The Storyteller and the little Monkey

  The little monkey

  Nakamura, Owari Province. That day, the dry sound of hammering echoed through the poor, desolate village, filled with the smell of mud and straw.

  "Not yet! You're not putting your all into it, peasant!"

  A high-pitched, mocking voice. The voice belonged to a young boy.

  His mouth jutted out like a monkey's, his eyes darting restlessly.

  He was dressed in rags, almost like a beggar, but the oak club he held in his hand was wellmaintained and gleaming black, like a beloved sword.

  Tōkichirō.

  A leader of the village, he commanded the children as his underlings, and would mercilessly wield his club, even against adults, if he displeased them. He was the most hated man in the village.

  That day, he had thrown two young men to the ground on their way home from farm work. These were turbulent times.

  The weak were robbed. To Tōkichirō, using violence was a simple survival instinct, like breathing.

  "Ugh, I'm so weak, I'm yawning. Is there anyone with a backbone somewhere?"

  As Tōkichirō spat, a strange shadow suddenly appeared before his eyes.

  A lone traveler was walking down the heat haze-filled road.

  A deep straw hat was pulled down over his eyes, and his kimono had faded.

  He wasn't even wearing a sword.

  He looked like a simple drifter. But Tōkichirō's wild instincts sent a chill down his spine.

  (...What is this thing?)

  There were no footsteps.

  The sound of sandals on the ground seemed to be absorbed into the sound of the wind and disappeared.

  "Hey, traveler!"

  Toukichirou shouted loudly and jumped out, as if to overcome his instinctive fear.

  "If you're passing through this village, leave a toll!"

  Without further ado, Tōkichirō slashed sideways with his signature oak stick.

  With speed beyond what one would expect from a child. A sure-fire blow strong enough to break even an adult's bones.

  --He hit it.

  The moment he was sure of that, the impact disappeared.

  "Huh?"

  The traveler's form blurred.

  No, he didn't move.

  Like a willow swaying in the wind, he simply sank a few inches to match the path of the stick. Overwhelmed by momentum, Tōkichirō's body lurched forward.

  The traveler's index finger gently touched the back of his head, a vulnerable spot.

  "--!?"

  There was a slight thud.

  With just that, Tōkichirō's vision was turned upside down, and he suddenly found himself face-first into muddy water.

  "You're not putting your hips in."

  A surprisingly calm voice came from above.

  "Plus, you're exuding too much murderous aura. ...You won't be able to hunt any animals like that, kid."

  Tōkichirō looked up, and the traveler was smiling faintly from beneath his straw hat.

  There was no hint of contempt. His eyes were mysterious, as if he were admiring a stone by the roadside.

  The Storyteller

  That night, at an abandoned temple on the outskirts of the village.

  The crackling of a bonfire accentuated the silence.

  Tōkichirō, with a sulky face, was munching on river fish grilled by a traveler.

  Trying to avenge the humiliation of the day, he had tried to attack several times, but each attempt was easily fended off, and in the end, he ended up being treated to dinner.

  "So, old man, who are you?"

  Tōkichirō asked, spitting out the bones.

  "You're no ordinary traveler. The way you carry yourself, you're no ordinary person."

  "I'm just a storyteller."

  The traveler answered, still staring at the campfire.

  "I tell old stories, and in return I'm given food."

  "Old stories? That's ridiculous."

  "Would you like to hear... the story of Genzō?"

  The traveler's tone suddenly changed. It took on a deep, unfathomable resonance deeper than the darkness of night.

  "Genzo?"

  "Yes. It's the story of a man who defeated every swordsman, from all over the world and throughout history, but never left his name behind."

  The traveler began to recount.

  One time, he told the story of how he walked through an army of 10,000 without a drop of blood.

  Another time, he slashed through a bolt of lightning that struck with thunder.

  Another time, he cut down a giant boulder with a single slash, and the boulder stood there for a hundred years, unaware that it had been cut.

  "Hahahaha! What's that!"

  Tōkichirō laughed his head off.

  "Slashing lightning? Rocks don't even notice? Stop telling those lies! There's no way someone like that from a manga actually exists!"

  The traveler wasn't angry at Tōkichirō's ridicule.

  He simply narrowed his eyes nostalgically and looked up at the moon floating in the night sky.

  "You're right. It's no wonder you can't believe it."

  "Right? Besides, why is such an amazing guy unknown? I've never even heard of a name like 'Genzo'."

  "...A name would only be a burden."

  The traveler's words made Tōkichirō stop laughing.

  For just a moment, he felt as if a shadow of deep loneliness, something he shouldn't have seen, had fallen across the traveler's profile.

  "Hey, kid."

  The traveler suddenly looked at Tōkichirō.

  "You have talent. The ability to lead others and the instincts of a beast. But don't take the path of the sword."

  "Huh? Why not? I'm going to rule the world with just this one stick!"

  "The path of the sword is the path of carnage. A path where you cannot even protect those you love."

  With that, the traveler stood up and pulled his straw hat over his eyes.

  Before dawn.

  Under the pale moonlight, the traveler began walking silently.

  "Hey, wait a moment! This story isn't over yet!"

  Tōkichirō shouted.

  "Tell me more about this 'Genzo' guy! ...And tell me the old man's name!"

  The traveler didn't stop, but waved with his back. A faint voice carried on the wind.

  "...I'm just passing by."

  Tōkichirō stood there until the traveler's back was out of sight.

  He still didn't know that the traveler was carrying an invisible "blade" at his waist.

  And that his encounter with the "certain woman" he was searching for would one day change the fate of the world.

  Genzo - The Balance of the Twin Stars

  The Twin Stars

  The silvery starry sky was a cruelly clear blue once again today.

  The "Garden of Gravity" was located on the top floor of the Crystal Palace.

  It was a training ground only open to select members of royalty.

  "...Ugh, it's heavy...!"

  Oshin's delicate fingertips trembled.

  A huge mass of mithril was floating before her.

  But it wasn't just floating.

  Her magical powers were forcing it to withstand an immense inward pressure—a preparatory step for creating the event horizon.

  Sweat ran down her forehead, and her silver hair stuck to her cheek.

  "Concentrate, Oshin."

  A dignified voice rang out like a whip.

  A woman gracefully sipping tea in the corner of the garden—Tiamat, her mother and guardian deity.

  "It's not about maintaining form. It's about redefining space itself. Your hesitation is manifesting itself as a distortion in gravity."

  "But mother... if you compress it any further, my magical circuits...!"

  "Keep going, even if your circuits burn out."

  Her mother's voice was cold and icy.

  Oshin looked at her mother in shock.

  Why was her mother, who was usually so kind, pushing her so desperately? Her mother put down her cup and quietly pointed to the sky.

  There, a "second star" always cast an eerie shadow.

  "Look over there. Can you see that that black star is hungry?"

  her mother said.

  "That side is the star of death. And this side is the star of life. If we leave it alone, death, with its strong gravity, will swallow up life. If we do not become a weight on this planet, this beautiful city and the smiles of its people will be reduced to dust in an instant."

  Deep in her mother's eyes, she could see the lonely resolve of royalty.

