Minutes earlier — on the main road.
The road lay unnaturally quiet—like the calm before a storm.
Troops moved through the stillness, boots striking the earth in steady rhythm as final preparations were made.
Among them, Itsuki walked toward Ina, who stood speaking with a fellow comrade.
As Itsuki drew closer, the samurai noticed him and gave Ina a brief nod. He saluted, already aware of Itsuki's approach.
"Captain Itsuki," he said.
The captain caught sight of them and smiled faintly as the samurai stepped away, leaving the two alone.
Itsuki stopped before Ina.
"Where is Shinju?" he asked.
Ina opened her mouth to answer—but before she could speak…
The road fell silent.
Not the peaceful kind—
but the kind that pressed against the skin.
Itsuki stopped.
Ina noticed a heartbeat later.
"…You feel it too," Itsuki said.
Before she could answer, Raizo dropped from above, landing atop the carriage with barely a sound.
"Multiple signatures," he reported. "Closing in fast."
Itsuki's eyes narrowed.
"How many?"
Raizo didn't answer immediately.
"…More than a thousand."
That was enough.
Ina exhaled slowly, fingers tightening around the hilt at her side.
Rankers—or something close to that level.
The air itself carried weight.
"A-tier," Itsuki continued. "Possibly Raiders." I can sense their presence.
Itsuki took a step forward—
Then—
Boom!💥.
Smoke bombs detonated across the road, rupturing the air in violent bursts as white and black plumes swallowed the carriages whole, choking sight and sound alike as shockwaves rattled the ground.
Itsuki, Ina, and Raizo leaped out from the explosion.
"Formation Z!" Ina's voice cut through the chaos.
Steel rang.
"Right!," Shinki answered.
Shinki stepped forward, sword raised.
"Tashi… Kazan… with me. We're cutting off their right flank."
Ina's voice rang out behind them—
"Take some troops with you!"
Several samurai immediately moved, tightening their grips on their swords as they followed.
Their waraji (straw sandals) scraped against the ground—
SCRCH… SCRCH…
"…Let's go."
They surged forward.
From the distance—
"RAAAAH!!"
The enemies roared as they charged.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Feet pounded against the earth, closing the gap fast.
A blur moved between the trees—
A ninja.
WHOOSH—!
Shadows flickered.
SHIK! SHIK! SHIK!
Shuriken cut through the air.
"…What—?"
The enemies didn't even realize—
Until—
"AGH—!"
"GAAH—!"
The blades struck.
Chaos erupted instantly.
CLANG! CLASH! SHING!
Steel collided as samurai met the charge head-on.
War cries, metal, and movement blended into a violent storm—
The battlefield had begun.
Arrows screamed from the smoke, fired from multiple angles. Samurai raised blades and shields on instinct while ninja vanished into the haze, countering from unseen paths.
Footsteps followed.
Encircling.
Measured.
Another volley of arrows sliced through the fog.
Rin and Raizo moved out of the way immediately.
Itsuki didn't flinch.
His sword moved.
Steel flashed.
Arrows shattered midair. Others twisted aside, snapping uselessly into the ground. The fog rang with sharp, fleeting echoes—then Itsuki vanished.
A blur cut through the mist.
Before the next bowstring could be drawn, shadows fell. One archer dropped without a sound. Then another. Then another—clean strikes, precise, merciless. Bodies crumpled before they understood he was there.
The fog thinned.
Itsuki reappeared behind the last archer, blade already passing through his back. The bow slipped from limp fingers and hit the ground a second later.
Silence returned.
Broken arrows littered the ground. The archers lay motionless where they fell.
Itsuki turned back the way he'd come, sword resting at his side.
Smoke crawled along the ground, thick enough to cover what became the battlefield.
Then the laughter came.
Sharp. Ragged. Wrong.
A figure emerged from the smoke.
Blond hair fell loosely past sharp eyes. His posture was relaxed—cocky.
"You're surrounded," he said pleasantly.
"There's no escape."
Too many.
They were surrounded. Every route sealed before it even formed in his mind. No escape. That was the message.
"Oh? Is that so?" Itsuki said.
He looked at him, almost amused.
The man tilted his head, clearly enjoying himself.
Voice dripping with mockery. "Allow me to introduce myself.
"My name is—"
Raizo moved.
The world blinked.
In a moment he was standing beside Ina, listening. The next, he was behind the man, fist already driven forward. No warning. No hesitation.
The impact shattered the introduction.
The enemy's body hurled through the air and smashed into a rock with a dull crack. He slid down and didn't move.
