KUNSHU AND SHIREI APPROACHED THE PALACE OF AOTOSHI, preparing for the next part of their plan. In order to conquer Crenon, they needed to begin with conquering something smaller. Most may begin by seizing political power for a single town in the same country until they have enough power to take the main throne, but Kunshu was a man of greater ambition and even greater might than other commoners of his stature. He believed himself capable of skipping most of the steps in the middle and beginning with overthrowing the emperor of Aotoshi, Alexander Kral.

As he and Shirei approached the palace, Kunshu brandished the Alpha Blade, catching the attention of a royal guard.

“Hey!” the guard called out in interrogation. “Who are you two?”

“None of your business, peasant,” Shirei answered as he snapped the guard’s neck in one swift motion. He let out a cry for help before his life was ended, followed by a brief cracking noise. Several of the other guards posted outside of the palace heard this cry and rushed toward the two infiltrators. Kunshu and Shirei rushed inside, wishing to keep their plans from falling short this quickly.

Once they passed through the gates and into the palace itself, they were met with even more guards. They turned to exit, potentially finding another route, only to be cornered by the guards from outside. The two men stood there for a moment, taking note of their position. Certain of their tactical and physical superiority, the two men took the guards head-on, plowing through as many men as necessary to reach the throne room and then some. The blood from the battle had begun to coat the walls, drying in a dull crimson as it leaked to the floor like candle wax.

The two eventually made their way to the throne room, hurriedly closing it behind them and locking it with all seven of the locks built into the door. There they saw Emperor Kral sitting upon his throne, reading petitions from his people. Two guards stood beside his throne, ensuring his safety. The guards from outside began pounding at the entrance to the chamber as Kral took notice of the two men. He dropped his petitions and the guards drew their swords.

“What is the meaning of this?” Kral inquired, taking out his own blade. “Who the hell are you two?!”

“I’m just here for the throne,” Kunshu answered nonchalantly. “It looks very comfortable.”

“Have you gone mad?!” Kral bellowed as the two guards at his side charged toward Kunshu to detain him.

Before they could reach the assassin, however, Shirei stepped in front of the men and unsheathed his broadsword. He repositioned the blade and charged toward the two guards. A few moments later, their heads fell to the floor, soon afterward followed by their knees, and then their torsos. Blood began to pool where their corpses lay.

Kral was horrified by this sight. Although he’d been accustomed to bloodshed, having led Aotoshi to victory in the Great Trifecta War, he had witnessed his two strongest men be disposed of in an instant. Shirei then returned to the door as an axe split its wood. He stabbed through the gaps opened by these axes to kill more guards.

Kunshu took the opportunity granted to him by Kral’s distractedness and charged at the emperor. Thinking fast, Kral caught sight of Kunshu’s attack and reacted fast enough to block his left swing.

Still riding off of catching Kral off-guard, Kunshu made another slash at him. Kral once more blocked the attack before returning with two slashes at him with a greatsword. Both slashes hit Kunshu, but he felt no pain and bore no wounds, even though one strike would have pierced his heart. Kunshu continued to strike at Emperor Kral with the Alpha Blade, slashing at his chest and tearing his robes. However, Kral was not killed by the attack as he had been wearing armor underneath his regal attire.

“Do you think an emperor wouldn’t expect an attempt on his life?” he said as he taunted Kunshu before landing a punch on Kunshu’s skull. Kunshu was stunned for a moment by this strike.

“You put up a good fight, old man,” Kunshu remarked. “I’ll give you that much.”

“How little you know,” the emperor replied before returning to a battle position.

The two circled one another like lions waiting for an opening to strike. Finally, Kunshu found the opening and charged toward Kral, only for the emperor to dip out of the way and retaliate with his own slash. Kunshu blocked the attack with the Alpha Blade, but did not expect the second strike, which swept him off of his feet.

Kunshu kipped back up onto his feet before turning behind Kral and slashing at him. Unable to turn and meet his opponent, Kral was stabbed with the Alpha Blade. Turning around to see his assassin and placing his hand upon the newly formed crack in his armor, Kral’s expression changed from confidence once more to dread.

