The whole thing stunk like a double-cross.

Today, the Shogun would make an example of me—an execution designed not just to end my life but to send a message to anyone who dared challenge his rule. And God knows what the Emperor was planning.

There was also the distinct possibility I no longer represented any strategic value to the Ninja. I hadn’t heard a word about the plan—not that they could have contacted me over the past ten days, even if they wanted to. But if there was, in fact, a plan to save me and strike the Shogun, they sure were taking their sweet-ass time.

I wasn’t about to leave my fate to anybody, even the Ninja faction. If push came to shove, I’d take matters into my own hands.

“Ember, the Lord Shogun commands your presence,” a guard announced as he and three others entered the room. They secured iron shackles around my wrists and ankles. Earlier, attendants had offered me a white ceremonial kimono and a bath, a final gesture before they chopped off my head, but I refused.

As we made our way to the ceremonial execution grounds, burning incense wafted through the air, accompanied by distant chanting—a reminder of my time at Thunder Temple. As anticipated, the Shogun chose a public execution.

The courtyard was the size of a soccer field, with a platform in the center. It was a simple yet imposing structure of dark wood polished to a dull sheen. A white mat lay in the center, marking where I would kneel. Nearby, my executioner, a giant Samurai, stood with a sheathed katana.

As two guards led me up the platform steps, Cragmarr stood in the front row with Kitty perched on his shoulder. His expression was grim, but he gave me a nod—a silent assurance everything would be okay. Distressed, Kitty settled down after I mentally urged her to behave.

The crowd fell into a hush as I was forced to my knees on the mat. Conversations died out, and all eyes turned toward me, filled with curiosity, fear, and morbid fascination. To some, I was a criminal and an enemy, deserving the fate awaiting me. To others, I was a political pawn, about to suffer injustice at the hands of an oppressive regime.

My favorite herald stepped forward to address the crowd. Reading from a scroll, his nasal voice struggled to carry over the masses as he began to speak.

“By the decree of the Lord Shogun, Ember, an enemy of the state, you are hereby sentenced to death for your crimes. Let this execution serve as a reminder to all who dare challenge our Lord Shogun’s authority. May your fate be a lesson to those who harbor thoughts of rebellion.”

Across the courtyard, the Shogun sat on a raised platform, surrounded by his consorts and guards. Above him, archers, with bows drawn, lined the rooftops. At least another hundred fully armored Samurai stood on ramparts and the ground. That’s a lot of security.

I scanned the crowd for familiar faces and found none at first. But before I blinked into the Jingozi arena to look more, I spotted a small elven child with blonde curls a few rows deep. When we made eye contact, she raised a baseball-sized green stone—a Nexus stone.

My pulse quickened. So, there is a plan.

“Does the condemned have any last words or prayers?”

Oh, you bet your fast ass I do, you piece of shit.

A voice rang out from the crowd.

“I wish to address our Lord Shogun and the court!”

Name: Ryuunosuke

Tier 1 Apprentice

Faction Samurai [Warrior]

Level: 24

I barely recognized him. He was dressed in civilian clothes, with a cast encasing his right arm and a splint supporting his left leg. Bloody bandages wrapped his head and covered his left eye. Now tangled and matted, his once-perfect hair draped a marred face with bruises and scratches.

Ryuunosuke hobbled onto the stage.

“My Lord, you have refused an audience with me since my return,” he addressed the crowd more than the Shogun. “I have no choice but to seek a public appeal.”

The herald, fidgeting like he’d just been given a wedgie, glanced toward the Shogun. With a nod from the faction leader, the herald stepped back. Ryuunosuke stepped between me and the executioner.

“This woman is no criminal. She is a Jingozi apprentice!”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

“But she is also a defector. After brokering an arrangement with the Samurai, she planned to escape the North. That’s when the Golem ambushed our convoy, and everything was lost. Knowing who she was, I entrusted her with delivering the scroll to you, my Lord. I gave her my token, believing it was my honor to sacrifice my life for our cause... your cause, my Lord.”

The crowd erupted into a chorus of protests, their agitation growing.

“Silence!” the Shogun’s voice thundered. He waited until you could hear a pin drop.

“Ryuunosuke, you have served our faction honorably and survived in the face of certain death. For that, you have my undying gratitude. But I cannot trust you. How can I when it is abundantly clear you have been so tempted and corrupted by this… whore, sent from the North? Your wounds and suffering have blinded you from the truth. Take him away to rest and proceed with the execution.”

