bear all of it!’

Even with how composed Drako Yau was, the terrifying aura still startled him. He could feel from the aura that it was Oda Nobunaga’s lifelong obsession.

Suddenly, the raging aura radiating from Oda Nobunaga vanished like melting snow, and the surrounding candles returned to normal. He finally turned around and smiled at Drako Yau.

‘Sorry for the unrefined display.’

Drako Yau shook his head and answered, ‘Lord Nobunaga holds such great ambition. Nothing but admiration fills me.’

It was his true feelings. In historical books, Oda Nobunaga was described with negative words such as brutal, violent, and devilish. He had never thought that Oda Nobunaga held the ideal of ‘killing to stop killing’. There would be no killings if all murderers were killed. It was an extreme idea, but it was effective back then.

Oda Nobunaga had been close to uniting the nation by force. He met his unfortunate end at the Honno-ji before he could fulfil his ambition though.

Oda Nobunaga laughed and said, ‘I rarely tell others about such things. The last person whom I have spoken to about is Brother Hon. Perhaps I find you a like-minded person. Still, you have a serious issue with your body, young man.’

Drako Yau’s expression changed, but it was hidden by his mask.

‘Oh? What might Lord Nobunaga be referring to?’

Oda Nobunaga chuckled. ‘Young man, you can cease your acting before me. I’m talking about the devil within you. Brother Hon called it, what was it… cultivation style.

‘You have two devils within you. Ohoho, this is unprecedented.’ Oda Nobunaga sized Drako Yau up in astonishment. ‘Though they’re separated by a wall… I can sense that it is dispersing quickly. If I’m not wrong, the wall shall disappear in half a year.’

Half a year?

Drako Yau’s complexion really took a turn for the worse this time. He hadn’t expected the barrier to be worn out so soon.

Chris had told him that he had three years left, but that was under the assumption that he didn’t fight, didn’t mobilise and didn’t cultivate the two forces.

Waiting for death was never an option for him. As such, he had been investigating his ability in the Arena in the past month. He finally got a grasp of Frost Form and Flame Form, yet it had taken him countless attempts and trials.

How did I end up with half a year left…

‘Young man, I don’t have any good suggestions for you. After all, when I tamed the devil within me back in the days, it was almost certain death for me as well. There is one thing that is certain, and that is the more powerful your devil is, the greater you shall be when you tame it. Young man, I shall be awaiting your growth.’

Not far away from Honno-ji, at a place near Katsuragawa, an army was crossing a river. All of a sudden, the person leading the army lifted his arm, bringing the march to a halt.

The person wore a samurai helmet. Beneath it was the face of a handsome man with thin brows. He swept his gaze at the ten-thousand-men army.

Moments later, he unsheathed the katana from his waist with a shiiing.

‘Our enemy is in the Honno-ji Temple! Kill them all!’

The gears of history were turning mercilessly behind the scenes.

Drako Yau took his leave from Oda Nobunaga’s inner temple and returned to his room. The skies were already dark, and Akechi Mitsuhide could strike any moment now.

Akechi Mitsuhide was originally Oda Nobunaga’s general. However, he rebelled against his lord for unknown reasons and led his soldiers to attack Honno-ji, which led to the bitter death of Oda Nobunaga, the sinful hero of the time.

This was the Honno-ji Incident. According to the quest requirements, their goal was to protect Oda Nobunaga. The most annoying thing was that Drako Yau didn’t know a thing about this particular staged encounter quest because it wasn’t one of his designs!

‘Strider, how did your scouting go?’

Having returned after scouting the temple out, Windstrider reported, ‘The terrain around Honno-ji is rather simple, but that’s troublesome for us. The enemy can easily surround and intercept us while there is nowhere to hide.’

He then plucked out a diagram and laid it onto the floor; it was a roughly hand-drawn map of Honno-ji’s terrain. The amazed looks of everyone made him embarrassed. He scratched his head and said, ‘I’m a designer in the actual world. Drawing these diagrams isn’t too difficult for me.’

Drako Yau nodded without the intent to delve further into Windstrider’s profession. Instead, he asked Windstrider for more details of the nearby terrain.

This was no ordinary quest. The penalties for failing the quest were harsh, but after his brief chat with Oda Nobunaga, he admired the ambitious man. He didn’t want such a heroic and ambitious person to die before his eyes.

Just when they were discussing their strategy, unwelcomed visitors were already approaching Honno-ji.

Ten thousand soldiers silently surrounded the temple. The person who stood at the forefront, right before the temple doors, was none other than the leader who wore a samurai helmet—Akechi Mitsuhide.

‘Oda Nobunaga, one of us shall die here today.’ Akechi Mitsuhide set his cold gaze on Honno-ji and pointed forwards. ‘Fire!’ 

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