Yashiori Island, the source of Inazuma's unique crystallized bone marrow, was where the serpent god Orobashi fell. The ever-thundering Musou no Hitotachi's Narrows symbolized the Raiden Shogun's supreme might.
Nameless Fort, a ruin swallowed by the sea, wasn't ancient enough to pique Khaenri'ah's interest. It was destroyed during Orobashi's eastern campaign. A few patches of land supported two or three villages.
A Tenryou Commission base stood here, its purpose obvious—keeping watch.
The Rock-Shadow-Thunderlight Brigade's base, a small outpost, didn't need training grounds like the Commission's. It was tucked in one of Nameless Fort's villages.
"Assemble!" a senior agent's shout jolted the Brigade's agents from their groggy sleep.
It was dawn, with sea fog still cloaking the nameless village.
The agents swiftly donned armor, grabbed gear and weapons, and gathered.
Oddly, the senior agent didn't assign tasks. He stood by the main platform, waiting for someone big.
Mid-level agents exchanged knowing glances. As elites summoned here, they had guesses about why.
The senior agent's device buzzed. Lightning flashed on the platform.
Reisen Riou appeared in a blaze.
"Greetings, Commander," everyone bowed.
Commander was Reisen's title in the Brigade.
All formal Brigade agents signed contracts with him—ten to thirty years—so they knew him well.
"No time to waste. Mission briefing," Reisen said, rapid-fire, detailing Khaenri'ah's activities on Watatsumi.
Then he outlined their tasks.
"Have the three elite squads been sorted?" Reisen asked the senior agent via Heartforce transmission.
"Done, Commander. As usual: Straw Hat, Haori, and Thunderdrum Squads," the agent replied.
Reisen gave a subtle nod. "The mission has three parts. First, clear Khaenri'ahn outposts on Watatsumi. Use local Tenryou Commission forces as much as possible. Coordinate with outer groups for recon and prep to ease later entries. Straw Hat Squad, you're up."
"Who's Straw Hat's captain? Step forward."
A Hydro Vision holder stepped up. Reisen raised a brow—this guy. Obedient, Hydro-powered, but stiff. Mediocre in training and missions.
Still, picking him for Straw Hat made sense. They were the weakest elite squad, stuck with grunt work.
"Second part: after Khaenri'ah's main force enters Byakuya Kingdom, scout their reserves and eliminate them if needed. Haori Squad, you're on."
"Haori Squad, take the order."
"Third part, the riskiest: before the Three Realms Gateway Offering finishes, Khaenri'ah's troops will pull out of Enkanomiya. Thunderdrum Squad, you'll work with Sangonomiya's forces to block their retreat. Can you do it?"
"Thunderdrum Squad, take the order."
Thunderdrum's captain was a familiar face—Arakawa Jirou, a Brigade veteran and Pyro Archon. After becoming a samurai, he racked up merits, married, had kids, and traded his fief for Seirai Island, now leading its Brigade branch.
His growth had stalled. No Banjiao Nisei potential, his vitality capped at LV56 years ago. In his peak phase, nearing 40, further progress was unlikely without a miracle.
The Brigade's old elite squad had fractured as the group grew. Banjiao Nisei thrived—publicly a Tenryou Commission general, with shops in Hanami Board, a village fief on Narukami, two wives, a son, and a daughter. At LV67+, still growing, his LV7 swordsmanship neared LV8, making him a famed swordmaster.
Next was Gensei Jirou, LV58+, just hitting his peak, a Tenryou Commission hatamoto.
Kagei Bama, lent to the Grand Narukami Shrine, took the onmyoji path. At LV53+, the lowest, he was a senior shrine onmyoji—hard to say if that was better or worse.
Reisen finished, vanishing in lightning. The senior agent, Kawakawa Isamu, began assigning tasks.
Isamu, once a regular Brigade captain from the Kawakawa clan, earned his name from Reisen for battle prowess. He gained a Electro Vision in a mission, unlocking huge potential.
Though past 30 when he got it, now nearing 40, he was still growing. At LV51+, his vitality was impressive for just a few years with a Vision.
He was an exception to Reisen's life-phase theory. Was it the Vision? Or, as everyone knew, married men age faster?