Mikoto got up moments later, her head spinning. She rummaged the room in search of anything sharp and sighed. Without luck, she went over Dai and found a dagger inside his leg bandages. She held the handle with her feet and rubbed the rope against the blade. Come on… she tugged, heart racing. Break!
Meanwhile, Dai's hands started twitching.
Oh, no... He's waking up!
"Damn, Mikoto-chan!" Dai blinked, rubbing his chest. "You're strong!" He got up and pulled out two nunchaku. "Don't make this harder than it should..."
Mikoto gave one last tug and freed herself from the binds. Finally! She got up and raised both hands, taking a defensive stance. "Bring it on!"
"I like where this is going... let's dance!" Dai grinned and attacked using both nunchaku in succession.
However, Mikoto blocked the strikes before countering with his dagger.
Dai veered backward and dodged a swing aimed at his gut. At that moment, he realised she was no ordinary ninja. He charged once more, on high alert. In a wild rampage, he landed three vicious strikes on Mikoto's waist and arms.
Mikoto dropped the dagger–feeling sharp pangs all over. She ignored the pain and kept fighting. The space between them became a disadvantage to her. Dai's nunchaku were perfect for the mid-range and she had to close the gap to counterattack.
"Don't you think we should end this, Mikoto-chan?" Dai exhaled, catching his breath. "You look tired."
Mikoto stilled her thoughts and remained calm. She noticed him panting and got ready. He flung a nunchaku and she grabbed one end. Tugging it closer, she pulled and head-butted his nose.
Dai could not react. She followed up with a series of punches to his face. The final blow knocked a tooth out, sending it flying. Afterwards, he fell down.
"That's that…" Mikoto panted as she looked at an unconscious Dai. She pocketed his dagger before sneaking out. Now, I've got to check on the others.
☯
The battle between Kazuo and Daichi continued. With each exchange, the air grew accustomed to the clanking. As they fought, Kazuo's pace slowed.
"What happened to all the vigor you had before?" Daichi asked. "Come on, the descendant of the Legendary Sage can do better than that." He laughed and charged with an overhead swing.
Kazuo panted, shoulders slumped. He looked as though he were about to faint. His clothes were torn with his upper body drenched in sweat and blood. He dragged Dōjin's cleaver as he turned to the enemy.
Daichi had taken his fair share of slashes. Though his were less severe. He panted, summing what remained of his energy and rushed towards Kazuo.
Kazuo closed his eyes. At that point, he had accepted his fate. I guess this is it... he exhaled, leaning against the longer blade for support. "My boy." Kazuro's voice echoed in his mind. "If you wish to awaken each blade, call out the god's name."
Suddenly, a vision of Kazuro wielding the Earth sword flashed before Kazuo. He got up and raised the cleaver in the air. "Dōjin..." he said, opening his eyes. "Funsai (Shatter)!" A pale red aura glowed around his body as he readied to defend himself.
As the two swords clashed with a loud clang, Daichi's katana broke in half. "What the…?" he said, holding the bladeless hilt. Eyes widened, he turned pale and fell to his knees. "It can't..."
Kazuo raised Dōjin's blade. "Any last words?"
"It can't be…" Daichi muttered, a sudden hysteria looming. "My katana… so easily broken?" He stared at the hilt before dropping it. "It can't be!"
Kazuo glared at Daichi with an intensity in his eyes. As he readied to strike, a deep red aura engulfed him. "Dōjin: Tsubuse (Dōjin: crush him)–"
Daichi lowered his head until it touched the ground.
"Kazuo! Wait!" Keisuke's voice shouted.
Huh? Kazuo stopped. The violent air about him dissipated as he dropped Dōjin. Kaito's brother… what's he doing here? Overwhelmed by the power surge from before, he fell.
"Yamamoto!" said Keisuke, tossing chain cuffs to his comrade. He rushed towards Kazuo and pulled him up. "Take Daichi to Iwa. I will look after the boy."
"He won't be breaking free out of these," Yamamoto muttered and faced Keisuke. "Alright, senpai."
"Before you go..." Keisuke eyed Yamamoto and nodded. "It's begun."
Yamamoto nodded back and left with Daichi.
Meanwhile, Keisuke waited for Kazuo to regain consciousness. This kid, though… he was right all along. He stared at the huge sword in awe. The unmovable blade had found its rightful wielder.
