The Mysterious Emperor
In the middle of the capital,
the Imperial Palace was known for its vast halls with gray-tiled roofs, and the gates were decorated in red with golden dragon engravings in the center of both gates. Surrounding the palace was a series of gardens with pink cherry trees forming a circle around the palace.
Inside the Imperial Palace,
at its center, the lights went out, and the place was filled with candles that harmonized with the red color. In the middle, the face of the person who ascended the throne was unseen, and in front of the throne engraved with red designs symbolizing fire ready to ignite, Takero bowed with reverence and respect, closing his eyes, his clothes still stained with blood.
His appearance was not visible because no candles were found around the throne, only surrounding it, but his golden eyes stood out in the darkness. He looked with eyes that revealed no emotion toward Takero and said in a sharp voice, "So, you say the Shadow Squad attacked the capital during my absence? How could an assassination squad cause all this damage? It seems that someone inside Nivaria is planning something so big that they dare to send an assassination squad to attack the capital."
Takero opened his eyes and said in a deep, firm voice, "When we fought the Shadow Squad, a strange person appeared who was able to eliminate most of the squad members with a single strike, as if they were mere insects before him. His appearance was unclear as he covered his body with blood, but his crimson eye was visible. He ignored everyone and disappeared."
For a moment, upon hearing this, the expression of the person sitting on the throne changed, showing shock for a moment. Suddenly, he remembered someone and said to himself with a smile, "Indeed, you have started to move, Akayama." Then the smile vanished from his face, and he regained his composure. He then continued in his sharp voice:
"Do not investigate him, Takero, for what he does will not harm anyone."
Takero was shocked by his words, sweat dripping down, and he said loudly, "But he is getting close to revealing who he is."
Before Takero could finish his sentence, the one on the throne replied angrily, emitting a strong red energy. The candles flared, his face became clear, and his power manifested. "Hey... Takero, do you wish to disobey my command?"
Takero bowed without hesitation, fearful and anxious at the same time, knowing that if he opposed as he did earlier, his head would fly and the palace would be filled with his blood. He decided to comply and said in a soft voice, panting from the immense power emanating from the person before him, "As you command, Your Majesty."
Flames swirled in the palace surrounding the throne, revealing his appearance: his short black hair covering his right eye, the left eye golden, pale features, a strong body, wearing a wide and very long robe with broad sleeves that reached the ground, crimson-brown in color, presenting a dignified and sharp figure. This person was known as Emperor Kagutsutsuchi Tenma… the strongest man in the empire, its unbreakable pillar.
Before Takero could leave the hall, a samurai dashed in at full speed. Gasping, his body trembling completely, his footsteps echoed through the palace. He quickly opened the door forcefully with both hands, his face pale and shaking, his eyes wide. He bowed swiftly and spoke in a broken, panicked voice:
"Y-Your Majesty… it's a disaster!"
Tenma was silent for a moment, then looked at him sharply and shouted, "What is happening? Speak immediately!"
The samurai continued, his right and left hands still trembling:
"The Empire of Sorcerers and the Ancient Kingdom… have both fallen entirely!"
A heavy silence engulfed the hall. Tenma thought to himself, still unable to comprehend what he had just heard. "Does this mean the Empire of Sorcerers and the Ancient Kingdom have been destroyed?" A thousand questions ran through Tenma's mind: How were they destroyed? What caused their destruction? He slowly tilted his face to the left, observing Takero's reaction, but Takero's expression was no less stunned than the samurai's… sweating profusely, his trembling body unable to hide the terror within.
Finally, Takero spoke in a trembling voice barely coming from his throat, "How were they destroyed?"
The samurai, in a state of shock, unable to convey the horrific news he had received, replied:
"It happened two days ago. Everyone in the city felt an overwhelming energy. No one could comprehend what they saw; they only saw a circular dome of darkness devouring an entire continent. During this, everyone fled, and all the city's offices sent delegations to investigate, consisting of fifty samurai and twenty scholars to confirm the source of the black matter. While on their way, they witnessed a terrifying dark energy engulfing the entire empire… Everyone proceeded with caution and entered the empire. They found only scattered corpses, as if an unknown entity had absorbed their souls and ripped life from their bodies completely. Lifeless bodies were shattered by the darkness, and beneath them, a strange viscous and sharp substance. Five members of the delegation tried to examine it but were killed."
Silence fell over the palace; no one could utter a word after hearing this. Tenma decided to break the silence, speaking in his calm, composed voice: "It seems my suspicions are correct. I have identified the cause of the Empire of Sorcerers incident, but do you know what happened in the Ancient Kingdom?"
The samurai replied in his fearful voice, "No, Your Majesty, but what reached us were cries for help, followed by screams heard by everyone on their way to the Ancient Kingdom."