  She was more worried than anyone about what the world would be like after she was gone.

  While fighting that fear, she was about to burden her daughter with a cruel fate.

  "...I understand, Mother."

  Oshinn wiped her tears and turned back to Mithril.

  "I will protect this planet and your wishes."

  It was peaceful.

  Erosion

  A time that seemed to last forever, like a god's afternoon nap. But destruction came without a sound.

  Suddenly, the world's colors vanished.

  The light of the three moons was blocked, and a "stain" like a drop of dark ink spread across the purple sky.

  "...Space teleportation!?"

  Faster than Oshin could even cry out in shock, the "stain" opened up into a crack, and from it poured forth a desperate, murderous intent.

  It wasn't heat. Nor was it cold.

  It was "nothingness." The incarnation of hunger, devouring all that exists.

  GROOOOOOOOOO!

  The jet-black giant appeared with a roar that shook not just your eardrums but your soul directly.

  The Black Dragon. A forbidden being that was supposed to have been banished in the Age of Myth.

  What it breathed out was not fire. Its "Breath of Nothingness" corroded and collapsed space itself, instantly obliterating the floating island of the sanctuary.

  "Run, Oshin!!"

  As her mother's scream rang out, her giant silver form transformed into a wall of light, blocking the way to the black calamity. The curtains rose on a legendary battle.

  Obsidia

  It was a place where light died.

  Obsidia, the pitch-black planet.

  Sulfurous winds raged, and on the surface, emaciated wyverns survived by eating each other's flesh.

  At the pinnacle of this world, on an obsidian throne, sat a giant shadow.

  A Black Dragon.

  The planet's ruler and its most powerful predator. He gazed down at the carnage below with emotionless, blank eyes.

  "...Are you at your limit?"

  A low, growling voice shook the rock face.

  The planet's mana (magical power) had run dry. If they continued to cannibalize their own kind, all annihilation awaited them.

  There was only one way to survive: to steal the hatefully beautiful "Silver Star" floating above them.

  "My King."

  His aide, the Shadow Dragon, appeared from the darkness and prostrated himself.

  "A dimensional rift is spreading. A slight crack has appeared in Tiamat's barrier."

  "...Even that young lady seems anxious."

  The Black Dragon's mouth twisted.

  It wasn't a sneer.

  It was the grin of a beast facing its prey.

  "In their haste to pass the throne to their daughter, they have neglected to maintain the barrier. ...That is our chance to survive."

  He slowly rose to his feet.

  Just the movement of his massive body caused the space around them to distort and scream.

  To them, this was not an invasion.

  It was a "migration," a "struggle for survival."

  The strong live, and the weak are eaten.

  That is the law of the universe.

  If that were the case, then the ones who should be eaten were the feeble silver dragons raised in that greenhouse.

  "All forces, prepare to teleport."

  The king's command resounded across the entire Death Planet.

  "We will steal its light...and make that planet our new feeding ground!"

  The balance was broken in an instant.

  With the sound of the sky splitting, countless "black rain" poured down from the jet-black star. It wasn't rain.

  It was a swarm of over a billion winged magical beasts.

  "They're here."

  Mother Tiamat spread her wings on the top floor of the Crystal Palace.

  Her gigantic silver body, several kilometers long, formed a shield over the city. She roared and unleashed her "Photon Stream," vaporizing tens of thousands of black dragons that filled the sky.

  But the black rain didn't stop. No matter how much they burned, new shadows kept emerging.

  (The numbers... were so different!)

  Oshin trembled within the barrier.

  The Black Dragon didn't move.

  From his throne high in the sky, he could only coldly look down at his subordinates being burned like trash.

  To him, they weren't soldiers, but merely "fuel" to sap his mother's magical power.

  "Mother! Behind you!"

  Oshin screamed.

  As her mother turned around, thousands of flying dragons latched onto her back from her blind spot.

  Her beautiful silver scales peeled off, and fresh blue blood danced.

  "...Guh!"

  My mother didn't scream, but simply amplified the light, blowing away the surrounding enemies. However, the light was definitely dimmer than before.

  "Checkmate."

  A deep voice that shook my brain rang out from the sky.

  Finally, the king made his move.

  The black dragon descended with the speed of a meteorite. Its approaching form, tearing through space itself, was the very embodiment of despair.

  "Oshin, go!!"

  Mother realized.

  There was no way to block this attack.

  So, at least send back the seed.

  Mother channeled all her remaining magical power into "Transportation" rather than attacking.

  A geometric circle of light unfolded at Oshin's feet.

  "No! I won't let you go unless you're with me, Mother!"

  "You must live... Live, and someday you'll regain your light."

  The depths of darkness

  "You must live... Live, and someday you'll regain your light."

  Thud!!

  At the same moment, the black dragon's fangs sank deep into Mother's neck.

  Oshin's world was enveloped in a swirl of light and turned upside down.

  As her vision receded, she saw the silvery white sky she loved being replaced by a thick darkness.

  She saw her mother's massive body collapse, and above her, a black dragon roaring in victory.

  "We are now one! From now on, this planet will become a new Obsidia

  (Black Star)!"

  That declaration of victory was the last thing Oshin heard. Her consciousness was sucked into the dimensional gap, drifting through what seemed like eternal darkness.

  Oshin was dreaming.

  A nostalgic, silver-white garden. There she found herself, still a young child, frolicking and using her clumsy gravity magic to make pebbles float.

  When she turned around, there was her usual gentle smile. Mother. Warm, large, and an absolute sense of security. She thought this moment would continue forever, just like this.

  But suddenly, the sky parted. Darkness like dripping ink washed away her mother's smile, the garden, and the light. No. Stop. Where is Mother?

  ...Thud...

  I felt like I was falling into the depths of darkness.

  It was cold.

  I couldn't breathe.

  Ah, this is where I'm going to disappear.

  I'll be devoured by the Black Dragon and turned to mana dust.

  At that moment, a strange "vibration" reached me from the other side of the infinite darkness.

  "Hey..."

  Who was that?

  It was a sound I'd never heard before.

  It wasn't dragonic.

  It wasn't telepathy either.

  A rough, low-frequency sound wave that vibrated the air in an indecent way.

  There was something wrong with this world (space).

  The gravity was too heavy. The air was too thin. Every sound I heard was different.

  (...That's right, I...)

  Fragments of my consciousness pierce me like a sharp pain.

  I was let go. Mother, in exchange for her life. Her final scream is still burned into my eardrums.

  (Mother...I'm sorry...I...)

  I try to cry, but my body feels as stiff as lead.

  My consciousness sinks back into the deep mud.

  As my consciousness fades, I feel the same vibration again, this time clearly hitting my skull.

  "...You're still breathing...Hey! Pull yourself together!"

  I felt a warm, rough hand touch my body. But there was no way to confirm it.

  I fell into a deep, deep sleep.

  The Sword Demon and The Scarecrow

  Kurobei

  Genzo woke up in the worst possible way that morning.

  The morning sun streamed in through the cracks in the torn shoji screen, and at the same time, there was a rough banging on the flimsy sliding door.

  "Hey, Genzo! Are you alive?"

