《The Beginning of the End》


 1. Invasion

    "Area 403 reporting! Five unknowns are attempting to break through the barrier and invade! If nothing''s done then...Reinforcements request!"


    "Area 238 reporting! A child has invaded Area 237 and is trying to enter here further. His speed is insane, even our specialists can barely keep up. At this rate, he''ll reach here in four minutes or so! I''ve already deployed a few soldiers to stall him, but I doubt they would last even a minute! That guy''s dangerous...he possesses immense aura, even more than Ryuzaki Hideki! Reinforcements request!"


    The call hung up.


    "What in the world is happening!? Looks like the fears my ancestors had have finally come true! More than a hundred areas have already demanded a reinforcement request! The most dangerous seems to be the recent ones in Area 403 and 238!" said the supreme leader.


    "Shoto!"


    "Yes sir!" replied his secretary, Shoto.


    "Deploy the top five strongest heroes. Ryuzaki Hideki, the strongest combatant, to Area 403 and the remaining four to Area 238 at once!"


    "But sir, do you really think they would help you now? You have declared them as traitors and ordered their executions..."


    "Ye-yes obv-obviously! After all, if we don''t cooperate and fight amongst ourselves then it''s all over for us."


    "And would it be alright to send him alone against those five unknowns? "


    "Y-Yeah o-of course! He''s the strongest after all! Quickly send them! Those five are right now killing our people as we speak!"


    "Jeez! That old geezer...he gives me a lot of trouble for these small things! Oi, Shoto! How long would it take us to get there, huh?! This is that old man''s helicopter, right?! It''s still taking this much time! Just make it quick now! I want to finish them off quickly!" said the strongest soldier of humanity, Ryuzaki Hideki as he peeked out of the helicopter.


    "Uhh...Mr. Ryuzaki, it would take at least forty minutes - "


    "Gah! I can''t wait that long! Land the helicopter here! I''ll head off on my own! My thunder godspeed would get me there in just ten minutes or so!"


    "Ye-yes s-sure sir!"


    Ryuzaki - a tall man wearing a black kimono, hanging his sword on his waist, and biting a stick under his teeth. He heads off on his own towards the intruders who he was greatly underestimating...


    "I see...you''re the intruder, right?" said the second-strongest combatant, Denki Hideki, pointing towards a boy who ran past Area 238, which had been completely destroyed.


    The boy wore a white kimono. He appeared to be a mere ten-year-old boy. He had a sword attached to his waist and a cloth hiding his left eye.


    "Huh?! Who in the world are you people?! Get out of my way! I need to find the royal Harada! " said the boy.


    "Oi, brat! Don''t get carried away! I don''t know what you are blabbering about, but you see, you can''t get past this point!" said the fourth-strongest combatant, Misaki Ishikawa.


    "Oi, oi! Don''t underestimate that kid! His aura and raw strength surpass even Ryuzaki!" said the third-strongest combatant, Fukashi Ikeda.


    "Gah! Don''t go on calling me a kid. I''m Shibata, Genjiro Shibata!"


    "Bah, let''s just finish this off now! For the starters, I have my most powerful attack! This will burn you and turn you into ash! Fire-type hell flame!" said the fifth-strongest combatant, Rin Hasegawa.


    "Hah! Don''t make me laugh! This level of attack won''t even scratch me!"


    "H-he dodged that one with h-his bar-bare hand! Th-that''s practically impossible!"


    "Looks like things are gonna get flashy now!"


    "Argh! Time to get serious now! Smoke-type - "


    "AS IF I''LL LET YOU GUYS ATTACK! GRAVITY-TYPE REPEL!"


    A very strong opposing force pushed back the four combatants, as Genjiro advanced further, pulling out his sword and raising it against them, to kill them. The repel force was so strong that Denki, the no. 2 combatant could barely cancel it out. The No. 2,3 and 4 combatants backed away to maintain their distance from Genjiro, but Rin, the No. 5 combatant got trapped in the attack. Rin was wide open and defenceless. Genjiro slashed her with his sword.


    "RIN" shouted the rest of them, as they watched Genjiro sheathing his sword.


    "Ahh one down with this!" exclaimed Genjiro.


    "R-Rin!! RIN!!! DON''T DIE!!!"


    "YOU DAMNED KID! HOW DARE YOU...HOW DARE YOU LAY A HAND ON RIN! YOU SURE HAVE THE NERVES TO MESS UP WITH US!"


    "Oi, Fukashi! Calm down! Don''t let your anger take over you. He''s insanely strong. We need to - "


    "Hah! Messing up?! You sure say interesting things! It''s you guys who are messing up with me! Don''t just think you guys are right but I''m wrong! "


    "Eh?! Oi, Denki, what''s this brat - "


    "It just depends on our perspective! Everyone has a ''monster'' inside them. The monster inside you all makes you defend your territory while the one inside me makes me attack you and destroy you all!"


    "Oi Genjiro! You''re the one invading our earth and destroying it! You say that what you''re doing is right?"


    "So what you people used to do with us five hundred years ago was right?"


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "Oh come on! Now don''t tell me that you guys forgot that! Or wait, your ancestors didn''t tell you about that! To hide their sins!"


    "What you''re saying ain''t making sense, but what in the world is your goal?!"