Tenma looked at Takero seriously, his face devoid of any emotion showing the severity of the matter, and said in his composed voice:
"Inform Commander Ryota to head to the Empire of Sorcerers to investigate, and inform Roko and his deputy Seiji to go to the Ancient Kingdom. We must not waste time. Takero, let Roko depart tomorrow without delay."
Takero, relieved, bowed and said in his deep voice, "As you command, Your Majesty."
In one of the streets of the capital
The place was covered in dense fog. The capital was still damaged from the attack, streets filled with the stench of decomposing corpses. Other areas were covered with rubble from destroyed buildings, filled with blood and scattered corpses being eaten by insects and crows.
Samurai were checking the faces of the dead to inform their families of their fate. Among the corpses lay a person wearing a white kimono with a golden silk robe stained with blood, face disfigured with no eyes, body covered in blood, his stomach pierced by dark chains belonging to the Shadow Squad, his intestines visible. His head was completely shattered.
One samurai approached to examine closely and, seeing the hand wound, realized the corpse belonged to the third son of the ruling family of Kagetsu Jin city.
One day before, after the Shadow Squad attack — 10:00 PM
Jin was breathing heavily, feeling his body decay while still alive. He fell to the ground, his body collapsing as if something mysterious was tearing him from within. His veins swelled and became visible, about to burst. His left hand filled with blood, blood flowing from his eyes like tears. He grabbed his blonde hair, pulling it in pain, but it was useless. Threads appeared within the skin of his head, causing Jin to scream, "Kyaagghh… what…!" He tried to stand again but fell once more. His luxurious clothes became dirty, and he tried to speak in a faint voice to continue what he had said earlier, "It's… happening to me… Kyaagghh."
His scream was strange, but the pain was beyond what anyone could imagine.
Jin, screaming, lifted his eyes slightly to see Akayama standing before him with his usual smile. Jin, crawling on the ground, said in a trembling voice:
"What… is happening to me? Help me, please! I don't understand what's happening."
Akayama looked at him coldly, his crimson eyes frozen, indifferent to anything, and his voice void of any tone. The scene resembled someone coming to watch a play rather than to save someone. Calmly, he said, "Your mission is over."
Despite the pain and despair, Jin held onto the last thread of hope and asked, spitting blood from his mouth, as his throat began to decay:
"What… do you… mean by… that?"
But that glimmer of hope shattered when he saw the hidden truth…
Akayama's hair began to turn from black to silver, his eyes became even more terrifying. This was his true form, his face hidden under the Ronin hat.
Jin gasped in terror, his body shaking as his original memories returned, recalling what happened in the battle of Yosuko.
Images… scenes… sounds… flooded his mind. He remembered things he never knew before. The truth was far worse than he imagined; everything had been fake… even his thoughts. Jin realized he had been a puppet, a puppet played by Akayama.
In a trembling voice, he asked:
"Why… did you do this?"
Akayama smiled, but his smile carried no meaning, and said in a harsh voice:
"You were not supposed to witness that battle… at that time, I knew you were a spy, but the reason I did not kill you was one: if you had returned alone with Yosuko's corpse, what would have been everyone's reaction? A weak samurai killing a former commander, I would have been exposed easily and forced to kill everyone. But sacrificing one soul is better. What did you expect, spoiled noble, when they sent you on this mission? Did you think they sent you to test you? No, they sent you as a bug to inform them of what happened. No need to continue, farewell, spoiled noble."
Jin fell to the ground. There was no time even to scream.
He whispered his last words faintly with a smile, "You know my family rules Kagetsu city… why did you do that? Do you want death?"
Hearing Jin's pathetic words, Akayama laughed heartily, "Hahaha, do you think I forgot that? I invented a good story for that: the son of the ruling family of Kagetsu, talented, killed by the squad members who destroyed most of the capital's buildings, met his death along with the rest of the talented samurai."
Jin tried to crawl towards him, but only felt a sharp sting in his stomach. Looking down, he saw a chain of the Shadow Squad pierced through his body. He began to vomit blood continuously. His veins swelled in his hands, and when he tried to move his right hand, it exploded. Moving his left hand caused it to explode as well, then his head suddenly exploded, walls stained with blood, his eyes flung away from his body along with a face frozen in absolute terror.
Akayama looked at the corpse silently, then smiled and turned away, leaving behind the remains of a shattered puppet.
Akayama left everything and pondered within himself after what he had done:
"I have wondered all my life whether everyone sees as I see. I saw nothing but a world of blood and darkness. Is that because of my power? Or what?"
Before Akayama lay a red-and-black scene, a strange world different from what others saw. He continued, "I do not fear what will happen to me, but I fear what I will do."
And Akayama walked away along that blood-soaked path.
End of Chapter
The first event in the story has ended — the Shadow Squad event. The first twelve chapters were introductory chapters, and the next arc is the Old Kingdom Arc. The narration will gradually change, and I hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters.