Asahina Taisuke's face darkened as he looked at the sudden appearance of the "Stone City," and upon hearing the scout's report that a large number of the Imagawa family's Lang Faction had arrived at Oya Castle, Harano's expression grew similarly grave.
The Imagawa family arrived a bit too quickly. They did not indulge in food or drink along the way and practically raced here at breakneck speed—arriving more than a day earlier than the "preliminary completion red line" he'd requested. This was truly bad news, but things had reached this point, and nothing could be done. He could only give consecutive orders to halt the extension of the "sheep wall," and to hasten work on the ramparts: the watchtowers, arrow-deflecting bamboo shelters, and guard houses all had to be erected at once.
