章 15: How Great Man Die.

At the Military Camp, an unsettling silence had fallen with the boys away at war. Even the elderly ladies who managed the meals had been escorted out of the forest by Katsura and his men.

Katsuragi Goro, now in charge of the meals, wore a pleasant smile as he carried bento-boxes to his room. He planned to treat the seven girls to a special meal and regale them with jokes, hoping to show them that mortals and Tama Artists could coexist.

Goro's joy was palpable as he entered his large residential building located at the center of the Military Camp.

He left his sandals at the woven grass mat and ignored the explicit paintings that adorned the walls leading to the other rooms. As he walked toward the living room, warm sunlight filtered through the windows, casting a cozy glow.

However, his expression faltered when he found the room empty. "Where are they? I left them here playing shogi just a few minutes ago."

Concern etched on his big face, Goro's amber eyes scanned the room before settling on the pathway to his bedroom, which had one of its doors open.

His worry intensified, and he approached the bedroom with clenched fists, prepared to defend the girls.

As he carefully opened the sliding door, before yelling, "Stay away from them, or else I—!"

However, his words trailed off as the warm light from the window momentarily blinded him. When his vision cleared, he was met with a sight that made him gulp.

Sora lay on the futon, clad only in a bathrobe that barely covered her essential areas. Goro's amber eyes widened as he took in the sight of her smooth, pale thighs and small feet.

His body tingled with a mix of surprise and excitement.

However, as a man of culture, Goro shook his head, choosing to look away.

'I'll let her sleep. Only the Lord knows when she last slept in a comfortable place.'

As he turned to leave, he heard Sora's faint whisper, "Please...embrace me, Goro-Kun...I need to drown in your arms tonight."

Goro chuckled, thinking she was dreaming. 'This is what happens when you sleep during the day.'

However, Sora's subsequent whispers made Goro's expression falter. He tried to ignore her, but her words struck a chord.

"If you don't do it... you are not a man, Goro-Kun."

A tear rolled down his cheek, his will shattering, 'Sora-Chan, why must you be so beautiful? Please forgive me for what I'm about to do.'

Goro turned around, removing his kimono, but before he could approach the futon, a loud knock on the back of his head sent him crashing to the ground.

He lay motionless, dead!

Tsukino stood over him, metal bat in hand, as Sora sat up, a hint of excitement in her voice;

"Tsukino-Chan, you did great! Even Mikino didn't need to intervene."

Mikino, a blind black-haired woman, walked into the room, her expression indifferent.

"Actually, Tsukino-San overperformed. We only needed to knock him out and leave his body for the shark leopards. Now, we'll have to endure pain to make our story believable. Tsk, this is because someone proposed an irrational plan."

Sora sneered, her face twisting, "You're the one who finalized the plan."

As the girls bickered, Tsukino's expression turned ashen. She gazed at Goro's lifeless body, her heart beating rapidly.

'What if the Tama-Artist uses their powers to uncover the truth? Goro's family might not buy our story.'

Tsukino felt a pang of guilt, wondering if they had acted impulsively and immorally.

'Why did we agree to kill him? He was kind and generous, and his feud was with Lucy, not us.'

Near the middle of Kokoro Island, the male mortals from Kurenai Village had finally descended X-You Mountain, their faces etched with concern about their leader.

The reality of their situation hit home as they gazed up at the mountain, where a lone figure tumbled down the slope, pursued by a herd of horses.

The man swiftly reached the bottom, and the coachmen from Kushi Village promptly turned around and departed. The mortals from Kurenai Village, however, were unfazed by this - it was the law, wars only take place in X-You Mountain.

Their attention was fixed on the figure standing before them in a hannya mask, an otsuchi and katana lodged in the ground beside him.

Shinji was the first to speak up, "What happened to Miyamoto-Dono?"

Lucy's eyes narrowed as he recalled Miyamoto's condition. His body had been a deep purple, unmistakable evidence of poisoning.

'A Tama Artist must have eliminated him. With his strength, Miyamoto could have rivaled some samurai. They killed him to maintain the balance between Tama Artists and mortals.'

Lucy chose to reveal only half the truth, "He was hindering my movements, so I used him as a distraction to buy time for my escape. I brought his sword back as a reminder."

The group had anticipated this outcome and merely sighed - Lucy was like that, only caring about himself.

The group just silently went back to the camp. However, as they arrived, they were met with a scene of devastation.

The camp had never been great, but the destruction before them resembled the aftermath of a calamity.