Read The Legendary Rebuilding of a World by a Realist Demon King

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　--On the northern front.

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　Shinpachi Nagakura breaks through the center of Ashtaroth's army, and moves his cavalry unit northward, but he senses the presence of an enemy attack from the rear.

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　Nagakura entrusts the princess on his horse to his subordinate, and turns around to intercept the attacker.

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　The attacker is his former comrade, Hijikata Toshizo.

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　He silently rides his horse, pulls out his sword from his waist, and without hesitation attempts to cut off Nagakura's head.

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"You are indeed an ogre, the vice-chief, to slay your former comrade without a word," he remarks to himself.

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　He says to himself in a self-mocking tone.

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"It's because they were my former comrades. We don't need words.

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That's right. We drank a lot the other day. I'm sure we have nothing left to regret.

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　Nagakura also pulled out a weapon from his waist and performed the Battoujutsu.

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　Toshizo caught him with his sword.

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　They continued to engage in a fierce duel, but neither one of them could take the initiative and they dismounted from their horses.

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　Neither of them was good at riding horses. Neither of them had ever trained to draw a sword on horseback.

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　Both men put their feet on the ground at the same time and swung their swords at each other.

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　The two masters' blows may seem like dancing threads to those around them.

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　But the slightest touch of those threads would cut off any part of the body. Their swordsmanship was that great.

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"Toshizo, we were separated during the Boshin War, but you improved your swordsmanship in Hakodate, didn't you?

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"Let me pull it out. You are stronger than when we were in Kyoto.

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I lived much longer than you. I've trained during that time.

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Then you've lived long enough. Die."

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　Toshizo struck a sideways blow to Nagakura, who caught it with a kesa zashiri.

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　The back-and-forth battle continued endlessly.

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　Those around the fighters gasped at the high level of the battle.

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　However, if the two fighters are equal in ability, the balance will surely be broken after some time.

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　Toshizo and Nagakura were about equal in strength, but there was only one problem: Nagakura was getting old.

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　He lived for decades after the fall of the Shogunate and lived to be 75 years old.

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　On the other hand, Hijikata Toshizo died in Hakodate. He was 34 years old.

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　Heroes are summoned by the spirit summons, and Toshizo was summoned when he died in Hakodate. Nagakura was summoned in his later years.

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　This difference was very significant.

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　A 34 year old male swordsman and a 75 year old man had the same technique, but there was a difference in physical strength.

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　After an hour's battle, this difference was clearly shown.

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　Nagakura began to breathe with his whole body, not just his shoulders. On the other hand, Toshizo looked relieved.

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　While Toshizo delivered 10 blows, Nagakura was able to deliver only 6 blows.

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　Nagakura's divine swordsmanship began to fade away, and he began to be pushed back.

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　At the moment when everyone thought that the game was over, Nagakura made a surprise move.

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　Ignoring Toshizo's advice to surrender, Nagakura raised his sword and uttered a strange voice.

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　Nagakura then unleashed a full-throated blow, as if to say, "This is the last blow.

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　Toshizo must have thought, "I'm going to have to cut off his arm or something. He cut off Nagakura's right arm without mercy.

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　However, that was Nagakura's intention. At the moment his right arm was cut off, Nagakura pulled out his side grip, which was at his waist, with his left hand and thrust it against Toshizo's neck.

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　With that, the whistle was slit and Toshizo died.

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　--It was not so. He stopped the sword at the skin and said.

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"I guess I win this fight now. You have no objection?"

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　Nagakura smiled at him and Toshizo responded.

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What a man! What a man! I can't say anything anymore if he plays this kind of trick on me. Fine. I'll take the lead in this battle.

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　As soon as Toshizo admitted defeat, Nagakura stopped the bleeding in his right arm and went straight to Princess Alethea.

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　Nagakura, however, was absolutely stunned. He saw an unbelievable scene.

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　There was the beautiful princess surrounded by hive workers.

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　The ants were not shedding tears, but were expressing sorrow with their whole bodies.

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　The princess was sleeping at the center of the scene. She had died as if in sleep.

