Thunder split the lead-gray sky, and raindrops as large as beans hammered against Honda Tadakatsu’s armor. He stood firm on the cliff opposite Kannazuka, with three thousand elite Tokugawa troops silent behind him like a moving forest. Nothing could be heard but the rain dripping from his jinbaori coat.

 

“My lord, the Inazuma forces have fortified Kannazuka. Their strength numbers around two thousand, commanded by Kamisato Ayato and Arataki Itto.” A scout knelt low.

 

Honda Tadakatsu nodded slightly. Beneath his iconic deer-horned helmet, his eyes sharp as eagles stared at the island across the water. Kannazuka’s terrain was treacherous, surrounded by thunderstorms, making it a critical barrier on the path to Inazuma City.

 

“Kamisato Ayato…” Tadakatsu murmured the name. “I hear he is a general skilled in both pen and sword.”

 

His vice commander stepped closer and whispered, “General, shall we wait for the weather to clear?”

 

Tadakatsu shook his head, a faint smile crossing his lips. “Heavy rain and thunder are heaven-sent cover. Send word: land in three divisions. I will lead the main force straight for their center.”

 

Waves crashed against the warships, yet the Tokugawa landing was silent. Not until the first soldiers set foot on Kannazuka’s sands did the alarm bells tear through the rain.

 

“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”

 

The battle had begun.

 

The Tokugawa army flooded the shore, and disciplined ashigaru quickly formed ranks. The Inazuma forces rushed to meet them, and the two armies clashed chaotically on the muddy beach.

 

Honda Tadakatsu personally led his elite to break through the left flank. His famous spear, Tonbogiri, cut deadly arcs through the rain, and none could stand in his way. Legend said this spear never drew blood on the battlefield — for blood slid instantly from its tip.

 

“Hold the line! Archers, loose!” A Kamisato commander shouted from the rear.

 

A storm of arrows rose from the Inazuma lines, only to be scattered by the gale. The Tokugawa troops advanced through the sparse volleys, and their arquebus corps returned fire at once. Gunpowder smoke mixed with rain, stinging the air.

 

As the battle raged, a wild laugh boomed from behind the Inazuma lines.

 

“Hahahaha! Finally, a worthy opponent!”

 

A bare-chested giant charged into the fray swinging a massive stone club, sending Tokugawa soldiers flying like straw. It was Arataki Itto.

 

“Come! Fight me!” Itto slammed his club into the ground, sending mud and stone flying that knocked down several men nearby.

 

Honda Tadakatsu narrowed his eyes and urged his horse forward.

 

“I am Honda Tadakatsu, vassal of Tokugawa Ieyasu! Name yourself, enemy general!”

 

“Arataki Itto is here!” The giant roared, swinging his club to meet him.

 

Tonbogiri and the stone club collided with a deafening crash. Arataki Itto possessed monstrous strength, each blow enough to split mountains, but Honda Tadakatsu’s skill was peerless, his spearwork divine. He whirled the spear through the downpour, perfectly deflecting every attack.

 

“Not enough! Hit harder!” Itto bellowed, sweeping his club sideways.

 

Tadakatsu dodged to the side and thrusted Tonbogiri in one smooth motion, opening a gash to the bone on Itto’s shoulder. The giant roared and attacked even more furiously, but blood loss weakened him by the second.

 

“You are a warrior,” Tadakatsu said gravely. “But today, victory belongs to the Tokugawa.”

 

Tonbogiri stabbed like a viper, piercing Itto’s guard toward his chest. The giant barely avoided his heart, yet the tip sank deep into his right breast. Staggering back, Itto was dragged to safety by his bodyguards.

 

The Inazuma left flank began to waver.

 

“Lord Itto has fallen!”

 

Panic spread through the Inazuma ranks. The Tokugawa forces pressed their advantage, and the beachhead was completely overrun.

 

Honda Tadakatsu did not rush to pursue. He ordered his men to regroup and advance steadily. The Tokugawa army moved like a precision machine, marching up the high ground of Kannazuka through the storm.

 

Kamisato Ayato stood atop a rise, his expression grim. He drew his sword, Haran Getsu Byakushin, its blade glinting in the lightning.

 

“All troops, hold this position at all costs!”

 

The Kamisato samurai shouted in unison, yet they fell back step by step before the iron wall of the Tokugawa advance. The battlefield shifted from the beach to the plains at Kannazuka’s heart, the muddy earth drinking deep of blood and rain.

 

Tadakatsu spotted Ayato’s banner in the distance.

 

“Target: the enemy command.”

 

The Tokugawa forces shifted formation, with elite hatamoto samurai forming a wedge to drive straight into the Inazuma heart. Kamisato Ayato led his troops to meet them. His swordsmanship was exquisite, and several Tokugawa officers fell in quick succession.

 

“Kamisato Ayato!” Honda Tadakatsu’s voice cut across the battlefield.

 

The two generals finally faced one another.

 

Kamisato Ayato bowed slightly. “Honda Tadakatsu. I have long heard your name.”

 

“I have seen your valor with my own eyes. Surrender. Kannazuka cannot be saved.”

 

Kamisato Ayato smiled and shook his head. “As a general of Inazuma, I can only die fighting.”

 

Thunder crashed. The two men struck at the same time.

 

Ayato’s sword flowed like water, danced like wind, drawing silver trails through the rain. Tadakatsu’s spear struck like a storm, fierce and unrelenting. It was a clash of water and fire. The duel of the two supreme warriors made nearby soldiers halt their fighting, breath held in awe.

 

“Kamisato-style swordsmanship lives up to its fame,” Tadakatsu praised, parrying a delicate thrust.

 

“Lord Honda’s spearwork is equally admirable,” Ayato replied, dodging the spear tip.

 

The fight wore on, draining both men’s strength rapidly. Kamisato Ayato was young, but he had already expended much energy in earlier fighting. Honda Tadakatsu was experienced, yet no longer in his prime.

 

At last, Tadakatsu feinted a weakness. Ayato took the bait, lunging too far and losing his balance. Tonbogiri flashed like lightning, piercing Ayato’s chest armor.

 

Kamisato Ayato staggered back, propping himself up with his sword.

 

“Inazuma… eternity…” he whispered. Blood poured from his lips, and he collapsed into the mud.

 

Word of the commanding general’s death spread instantly, and Inazuma resistance collapsed completely. Arataki Itto was forcibly carried from the battlefield by his guards, and the remaining troops scattered in flight.

 

After the battle, the toll was counted: sixteen hundred Inazuma troops dead, countless wounded. The Tokugawa suffered around eight hundred casualties.

 

Honda Tadakatsu stood on Kannazuka’s highest point, overlooking the battlefield still wreathed in smoke. Kamisato Ayato’s body had been respectfully gathered for proper burial.

 

“General, we found this in Lord Kamisato’s tent.” His vice commander presented a secret letter.

 

Tadakatsu unfolded it, his brow slowly furrowing. The letter revealed deep divisions within Inazuma, and that Kamisato Ayato had repeatedly argued against this defensive battle.

 

“He knew defeat was certain, yet chose to fight to the death,” Tadakatsu murmured, putting the letter away.

 

The rain gradually stopped, and golden sunlight spilled through gaps in the clouds. Honda Tadakatsu stared toward Inazuma’s main island, faint on the distant horizon.

 

Kannazuka had fallen.

But the war had only just begun.