A hoard of Yato warriors stood among the rubble, their true numbers hidden behind the smoke and fog, but even the ones who were visible were more than what this motley group of injured policemen could handle.

The remnants of the Shinsengumi had gathered behind the ruins of a wall. It shielded them from the bullets, but it wouldn't hold for long. The Yato approached at an unrelenting pace, closer and closer.

Hijikata laid unconscious in Kondo's arms. Kondo stared at him with tears in his eyes and face scrunched up in worry. He put pressure on Hijikata's bullet wound in attempt to stop the bleeding, but the blood continued to gush out.

Kumanaku gazed at his Vice-Commander with a dark look on his face. "We have to get him to a hospital fast."

"But we're surrounded." Kamiyama looked nervously to Sougo. "Commander Okita, what do we do?"

Sougo sat hunched by the wall in silence with his sword laying at his side. Blood seeped from his wounds, blooming into red stains on his bandages.

He let out a long exhausted sigh. He used his sword to help himself to his feet. "I better get paid overtime for this."

[Source: https://www.zerochan.net/595812]

"Commander Okita..." Kamiyama's voice trailed away.

"You're staying right here!"

Everyone turned to Kondo in surprise at his sudden outburst.

Kondo tore his gaze away from Hijikata. He stared at Sougo with stern unyielding eyes. "I'm not letting you fight in that condition."

Sougo gave a chuckle. "Kondo-san~, whether or not I'm in a condition to fight, I know that better than you do."

Sougo stepped forward and drew his blade out of his sheath. He fixed his steely gaze on the looming enemies.

[Source: https://www.zerochan.net/1992203]

"Just give the order," he spoke in a low voice. "As the Vanguard of the Shinsengumi, I'll cut open a path... be it through this mess or through hell."

Kondo stared at Sougo's back. Sougo swayed as if a gust of wind could blow him over, but there was something about him that he couldn't describe, an aura of strength that reassured Kondo that he wasn't going to lose to anything. The small back of a boy he met years ago had grown into the back of a strong and reliable man.

"But-"

"Kondo-san. You've known me for so long." Sougo glanced back and gave a grin. "Can't you just trust me a little?"

Kondo stared at him, lost for words. His eyes became more resolved. He pressed his lips tight together and smiled at Sougo in complete confidence.

Third Captain Saito Shimaru, a guy with an orange afro, scribbled into his notepad and held it up. "Your orderz, Commander?"

Kondo looked to Hijikata's unconscious face, twisted into a pained grimace. There were things that mattered much more than victory in battle.

"Retreat!" Kondo yelled to his men. "Everyone get back to Headquarters no matter what!"

"The alleyz!" Saito wrote on his notepad. "If we escape through the alleyz, there's more cover from the bulletz."

Kondo gave a nod of agreement. "This way!"

***

The Shinsengumi ran across the ruins towards the alleys. The ground splashed beneath their feet, muddy from the blood that soaked the soil.

The nearby warehouse buildings collapsed in explosions that shook the earth, but the policemen ran through the flames and rubble without slowing down. The safety of the alleyways seemed so close, but no matter how hard they ran, it just seemed a little further.

The bullets whizzed through the air in all directions. The men who were hit fell to the ground, some instantly killed in a mess of splattered insides, some still alive and twisting in agony. The ones who stopped to help their comrades joined them. The enemies were catching up.

The Yato charged at the Shinsengumi like a pack of rabid wolves. The scent of death and destruction made them so drunk that they felt nothing but the urge to kill.

The hoard of Yato were about to flank the Shinsengumi from the side. Sougo took out his bazooka and his squad followed his lead.

The First Squad turned around and fired at the Yato.

BOOM!!!

The projectiles landed before the enemy in a blast of flames and wreckage. It stopped the Yato from coming closer. The rest of the Shinsengumi members rushed past.

In an attack, they spearheaded the frontlines. In a retreat, they held the rear. That was the role of the Shinsengumi First Squad.

BOOM!!!

The First Squad kept firing. They didn't stop until the Yato hoard became completely enveloped in the dust and debris.

Silence.

The First Squad stared in the direction of the enemy. The wall of smoke rose to the sky, its tendrils coiling in the calmness. They couldn't see any signs of the Yato through the smoke. Had they all been defeated?

Dark shadows appeared behind the hazy veil. Without warning, a bullet zipped through the air. It hit one of the policemen and sent him flying back. He fell into a puddle of his own blood.

The remaining members of the First Squad didn't have time to stare at their fallen comrade. The Yato leapt out of the smoke and kept coming just as strong as before. The blast only wiped out a few in the front. They came so close that Sougo could see the madness in their bulging eyes and the drool dripping from their mouths.