  A chubby, oily man entered.

  He was wearing a fine silk kimono, but his eyes gleamed with a vulgarity, as if he were constantly counting his gold coins.

  He was the landlord of the tenement house and the wealthy merchant who lent

  Genzo money.

  Kurobee of Yamabukiya.

  "...What's with you, so early in the morning, Kurobee?"

  Genzo stifled a yawn as he crawled out of his rice-cracker futon.

  "I told you to wait for the rent. Once I get this next bodyguard job..."

  "Ha! Your bodyguard fees are so low."

  Kurobei snorted and tossed the "cheap sword" onto the dirt floor of his room.

  "Anyway, I have work to do. ...Go swing that sword around the backyard."

  "...Again? It's no use swinging such a lazy sword."

  "Just do it. If you swing it even once, that sword will gain some prestige."

  Genzo didn't know that the sword he had only used to split firewood as a "test cut" would later be sold in Kurobei's shop, advertised as "the legendary sacred sword with which the master swordsman Genzo cut through rocks," for the price of an entire castle.

  Kurobei had amassed enormous wealth by using the Genzo "brand" for next to nothing.

  "Yes, yes. So, how much is the fee for this?"

  "You idiot. I'll offset it with last month's rice money and the compensation for the broken hoe. No, that's still not enough. There's interest, and my debt is only growing."

  Kurobei took out an abacus from his pocket and clicked away.

  Genzo, who was not good with numbers, had no idea if the calculation was correct or not.

  But he was certain that no matter how much time passed, he would never be able to escape from this tenement.

  "Tch... What a cruel world we live in."

  Genzo picked up his sword and reluctantly stood up.

  "I'll go to the waterfall when I'm done. Don't get in my way."

  "Yeah, put in the effort. ... Earn as much as you can, my 'money tree'."

  Kurobei watched

  Genzo's back as he left, a lewd smile on his face.

  To him, Genzo wasn't a human being. A useful tool for generating wealth.

  But for a tool, he was a little lacking in luster.

  "...What a pity. With his skills, he could make more. ...If only there was a 'finest woman' here, he could put her on display and then suck her dry."

  Kurobei licked his lips.

  He, too, was unaware that that afternoon, Genzo would retrieve from the pool at the bottom of the waterfall exactly what he desired—no, a 'finest prey' beyond his imagination.

  Waterfall

  It was rumored that when this man walked across the battlefield, the rain would escape.

  The time was the Sengoku period.

  Two armies glared at each other in the barren fields of Kanto.

  One thousand troops in red armor from the East, eight hundred in black armor from the West.

  With the signal to aim their arrows together, a rain of arrows fell, filling the sky.

  While everyone readied their shields and hid in the shadows of their horses, that man—Genzo—was yawning as he walked along the front line, clad only in a tattered kimono.

  A strange sound was heard. It was as if the laws of physics were bent only around Genzo.

  Dozens of arrows were fired towards him, and with a simple flick of his sheathed sword, he knocked them all down in mid-air. With a dull gesture, as if he were waving a fly.

  "...A monster?"

  The enemy cavalry commander said in a trembling voice.

  "I don't care, just crush them!"

  With a roar, the elite cavalry charged. Genzo didn't stop.

  He didn't even draw his sword. He merely clinked his sword sash as they passed each other.

  Zan.

  After a moment of silence, the saddle belts of the cavalry's horses all snapped simultaneously, and the warriors tumbled miserably to the ground.

  Not a single horse or man was hurt. Only their fighting equipment had been precisely dismantled.

  The battlefield froze.

  Far more difficult than killing, the ultimate in "neutralization" was upon us.

  "...Ugh, ugh. This is so annoying."

  Genzo scratched his head and walked up to the limp enemy general.

  "This wins the battle. Can I go back to sleep?"

  "How selfless...!"

  Inside the tent, the victorious daimyo was in tears.

  "I'll give you the country. I'll give you money. And if you want, you can marry my daughter..."

  "I don't want it."

  Genzo replied immediately.

  "Even if you give me land, I won't cultivate it. I don't need a woman, she's just a nuisance. ... Rather, give me the promised money (my parttime wage) and two rice balls."

  And with that, he took his daily wage and vanished like the wind, leaving behind a legend.

  The next day, nobles in Kyoto were spreading rumors that "the thunder god has appeared in the east," and notices were circulating in Edo samurai residences that "if you hear the name Genzo, run barefoot." But where was he?

  "Hey, Genzo! You've broken your hoe again!"

  He was being yelled at by an old farmer in the village fields.

  A man worshipped as a god on the battlefield, he was merely a "clumsy grain-eater" in the peaceful village.

  He had no control over his strength. When he tried to pull out weeds, he pulled out the whole plant, and when he tried to drive in a stake, he ended up shattering the very foundation.

  "...Sorry. I'll pay for it."

  "I don't care about paying for it, just go away! You're just a big, useless scarecrow!"

  Genzo shrugged and ran toward the river.

  The women at the village well giggled as they saw him off.

  "Hey, look, I'm going over there again."

  "He's a good-looking guy, after all. Apparently the other day, when Oyuki tried to give him some rice dumplings, he ran away with a demonic look on his face."

  "Oh my. Maybe he hates women?"

  "Maybe he's into that (homosexuality). I wonder what he's doing by the waterfall every day."

  The villagers don't know that the man they call "useless" is about to transcend the laws of the world.

  Thud thud thud thud...

  A massive waterfall on the outskirts of the village.

  Genzo gazed up at the plunging waterfall with a sharp gaze he never shared with anyone.

  "...I can't cut through water."

  He muttered, and drew his sword.

  The blade, which had slain so many heroes, roared as it sliced through the water.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  In an instant, the waterfall's falling water flowed backwards, from bottom to top, accompanied by a thunderous roar.

  The vacuum wave created by the slash even momentarily defying gravity.

  But soon the water returned to normal.

  Genzo shook his head.

  "It's too late. At this rate, I'll never reach the silver scales I see in my dreams."

  He didn't yet know thatthe heights he was unconsciously striving for would soon fall from the sky.

  Women's skin

  That day, Genzo was frustrated.

  The spray from the waterfall was cold.

  No matter how many times he swung his beloved sword, "Mumei," the waterfall only reversed course for a moment before quickly returning to its original, murky state. He still couldn't cut through the water.

  The villagers' gossip, "He's crazy," echoed in his ears like an auditory hallucination.

  "...Hmph. Ordinary people wouldn't understand."

  Genzo muttered to himself, shaking off the water droplets from his sword with the same ease as if he were shaking blood.

  He didn't need women, alcohol, or success. All he needed was the moment when the tip of his blade reached "reason." Telling himself this, he once again It was then.

  Slurp slurp...!!

  The sound of the waterfall disappeared.

  No, it was drowned out by the sound of something even larger crushing the air.

  Genzo reflexively looked up to the sky, and saw an impossible sight.

  A black crack ran through the cloudless blue sky.

  And from that crevice, a single ray of silver meteor spewed out.

  "Huh!?"

  A meteorite?

  Or the work of a tengu?