Unconscious.
"You talked too much," Raizo lifted his gaze, then vanished—reappearing beside Itsuki.
"They're buying time," Ina said to Itsuki. "This is a breach."
Raizo nodded once.
"They want someone separated."
Itsuki's expression hardened.
Ina met his gaze without hesitation.
Itsuki already knew where.
"…Shinju."
"Rin and Shinju are at the graveyard," Ina said concisely. "If this is happening here—"
"…Then it's already begun over there too," Raizo finished.
A heavy silence fell. The unspoken fear was clear — Shinju and Rin were likely already in danger.
The pressure in the air thickened.
More enemy signatures shifted closer.
Itsuki leaped forward and landed atop the carriage, standing tall above the battlefield.
He gave a small grin, brushing dust from his coat as a sudden breeze tugged at the fabric, sending it fluttering behind him.
Itsuki turned his eyes toward the horizon, the sky painted with a crimson hue.
"Looks like Shinju's in trouble," he muttered. He paused, eyes narrowing.
"He might act like a one-man army... but even he can't afford to underestimate them."
Then, casting a glance toward Ina and Raizo, he added with a cool, steady voice,
"Hold them off. Don't die."
Itsuki turned away, the wind pressing at his coat as he prepared to leap. Then, with a short laugh—half-smirk, half-trust—he spoke without looking back:
"What am I saying?" he let out a short laugh.
"If you want to finish this... then end them. I'll leave the rest to you guys ."
"Alright, Captain," Raizo responded.
Ina gave a sharp nod, the corner of her lips curving into a knowing smile.
And with that, he vanished into the wind, leaving only the flutter of his coat and the quiet confidence of a captain who knew his squad wouldn't fail.
Now—
The present—
…
Steel shrieked as Itsuki dropped in from above, intercepting Shinsuke's blade with a single, precise swing.
Itsuki pivoted—and drove his heel straight into Shinsuke's chest.
The impact landed with a deafening thud.
Shinsuke was launched backward, crashing through the trees, splinters and bark exploding with every trunk he tore through. The forest shook under the force, trees snapping like twigs in his path.
Shinju lay motionless behind him.
"…That was close," Itsuki muttered, eyes sharp, blade steady.
Shinsuke rose to his feet ,from the wreckage.
calmly brushing the dust from his clothes—an action that betrayed no trace of the impact he had just endured. His gaze remained fixed on Itsuki as he stepped forward.
He paused, eyes sharp, unreadable.
"I didn't even see you coming," Shinsuke said quietly. "I suppose that's what one should expect from someone with a captain level threat."
"So," he said calmly, "you're the captain of Squadron Five."
Itsuki didn't move.
"I remember you," Shinsuke continued. "That alley. When you took my men down one by one. I was there, watching."
A faint smile crossed Itsuki's face—lighthearted, yet sharp.
"Real?" he said. "Then you already know this."
His gaze locked onto Shinsuke.
"The past doesn't matter. What matters is the present—correcting mistakes."
"And ending you."
For a moment, silence hung between them.
Then—
Itsuki turned away.
His blade returned to its sheath with a quiet click.
"Oh. You're still standing," he said casually. "Don't mind me."
He lifted Shinju, who was unconscious, and slung him over his left shoulder, beginning to walk off.
Shinsuke's voice rang out behind him.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Itsuki didn't stop.
"Going back," he replied. "You'd know that—if you could still walk."
"…What do you me—"
Before Shinsuke could finish the sentence, his body shifted.
Something slid.
Not from the feet upward—
—but from the waist.
His upper body slipped cleanly away.
Itsuki spoke without turning.
"You didn't notice, did you?"
"Before I kicked you… I cut you in half."
"Impossible!" Shinsuke shouted in rage.
I did not even see you swing your blade at me.
His body split—collapsing on the ground as blood spilled.
Itsuki walked on.
As Shinsuke's body collapsed.
The sound was dull—final.
Dust settled among the graves. The air, moments ago heavy with killing intent, slowly thinned.
Itsuki didn't look back.
In the next instant, he vanished in mid air.
Back at the graveyard—
Itsuki appeared beside Rin without a sound.
The sudden shift left her frozen, breath caught in her throat. Shinju unconscious on Itsuki's back, his body limp, unmoving.
For a moment, Rin could only stare.
"So… it's over?" she asked softly.
Her thoughts struggled to catch up. The pressure she had felt moments ago—the suffocating weight of battle—was gone.
