In truth, not many powerhouses answered Reisen Riou's call. Besides the Okuzumeshu samurai, the Rock-Shadow-Thunderlight Brigade, and the old shrine maiden from the Grand Narukami Shrine, only the top-tier warrior from a lowborn samurai family in the Tenryou Commission responded immediately.
It made sense. In Inazuma, most powerhouses were family-raised, with only a few—like those from Okuzumeshu or other exceptions—trained outside that system.
Strictly speaking, the Rock-Shadow-Thunderlight Brigade was Reisen's private army.
They were practically a family faction.
The Banjiao trio—Reisen Riou, Banjiao Kyoko, and Banjiao Yanji—formed a prestigious clan in Inazuma.
Banjiao Yanji was fine, sticking to Banjiao Island as its overseer. When his siblings weren't around, he ruled the roost. Even the Tenryou Commission's hatamoto and family samurai stationed there were no match for him.
Banjiao Kyoko, though, was annoyed. She was getting marriage proposals daily.
Originally, suitors aimed for Reisen, but he was rarely around, and no one dared approach Kyoko's master. So, they went straight to her.
Most got beaten and tossed out.
That only made things worse. Inazuma revered strength, and female samurai like Raiden Ei, Miyushi Chiyo, Kagei Tengu, and Banjiao Kyoko were no rarity, each a powerhouse.
Ei, married and the supreme Raiden Shogun, was untouchable. So, eyes turned to Chiyo and Kyoko.
Ahem, back to the point.
Inazuma's top fighters were deeply tied to their families—mutually dependent.
They needed time to discuss the shackles' impact and the consequences of accepting Reisen's terms.
While samurai family businesses rarely involved top powerhouses, these fighters were their clans' anchors. Often older, they held sprawling family branches together.
Without that anchor, families faced a turbulent transition. Mishandle it, and branch families might split off.
…
"So, Fushigawa, you've been through the process. Take over here. Call me when someone shows up," Reisen said, knowing family-tied samurai needed time to sort out their arrangements.
He wasn't about to wait around. Fushigawa could handle it and summon him for surgeries.
Raiden Ei emerged from another room, followed by a middle-aged woman.
Reisen smirked, recognizing the Grand Narukami Shrine's old shrine maiden, now looking decades younger.
"Ei, you're quick with the surgery. And Amama-baba, who knew you were such a looker back in the day?" Reisen teased.
"Lord Reisen, don't mock me," Amama-baba said. Though now tied to the Grand Narukami Shrine, she trained at Reisen Shrine in her youth, among the first shrine maidens boosted by the One System, Ten Thousand Minds Machine—third or fourth batch, Reisen couldn't recall.
Back then, she was a small fry.
Her rise came when the Grand Narukami Shrine got its own One System, Ten Thousand Minds Machine. Spotted by Yae Saiguu, she earned a Pyro Vision through some unknown ordeal, and her life energy soared.
At over thirty, her talent shone. With ample resources, she jumped ten levels in her first year, climbing steadily after—a late bloomer's triumph.
"Take care of the shrine," Reisen said.
"Leave it to me," Amama-baba replied. Her life energy was a hefty LV83+, outstripping the old oni and tengu chiefs. A curse technique master, she'd co-developed Yae Saiguu's LV8 curse technique.
Reisen and Amama-baba dove into curse talk. He specialized in automated and barrier curse techniques; she excelled in curses and curse protection.
Yae Saiguu? A master of all traditional curse techniques.
Except Reisen's automated curses—a unique category he invented. Many studied it, but few mastered it, like Banjiao Shichisei Tarou, who blended it with onmyoji techniques.
Automated curses weren't a distinct technique but a philosophy.
Amama-baba, though outclassed by Yae Saiguu in spells, was nearly her equal in pure curses. After their talk, Reisen confirmed she edged out Saiguu in skill but lacked her depth of knowledge.
"Guess I'm only Inazuma's third-best in curses now," Reisen quipped.
"Lord Reisen, you jest. I'll take my leave," Amama-baba said.
…
"How many will show?" Ei asked, genuinely curious about Inazuma's top fighters.
"All of them," Reisen said, squinting. "Who doesn't fear death? We're not cutting them off from their families—just separating them."
"They've got no choice."
"I bet seeing their old pals' new faces will push them over."
Sure enough, when Fushigawa's news spread, one couldn't resist: Yanagi Jin, the Sword Saint.
The seventh Sword Saint in Inazuma's civilian ranks (seventh LV80+ with a dojo), Yanagi Jin was a ronin by origin. His family wasn't prominent, but his education was solid, and his descendants were capable. After instilling his will in them, Yanagi Jin—the eleventh of his line—arrived at the Tenshukaku.
Starting today, he'd join the Shogunate's fold. The Longevity Surgery and Sealing Rituals were too tempting to resist.