In a bamboo forest near to the Suzuki Clan’s territory a black-clothed, small girl with long black hair swings a sword that seems somewhat large for her height. If you were to look closely, this sword’s single edge was sharp, the wave pattern on its slightly curved blade rippling as it split the air, leaving behind a sharp whistling sound and slight distortion in the air where it passed.
This girl was Kira who, after some searching, was unable to find any Advanced-rank Weapon Skills no matter where she looked. Even the Elders she knew would have them didn’t appear willing to let her see them when she asked.
She was sitting in her room and skimming through some high-level Basic Skills, somewhat at a loss with how to proceed, when her mother had entered with a gift, the exquisite, sharp-bladed katana that she now trained with.
Its scabbard was made of lacquered wood and wrapped in imported ray-skin which was painted black and inlaid with gold trim in the shape of beautiful twin dragons. The metal handguard, or tsuba, was oval-shaped and depicted two dragons biting at each other’s tails, forming a continuous cycle.
It wasn’t just the fittings that were appealing to the eye, the blade itself was a work of art.
On the long curved blade, the beautiful wave-like hamon, which looked like a rising dragon[1], marked the rough boundary between the more flexible spine steel and the harder edge steel. If you held the blade at a certain angle in the light, you could see the criss-crossing lines in the metal that represented the Folding Steel technique in which the metal was repeatedly heated, folded and hammered flat forming thousands of interwoven layers of steel that ensured that the strength of the metal was distributed evenly. Furthermore, even though it wasn’t visible to the naked eye, the core of the sword was made of steel of varying hardness to absorb shock and allow the sword to hold an extremely sharp edge without snapping.
Such a blade would take a master smith several months to create from start to finish assuming he had no other duties, making it a weapon that was never mass-produced and only made for those who could afford it.
Kira knew that her brother, Kagetsuna, also owned one of these sharp masterpiece swords with a similar twin dragon motif but she had never seen him use it. Why it was strange that her mother gave this to her now was because Kagetsuna had only received his after his tenth birthday at his coming-of-age ceremony, while she was still three years too young.
When she asked her mother about this she said that it was to celebrate her entering the Core rank and that Kagetsuna’s coming-of-age ceremony just happened to coincide with his breakthrough into Core rank.
Kira brought her sword down to her hip as she united those hyperactive and calm energies and melded them into a smooth yet dull gold sphere of Quintessence. Firing it off with her mental strength, she guided it into her Greater Wind Activation Path and mentally directed it at every crossroads. As its purpose was shaped, it emitted a bright luminescence.
Once Activated, the Quintessence spiralled down the length of Kira’s sword to land on the tip as she moved forward explosively, slashing sideways at the air. At the same time, a flash of gold crossed her pupils as the orb left a glimmering, arc-like trail that shot forward through the bamboo stalks.
The air rippled as an unseen force swept out from the blade. About three meters in front of Kira, thin lines became visible on the stalks of thick bamboo. Those closest to her crashed to the floor half a second after thin lines appeared around them. About 1.5 metres away, the bamboo swayed precariously, cut about halfway through while those 3 metres away or further only showed light scratches.
Kira’s breathing was slightly heavier as she sheathed her blade, observing her work.
“As expected from a high-level Basic Skill. This ‘Wind Rending’ is definitely more exhausting than ‘Rising Air Current’ and also more difficult to grasp. I’ve finally learned it but it has a really bad effective range right now, so I might as well just fight normally. Although, if I can master this Skill, forget about polearms, not even archers will be a problem!”
Kira smiled partially out of recognition of this Skill’s potential. She had used and practiced Skills before but, having come from a world without cultivation, personally being able to perform an attack like this that completely defied what she had believed to be possible brought her an indescribable happiness.
‘As long as things keep going like this and I keep getting stronger, no one will be able to match me.’
This was definitely one of the clan’s better Skills but, appropriately, the level of understanding needed to learn and master it was on a level above the other high-level Basic Skills she’d found.
