The news of the Ichi King's surrender caused celebrations to break out in the Imperial War camp that went on through out the day. The next morning the troops were preparing to depart.
"Alright Captain, we should be ready to go anytime now. We just have to stay a little while longer to hand over custody to the Imperial diplomats and bureaucrats that will be arriving today." "Wind" said to a yawning "War" who appeared to have just woken up.
"Yeah whatever man. That stuff has nothing to do with me, somebody get me some tea. Some pancakes would nice too." "War" said through another yawn.
"This has a lot to do with you. You're the commander of this army and this is a very important part of our mission. Breakfast can wait, perhaps your first priority should be making yourself presentable." "Wind" said sternly.
"Well maybe your first priority should be to relax a little bit, there's a beautiful lake a little way away from here we should go for a swim." "War" said while an assortment of teas and pancakes were laid in front of him.
"I only say this because I'm worried about you. You've already made an enemy of High Command through your actions here if you don't start taking this more seriously we might be in trouble." "Wind" said
"R-E-L-A-X, I don't know what you're even talking about. My actions here were exactly what the Emperor asked for. Not pat myself on the back, but I think we might get some kind of award for this." "War" said.
"You really don't understand the problem we're facing do you?" "Wind" asked in an exasperated voice.
"He clearly doesn't, so it's pointless to try to explain it to him." "Water" said. "Chihiro was in a similar situation when he was captain."
"What's with the tense atmosphere over here you all should be celebrating with Sir "War" and the others." Toudou said.
"You see Toudou, we received direct orders from the Emperor to not cause too much damage or bloodshed." "Wind" said.
"In that case Lord "War's" strategy was perfect. His Majesty the Emperor should be pleased. I don't see how that's a problem." Toudou said.
"You're too old to be that naïve Toudou." Denjimi said as he walked towards the others. "The problem is clearly that High Command won't be pleased that their orders were disobeyed. I'm assuming of course, that their orders were to conquer the planet as quickly as possible with no regard for how many people we had to slaughter." He continued.
"Isn't that always their orders after all?" "Wind" asked in a somber tone.
"So what you're saying is that with this mission, a line has been clearly drawn in the sand. Who knows what they'll do in retaliation, or what form it'll come in." Denjimi said.
Just as Denjimi had finished talking a giant winged monster flew over head. It had a massive jagged beak, and a long winding scaled body with several black feathered wings coming out of the sides of it.
"This is possibly the worst case scenario. They sent HIM." "Wind" said rushing to get to "War" as soon as possible. "I need to warn him." He thought, though he wasn't sure if there was actually anything he could even do to help.
As the creature flew over the camp a masked man clad in black armor jumped down in front of the command tent.
"Who is in charge here? Tell me now!" He demanded.
"That would be me. Who are you?" "War" asked while waving is hand.
"You? It took you seven days to conquer such a weak planet. This pitiful display is utterly unacceptable." The man said while walking towards "War".
"Yeah I know it took a little while but-" "War" was cut off by the masked man's punch to his abdomen. The punch was accompanied by a flash of light and in the next instant a cloud of rubble that stretched for miles appeared, then a massive impact hit a nearby mountain completely shattering it. At the end of the attack, "War" was lying in a crater under the broken rubble of the destroyed mountain.
The man who struck war was known as "Star", the Head of the Royal Guard, and the man known as the strongest in the empire.
"Star"
Age: 27
Ht: 6'2
Wt: 271
Special Ability: Champion of the Stars
As "War" struggled to get back to get back onto his feet, "Star" was already standing in front of him.
"I'm not interested in hearing your excuses. His Majesty, the Emperor clear instructed you to crush this rebellion quickly, and yet you fumbled about for seven whole days." "Star" said while trembling in anger.
"Wait no that's not what he told-" "War" was again cut off by a strike from "Star". This time "Star" struck him down directly into the ground.
"I told you I'm not interested in your excuses." "Star" said looking down at "War's" broken and bloody body.
"It's not an excuse, it's a reason! If you'll give me a second to explain!" "War" said with his frustration rising.
"Excuses or reasons. It makes no difference to me." "Star" said.
"Well maybe THIS will make a difference!" "War" howled defiantly.
Sword Form: Downward Cut!!!!
"War" swung his arm down and struck "Star" directly in the chest, but to his shock it did not even make a scratch.
"Normally it is an offense punishable by death to raise a hand against a superior officer. But your attack was so weak I couldn't even count it as an attempt on my life." "Star" said dismissively as he struck "War" down again. He then stood over "War" and grabbed his collar.
"You are pathetic and weak. You are not worthy of your rank and titles. I will give you a choice either leave the Imperial Army, renounce your titles, and live out the rest of your pathetic life in exile on some distant rock, or you can face correction by my hand." "Star" said.
"I choose correction." "War" said without hesitation. "I have my own reasons why I can't give up."
"Very well, you might regret that decision when you hear what your punishment will be." "Star" said.
"Star" drug "War" back to camp where he ordered him to be tied to a post.
"We will be here for 14 days while the diplomats do their work, for those 14 days you will remain here with no food or water. In addition to that, you will also receive 10,000 lashes a day. Of course, if it ever becomes too much for you, you can always take me up on my offer to quit and run away like the coward you truly are." "Star" said.
"War" just smiled and said, "Why would I run away? You're going out of your way to show me the hospitality of the "Star" Army. I only feel gratitude right now." "War" said and laughed.
"We'll see if you have the same bravado after a few days of this." "Star" said signaling for his first day of beatings to begin.
Day after day "War" received lashings by the hands of "Star's" soldiers. The last of food and water made him so weak that he could barely stand and it was a struggle for him to stay conscious. Everyday "Star" would ask him if he wanted to quit and make the punishment end. Every time he would respond with something like,
"Why would I quit when I'm having so much fun? Plus it's not like I have anything better to do today." He'd say with a laugh and a smile.
One day one of "War's" men snuck into "Star's" camp and attempted to give him some food, but "War" refused to eat.
"Thank you but, I promised that I would endure this punishment, and a man has to keep his word." "War" said still in good spirits.
After the full 14 days of punishment were completed, "Star" ordered for "War" to be cut down from the post. His body was broken, bloody, bruised, and he hadn't eaten or drank for two weeks. Everyone expected that he would crumble to the ground when they cut the ropes.
"Don't bother, I can do it myself." "War" said as he sliced off the ropes and stretched out a bit.
"Interesting, the power of his aura has increased since the first day. Though he's still pitifully weak." "Star" thought. "You have guts if nothing else, maybe you can be of use to the Empire after all. Though I warn you the next time you fail, I will not be so lenient." He said as he and his men started to leave.
High Command had sent "Star" with no orders other than to escort the diplomats. However, they knew that once "Star" learned of "War's" failure he would respond by punishing him harshly. Their goal was not only to hurt "War" physically, but also to humiliate him in front of his soldiers. With "War's" renown as high as ever after the battle they were sure that the sight of him getting beaten down and his spirit broken would make his men lose their respect for him.
However, this was a severe miscalculation. Although the fight between "War" and "Star" could hardly be called one, and he has mercilessly beaten for two weeks straight, "War's" men only gained more respect for him.
The reason for this was that although his body was broken, his spirit was not. Throughout all the pain, he never gave up, never begged for mercy, and only ever smiled in the face of adversity. The fight between "War" and "Star" was only a one-sided beating, but the battle of wills between the two was overwhelmingly in favor of "War".
After the incident on Ichia "War" was given the moniker "War" the Indomitable, due to his unbreakable spirit and undaunted demeanor. While "War" had safely made it through this incident it was clear that the conflict with Imperial High Command was only starting.