Chapter 12 – The Banished Blade
The Almighty Katana: 全能の刀 (Zennō no Katana)
By Paul Richard
Season 1 – Chapter 12
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The flames licked the horizon.
The village of Iwakura-mura was burning.
Kenji tightened the grip on Seijintō, feeling the katana hum in anticipation. Beside him, Kaede wrapped her scarf around her mouth, the wind stinging with ash.
> "Three warriors," Kaede said. "All bearing cursed swords."
Kenji nodded grimly. "And the Council wants me to surrender mine."
They stepped over crumbling wooden fences, toward the village square where the villagers stood frozen—not in fear, but in confusion. Their memories already half-wiped, they simply watched the fire and smoke as if unsure what either meant.
And then—
The three masked warriors appeared.
Kurojin stood at the center, arms folded, crimson ribbons tied around the hilt of his jagged blade. On either side:
A woman cloaked in indigo, her katana whispering blue flames (Shi-En: The Flame of Regret)
A monstrous figure with no eyes, but a blade that pulsed like a living heart (Zankoku: The Blade of Cruelty)
And Kurojin himself, whose cursed sword bled black mist into the air (Kokuei: The Black Silence)
Kurojin stepped forward.
> "Kenji Sora," he said, his voice calm but thunderous. "By order of the Council of Blades, you are to return Seijintō. You are unworthy of it."
Kenji raised the blade. "Then come take it."
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Dance of the Banished
The village square cracked with force as Kenji lunged at Kurojin. Their swords met in a blinding clash, sending sparks into the air.
Kaede took cover, whispering protection sutras under her breath. The villagers stood unmoved—caught in a suspended loop of time.
Zankoku, the eyeless one, rushed Kenji's side. But Seijintō shimmered and blocked him instinctively, its glow now a radiant blue—its spirit awakened.
> "This sword fights for me," Kenji muttered. "It remembers mercy."
Shi-En leapt from above, her blade slicing through the wind like fire. Kenji barely dodged, rolling through the smoke. But then—Kurojin's blade stabbed the earth.
Darkness exploded.
Kenji's vision vanished.
He stood, alone, in a black field of mirrors.
His reflection showed a different version of himself—merciless, bloodstained, empty-eyed.
> "This is what you'll become," Kurojin's voice echoed.
Kenji roared, slicing through the illusion with Seijintō. The blade's light shattered the darkness.
When he opened his eyes, he was midair, about to be impaled.
Kaede screamed his name.
He twisted, blocked, and slashed all three warriors back at once.
They skidded to a halt, breathing heavily.
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The Message of the Blade
The wind suddenly stopped.
A new presence arrived.
A golden seal shimmered above the village shrine. A voice—not loud, but absolute—rippled through every soul present.
> "Enough."
A hooded man, taller than all others, stepped forward. His sword was sheathed. His face was hidden. But the symbol of the Council of Blades glowed bright on his shoulder.
> "His blade has chosen him," the man said. "And the seal of the Fallen King is awakened."
Kurojin took a step back.
> "Then we are too late?"
The hooded man nodded. "The age of sleep is ending. And if Seijintō has truly chosen him…"
He turned to Kenji.
> "Then your exile must now become your armor."
Kenji didn't understand. "Who are you?"
The man looked to the burning village.
> "One of the Twelve. The original bearers. But I lost my blade long ago."
Kenji swallowed hard. "Why are you helping me?"
> "Because the Council has forgotten. The Hundred Blades were not forged to be controlled. They were forged to warn us."
He turned to leave.
> "Prepare yourself, Kenji Sora. You are no longer alone."
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Suspense Ending
As dawn broke, the Council's agents vanished into the mist.
Kenji turned to Kaede—her eyes filled with emotion, her memory now completely returned.
> "They'll come again," she whispered.
Kenji nodded, holding Seijintō tight.
But then something caught his eye.
A young boy stood among the villagers.
In his hand… a blade.
Small. Rusted. But as sunlight struck it—it gleamed with golden light.
Kenji's heart sank.
Another legendary blade.
> "They've already started to awaken…"
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