Although Kira’s body control was extremely precise, she was no expert at energy control, as displayed in the instinctual measures, backed-up with some knowledge, that she used during her breakthrough.
Not counting the initial learning process, when using a Weapon Skill, there were three fundamental processes in order to execute it: combining the Twin Energies in the correct ratio while supplying the right amount of energy; drawing the resulting Quintessence through the Skill’s specified Activation Path; and lastly, using the right Release Method through the correct type of weapon to bring about its effects on reality.
As a result of Kira’s below-average energy control, it took her almost the whole day just to roughly mix her energy properly for this Skill’s precise Twin Energy ratios as well as memorise its more complex Activation Path. Her resulting first attempt was far from usable but she knew that, with time and her greatly increased Soul Energy reserve from reaching Core rank, she would be able to get this Skill to at least 30% mastery today.
When training Weapon Skills it’s important to note that the first 50% mastery is relatively easy as most of it is just broad adjustments to energy manipulation and body movements. After that, up until 80% mastery, fine adjustments are needed until releasing the Skill becomes instinctual, precise and reliable.
The last 20% mastery is by far the most difficult. To achieve complete mastery, you have to gain particular insights into the Skill itself which would manifest without the conscious effort of the user. For this reason, most people train their Skills up to about 60-80% and leave it at that. To try and progress any further than 80% requires a rare mixture of knowledge, wisdom and luck.
Kira understood this well and knew that, by her physical movements alone, she could get up to 20% easily. Apart from the 20% insight, this still left 60% for energy control.
‘These Twin Energies are really too important. My cultivation talent can’t be considered anything special so I have to work hard and, if possible, find a way to make my Takanashi-style sword techniques relevant in this world.’
Kira sighed inwardly. Despite making good progress at a rate many would envy, she knew that to reach her previous peak at this rate would take at least seven years.
…Another seven years in which anything could happen to her new clan and she would be powerless to stop it.
Gritting her teeth, she refocused on her training.
A few tens of meters away a male youth with short spiky hair and a cheeky grin was watching Kira. Kagetsuna stared at his sister admiringly. Despite her brush with death not so long ago, here she was, back in training. If it was him, he would’ve just taken it easy for a few days then slowly eased back into his schedule, and even then he would probably slack off a bit if he felt like it.
He knew, however, that he had to keep vigilant. A large enough amount of time had passed for something to happen to Kira, but so far not even a leaf seemed out of place. Surely a group as powerful as the Oda Clan wouldn’t wait so long to make a move now that she had recovered. The only clan they would hesitate against would be the Toyotomi Clan…
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‘Well whatever. No news is good news I guess.’
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A clifftop near the bamboo forest.
“Report.”
“Boss, she’s here as we expected. She seems to have returned to her weekly schedule.”
“Good, is that all?”
“No sir. Her brother is also here. He’s been staying near her lately. There were a quite a few times when we were nearly caught by him. His Soul Sense is definitely not normal for a twelve year-old.”
“Hmm, this makes things a bit difficult. You can go.”
A small boy quickly vanished from sight leaving an older youth, about nineteen and with a serious expression, to brood on his own. This tall youth with medium-length dark hair and piercing blue eyes was none other than the Junior Clan Leader of the Oda Clan, Oda Yamato.
While he didn’t harbour any particular romantic feelings for Kira, her reaction to the proposal back then made him feel somewhat poorly about himself. He knew clearly that were it not for his position as the Junior Clan Leader and his unusual eye colour, he was average enough that most girls wouldn’t give him a second look.
However, he had both of these in his favour which meant that there was no shortage of girls from Edge looking to get on his good side. Although he’d never admit it to himself, he had become used to this sort of treatment from the fairer sex.
When Kira, this girl who, at seven years old, didn’t have any particular appeal and seemed rather cold, appeared to go into a fit at the thought of marrying him, he’d been genuinely shocked and began to question his own appeal. Now, all those girls who threw themselves at him felt like hollow jars and their attention couldn’t satisfy him anymore.