    "We are not humans like you people. We are ''Shibatas''. Long ago we people inhabited the earth with you bastards, but your damned ancestors wiped out more than half of us, forcing us to flee. You may think that we look exactly like you, but you know what, we can generate wings to fly and tails to climb. For the past four hundred and ninety years we prepared for this very moment, and you know what, I didn''t even bring my military here! I alone with my brothers shall take care of you all!"If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "Just stop blabbering already! Oi, you two! We need to come up with a plan to defeat this guy."said Fukashi, the no. 3 combatant.


    "Rock-type thousand-layered prison barrier!"


    Fukashi trapped Genjiro inside a rock-type barrier, which was strong enough to hold him up for a few minutes.


    "I don''t think the barrier would last for long. Bah, we don''t have time to waste. Let''s just get going with the plan!"


    "Before that, we need to heal Rin!"


    "I hate to admit it, but we need to leave her right now! She''s dead anyway!"


    "Huh?! What the hell are you saying, Denki!" said Misaki, the no. 4 combatant as she raised her voice.


    "Well, he''s right here, Misaki! Our opponent is insanely strong. There''s no meaning in saving her right now as we''ll all get wiped out by that monster kid if we don''t devise a plan quickly..."


    "I have noticed two things while he attacked..." said Denki.


    "Eh?!"


    "First, for launching an attack he needs both hands... that''s why he sheathed his sword,after slashing Rin, as he was ready to launch another one. Second, I noticed him saying ''Gravity-type'' which means his attacks are simply not repel and attract... there''s more to it..."


    "Hmm you seem right pointing that out...though Denki, I guess it would be easier for us to seal him rather than kill"


    "But there''s no one among us who knows a sealing technique. The only one who knew was Rin..."


    "Now I have got a plan! Listen! We - " said Denki, as he was interrupted by a sudden force, pushing them downwards.


    "This must be his doing! After all, his ability is related to gravity!


    "W-Wait! See above, in the sky! Wh-What in the world is happening?!"


    "Y-You have got to be kidding! That''s a meteorite! Is that boy planning on breaking the barrier by that meteor?!"


    "I-Is this the power of a god?!"


    "The moment the meteor would land on the barrier, he would again move freely! We don''t have time! Listen quickly! I''ll use my space-time technique to teleport to a far distance. Till that time, you two will stall him, and listen! At any cost, don''t die! I''ll gather all of my aura in my hands, and use my most powerful technique, the space-time trap. If you two keep him busy, he won''t be able to dodge my attack..." said Denki.


    "So you mean that highly compressed bullet-like attack?"


    "Yes, the moment it hits him, it would be all over!"


    "And how would you tell us once you''re finished?


    "That''ll be purely based on assumptions..."


    "And how much time would you need?"


    "At the very least, ten minutes - " said Denki, as he got interrupted by the landing of the meteor, which broke the barrier.


    "Ok then, I''ll head off! Remember the plan, you two!"


    "Yeah! Go ahead!"


    "Misaki! To tell you the truth, I don''t have much aura left now...that previous barrier used up most of it. That''s the reason I restrain myself from using it but see, it was very powerful indeed...It stopped him for five minutes!" said Fukashi.


    "Bah! You mean that I''ll have to deal with him all alone, right?"


    "Ye-Yeah"


    "Ahh! It seems impossible though...stalling him for ten minutes!"


    "HERE HE COMES!"


    "YOU DAMNED PEOPLE! I''LL DESTROY YOU ALL IN NO TIME! GRAVITY-TYPE ATTRACT!"


    Misaki and Fukashi experienced a pulling force, which pulled them towards Genjiro.


    "Tsk. Wind-type Swirling Defense!"


    "Rock-type Conversion!"


    "Ah, I see...that girl used a wind attack on herself, the force of that attack overcame mine and so she fell behind a mile away from me. And you, blue-haired! You used an attack that dissolved your half-body in the earth which is why you didn''t get attracted...Yay! I''ve got nice opponents! But wait! Eh?! Where''s the third one?!"


    "We don''t need him to deal with you...we two are enough!"


    "Huh?! You must be joking! There''s no way you weaklings can defeat me!"


    "Idiot! You have got to be underestimating us! Let me teach you a lesson, kid! Don''t underestimate humans! Wind-type Destructive Storm!" said Misaki, as she came running towards him.


    Simultaneously, Fukashi attacked with his rock-type aura.


    "Rock-type Damp Creation!"


    This created a damp, marshy region, making the soil turn loamy and wet. Genjiro started to fall into the soil.


    Trapped Genjiro had no way of dodging the wind attack. Naturally, his hand went towards his waist, the hilt of his sword. He pulled out his sword in anger, coated it with aura and launched a horizontal attack. The aura attack though, couldn''t cancel out the storm. Genjiro regretted pulling out his sword, as now he couldn''t use his gravity-type attacks too, and his lower body was completely inside the earth, so he couldn''t sheath his sword either. He threw away his sword, in an attempt to use his gravity-type attacks, but he couldn''t make it in time and took the direct hit of the storm. The storm made him fly miles away, but his sword was still at the very place where Misaki and Fukashi.


    "Say, Fukashi! We can actually do this!"


    "Hmm seems the case..."


    "Hahahaha! Oi, you two! This is getting more interesting!" said Genjiro, with a burst of laughter, as he wiped away the blood that came out from his head.


    His tone changed suddenly.


    "But this time I''ll show you my true power!"


    Genjiro removed the cloth which hid his left eye.


    "Eh?! What the...H-His aura is more denser than before! At least twice...no thrice!"


