LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Baptized in Battle
Echigo Province – Western Border, Year 9 of Tenbun (1540 AD)
The battlefield was alive with chaos.
Screams.The clash of steel.The thick, suffocating scent of blood and sweat.
The mercenaries fought with ruthless efficiency.
But the warriors of Echigo did not break.
And in the midst of it all—
He moved like a shadow.
This was not his first battle.
But it was the first battle that was truly his.
And that—
That made all the difference.
A mercenary lunged from his blind side.
Too slow.
He twisted, blade cutting through flesh and armor alike.
The enemy fell.
Another came.
Then another.
They fought with desperation—
But he fought with purpose.
For the first time, his sword was not an extension of someone else's will.
It was his.
And the battlefield was his proving ground.
From the corner of his vision—
He saw Sakai Nobuhisa struggling against two opponents.
The older warrior had taken a wound to the leg.
If no one helped—
He would die.
And in that moment, a choice appeared before him.
A choice that, once, he would not have had.
He was not bound by duty.
Not bound by orders.
If he walked away—
No one would question him.
But if he stayed—
If he fought beside them—
Then he would no longer be just an outsider.
He would be one of them.
The decision was made before he even realized it.
His body moved on its own.
The first mercenary barely saw him coming.
His sword flashed.
A clean, precise strike.
The second enemy turned too late—
His blade cut deep.
And in an instant—
Sakai Nobuhisa was no longer alone.
The older warrior grunted, wiping blood from his forehead.
Then—
A smirk.
"Hah."
"So you really do bleed for more than yourself."
It was not a question.
It was an acknowledgment.
And that—
That meant more than words.
The battle did not last much longer.
The remaining mercenaries fell back, realizing they had lost.
The warriors of Echigo did not chase.
They had already won.
The moment the outsider fought for them, not just beside them—
The battle was over.
Not just on the battlefield—
But in their hearts.
And as the dust settled—
He realized something.
For the first time, he was not fighting alone.
And perhaps—
That was worth more than victory itself.
[Fated Death: Forgotten.] You have fought as a warrior of Echigo, not just an outsider. You have saved a comrade, proving yourself in battle. You are no longer just a blade without a cause—you are a warrior with a place.
The war is far from over.
But now, you do not face it alone.