The Shoguns Walk Again

At evening.

Kenzo stood cloaked in black, the hood concealing his eyes beneath the falling twilight. "Kenji, the most complicated part is crossing the checkpoint between the Red Zone and the Yellow Zone. We'll need a pass."

Kenji, wearing a similar dark cloak, scoffed. "A pass? I don’t need a pass—not when I have this." He unsheathed his massive sword.

Kenzo frowned. "Oi! They'll recognize that sword. Take a smaller one. That thing’s too damned big to hide."

"Huh? I like this one. It's comforting."

"This isn't the time for comfort. Catch." Kenzo tossed him a smaller, black blade.

Kenji sighed. "Damn it, fine." He stomped the ground, carving a deep trench, placed his large sword inside, and then sealed it by swelling the earth. "That should do."

Kenzo drew his own blade, a black and cyan-hued weapon. "I’ve kept this sword preserved all these years."

Kenji grinned angrily. "The sword of the Shogun... That makes me mad. Alright—no time to waste. Let’s go."

As midnight fell, they moved silently. A cold wind howled through the darkness.

Kenji’s cloak flapped behind him. "Kaminari, huh? That guy gives off such a warm, comfortable aura. Blood aura, of all things. It’s rare to see it in someone so... kind."

Kenzo nodded. "Raizen is good too. But he can't integrate into this society so soon. They’ll jump him the moment they realize he was Kuroshin’s butler. He’ strong enough to wipe out half the city."

They walked in silence, cold wind moaning through the crescent moonlit night. Wolves howled in the distance. When they entered a dense forest, Kenji’s cloak snagged on a tree bark. Kenzo quietly freed it.

Later, they paused at a clearing beneath an open sky.

Kenji sipped water. "Now’s the quietest shift in security. If we hurry, we can make it."

Kenzo stared ahead. "Making it will be tough. We’re deep in the forest, and Sinhal’s border is always storming. We shouldn't rest anymore."

"Let’s move."

As they walked, a strange noise echoed from the trees. They ignored it—until it grew louder. Six forest bandits emerged, surrounding them.

"This is our territory," one growled. "Who dares trespass here?"

Another smirked. "You’re not from around here. Travelers, huh? That means you’ve got fortune."

Kenzo and Kenji said nothing, hands subtly gripping their blades.

"Attack them! Don’t show mercy!"

Kenzo glanced at Kenji. "What’s your plan?"

Kenji drew his sword. "Just a bunch of spoiled, unawakened robbers. Don’t kill them."

With a flash, Kenji sliced a robber’s index finger, then dislocated his shoulder with a brutal kick. The man screamed.

Kenzo’s smile darkened as he beheaded another.

"Oi!" Kenji snapped. "I said don’t kill them!"

Kenzo wiped his blade. "I killed that one on purpose. He had Kuroshin’s mark on his palm. A government spy."

Kenji sighed, then crouched. In a blink, he struck the remaining robbers’ necks with the blunt side of his sword and landed a kick into the leader’s solar plexus.

Kenzo turned coldly. "Let’s go."

As they left, the leader groaned. "What... are you two? How can someone be so strong...?"

Kenji paused, removing his hood.

The leader’s eyes widened at the scar across Kenji’s forehead.

"You... You’re Kenji, the Shadow Shogun! And that means you—" he pointed at Kenzo. "Kenzo, the Shogun of Justice! I have heard of your herioic deeds in stories... You're alive?! But the whole nation thinks you’re dead..."

He dropped his head in the dirt. "No wonder we lost. No one can defeat you two."

Later, they arrived at a broken bridge spanning a vast river. Kenzo looked at Kenji, who nodded. Raising his palm, Kenji summoned ground from beneath the river, forming a path. They crossed, then Kenji snapped his fingers. The path crumbled away.

They found themselves atop a cliff, in distance clouds are roaring with thunder. Below, a vast forest stretched out beneath and the crescent moon above them. Kenji shaped the ground again and lowered them down.

"We’re close," Kenzo said quietly.

"They should be guarding the gate now," Kenji replied as rain began to fall.

Through the downpour, they spotted the checkpoint—a makeshift post guarded by Kuroshin’s men. They slipped behind a tree.

Kenzo nodded. "Let’s go."

Hoods low, faces shrouded, they approached.

A guard rubbed his eyes. "Hey... I think someone’s coming. Wake up."

Another guard stood, squinting through the rain. "Passes, please."

The two men said nothing.

The soldiers, all shorter and clearly inexperienced, shifted uneasily.

"Hey, didn’t you hear us? Show your passes."

A third guard stepped out, arms crossed.

Kenzo stepped forward. "What if we don’t have a pass?"

"Then go back to your holes, Red Zone trash. You’re not welcome in the Yellow Zones. Don’t waste our time, bastards."

Lightning flashed behind Kenzo, briefly illuminating his grinning face.

Kenji spoke calmly. "Let us pass. That wasn’t a request."

The guards laughed.

"Is this a joke? Get lost before we make you regret it."

Kenji looked at Kenzo, who nodded.

In one swift motion, Kenji kicked the nearest guard, sending him flying through crates and barrels.

Another guard raised his knife. "Hey! You’re in trouble now!"

"Bring backup!" another cried.

More soldiers swarmed the gate.

Kenji tilted his head. "You’re not trained like the Royal Guard."

One raised a spear. "You're all criminals. You'll pay!"

Kenzo and Kenji bumped fists.

---

Kenzo and kenji moves forward and all the guards were already dead lying on the ground. The rain continues.

They entered Sinhal, where the rain stopped and landscape changed—shops, restaurants, and aura-awakened demons roamed freely. Soldiers clad in full armor patrolled the streets.

A glowing barrier marked the Yellow Zone; beyond it, not a drop of rain fell.

They entered a weapon shop.

Kenji looked serious. "I’d like to buy some spaghetti."

Kenzo blinked. "Eh?"

The shopkeeper smiled. "With mayonnaise or chocolate syrup?"

"Chocolate."

"Back room. Come with me."

Kenzo whispered, "What’s going on? Spaghetti and syrup at a weapon shop?"

"Shh. Anything’s possible here."

They stopped at a large storage carriage.

"Just to confirm—watermelon pieces or spice?"

"Mango."

Kenzo stared in disbelief. "A spaghetti code with chocolate syrup and mango toppings?!"

"Stuff it in a refrigerator," Kenji added.

The shopkeeper nodded. "Welcome to Steffin Society. Take this map. Follow it and open the cap near the checkpoint. Don’t let it fall into the wrong hands."

Back on the road, demons flew overhead and armed guards patrolled the streets.

Kenzo sighed. "Okay, seriously. What was all that?"

Kenji replied, eyes focused ahead, "'Spaghetti' is code for location. 'Chocolate syrup' means allies. 'Mango' refers to a contact. 'Refrigerator' means government intel. Chandra lives here—this is our way in."

They reached the designated spot.

Kenji grinned, thunder rolling above them. "From this moment on... Kuroshin will fall."

—To be continued