He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when his father came to him and ordered him to take revenge on Kira for refusing the marriage proposal. Yes, she may have insulted them, something which he couldn’t take lightly, but, at the same time, she had awoken him from his dreamland and made him feel a desire in his heart for a girl who would look past his exterior and his background and accept the real him. For this reason, he felt somewhat thankful even though it meant he wasn’t very happy most of the time.
Following his father’s commands, he’d gathered a few of the younger generation of the clan and began their preparations to exact revenge. They’d begun by covertly making enquiries about Kira’s whereabouts and found out about her weekly schedule. After secretly tailing her for a while, they’d confirmed that it was indeed accurate information. Now, however, they’d come across their biggest hurdle.
“That kid. Why do the heavens have to be so unfair?”
“Oi, Yamato, girls on your mind again?”
“Very funny, Chisuke, but it’s only one girl this time. I’m just trying to figure out how to deal with something.”
“Ah, marriage spats? Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll work it out somehow, haha.”
“You know very well my relationship with this girl seeing as I asked for your help, idiot.”
“Back at you, retard.”
His closest friend, Oda Chisuke, had walked up to him. Seeing Yamato’s serious expression, he couldn’t help poking him in the side a bit.
“So, it’s about Oni Kagetsuna, isn’t it, Yamato?”
“Of course. Even I’m not confident in winning one-on-one against that guy, or even three-on-one.”
“Then the answer is simple man, just don’t fight him, haha.”
“I feel like you’re trying to help me and insult me at the same time.”
“I’m deadly serious bro. This Kira is your target, right? So, we just need to split them up. You can handle Kira, the rest of us will deal with the Oni.[2]”
“Are you really an idiot? Don’t you know what happened in the Suzuki Clan a few days ago?”
“What about those rumours? You don’t honestly believe that little girl could even find a Special-rank Skill, let alone gather the energy for it at the Foundation rank. It was probably just a high-level Basic Skill with a strong Wind affinity. Worst case scenario, that Oni passed off his Skill as hers, nothing more.”
“You’re probably right, Chisuke. I know I have to repay the insult she gave our clan and to me personally, but this already gives me a bad taste in my mouth.”
“I get you. It’s not in our nature as men to harm women but face is important. Debts like this must be repaid.”
Yamato nodded his head. He had to put his feelings aside for now. Duty came first.
“Boss! They’re leaving!”
“Understood. Guys, get ready! We move now! Chisuke, take the rest of the guys and isolate Oni Kagetsuna. I’ll handle the girl.”
At their Junior Clan Leader’s command, the eight or so older teens from the Oda Clan donned their red-and-white kabuki[3] masks and, dressed in plain white training gear, silently ran down the mountainside and into the bamboo forest.
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“I have a question. Why do you keep following me, Brother?”
“Is it wrong for an older brother to care about his little sis?”
“No, but it is unusual for you. You’re usually doing your usual chore of defeating everyone in the Training Hall.”
“Oh, really? Must’ve forgot.”
“There’s no need to play the fool with me, Mother and Father sent you to keep watch on me in case a similar situation occurs again, didn’t they?”
‘Eh…’
Kagetsuna knew that he couldn’t let Kira know the real reason he was following her but the reason she gave was the perfect excuse to use for now.
“Yeah…That’s pretty much it. You’re really smart, just like mom.”
“No need to flatter me. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the company, I just don’t enjoy being treated like a firework near a box of flint and steel. I can take care of myself now if something like tha-”
Swish…CLANG!
A dagger impaled itself in the ground next to them, interrupting Kira’s words while Kagetsuna stood there with his sword drawn, having just deflected it as it was flying towards them.
“Who is it? Show yourself!”
Swish. Swish. Swish. Swish. Swish…CLANGCLANGCLANG. Thud. Thud.
