"Uoooooooooooooooooo!"
Led by Masanaga, the group of samurai surged forward.
As they leveled their katanas and spears at Hugo’s team, Ryuga narrowed his eyes and spoke.
"Marcos!"
"I don't need you to tell me!"
Ryuga swung Ryuo-ga—still encased in its scabbard—and slammed it against the Giga Scissors in Marcos’s grip.
The instant Ryuga retracted his blade, Marcos unleashed the magic stored within his shield, venting it as a powerful shockwave.
"Golden Reflection!"
"What?! Gwahh!"
The blinding golden radiance and the force of the impact brought the samurai to a dead halt.
Seizing the moment, Ryuga leaped through the air and landed squarely in the center of the staggered enemies, who were still blinded and reeling from the shock. As he drew his katana from its scabbard, he swept it out in a massive arc.
A sudden gale erupted, blowing several samurai off their feet.
While the warriors tossed aside by the storm were left dazed and bewildered, Masanaga shook his head to regain his composure and lunged at his rival.
"Curse you, Ryuga Renjou! I will be the one to cut you down!"
"Phew..."
In the face of Masanaga’s naked hostility, Ryuga said nothing.
He merely let out a sigh and provocatively beckoned with his fingers, looking thoroughly bored. Masanaga’s rage boiled over at the dismissive gesture, and he charged forward with his lightning-clad longsword held high.
"I’ll be the one to slaughter this man! The rest of you, finish off the other two!"
Masanaga issued his orders to the Warrior Band while trading blows with Ryuga. After that, he became completely consumed by the duel, pouring every ounce of his spirit into the fight.
The Warrior Band finally regained their footing and moved to target Hugo and Marcos as instructed... but their coordination was messy.
Who was supposed to attack which enemy? What formation should they take?
As he watched the samurai struggle to align their movements without clear tactical direction, Uno narrowed his eyes and nodded knowingly.
"One must admit, Renjou is handling this masterfully. He is controlling the tempo of the battle."
"What do you mean, Teacher?" Fee asked, having overheard the comment from his seat nearby.
Uno pointed toward the duel grounds and provided a detailed explanation.
"Immediately after the match began, Renjou used a combination attack with Borg to halt the enemy's advance and then threw himself right into their midst. Had they started the fight on the defensive, the other side would have seized the initiative. Against superior numbers with that kind of momentum, even those three would have faced a grueling struggle. Renjou moved specifically to prevent that."
"I see! By stopping them in their tracks and then striking first, the initiative stays with Ryuga-san!"
"That’s not all. By swinging his blade in the very heart of the enemy's ranks, Renjou has completely shattered their formation. When a charge is broken and the ranks are in disarray, the first priority must be to regroup. However, the commander responsible for that task is—"
"What’s wrong?! Your sword is far too timid! As I thought, the title of 'Strongest Swordsman' was nothing more than a gross exaggeration! To think you’d dare defy us with such mediocre skills!"
If one were to liken the Yamato side’s formation to a real battlefield, Enji was the Supreme Commander, with Masanaga serving as his Field Commander—the military leader responsible for leading the summoned troops on the front lines.
In other words, it was Masanaga’s duty to reorganize the formation broken by Ryuga’s surprise attack. However, Masanaga was currently so obsessed with his personal duel that he had completely abandoned his subordinates.
Since the man meant to lead them had walked away from his post, the samurai were forced to act on their own individual judgment.
Uno explained that this lack of leadership was the reason for their poor coordination. Ryuga had deliberately acted as a decoy to draw Masanaga’s attention, engineering this exact scenario. Upon hearing this, Fee and the others watching the match nodded in realization.
"So things are playing out exactly as Ryuga planned," Anhel remarked. "But what does he do next?"
"Also... something feels a bit off," Raiha added. "It’s fine for Ryuga-san to engage Masanaga-san one-on-one, but it’s taking far too long..."
"He’s up against an opponent buffed by both Enji’s and Masanaga’s magic items," Anhel countered. "Maybe he’s just being extra cautious to ensure there isn't even a one-in-a-million chance of an upset? He knows Hugo and Marcos are his teammates, so he probably trusts them to hold their own while he focuses on a guaranteed win."
Raiha listened to Anhel’s logic, but she still couldn't shake the nagging sense that something wasn't right. As they watched, Uno spoke up again.
"Under these circumstances, the responsibility of command should fall back to the Lord Heir of the House of Jiko. However, there is a world of difference between observing from the rear and leading from the thick of the fray. It will be interesting to see if he can provide effective direction."
"Tch...! That idiot Masanaga, letting the blood rush to his head like that. He’s useless when it actually matters."
Just as Uno had predicted, Enji was stepping in to take command of the samurai.
Clicking his tongue in irritation at how quickly Masanaga had discarded his role, Enji began shouting orders from the rear, shielded by his personal guard.
"You lot! Leave Ryuga to Masanaga and surround the other two! Your target is the one who isn't Hugo Clay! Make sure you finish him off first!"