    "Do-Don''t tell me that all of the time before he was hiding this...Rock-type thousand-layered prison barrier!"


    Fukashi again laid the barrier that trapped Genjiro.


    "Gah, this time the barrier won''t last even three minutes...This one''s weaker than the previous plus, he has gotten stronger."


    "Ahh, it''s relaxing. At least this way we can rest a bit...it takes so much aura to just keep up with that guy''s strength."


    "How much time has it been since Denki left?"


    "Barely two minutes..."


    "Huh?! How come?! Even if this barrier lasts three minutes, we''ll still have to deal with him for five minutes...seems impossible!"


    "And that''s if the barrier lasts three minutes, which it certainly won''t."


    "Let''s not waste this time... let''s prepare some kind of trap in the meantime..."


    "This is hopeless, Misaki... I''ve used up all of my power...this is the last one now...Rock-type Damp Creation!"


    "That''s good! Now you go and hide yourself in the bush - "


    Misaki was interrupted by Genjiro, who all of a sudden, from nowhere stood in front of them!


    "Impossible! He came out in less than a minute! He didn''t use that meteor attack this time."


    "The damp didn''t even affect him..."


    "Wait he disappeared!"


    Genjiro disappeared for a moment, and reappeared the next, with his sword in hand, stabbed Fukashi twenty-eight times in his chest, ninety-two times in his stomach, and twelve times on his face. Then he sheathed his sword, and broke Fukashi''s thirty-four bones!


    Caught in a frenzy of fear, Misaki couldn''t help but watch Fukashi suffer. She tried to move, but her body wouldn''t respond. It was a sensation she hadn''t experienced since becoming one of the strongest combatants: fear. Her heart raced, and she began to breathe heavily. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she screamed in anger and regret. Meanwhile, Genjiro remained calm and collected, not even breaking a sweat.


    "Ahh, one more down! Now, girl you!" said Genjiro, as he raised his bloody sword towards Misaki.


    ¡°There''s no reason to fear me now, girl! You should have anticipated that this would be the outcome of engaging with me. This result should not have taken you by surprise.¡±


    Misaki regained her senses. In tears, she quickly backed away with all her strength, using her aura as well as wind-type techniques. She was at her fastest speed, still in shock from what had happened.


    "It''s useless escaping from me. Now that I have removed my left eye cloth, the ''monster'' inside me has awakened! You can''t get away from me"


    Genjiro suddenly appeared in front of Misaki, who was running at her full strength. He slowed her down by stabbing her one thousand three hundred and thirty times in her chest, in just a minute! The next minute Misaki was dead!


    "You guys played well with me! But I know there''s someone else hiding here too. There''s no way you would have sent that man back after witnessing my strength...Looks like I''ll need to find him now...Ahh! A lot of trouble!"


    The no. 2 combatant, Denki watched everything from a faraway place, but his body couldn''t move in fear. He saw his juniors dying in front of him, but couldn''t do a thing. He regretted his plan. He thought that he had greatly underestimated his opponent. Knowing that confronting Genjiro would practically be suicide, he teleported himself to Area 403, assuming that Ryuzaki must have killed the four intruders and that he could ask for his help to defeat Genjiro.

 2. Combat

    <h2>2. Combat</h2>


    When Denki and others confronted Genjiro, Ryuzaki confronted the five intruders who invaded the earth.


    "Eh?! Who the hell is this swordsman?!" said Daichi Shibata, one of the brothers of Genjiro, pointing towards a tall man standing before them.


    "Well, I don''t think I need to introduce myself to a group of mere intruders. I''m already late for lunch! Now, you will witness the power of the strongest! Thunder-type Thunderbolt!"


    A clap of thunder from the sky struck the ground furiously. The five intruders dodged the attack but could now understand their opponent''s strength.


    "Ayame, you are not suited for battle, let your brothers deal with this...go and hide in the nearby woods..." said Mizuki Shibata.


    ¡°I¡¯m Ryuzaki Hideki, the one who¡¯ll wipe out you damned intruders!¡±


    "Eh?! So you think you can defeat four of us together?!" said Eitaro Shibata.


    ¡°You¡¯ve really got the nerves to say that!¡±


    "Gah! You guys are wasting my time now! I''ll kill you all in no time! Thunder-type Thunder dragon!"


    Mizuki transformed into a dragon and breathed fire to destroy the thunder dragon, but it did not affect the creature, ultimately wounding Mizuki.


    "Tsk. It''s time to get serious, guys! Ice-type Ice Age!" said Eitaro.


    This attack laid a hundred layers of ice on the ground, advancing towards Ryuzaki. Ryuzaki pulled out his sword, infusing aura into it, to cancel out the ice. But, the ice was a distraction, as he later discovered it.


    "I''ll kill you! You damned thunder-guy! Magma-type Volcanic Punch!" said Muichiro.


    At the same time, Mizuki, who was transformed into a dragon, attacked using a fire-type aura infused in his claws, and Daichi, the fourth brother used a wood-type attack to wound Ryuzaki. The three brothers - one from left, one from right and one from above, attacked Ryuzaki simultaneously, while Eitaro stood in front of him, after laying his ice attack.


    "Tsk. Thunder-type Godspeed!"


    He surrounded his body with a thunder-like aura in an instant and quickly backed off. The three-sided attack ended up rebounding on the brothers as they didn''t have time to reverse the attack and ended up injuring each other.