So this is how it ended, fighting for his life in every battle, it must really hurt
.. knowing you have to put your life in every battle. And yet, no matter how calm he looked, no matter how effortless his movements seemed, there was always a cost. And he never spoke about it.
She clenched her fists.
"Are you hurt?" Itsuki asked Rin.
"No," Rin responded.
Her face warmed before she could stop it.
"That's good."
Itsuki exhaled slowly, then glanced at her. For just a moment, as he smiled a little bit to light up her mood.
"Don't worry yourself .. Shinju knew what he signed up for, we should get going," he said with a smile.
Rin blinked, her expression tightening with concern.
Then—
laughter.
Low. Distorted. Echoing up from the earth itself.
Itsuki's expression changed instantly.
His smile vanished.
Dropped Shinju gently to the ground.
"Watch over him," his voice calm—but final.
Before Rin could respond, he disappeared.
The graveyard snapped back into place.
Shinsuke stood there.
Or rather—was standing again.
Itsuki watched as torn flesh pulled itself together. Bone slid back into place. Skin sealed without a scar, as though the damage had never existed.
Almost like regeneration.
Itsuki wasn't shocked.
But he wasn't pleased, either.
"I see," he said quietly.
Shinsuke rolled his shoulders, testing his body. Then he laughed again—this time clearer, steadier.
"I guess," he said, tilting his head, "I overestimated you."
Itsuki's eyes sharpened.
"Maybe," he replied. "Or maybe you're just harder to kill than expected."
Shinsuke's grin widened.
"Careful," he said. "That confidence—"
Itsuki stepped forward.
"—comes from experience."
Shinsuke watched Itsuki, sweat dripping down his face.
Captain level threat, Aokami Itsuki. The Silver prince himself, his presence is really intimidating.
Silence stretched between them.
The air began to fracture.
Light bled into the forest, cracks spiderwebbing beneath Itsuki's feet.
"And now," Itsuki continued, voice steady, lethal, "I know what you are."
He raised his right hand, pointing directly at Shinsuke.
"Which means this time…"
He met Shinsuke's gaze.
"I won't stop at cutting you then."
"Ain't you going to use your sword?" Shinsuke asked.
"I don't need it," Itsuki said calmly.
Before Shinsuke could say another word—
FWIP—
Itsuki disappeared.
A sudden force slammed into Shinsuke's ribs—
THUD—!
He was sent flying backward through the undergrowth. Bark exploded as his body tore through a tree trunk, snapping it in half before he tumbled to a stop.
Silence followed.
Then—
Itsuki was already there.
Not rushing. Not chasing.
He stood atop a fallen tree, hands tucked into his coat pockets, white fabric swaying faintly as if he had simply walked into place.
"So," Itsuki said, tilting his head slightly, "that sword of yours—what's its origin?"
Shinsuke coughed blood,
forcing himself up.
Didn't even see him move…
The wound across his chest shimmered faintly, flesh pulling itself back together as if guided by invisible threads.
"…Why would I tell you anything?" Shinsuke replied, a faint grin forming.
Itsuki smiled.
"Ah. The silent type."
Shinsuke moved first.
This time, I won't let him strike first.
"Die!"
Light flared along his blade as he lunged. Energy burst forward in a destructive arc, cleaving through the air—and the tree behind Itsuki—like paper.
But—
Nothing.
The strike hit empty space.
Shinsuke's eyes narrowed.
A finger tapped his shoulder.
"Too slow."
Before he could react—
WHAM—!
A knee drove into his spine, launching him upward.
Itsuki rose with him, already above—
THUD—!
A downward strike sent Shinsuke crashing through branches, trees splintering as his body ricocheted toward the ground.
Mid-fall, Shinsuke twisted and drove his blade into a trunk, stopping himself. Light burst outward—
KRRSH—!
The surrounding foliage was shredded instantly.
He exhaled sharply.
He couldn't see him.
No—
He couldn't track him.
Itsuki crouched on a nearby branch, relaxed.
"Your regeneration's interesting," he said. "Not true regeneration. You're reconnecting, not recreating."
Shinsuke's grip tightened.
"…Tch."
"So?" Itsuki continued, eyes sharp. "Is it tied to light? Or the blade?"
Shinsuke lunged again.
This time, he released everything.
A blinding wave of light surged forward—
The forest flattened.
Trees disintegrated. The ground scorched white.
And still—
It missed.
Itsuki slipped through the destruction, weaving between collapsing trunks with precise, minimal movement.
Then he closed in.
TCH—! THUD—! WHAM—!
Strikes landed in rapid succession—fists, elbows, kicks—each one connecting before Shinsuke could recover.
