THE SOLDIERS WERE AWOKEN BEFORE SUNRISE BY ZENPAN. After they had assembled into a column formation, the troops marched toward the border of Akuni at the southernmost point of Chisana, for they predicted an attack there.

“So, this is it," Yukan remarked as he marched. “The first day of conflict. We face Aotoshi troops today."

“Yeah, we do," Ite responded. “I have been pumped for this since last week, but now we're actually..." Her voice trailed off.

“Taking the lives of other people," Kadaina said, finishing her sentence. “We have been naive up to this point. This is war. This is murder."

“Yeah..." Yukan remarked, “I guess it is."

As they continued to march, the realism of the situation was hitting them over the head. The three of them began to notice that they too were killing innocents, whose only mistake was joining the opposing army. They knew it was live and let die and each of the troops had to throw away their morals if they were to survive the impending battle. They continued in silence as the sun slowly began to rise to their left. After a few hours of marching and a stop for a meal, the troops began to approach their vantage point.

From Aotoshi's vantage point on Oka Hill, Shirei could see the Akuni troops approaching.

“There they are," he remarked to Aotoshi's general. “Send a messenger to Kunshu and sound the horn quietly. We don't want them to know how close we are to them."

“Of course," the general confirmed. “Shall I prepare the archers as well?"

“Yes," Shirei answered. “Have them ready to fire on command. Aim for their front lines. Unfortunately, we have orders to keep the stupid boy alive."

“Understood," the general said, getting back onto his motorcycle. “I will send them right away."

The horns blew quietly, sounding as if they were miles away if you were any further than seventy-five feet of it. The archers drew back their strings, preparing to unleash their fury from the skies. Yukan paused as soon as he heard the familiar timbre of the hollowed-out ram horns.

“Horns," Yukan remarked after the troops joined him in pausing. “Aotoshi's forces are near. That means he's here."

“Calm down," Kadaina responded. “We don't know that yet. Something doesn't feel right. Why would they blow a horn from so far away?"

“Isn't it common respect for war?" Ite answered. “To blow a horn to announce your presence?"

“It is," Kadaina replied, beginning to doubt his superstitions. “I'm just nervous. Don't listen to me." The troops continued to march onward to the location where the sounds of the horns were coming from.

“Why the long faces, young ones?" Zenpan questioned in his usual cheery tone. “You have to stay positive at times like these or you'll go crazy by getting lost in your thoughts." Although this was good advice, it had come much too late, as their minds had already been lost to what was happening.

Ite began, “You're always so cheerful-"

“GET DOWN!" Zenpan suddenly yelled. Just as he said that a wall of arrows flew past their heads as the horns played at their normal volume, hitting such a volume that Akuni's troops had just realized how close they were to their killers and how little time they likely had before they would meet their maker.

“RUN IN MEN!" Akuni's general yelled out. “ATTACK!" Their hearts pounding with the speed of a bullet and at the strength of a wrecking ball, they charged in. This was a poor decision, however, as they were only making it easier for them to be targeted by the archers. The front line collapsed entirely within mere seconds as their dying screams echoed through the minds of any survivors.

Ite pulled back her bow and let an arrow loose, hitting one of the archers dead in the skull. After the impact, Ite stood there, frozen in an intense emotional state, with only a solitary cold tear rolling across her face to signify any livelihood she had left. Her face read like a textbook definition of what fear and shock look like. She had just ended the life of an innocent man and the guilt flooded her mind as if the levee of her sin broke open and had drowned all of her previous thoughts. Just as she regained her thoughts, Kadaina tackled her. An arrow flew by at the exact spot Ite's head was a mere blink of an eye prior.

“I know it's not a good feeling to take a life," Kadaina said to her, "but out here it's kill or be killed. You have to keep firing, Ite!"

“Ite!" Yukan yelled back as he sent the Omega Blade through the stomach of a soldier. "Please stay safe!"

“If you get injured," Kadaina picked up once more, talking to both of his compatriots, "you need to tell me right away so I can heal it fast."