    "Damn it! This is hopeless. He got away, and we even got injured..."


    "This showed that he can deal with four of us even together..."


    "If we aren¡¯t careful he¡¯ll annihilate us in no time¡­¡±


    ¡°We need to approach him cautiously"


    ¡°Mhm¡­we can¡¯t just attack me recklessly else we¡¯re cooked¡­¡±


    "Whatever, we have to finish him off now..."


    "He can come back any time. We - "


    They suddenly realized that Ryuzaki had backed away towards the woods where their sister was hiding.


    "WE NEED TO IMMEDIATELY GO TO THE WOODS! HE CAN DO ANYTHING WITH OUR SISTER"


    ¡°You seem to care a lot about that girl, Eitaro. To be honest I hate women¡­They are weak and should just sit at home and bear children¡­¡±


    ¡°Not to mention the army chief¡¯s also a woman¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­battlefield is for men after all!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s her fault only, she should¡¯ve stayed behind with the military generals and the army chief¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course! She was stubborn and wanted to accompany us¡­"


    ¡°If he is engaged with her right now, then we must quickly plan out how to deal with him, and then attack him in the woods itself..."


    ¡°Absolutely! Who¡¯s even caring about that filthy girl in the first place?!¡±


    "Well, won''t it be easier to seal Ryuzaki rather than kill?!"


    "Oi Daichi, you are the only one here who has a sealing technique. With your wood-type aura, you can bind him and seal him!"


    "For the seal to work, he must remain still in a place for at least two minutes."


    "That guy''s insane. I see no way of even sealing him"


    "We''ve got only one way."


    The four brothers discussed the ultimate plan of defeating Ryuzaki...


    Ryuzaki suddenly appeared before them, his sword bloody and black kimono red.


    "Wait don''t tell me that you - "


    "Yes, I did kill her! I thought she might  cause me trouble later."


    ¡°Good work, you deserve an award for this!¡±


    "Wait, wasn''t she your sister?"


    ¡°Mhm, she was¡­but leave it, anyways your game is going to end here in a few minutes¡­¡±


    "Honestly speaking, I''m surprised!" said Ryuzaki.


    "Huh?!"


    "So you finally think that we can actually defeat you!"


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "So now you are imagining the scenario where you''ll get defeated for the first time, NUMBER ONE! "


    "Don''t get the wrong idea, morons! I''m surprised by the fact that you guys think you even have a chance to defeat me!"


    "RYUZAKI YOU BASTARD!"


    "Don''t underestimate us!"


    "WE''LL DESTROY YOU! ICE-TYPE ICE ERA!"


    Eitaro placed his hands on the ground and unleashed the attack which froze each leaf of all the trees. Not a single thing on the ground remained unfrozen. Ryuzaki quickly ascended a tree, but as the tree was also frozen, his legs slipped and he plummeted headfirst onto the icy ground.


    "Argh! It pains!" yelled Ryuzaki, as he tried standing up.


    "WE WON''T LET THIS CHANCE GO! EVERYONE, MAKE A RUN FOR IT! THIS GUY''S OUT OF OUR LEAGUE!" shouted Eitaro, pretending to be scared of Ryuzaki.


    "Huh?! A minute ago were you not the one who said ''I''ll destroy you''?! And now you''re running away?! You can''t just scratch a lion and run away in fear, thinking that it might strike back! I won''t let any of you escape! "


    Ryuzaki thought it was unnecessary to use thunder godspeed to catch those guys and that it would be a waste of aura. He tailed them until he found himself in the middle of a market, surrounded by men and women buying and selling commodities of all kinds ¡ª fruits and vegetables, gold and silver articles, copper and brass vessels, candies and sweets, and children chasing each other. He then lost sight of them.


    "ALL SOLDIERS COMMENCE COMBAT! WE SHALL DEFEAT THIS GUY HERE AT ANY COST!"


    "Oi oi! Don''t go on acting like a boss!"


    "What? A sudden change of heart!? Do you just wish to play around like this?"


    "We''re serious about this! You will soon get to know, NUMBER ONE!"


    "That look in his eyes...he must be serious now. But wait, why did he drag me here, in the middle of a town? He could''ve defeated me there as well...Oh, I get it! Tsk. The tables have turned! They''ve got the upper hand now! I fell right into their trap." thought Ryuzaki.


    "That look on your face...seems like you now understand the situation you are in!"


    "The ball is in our court, Ryuzaki! It''s all over!"


    All this running around, pretending to fear Ryuzaki and dragging him into the town was all part of the brothers'' plan...


    They came up with the plan when Ryuzaki was busy in the forest...


    "We''ve got only one way."


    "Yeah. Do you know when Ryuzaki is the strongest?"


    "Hah?! What do you mean?"


    "He can fight in his strongest version when he''s alone. Any other soldier is just a nuisance in his way. And so, what do you think would happen when he would get surrounded by citizens?!"


    "He won''t be able to unleash his full power!"


    "Yeah, that''s right! He would have to attack us and the same time protect the citizens."


    "Plus he would have to carefully lay his attacks."


    "Okay, so it''s settled. Ryuzaki isn''t very smart. If we go to area 403, where there are lots of people, he''ll think we''re running away when he sees us. He''ll follow us and fall into our trap.¡±


    "Once he falls for our trap, it''s our win!"