Bones cracked.
Skin tore.
And each time—
It healed.
Shinsuke snarled, swinging wildly now.
"Stand still!"
Itsuki stepped in—
BAM—!
A clean punch sent him flying back.
The smile faded.
"I see," Itsuki said quietly. "You're not going to answer."
The air shifted.
This wasn't play anymore.
Light surged violently around Shinsuke.
The ground fractured beneath him as energy spiraled out of control.
Itsuki exhaled slowly.
He raised his arm.
Light gathered—not into a sword—but along his forearm, forming a narrow, gleaming blade. It hummed softly, unstable yet precise.
Shinsuke's eyes widened.
"…What is that?"
"A substitute," Itsuki said. "More than enough."
Shinsuke lunged.
At the same moment—
Itsuki moved.
FWIP—
Both vanished.
The forest blurred.
For a single instant—
A thin line of light cut through everything.
They passed each other.
Silence.
Leaves drifted.
Itsuki stood still, back turned.
The blade faded.
Behind him—
Shinsuke froze.
The glow around his body flickered… then shattered.
A thin line traced across his chest.
His knees gave out.
Blood spilled as he collapsed—
Then stopped.
His body trembled—
And began to rejoin.
He dropped to one knee, breathing hard.
"…We were told," he said between breaths, forcing a grin, "it would take at least two… maybe more… S-Rankers to take down a captain-level."
"Statistics don't account for anomalies," Itsuki replied.
"…Still," Shinsuke muttered, "status…doesn't define a fight."
Itsuki drew his sword.
Shing.
The forest fell silent.
He stepped forward.
"Alright. Time to end this."
FWIP—
He vanished.
A gust of wind followed, stirring leaves and dust.
Shinsuke blinked—
Still standing.
Then—
Something shifted.
Several paces behind him, Itsuki stood calmly, blade lowered.
Silence.
A thin red line formed across Shinsuke's waist.
His body split cleanly.
It collapsed in two halves—
Thud.
His breathing grew uneven, chest rising and falling as blood dripped onto the forest floor.
Instinctively, he reached for his sword's power—forcing the light within it to respond.
Nothing.
His body remained still.
The wounds didn't close.
They didn't reconnect.
"…What's happening?" Shinsuke muttered, his eyes widening.
Itsuki stood a short distance away, sword lowered, gaze calm—but sharp. The playful edge was gone.
"I see it now," Itsuki said. "You've noticed."
Shinsuke pressed a trembling hand against his sword, trying again.
The connection—
Gone.
"That's impossible," he said through clenched teeth. "You cut me before. I recovered."
Itsuki gave a small nod.
"Yes. You did."
Shinsuke looked up sharply.
"…Then why—"
Itsuki tilted his blade slightly, letting it catch the sun light.
"My sword disrupts the natural flow of anything it cuts," he said.
The forest grew quieter.
"It doesn't matter what kind of power you use—light, darkness, life force, even supernatural phenomena."
His gaze sharpened.
"The moment my blade touches it… that flow becomes unstable."
Shinsuke's pupils shrank.
"Energy stops circulating. Connections break. Control collapses."
Itsuki stepped forward slowly.
"In your case…"
His eyes flicked to the sword in Shinsuke's hand.
"The bond between you and that blade was severed."
Shinsuke shook his head weakly.
"No… that's not right. You cut my torso earlier. I felt it heal."
Itsuki paused.
Then smiled faintly.
"I never said I used my sword back then… did I?"
Shinsuke froze.
Itsuki lifted his foot—
Click.
A slim blade slid from the heel of his boot, gleaming faintly.
Shinsuke stared.
"…A hidden knife?"
"When I intercepted you earlier," Itsuki said calmly, "I blocked your strike, kicked you away, and cut you with this."
The blade retracted with a soft sound.
"That wound didn't disrupt your flow," he continued. "So your sword could still respond."
A brief pause.
"You assumed the same applied now."
Shinsuke let out a breathless laugh.
"…You tricked me."
He tried again—forcing light into the blade, veins rising along his arm.
Nothing.
The sword remained silent.
Shinsuke staggered, blood dripping steadily to the ground.
"…I have never heard of a blad that could do that" he whispered.
His eyes trembled as they fixed on Itsuki's blade.
"Even among the Five Great Nations…" he said slowly,
"…no blade like that exists."
The forest held its breath.
Shinsuke's expression shifted—not fear.
Understanding.
"…Wait."
He looked up.
"You're not from the Five Great Nations… are you?"
—End of Chapter.