Ryuunosuke fell to his knees before me, bowing his head to his hands.

“I’m sorry, Ember.”

“Ryuunosuke, where’s Hiro? Tell me he made it.”

He looked up in despair as two guards dragged him off.

“He did… as I promised,” he cried. “But the Shogun… executed… forgive me.”

* * *

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

They did it. They broke me.

I knelt on the swirling black floor of the Jingozi arena. My face was swollen from hours of sobbing, and time had lost all meaning in the dark, infinite space where grief consumed me. I couldn’t stop thinking about Hiro—his innocence, and now, his death.

“I’m here, Ember,” the voice whispered.

“Hiro… Why?”

My heart was torn apart as I crawled forward, my gaze fixed on the reflection of Tokugawa Masamune, the Shogun. I hated him. Zooming into his face, I fixated on the one I despised the most.

Something was off. His mouth was slack, and his eyes were rolled into the back of his head like he was possessed. I scanned those beside him—they were oblivious.

Wait, what is that?

I almost missed the three Jingozi from the exhibition, obscured by shadows behind the Shogun. The Shogun and his entourage would’ve been completely unaware of their presence. But why were they there? They definitely weren’t watching my execution.

The Jingozi defector.

If the Jingozi knew the Samurai faction was harboring a traitor, they’d be more than motivated to intervene somehow. That must’ve been why they sanctioned the exhibition in the first place. But what were they waiting for? Or was this the opportunity the Ninja faction was planning?

I furiously cycled my deck until I found the hand I wanted.

[0/0] [Death Strike +5] [3/5] [Evolve] [4/4]

I cast [Evolve] on my [0/0], using 50 Zii to boost it into a [50/0]. Then I cast [Death Strike], adding another 5 Zii to buff it to a [55/0]. With the maximum multiplier of 12 Zii, it surged to a [660/0]. If that wasn't enough to kill him in his vulnerable state, I don’t know what would. If I got the shot off, my Zii would be dangerously low—a risk I was willing to take.

It was just a matter of studying the layout and making the right plan.

* * *

Using the Jingozi’s line of sight, I blinked back to the courtyard directly behind the Shogun.

He slumped forward in his stool. His left eye exploded into crimson mist as something burrowed into the back of his head with a sickening squelch. His body convulsed, then flopped onto the floor.

A consort, now spattered in blood, turned and saw the seizing Shogun on the ground. Her wide eyes locked onto me next. Her scream tore through the air.

Name: Edric the Cruel

Tier 5 Faction Leader

Faction: Emperor [Overlord]

Level: ???

I didn’t need the notification to know the Emperor was there—somewhere.

“Edric,” I hissed.

AUTO DODGE: SUCCESSFUL

Card Discarded [4/4] 100%

A guard lunged forward, attempting to spear me with his polearm. I ducked and spun as the blade thrust over my head. Completing the evasive maneuver, guards dove onto the Shogun’s body.

“Protect the Shogun!” someone shouted.

I blinked out.

After catching my breath in the Jingozi arena, I could only go to four places next. The first was back to the platform with the executioner and three guards. The second was into the panicked crowd, risking innocent lives. The third was a rampart, where more guards surrounded me. Finally, the roof exposed me to archers while abandoning Cragmarr and Kitty below. On top of it all, I was still shackled.

I took my chances and blinked back to the platform. The executioner and two guards drew their swords.

Five Jingozi cards whistled through the air. The first two sliced through the chains between my wrists and ankles. The third and fourth struck the two guards, exploding on impact to send them tumbling off the back of the platform. The final card found the gap between the executioner’s helmet and chest plate before evaporating into a red puff of smoke. He fell to his knees, clutching his neck to stop the blood streaming through his fingers.

Nice shots, Sora.

The crowd had erupted into chaos. People stampeded in all directions, some cowering and falling to the ground, only to be trampled, while others stood frozen in bewilderment.

AUTO DODGE: SUCCESSFUL

Card Discarded [3/5] 60%

I tilted my head just in time to dodge an arrow as another volley rained onto the platform.

AUTO DODGE: FAIL

Card Discarded [3/4] 75%

I braced myself for the hit, but Cragmarr’s forearm deflected the shot at the last moment. He wrapped his arms around me, turning to form a body shield as arrows shattered against his rocky back. Kitty was nestled between us, curled into a silver armored ball.

“Nice save, Crag.”

Cragmarr grunted an acknowledgment as the cavalry arrived.

