Makoto arrived at the imperial palace a day behind his main forces. After seeing the conviction in Ryoma’s heart, he realized he was slacking on his duty to serve the emperor and rushed with a miniscule escort of soldiers to provide backup for his underlings and the ronin’s band of misfits.

  Arriving at the gates, Makoto noticed the substantial damage to the doors and felt glad that he offered the battering ram to Ryoma. Next, he saw the bulk of his remaining forces loading up the corpses of the fallen onto carts. One of the samurai turned around, noticed him, dropped to hands and knees, and exclaimed, “Lord Makoto! We’ve successfully defeated the demons, sir!” The other samurai followed suit and fell to the floor as well.

  Yuki, however, didn’t fall to groveling or even kneel for that matter. Instead, he approached Makoto and said, “We’ve managed to eliminate the threat outside the palace, that much is true. The problem is, I haven’t heard back from Ryoma or Himiko since they disappeared into the inside of the building itself. While I no longer sense the presence of Orochi, or any other demon that we should fret over, I still feel unease as some other aura has erupted within those walls. I tried navigating the hallways to reach the throne room and investigate for myself, but ended up turned around and wound up back outside. Could you assist me in finding them, Lord Shogun?”

  Makoto nodded. He had experience with the palace’s complex layout as he had been one of the affirming votes in having it be redesigned so intricately. After all, he had rapport with the previous emperor and was forced to grieve for him as a result of the ease of the coup. As such, he knew all the necessary steps to conquer the maze. “Of course, Yuki.” He said. “Let’s find your friends.”

  True to his word, Makoto easily traversed all the secret passageways to advance through the labyrinthine palace. Yuki felt both amazed at the shogun’s knowledge as well as foolish for not being capable of finding the route himself. Nevertheless, he followed strictly behind his navigator, more anxious than anything over the fact that he would know the true fate of his companions.

  Makoto and Yuki passed through one last shoji and the shogun said, “The throne room is near now. We only need to walk down this last corridor.” Yuki delighted in hearing that their trek was at its end. He actually jumped in front of Makoto and continued forward.

  Tracing the hallway to its end, Yuki and Makoto came across a shrine maiden looking out the window. Coming closer to the subject, Yuki realized who it was and shirked back. “Sayako!” He yelled. Sayako turned around and yelled, “Ah, a kappa! Please, don’t hurt me!” She fell to the ground and curled into a ball, quivering all the while.

  Yuki sat puzzled for a moment. He couldn’t discern whether Sayako was being genuine in her fears or if it was merely an act, another ploy from the demon within; after all, the succubus was so intertwined with Sayako’s spirit that even he had trouble clocking the wicked wench’s presence. “What troubles you?” Makoto asked Yuki. The kappa said, “Lord Shogun, this maiden was infested with a succubus and served under Koichi Hanamura. She can’t be trusted!”

  Makoto shook his head and said, “You’re wrong, Yuki. This maiden is nothing if not mortal. I can tell her reaction to you appearing is genuine.” He then walked over to Sayako, placed a hand on the top of her head and said, “You needn’t worry about him, young maiden. He helped expel the demons from the palace, he’s on our side.”

  Eventually, Sayako stopped quaking and looked at Yuki. Content with Makoto’s insistence, he smiled at the maiden which oddly comforted her. She rose to her feet, bowed to the shogun, and said, “I sense no hostility from you, good sir, so if you’ll vouch for the kappa, then I suppose I can confer to him the benefit of a doubt.”

  Then, remembering her duties, Sayako exclaimed, “That’s right! I’m meant to show anyone who made it this far into the throne room. If you’ll excuse me.” She bowed once again and moved to the elaborately engraved doors. With all her might, she pushed them open and ushered Yuki and Makoto inside.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Yuki gasped when he noticed the throne. Atop it, Ryoma sat with Himiko reclining on the arm rest to his left. Seeing his friends was amazing enough, but what truly caught his eye were the radiating auras surrounding them. Ryoma was bathed in a crimson glow, and Himiko a golden sheen. Together, they outshone the magnificence of Makoto’s shogun armor.

  “Ryoma!” Yuki exclaimed. “Himiko! I’m so glad the both of you are alright!” He started to advance toward them, but Makoto threw a hand up to halt his action. “Why are you stopping me?” Yuki asked. Makoto lowered himself onto his hands and feet and said, “These are not simply your friends any longer. Yuki, we are in the presence of gods.”

  Yuki looked to Makoto then back to his friends. He was puzzled that the shogun was bowing to Ryoma and Himiko of all people, so he wondered if the statement was true. “Are Makoto’s words correct, you two?” He asked.

  “Indeed they are.” Himiko said in a voice her own yet so much more pristine as well. “We have fully realized our destinies of the reincarnations of Kaguya and Susanoo.” Yuki gasped again and dropped to his own webbed hands. “I’m so sorry to have not seen as such immediately.” He said. “Please, forgive my ignorance!”

  Ryoma chuckled deeply and said, “Yuki, please, return to your feet. And you as well, Makoto. We’re still all friends here. Think nothing more of us beyond Ryoma Amami and Himiko Hoshi.” Yuki hesitated but eventually lifted his head and asked, “Ryoma, do you really mean it? Is it really still you?”

  Himiko lifted to her feet, walked over to Yuki, and hugged him. “Yes,” she said, “we are being sincere. We’re our usual selves, dear Yuki. It’s only our strengths that have been enhanced.” Yuki began to cry and hugged Himiko back. “Oh,” he exclaimed, “I’m so glad you both are still my friends!”

  Makoto returned to his feet after the shock of meeting gods had worn off and reality returned to him. He then noticed something behind Himiko to the side of the throne. “Halt your reunion for a moment.” He said, an uneasy feeling bubbling to the surface. “Is that who I think it is?” Ryoma stood up and walked over to the object, picking it up by the collar.

  Yuki gulped once he looked beyond Himiko. There stood Ryoma clutching an elaborately dressed, though charred, individual. He shuddered to think it was indeed the dead emperor. “Wait,” he said, “I thought the purpose of this mission was to save Emperor Hiro. Surely, that can’t be him… can it?”

  Ryoma nodded and said, “Don’t be mistaken, Yuki. This is Hiro, the man I’ve referenced as my lord, or at least what is left of him. Orochi’s influence was so powerful that it couldn’t be separated from the host; its noxious essence flowed so deeply in the mortal’s veins that little was to be done in opposition to its stranglehold. In the end, Hiro begged to be killed, so I mercifully slew him.” Then, he placed Hiro’s corpse back down gently and returned to reclining on the newly vacant throne.

  Makoto looked upon his former peer, the only one who matched his status until the arrival of the gods, and the pit in his stomach grew. “This was a mistake, Ryoma.” He said. “The loyalty for the emperor runs deep in this country. Do you think the lords of the land will stand by and allow their ruler to be slaughtered like this?”

  “It doesn’t matter what they think, Makoto.” Himiko said, ascending back to Ryoma and placing herself in his lap, her hand brushing the side of Susanoo’s fresh countenance. She continued, “the common folk can never understand what transpired here, nor should they. We alone shall bear the burden.” Makoto, still shaky, asked, “And what if the common folk revolt because of this? What if they don’t accept that a ronin butchered their ruler and decide to enact an attempt at revenge themselves?” Ryoma closed his eyes, thought for a moment, exhaled, then opened them once more to stare down the shogun with his blazing, crimson gaze and, in a booming voice that encompassed the room, said, “Let them try.”