    And so that''s how the four brothers successfully cornered Ryuzaki... He neither could use his thunder godspeed now nor fight at his full potential. His thunder godspeed was too flashy that it released electric charges and currents in the surroundings, which he thought would harm the citizens.


    "So now, let''s settle the score. Ice-type Ice Block!"


    "Magma-type Dark Hound!"


    "Dragon-type Fire Ball!"


    All these attacks, one after another, harmed the civilians. The brothers didn''t attack Ryuzaki, but the citizens. Ryuzaki was in a tough spot. He couldn''t decide anything. One after the other, men, women and children got slaughtered.


    "Tsk. Um...what should I do now? If I charge head-on, there''s no guarantee that they won''t dodge. They might shield themselves by getting in the crowd...I might end up killing the citizens...Plus that wood-user''s missing. I bet he''s hiding somewhere looking for an opening. I can''t lay a very large attack either...Oh! I get it now! I must use that!" thought Ryuzaki.


    "Oi that thunder-guy...what''s he up to? He''s running in between the citizens, touching everyone and infusing his aura in them..."


    "Who knows... maybe he has gotten crazy and is doing stupid acts..."


    "Nah, he must be giving them his aura for defence or something."


    The brothers kept on killing citizens, ignoring Ryuzaki. While Ryuzaki went from one point to the other, giving his aura to everyone. Twenty minutes forty-eight seconds ¡ª that was the time Ryuzaki took to infuse aura in the bodies of thousands of people who stood there. Till that time, the enemy had managed to kill a great deal of humans. On the ground, there were hundreds of dead bodies, a river of blood flowing, bloody clothes and broken limbs of people.


    "NOW NO MORE KILLING, YOU BASTARDS! IT''S MY TURN NOW! THUNDER-TYPE TELEPORTATION!"


    In an instant all the citizens along with Ryuzaki vanished away. He teleported them to a safe spot and then teleported himself back to the town.


    "Ahh! I see...You infused all the citizens with your aura so that you could teleport them to a safe place, no, RYUZAKI!"


    "But then it must have been very exhausting...giving aura to the people in thousands and then teleporting all of them."


    "Yeah look! He''s clumsy and fumbling!"


    "Argh. You bastards...sure... sure give me.... a lot of trouble no!"


    "Looks the right time! Magma-type Volcanic Punch!"


    Muichiro launched a surprise attack from Ryuzaki''s left side. Reflexly, he pulled out his sword infusing his aura in it and defending.


    "Look, you were finally forced to use your techniques for defence!"


    Mizuki, in his transformed state immediately understood the situation Ryuzaki was in, and charged at him. As Ryuzaki was occupied with Muichiro, he couldn''t dodge Mizuki''s head butt. Ryuzaki fell a few metres away. He stood up immediately to realise that Eitaro had launched the ice-type ground-based attack and froze his legs.


    As Ryuzaki sheathed his sword, to launch a broad attack, he was surprised by the fact that the dragon had curled up him to the ground and the wood guy, Daichi, had suddenly appeared in front of him.


    "IN ANOTHER TWO MINUTES, IT''S ALL OVER FOR YOU, NUMBER ONE!"


    "Oi Mizuki! Get away from there else you''ll also -"


    "Mizuki! Use your special technique and get out of that body!"


    Mizuki had a special technique ¡ª he could get out of his transformed body in fine shape. Thus, the dragon''s physical body remained there, curling up Ryuzaki, along with the ice that kept him from moving.


    "Finally it''s over now! Wood-type Thousand Pillared Seal!"


    "Do you think it''s over?! You may end my life but till the time humanity lives on, it is not over! When do you think a person loses? When he gets defeated? No, a person loses when he gives up. You might have defeated me, but I HAVEN¡¯T GIVEN UP!, rather HUMANITY HAS NOT GIVEN UP! "


    "Aw! Come on! Are those your last words?! No ''Harada'' in the whole world can ever surpass you!"


    "Hah?! Harada! Wha-what is it? You think no one can surpass me¡­that¡¯s ridiculous!"


    The wooden seal was then burnt down by Mizuki, ultimately turning the seal along with Ryuzaki to ash. The next thing anyone knew was that Ryuzaki Hideki, the strongest soldier of humanity, had been killed.


    ¡°With this, invasion¡¯s complete! This will mark the end of the damned Haradas!¡±


    At the royal palace, the supreme leader learnt about the whole incident from Shoto, who watched the entire fight from high above the sky, in a helicopter.


    "Sir the situation''s intense. We didn''t get a word from the four combatants you sent to defeat that guy, rather we can''t contact them and as I informed you earlier, Mr. One has been killed!"


    "Tsk. To think that even the strongest is dead¡­ Now there''s only one option left...for the future of humanity! Shoto! I want you to destroy all the helicopters and the technologies that allow us humans to fly along with their blueprints! Erase their existence! I guess it won''t be a difficult task since only the royal capital has technology like that! And tell your sister, Kimiko to take as many citizens as possible and escape to the northern district of Nagoya, the land of Kenji Kimura at once! I''ll even issue a royal order for it!"


    Nagoya was a large district in the north, consisting of small villages and towns. The area was ruled by Kenji Kimura, who was Ryuzaki Hideki''s only rival. One distinct feature of this district was that it was surrounded by mountains and large forest areas on all sides. The mountains were too high to be crossed, so aerial means of transportation were used, although there were also some secret land routes. The supreme leader, unaware that the invaders could fly using their wings, ordered his secretary to eliminate all aerial transports so that humanity could at least survive inside the cramped mountains safely.

