Inside the inner quarters of the Yamamoto estate, Supreme Commander Sasaki Shinomiya knelt on one knee before the seated Takashi Yamamoto, behind a fabric.
Without warning, the heavy double doors shattered inward. A wave of heavily armored executioners poured into the sanctuary, brandishing katanas, tactical daggers, and broadswords.
"Barging into the Family Head's private chambers without permission?" Sasaki said softly, his voice echoing through the quiet room. "It seems you traitors are in desperate need of a lesson."
He rose slowly, his sharp eyes scanning the vanguard. Though his posture remained unbothered, he knew exactly who they were—the subordinate families mounting their long-awaited coup.
A moment later, five men stepped through the shattered entrance, their weapons drawn. They were the leaders of five prominent branch clans beholden to the Yamamoto line.
"Today, we cut down Takashi Yamamoto and every loyalist who stands with him!" declared the lead master, a cruel-eyed man named Kenta. "And from the ashes, we take command!"
Sasaki stepped between the invaders and the Family Head. "If you want Takashi's life... you'll have to go through me first."
"The Great Swordsman Sasaki?" Ike, another clan head, adjusting his grip on a heavy broadsword. "Do you truly believe you can defeat all of us unarmed?"
"I think I can," Sasaki replied calmly.
"You're remarkably cocky for an old man," Kouji sneered. "I wonder if that smug composure will hold when you see your precious daughter's corpse dragged through the dirt."
Sasaki's eyes narrowed for a microsecond before a faint, confident smile returned to his face. "My daughter has my complete trust. She is more than capable of handling herself."
"Hahaha! Old man, you and I both know she stands zero chance against Master Endo!" Kouta laughed.
At the sound of Endo's name, the light left Sasaki's eyes. His expression darkened into a mask of pure, murderous coldness.
The five clan heads laughed in unison—a laugh that was instantly cut short.
In a fraction of a millisecond, Sasaki vanished. He materialized directly in front of Kouta, driving a single, catastrophic punch into the man's jaw that shattered the floorboards and rendered him instantly unconscious.
The remaining four heads leapt backward in sheer horror.
"Attack him!" Kenta screamed.
Two mercenaries lunged forward, swinging their swords in tandem. Sasaki caught a descending katana mid-air between his bare palms, twisted the blade out of the attacker's grip, and drove a swift front-kick into the man's chest, blasting him back through the doorway with a sickening crunch.
"All at once! Move!" Haruma barked.
Dozens of mercenaries swarmed from every angle. Sasaki snatched the captured katana, sweeping the blade in a single, fluid arc. A horizontal shockwave tore through the room, severing every enemy within a ten-meter radius in one clean swing.
"Keep your distance! Use spears!" Ike yelled, retreating toward the perimeter.
A line of pikemen rushed forward, their long steel tips thrusting toward Sasaki. The Commander parried and pushed through their formation with terrifying efficiency.
"Should we jump in now, Kenta?" Kouji asked, his brow dripping with cold sweat.
"I guess there is no other choice." Kenta said.
Kenta gave a sharp nod. The surviving clan heads surged forward together, their blades intertwining in a coordinated assault. Sasaki leapt into the air, driving his heel straight down into Kouji's face, slamming him headfirst into the hardwood floor.
Ike slashed from the left, but Sasaki parried with his stolen katana. Haruma seized the opening, swinging a massive war axe toward Sasaki's exposed neck. Sasaki caught the heavy axe head on the flat of his blade, but Kouta—dragging himself back into the fight—struck low at Sasaki's leg.
Sasaki barely dodged the leg strike, but the shift in balance allowed Haruma to press his axe forward, slicing deep into Sasaki's left shoulder. Ignoring the pain entirely, Sasaki brought his free fist around, landing a bone-shattering strike to Haruma's ribs that launched the clan head through the sliding doors into the adjoining hallway.
Haruma skidded across the floor, coughing up blood. "Are you... are you sure this monster is old?!"
Kenta charged with dual blades, weaving through a flurry of strikes. Sasaki parried both weapons and delivered a heavy kick straight to Kenta's sternum, hurling him back against the reinforced wall.
Still, the executioners kept coming. Sasaki fought off the four clan heads while simultaneously parrying a sea of incoming grunts. Taking advantage of the chaos, mercenaries landed small, tactical cuts on Sasaki's back and arms, but for every cut he received, Sasaki left someone fall dead in their feet.
"I can't believe this..." a mercenary whispered, backing away in awe.
"He's taking on four clan heads and an army at the same time!" another shouted in disbelief.
"Don't lose your nerve!" Ike bellowed across the room. "Five more clan heads are on their way here right now her—"
Before Ike could finish his sentence, Sasaki appeared before him, driving a devastating right hook into his temple that sent him flying through the side wall.
"Five more heads are coming?!" a traitor cheered, his confidence returning. "We have the numbers! Keep pushing!"
"Old man, you can't defeat an entire army on your own!" Kenta grinned, lunging with his dual swords. But Sasaki's sweeping kick caught him across the jaw, slamming him back into the floor.
Yet, despite his sheer dominance, the relentless tide of bodies began to wear on Sasaki. His breathing grew heavy, and his movements slowed by fractions of a second as he found himself pushed back against the inner dais.
Cornered and bleeding, Sasaki drew a quiet, deliberate breath.
Looks like I have no choice... I have to use it, Sasaki thought, dropping into a low, terrifyingly focused stance.
"First Step," Sasaki whispered.
Kenta's eyes widened in sheer, paralyzing panic. "EVERYONE GET DOWN! RUN!"