“Do you admit defeat, Emperor?” Kunshu said to Kral, mocking his fear.

“Never,” Kral growled. “Even if I may fall to your blade, I may still make you fall to mine as well.”

“That’s the spirit!” Kunshu cackled as he charged in once again. He began to attack Kral with a great fury, which the Emperor of Aotoshi struggled to keep up with. Finally, Kral saw an opening and sent his greatsword into his foe. Just before it plunged into Kunshu, the sword began to glow with a strange light. Kunshu looked down to the wound and saw a bruise. Kral hoisted his greatsword weakly onto his shoulder.

“I was there when that blade was forged, boy,” the emperor remarked. “The maila that made that blade told me all about it. You can’t be killed by mortal weapons, so I used my blade as a way to channel magic into you. He was kind enough to teach me how.”

“Clever,” Kunshu groaned. “Let’s get this done and over with.”

“Of course.”

Kral moved the greatsword from his shoulder and struck once more at Kunshu in one swift motion. Once more, the blade glowed as it connected with Kunshu, creating another bruise on the right shoulder of the eldest living Mujihina.

Kunshu had devised a new strategy in that short span of time. He no longer wanted to toy with his opponent, fearing that he may truly be defeated. Rather, the best course of action was to hit fast and retreat. He rushed in and made a few wild swings to wear Kral down. After a while, the emperor could no longer trace Kunshu’s attacks. Finally, Kunshu found the emperor’s back unguarded and sent the Alpha Blade through with all of his might. Kral’s head tilted upward as the blade ran through his spine, destroying it before emerging at the front, having pierced the emperor’s noble heart.

Kunshu cackled as he walked past the former emperor’s corpse and took a seat upon his new throne.

“I was right,” Kunshu remarked. “This seat is very comfortable. Shirei.”

“Yes, my liege?” his faithful follower answered as he finished off the last royal guard.

“Gather my new subjects,” the new emperor of Aotoshi commanded. “I would like to announce my presence.”

Shirei nodded as he exited through the shadows. Kunshu looked toward the ground and began speaking to himself.

“Are you looking up at me, old man?!” he called out to nobody, announcing his victory. “This is just the start. I’ll claim it all. I’ve wanted this for so long, but you held me back, Father. I should’ve given into my bloodlust sooner and killed you myself!”

Shirei returned to the throne room and motioned for Kunshu to follow him. The two stood upon the balcony of the palace, speaking to all of Antemouth. A scribe stood by on the balcony to tell the rest of the nation.

“Citizens of Aotoshi,” Shirei bellowed to the spectators below, “your Emperor.”

Kunshu stepped up to the podium before speaking.

“Thank you for coming, my new subjects,” he began. “I am Kunshu Mujihina and I am your new emperor. Kral has decided to take a…permanent vacation. Therefore, I shall be taking his place upon the throne. I shall restore Aotoshi to its former glory before it was sterilized by the pathetic rulers of yesteryear. After we’ve fixed this nation, we’ll move on to the rest of Crenon. No longer will we be divided by arbitrary borders. We shall become one great nation under my rule!”

Some members of the audience yelled out in protest, able to see past the spectacle Kunshu put up. Kunshu snapped his fingers, looking toward his right side. A new set of guards that had not been present at the invasion of the palace, shakily arose and approached the naysayers. The men then grabbed the hecklers by the arms and dragged them toward the gallows, where the five of them were executed on the spot. This event, which would later become known as Lethal Saturday, clearly communicated to the people of Aotoshi what world they now inhabited.

“You will stand behind your emperor,” Kunshu threatened, “or you will stand in front of his blade. For Aotoshi!”

As he raised the Alpha Blade to the heavens, the audience fearfully began cheering. And so began, on March 3rd, 2004, the reign of Kunshu Mujihina. He wore a wicked smile as he and Shirei began to plan for the next phase of conquest.