The unknown assailants not only didn’t reveal themselves, but instead replied with a flurry of throwing daggers from above. Kira, who had by now drawn her dragon-motif katana, and Kagetsuna, with his matching sword, managed to deflect several daggers before the rest forced them apart.
As they leapt away from each other, nine white-clothed, masked figures, wielding various weapons, fell down from above, separating them. Eight of them circled around Kagetsuna while the remaining one, with angled red eyebrows on his mask, who appeared to be the leader, strode towards Kira, wielding an overly-large greatsword.
The greatsword was longer than Kira’s katana and almost thrice as wide as her arm, sharp dual edges gleaming dully in the subdued light of the forest. Its handguard was a simple crossguard without much protection but, from the way her assailant held it, Kira could tell that this person had known no other weapon as well as this one.
“Who are you? What is your purpose in doing this?”
“Suzuki Clan’s Suzuki Kira, almost four weeks ago you insulted someone you could not afford to. Now, as you have requested, you will take full responsibility.”
“Four weeks ago?...You must be from the Oda Clan. Back then I thought I’d made it clear that I didn’t intend to offend anyone. I’d never guess that the great Oda Clan was actually this petty.”
Seeing the difference in Kira’s manner from that time, Yamato couldn’t help feeling a bit indignant. She insults his clan then claims no intention of doing so when he’s about to exact revenge. What kind of farce was this?
“You caused my clan to lose a lot of face. That is something I can’t easily forgive. However, against my better judgment, I will give you an opportunity. Surrender yourself and we’ll give you a punishment that doesn’t involve you losing your life today.”
Naturally, Oda Takaharu was in such a rage that he didn’t just want Kira to be crippled, he wanted her life as well. He may have been angry, but he was also clever. He knew that If it was seen as a sparring match that went out of hand, neither him nor his clan could be blamed for it.
“And tomorrow? Or the next day? Seeing as the Oda Clan is this deceitful and pretentious, how can I believe anything you say? The moment I surrender is the moment I lose control over my destiny! That said, I’d rather die today…not that I have any intention to.”
“Foolish girl. With our backing, the Oda Clan is the strongest faction in Edge. Even if you live today, do you really think that staying here will be comfortable for you? Your second-rate clan, even with help from the Toyotomi Clan, won’t be able to keep you safe. Is that really what you want?”
Despite everything said and done, Yamato still didn’t agree with having to kill this girl, let alone someone so young and full of potential. Thus, he’d tried his best to convince her that surrender was the best option. With his say, he was sure that his father would be lenient and spare her life at the very least.
What he didn’t expect, however, was this fiery and headstrong girl that, when compared with the calm and obedient one he’d met before, made him doubt whether he attacked the right person. If it was the wrong girl, he would really be in trouble. The thing that confirmed that this was the right person was that the coldness in her eyes was the same as that time, although now it had sharpened to a point and was directed at him and him alone.
Surrounded by the ring of white-clothed figures, Kagetsuna heard the entire conversation and couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows at Kira’s abrupt change in personality. He always thought that her manner of speaking was merely a strange quirk that she couldn’t control, but now he realised that it came from a sense of deep respect, something that she wouldn’t be kind enough to afford to a real enemy.
Letting his usual wide grin plaster his face, Kagetsuna prepared himself. The sooner he dealt with these eight masked clowns, the sooner they could go home.
‘After all, it doesn’t matter how many you are if you’re all trash. Sending one guy for my sister is really disrespecting her. Even rumours have some seed in truth y’know.’
Kagetsuna thought as the white-masked leader repeated his question.
“Do you really want to die here today?”
“What you should be worrying about is, if I make it out alive, for how long do you think the Oda Clan can continue to stand in Edge? No matter what or how long it takes, I’ll repay this attempt on my life a hundred-fold!”
[1] Far Eastern dragons look more like flying snakes than the winged dragons of the West.
[2] Devil, Older brother, all depends if you say ‘i’ or ‘ii’. (see Chapter 2)
[3] Traditionally worn by Japanese dance-drama actors. Kabuki theatre.