Dragon Tribulation of All Realms

Chapter 389 The Chess Game Part 1
Tokugawa Sen sat quietly in the dungeon, her hands and feet bound, but her clothes were still relatively complete. Not long ago, a group of tanuki (raccoon dogs) attacked Mikawa Province, where the Tokugawa family lived, killing all the Tokugawa men and throwing the women into prison.

She was lucky, because tanuki weren't very interested in human women. But tanuki were still yokai after all. Even though the ones at the top had learned to live like humans and were obsessed with fried tofu and tempura, the yokai in the middle and lower levels still maintained their carnivorous habits.

She thus became the last surviving female member of the Tokugawa family, and was tightly bound and imprisoned here. This was because she was not only a princess but also a military commander, born with superhuman strength far exceeding that of ordinary people. Unlike the other weaker women, who, even given opportunities, would only waste them and then die.

— Tanuki (raccoon dog).

She sat quietly, contemplating and conserving her precious energy. She didn't actually hate the tanuki, for she knew she was born different from ordinary people. She craved battle, craved carnage, yet also craved defeat when her strength was exhausted. And yet, as these tanuki usurped the Tokugawa clan's power, she, fallen from the ashes of battle, experienced her first real joy.

She lost; she fell. She was bound, imprisoned, and kept here. And she constantly anticipated the next bloody battle, and yet another defeat for herself.

—I will kill all the raccoons.

She didn't hate them, but she was determined to exterminate them all. How could a defeat be truly unforgettable if one didn't fight with all their might?
She took a silent breath, and detailed escape and battle plans surfaced clearly in her mind. Yet, they were all forced to stop at the very first step—all plans could only be executed after she broke free of her restraints and left the prison. But now… she had no way to escape from here.

unless……

—Someone is coming to save me.

The thought had barely surfaced when it quickly turned into self-mockery. She knew that even now, many loyal retainers who upheld the Tokugawa lineage were still active on the outside, trying to save her, the last descendant of the Tokugawa family. However, while these people were still making preparations, many loyal retainers who had already taken action had already died.

Tanuki are monsters, and monsters are stronger than humans. Therefore...

'Thud—' Something fell to the ground.

'Thud, thud, clang—' Those lying on the ground were the jailers and soldiers who were unable to put up any resistance.

My heart suddenly started pounding uncontrollably.

The most unlikely possibility she had anticipated suddenly appeared in her mind—she knew the capabilities of the loyal retainers of the Tokugawa clan, and knew that even if they exerted all their strength, they would find it difficult to break through the prison's defenses. Only a powerful force from the outside could so easily defeat those tanuki, and the yokai power they possessed.

who is it?

The ninjas of Iga? Soldiers from the Oda clan? Warriors from Kyoto? Or perhaps...

"It's Takeda."

Someone appeared at the prison gate.

A man and a woman. The woman was beautiful, and her bright red kimono clearly bore the mark of Takeda. However, at this moment, all her attention was focused on the man's figure.

Black hair, black eyes, yet significantly different from the common Jepan people. And in his hand, he already held the head of a ferocious raccoon.

"Ieyasu," the Tokugawa princess murmured, calling out the name of the tanuki head. This most powerful tanuki was the leader of this group of monsters.

The cell door suddenly swung open, and the raccoon's head was thrown at her feet. What she wanted to do had already been done by others. But at this moment, she didn't feel empty.

“I need you, princess of the Tokugawa family. The Tokugawa family will henceforth submit to the Takeda, so they need a subservient leader.”

The princess slightly raised her head, her pale purple eyes filled with fighting spirit. "You want me to kneel before you on behalf of the Tokugawa family."

"Exactly."

"Then you should release me and give me a suit of armor and a weapon."

"can."

The shackles binding her broke silently; she had no idea how the sturdy chains were severed. A full suit of armor and a naginata were tossed in front of her, along with clean water and fragrant pastries.

The armor was one she had worn before, familiar armor. The naginata was her favorite personal weapon. Clearly, she didn't yet know her opponent's name, but this unfathomable man before her had already achieved complete knowledge of his enemy.

"Hehe—" She chuckled softly, ate her food heartily, and stretched her limbs. The woman in the red kimono came over and helped her put on her armor. And the moment she felt everything was ready, she suddenly exhaled a burst of powerful energy.

"ha--!"

With a single, straight thrust, she used all her strength in that attack. She clearly saw the man in front of her raise his hand with perfect speed, deflecting her naginata with just the right amount of force, and then delivering a palm strike to her shoulder.

She collapsed to the ground, violent tremors coursing through her body. Even though she hadn't broken a single bone, she vomited a mouthful of necrotic blood.

The man simply watched as she persevered and got up again.

"Come again!"

It was another attempt, and another clean and decisive fall to the ground. This time, she felt several of her ribs on the left side crack open.

She gritted her teeth and got up for the third time.

The speed was neither fast nor slow, the force neither strong nor weak. In that instant, she realized that the man before her had been using the exact same speed and strength to fight her. This time, a crack appeared in her breastplate, and a sharp, intense pain in her abdomen tore at her nerves.

She knelt down, then collapsed, gasping for breath, until the woman in red poured a bottle of healing potion into her mouth.

"I lost." She felt satisfied and let out a contented sigh. The feeling of defeat after a hard-fought battle was so sweet that it was enough for her to offer up her heart.

"I am your prisoner now, use me as you please."

She looked at the man before her, bowed her head, and paid her respects. Now, she only had one last question left.

"But please tell me, to whom have I lost, and to whom am I to pledge allegiance?"

She saw a hint of a smile playing on the corners of the man's mouth.

“You can call me Wu Chen,” the man said, seemingly unconcerned about this strange name that Tokugawa Senju would consider a secret. “Of course, you can also call me Takeda Shingen.”

(End of this chapter)