At full speed, Oda and his men charged at the demon. Half of them had spears in hands, while the commander and the other already had arrows ready at their bows. The spearmen turned right, preparing to form a defensive line ahead of the villagers, while the rest fired their first volley, but most of the arrows bounced harmlessly at the monster's reinforced carapace.
The soldiers were reading their arrows again when the demons turned at them. A strident howl came from its mouth, driving the horses crazy and making them knock down their riders. Without pause, Oda jumped himself up, only to realize his bow had broken at the fall.
"On your feet!" he shouted at the men and started forming a combat line. Two soldiers were hurt at the fall and had to be left behind, in pain.
The spearmen advanced, jabbing at the monster and keeping it away from the village, while the archers fired from behind. The demon kept its head down, protecting itself from the arrows. It tried to move over the soldier and bite them, but the spears made it retreat.
"Watch out! This thing may be poisonous." Oda took the weapon of an injured soldier and joined the line.
"Centipede poison isn't deadly, sir", one of the men shouted back. "I've been bitten once."
"By one that big?" Suddenly the monster howled again, the soldiers covered their ears from the shriek. "Alright, listen up: at my mark, spears advance and make it raise its head. Archers at the ready!"
But, before Oda could give the command, a surprising ally joined the fight; Ichimaru showed up in the air, screaming as he fell with his weapon pointed down. The long sword stuck deep through the carapace, and the monster roared in pain. The dog demon clung to the weapon as the centipede tried to shake him off.
"Now!" the samurai shouted when the monster raised its head. Arrows and spears flew at the soft belly; the demon wriggled, howled again, and went down. Ichimaru landed on his back, right ahead of Oda.
"Ouch! Not my best entrance."
"Gracious and timely as always, Ichimaru-san."