"What are you doing?" Kazuo woke up and saw Keisuke struggling to lift Dōjin. He chuckled before grabbing his chest in pain. "You can't do it, huh?"
"I can't…" Keisuke chuckled with a hint of perspiration. "That was very reckless of you guys!"
"How'd you find me?"
"When I entered Ishigami, there were no guards at the gate so I assumed most keisatsu went to the explosion. That's where I heard about your arrest…"
"Did you meet the others?"
"No, they'd already been captured by the yakuza. I know this is suicide but come, let's go and rescue them," Keisuke offered a hand. "Wait a minute, can you walk?"
"Yes…" Kazuo forced a smile. "That was nothing." He could not hide the cuts on his limbs and torso.
"Alright, but don't overexert yourself."
With Keisuke's help, Kazuo got up and grabbed Dōjin. Using the steel chain across his shoulders, he carried the blade on his back.
They walked to the palace at a slow pace. On arrival, Keisuke and Kazuo stopped a few metres away to observe the scene. The Ishigami castle was swarming with yakuza and officers carrying firearms.
Keisuke scanned the area. "They're too many."
"So, what do we do? We can't wait here forever."
I always thought Daisuke was the true mastermind. Keisuke rubbed his chin as he conjured a plan. Today just proved it... with every guard here instead of Iwa. He cleared his throat. "I have an idea."
"What's that?"
"We surrender."
"Eh?"
"Just follow my lead," said Keisuke, turning to Dōjin. "Oh, and... you will have to leave it behind." He led the way, dragging Kazuo like a prisoner.
"Stop right there, officer!" said one of the yakuza at the front entrance. He pointed a pistol at Kazuo. "Who's that?"
"This is one of the offenders with the people who blew up the warehouse, sir..." said Keisuke, saluting. "Permission to bring him to Lord Daisuke."
"First, we have to clear him of any weapons." After a thorough search, the guard allowed them entry.
☯
Daisuke remained with two gold generals, a lance, a dragon (promoted rook) and three pawns. Takumi had two gold generals, a horse (promoted bishop) and two tokins (promoted pawns).
"So, my dear Takumi, what do you and your team want with my country's national treasure?"
Takumi's gaze remained on the board. He was the undefeated champion back home and that had been his most challenging shōgi match yet. Deep within the Earth Country, he met a formidable opponent. "He's Lord Kazuro's descendant and the rightful owner of Dōjin..."
"The Legendary Sage gifted that sword to Lord Dan. Breaking the treaty would mean war between the Lightning and the Earth regions."
Takumi remained silent.
"I could have him sent to Kurai and get myself a hefty bounty to recover the losses caused by you lot." Daisuke glanced at the board and giggled. "You never had a chance of beating me..."
I wouldn't count my chickens before they hatched. Takumi moved his horse and took Daisuke's lance. "Check."
Daisuke fled his king to safety, "Nice counter."
The guard at the door interrupted their match. "Lord Daisuke, there's an officer requesting an audience with you. He says he has caught the last culprit."
"Oh, is that so? You may let them in," said Daisuke, glancing at Takumi's reaction seeing the two guests enter. "Well, if it isn't the Inazuma prince. You arrived just in time to witness Takumi's death."
Takumi kept his focus on the board. They played for a few minutes until Daisuke froze. "You've realised it, haven't you?" he said, adjusting his sunglasses with a chuckle. "There's no escaping it..."
Daisuke's king was cornered, with a single move left before inevitable defeat. He moved his dragon to take out a gold general but it was meaningless.
Takumi dragged his tokin a step forward to a spot where it was protected by his horse. "Checkmate."
Daisuke stood up and tossed the board aside, fuming. The pieces flew all over the floor.
"I hope you stay true to your word..."
"Good game but no one is getting out of here al–" Daisuke felt a knife's edge on his throat and gulped.
"Don't even bother… where is my little brother?"
"Little brother? Wait... you mean the peasant boy?" said Daisuke, facing the door. "Guuuaaard!"
Keisuke brought his blade even closer, and a bit of blood trickled down the daimyo's neck. "Stop right there!" he ordered a guard who had entered the room. "If you move any further, your daimyo dies."
The guard stood still.
"And you…" Keisuke brought his gaze to Daisuke. "If you say one more word, I will slit your throat." He told Daisuke about Daichi's arrest and their coup d'état. "We've had enough of you, yakuza. As I speak, reinforcements are on their way. It's over..."