The Higanbana Throne, Batō Kōkyo — Some time before the public announcement of Mura’s bounty. Kirin walked into the Higanbana Throne room, having received its name from the official flower of the Empire. Since the untimely death of his predecessor, Mara had the imperial throne room redecorated according to his tastes. The towering pillars of polished ebony stretched up to the domed ceiling as it once had, but the once lively light of the palace had been sucked dry.

It now possessed a most unpleasant chill, like that of a damp cavern. Many of torches lining the walls were removed, making the grand hall dimmer in comparison. Mara had replaced them with orbs of magical light, all in varying sizes and hovering throughout the grand throne room; resembling a cascade of fireflies lighting the space like a small nebula.

However, a majority of light in the room came from the throne itself. The seat of power had been newly commissioned after the previous one was destroyed during Orochi’s assassination. This new throne was massive, made from obsidian steel that stretched out like wings from the floor and folded into armrests. The backrest consisted of smaller pillars of black marble and stone that gradually increased in scale and grandeur the closer they came to the middle of the back.

Behind the throne were several enchanted vines extending from behind and arching toward the ceiling. They were of a dull golden color and emitted a light glow, but the centerpiece were the massive plumes of flame that stretched upwards from behind the vines themselves. They refused to ignite amidst the even-burning hellfire that appeared behind the seated emperor, rendering the throne the only object of warmth within the room.

Kirin walked up the stairs of the dark cathedral as her eyes were drawn to the emperor himself, seated upon his infernal throne. To accommodate his tall stature, the throne was twice his size and appeared more like a small volcano from far away. Flames licked up from the sides of the chair as Mara sat unmoving, the light from behind casting him in a fixed silhouette.

As Kirin moved closer, she could tell he didn’t have his veiled hat on; but instead had his long hair down, slicked back and cascading around his shoulders. The right side of his face was partially obscured by a few locks of hair that hung like curtains. Finally reaching the base of the throne, Kirin knelt before him, her silver armor reflecting the fire’s amber glow along with the glimmering orbs around them.

Looking up at her emperor, she could vaguely see that his eyes were closed. A frown was resting upon his youthful visage, unseen within the shadows.

“It would seem as though our beloved Bloodstrider saw fit to abdicate his post…” Mara spoke sardonically, his facial expression unchanged. “The display I conducted… I surmise it left you with many questions, hence why I called you forth, my child.”

Mara opened his left eye, allowing it to give off an unnatural glow that Kirin immediately noticed. The sclera was a jaundiced yellow with an iris possessing the shade of a ripened plum, matching his violet tear ducts. He didn’t have one pupil, but a trio of small black pinpoints in a crest within the iris. Ashen eyelashes clung to the delicate folds of his lids, overtly longer than any woman’s.

“Forgive my duplicity, but the carnage was unfortunately much needed. The deaths of those guards were not in vain. They gave their lives to embolden our divine Empire, along with its people,” Mara said as Kirin looked up at him in silence.

—I know that… but why did they have to die for such a senseless act… Some of them I knew, I called them my friends…

Kirin immediately stopped herself. She had to remind herself that such thoughts were wrong to have against the Empire. They were seeds of baseless doubt, of course. The Emperor would always do what was best for the people. She just hadn’t been in Mara’s service as long as she had with Orochi. Telling herself such things helped with rationalizing the choices made. It was an adjustment period, but it’d eventually end.

“Majesty… I would never question your judgement. Your will is the will of divinity itself. I, along with the other Jikininki, are your tools to craft a better world for us all.”

The thin crease across Mara’s face grew into a soft smile.

“If only that peccant rube possessed an ounce of your patriotism, my child. He wasn’t worthy of such an office… but I digress. I have summoned you here to further your glorious purpose.”

Mara withdrew his unseen hand from the linings of his garments, clutching something in its grasp. He stretched out the clenched fist toward her, slowly and methodical.

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“Retrieve your prize, my Tenth. Do you recall our private meeting some time ago? You brought a most curious predicament to my attention…”

Kirin’s heart skipped a beat as she unconsciously brought a hand up to her breast before catching herself and lowering it.

“Remember, do not label such a thing as a sign of weakness. I see your dilemma as something that separates you from the others in a superior way.”

Kirin closed her eyes, focusing on Mara’s words of kindness. She briefly remembered the day he called her into his private quarters, wishing to officially grant her the Jikininki Pin she currently had fastened to her armor. His words sparked something within Kirin that comforted her, yet left her longing for his approval.

