Chapter 111: Collision

Deadpanning in response to the man's question, Nobu didn't even try to appear amenable as he said, "Yeah. What of it?"

With the most shit-eating grin Nobu had ever seen, the man rubbed his chin with his free hand as he mused, "She's a little lacking in feminine charm but her face isn't too bad. How about this. The two of you will accompany us to a nearby brothel. So long as you're willing to show a bit of since-"

Catching even Yui by surprise, Nobu stomped his foot on the ground with as much strength as he could manage. The peculiar thing about this was that his foot sank into the reinforced stone tiles as if they were made of some kind of elastic material. At the same time, the earth beneath the blond's foot erupted to former a three-meter pillar in an instant.

Though he wasn't sent flying, the arrogant youth was still knocked off balance. This was what Nobu had been aiming for from the start, so, as Yui moved to the side, he stepped forward with a fierce expression on his face as he swept his right hand in a scooping motion. Air quickly gathered in his palm, and, by the time he loosed it from his grasp, a visible column of wind smashed into the off-kilter cunt.

With his entourage gathered right behind him, the blond was sent flying into his own people as the dark-haired swordsman at his side managed to cut through the tempest with a katana glistening in silvery-white light. A similar glow exuded from his body, his golden eyes shimmering in excitement as he charged forward with a battle-hungry expression on his face.

Seeing how fast the man was, the hairs on the back of Nobu's neck stood on end. He knew he was fucked if a trained swordsman managed to get him within their range. Fortunately, while the dark-haired man moved with the swiftness of a phantom, he wasn't even able to close half the distance before Yui appeared in his periphery. By the time his brain had processed this, demanding he takes evasive action, a black shadow had already obscured his vision.

Were it not for the silvery aura protecting his body, the dark-haired man might have lost his life in an instant. Yui hadn't drawn her weapon but the force behind the blow was more than enough to dent his aura and send him smashing into the nearby wall. When he emerged moments later, the bridge of his nose could be seen to have been smashed in, blood pouring from his nostril as he glared at Yui, shouting, "You ignoble whore! You dare-"

Though Nobu was tempted to send a column of wind in the man's direction, Yui beat him to the punch. Rather, after sending the man flying, she hadn't just been standing around. The moment the man emerged from the wall, she was on him like a cat trouncing a mouse. By now, her golden aura had completely covered her body, so, in a similar manner to Kazue, albeit far more controlled, she simply smashed into the incredulous man like a freight train.

"Holy shit..."

Seeing Yui's shoulder-check fold the man like a burrito, a light tremor ran through Nobu's body. He knew she was powerful but he didn't expect her to take out someone at Silver IX in a grand total of five seconds. Sure, the man was looking down on them despite their clear cultivation advantage but it was still scary. At the very least, Nobud knew she would completely destroy him in a spar.

As that thought crossed his mind, an annoying high-pitched whirring similar to a firework being launched reached Nobu's ears. Turning his head, he saw a bright red flare soaring into the sky like a rocket before exploding at the apex of its trajectory. Immediately following this, the sound of a bell could be heard as the blond-haired man climbed to his feet, a look of unfettered rage on his face as he spat, "Attempting to assassinate a member of the Oda Clan? I'll have your head on a pike before sunset...!"

Though there had been a number of instances where he had wanted to kill someone, this was the first time in two lives Nobu was actually considering it. The look in the man's eyes made it clear he wasn't going to take this matter lying down. He was clearly the type of shitbag that went out of his way to torment others so he clearly couldn't tolerate having his face smacked like the little bitch he was.

"Eat a dick, bitch."

Before the man could make sense of Nobu's insult, yet another column of wind was sent toward him. He was smart enough to put up his aura this time, but, due to Nobu's fury, the wind was far more powerful than normal. This, combined with the fact his entourage had moved out of the way, resulted in the arrogant blond being sent tumbling backward until he reached disappeared down the flight of stairs Nobu and Yui had used to ascend to the previously scenic landing.

"Protect the Young Master...!"

"Master Peng...!"

"Guards...!"

"Someone seize this scoundrel...!"

Raising his brows, Nobu's expression shifted from fury to incredulity as he asked, "Are you fucking serious? There's no way that asshat's name is Young Master Peng."

"How dare you insult a member of the Oda Clan...!"

"You're courting death...!"

Hearing lines he never thought he would encounter in real life, Nobu actually began to feel a little lightheaded. Fortunately, Yui was pretty reliable in situations such as this as she quickly enveloped him in her aura with the intention of running away.

Having gotten used to 'riding along' with Inami, Nobu allowed his body to go slack as she jumped from the nearby handrail. Falling a hundred and fifty meters was a little dangerous for someone at the Realm of Golden Warrior, but, with a golden cable acting as a repel line, Yui was able to control their fall to an extent where injuries could be avoided.

Unfortunately, not everything went according to plan. Soldiers from all over the city were rushing towards their position. A number had even gathered on the streets below, clearly intent on cutting off their path of retreat.

"I think I may have acted a little hastily..."