Sougo glanced to the side. Most of the other squad members had already reached safety.

"Get going!" Sougo yelled to his men. "Go!"

The men didn't wait for him to repeat his order another time. They sprinted towards the alley with the Yato chasing at their heels.

Not all of them made it. Some didn't run fast enough, some just had bad luck.

One of the Yato leapt down from a stack of crates with a battlecry. He flew towards Sougo, umbrella held over his head.

Sougo glanced up. He drew his katana.

[Source: https://www.zerochan.net/1262583]

Their weapons clashed. With one powerful strike, the Yato sent Sougo skidding across the mud.

Sougo rolled to his feet.

And he ran without looking back.

This wasn't a battle he'd stay to fight. He chased after the backs of the Shinsengumi officers. The path before him led out of this hellhole. Behind him, there were only corpses. He wasn't going to let himself fall behind.

Bullets whizzed past his ears, but Sougo wasn't afraid. An important character like him wouldn't die from something like a stray bullet. He charged across the blood water. The narrow alleyway between two warehouse buildings got closer as he ran towards it.

Closer.

Closer.

He made it. The two walls close to his sides made him feel much safer than being out in the open.

The bullets continued to fly past. He wasn't safe yet. He didn't slow down.

His comrades were within arm's reach. The danger was almost over. He felt a weird giddiness despite the situation, glad he would survive another battle-

His heart skipped a beat. His eyes opened wide as a sharp pain shot up his leg. A bullet had ripped through his thigh.

Sougo let out a cry as he lurched forward, splashing into a sticky red puddle.

The bullet had torn an angry hole through his upper leg. Blood gushed out from the mangled tatters of raw flesh.

"Shit."

Sougo clutched his bleeding wound with trembling hands. He gritted his teeth and tried to stand up. A cry of agony escaped his throat. He tripped and fell, drenched in sticky red mud, unable to take a single step forward.

One of the officers stopped and looked back.

"Commander Okita!!!"

The officer with swirly glasses ran back for his First Captain. He ran through the flames and destruction, despite the bullets coming his way.

Sougo held out his hand. He reached towards Kamiyama. He could almost reach him.

CRASH!!!

An explosion of bricks and shattered glass tore between them. Sougo braced himself as the pebbles and shards of glass flew towards him and dug into his skin. Chunks of brick and mortar crashed down around him, each one large enough to crush him had he been at the wrong place.

When the dust settled, he opened his eyes. Blood dripped down his face. His entire body stung from the shards and splinters embedded under his skin. A part of the warehouse had collapsed from the blast. An unscalable wall of rubble blocked the way separating him from the rest of the Shinsengumi.

He didn't have time to sit and stare. A barrage of gunfire filled the air and riddled the wreckage with holes. Sougo rolled across the ground for cover just as gunfire flooded the space around him. He curled behind a large chunk of wall that had fallen during the explosion. Bullets pelted against the wall that shielded his back.

He could hear the thundering footsteps of countless enemies splashing through the puddles, louder and louder. The Yato were coming.

He felt a tightness in his chest, a rare feeling of absolute dread. Just one Yato warrior was enough of an opponent. His enemies numbered hundreds... and he was alone.

What was he saying just a scene ago? To cut open a path of escape for the Shinsengumi? He wasn't even sure he could escape himself.

He let out a chuckle despite the seriousness of the situation. "Give me a break..."

It was all because of bad luck that he fell behind, that a bullet hit him, and an explosion sealed off his only escape route, but this was chapter thirteen after all... and published on the thirteenth day of the month on top of that. Maybe he had finally run out of luck. He wasn't going to make it this time. He didn't have a single way out. He was really going to die.

Sougo closed his eyes and calmed his mind. Now was not the time for thoughts like those. This wasn't the place he'd die. He had to get out of here alive. He had to.

Sougo opened his eyes. They gleamed in the darkness, an intense crimson like the blazing flames.

[Source: https://www.zerochan.net/2076824]

"China..."

He ripped a shred of cloth from his ragged shirt and looped it around his thigh- a tourniquet before he bled himself out. He clenched his teeth and winced as he gave it a sharp tug.

The Yato ceased their gunfire and their footsteps came to a stop. The air felt heavy in the sudden silence. They had all gathered at the entrance of the alley; hell only a two steps away.

Sougo tightened his grip on his sword, but remained sitting behind the wall.

He held his breath and braced himself for the battle that was to come.

***

Next time: The Hamu Arc finale! Sougo and Kamui still owe each other a fight...