When Akane Koga returned to the Jun Tribe, the tribe members greeted her with curiosity. Along with the other members of the delegation, they proceeded towards the clan leader's tent. Upon entering, they found clan leader Akira Tanaka sitting alongside Naru Toki and other high-ranking clan members.
"Finally," said Akira, fixing his eyes on Akane. "How did the discussions in Yuiken village go?"
Akane took a deep breath and began to explain in detail: "Yuiken village has developed far beyond our expectations. Under Kamiya Naizen's leadership, the village has not only united but also established an impressive organization and infrastructure. According to our observations, they have made significant economic and social progress. They displayed an extremely warm and open attitude towards us. Particularly noteworthy was their proposal for comprehensive cooperation. This proposal is more than a simple alliance; it's a partnership that would provide long-term and mutual benefits."
Naru Toki furrowed his brows. "What kind of cooperation?"
"Trade, information exchange, and joint defense," Akane replied. "Moreover, Kamiya himself wants to visit our tribe and continue the discussions."
Akira nodded thoughtfully. "This offer... is unexpected. I'm not sure about Kamiya's intentions."
Naru Toki interjected: "This opportunity must not be missed. An alliance with Yuiken village could strengthen us."
At that moment, noises began to rise from outside. A messenger rushed into the tent entrance. "Leader! The Xen Tribe is attacking! They've crossed our borders!"
Akira jumped to his feet. "Damn it! Not now." He turned to Naru Toki. "Organize the defense. Akane, you come with me. Kenshin Seiryo, what do you think?"
As everyone sprang into action, Akane's mind was preoccupied with the timing between Kamiya's offer and this current attack. Was this a coincidence, or part of a larger plan? Could he have planned such an attack to force them to join? "I'm probably overthinking," she thought to herself.
A few kilometers away from the tribe, many black-clad masked individuals with swords from the Xen Tribe were fighting with the brown-clothed, sword-wielding warriors of the Jun Tribe.
Naru Toki and Yuki Kaze were observing the battlefield from the top of a tree. The situation was quite chaotic, and it was clear they were losing the battle.
Yuki turned to Naru with a worried voice. "Naru, at this rate we'll suffer more casualties. Should we retreat?"
Naru initially appeared indecisive, his eyes scanning the battlefield. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. "Damn it! The Xigua clan has also joined forces with the Xen Tribe. In this case..."
Yuki understood when he saw the expression on Naru's face. "So?"
Naru took a deep breath. "We're retreating. There's no need for more casualties. Spread the word, start an orderly withdrawal."
Yuki nodded in agreement and quickly descended from the tree to relay the orders. Naru took one last look at the battlefield, determination in his eyes. "This is just a retreat, never a defeat," he muttered to himself.
Akane and Akira were organizing the other warriors in the village, but this force wouldn't be enough to help them win the battle.
"Maybe we should flee?" Akira said aloud.
"You're our leader, you can't be this hopeless, Akira, pull yourself together," Akane snapped angrily. "Even if it's your first time leading a battle, we're here and we're quite experienced in this matter."
"That's not the problem, Akane. I don't want to lose anyone. We were supposed to support Yuiken village, but look at us now, we weren't prepared for surprise attacks at all. Our front lines must have already been broken, I'm not sure how long we can hold this place." There was sadness and resentment in his voice.
Akane grew even more angry, "If you want to run, then run! But I'm staying here to fight." After thinking for a moment, Akira's words made sense, but how could she swallow her pride? The Xen tribe was very powerful, it would be difficult to deal with them. Moreover, this time the Xen clan was being led by Kenshin Seiryo.
Akira fell into silence, then after a while said, "Akane, if you need to run, just run. This is an order."
Akane clenched her fists and turned her head away, her silver hair swaying. "Yes, sir." She had no intention of disobeying orders and was willing to die for her clan if necessary, but because of this command, she fixed the idea of retreating in her mind regardless of the situation.
Thanks to Naru Toki's decision, many Jun Clan warriors were surviving and retreating. "It's my turn!" Naru shouted, jumping down from the tree. He turned to a warrior and ordered: "Go back and report that the Xigua clan is here. If necessary, have them evacuate the clan. If we migrate to Yuiken village, Kamiya might accept us."
The warrior nodded, saying "Yes, sir" as he turned back.
"Also tell them not to worry about me. I won't be able to return to the village, but I'll be nearby. Let them know that my history with Kamiya is a bit tense," he called after the warrior, though he wasn't sure if his message would get through.
"Now, let's fight a little," said Naru, drawing his short single-edged sword from his belt. He fixed his eyes on the back of an enemy warrior. Suddenly, as if transcending time and space, he appeared in the midst of three people. This movement, which looked like he was gliding through the air, deceived the eyes of onlookers. Naru's speed was approaching that of light; those watching from afar saw momentary flashes, and then those flashes would disappear.
In an instant, he plunged his sword into the neck of the warrior in front of him. The sharp steel found its target with unerring precision. At the same moment, the two warriors beside him swung their swords towards Naru. They were certain they had struck, ready to let out victory cries. But Naru, like a ghost, suddenly vanished from sight. The two bewildered warriors, carried by their own momentum, sliced deep gashes into each other's shoulders. With agonized screams, they collapsed to the ground, victims of their own attacks.
This sequence of events had occurred in just a tenth of a second. Naru's speed and grace were putting on a dance-like performance on the battlefield. His enemies couldn't distinguish whether the warrior before them was real or an illusion.
The warriors behind and scattered around cried out, "It's that speed god, Naru Toki!" Meanwhile, Naru was taking down his enemies one by one, though such rapid teleportation was draining his energy considerably. "That makes fifteen!" he shouted. Even if the warriors he killed were ordinary people, he would have struggled greatly without such a powerful ability on his own. However, he had managed it easily without taking any damage. Even when some tried to attack with earth and air elements, it was in vain.
At this time, those retreating from the battle quickly returned to the tribe. Yuki Kaze was among them. "Akira!" Yuki cried out, his voice trembling with panic. "We must flee, or we'll all die!" Some members of the Xigua clan he had seen on the battlefield were so terrifying and aggressive that they had struck fear into Yuki's heart.
Akane and Akira rushed to Yuki's side. "What are you talking about?" said Akira, with a noticeable tremor in his voice. "The Xigua clan and Xen Tribe are working together. We've lost about thirty people, while they had more than fifty."
Yuki's fears had infected Akira as well. "Akira, I'm sorry for what I said earlier. If something like this is happening... it really seems like they've come to destroy us. We should have been prepared for this, I should have been here," said Akane Koga.
Akira said, "I think we should go to Yuiken village. We can't stay here any longer. We need to gather everyone as soon as possible." This time, Akira was certain she wanted to flee.
Akane said, "Actually, there's something I forgot to mention. Kamiya Naizen had directly invited us to join them. I don't think this will be a problem. Let's move, everyone gets ready. We'll slow them down with the remaining warriors to create an opportunity for you, then we'll join you."
Yuki and Akira approved this idea. Then Akane Koga quickly prepared and packed her belongings. About fifty warriors accompanied Akane as they headed towards the battlefield. On the way, they encountered the scout sent by Naru. After receiving Naru's messages, they continued on their path with confident steps. There were twenty more people fighting alongside Naru. With a total of seventy people, they could hold off the enemy force of one hundred for a while, at least creating an opportunity to escape.
When they arrived at the battlefield, Akane realized that the situation wasn't as bad as they had expected. The others had done a good job, significantly reducing the number of enemies. However, those from the Xigua clan and the strong figures of the Xen tribe had not yet reached the battlefield.