Though there was an unrepentant smile on his face, Nobu understood this wasn't an ideal situation to be in. He could try and reveal his identity but the odds anyone would actually believe him were slim. In the public's eyes, he had died more than ten years ago. Thus, even if he allowed himself to be captured, he would most likely be executed on the spot. After all, the blond cunt was clearly one of his cousins. The information provided by Suzune made it pretty obvious his uncles were the ones leading the factions opposing his father, so, the moment he revealed his identity, there was a very good chance the blond cunt would rush to kill him...

Seeing the smile on Nobu's face and the calculating glimmer in his grey-blue eyes, Yui couldn't help thinking, ("Grandmother was right. He might struggle with emotional turmoil but my Lord is clearly the type to thrive under pressure. I haven't seen him this excited since he revealed his identity and learned he could manipulate wind...it's a good look on him...")

Since there was a very good chance they would die upon landing, Yui stopped their descent long before they reached the streets below. Then, with spikes emerging from her heels, she attempted to run along the wall with the intent of catapulting them away from the gathering soldiers. If she could just reach the top of a building and summon Hisui, there was a chance they could escape.

Unfortunately, the moment they noticed what Yui was up to, hundreds of arrows and crossbow bolts began to pepper her aura. To make matters worse, a beam of silvery-green light, shaped like a crescent, immediately cut towards the cables keeping them from falling.

Borrowing a bit of Nobu's vernacular, Yui muttered, "Fuck..." as she clung tightly to her Lord and prepared to cushion his fall. Nobu's aura provided virtually no defense, so, if he were to impact the ground directly, broken bones and ruptured organs would be the least of his concerns.

In her desire to protect her Lord, Yui failed to consider the possibility that Nobu could slow their fall using his ability to manipulate air currents. At the same time, Nobu was learning the hard way that his abilities couldn't be used while he was surrounded by someone else's aura. He relied on being able to feel the elements around him to manipulate them, so, with Yui's aura blocking the wind, he could only brace himself for the impact. Had his control been more refined, he may have been able to transfer the force from their fall into an earth-based attack. Unfortunately, he was very, very far from such a level...

(A/N: Happy birthday to the ground~)

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Waking to one of the worst headaches of his entire lives, a pained groan escaped Nobu's throat as he attempted to force himself to a seated position. Before he could, the voice of a man interrupted him, saying, "You shouldn't move around. Several of your ribs were broken and you lost quite a lot of blood due to internal bleeding. I can understand your anxiety, but trust me when I say you're in safe hands."

Ignoring both the pain in his abdomen and the man's advice, Nobu sat up with a severe grimace on his face as he looked toward the person who had spoken. His inordinately long and silky brown hair gave him a slightly feminine appearance but his sharp features, aquamarine eyes, and voice made it pretty obvious he was a man.

"Who the fuck are you? Where's Yui...?"

Though his brows twitched when he heard Nobu's way of speaking, the man maintained a casual smile as she politely lowered his head and calmly answered, "My name is Hirate Masahide, retainer to the Oda Clan and private tutor to Lord Senken's heirs. Though it appears you have forgotten me, I once looked after Nobunaga-sama as a child. I cannot express how relieved I was to learn of your survival. As for the young lady, she is currently being treated for aura exhaustion and a number of minor injuries. That girl wouldn't even let me approach until she had passed out on her feet. It was quite the sight to behold."

As someone who was intimately familiar with the life and legacy of Oda Nobunaga, Nobu was genuinely surprised to learn this man was named Hirate Masahide. Masahide was the personal mentor of the original Oda Nobunaga and had effectively raised him from birth to his coming of age. After that, the elderly man accompanied Nobunaga on several campaigns before ultimately committing seppuku just to startle him into behaving sensibly...

"Are you really Hirate Masahide? Aren't you supposed to be an old man...?"

Though he didn't lose his smile, the corner of Masahide's lips began to twitch as he calmly replied, "As I have served since the time of your Grandfather, Oda Senichi, I can understand why you might think that. However, as I have only recently turned seventy-three years old, I like to believe I'm still in my prime..."

Tapping the silvery-green IV attached to his collar, Masahide was attempting to insinuate he could live another hundred years with ease. Unfortunately, Nobu had already stopped caring about such an insignificant matter, answering, "Whatever. Take me to Yui. I'm not going to trust a damn thing anyone tells me until I see her safe and sound."

Rather than taking offense to Nobu's words, Masahide caressed his chin with a thoughtful look on his face. This creeped the former out quite a bit, but, before he could inform the man he wasn't gay, Masahide beat him to the punch, saying, "Very well. I will have my servants fetch a norimono. They will carry you to the infirmary where Lady Yui is receiving treatment. Once you have confirmed her safety, we have much to discuss."

On that note, Masahide pulled out a silver object reminiscent of a dog whistle. Since it didn't make a sound, at least to Nobu's ears, there was a very good chance this was the case. This left the latter visibly confused until, moments later, two muscular servants with handsome features, dog ears, and fluffy tails practically burst into the room...

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(A/N: Masahide is sus o_o...)