In the Laybirth Kingdom, the stars
glimmered high above the night sky, shining over the once–proud land. Every
citizen had already been safely evacuated, leaving the kingdom eerily silent. Shadows
stretching long beneath the moonlight.
Inside the Golden Palace, the current
time was five-fifty-five in the morning. The air was heavy with tension.
Ryju and his team sprinted through the
palace's endless hallways, their footsteps echoing off the marble walls. They
ran as if something monstrous was chasing them. Their eyes stayed fixed forward
until, at last, massive golden doors rose into view. The doors towered over
them like giants, carved with intricate designs that glowed faintly under the
torchlight.
They slowed their pace. They knew they
had reached their destination: Jinko's office.
The time had come.
They stopped in front of the golden
doors, staring up at them with both fear and determination.
"This is where it begins," Kenshiro
said firmly, tightening his stance.
"Oh boy… my heart's beating like
crazy. But—I'm so excited!" Goro admitted, gripping his chest with mixed
emotions.
"I hope you're all ready," Shun forced
a grin, trying to mask his nervousness.
Ryju inhaled deeply. His fists
clenched tight, blazing with red spiritual force that dripped like liquid fire,
resembling blood. His expression hardened into pure focus.
"Don't worry," Ryju said, voice low
but steady. "We will win. We'll get stronger. Believe in that."
Inside the office chamber, Jinko
lounged in his golden chair while his generals gathered around.
"So," Sara asked, tapping her fingers
idly, "what are we supposed to do today?"
Jinko leaned back, his voice calm but
commanding. "We maintain authority. Make the people fear us. Keep them in line
until we get orders from the boss."
"So basically—the same thing every
day," Garreth muttered, clearly bored.
Que, twisting a strand of his hair,
yawned. "Man, we need to fight someone strong. Someone who can actually
challenge us. This is way too boring."
But then—
BOOM!
The two golden doors burst from their
hinges, exploding inward.
"What the hell is that?!" Jinko
thought sharply, eyes narrowing.
"Huh?" Sara blinked in confusion.
The massive doors flew straight toward
the generals. Acting in an instant, Jinko summoned his Divine Light Sword,
slashing through both doors in a single swing. The doors split clean in half,
crashing into the wall behind him, leaving the chamber intact.
"What the hell just happened?" Garreth
asked, startled.
Que smirked. "Well, would you look at
that? Looks like my wish came true."
Smoke flooded the room, swirling thick
across the floor. Through it, five shadowy figures emerged, walking slowly
toward them.
"Everyone on guard!" Jinko barked,
tightening his grip on his sword. "We've got five incoming."
"I see them," Que said, cracking his
neck and fingers. His grin widened. "Finally."
A voice called out through the smoke.
"Hey there, guys… this is where you
all come to an end," Ryju declared, stepping forward.
"Yeah, it's time we give you the
beating you deserve for slaughtering innocent people!" Rei shouted.
"Get ready," Shun added, cracking his
neck with a serious glare.
"Yeah," Goro stretched his arms, his
muscles tense.
The five emerged fully from the smoke.
"Because we're here now," Kenshiro
said with a sharp grin.
Meanwhile, beneath the palace, Kaji
faced the kingdom's army all alone. The underground chamber was suffocating,
filled with bloodlust and killing intent.
Kaji's eyes glowed with rage. "So, you
bastards tortured my student, huh? Let me show you what proper punishment feels
like." His voice dripped with menace.
Recognition spread through the
soldiers.
"I know him—that's Kaji Azura!" one
soldier gasped. "He's one of the Great Five! The hero who stopped that
mysterious attack years ago!"
"Oh yeah, that's right…" another
soldier muttered. "Which means he must know him—the one called the strongest
mortal alive…"
A grin twisted across Kaji's face. "So
you know who I am. Then you know how strong I am. Let me give you a true
representation of torture."
In an instant, Kaji unleashed his Crimson
Spiritual Force at full potential.
The air cracked.
Every soldier in the chamber felt
it—an overwhelming pressure that crushed their spirits. Even Jinko and his
generals, far above in the office, froze as the power reached them.