Ninjas appeared first on the wall behind the archers, and in a flurry, the first Samurai fell, their throats slit. Masked Ninjas in red moved like wraiths, shuriken flashing as they cut down the other guards stationed on the walls. Screams filled the air as the crowd scattered to avoid the onslaught.

The Samurai on the ground rallied, forming a defensive perimeter around the platform. But the Ninjas were relentless, their attacks coming from every direction. Multiple smoke bombs exploded amid the Samurai ranks, and more guards fell, their armor clattering to the ground. Pockets of skirmishes broke out around me, the Ninjas everywhere, their movements too fast to follow.

Two masked figures intercepted a Samurai leaping onto the platform towards us. They moved as one, their coordination flawless, each strike timed to complement the other. I recognized their styles—Hikari and Kaito. Hikari’s katana deflected a Samurai’s blow while Kaito darted in low, cutting the Samurai’s legs out from under him.

“Ember, we’re getting you out of here!” Hikari shouted.

“Follow us!” Kaito ordered. “And stay close!”

“Go,” Cragmarr said. “I will cover you.”

Kitty leaped onto my shoulders, wrapping me with her tail in time to deflect an arrow. Cragmarr loaded a Jingozi card and transformed into a hulking spiked giant. He grabbed a guard and swung the body like a mace, clearing a path through the courtyard.

The Ninja twins and I moved as a unit, Hikari and Kaito flanking me on either side as we pushed through the melee. The courtyard was a whirlwind of violence—Samurai clashing with Ninjas, steel ringing against steel, bodies falling to the ground.

A Ninja vaulted over a group of Samurai, crippling them with quick strikes before vanishing into a crowd of fleeing bystanders. A Samurai fell to his knees, blood pouring from a broken blade lodged in his temple. Another fought desperately to fend off an attacker before Sora struck with a fire shot, engulfing him in flames.

But the Shogun’s forces were relentless. As we neared the courtyard's boundary, more Samurai poured in from the palace, their ranks mounting as they pressed the attack. The Ninjas fought back with everything, but the sheer force took its toll. One by one, the Ninjas succumbed to the superior numbers.

As I swung the chains of my shackles like whips, I saw the exhaustion in Hikari’s eyes and the strain in Kaito’s movements. I used a combination of melee-range blinking to launch surprise attacks. A regular Samurai was no match for us alone, but with reinforcements joining the fray, the odds were stacked against us.

I also started to wane. Jumping in and out of the Jingozi arena made my head spin. While I was conserving Zii, my deck ran low on cards. More guards cut off our escape. I fought the instinct to blink away and abandon my friends.

“We’re getting overwhelmed!” Kaito blocked a sword strike. “Find another way out!”

“I’m trying!” Hikari’s breath came in ragged gasps.

Cragmarr cannonballed into the crowd before us, crashing down with a thunderous impact, sending Samurai flying in all directions. He slammed his hands together, creating a sonic boom, knocking down guards like bowling pins. With every blade glancing off his body, he grew bigger.

“This way!” Hikari motioned toward a narrow corridor.

Intercepting us, a giant cloud of smoke swirled and solidified into a ten-foot Samurai. Its enchanted armor blazed with a fiery glow, and it wielded a polearm crackling with lightning. It was Ryuunosuke.

“You betrayed us!” Ryuunosuke stood behind his champion.

“Ryuunosuke,” I shouted. “Listen to me. You do not want to do this.”

My mind was too foggy to catch Hikari sprinting along the wall with her blade aimed at Ryuunosuke’s head. The Samurai champion stepped in the way with blinding speed, impaling her against the wall with its polearm. The tip of her katana fell short of finding its mark—less than an inch away.

“Hikari!” Kaito and I screamed.

I unleashed the combination attack intended for the Shogun: [0/0] [Death Strike +5] [Evolve]. With no idea how much Zii I spent, the three cards transformed into a beam of fire, incinerating the champion. The shockwave knocked us all back.

I landed with a crack. Something snapped inside my back, and a high-pitched ring replaced my hearing. Four Ninjas streaked toward Ryuunosuke through the haze in a red blur. They drove their cards into his stomach and jerked them upward, disemboweling him in a single motion. The four merged into one—it was Sora. Without missing a beat, she threw four smoke bombs, shrouding the area in a thick, blinding fog. Cragmarr hoisted me over one shoulder as I reached out for Hikari’s lifeless body in my fading moments.

Hikari…