  Genzo's kinetic vision picked up the outline of the falling object.

  It wasn't a rock.

  It was a person. A human with long flowing silver hair and bare pale skin plummeted headfirst into the pool at the bottom of the waterfall.

  Splat! Splat! Splat!

  A huge column of water rose, drenching Genzo.

  The surface of the pool rippled violently. But the "thing" that had fallen did not float up.

  "...Hey, are they abandoning a body?"

  Genzo clicked his tongue.

  He didn't want to get involved.

  He didn't want any trouble.

  But there's also something called a samurai's compassion.

  It would be a shame to abandon someone and have their dreams ruined.

  Reluctantly, He stripped off his kimono and jumped into the cold pool at the bottom of the waterfall.

  That leaves one less rice ball today

  The water was silent.

  As he dived deeper, he spotted a faint light at the bottom.

  It wasn't the light of an ordinary human. It was a pale, silvery light, like moonlight.

  (...What's that?)

  Genzo approached, and saw a woman submerged.

  She was clad only in tattered, thin cloth.

  But it wasn't her naked body that caught his eye.

  She had unfamiliar, geometrically patterned birthmarks on her back and arms, and silvery, scale-like fragments were flakes and floating in the water.

  (Scales...? Surely that's what I wanted to cut...)

  Genzo shook off his confusion and embraced the woman's waist.

  She was light.

  Incredibly light. Almost bird-like.

  But the heat radiating from her body was not that of an ordinary human. A boiling heat.

  Splash!

  Genzo raised the woman's head to the surface of the water.

  He laid her down on the rocks, breathing heavily. Looking at her again, her features were so beautiful they seemed unearthly.

  Her divine beauty was so divine that it would have driven a princess from Kyoto to flee barefoot.

  Her long eyelashes trembled, and her transparent silver hair was wet and stuck to the rock face.

  "...Hey, are you still alive?"

  Genzo timidly poked her cheek with his finger.

  He was a master swordsman, yet he was cowering like a child when facing a woman.

  What should I do?

  Should I administer artificial respiration?

  No, how could he dare do something so shameless?

  Should he press on her stomach?

  No, where should he touch?

  "Uh...uh..."

  A small moan escaped the woman's lips.

  Then, her eyelids slowly opened.

  There was a vertically split pupil. A reptilian, no, a dragon's eye. A brilliant amethyst (purple).

  "You..."

  She stared blankly at Genzo with unfocused eyes.

  "Where am I...? Where is your mother...?"

  The words were clear.

  But the tone was strange.

  The voice sounded like a bell.

  Genzo felt as if he had encountered something "unslashable" for the first time in his life, and a shiver ran down his spine. It wasn't fear. It was a trembling shiver.

  "This is deep in the mountains of Nakamura, in Owari Province."

  Genzo answered brusquely, draping the kimono he had discarded over her body.

  "You fell from the sky, didn't you?... Are you a celestial maiden or a monster?"

  Oshin stared back at Genzo.

  Then, just before losing consciousness, she said in a faint voice:

  "...I'm...Oshin..."

  Her head dropped.

  Genzo looked up to the sky.

  The smell of trouble was in the air.

  He absolutely couldn't let the villagers see him.

  But he couldn't let this mysterious creature, emitting a silvery glow, die in the wilderness.

  "Tch. That leaves one less rice ball today."

  Genzo lifted her onto his wet body, unaware that the warmth he felt on her back would derail his lonely path as a swordsman.

  Genzo - Two in the Sunshine

  Miracle

  A miracle had happened.

  Genzo's rundown tenement, once the "village bastard," had now become the village's most popular salon.

  "Oshin-chan! I brought some boiled sweet potatoes today!"

  "Oshin-sama, that 'trick (magic) you taught me the other day to lighten heavy loads, that's amazing!"

  A constant stream of villagers flocked to the veranda.

  At the center of it all was Oshinda, dressed in a village girl's kimono, her silver hair hidden by a cloth.

  Her carefree smile and impartial kindness instantly won the hearts of the villagers.

  Even the old men who had once called Genzo "useless" and the women who had kept their distance now praised him, saying,

  "Genzo, you've found a beautiful wife!"

  "...I don't understand."

  Genzo muttered, folding his arms in the corner of the room.

  Previously, he hadn't even been given a rice ball, but now, for dinner, the table was lined with sumptuous fish and vegetables, gifts from the villagers. Since Oshinn arrived, it was as if the world had changed color.

  "Genzo, look! Grandma gave me a beautiful hairpin!"

  Oshinn turned around with a smile as bright as a flower. Her dazzling beauty made Genzo instinctively look away.

  "...Yeah, it suits you...amazing."

  "Really? Hehe."

  Oshin sat happily next to Genzo.

  She was close. She could smell a sweet scent.

  But Genzo was as motionless as a stone statue.

  This man was a wimp.

  No, he regarded her so sacredly that he couldn't lay a finger on her.

  Even when they were laid out for the night, he gave Oshin her highquality rice cracker futon and slept on a straw mat between the wooden floors.

  "Um... Genzo-sama, aren't you cold? Shall we sleep together..."

  "You idiot! How could a samurai sleep in a woman's futon!"

  Genzo's face turned red and he yelled, turning his back to him, so that he wouldn't notice his pounding heart.

  (Am I worthy of this happiness...?)

  In the darkness, he stared at his hands.

  Until now, they had been covered in blood and grease, and had only ever known the act of cutting people.

  Now, they were there to protect someone, to live with someone.

  These peaceful days were far worse for his heart than the carnage of battle. But at the same time...he loved them to death.

  Genzo swore.

  He would protect this sunny spot no matter what.

  Even if it meant making the heavens his enemy.

  Gamble

  That day, the sunlit peace was disrupted by vulgar, dirty feet.

  "Hehehe. It seems the rumors were true, Genzo."

  The man was standing at the entrance to the tenement.

  Kurobei from Yamabukiya.

  He pierced Oshin, who was making tea in the back of the room, with a sultry gaze. Oshin involuntarily flinched at the lewdness of his gaze.

  "...What do you want, Kurobei?"

  Genzo's voice lowered.

  The temperature in the room seemed to drop by several degrees.

  "It's payment of a debt. I'll take that woman."

  Kurobei took the document from his pocket and fanned it.

  "Your debt is mounting.

  But if you offer this exquisite woman as my 'plaything,' I'll forgive you."

  Snap.

  Genzo heard something snap inside himself.

  It's fine to insult him.

  It's fine to treat him like a tool.

  But you're going to make this pure white soul (Oshin) the price for your tainted desires?

  "...Get lost."

  "Huh? I can't hear you."

  "That woman is not something!!"

  Genzo's angry shout shook the tenement.

  He didn't reach for his sword, but shot Kurobei with murderous intent alone.

  "I'll pay back my debt. No matter what it takes...But I won't let you lay a finger on her."

  Genzo hid the trembling Oshin behind his back and stated clearly.

  "I'll protect her...with my whole life, even if it means sacrificing my life!!"

  Genzo himself was surprised by the passionate and powerful words.

  Kurobei was so overwhelmed by the sword demon's power that he crawled back.

