YUKAN, ITE, AND KADAINA ARRIVED AT THE MILITARY TRAINING BASE in Murasakino. As the three of them entered the base, they saw many men and women giving their best and then some, absolutely worn out to their furthest extent yet. A vast majority of them were between their mid-twenties and late forties, making the group of teenagers feel even younger than usual. It didn't help that they had grown tired from the amount of traveling they did to make it there, to begin with, and they weren't likely going to get through the first day of training, should it begin today. Eventually, they fixed their gaze upon an African-American male in his early thirties leading a training group. They looked even more tired than most of the others and they could see that this man, who was presumably the general of Akuni, did not mess around.

"Come on, guys!" the group leader barked. "Only ten more push-ups and a few miles of running and then we can have a water break!" The three of them tried to bail out before they were noticed, but it was too late.

"Hey, you guys!" the general yelled out to them. "Come over here and join our little workout!"

"Sorry," Ite said, trying to play dumb, "are you talking about us?"

"No," the man began sarcastically, "I was talking to my best friend Samantha the Ghost! Of course, I'm talking to you younglings! You look full of life and energy! I'm sure you could easily do the ten-mile warm-up!" The trio of teens was baffled by what this man was requesting of them.

"T-ten mile?!" Kadaina replied, dumbfounded by the task.

"WARM-UP?!" Ite joined in.

"Yukan, I'm sorry buddy," Kadaina began, preparing an alibi for his escape, "but I think I should go home, Oba probably needs me..."

"Nonsense!" the slender man said before grabbing the hood of Kadaina's cloak and effectively snagging him. "We need all the help we can get, young man! And you look like a tough fighter, I can tell by your posture and stance that you are already trained in combat. We're going to be good friends, I can tell!" The general then threw his arm around the young mage's shoulder and Kadaina realized the pickle he was in.

"I'm not too thrilled that we had to meet like this, friends," he continued, "but we have to serve our country nonetheless! I don't even know what's going on or why we declared war, but who am I to question the King? I think we could all be friends if we tried harder! We did have a bond with Aotoshi for the longest time and now this has come up, shattering the peace!"

"The idea of peace and unity does sound great," Ite began in response, "but there will always be a conflict between nations. No one will ever see eye to eye or agree on anything one-hundred percent. I guess you could just say it's human nature."

"You are a very bright, young lady," the man continued before making a realization. "I've never introduced myself. I am General Zenpan Imoru, but people around here just call me General Zero. I'm leading all the troops you see around here..." He was going to continue, but his attention had been grabbed by the Omega Blade, which was sheathed on his back. Of course, it was something that he had recognized and could never forget.

"That's an interesting blade you have there, young man," Zenpan remarked. "Troops are dismissed for the day, go get some water, and hit the hay. We will pick this up tomorrow!" The troops in training seemed to let out a sigh of relief in perfect unison, with only the occasional missed cue. He then turned his attention back to Yukan, Ite, and Kadaina.

"Yeah," Yukan began in response, "I've been told this blade's not normal. I'm Yukan. Yukan Kenshi."

"I never thought I'd see it in this lifetime," Zenpan remarked at the sight he was beholding. "That's the Omega Blade you have there. A mythical weapon that can only be wielded by a descendant of Oji. That blade has already bonded with you, Yukan."

"So, that's what that pattern was," Yukan responded, beginning to understand a bit more about this world. "Do you know how to use it?"

"Well," Zenpan began, trying to recall something, "there is a bedtime story I used to hear as a kid. I never knew if it was true; I thought my dad was just making it up. Regardless, I was told that two countries, Akuni and Aotoshi, were facing harsh times. Food was scarce and medicine was close to impossible to get."

Then it clicked in Yukan's head. Zenpan was telling the same story Yukan had heard when he was ten. His mind went back to that memory fondly and, for the first time in more than twelve days, wasn't mocked by it.

"This was all because Medikai had been taking constant siege upon their land. When both countries were under the threat of economic collapse, two men named Oji Kenshi and Kawata Mujihina forged swords and went against Medikai. These were not regular swords, for they could only be wielded by the heir of each respected man. They were powerful, far more than any other.

