You are a peasant, and to your lord and anyone else that is not a peasant, you are less than dirt. In this life you have two jobs, one is farming and the other fighting. Your lord decided now was the time to move on another clan's lands, the only problem is that there is a massive fort called Hakujōzan in the way of his conquest.

Early morning, 6th of Sakurayoi. Your lord marches right to the border of the Hoshigaki clan. The enemy forces on the passage between the mountains is not strong enough to stop and they flee, running back to Hakujōzan to warn the forces there. The air smells of damp earth and distant smoke as you march.

You and the other 16k peasants-turned-soldiers follow your lord into the lands of the Hoshigaki clan. You spent about a month learning how to use your Yari spear, how to march in formation and how to properly follow orders. The rough wood of your spear handle has become familiar in your calloused hands. There isn't really a lot of expectations of you possibly surviving this battle and coming home in one piece.

As you march following the rest of the column, you get a glimpse of Hakujōzan castle after cresting a hill, and the fortification is impressive. It is large, with internal castle walls painted black with golden details and the outside walls made of light-beige stones and mortar. Worst of all, the entire fortification was built on top of a large hill, no wonder it has a reputation for being unconquerable. The sound of distant drums echoes from its walls.

Your lord receives word from one of his shinobi-no-mono, learning that reinforcements for the castle would reach it in three days and that the current forces at Hakujōzan are outnumbered by his forces four-to-one. Not wanting to lose his chance, your lord quickly organizes you and your fellow peasants into formation and sends them in waves to take the castle.

Despite the numerical advantage, the castle's defenses prove formidable. The attacks become slow, sluggish grinding sessions. The first outer walls fall after four waves of soldiers took the brunt of enemy arrows and faced most of the survivors inside, creating massive casualties. The second set of internal walls took three waves, and the final walls repelled four attacks before your turn comes in the fifth wave.

Before you are sent out, one of your lord's retainers pulls you from the line and leads you back to camp. There you meet your lord, Kurotsuki Masanori, sitting by his tent surrounded by advisors, retainers, captains, and his personal guard unit of oni females – warrior servants raised from childhood as weapons.

You bow deeply, not daring to meet his eyes, and perform a perfect dogeza when brought before him. He orders you to lift your face and sit up straight. His voice carries the casual authority of one accustomed to life-or-death power.

He explains he needs a temporary captain for the next assault and tells you to return alive after conquering the walls. "If you come back empty-handed..." He gestures to another soldier nearby – bloody, tired, scared, hands bound behind his back with a samurai standing behind him.

The soldier cries and begs for mercy, but the lord simply nods. With that single gesture, the samurai swings his katana in a smooth arc, cutting the soldier's head from his neck. The head hits the ground followed by the body slumping forward. Warm blood sprays across the dirt.

The severed head rolls to your knees, its terrified expression seared into your memory. "I hope you understand your situation," your lord says calmly.

Now you advance with your unit, captain's banner on your back. As enemy arrows begin to fall around you, you give the order to charge, praying for a clean, quick death.

The battle at the last walls is incredibly rough. The previous wave damaged the final gates enough that you focus your men there, ordering them to push. After enduring arrows and considerable effort, you breach the gate.

The fighting is brutal as you pour through the breach. When victory is finally secured, you find yourself standing amid carnage, bleeding from multiple wounds but alive. Your lord approaches with an expression of grudging approval.

"For your bravery and tenacity, I grant you retainer status, property, and a stipend," he announces, placing a sheathed katana on your thighs. "But you deserve greater reward for your service."

He calls over one of his oni guard. "Akane, from this day forward, this man shall be your new master."

The 2.10m tall crimson-skinned warrior steps forward – muscular yet feminine with long black hair in a ponytail, curved horns, and emotionless black eyes. She towers over you even when kneeling before you, placing her bloody katana before you and bowing into a full dogeza.

"Lord, give me your order, and I shall give you the world if you wish it," she intones in a voice that has likely never spoken温柔 words.

That is the last thing you hear before darkness claims you.

When you awake, the fighting continues for another month. The Hoshigaki reinforcements arrive too late to retake the castle and eventually retreat. You, however, have been sent to your new estate to recover, riding a gifted horse while Akane walks beside you, guiding the reins with her massive hand. Even on horseback, the oni woman still stands slightly taller than you.