  "Remember that! I'll make you regret it!"

  ---

  That evening, Kurobei dispatched the "worst hitman" he could afford.

  In the forest on the outskirts of the village, Genzo went out to collect firewood.

  A giant bandit, Gozan the Assassin, appeared before him, standing roughly seven feet (approximately two meters) tall.

  "Hahaha! You're Genzo? You don't think you can protect a woman with those skinny arms!"

  Gozan approached, swinging his enormous iron club, snapping large trees as he went. But Genzo wasn't his usual "lazy guy" right now.

  (I said, "I'll protect you for the rest of my life.")

  That vow sharpened his sword to its limits.

  Genzo narrowly dodged the iron club and, as they passed each other, struck it with a single slash.

  Without a sound, it sliced through the tendons in Gozan's arms.

  "Aaaaahhhh!?"

  "...Don't ever show yourself before us again. Tell Kurobei that."

  Genzo shook off the blood and said with a cold look in his eyes, "Next time, I'll take your life."

  ---

  Night.

  After fending off his attackers and returning home, Genzo was suddenly overcome with embarrassment.

  The room was small. The light of a lantern. He couldn't look Oshinn in the face as she sat across from him.

  (Protect me for the rest of my life?...What was I blurting out...?)

  He felt like his face was on fire. When Genzo returned, Oshin's cheeks were flushed red and her eyes were moist.

  "I was so happy," she said.

  But now it was different.

  She sat upright, her fists clenched tightly on her knees, her expression solemn as if she was enduring something.

  "...What's wrong, Oshin? Are you hurt?"

  "No, Lord Genzo."

  Oshin looked up, resolute.

  Her eyes held a strength of will and deep sadness she'd never seen before.

  "Lord Genzo, you said you'd protect me even at the cost of your life. ...I was so happy and overwhelmed by your kindness..."

  "I...I must have acted on impulse..."

  "That's why I couldn't hide it."

  The air around Oshin shifted.

  Small items in the room began to float upward.

  Gravity was distorted.

  Genzo's eyes widened.

  "Genzo-sama... I'm not human."

  In a trembling voice, she began to confess. About her hometown.

  About the two moons floating in the sky. And about how the "black calamity" that was targeting her would eventually follow her to this world.

  "If you stay with me... you'll be fighting a true 'devil', incomparable to Kurobei. But even so..."

  A tear fell from Oshin's eye.

  "But will you still stay by my side?"

  Genzo - Determination

  Stay by my side

  The flickering light of the lantern cast a weak light on Oshin's silver hair.

  "...Can you believe me, Lord Genzo?"

  Oshin's confession was beyond words.

  The "Dragon World" exists in a dimension separate from the human world.

  There, an endless war between light and darkness is waged. And so, her clan, the "Silver Dragons," have been carrying out their destiny as "guardians" to maintain the balance of the world for generations.

  "My mother...Tiamat fell to the fangs of the Black Dragon in order to save me."

  Oshin clenched her fists in her lap.

  Her nails dug into her skin, causing red blood to seep out.

  "They will definitely come. They will smell my scent and tear through the space. ...When that happens, anyone nearby will be wiped out, soul and all. No matter how powerful Lord Genzo's sword is, they are demons that devour reason itself."

  Oshin stood up and turned away.

  Her shoulders were trembling slightly.

  "That's why I'm going. ...Life here has been like a dream. But I must wake up from it."

  She picked up the few belongings wrapped in a furoshiki cloth.

  It was a lie. She didn't want to go. Genzo could painfully sense her crying behind him. She was waiting.

  For the words "Don't go."

  But at the same time, she was fighting the fear that if she said "Don't go," it would mean Genzo's death.

  (...What a clumsy woman.)

  Genzo remained cross-legged, unmoving.

  But inside his heart, something hot he had never felt before was swirling.

  Was it compassion? Was it obligation?

  No, it wasn't.

  He was going to stop lying to himself. "Hey,"

  Genzo called softly.

  Oshin clutched her luggage to her chest and headed toward the exit.

  Her back was trembling.

  "Don't come. Genzo-sama, please live in the human world. If you get involved with me, you too will be swallowed up by the 'darkness'."

  She was determined not to involve Genzo, and was about to reject the man she loved.

  But before her hand could touch the door, with a bang, something pierced the pillar in front of her.

  It was the hand towel Genzo had thrown.

  It was so sharp that it dug deeply into the hard wood, beyond what you would expect from a piece of cloth. "...Wait."

  A low voice pinned Oshin to her feet.

  Genzo sat cross-legged, quietly sipping his sake.

  "Aren't you mistaken?"

  "...Huh?"

  "Do you really think I'd lose to that lizard-like thing called a 'Black Dragon'?"

  Oshin turned around and shook her head frantically.

  "No! But my opponent is a demon! A demon that can manipulate space and bend gravity! There's no way a human sword could reach him..."

  "It'll reach it."

  Genzo declared briefly, then slowly rose to his feet.

  At that moment, the air in the room became tense. It wasn't murderous intent. It was something much purer, more refined, "sword spirit."

  "You see, Oshin. I've lived my life with just this one sword. I've cut through wind, water, and lightning... There's nothing in this world I can't cut."

  He walked up to the stunned Oshin and grabbed her trembling shoulders.

  "I don't know what you're carrying on your shoulders: the 'fate of a dragon' or the 'fate of destruction,' but... I'll cut it down for you." "Genzo-sama, that's..."

  "Let's make a bet."

  Genzo looked directly into her tearful eyes and smiled fearlessly.

  "I'll risk my life to prove it to you whether I can cut down your enemy that pitch-black disaster."

  "Wh... why go that far..."

  Oshin's voice trembled.

  There was surely no reason for a mere mortal to throw themselves into a mythical battle.

  But Genzo said nonchalantly.

  "I'll take on your karma for you."

  He continued, as if he were talking about tomorrow's weather, but with a passion that gripped my heart.

  "Isn't that the way you should behave towards the girl you love?"

  Time stopped.

  Oshinn's furoshiki wrapping slipped from his hands. I was speechless. This man wasn't saying he'd die to protect me.

  "I'll take all of your misfortune, so just stay quietly by my side."

  What arrogance. What strength. And what... love.

  "...Uh, uh...!"

  Oshin collapsed, buried her face in Genzo's chest, and broke down in tears.

  There was no way he could push her away any longer.

  This clumsy yet powerful swordsman had embraced her whole soul.

  Genzo gently stroked her crying silver hair with his rough hands.

  His eyes were already fixed on the distant sky - the "battlefield" with two moons floating above it.

  (Wait for me, you lizard....You'll pay a high price for making mywoman cry.)

  That night, Genzo admitted defeat.

  They didn't even clash.

  However, the weight of the tears shed by the woman before him cut through his stubborn heart.

  It was a defeat stronger and warmer than any other he had faced in his life.

  (...Geez. I never thought I'd end up taking on such a "gamble.")

  Genzo smiled wryly as he got ready.

  That is, he left the tenement house without looking back.

  Hiding

  Late at night.

  In the garden of an old temple on the outskirts of the village. In the silence, only the moon shone upon the two of them.