 3. Sacrifice

    <ol start="3">


    <li> Sacrifice</li>


    </ol>


    Genjiro and his army invaded the planet successfully. They defeated most of the elite soldiers and imprisoned the rest, including the supreme leader. Some soldiers, like Shoto, who agreed to work with the Shibatas, were spared.


    The human population dropped from over fifty million to just ten million. The invading forces took a month to gain full control over the royal capital and the southern regions. Only a few human inhabitants remained in the north, east, and west. The Shibatians completely controlled the centre and south but only partially controlled other areas. Except for Nagoya in the north, bandits and gangsters ruled the other regions, terrorizing the people and opposing the Shibatian government. It has been twelve years since the invasion.


    "Say, Kenji, do you know why they haven''t attacked us up until now?" said Denki, the only surviving combatant of the forces that opposed Genjiro, looking at the high mountains, standing at the castle tower along the king, Kenji.


    "Yeah, you mentioned that the other day too. It''s not that they can''t attack; it''s just that they didn''t attack us by coincidence. Perhaps that''s the only explanation. However, they continue to send low-ranking soldiers, which the Titan Regiment handles easily," said Kenji, smoking as he gazed at the blue, open sky.


    "They''ve not attacked up until now doesn''t mean that they''ll not attack today...Say, Kenji, what if they attack today?! Will the Celestial Defenders and Titans be able to take care of them? "


    Denki was deeply concerned about the future of humanity, especially with a formidable opponent like Genjiro still out there. Even though it had been twelve years, he couldn''t forget that day; how his mates were all killed by that single man, who meant no good news. He still remembered it, as if it was just yesterday. The thought that a threat such great as Genjiro continued to exist, and that there was possibly no one who could defeat him, troubled the young man.


    "Who knows...I''ve prepared myself to die for the sake of humanity when the time comes. I still remember the day you suddenly appeared right in front of me, holding that Shibatian girl in your arms...And now I look at today when you and that girl have a eleven-year-old brat...Come to think of it, how''s your boy Mahito doing?" Kenji said, to lighten the seriousness of the situation.


    "He''s always lively, and ever since Izumi told him about the huge world beyond the mountains, that''s all he talks about - crossing the mountains. Meanwhile, your daughter, Hanako, keeps clinging to him. It seems like she''s obsessed with him..."


    "Tsk brats these days..."


    In the village of the north, Mahito''s laughter echoed through the streets. He would fool around and often get into mischief, and his friends Izumi and Hanako had to intervene to help him out of trouble.


    "OI! ALL MY FELLOW VILLAGERS! I''VE MADE UP MY MIND NOW! I''M GONNA JOIN THE TITAN REGIMENT AND SEE THE OUTSIDE WORLD!" declared Mahito, as stood on the tallest tower in the village.


    People had mixed reactions to it. Children laughed it off, while the workmen ignored it. The old farts of the village trembled with fear. One of them rushed towards the tower and slapped him.


    "Idiot! You...you have no idea about how cruel the outside world is!" said the old man, with tears in his eyes.


    He continued "Our village has already lost many young men who joined the Titans...Do you know, kid, the Titan regiment has failed every single mission they did?! Their jobs are not just to keep those devils away but also to secure secret land routes towards the royal capital and the Okizaki district, the nearest district to ours. But to date, they have secured none! Even though they have elite soldiers like Ginko and Hibiki, in every mission about thirty per cent of the Titans die!"


    "So in other words, you are saying that joining the Titan Regiment signifies dying?!" said Mahito, with a cold look in his eyes.


    "Ye-Yes it is! We should disband the Titans in the first place! Celestial Dragons are enough for defending our territory!"


    "Oi, old geezer!" He suddenly raised his voice, "DO YOU WANNA FOREVER REMAIN INSIDE THESE CRAMPED MOUNTAINS? WE RIGHT NOW LIVE IN THE SHITTIEST WAY POSSIBLE, AND HAVE THE CONSTANT FEAR OF BEING ATTACKED! WE''RE AT THE MERCY OF THOSE DAMNED SHIBATAS!"


    "They have not attacked us till now!"


    "That said, that doesn''t guarantee that they''ll not attack today! ONCE WE MAKE IT OUTSIDE THE MOUNTAINS, FREEDOM AWAITS US! "


    "No kid, outside the mountains the enemy awaits us!"


    "But once we defeat them - "


    A girl suddenly intervened in between, knocking out Mahito and taking him away to his home.


    "Sorry old man, you see, he gets crazy sometimes!"


    "Bah, whatever, take him away, Little Princess!"


    "Oi Hanako where the hell are you taking me?!" said Mahito, as he regained consciousness.


    "Just shut up! I''m taking you home!"


    "Say, don''t tell mom about all of this!"


    "She already knows!"


    "Eh?!"


    "If you''ll get on that tower, and shout, then the whole village would be able to listen, no?!"


    The kids made it home, where awaited Mahito''s mom in anger!


    "Hanako! Thank you for bringing him back! Now you may leave, my girl!"


    "Yeah sure aunt!"


    "OI MAHITO! LEMME TEACH YOU A LESSON! YOU ARE GETTING SPOILED DAY BY DAY! WITH WHOM IN THE WORLD DO YOU HANG OUT WITH?!"


    "With-with Hanako and Izumi" stammered the young boy.