“Right!" Yukan agreed. "We're in this together."

Ite shakily arose once more and drew her bowstring back once more, fearing another barrage of culpability. Yukan runs out from past her and slices another soldier clean in two just under the rib cage. Not even one minute after that kill, he delivers a devastating down-cut to the chest of another troop, his entrails leaking out from the wound. Kadaina tried to keep as many of Akuni's men in fighting condition as possible by healing them.

“AMBUSH FROM THREE O'CLOCK!!" Zenpan called out to his troops. "COVER YOUR HEADS!!!"

Another barrage of arrows flew at the troops, with many casualties from those who either didn't heed to the warning or could not escape the volley. Amidst the cries, a peal of deep and booming laughter could be heard. Yukan, Ite, Kadaina, and Zenpan all recognized the owner of that laugh: Kunshu Mujihina.

“It's that bastard!" Yukan yelled, charging in the direction of his voice. "He's mine!"

“Yukan," Ite cried out when she saw Yukan sprinting after his target, "don't run off on your own!"

“MEN, RETREAT!!" Zenpan desperately yelled out, trying to gather everybody together. "YUKAN! GET YOUR DUMB ASS BACK HERE!!"

As Ite tried to fall back with the rest of the troops, an arrow connected with the back of her left shoulder, puncturing her scapula as a result. Meanwhile, Yukan still went after the voice of his family's killer. A troop tried to block his path, but the swordsman cleaved his arm off, letting out a cry of anger as he did so. Yukan turned his back only once to see Ite lying on the ground in anguish as a swordsman from Aotoshi approached her. Seeing this, he decided to bolt back to her as quickly as he could. The soldier smiled devilishly as he prepared to send his blade through her spine. He yelled as the sword pushed through the body.

The soldier spat blood as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. As the sword left his body, Ite saw Yukan behind the man. He dropped the Omega Blade and crouched down to aid Ite.

“Y-yukan," Ite grunted in pain, "I'm terrified. It hurts!"

“I know," Yukan said in his best attempt to console her, "I'm sorry, baby. Please don't leave. I'm so sorry. Try to apply pressure to the wound and don't pull the arrow out! I have your back! KADAINA, GET YOUR NERDY ASS OVER HERE!"

The mage rushed over to them as soon as he heard the call, just getting done with another troop. He sprints over until he makes it to the couple and abruptly stops.

“Okay, okay," Kadaina began to work his magic. "Ite, I need you to take a deep breath. I need to pull out the arrow before I can heal you."

“Do what you need to," she replied.

“Please cover us, Yukan," Kadaina demanded.

“I have your back," the wielder of the Omega Blade said before taking a guard in the radius of the two of them. Zenpan began to briskly approach Kunshu, with a look of anger and determination in his eyes.

“Fine afternoon for a blood bath, isn't it, General?" Kunshu taunted, smirking at his dominance in the situation. Just as Kunshu began to swing at him, Zenpan grabbed the arm of Aotoshi's king. Kunshu was surprised by the force of the grab from this seemingly scrawny man. Zenpan gave him a hard glare in the eye and Kunshu was taken aback. Kunshu frees his arm from Zenpan before continuing into an earpiece.

“Send a message to Shirei," he began, his voice shakier than usual yet still retaining confidence. “We are retreating for the time being."

“That would be wise," Zenpan commented. “Stay away from Yukan while you're at it."

‘That boy is mine and nobody will change that fact," Kunshu retorted, offended by this demand. ‘Farewell, general. I hope to paint the ground with your blood soon."

“Why you-" the general began before Kunshu shot up into the sky, activating Deity Mode. Black wings emerged from his shoulder blades as he flew himself toward Aotoshi at a speed that would make a peregrine falcon look sluggish in comparison. Zenpan began to huff angrily as he returned his claymore to its sheath. After he manages to calm himself down, a few seconds of silence flood over the troops as they see the carnage before them.

“REGROUP, NOW!!" Zenpan yelled out to them as they began to take the surviving troops back to their base.