There was something that she always had to report to her superiors, as it was technically a disability. An abnormality that left its mark on her physically, left her crippled in places where others excelled. She revealed it to Mara, just as she had with Orochi centuries ago. Kirin braced herself for the typical words of sympathy or disgust that followed without fail, however they never came from his lips.

He smiled and touched her shoulder, telling her it was okay to bear something that separated her from the others. His words weren’t of pity, but of praise and encouragement. He was impressed she had come so far on her physical prowess alone and promised to guide her in as his personal apprentice. Now here he was, bestowing her service with a gift. She had completely forgotten the doubts she felt moments ago.

“Come…” Mara crooned, uncoiling his skeletal fingers. Resting on his palm was a slipstream ring, one she had never seen before. “A suitable boon I had crafted to better your natural gifts.”

Kirin rose from her position and walked up to Mara. As she drew closer, the heat emitting from the fires of his throne warmed her body; even within the armor she wore. She looked down at the ring resting in his pale hand and looked up at the glowing eye peering down at her for approval. Bowing with thankfulness, she gently claimed the ring from his palm.

Taking a few steps back, she put the metal ring onto her middle finger; eager to see the new weapon while keeping her composure. Summoning it into existence, she was surprised when the weapon materialized around her forearm. The weapon spawned into existence, its massive size throwing Kirin off-guard.

It was nearly as tall as she was, encompassing the lower half of her arm like a thick armored sleeve. The weapon resembled a lance in concept, its design appearing like a spiral cone seashell. There was a handle within the cone for her to grip, with a strong brace around her forearm to better handle the load. Despite its massive size, it felt surprisingly lightweight; possibly through the means of enchantments. Overall, the weapon was of a pale blue color; the girthy ribbed brace around her wrist exuding a low hum and a blue glow that contrasted with the orange flames near the throne.

“It is yet unnamed, the blacksmith Hob wished for you to give it one yourself. Unlike most of his weapons, I had it imbued with souls captured from a recent Goetia raid on Earth; courtesy of Fifth. You lack a Thrall, so henceforth this weapon shall be your own .”

Kirin observed the smooth, spiral surface of the lance; its mass growing slimmer until it reached a pointed edge at the tip.

“It is capable of physical combat, either through blunt force or piercing attacks. However, it possesses a hidden third option. The blacksmith reported it can funnel your Tamashiryoku and emit it from the tip as a cannon of pure focused energy.”

Tears manifested in her eyes as she marveled at the splendor of her new gift.

“I’m eternally thankful… I… I don’t know how I can repay you,” she stumbled, clearly overwhelmed.

“You needn’t repay me, simply use it as your tool. One to shape a better world for your Empire and its subjects.”

Kirin nodded and bowed her head before looking once more at her weapon.

“Your name… will be Eckesachs,” she said to the lance. It hummed back, the souls within the forged piece content with their new identity.

Mara adjusted his position, resting both hands on the armrests of his seat.

“A fine name indeed… and I have in mind the first blood it shall spill.”

Kirin retracted Eckesachs into her slipstream ring, kneeling before the Emperor to receive her orders.

“Yes, your Majesty?”

“Travel to the city of Ema within Japan. There you shall find a recently escaped bounty, albeit not the one you’re expecting,” Mara said, his smile gone and replaced with a formal tone and shadowed expression to match. “His name is Paimon, a participant in the tournament not too long ago. After his loss and unable to pay off his warrant, he fled to the human realm. He leads a gang of feeble reprobates; nothing you cannot handle among yourself and the ladies of your squadron.”

Kirin looked up at Mara, her determination apparent.

“And what if I encounter the traitor, Mura?”

“I have belief Paimon will attempt to slay Mura, for revenge of his humiliating loss at the tourney and for the bounty to be set on the Bloodstrider’s head. I wish for you to find Paimon and wait. Wait for him to locate Mura… then you may dispose of both for me.”

Kirin nodded to herself. The plan was brilliant, although it was no surprise her leader could conjure something of the sort.

“It will be done, your Majesty,” Kirin said, bowing a final time before standing once again.

“I have faith you shall not fail me, Tenth…” Mara said, his voice calming yet slightly invocative of a veiled threat. “You are dismissed.”

Kirin didn’t take it as anything of the sort, however. She had failed only once with her former emperor. The same wouldn’t happen again.

She had erased any semblance of compassion once held toward the man she trained. He was nothing more than a target. A traitor to the Empire and a means to an end to further herself into glory.

There would be blood, and it would be hers to take.