    "HUH?! SEEMS LIKE YOU DO HAVE A NICE COMPANY...Those two are well-mannered kids never abandon them at any cost! And forget about joining the - "


    His mom was suddenly shot. The alarm buzzer went off - it was an enemy attack. Mahito sat on the floor with tears in his eyes, holding her hand tightly as he checked her pulse. She was dead. He then gave a deadly look to the soldier standing at the doorway, the one who had shot his mom. The soldier raised his pistol towards Mahito but surprisingly didn''t shoot. It was soon that Hanako appeared out of nowhere, and with a knife in her hand, she stabbed the soldier from the back.


    "Mahito! Hurry up! We need to get out of here"


    The eleven-year-old boy was still in shock from what had happened. He witnessed two people dying in front of him, one of them being his mom. He couldn''t even move an inch.


    "Yo-you kill-killed him?!"


    "Yeah of course! He killed Aunt and was about to kill you too!"


    "Ho-how come yo-you are here?! What happened to the guards protecting you?!"


    "I sent them to evacuate the citizens. I''m fine on my own because I feel I''m strong."


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Another soldier entered and Hanako quickly killed him too.


    "How-how are you able to kill people?!"


    "Because I have realized... "


    "Realized what?"


    "that we were born in an evil world, where the only way to survive is to kill!"


    "Bu-but mom used to say that killing is inhumane!"


    "Sheesh! You''ll forever remain dumb Mahito!"


    Mahito remained perplexed. He was a soft and honest boy. Killing in front of himself was, probably, the last thing he could have imagined in the world to happen. The world was greatly changing in front of the young boy. He now witnessed the terror of being at the mercy of the Shibatas.


    "Now get up! We need to move away quickly!"


    Realizing that Mahito wasn''t moving, Hanako grabbed his hands, dragging him pathetically out of the house. Watching what was happening outside, Mahito was stunned. The Celestial Defenders were fighting the soldiers and at the same time evacuating the citizens. There were corpses all around, and everyone''s clothes were red and bloody. The stream that ran down the village had turned red. There were broken limbs of people, randomly lying on the ground. Soldiers struggled to fight and protect at the same time. The eleven-year-old kid couldn''t possibly understand all this. Why was blood being shed unnecessarily?  His mother was dead, and there wasn''t any guarantee that his father was alive.


    "What in the world is happening?!"


    Suddenly a horse cart came.


    "Climb up, you two!" said Izumi.


    "Where are they taking us?"


    "To the outskirts of Nagoya"


    "Is it all over?" said Mahito, as he wiped his tears.


    "OI YOU TWO! SE-SEE THE SKY!"


    Everyone looked up at the wide sky, now filled with soldiers flying towards the royal palace!


    At the same time Mahito''s mom was shot, Kenji got to know about the enemy invasion.


    "Tsk. Bad timing. The Titans have all gone to secure a route to the Okizaki District and won''t return for a while...Denki! Deploy all the Celestial Defenders to all four villages! Tell all the backup soldiers present in the villages to commence combat and hold the enemy until reinforcements come!"


    Denki shivered in fear. Just the thought of Genjiro''s arrival, and how much of a threat it could possess made him tremble in fear and pain. He turned pale. He couldn''t understand what could be done against him, who appeared a beast, an invincible creature who had suddenly appeared in the world and brought ruins.


    All the top leaders were urgently summoned to the royal palace, to discuss the final strategy to defeat the invading forces.


    "Now I shall tell you my plan! We''re short on time so I want no interruptions. Firstly, we must contact the Titans and tell them to retreat and strengthen the defence forces. Secondly, we must assume Genjiro''s coming...The only one who can hold him for some time is me. I''ll buy you guys time. Till that time, Denki, you use your teleportation and bring the Titans back here while others must fight those who come along Genjiro. Soldiers would evacuate the citizens! Humanity''s survival should be our utmost priority!"


    "So then I''ll teleport - "


    "Long time no see, NUMBER TWO! Sorry, I didn''t want to kill you like this, but, you know what, your teleportation ability is the most troublesome one I found here. I have been looking for you for twelve years and see, this is how we meet. Congratulations! You have been backstabbed by me!" said Genjiro, who all of a sudden bumped into the royal palace, along with his soldiers.


    Denki fell to the ground and immediately died. All the big shots sitting there suddenly stood up.


    "We''ll proceed according to the plan. I''ll fight him! You guys get outa here!" said Kenji, as he pulled out his swords.


    "No one''s going out! My soldiers shall take care of you all! I''ll personally deal with you, Kimura!"


    Genjiro raised his hand, to remove the cloth which hid his eye and unleash his full strength, but Kenji interrupted in between.


    "I won''t let you uncover your eye! Denki told me everything about the fight he had with you!"


    Kenji Kimura - a person with a raw aura. His clan was cursed about a hundred years ago by the wife of the dead king - Katsuki Harada, and thus his clan members could only use raw aura. Changing the aura form into any element was out of their control. Even still, Kenji was equal in strength to the overpowered Ryuzaki. He used two swords and infused his raw aura in them to fight.


    "Perfectly fine for me! I''ll kill without using my eye power! Gravity-type Meteor Rain!" said Genjiro, as he sheathed his sword.


    The force pulling Kenji down suddenly increased by ten times. Suddenly four meteors fell upon the castle simultaneously, obliterating it. The royal palace was in ruins. Everyone except the two beasts was wiped out. Kenji quickly made it out of the palace and saw Genjiro right in front of him. He had pulled out his sword again and was about to attack. Kenji quickly backed off.


