Chapter Two: The Path to Seeking Power

“Master, are you sure it’s alright to entrust the army to Lord Ujiyasu?”

Among the 500 cavalry vanguard separated from the Hojo clan’s great army on the Musashino plains, the ever-loyal Akechi Mitsuhide looked up anxiously at his lord, Hojo Akitoki, and spoke with concern.

“It’s no problem,” Hojo Akitoki replied calmly, a faint smile playing on his lips as he studied the small notebook in his hands. “Though Lord Ujiyasu lost to me in the struggle for family headship, he remains a member of the Hojo family. For the sake of our clan’s prosperity, he will devote himself wholeheartedly.”

“But—”

Despite Akitoki’s reassurances, Mitsuhide still worried. What if Ujiyasu bore a grudge after his defeat? What if, while their lord was away from the army’s protection, enemies struck at Kaede Village? Moreover, Mitsuhide gazed at Akitoki riding at the head of the column with puzzlement. Since that night, it seemed their lord’s focus had shifted away from strengthening the Hojo clan. His attention to yokai appeared almost excessive.

Unaware of Mitsuhide’s thoughts, Akitoki put away his notebook. When the fragment of the Shikon Jewel suddenly appeared before him, he finally understood the nature of the world he inhabited. At that moment, a new resolve formed within him, and that very night he feverishly recorded all the information about Inuyasha that filled his mind.

To ensure that if lost no one else could comprehend it, Akitoki deliberately wrote it in Romanized Japanese.

“Power, huh?”

Looking back at the endless ranks of cavalry behind him before the Shikon Jewel’s fragments appeared, Akitoki considered the cavalry, the arquebusiers left in the army camp, the artillery troops from the Cannon State, and the elite armored samurai. These were his foundation for survival in this world and his confidence in unifying the realm.

At the time, he had been confident that with his experience and grasp of the political landscape, becoming the ruler of this small country would be effortless. Then, the three great beauties of the Sengoku era—Saito Kitcho, Maeda Matsu, and Asano Nene—as well as the most beautiful woman of the age, Oda Oichi, would all be his treasures.

Yet, after the fragments of the Shikon Jewel arrived, all these dreams became like flowers in a mirror, moonlight on water—beautiful but unreal. Even as the ruler of this small nation, he, a mere mortal, was powerless against the mighty yokai.

It was like a scarecrow facing a farmer’s sickle.

“But how to obtain that power?”

From infancy, Akitoki had harbored ambitions to seize control of the Hojo family and become the ruler of the land upon realizing he was in the Sengoku era. Now, learning this world was the world of Inuyasha, he was both wary of the ever-emerging powerful yokai threats and eager to acquire strength far exceeding theirs.

He not only desired to be the ruler of this realm but also the sovereign among yokai.

Acquiring power that could match or surpass any yokai became an urgent priority.

“The Shikon Jewel?”

At once, Akitoki thought of the fragment in his possession. If the fragments had come to him, perhaps it was fate.

He recalled the timeline of Inuyasha, where a down-and-out ukiyo-e artist had by chance obtained a fragment. Using its power and the blood of those on the battlefield, he gained godlike abilities—able to conjure countless yokai and control them to fulfill his aims.

“No, no, no,”

Shaking his head, under Mitsuhide’s puzzled gaze, Akitoki dismissed the idea.

From that ukiyo-e artist’s fate, it was clear the fragment’s power could be wielded by humans. But the evil temptation from the Shikon Jewel’s curse was a perilous lure.

Akitoki believed a gentleman should not stand beneath a crumbling wall nor a noble child sit in a collapsing hall.

Until absolutely necessary, there was no reason to risk himself.

“So!”

Riding swiftly toward Kaede Village, where their ninja scouts had reported, Akitoki felt a twinge of melancholy.

“The historical records offer no cheat codes or system aids. Even in this extraordinary world of supernatural power, no such favors were given.”

“Is relying solely on this healthy body really enough?”

Since that night, Akitoki had sighed countless times but still had not heard the activation of a system or cheat code he so longed for.

“Perhaps,”

Lowering his head, he thought maybe because he had not used the Shikon Jewel fragments.

Usually, such systems or cheats needed a trigger.

“Hahaha.”

With a bright gleam in his eyes, Akitoki laughed, dispelling Mitsuhide’s doubts.

Mitsuhide felt an overwhelming reverence for his lord—the great and resolute master who aspired to unite the realm.

“It doesn’t matter if I have no system or cheat for now.”

“There are many paths to strength: the Taoist arts of the Peach Immortal, the spiritual power and magic that belong to humanity in this world, and the fundamental wisdom upon which humans rely.”

Grasping the reins, Akitoki spurred his horse forward. Upon learning Kaede Village’s location, he would not wait for the heavenly feather robe or the blade of the cosmos from the Hojo stronghold behind him. He would hasten to Kaede Village—not to meet Inuyasha or Kagome, nor to ingratiate himself for future alliances.

Just awakened, Inuyasha was about to face the demon Gyokuroketsuro. Though an early foe, this yokai was humanoid and skilled in magic—a middling adversary at best.

From this, Akitoki could test whether his finely trained elite soldiers had the mettle to stand against yokai.

As for Sesshomaru, who would soon appear, besides helping Akitoki effortlessly defeat the Imagawa army, he was the perfect model from which to grasp the power of great yokai firsthand.

In short, the journey to Kaede Village would decisively shape Akitoki’s future strategy.

As he continuously refined his plans, time flew swiftly. Soon, in the distance ahead of the cavalry, a village with faint smoke rising came into view.

Meanwhile, within the village, Kagome had just worn the late Kikyo’s priestess robe once. Not only had she been peeped on by Inuyasha during her bath, but after the spying, he had mocked her figure, saying she was no match for the late Kikyo’s perfection—truly an offense no family member could tolerate.

Irate, Kagome finished packing and prepared to ascend the mountain to attempt a return to the modern world via the Bone-Eater’s Well.

Yet, no sooner had she stepped out the village gate than she saw battalions of cavalry charging toward her!