In the end, it was Kazi who emerged victorious. Seconds passed, the king remaining captured, several pieces surrounding it. The Eternal Emperor blinked thrice. Total annihilation. “Huh.” His expression was full of surprise. This was an outcome the Eternal Emperor did not anticipate.
“Was it enjoyable?” Kazi asked.
Slowly, Emperor Toru replied, “I have not lost a game of shogi in three hundred years.”
Kazi refused to let surprise colour his face. ‘Three hundred years…? That’s one hell of a win streak.’
The Eternal Emperor hummed, index and thumb stroking his smooth chin. A smile worked its way on him and his sun-dipped eyes shimmered. He had brought Kazi inside as a way to pass the time. He would play and joke and clown on him until he was satisfied and send him on his way. That was what the Eternal Emperor always did—unless the jester gained his genuine interest. He eyed with the intensity of the sun, contemplating his next move. His whimsical nature went hand-in-hand with his generosity. The more entertaining he was, the more he was to negotiations. Kazi was one step closer to his goal.
“Let us play another game,” Emperor Toru suggested. Kazi opened his mouth to accept but he was too slow.
Snap!
Something enveloped him—something soft and malleable—and the colour around him changed. The smell of flowers dissipated, replaced by a hot, musty odor and the viewpoint became darker and full. There were grunts and yells and he suddenly found himself in the courtyard. The sounds of clashing swords and grunts of exertion assaulted his bearing. The courtyard was expansive, with well-manicured gardens bordering the perimeter and elegant architecture.
In the center of the courtyard, samurai warriors clad in black armor engaged in rigorous training exercises. Their movements were fluid and precise, each strike executed with deadly intent. The air was thick with the metallic tang of sweat and the rhythmic sound of bamboo meeting wood reverberated throughout the space. Training dummies lined one end of the courtyard, their wooden forms bearing the scars of countless strikes. In another corner of the courtyard, two pairs of samurai were sparring, their katana flashing in the sunlight as they exchanged blows.
‘What the hell!? How did he–?’
The samurai noticed the sudden presence of the Emperor and stopped. There were seven of them, donned in high-quality armour. One of them stepped up to the Emperor, his head young and small. His armour was coloured blue rather than black and he was quickest to address the Emperor.
“Father!” The young samurai in blue dropped to one knee, red-faced. “Have you come to visit again?”
“Oh, right, my son. I forgot I had one of those here,” Emperor Toru muttered. “Um, Shinji, right?”
“Genji, Father.”
“I want one of you…” He gestured to all the samurai and then directed a hand to Kazi. “...to fight him.”
Kazi wasn't remotely surprised. The Eternal Emperor was known for setting up tournaments on a whim and was the largest sponsor of the Making of the Supreme Sorcerer and the Arc of the Grand Master Swordsman competition. Above all else, over his god-like abilities or experience, it was his whimsical nature that stood the tallest. The son of the Emperor was shocked.
“Father, who is this…?”
“Excellent question, my dear son.” The Emperor turned. “What's your name, big guy?”
“Kazi Hossain.”
“Kazi, meet…Shinji!”
Genji forced a smile, unable to correct his father. “I have just finished training—”
Snap! Seven thin magic circles appeared over Genji's head, raining tiny red particles over the teen. His eyes went wide, feeling the sweat, dirt, and exhaustion disappear. Kazi’s skin prickled from the intense heat of magic. This healing spell was on a whole other level. Kazi couldn't get a read on the design of the magic circles before they disappeared.
“Chop, chop.” Emperor Toru clapped his hands together and walked to the open hall, sitting on the wooden plank floor. Fans materialized to his side and cooled him. “Also, this place is sweaty.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
The samurai were scrambling to get the match set-up. The dummies were moved and Genji was handed both a bamboo sword and a proper katana. They didn't seem to know which to choose. The Emperor's whims were difficult to decide: was this a serious battle or a simple spar? Then there was the one samurai vehemently trying to get rid of the smell of sweat by lighting up incense. Kazi stood there, slightly puzzled. Genji remained in front of him, opting for the metal katana. He was shorter than his contemporaries. Meeker, smaller, and with a touch of normalcy that the samurai were not supposed to have. Even in panic, there was a beauty to them and Genji did not have that beauty.
‘I thought fighting in the White Abyss wasn't allowed—’
“Oh, don't worry about that,” Emperor Toru interjected, “that stuff doesn't apply in my palace.”
The Eternal Emperor's smile was unreadable. Like a trickster god of legend, powers beyond understanding lay at his fingertips. Kazi's gaze settled on Genji, his son. A forgotten son. Vaguely, he got the feeling they were on the same level, despite drawing long, deep breaths and clearly not of driving age.