    "That''s it! Now we''ve got a place to fight! Let''s begin!" said Genjiro, excitedly.


    "Lemme show you now, the power of an elite soldier!"


    Kenji disappeared suddenly and reappeared just in front of Genjiro, who could barely dodge the sword attack that followed. Kenji kept on attacking him from odd directions, as knew that if he could defeat Genjiro, that was his only chance.


    "Damn it! I can barely defend myself with my sword. I can''t use my gravity-type attacks without sheathing the sword. If I sheath it, I will be wide open for a while, and he won''t miss that chance to attack and possibly defeat me. And if I let go of my sword, I won''t have anything for defence for a while. If I don''t, he will keep on attacking me until my sword breaks. He likely knows about my situation" thought Genjiro.


    "Now that it has come to this I might as well take my chances!" said Genjiro.


    He coated his body with his aura to minimise the injury and then dropped his sword. Kenji''s sword pierced through his stomach at that moment. Genjiro coughed blood. Even with his aura coating, the injury was fatal. Kenji pulled out his sword from his stomach, planning to stab him again. Knowing what was coming, Genjiro used his repel attack, which made Kenji fly yards away. It seemed that he was no longer in a shape to fight.


    "It hurts, you bastard!" said Genjiro, as he got hold of himself and picked up his dropped sword and threw it metres away. To Kenji, this appeared a stupid act, but he thought to ignore it.


    Both of them again got engaged in combat. Kenji had the upper hand this time since Genjiro was injured. Genjiro slowed down him by increasing the gravity. But this wasn''t enough to take down the beast. Kenji kept on attacking him striking powerfully towards the enemy with his sword. His strikes were powerful enough that each of them wounded his arms badly. Genjiro''s arms were covered in blood. In between he would use the repel-attract ability to attack.  But Kenji was a monster in terms of brute strength. Genjiro couldn''t hold him up for much time.


    "Gah! This is getting nowhere! At this rate, he''ll defeat me in no time. He''s not even giving me room to uncover my eye" thought Genjiro.


    "What happened kid?! Your face, which was full of hope a while ago, has turned pale now!"


    "This is getting more and more interesting, KIMURA! I, SHIBATA GENJIRO, THE STRONGEST CREATURE OF THE WORLD, DECLARE YOU MY GREATEST FOE OF ALL TIME! TO THINK THAT I WOULD BE PUSHED TO THIS EXTENT...YOU ARE THE ONE WHO''S THE CLOSEST TO THAT MAN...THE LATE KING, KATSUKI HARADA!"


    "Huh?! How the hell do you know about him?"


    "It''s a long story...forget it Kenji, you''ll soon be as good as dead."


    Genjiro suddenly disappeared and his sword appeared in front of Kenji, who was puzzled. The next minute, Genjiro stabbed Kenji! Kenji didn''t even have the time to react. He realised the presence of Genjiro only after he was stabbed. Genjiro''s eye cloth was removed!


    "What do you think, Kenji? Technically, using the sword puts me at a disadvantage, but I still carry it. What happened was that I simply replaced my sword with myself, so I had time to uncover my eye, while you stood perplexed."


    "So..so that''s the reason you...threw your sword...sword away a while back so that you could replace yourself with it when the time comes!"


    "It''s over, Kenji Kimura!"


    Kenji quickly backed off, but he suffered a great deal of damage. The wound was fatal enough to immobilize an ordinary person, but Kenji was a different case. He could still move in that shape and continued to fight. But open-eyed Genjiro was stronger than what Kenji anticipated. He used an attract-repel attack on Kenji at the same time, which slowly squeezed his body and he fell to the ground.


    "Farewell, King Kimura! You caused me a lot of trouble...I don''t think I''ll be able to fight anymore though - "


    Both the beasts were in bad shape to fight. Kenji was on the brink of death while Genjiro was badly wounded and fainted as a result of overusing his eye-power. All of a sudden, a soldier came out of nowhere and holding Kenji in his arms, he retreated to the outskirts of the region.


    "Ginko! You?! Has the Titan Regiment arrived?!"


    "Mhm...they''re still crossing the borders though"


    "Tell them to evacuate all the citizens and retreat..."


    "But the Shibatas have already destroyed most of the towns and villages..."


    "What?! What in the world happened to the Celestial Defenders?!"


    "They were all wiped out..."


    Ginko took him to a spot where the commander of the Titan Regiment with his fifty-soldier army and around six homeless children stood.


    "LAY DOWN YOUR LIVES!"


    ''Lay down your lives'' was the official salute of the Titans. They would raise their right hand, hit their forehead, and shout.


    "Listen, Yoshiko, humanity''s survival is the utmost priority. Twelve years ago Ryuzaki was defeated, and perhaps, he left the responsibility of protecting humanity on my shoulders. And today I leave this responsibility to you! So I''m counting on you for the rest, Ogawa Yoshiko, 25th Commander of the Titan Regiment!"


    *It suddenly started raining*


    "Look! Even the sky''s crying!"


    The entire regiment sobbed upon the king''s death, mourning over the loss they faced, accusing themselves of not being able to protect the king and their land, while the kids stood there silently, watching the ripples being formed on the ground by the rain, lost in their own thoughts.


    What awaits the young kids?