:~The Path of the Kingslayer~:
by Takaki Masao
by Takaki Masao
Reference Material for Path of the Kingslayer:
Summary of the Lightning Country Saga
History of the Raikages
An introduction by Imperial Historian Takagi Masao
Compiled Diary Entries of Yukimura Enishi
Entry 1,Entry 2,Entry 3,Entry 4
History of the Bear-Marsh War
Summary of the Lightning Country Saga
History of the Raikages
An introduction by Imperial Historian Takagi Masao
Compiled Diary Entries of Yukimura Enishi
Entry 1,Entry 2,Entry 3,Entry 4
History of the Bear-Marsh War
Main Story Missions/Posts:
Ending of the Lightning Country Saga and Epilogue
Hayata Makoro has been defeated thanks to the efforts of the Raikage and his friends, and there is a new Shogun on the throne after 18 years of civil war. Takaki Masao, Vice Commander of the ANBU, goes to the capital to pay his respects to the new ruler, Shiranai. However, just as everything looks to be calming down, a mysterious assassin nearly kills them both before being driven back and escaping. The assassin is revealed to be the former ANBU Captain who killed Raikage Kagetsu Kiyo: Yukimura Enishi.
Act 1, Scene 1
The Saga begins. The Democratic People’s Republic of Marsh is a totalitarian state to the southwest of Lightning Country which has been ruled by the “Dear Leader” Choe Il-Jong since the end of the first Bear-Marsh War. In typical fashion, Choe spares no expense to celebrate his birthday aboard a luxury yacht where he is feted by food, drink, and dancing. However, he is spectacularly assassinated by a blond-haired missing shinobi from Neo-Konoha, Tanaka Daishi. Marsh Country quickly falls into unrest. Are the killing of Choe Il-Jong and the attempted murder of Shogun Shiranai related? If so, Cloud has a much bigger problem on its hands than just Enishi.
Stalking the Kingslayers
Takaki Masao has been assigned to find more information about the killings, and travels to Raiden’s Eye to meet with the Chancellor of Lightning and members of her Bakufuu Security Agency. Masao learns that that recent events, as well as an ongoing string of murders and assassinations of nobility throughout the country, are due to the actions of a group calling itself the “Kingslayers,” and that they are indeed headed by Enishi. More disturbingly, the Kingslayers seem to have allied themselves with a multitude of seditious groups throughout Lightning itself, whose shared goal is the implementation of a dangerous political concept: Democracy.
The Tree of Liberty...
Haikuno is a sixteen-year old boy who grew up in the dirt-poor slums of Maru Maru, a forgettable town passed over by the times and now run by gang lords. Years earlier, he had a chance encounter with a group of Cloud shinobi, among them a then-genin named Kichida Kazuhiko. This meeting changed his life, and inspired him to train in the martial arts to improve the world around him. Now, Haikuno has come to the secret headquarters of the Kingslayers, and wishes to join them. Political change will help small places like his hometown, he reasons, and Enishi accepts him into the fold. During this time, he meets with the various other members of the group and learns their histories.
Kill the Slanderers! Part 1
Kill the Slanderers! Part 2
ANBU Kizoku Shindou has been assigned by the Bakufuu Security Agency to investigate allegations of slander against a powerful noble, and to destroy a printing press responsible for producing those materials. During his investigation, however, he finds that the nobles he has been hired to protect are actually true monsters themselves, and engage in crimes so horrific that he is forced to kill them. However, he realizes that the Bakufuu Security Agency also protects these men, causing him to experience a crisis of conscience.
Don't Mess With The Hot Daughter! Part 1
Don't Mess With The Hot Daughter! Part 2
ANBU S. Joukuu is sent to guard a family of nobles in Port Cirrus for a month, as there are rumors that the Dee family is being targeted by the Kingslayers. During this time, he enters a romantic relationship with the family’s daughter, but also finds out one night that the family are actual vampires who feed on their own subjects. He is forced to retreat by an overwhelming attack by the Kingslayers, but he manages to save their daughter and return to Kumo.
Spy on the defectors! Part 1
Spy on the defectors! Part 2
Chuunin Kyouko is hired by the Bakufuu Security Agency to infiltrate the estate of Count Nagamasa. The Count is suspected of selling his loyalty to the neighboring Serene Kingdom of Bear, or Bear Country for short. Although Cloud has helped Bear in the past, the two countries are not allies, and the current Bear King, Haninozuka Nikolai, is conducting a clandestine campaign to steal land away from Lightning by buying it outright. By the end of the night, Kyouko finds out that Nagamasa intends to betray his country.
Side Story: Derailed! Part 1
Side Story: Derailed! Part 2
Side Story: Derailed! Part 3
ANBU Captain Takaki Masao, ANBU Kizoku Shindou, and AiT Kaoru search for the Shogun's signet ring, which was lost recently near the town of Maru Maru during the civil war. While in town, they meet a guard named Kaguya, who incidentally happens to be a close friend of Haikuno. Kaguya is a patriotic, principled young man, and helps the Cloud trio steal the ring back from a local crime lord who intends to sell it on the black market. This however, earns him the ire of the criminal element in Maru Maru. Masao realizes this and sends Kaguya to Raiden’s Eye with a recommendation letter for the Bakufuu Security Agency.