  "Genzo-sama... Are you sure?"

  "You're annoying me. Once I make up my mind, I never change my mind."

  Genzo crossed his arms and looked up at the night sky.

  "Show me those 'wings' already. You're going to take me away, aren't you?"

  "Yes. Don't be surprised, okay?"

  Oshin made a seal and chanted a spell.

  In an instant, her body was enveloped in a dazzling silver light. Her human form dissolved, and the immense mana within her began to overflow.

  GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO O OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

  Emerging from the light was a gigantic silver dragon, taller than the temple's main hall.

  Its scales shone in the moonlight.

  Its graceful, yet intimidating wings.

  It was no creature of this world. It was a god itself.

  "...Oh."

  Far from fear, Genzo was taken aback by its beauty.

  He instinctively reached out and touched the muzzle of the enormous dragon that had descended before him.

  "Beautiful....Just like you."

  The dragon's eyes narrowed in delight,and it purred.

  "Ah, ahhhhhh!!"

  "Oh, it'sa demon! A demon has appeared in the temple!!"

  Witnessing the giant shadow, the villagers fled in panic, carrying torches. And one man was watching the commotion from afar, trembling.

  It was Kurobei of Yamabukiya.

  "Oh, what's that...!"

  Kurobei was stunned.

  "That bastard from Gozan failed! What's that giant monster!? Could it be that the 'hitman' I hired has summoned even more dangerous underlings!?"

  He had completely misunderstood.

  He had mistaken Oshin's true identity as "a new assassin out to kill Genzo."

  "I, I want nothing to do with this! I know nothing!"

  ---

  In the center of the garden.

  The silver dragon gently enveloped Genzo in its enormous wings. Space distorted, creating a vortex of light.

  "Hold on, Genzo-sama. We're going beyond dimensions!"

  Oshin's voice echoed in his mind.

  Genzo grinned and gripped the hilt of his beloved sword.

  "Yes. Take me, anywhere. Whether it's the depths of hell or the ends of heaven, I'll be with you."

  Whew!!

  A pillar of light pierced the sky, and the two of them completely disappeared. All that remained was scorched earth and the silent darkness of night.

  ---

  The next morning.

  Kurobei timidly visited Genzo's tenement house, but was both relieved and furious to find it empty.

  "He ran away...!"

  The room was empty of all his belongings.

  In order to protect his pride and put this terror behind him, Kurobei made a decision.

  "Hey, you guys! Listen up!"

  He yelled at his subordinates.

  "Genzo couldn't bear his debts and ran off in the middle of the night! He was a complete lie about his sword skills! He was just a spineless con man!"

  "Y-yes!"

  "Burn all traces of his existence!

  From now on, anyone who mentions Genzo's name will be kicked out of this village!"

  And so, thanks to Kurobei's relentless cover-up, the record of the legendary swordsman "Genzo" was buried in the darkness of history.

  His existence was erased from both official records and the memories of the villagers as a "cowardlyman who ran away in the middle ofthe night."

  But the truth is different.

  The man did not run away.

  He set outwith the woman he loved, to a "mythical battlefield" no one knewabout.

  Honeymoon

  When the light of the teleportation subsided, she was greeted by a gray world.

  Two moons, an ominous mixture of red and purple, floated in the sky.

  The floating islands and temples where the Silver Dragons once lived peacefully had cruelly collapsed, emitting black smoke.

  The flower fields she had heard were scorched, and the mana-depleted earth was cracked.

  "...This is my hometown."

  Oshin, now transformed back into her human form, stood there powerless.

  Even though she knew what was coming, the reality was cruel.

  There was not a single sign of her village friends.

  The only sound carried on the wind was the roar of a rampaging demonic beast (the Black "I'm sorry, Genzo-sama. For bringing you to such a deserted place."

  Oshin bit her lip.

  I really wanted to show her the Crystal Flowers in full bloom. I wanted to show her the fish of light swimming in the sky. But now it's just a graveyard.

  "There's nothing there, huh?"

  Genzo picked up some rubble at his feet and snorted. There was not the slightest hint of disappointment on his face.

  "That's fine. Now I can go wild without any hesitation."

  He surveyed the wilderness and spoke confidently, as if scouting a new home.

  "Besides, I'm not here sightseeing.

  I'm here to kill your 'enemy.' ...If the enemy's castle were too impressive, I'd be reluctant to destroy it. It's better for it to be this dilapidated."

  He wasn't just pretending.

  To Genzo, this wasn't a "sad hometown," but a "battlefield" he would conquer for the woman he loved.

  His unwavering resolve warmed Oshin's heart.

  "Lord Genzo..."

  Oshin gently leaned against Genzo's back.

  The world was dead.

  There was no hope anywhere. But there was this warm back. Just that filled her heart.

  (Ah, I'm so blessed...)

  What had become of her former friends? Where had her mother died? The sadness never faded. But with this person, even the depths of hell could become a "nest of love."

  "Let's go, Oshin. Lead the way," Genzo said, starting to walk.

  "Yes, Hubby."

  Blazed by the winds of theruins, the two of them walked handin hand.

  It was the beginning of theworld's most arduous, yet most loving,honeymoon.

  Genzo - the legend

  Two Dragon Swords

  A cold wind blew through the wilderness of the Dragon Realm.

  Genzo and Oshin's hideout. Oshin's belly was already visibly swollen. A new life—the one who would become Shinji—was there.

  "...No."

  Genzo roughly sheathed the sword he had been maintaining and turned away.

  "Training while pregnant? Are you out of your mind? You stay here and sleep. I'm enough by myself."

  Genzo's voice was laced with anger.

  My wife and my unborn child.

  I fight to protect these two.

  Dragging the very people I must protect onto the battlefield would be unbecoming of a samurai.

  "No, Genzo. You cannot defeat him."

  Oshinn's face was pale, but she spoke resolutely.

  "Your swordsmanship is divine. But... it cannot match the Black Dragon. You won't even come close."

  "What did you say?"

  Genzo turned around, his eyes glaring sharply.

  "You're saying my sword won't work on you?"

  "It won't. ...Because that person isn't there."

  Oshin stood up, supporting her heavy body, and picked up a stone from the ground. Then she threw it aside.

  "Cut him down."

  Genzo drew his sword. Lightning fast. But just before the blade touched the stone, it vanished and fell behind Genzo.

  Oshin had "transferred" it with a weak burst of mana.

  "Huh?!"

  "This isn't some weak demonic beast. He controls space itself. The moment you step in, he's already Genzo fell silent. He hadn't even managed to cut through the single stone he'd just struck. What if that thing was a giant dragon attacking with murderous intent... "

  "That's why you need me."

  Oshin took Genzo's hand and placed it against her stomach.

  "I'll stop him from moving. I'll use all my magical power to cast Gravity Bind, sewing him and the space around him to the ground."

  Her eyes held the resolve of both a mother and a warrior.

  "The restraints are in effect for just a split second... that's the only time her 'Teleportation' will be blocked. ...In that instant, you must risk everything and cut off her head."

  "Are you telling me to use you as a decoy?"

  "No. ...We'll protect this child together."

