The Beginning of the War... The Enigmatic Emperor
In the imperial palace, a mysterious figure sat upon the throne as Takeru bowed before him in reverence.
The figure spoke in a calm yet commanding tone:
"So, you say the Shadow Brigade attacked the capital in my absence? It seems they are planning something."
Takeru replied solemnly:
"When we were fighting the Shadow Brigade, a strange man appeared. He wiped out most of their members in a single strike—as if they were mere insects before him. I'll never forget his appearance. Though he wore a ronin's hat to cover his hair, it was silver and long, and his eyes were crimson red. The katana he wielded was drenched in blood."
Upon hearing this description, the figure on the throne momentarily faltered, a flicker of shock crossing his face before he swiftly regained his composure. Then, in a grave voice, he declared:
"It seems we are on the brink of a devastating war... We must prepare thoroughly."
He continued sternly:
"Inform the commanders to ready themselves immediately."
Without hesitation, Takeru bowed deeply and said respectfully:
"As you command, Your Majesty."
At that moment, the mystery was unveiled. The man sitting upon the throne had black hair and golden eyes, dressed in a yellow kimono—it was none other than Emperor Tenma... the strongest man in the empire, its unbreakable pillar.
Just as Takeru was about to leave the hall, a samurai burst in at full speed, slamming the door open as if fleeing a ghost. His face was pale and trembling, his eyes wide with terror. He bowed hastily and spoke in a panicked, broken voice:
"Your Majesty... It's a catastrophe!"
Tenma glared sharply and demanded:
"What's happening? Speak now!"
The samurai continued, still shaking:
"The Sorcerer's Empire and the Ancient Kingdom... they've been completely destroyed!"*
A heavy silence fell over the hall. The words were almost impossible to comprehend. Had the Sorcerer's Empire and the Ancient Kingdom truly fallen? A thousand questions raced through my mind: How were they destroyed? What caused their ruin? Slowly, I turned to the left, observing Takeru's reaction—but his expression was no less stunned than the samurai's. Beads of sweat rolled down his face, and his trembling body betrayed the terror within.
Finally, Takeru spoke in a shaky voice, barely escaping his throat:
"How... were they destroyed?"
The samurai, still trembling, answered:
"When the envoy was sent to investigate, they saw a terrifying dark energy engulfing the horizon, swallowing the entire empire... as if it had been erased from existence. As they got closer, the horror became clearer—corpses were scattered everywhere, as though some unknown entity had drained their souls and torn the life from their bodies."
I fell silent for a moment, then muttered under my breath, barely loud enough to hear:
"It seems my suspicions were correct."
I turned to Takeru and said firmly:
"Tell Commander Ryota to head to the Sorcerer's Empire to investigate, and inform Roku to go to the Ancient Kingdom."
Takeru bowed and replied:
"As you command, Your Majesty."
In the Capital
Night had fallen, and a thick fog enveloped the city. The streets were littered with the wreckage of destroyed buildings, blood, and corpses scattered everywhere.
Samurai were inspecting the faces of the dead to inform their families of their fate. Among the bodies was one with a mutilated face and a blood-soaked body—its head completely blown apart, with one of the Shadow Brigade's weapons embedded in its chest.
One samurai stepped closer to examine it. Upon noticing the wound on the hand, he realized the corpse belonged to Jin.
A Few Hours Earlier
Jin was breathing heavily, feeling his body disintegrate while he was still alive. He collapsed to the ground as his body began to break apart, as though something sinister was tearing him apart from within.
He looked up at Akayama, who stood coldly before him, and pleaded in a trembling voice:
"What's happening to me? Help me, please! I don't understand what's going on!"
Akayama stared at him indifferently, his crimson eyes like frozen blood, his voice devoid of any emotion.
He said calmly, lethally:
"Your role is over."
Despite the pain and despair, Jin clung to one last shred of hope and asked:
"What do you mean by that?"
But that hope shattered when he saw the hidden truth...
Akayama's hair began shifting from black to silver, and his eyes grew even more terrifying. This was his true form.
Jin gasped in horror as his body trembled, his memories—once thought to be his own—slowly crumbling.
Images... scenes... voices... flooded his mind. He remembered things he had never known before. The truth was far worse than he had imagined—everything had been a lie... even his own thoughts.
In a broken voice, he asked:
"Why... did you do this?"
Akayama smiled, but his smile held no humanity as he replied:
*"You weren't supposed to witness that battle... Farewell."
Jin fell to the ground. There was no time left even to scream.
His head suddenly exploded, splattering the walls with blood as his eyes froze in absolute terror.
Akayama looked down at the corpse in silence, then smiled, turned, and walked away—leaving behind the shattered remains of a broken puppet.
End of Chapter
And thus concludes the event of the Shadow Brigade's attack, which began in Chapter Seven and ended here. I hope you enjoyed it! Who was your favorite character in this event?