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　I see the beautiful face of the princess. She was as pure as an angel.

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　Nagakura realized.

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　It seems that his reinforcements did not arrive in time.

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　He realizes that Ariosh has been defeated by the men of the demon king Ashtaroth.

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　Alicia was the daughter of Queen Ariosh, and her life was in her hands. If Ariosh died, all the daughters she bore would die.

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　Thus Alicia died, but not after all this time.

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　She had been prepared for it from the beginning.

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　The stronghold of Arioch was thin, and the detachment of Ashtaroth's army that went to defeat it was strong.

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　Jeanne d'Arc, the saint of Orleans, Kotaro Fuuma, the strongest ninja in the Warring States period, and Robin Hood, the archer of the gale.

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　The famous heroes were participating in the tournament. It was only natural that they should lose.

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　However, it was not good for us that we could not take advantage of the bloodline that Hannibal had opened for us at the risk of his life.

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　I do not want to get old at all.

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　Nagakura felt like slitting his stomach at the thought, but he stopped himself from doing so and picked up the princess to whom the great Shogun had devoted his loyalty.

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　Her body was as light as ever, but it was hard to lift her up with only his left arm. His men assisted him.

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　Nagakura thanked them, turned his back on Toshizo, and continued south the way he had come.

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　He wanted to at least give Hannibal back his beloved Alicia.

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　--No, Hannibal would no longer be of this world.

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　Then let's at least bury her in the same grave with him.

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　With this thought, Nagakura runs down the south road, not caring about the blood dripping from his right arm.

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　The final act begins.

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　Ariosh, the ant queen, has been defeated, but the battle is not over yet.

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　The army of ants, the Hive Workers, are the dependents of Ariosh, and if Ariosh dies, they will no longer be able to replenish their nutritional needs and will die out.

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　But even so, they did not die out immediately. There is a grace period of a few days.

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　The ants do not spend their days quietly, but use them to blossom in death.

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　They used it to save their beloved commander.

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　The same is true of the human mercenaries.

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　The course of the battle was already set, but they did not intend to give Hannibal's body to the Ashtaroths.

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　In order to get Hannibal's body from Ashtaroth's army, Nagakura led the remaining soldiers of his army to break through the enemy's ranks.

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　The legions broke apart like the Ten Commandments of Moses.

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　Unable to withstand Nagakura's assault, Ashtaroth's army cleared the way and slipped into the center of the city, heading for the place where Hannibal had died.

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　There, they kicked out the soldiers who were trying to retrieve the body, and placed Hannibal's corpse on a horse.

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　They tried to leave at once, but at that time, one of Nagakura's subordinates asked him: "Mr. Nagakura, what are you doing here?

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"Where are you going, Mr. Nagakura?

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　Nagakura said, "Well," he said with an unkempt goatee.

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"To the future.

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The future?

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"Yes, the future. The future. Hannibal lived in the past. He roamed the Mediterranean world, betrayed by his friends, and then he met a princess in this world. He lived with the girl who was like a grandchild. The princess lived hard in the present. For her mother, for her men, she risked her life. The future is the only destination for two such people.

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　Hearing these words, his subordinate broke into a smile and said, "Yes, that's right.

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　Nobody knows what happened to Nagakura and his men after that.

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　According to the report of one of his men who saw him for the last time, there was no way he could have survived, seeing his bloodstained clothes and even his horse covered in blood.

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　Toshizo also seemed convinced of the death of his former comrade-in-arms.

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"Nagakura was a fool..."

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　He did not verbalize his grief any further and never spoke about Nagakura Shinpachi after that.

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　Thus ended the series of battles, later called the Ant Wars.

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　Count Ismaria was dead, his territory was taken, the ant queen Ariosh, who had brought great misfortune to the surrounding countries, was dead, as were his generals and swordsmen, who were far more fearsome than she.

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　The army of Ashtaroth was also heavily damaged, but Ashtaroth brought the war to an end without harming a single soul.

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　His fame was heard throughout the surrounding countries.

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　The people praised him as a pragmatic demon king who would destroy any calamity.　

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