What the hell is that?! Jinko thought,
his heart pounding. Who the hell has that much spiritual force?
It's terrifying… so powerful! Sara
thought, trembling.
"Why is it so strong?" Garreth
whispered, almost losing his grip on his weapon.
"I don't even think the boss could
stand against this much power," Que admitted.
The rest of Ryju's team felt it too.
"Man, that's Sensei," Rei said
casually, almost unfazed.
"Yeah, he's such a showoff," Kenshiro
muttered in mock disappointment.
Even miles away, civilians outside the
kingdom felt the shockwave. Mr. Taka staggered, sweat dripping down his face.
"Holy hell… this spiritual force… it's
on a whole different level," one soldier whispered in terror.
"I… I don't even think I can stand
near him…" another soldier groaned, nearly fainting.
Kaji smirked darkly. "So now that
you've felt true power… what will you do, huh?"
The soldiers exchanged terrified
glances, their bodies trembling.
"So now that you're all terrified,
here's what you're going to do…" Kaji's grin stretched into something maniacal.
"You will kill yourselves—for the crime of hurting my student."
The army's fear turned to pure
despair.
"I'm not killing myself! That's the
worst way to go out!" a man screamed.
"I'll fight!" a woman cried
desperately.
"Please—we were just following
orders!" another woman sobbed.
Kaji tilted his head, eyes gleaming. "Then
obey me… and die."
BOOM!
A gunshot rang out. A soldier dropped
dead, a bullet hole through his skull.
The chamber erupted into chaos.
Soldiers screamed, panicked, turned on themselves. One stabbed himself with a
spear. Another shot herself. Another collapsed in tears before pulling the
trigger.
Bodies fell one after another. Blood
sprayed across the floor. The chamber turned into a slaughterhouse.
Even those who tried to resist Kaji's
command stood no chance. They shot at him, charged with swords, and screamed in
desperation. But each one met the same fate—death.
Within three minutes, every single
soldier lay dead in the chamber. Only Kaji remained, drenched in blood, his
expression disturbingly calm.
"Man… now I've got to clean myself
up," Kaji muttered, stepping over the corpses. He walked out, leaping from the
chamber with a casual stride.
Back inside Jinko's office, the
standoff grew heavier. Both sides locked eyes, waiting for the first move.
The tension was suffocating.
Then Jinko broke the silence.
"Just how the hell did you escape? Who
are you and your little buddies?" he demanded.
"Quite an entrance," Sara commented,
unimpressed.
Ryju adjusted the black wrap on his
waist. "We are ninjas, reporting from the Great Village. You are all targets
marked for elimination."
"Oh, the Great Village, huh?" Jinko
grinned.
"We were just about to attack that
place anyway," Que smirked.
"That's enough talking," Rei snapped.
"Yeah, you're right," Ryju agreed. In
a flash, the team split apart—except Kenshiro, who stayed back.
Rei charged Sara. Shun lunged at Que.
Goro went straight for Garreth. And Ryju aimed directly for Jinko.
Jinko didn't move.
"Huh?" he muttered, just before Ryju
grabbed him and launched both of them through the window. They plummeted toward
the ground, glass shattering around them.
Jinko flipped mid-air, pinning Ryju
beneath him, sword raised.
"Go to hell!" Jinko roared, slashing
downward.
But in that instant, Ryju spotted a
stack of hay near a house below. In a flash, he switched places with it.
The Divine Light Sword sliced clean
through the hay.
"What the hell… hay?!" Jinko shouted,
spinning around. "And he's down here?!"
Meanwhile, inside—
Goro's fist slammed into Que, sending
him flying through a separate window. Que crashed onto a rooftop, then stood,
grinning wickedly.
"Show me what you've got, boy!" Que
challenged.
"Count on It!" Goro roared, his
determination blazing.
Rei swung at Sara, but Sara caught her
arm and flung her straight through the ceiling.
"Yep… she's going to be a tough one,"
Rei muttered, brushing herself off.
"C'mon, girl. Show me your power,"
Sara smirked.
And Kenshiro stood in the office
alone, scanning the office looking for his opponent .
"…Where's Hiro?" Kenshiro whispered.
The battles had begun.
To Be Continued…