  Genzo felt the faint beat of Oshin's stomach.

  His own pride was worthless in the face of this life. He gritted his teeth and nodded deeply.

  "I understand. I'll do it, Oshin."

  "Yes, my love."

  From that day on, the rigorous

  "Marital Combination" training began.

  Even with her heavily pregnant body, Oshin desperately manipulates gravity.

  Genzo repeatedly charges forward with lightning speed, never wasting the slight opening she creates.

  Little did the two of them know that the tactic they devised then "Mother stopping with gravity, father slashing with his sword"

  - would be replicated decades in the future, in the skies above Tokyo, and would become the only key to saving their son, Shinji.

  And it was precisely because of this tactic... that Shinji wouldlater come to realize the despair thathecould.

  Shuku-chi

  Three years have passed since they crossed over to the Dragon Realm. In a corner of the desolate land, there's a small hut that Genzo and Oshin built. In the garden, Genzo continues his strange training today as well.

  "...It won't move."

  In front of Genzo, a pile of moderately sized stones is piled up.

  Without drawing his sword, he simply glares at the stones, sweating profusely.

  This is the basic training of "Spatial Interference" that Oshin has taught him.

  Moving stones without touching them.

  For Genzo, a master swordsman, this simple task is more difficult than moving a mountain.

  "Hmm, hmm... It's no good. Willpower alone won't do anything."

  Genzo sprawled out.

  With a sword, he could read the movement of even a single leaf, but wielding this "invisible power" was a complete mystery.

  "Daddy! Training?"

  A cheerful voice called out.

  It was his son, Shinji, who had just turned three.

  He had picked up a tree branch as tall as himself and was assuming a "stance" just like Genzo.

  "Hey, Shinji. You want to try too?"

  "Yeah! Come on! Yay!"

  Shinji swung the branch around.

  Genzo's cheeks softened at the sight of his innocent figure.

  Ever since he was born, this desolate world had begun to look brighter. Something to protect.

  The future itself. But the accident happened in an instant.

  "Waah! ...Ah!"

  Shinji jumped up and down in excitement, tripping over a tree root at his feet.

  He lurched forward with force.

  There, he fell onto a sharp rock that Genzo had piled up for training.

  "--!!"

  Genzo's blood ran cold.

  It was five meters away.

  Even if he ran, he wouldn't make it.

  He couldn't reach it.

  It seemed as if in slow motion that Shinji's soft head would crash into the sharp corner of a rock.

  (Make it in time... No, get out of the way!)

  (That rock is in the way!!)

  Genzo's thoughts vanished.

  Oshin's teachings about "sensing mana" or "imagining" didn't matter.

  Just a pure, searing "will to eliminate" that was similar to "murderous intent." Get outta here!!

  The moment Genzo yelled and thrust out his hand... Slam!!

  A dry sound rang out.

  Just before Shinji's head hit it, the huge rock that should have been there **"disappeared**.

  No, it didn't explode.

  The entire space was hollowed out and he was "teleported" to a cliff far behind.

  "Huh?"

  "Waaaah! Papaa!"

  Genzo hurriedly picked up Shinji, who had landed face-first on the empty ground and begun crying.

  His heart was beating fast. But he could still feel a definite sensation in his hands.

  "I see."

  Genzo stared at his hands.

  Magic isn't about making requests.

  It's about deciding the outcome first. I rewrite the fact that something is "there" to "go away" with my will.

  It's no different from cutting something with a sword.

  "...I've got it."

  From that day on, Genzo's growth exploded.

  It didn't take long for him to evolve from being able to move stones to "Shukuchi," teleporting himself.

  All for the sake of protecting his little son.

  To sortie

  That day, Genzo was certain.

  He felt the sensation of teleporting a rock in the garden without even touching it with a finger.

  This would work. My blade was at that lizard-like thing's throat.

  "Oshin... I'm going to strike."

  At dinner, Genzo put down his chopsticks and began to speak.

  "Shinji's grown up, too. I can't live in fear under these gray skies forever. I'll kill him and clear the sky."

  "... I won't."

  Oshin answered immediately. Her face was pale.

  "It's too early. You've only just learned to move the stones. You haven't yet reached the point of teleporting your body at combat speed."

  "You won't know until you try!" "I know! I know!"

  Oshin raised her voice.

  Normally calm, she was bursting with emotion, a rare display.

  "That person...the Black Dragon is the ruler of space. A careless teleportation is like a baby crawling. If he finds you, you'll be crushed in an instant. ...For now, you need to hide and gather your strength."

  Genzo fell silent.

  Oshin was right.

  He knew it in his head.

  But every time he saw Shinji breathing heavily in his futon, a sense of urgency burned in his chest.

  What if they found this place tomorrow? Would we be able to protect it?

  But that "what if" suddenly became a reality.

  ...Stirring...

  The next afternoon, Shinji was in the garden, imitating Genzo as he swung a tree branch.

  The air froze. Genzo felt the "presence of the Grim Reaper" that he had felt so many times on the battlefield run down his spine.

  "Shinji!!"

  Genzo leaped out like a rabbit, picked up his son, and rolled over.

  Whoo! A black, spear-like "shadow" pierced the spot where Shinji had been standing just a moment ago. Looking up, he saw a **one-eyed, winged shadow (scout)** floating in the sky.

  "...Grrr. I found it....An 'Abomination.'"

  The voice sounded like an unpleasant metallic sound. Instead of continuing his attack, the thing grinned and disappeared into the sky to report.

  "...It's...done..."

  Oshin collapsed to the ground, slumped over.

  This was the worst case scenario.

  If he were just a human, he might have been overlooked.

  But Shinji could definitely sense a faint "dragon presence" coming from him.

  To the Black Dragon, all dragon species other than himself were enemies to be completely eliminated.

  To say nothing of hybrids with humans was a stain that should not even be tolerated.

  GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

  A roar that shook the earth rang out from the distant sky.

  It was not a menacing roar like before. It was the cry of a hunter, having clearly found his "prey."

  "...You've noticed me."

  Genzo stood up and hugged Shinji.

  The night before the mission.

  Genzo and Oshin were quietly talking, with Shinji breathing heavily from either side.

  "...Listen, Oshin. Don't get the wrong idea."

  Genzo said as he wiped the sword he'd just sharpened with a cloth.

  "We're not going to die. We're going to win. ...But if the worst comes to the worst, don't hesitate." "Yes. ...The magic formula is programmed into it."

  Oshin traced an invisible magic circle on Shinji's small chest with her finger.

  It was a teleportation spell she had devised using all her knowledge.

  "If we are defeated and this child's life is in danger... this spell will be activated. The destination will be the far future of Earth, which is in the opposite phase to my home world."

  "The future?"

  "Yes. A time when mana has dried up and magic does not exist. There, the Black Dragon cannot sense it. I will send the child to the most peaceful, safe place."

  Genzo nodded. Traveling through time. That way, no pursuers would come.

  "And one more thing."

  Oshin hesitated for a moment before continuing.

  "We Dragons have a special defense instinct. Even if our bodies perish, as long as our souls are safe, we can go into a long sleep—sealed for hundreds of years—and then be revived."

