First-Degree Criminal
One hour after the bandits incident...
In the Kagutsuchi Empire, specifically in the capital, the city looked like paradise in this world—tall buildings and gardens everywhere.
AkaYama had returned, but in a different form; his silver hair had turned into a mysterious black, his blood-red eyes became blue surrounded by dark halos, and his body appeared thin and frail, showing signs of weakness. He was wearing an old, pitch-black kimono, and a long katana was strapped to his back. AkaYama was walking around, and during that, he thought to himself:
"When you enter the capital for the first time, you'll think everything is beautiful and live in an illusion that all of its corners look like this place. But the truth is dark—nothing is perfect; everything must have a bad side."
AkaYama looked up at the dark sky and smiled:
"I changed my appearance to reduce suspicion. They will definitely monitor me, so I must look like a weak person who accomplishes missions by luck or coincidence, so I can freely execute my plans instead of exposing my power. I also have to pretend to be a good man seeking justice."
AkaYama started moving and said with irritation:
"I should head to the headquarters now."
AkaYama entered the Samurai headquarters, where a man with strong features stood in front of him, looking at him coldly and saying:
"So, you completed your mission of killing the bandits... and now, looking at you, I think you're ready for the next mission."
AkaYama replied with surprise: "What do you mean?"
The samurai gave an evil smile and said: "To be bait in the next mission."
AkaYama's face grew tense, and he said: "Bait for whom?"
The samurai looked at him and said: "To be bait in the mission to kill Yusoku."
Silence fell in the place. Just hearing the name "Yusoku" was enough to instill fear in anyone.
AkaYama looked at the samurai coldly and asked: "And who will be with me on this mission?"
The samurai answered: "Don't worry, a high-level samurai will be with you. All you need to do is lure Yusoku, nothing more. This mission will make you more useful—if you fail, you'll be someone who sacrificed for his nation, and if you succeed, you'll be a hero who brought glory to his homeland. So, what do you say?"
AkaYama, coldly: "Fine, I accept the mission."
When AkaYama left, a wicked smile appeared on the samurai's face.
AkaYama sighed and sat in an abandoned place, saying:
"Really... they've started suspecting me. How can I believe they're sending a high-level samurai along with a bunch of weak ones to confront someone as powerful as Yusoku? What proves my suspicions is that all the samurai accompanying me have committed crimes and are trying to cover them up. This doesn't make sense..."
There was a strange expression on his face, which made him wonder:
"Have they begun to suspect me, or are they trying to get rid of me? I have to figure it out."
When he looked into Yusoku's file to confirm his story and abilities, he read:
"Yusoku was formerly a samurai with the rank of commander. He fought in many battles and won them all. He killed many yokai as if they were mere insects. He has a strong physique, and when he turned against the samurai, no one could eliminate him. Since then, he has become a terror roaming the world. He is now seventy years old, but he still poses a great threat. He can use magic—specifically ice magic. If they really wanted to kill him, they would've sent a commander to face him. But they only sent this group."
AkaYama smiled and said:
"Fine, I'll go along with your plan. I must go now, I'm late."
AkaYama entered the slums.
Everything before him was ruin—destroyed buildings, rubble scattered everywhere, and poverty spread in every corner. Corpses of people who died of hunger, and children trying to steal food. The air in that area was polluted, and the tree leaves had withered. He looked at the place and said:
"Everything here is destroyed... this is the dark side of the capital. In this place, people suffer from starvation, while the noble children live in luxury. Here, children are abandoned, and if their families go bankrupt, they lose everything. Noble children fear losing their toys, while children here wish for death. They have no hope left in life..."
He continued walking and said:
"I should check on him."
AkaYama entered the house. It was a wooden house with weak foundations, ready to collapse at any moment. He found his younger brother, Kanjiro, in front of him—his body was thin and weak, his hair was pitch-black, his eyes black as well, his face pale, and his clothes slightly torn.
Kanjiro looked at him, anger rising on his face, and shouted loudly:
"Why don't you quit that damned job? Why do you have to get injured every time? Every time I see you, you're covered in wounds!"
AkaYama sighed and said calmly:
"Forget it, Kanjiro. If I quit, you'll die of hunger. So let's not discuss this."
Kanjiro replied angrily:
"Enough, big brother! Even though I'm a child, I understand the truth! But what will happen to me after your death?!"
AkaYama, coldly:
"They'll give you compensation, and you'll continue your life... now, let me sleep."
AkaYama went to his room, which was messy with scattered items. He sat on his chair, thinking about what had just happened:
"Truly... this child is aware, even though he's only twelve years old. He realizes the bitter truth of this world. But in reality, I've lost my emotions long ago... his voice just sounds like a child's screaming to me. I've only regained a quarter of my power, and the more power I recover, the more emotions I lose. I lied to him when I said I didn't quit the samurai for his sake. On top of that, my body never sleeps... I was lying to him."
AkaYama's face turned cold and said:
"I need to clear my mind now."
In the house, Kanjiro was very angry, thinking to himself:
"Why won't he listen to me? I've started having strange dreams... I see him slowly disappearing, each day a part of him vanishes. It's terrifying, and there's no way it's a normal dream. He won't believe me if I tell him, but I'll do everything I can to convince him."
Kanjiro's face turned serious, confident in his ability to persuade AkaYama.
In a distant place, on an icy mountain...
A snowstorm was raging, and torn bodies were scattered in every direction. On top of a pile of corpses sat a man holding his blood-stained sword.
All the corpses were of yokai, torn apart in a brutal way. The man was strongly built, with wrinkles on his face, but his white hair covered his right eye.
The man smiled and said:
"Seems like they sent the weak to fight me..."
That man was Yusoku.
.