Yukiko's Story
Haikuno is injured during his first real assassination attempt, and trains with fellow Kingslayer Nakamura Yukiko, who reveals her story to him. She, like many others in the group, did not set out to change the political structure of Lightning or any other country. Rather, she was once a chuunin from Kirigakure, who was forced to flee her village after killing the abusive boyfriend of one of her close friends. She wandered aimlessly until a chance meeting with Enishi, which inspired her to live and fight again. Haikuno learns a valuable lesson about resiliency.
Storm the Castle!
Count Nagamasa's plans to sell his allegiance to Bear Country have been discovered. Chancellor Tachibana Ami requests shinobi to aid in the taking of his castle, where he has retreated and holed up. Jounin Rao, Genin Nemoto Senna, and MiT Suzaku Keiji are called to duty, and fight their way into the castle, where Keiji is instrumental in opening the gates and allowing the Imperial Army to storm their way in. Later on, during the Count’s public execution, which is attended by Lightning as well as foreign dignitaries, the Kingslayers attack. Tanaka Daishi nearly succeeds in killing Chancellor Ami, and Senna is defeated by Yukiko. Another Kingslayer, Senada Marie, manages to hold Keiji at bay. Just as things are looking grim, however, forces loyal to the Shogun break in and manage to kill Yukiko and drive the others off. Senna is credited with the kill, and is hailed as a hero in Mist. Masao is promoted to the rank of Main Branch Sennin.
An Appraisal of Sorts Part 1
An Appraisal of Sorts Part 2
Kaguya and his mentor, a former Marquess named Burutesu, arrive in Kumo with important information for Masao and Kazuhiko concerning the fate of the ring that was stolen earlier. However, Masao mentions the name “Haikuno” to Kaguya and Kazuhiko, who instantly recognizes his old friend. Kazuhiko leaves the meeting, troubled by the news.
His Majesty’s Shinobi Service – Gate Thread
His Majesty’s Shinobi Service – Mission Thread
Despite the public defeat and execution of Count Nagamasa, more Lightning nobles are showing their greed and wish to sell their loyalties to the Bear King, Nikolai. Chancellor Ami asks Masao to lead a sting operation to arrest another group of nobles as they meet with King Nikolai, with the goal of intimidating the King and dissuading him from future attempts at bribery. Masao’s team as well as a detachment of ANBU headed by Vice Commander Takayama Shimada, infiltrate Bear territory and spy on the meeting. Just as they are about to arrest the nobles, however, Masao receives a taunting communication from Enishi himself, saying that he has placed Takayama under a geas. In horror Masao watches as his friend, the ANBU Vice Commander, brutally kills the King of Bear. The remaining shinobi attempt to intervene, but are stopped by shinobi from the Hidden Village of Star: Hoshigakure. Enishi and his Kingslayers escape the scene, and the Kage of Star demands that the Cloud team surrender to answer for their supposed crimes. Masao, seeking to stop the bloodshed, offers himself as a prisoner in exchange for letting the rest of the team go. Not being able to bear the thought of losing her only classmate from the Academy, Shinrya Kitsune also offers herself as a prisoner to accompany him. The Cloud shinobi team retreats and tells the Raikage the news.
The Hoshikage Arrives!
The Hoshikage Meets Shin!
Masao and Kitsune are subjected to a blatant show-trial in the capital of Bear Country, and are sentenced to life imprisonment in the frozen gulag of Naraka, where the average life expectancy is measured in months. This spurs retaliation attacks against Star forces and Bear nobility by Cloud shinobi, particularly the medical Sennin Isaki Kushin. At the urging of the council of NeoKonoha, Kushin encounters Tanaka Daishi and kills him while causing massive damage to the village of Star.
Meanwhile, the Hoshikage of Star, Nanasaki Ai, is having second thoughts about Masao and Kitsune’s guilt, and travels alone and incognito to Cloud to attempt to clear things up. She meets with Hayata Shin and Spymaster and Acting Sennin Do Natsu, where she comes to an agreement that Star and Cloud will work together to defeat the Kingslayers and prevent further hostilities between the villages. She also agrees to ask for clemency for Masao and Kitsune, if it is not too late.
A Meeting of Friends part 1
A Meeting of Friends part 2
Kichida Kazuhiko goes to visit his friend Haikuno, who is conflicted over the meeting but receives encouragement from Enishi to go. They meet, and although they are glad to see each other, realize that they are enemies from now on.
The Kagetsu Treaty Burns!