  "...So, even if we die, we won't die?"

  "Yes. If it's just a 'defeat,' we'll meet again in 400 years."

  Genzo's face brightened a little.

  In that case, there was a chance of victory.

  At worst, even if I died acting as a shield, as long as Oshin and Shinji managed to escape, Oshin would be able to be revived (My life alone is worthless if it saves them both.)

  Genzo made up his mind. If push comes to shove, he'll use all his life force to stall the Black Dragon.

  While it's distracting him, Oshin can take Shinji and teleport away.

  But deep inside, Oshin had a completely different decision in mind.

  (...I'm sorry, honey. I lied.)

  She looked down and bit her lip.

  The Black Dragon was no mere enemy.

  It was a predator that "devoured" beings, souls and all.

  Before it, the dragon's regenerative abilities were meaningless.

  If it caught them, they'd be removed from the cycle of reincarnation and become eternal The caster shatters their own soul and uses the resulting immense energy to create a "forced teleportation wall."

  (If I exchange my life for it, not only will Shinji escape, but Lord Genzo will as well.)

  Oshin gripped Genzo's hand tightly.

  Here was her plan: When the battle began, she would unleash all her magical power and subdue the Black Dragon.

  At that moment, she would send Genzo and Shinji flying to Earth. She would be the only one left here and disappear.

  "Genzo, promise me."

  "Hmm?"

  "No matter what happens, until the very end... please stay by my side."

  That didn't mean "die together." It was a sad wish:

  "Stay by my side until the moment I let you go."

  "Of course. Even if you tell me to let go, I won't."

  Genzo nodded vigorously.

  The two of them laughed, each determined to make the sacrifice.

  The next morning, they were both armed.

  Genzo had his two beloved swords at his waist, and Oshino was clad in the silver-white robe that represented the pride of her family. Genzo gently placed the wooden sword he had carved next to Shinji's pillow, as he slept.

  "...Be strong, Shinji."

  Those words were not a will.

  They were a command to the future. Looking back was not permitted.

  The two parents left their beloved children in their hideout and set off into the wilderness, leading to their deaths.

  Rather than a sense of tragedy, their backs bore the quiet, passionate fighting spirit of someone with something to protect.

  Legendary Samurai

  The battle was surprisingly evenly matched.

  Or perhaps it was more that the Black Dragon's side was confused.

  Whew!!

  Genzo vanished, and in the next moment, he appeared above the giant dragon's head.

  He didn't just move the rocks.

  Genzo had perfectly mastered the trump card he'd been hiding for this decisive battle — **SelfTransfer**.

  A human without mana could leap through space, his entire body.

  It was the work of the divine realm.

  "...How arrogant!!"

  The Black Dragon swung its claws, but Genzo was no longer there.

  Genzo's blade scraped the dragon's.

  (...I can't reach it!)

  Genzo was growing increasingly impatient.

  His speed had caught up.

  But there was one thing he was crucially lacking: **experience in dimensional combat**.

  The Black Dragon was a champion that had ruled space for thousands of years.

  It predicted Genzo's "destination" not through muscle movement or gaze, but through spatial fluctuations.

  Just one more step. But that step seemed infinitely far away.

  "Haaa!!"

  Meanwhile, Oshin, now transformed into a dragon, was also desperate.

  She spread her silvery wings, attempting to deploy a "gravitational magnetic field" across the entire battlefield to support Genzo's "It's useless."

  The black dragon's horns glowed ominously, neutralizing and sealing Oshin's magic formulas.

  It went back and forth. She was hanging on by a thread, but she was losing ground.

  If she continued like this, Genzo would eventually run out of stamina and hunt her down.

  Just as this hopeless balance was about to collapse...

  "--Uuuuuuu!!"

  A childish roar echoed, unbecoming of the battlefield.

  A small shadow leaped out from the shadows of the rubble.

  It was five-year-old Shinji.

  In his hand was the wooden sword his father had carved for him. His face was not filled with fear, but with rage at having his parents hurt.

  "Shinji?! Why did you come out?!"

  Genzo shouted.

  But the next moment, Genzo and Oshin witnessed an unbelievable sight.

  Several small dragons (weaklings) leaped towards Shinji. Shinji stepped forward without trembling and slashed his wooden sword.

  Bang!!

  A dry sound rang out, and the small dragons were sent flying.

  It wasn't just a blow. Space was "twisted" in time with the sword's trajectory. A fusion of an unconscious release of magical energy and the sword techniques inherited from Genzo.

  "...What!?"

  Genzo shuddered. (My child is...sharper than me!) Breathing techniques he didn't remember teaching him.

  Eyes that could read the murderous intent of his enemies.

  It was proof that at just five years old, this child had already taken a step toward the level that it had taken Genzo a lifetime to reach.

  Black Dragon noticed this too.

  Its enormous eyes, ignoring both Genzo and Oshin, were fixed on the small, half-breed child.

  "...That's it. The vessel I'm seeking for food."

  An obsession so strong it sent chills down his spine.

  Black Dragon's claws slowly pointed toward Shinji.

  "Run! Shinji!"

  Oshin cried out, but the seal prevented her from moving.

  Genzo took action.

  Summoning his last bit of strength, he teleported.

  He stood in front of Shinji.

  "...Dad?"

  "Oshin!"

  Genzo yelled at his wife behind him.

  There was no trace of despair in his voice.

  "Oshin!! Take Shinji!"

  "You two get away! Leave me alone!"

  That was his final order.

  Genzo turned on his heel and ran alone toward the approaching Black Dragon.

  He wasn't going to die.

  He was going to protect the future.

  A beaming smile lit up his face.

  It was a bravado to allow his wife and child to escape—and a smile of the utmost joy for a father, having found a son who would surpass him.

  (I'm so happy, Shinji. I can entrust my life to you.)

  Bang!!

  A flash of light exploded.

  Genzo's body shattered in the flash.

  At the same time, Oshin's teleportation magic was activated.

  A hole opened in space, revealing what appeared to be Tokyo's nightscape.

  "Genzo-sama!! ...Nooooo!!"

  Oshin cried out as she performed the spell.

  But the Black Dragon's pursuit was too fast.

  Oshin herself was blown away by the shockwave and unable to enter the gate.

  The only one who made it in time was little Shinji, whom Genzo risked his life to protect and threw to Oshin.

  "...Mom? Dad?"

  Shinji's small body was sucked into the teleportation light.

  As her consciousness faded, Oshin watched as her son safely disappeared beyond the gate—into the peaceful alternate world (Tokyo).

  (Ah...thank goodness. At least that child is safe...)

  When the light faded, only silence remained.

  Genzo was gone. Shinji was gone. All that remained was the dying Oshin and the Black Dragon, who had lost interest.

  "...Nothing. The prey escapes."

  The dragon didn't even glance at Oshin, who was no longer moving.

  To him, the dying Silver Dragon was no more than a pebble on the side of the road.

  And so ended the battle of the legendary "Samurai", Genzo.

  It would never be recorded in history, nor would it be spoken of by anyone.

  Only one "hope" remained, connecting it to the future.