Sasaki and Anayama were locked in brutal combat. Both of them were breathing heavily, their chests heaving up and down. They could not help but look at one another with a new level of respect, blinking their eyelids against the droplets of sweat that slithered from their foreheads.
They were both covered in a series of minor cuts, but not one of them had managed to land a more significant strike. Internally, Anayama praised Shingen’s encirclement. If not for the soldiers that stabbed at his foe and distracted him, then he felt it might have been a very different battle.
Before they had even begun to charge, Jikouji knew at which point he would strike. The fighting had reached a fragile stalemate. There only needed to be a single brick removed and it would all come tumbling down.
He ducked a wild swing from a veteran Takeda soldier, and stepped in, plunging his blade into his abdomen, not pausing his advancement for even a moment. He pulled back to the side, avoiding a brutal thrust of the yari by mere millimetres. He heard a groan as Togashi took the man’s life.
"SASAKI!" Jikouji shouted, warning him that they would soon be intruding. The big man flinched slightly, fighting the urge to turn round. His opportunity would soon come.
With a roar, he attacked with renewed vigour, ensuring that their prey would not escape. A wall of men split off from the circle, realizing Jikouji’s intent, attempting to save their General’s life, even if it cost their own.
Their efforts were barely acknowledged. They pinpointed the smallest of gaps and moved between the line of spears with a soft stab here and a delicate slash there. They were not slowed in the least.
Akiyama attempted to turn his horse so that he might ride to Anayama’s aid, but was not given the chance to break away even a little.
"Where do you think you’re going!?" Morohira growled, slamming into his guard.
With Hara tied up by Rokkaku as well, their options were limited. It was time to bring in more of their allies. "Kosaka! Naito! Obata! You’re needed!" He shouted, knowing that they would appear as soon as they heard him. He did his best to leave as many resources free for his Lord Shingen to play with, but when pushed there were no other options.
Three men began to gallop towards them, leaving their posts at the rear where they were posted to protect against any flanking attempts. It was too little too late for Anayama, however. They had determined that he would die today and with the three of them attacking in unison, they would be hard-pressed to fail.
Whilst Sasaki continued to hold up the man himself, Jikouji and Togashi set about bringing him to their level. They flashed their swords, and the front legs of his stallion were severed. It did not even have time to scream before it collapsed forward, bringing the rider with it.
There was a grim look in Anayama’s eyes when the stench of death began to sting at his nostrils. There was no fear present. As a General, this was the most glorious death he could imagine. His only act was to hold his blade near his neck, so that he would not be killed instantly and would help buy more time for his comrades.
His preemptive block proved to be well-founded, as Sasaki’s blade that would have beheaded him instead clashed against his. It was only a split second extra he bought, but he judged it to be worth it. Jikouji dashed his torso in a series of fatal cuts and Togashi sealed him away with a cleaving strike from one shoulder down past the other.
"ANAYAMA!" Akiyama howled, not even able to see the manner of his death, his concentration demanded entirely by Morohira’s relentless attacks.
Sasaki was exhausted. He instinctively took a knee in an attempt to get his breath back, but seeing Jikouji and Togashi flash forward once more to relieve Rokkaku, he sucked in a deep breath of air and found a second wind. They had to make the most of these few moments of advantage, rest could come later.
"Heh, about time!" Rokkaku complained tensely, having locked swords with his enemy, using all the strength he had to keep that deathly sharp blade away from him.
They carried out the same plan as they had against Anayama and instead of targeting the swordsman, they went for his horse to sabotage his footing. However, Hara had already slipped his feet from his stirrups and stood up in his saddle, ready to maintain his balance even after his beast fell.
Strikes came at him from all angles, with there being but one safe haven, and that lay in the incoming reinforcement from the left. He remained calm, as was his want. He concentrated all the energy he had on defence and saw the world around as though it was in slow motion.
Infuriated by the distance he had managed to create between them, Rokkaku had leapt up from the ground, holding his sword in two hands over his head, mouth parted in a battle cry, intending to end it all in one motion.
Sasaki had his shoulder lowered, intending to tackle the massive beast of a horse and send it sides ways, costing the man his balance.
Jikouji had abandoned the idea of slicing through the horse’s legs, and instead used a corpse in front of him as a springboard and went low for the legs to compliment Rokkaku’s high.
Togashi plunged forward, aiming for the centre. There was nowhere to run to. Nowhere to escape.
But Hara would not allow himself to fall in battle, not without having achieved his goal. His intense desire to live heightened his martial talent and instinct took over. He leapt back through the air, bringing his sword in a sweeping arc with him, deflecting each strike one by one as he went, before landing lightly in the mud, a tranquil expression on his face.
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