Marsh Country is on the verge of political coup. The country’s head of state, the “Dear Leader,” is a sickly teenager named Sumihara Hotaka, and he is only supported by his older sister, Sumihara Kaede. Fortunately for him, Kaede is the most capable general in Marsh and the commander of its armies. However, even with her power, she cannot protect him for longer. With Bear Country weakened by the death of its king and its shinobi forces in disarray due to Cloud retaliation, however, there is no better time for war. This will unite the country and allow Kaede to protect her brother, and so Marsh begins its attack on Bear.
The Burial Of The Dead
News of Takayama Shimada’s apparent treachery and Takaki Masao’s life sentence reaches ANBU Sennin Santaru Rin. With her husband effectively gone and her corps disgraced, she decides to wash away their sins with her own blood, and commits ritual suicide. As she dies, she names Tagiushi Moro to the position of Sennin and Kogami Ayumu to the position of Vice Commander.
Escape From Frozen Naraka
Search and Rescue
In the frozen gulag of Naraka, Masao is overcome by despair and anger, and resigns himself to his eventual death in the platinum mines. However, his companion Kitsune will not tolerate seeing him in such a state, and angrily talks some sense into him. Encouraged by her words, Masao agrees to continue fighting, and the two devise a plan to escape from the prison. Meanwhile, a team composed of Tagiushi Moro, Kogami Ayumu, and a mednin named Higa Kahako secretly leave the village to attempt to find Naraka and rescue Masao and Kitsune. They run into their targets just as they face execution, and the group returns to Kumo, where Masao resumes his duties as Sennin. He learns of the death of his wife, but strangely, does not grieve.
True Am I To My Country – Gate Thread
True Am I To My Country – Mission Thread
Atomics
The second Bear-Marsh war is in full swing, and the southern border of Lightning has become a heavily-fortified wall of military emplacements. Masao assigns Ishikawa Zaku, Tsuyoshi Junko, and Santaru Haru to sneak across the borders into Marsh and spy on talks said to be held between a powerful Lightning noble and General Kaede. However, much to everyone’s surprise, the team discovers a plot by Marsh to deploy a terrifying new weapon on the field. These weapons might change the face of warfare forever, and are known as “atomics.”
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit
On a mission to capture Kingslayer operatives, ANBU Sennin Tagiushi Moro fights against Enishi himself, and is defeated and left for dead. Only the actions of his two most loyal ANBU allow him to reach the hospital in Kumo, where he is placed into indefinite suspended animation. Kogami Ayumu is promoted to Sennin, and vows to take revenge on Enishi and the Kingslayers.
Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory… - Briefing
Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory… - Mission
Following up on the report of Marsh Country’s attempted foray into nuclear weaponry, Masao decides to make a dangerous gamble. He sends a shinobi team composed of Ishikawa Zaku, Mochizuki Tama, Kichida Kazuhiko, and a genin named Narashi Jo, to infiltrate a top secret weapons laboratory deep in Marsh Country with the goal of capturing or destroying the atomic warheads. The team’s efforts are quickly disrupted, however, by the appearance of the Kingslayers, who have launched their own assault on the weapons laboratory. It is revealed that Enishi had a hand in developing the weapons, but his goal was only to steal the warheads for his own use, and not to let Marsh use them against Bear. The Cloud shinobi fight their way to Enishi’s location, where they face him in combat and narrowly defeat him, blowing off an arm and damaging his right eye. Before they can finish him off, however, he activates one of the two warheads he has stolen, and a group of Kingslayers composed of Haikuno, Shinya Mitsuru, and Horiuchi Yuuya, rescue him from certain death. The Cloud shinobi are forced to retreat quickly lest they be caught in the coming explosion. Enishi is removed from danger, but at the cost of the lives of Mitsuru and Yuuya, who perish in the atomic blast. Haikuno, devastated by the loss of two more of his friends, vows revenge on Cloud.
Of Largesse and Lasagna
The nuclear explosion in Marsh has completely devastated the country’s ecosystem and economy, and the strain is starting to show. Sensing that this is the right time to introduce the prospect of peace talks, Cloud Chief Ambassador Tanaka Hikari hosts a dinner for dignitaries from Lightning, Marsh, and Bear at the estate of Shinrya Kitsune. Despite some initial friction between the Hoshikage and General Kaede, however, the dinner seems to be going well and the Marsh delegation is becoming more open to the concept of ceasefire. However, the dinner is disrupted by a poisoning attempt on the attendees. At first, Masao suspects the Kingslayers, but realizes that such an attempt is not part of Enishi’s modus operandi, and comes to realize that there are other forces at work, which may be a problem in the future. One particular source of suspicion happens to be the recently famous Titan Corportation.
The End Is Never The Same
Supplemental and Reference Materials:
Wanted Posters
Bear Country Advertisement
Marsh Country Advertisement
Intel Briefing on Bear Country
Intel Briefing on Marsh Country
Wanted Posters
Bear Country Advertisement
Marsh Country Advertisement
Intel Briefing on Bear Country
Intel Briefing on Marsh Country