Here is your
The great hall was a vision of old-world grandeur. Golden lanterns flickered softly, casting long shadows over the polished wooden floors.
Shoji screens framed the dimly lit space, their delicate paper filtering the light like moonbeams through a forest canopy. The scent of freshly brewed sake and roasted chestnuts lingered in the air, yet the atmosphere remained stiff—like a drawn blade on the verge of striking.
Daizen, Kento, and Payne sat opposite Fuyu, Mayor Akimasa, Yu and his new deputy, shinji, Akitsugu, and the esteemed masters—Haido and Ten-Kai. The table, a grand lacquered masterpiece stretching across the room, was laden with an array of traditional delicacies—grilled eel, sushi, steaming bowls of miso, and daifuku sweets, each plate a work of culinary art. Yet, no one except Yu reached for the food.
Yu, ever the glutton, smirked and took a hearty bite, savoring the flavors despite the cold glances cast his way. His philosophy was simple: waste no good meal, for battle was near, and strength was needed.
Fuyu cleared his throat, his sharp eyes flickering across the room. "Shall we begin?" he asked, rising with an air of practiced control.
A sharp grin spread across Payne's lips. "Not just yet."
In that instant, all eyes fell on Yu.
His face contorted—confusion first, then sheer horror. His hands trembled, his breath hitched. Within seconds, his pupils rolled back, foam bubbled at the corners of his mouth, and his body slumped forward, his face landing in his half-eaten meal. The room held its breath as his twitching form went still.
Akitsugu and Einosuke bolted upright, hands moving to their weapons. But Fuyu, still composed, merely waved them down.
Kento leaned forward, resting his arm on the table. "What about the other one?" His gaze cut toward Shinji.
Akitsugu's face hardened. "A city like Sakai is ruled through influence. To control it, you need the streets."
Kento scoffed, barely hiding his disdain. "If street thugs are your idea of power, you're more pathetic than I thought."
Daizen exhaled through his nose, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the wooden surface. His presence was suffocating—his muscles taut, his eyes cold as the steel of a katana. He reached into his jacket and slid a document across the table, a pen following shortly after.
"Sign," Daizen ordered, his voice as sharp as a drawn blade. "Then get the hell out of Sakai before nightfall."
The moment the words left his lips, chaos erupted.
The doors crashed open. The ceiling groaned. The paper-thin shoji screens shattered as armed men poured in, their blades and guns gleaming under the warm glow of the lanterns. The air grew thick with the scent of steel and adrenaline.
Mayor Akimasa burst into laughter, his voice echoing through the chamber. "You truly are delusional! A nameless orphan playing warlord—you think you can command us? You think you have the right to demand anything? You are nothing! Just another street rat who got lucky, this port is mine, you're surrounded, you lose!"
His laughter was cut short.
Ten-Kai and Master Haido exchanged glances. They sensed it—the fragile, false bravado laced in Akimasa's voice.
Fuyu stepped forward, his expression unreadable. He turned on his heel, his silk robes whispering against the floor as he walked past the table.
"What… What is this?" Akitsugu's voice wavered.
Daizen chuckled—a deep, menacing sound.
"You were set up although I didn't think you would be fool enough to fall for all of it."
The mayor's confidence shattered like porcelain. "Betrayal?" His voice cracked as he reached for his sword. "You… You traitor!"
Fuyu exhaled, his hand tightening around the dagger hidden within his sleeve. "Years and years, I have served you. And years and years, I have watched you drown this city in greed and corruption. You have treated me as a mere servant, yet without me, you would be nothing." His voice grew colder. "I have watched you sell Sakai to miscreants, foreigners, and criminals." His eyes flickered to Ten-Kai. "For power. For control,Master Daizen wants none of that, atleast not from Sakai, I will take over Sakai and shin here, will take over the streets."
No one noticed Shinji move.
With the grace of a shadow, he slithered behind Akimasa. The moment Fuyu finished speaking, Shinji struck.
The dagger plunged deep into the mayor's back.
The mayor gasped—a wet, gurgling sound—before blood spilled from his lips. His knees buckled, his body convulsed. He collapsed to the floor, twitching, before finally going still.
Payne grinned, his breath ragged with excitement. "Oh, I like this."
Daizen barely moved, his fingers curling into a fist. With a single nod, the men who had invaded the room withdrew—vanishing into the shadows like ghosts. Fuyu and Shinji bowed their heads and disappeared just as swiftly.
Now, the battlefield was set.
Three against three.
Akitsugu's breathing grew ragged. He clenched his fists, his knuckles whitening. Then, with a battle cry that shook the walls, he slammed his fist onto the shattered table, splintering the wood beneath his palm. He unsheathed his katana, its blade gleaming with murderous intent.
"I will handle him, do what you have to" Haido murmured, his gaze locked onto Kento. Ten-kai nodded,his eyes set on Daizen.
Daizen stood, his presence suffocating the room. His muscles tensed, his stance unwavering. His eyes—deep and calculating—bore down on Ten-Kai with the quiet intensity of a predator who knew its prey had nowhere left to run.
The air crackled with unspoken challenges.
Ten-kai inhaled sharply, his grip tightening around his sword.
Daizen's lips barely moved as he spoke.
"What are you waiting for?" His voice was like the whisper of a blade unsheathing.
"Come, show me what makes the warrior!" he commanded, his gaze piercing through the tension like lightning splitting the sky.
"Show me what you've learned."