Chương 154: Extra Chapter: Kikyo Kokonotsu, First Kirin Lord (Part 2)
Kikyo Kokonotsu's name spread far and wide after his almost impossible victory against the Anjin clan. For weeks to come, stories spread through word of mouth across the young empire about the young man who led two thousand villagers against a savage mob that numbers over fifty thousand people.
As usual, these factual stories soon became entwined with less credible tales and rumors. One of the most popular ones is that Kokonotsu received a vision from Hachiman-no-kami, a Shinto war god, that he will surely be victorious against the Anjin if he offers up all of his earthly possessions and attachments and become the embodiment of an instrument of war. This was later disproved though, when the news of his marriage reached the public's ears.
Another one that spread across the people's ears and lips is the rumor that Kokonotsu unearthed the lost twin of the Sword of Kusanagi, one of the three Imperial regalia items of the imperial family, which supposedly holds a great deal of power. This was disproved after the imperial Shinto priests stated that the Sword of Kusanagi has no twin and that Kokonotsu wasn't even seen to be wielding a sword, but instead, a bow and arrow during the siege.
The least popular and probably most absurd of the rumors is that the good spiritual energy of the land where the town of Kikyo was built upon weakened the Anjins and finally repulsed them when the townsfolk proved their selves to the spirits. Although it is indeed a possibility, it wasn't something amusing to speculate about for the commoners who wanted a more practical and tangible explanation for the victory.
Nevertheless, Kokonotsu's victory brought changes to his life that he didn't expect to even have by just doing his duty to his family and country.
"Prince Kōsho has made an appeal to Lord Kōrei, Waka-sama… He asks that you be disowned from the family and your inheritance be nullified."
"…And what is Kōsho-aniki-sama's reason for this?"
"He said that you are a fraud that sold us out to the Anjin tribe and when he and Lord Kōrei has left, paid off the savages just to claim it as a victory on your name."
"…"
"Kōsho-sama's reason is flimsy at best, but given your unofficial lineage, young master… I doubt that the clan elders will not take their heir's plea to discredit our hard-won victory."
Although it is true that the Kikyo clan has the best attitude towards their citizens, much of the newer generation who received higher education at the Imperial capital's academy hall came back with lesser than ideal attitude towards the peasants. One of which is the Kikyo clan's heir named Kikyo Kou Kōsho.
Since Kokonotsu was Lord Kōrei's son from Lady Aika, his concubine, he is considered an illegitimate son who will only receive a stipend after his father dies and is replaced by Kōsho, the heir of the clan. Additionally, he will be stripped of his surname and would have to leave the land to avoid insurrections against his enthroned brother where we will surely be brought forward as a replacement leader.
Although such is the case for Kokonotsu, anyone who worked for the Kikyo family can say that Lord Kōrei has always favored Kokonotsu and his mother, Aika. Unlike his official wife who only conceived and gave birth to Kōsho, a lone legitimate heir, Lord Kōrei and Lady Aika was known to be very intimate as lovers and would sometimes be seen frolicking with each other during their younger years. As such, it wasn't a surprise that Aika will later give birth to two daughters and another son only a year apart from each other seven years after Kokonotsu was born.
Of course, even if he is always reprimanded about it, Kōrei never gave up on his love and favor to Aika, and soon, there were rumors that with Lady Aika having more children in comparison to the official wife, Kōrei is intending to pass on the leadership to Kokonotsu instead of Kōsho.
This feud will continue on for a long time that even at present, Kōsho and his faction are still wary of the possibility that Kokonotsu will be the one to take the throne… and of course, his recent major victory raised that possibility more and more since the populace of their capital town say that they owe their life to Kokonotsu instead of the heir.
"That damn son of a swine! I will kill him for this!"
"Please be calm, Kōsho-sama. Someone may hear you and spread rumors about it."
"Then cut off their tongues before they do!"
In the capital town's Sake house, Kōsho drowned his jealousy and grief with alcohol and shouted curses towards his half-brother. Even when asked by his attendant to mind his tone and words, he just gave out a brutal order that showed how less he cares about his public image at present.
"How are the elders responding to our plea, by the way?"
"Even I do not know at present… Young master Kokonotsu's victory was participated to and witnessed by the townsfolk. I doubt that we can properly discredit it when they saw firsthand how he led the militia and handed out orders to make those new weapons."
"And that's why you decided to reason out that there might be a collusion between him and the Anjins?"
"Right… It is a flimsy reason as well, but something that a little bit of rumors can spice up enough to sound like a legitimate one. And yet, even I who made it, doubt that it would actually believe by the people."
As the two attendants of Kōsho conversed with each other after entrusting their drunken master to their subordinates to bring him home, the one who looked more like a scholar rather than the other who is dressed in light armor, spoke about the moves that they have done to salvage their master's credibility.
"Why do you say so?"
"Because of what Young master Kokonotsu did at the third day outside of the walls…"
"…"
"Instead of fighting, the Imperial army just buried the dead and burned the rest of the tents that was left there. Some imperial soldiers even managed to find some spoils of war that was left by those who joined him on the counter-offensive. And because of that, these folks can enjoy a bit of alcoholic leisure these days."
He looked outside of their private room and saw the townsfolk drinking merrily on the hall and talking about the victory they attained just days before.
"If Lord Kōsho was the one who was left to defend this town, I doubt that the same will not happen. He is the heir, after all."