"The Omega Blade was crafted from one of the last known roses in a dwindling species. The blood of anybody sliced by the Omega Blade turns to roses. The sword would feel as if it weighed a ton and a half for any who did not rightfully possess it. The Alpha Blade, however, was crafted from the still-beating heart of a skeletal dragon. It is capable of making the wielder immune to any mortal physical damage sustained in battle. This sword had a unique hilt that only opened for the rightful owner, reducing its usefulness for all but the possessor. Lastly, both swords granted the users a power that allowed them to have the strength and speed of the gods: a power titled Deity Mode.

"The two of them worked very well together and made the Medikai army look like child's play. However, this story does not have a happy ending. After the great battle and our side had won, Oji and Kawata's friendship grew bitter and they went their separate ways until Oji passed on to the next world. His son, Sofu, claimed the blade but was killed by Kunshu, the grandson of Kawata. Then it was lost, never to be heard from again."

"I-I remember all of this," Yukan spoke up after the story was finished. "My dad told me that story."

"Really?" Ite joined in. "I've never heard anything like that. My bedtime stories were a bit more...cheerful."

"Kashikoi used to tell me a version just like that," Kadaina added.

"I thought it was a folk tale to condemn the Mujihina name if anything else," Zenpan continued. “People were concerned by his rise to power in Aotoshi and so this tale became an urban legend.”

"It seems to be true," Kadaina continued. "It all makes sense now."

"Anyway," Zenpan interjected before switching topics, "I think it's time to get you into shape! We have a war to fight and you three are looking scrawny."

The four of them went to the barracks, as it had grown late by that time. They were unaware, however, that they had been surveyed by an Aotoshi scout.

"Scout six to the Pond," he spoke into his microphone, "the fish has taken the bait. I repeat the fish has taken the bait."

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The sun rose once more the next day. The teens were sleeping in their barracks soundly when Zenpan rushed in and threw bacon at them.

"Wake up, troops!" he yelled. "We're eating breakfast right now and heading for the training grounds!" Yukan sprang awake, only to collapse once more, groggy as ever. Ite and Kadaina simply roll over in their beds.

"That's not a healthy breakfast..." Ite mumbled, holding one of the pieces of bacon Zenpan threw at them.

"Zero, why are you so hardcore?" Kadaina asked.

"We gotta get going!!" Zenpan yelled, ignoring Kadaina's question. "We have plenty of things to do to prepare you for the front lines!" The two of them followed him out after getting dressed, only half-conscious.

The training regimen was brutal to the extent of absurdity. Most of the exercises they were required to do were demanded in such high amounts and with so much intensity that one could interpret this routine as being a suicide mission. The regiment was able to target every single muscle of the body as a result. Oddly enough, despite the insane difficulty of these exercises, the rather lean Zenpan still managed to complete the tasks effortlessly for the most part.

One thing that people were thankful for during this time was that the routine only took up about 5 hours of the day, which meant that they were able to rest their bodies enough. On top of that, each meal was the equivalent of an all-you-can-eat buffet, albeit with the restraint that you'd likely have a rigorous training activity afterward except for suppertime. Within a week, the three of them felt much stronger.

"I'm proud of every one of you," Zenpan declared on the last day of training before their first battle. "You have all gone to hell and back. You have all been training to the best of your abilities. It's time to kick you out of this nest and force you into the battlefield. I'm tearing up just thinking about it. You'll be deployed at dawn. Depend on one another, fight for what you believe in, and go back home to see everyone again. Do you hear me?!"

"Yes, sir!" the military answered in perfect unison.

"Good," the general said, with a joyful tear beginning to appear in the corner of his eye. "You are all dismissed. Get going before I start to cry." As the people poured out of the meeting hall, Zenpan stopped the three teenagers.

"You three be especially careful," he said to them. "You've hardly lived and you've been tossed into this chaos. I want you all to come back so we can work together some more. Do you hear me?"

"Of course we do, Zero," Yukan answered.

"We can just have a picnic instead of running countless miles together," Ite proposed to the general. "There are other ways to bond!"

"I will consider that, Ite. You boys better protect her! She's a goddess who got tangled in this mess. Yukan, I will beat your ass if you ever leave her behind!"

"Right, understood," the swordsman answered hastily. Zenpan smiled upon the three of them before they left for their barracks. Once there, they went straight to bed, knowing what the scorching light of tomorrow's sun would bring.