“Let's make it interesting,” Kazi began, not breaking eye contact with Genji. “I will fight your son and if I win…” He pretended to think about it and then glanced at the Emperor with a smile. “Oh, I don't know, I receive a full set of Hihi'irokane prosthetics?”
“Ooh, Stakes. I like it. He wins and you play a shogi match with me. Oh, and…hm, how about you tell me about your battle with Jack?”
So he knew. ‘I should have figured.’ On the Emperor's turf, on the Emperor's terms, that was what the letter said and that was what was occurring.
“Jack…?” Genji repeated. “You…you were the new player that fought Jack the Ripper?”
“Yep,” Kazi replied. “Equip.”
Stormedge appeared in his left hand. The fourteen year old seemed shaken yet readied himself. Kazi calculated the length of the blade from base to tip. If his calculations were correct, then it was approximately seventy-five centimetres long, shorter than Sun-young’s Majin-ken. He took that into consideration as his mana flared up, nearing Advanced Flow of Mana levels. Genji was taken aback.
“W-wow…!” Genji gulped, fingers enveloping the grip of his weapon. His mana flared up as well, a semi-invisible blue aura surrounding him. Kazi briefly wondered if that same aura was around him.
“Alright, begin!”
Emperor Toru’s word was law. Genji, shaky and nervous as he may have appeared, burst forward—and Kazi was actually forced on the defensive. Stormedge blocked the katana and Kazi ended up on one knee, gritting his teeth.
‘What the hell!? This guy…!’ Kazi read his movements. He predicted exactly how and where he was going to attack. Even with that knowledge, he barely managed to raise his guard on time. His two-handed katana weighed down on him like a rolling boulder. With every passing second, it grew harder and harder to resist. ‘Mastered Flow of Mana—!’
Thick grey mana burst from his pores and he rose to his feet, pushing Genji back to the position he was in. Genji’s green eyes were full of fear; he didn’t expect this. He didn’t know what to do. “Super Ember Strike—!”
“Super Spark Strike!”
Their blades flared up; one electric, one fire. A clash of equals for the next five seconds until Kazi’s skill ended. He was putting so much focus on Mastered Flow of Mana that he was unable to maintain Super Spark Strike at the same time. Genji did not have such weaknesses. Advanced Flow of Mana coursed through his veins alongside a fully maintained Super Ember Strike. His concentration was at its peak and Kazi utterly ruined by slamming his foot into his side. He skidded across the courtyard, crying out in pain as his shoulder slammed into a red barrier. Emperor Toru had set this up in order to trap them inside and keep them from damaging the palace.
Kazi chased after him, swinging Stormedge with one hand. Genji parried, his stung shoulder preventing him from countering. Clang! Clang! Clang! His confidence bubbled when he hauled back and attempted an overhand strike, but Kazi always prevented him from fully extending the technique.
‘Judging by the look on his face, he’s not used to abrupt changes in combat. He’s all training and no experience.’
Clang! Clang! Clang!
But one advantage training held was the execution of repetition. Genji had been trained for this type of position and managed to duck under Kazi’s blade and throw a slash across his chest. Blood spilled out. The cut was made and would have been made deeper if not for Kazi’s quick feet. Genji took one long step forward, both hands gripped tightly, and came down overhead with a Super Ember Strike. No invention was necessary, the skill flared to life on his silent command.
‘Super Spark Strike!’
A clash of magical swords—and Kazi was losing. The katana in Genji’s hand was of equal quality to Stormedge. More importantly, the wielder himself was absurdly strong. He was but a boy yet his downward strike nearly brought Kazi to his knees again.
‘Tch…!’ With one hand on the end of his blade, Kazi pushed—and failed. ‘His eyes…the way they flare up when he does an overhead strike…he’s focusing quite literally everything on one strong slash!’ His knees buckled. ‘It’s absurdly heavy!’
Kazi couldn’t last like this. He purposely weakened his pushback and Genji seized for that opportunity. In a practiced motion that Kazi failed to capture, the blade came down on him a second time, stronger than the last. ‘Ultra Magic Barrier—!’
The Sorcerer Class, the third evolution of those that specialized in the realm of magic, granted three Class Skills: Sorcerer’s Whims, Ultra Elemental Manipulation, and Ultra Magic Barrier. The gray barrier manifested nearly as fast as Genji conducted his overhead strike.
“O Amaterasu—!”
The flames on his katana roared anew. The colour had shifted from hot red to a bright gold. An unbearingly bright flash of fire that weighed down on the Ultra Magic Barrier from its sheer presence.
“O radiant Amaterasu, mighty goddess of the sun…”
Shatter!
The three inch thick spherical barrier shattered upon contact and the flaming katana sliced down his face.