The sky over the battlefield was covered in thick, stagnant clouds. In the middle of the mire, Gintoki gripped his sword again, his breathing heavy. The Amanto forces surged like waves; there was no end in sight no matter how many he cut down.

"Gintoki, behind you!"

The moment he turned at his comrade's voice, a lethal blade swung down toward a fallen ally. Gintoki's feet were caught in the mud; he wouldn't make it in time.

But before the blade could reach, a single shadow dove in. Her slender back took the blow intended for another. A dull sound of flesh being cut echoed.

"—!"

Letting out a voiceless scream, Gintoki rushed to her side, but she had already collapsed. As he pulled her up with mud-stained arms, her kimono was rapidly stained crimson.

"Hey, don't screw with me. Open your eyes!"

At Gintoki's trembling voice, she faintly opened her eyes. With a face distorted by pain, she still looked at Gintoki and gave a small smile.

"...I'm... sorry..."

Those were her last words. In Gintoki's arms, the strength left her body, and she quietly grew cold. Neither the roar of the battlefield nor the shouts of his comrades reached him anymore. Only the sensation of lukewarm blood remaining on his palms was etched into him like eternity.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Ten years later