"Right… But at the same time, we cannot underestimate young master Kokonotsu's leadership and decision-making ability. Even if it is only Kōsho-sama that received proper education and training in leading others, Kokonotsu-sama seems to have a talent on it and the will to use such an ability."
"Hey, hey… I getting a bit bothered about your words. Are you really on Kōsho-sama's side or what?"
"I am on Kōsho-sama's side, of course. But I am admitting Kokonotsu-sama's abilities exactly because we now have proof that we cannot underestimate him just because he isn't a legitimate child."
"Y-you mean…"
"Right… Kokonotsu-sama might not remain in such a status anymore after the news about his victory spreads."
Just as how Kōsho's attendant stated it, a week after the end of the war, Kokonotsu's small abode where he has started to live with his fiancée Yuno, was visited by an imperial magistrate first thing in the morning.
"Kikyo Kokonotsu! By the order of His Imperial Majesty, Yamagata Yasashiku, you are to immediately travel to the Imperial capital and appear at the presence of His Majesty! Be at your best appearance and prepare yourself, am I understood!?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Additionally, if you wish to bring your family, you are permitted to do so, but be reminded that they will not be included in the accommodations in the Imperial palace that are only reserved for you. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir!"
A summons directly penned by the emperor can only mean two things. The bad one is for nobles and lords who are suspected to be forming an insurgency or treason while the good one is something that many would desire to have.
"That is all that I wish to convey today, Father…"
"…"
"As they said that I can bring my family, I thought if it's possible for you to join as well."
"…"
As usual, ever since Lord Kōrei came back and discovered Kokonotsu's victory, he hasn't spoken nor faced him. Although anyone else would see this as a sign of Kōrei's coldness towards his child, Kokonotsu understood that his father simply doesn't want to be seen or heard acknowledging him and further fomenting the ire of his legitimate son and the clan elders.
"I shall take my leave now then, father… I wish you good health and a clear mind as always."
"Kokonotsu…"
"…"
"Take care of your mother and siblings… and love that girl that you chose with all your heart."
"…"
"Don't let your heart be divided like I do… that is all that I want to tell you."
Although it wasn't overtly spoken, Kokonotsu understood Kōrei's hidden message and can barely hold himself back from wanting to do something about it himself… but he knew that doing so would only cause more harm than good, and decided to just leave.
News about Kokonotsu, his fiancée and family leaving the town to answer to the summons of the emperor spread throughout the town quickly and a day before they went on their journey, the townspeople gave all kinds of gifts to them to take with on the road. Many of the gifts are preserved foods such as dried fish, smoked boar meat, cheese and even honey.
"This is…"
"A new kind of sword that we made, Kikyo-sama. Unlike our bronze and copper weapons, this new metal that came from China is durable and can easily cut through whatever you use it on."
"Thank you, old man. I will make use of it and bring honor to your craft."
"You have my thanks, Kikyo-sama."
Kokonotsu even received a sword made of cast iron. It is a long blade that is quite wide and looks like an elongated leaf, still far away from the katanas of later centuries.
After being sent off with cheers and good wishes by the townsfolk, Kokonotsu and his family crossed the several winding rivers that separates the Kikyo fiefdom with the Imperial capital of Nichi. Because this route is the lifeline of the empire with its most profitable feudal holding, there are no reports of highway robberies or bandit attacks around the place as even the poorest of the poor are able to eat thrice a day and have a shelter to call their home, making crime not a favorable substitute to just being a farmer or artisan.
And yet, there are men with tattered clothing and drawn weapons waiting at the forest that Kokonotsu and his family will pass through, ready to pounce on them to kill them and take their belongings. These are bandits… or at least, that is what who hired them wanted it to pose as.
["Take a detour away from the usual route to Nichi. There are those who aim to dispose of you and your family."]
Ever since that day when he followed that being's words about the future, Kokonotsu has become more attentive about his actions and during this trip to Nichi alone, escaped and avoided over thirty different assassination attempts.
"Why are you helping me?"
["You will know when the right time comes. For now, you should mind yourself and your family first."]
"…I understand."
It would be a lie to say that Kokonotsu hasn't changed ever since he was given a second chance to handle the war that he almost lost. His curiosity about the true identity of the being that speaks from inside his head is still going, and the way that it is leading him towards safer roads towards the imperial capital made him realize that the answer must be in there.
"Ko-kun?"
"What is it, Yuno?"
"Is something bothering you? These past days, you seem like you are always wary about everything. Even Aika-okaa-sama and your siblings have noticed and become worried about you."
"…"
"Ko-kun… Please be honest with me."
At the fourth night of their journey when they are already in the safety of Nichi's imperial folds, Kokonotsu's fiancée asked him about what is bothering him for the past few days.
"…I'm worried about why the emperor summoned me. I guess that is my foremost worry right now."
"Why so?"
"Because I don't know if I will be punished for everything that I did."
"B-But you were a hero, Ko-kun! Why would His Majesty punish you for that?!"
"Because I upstaged my brother who is the heir of the family."
"That…"
"I'm sure that the other noble families cannot tolerate the fact that an illegitimate child was able to outshine the noble child that they have accepted into their class strata… The anxiety of this very possible punishment is making me unsettled."
Even in the very early days of the empire, social strata and the importance of showing one's competence as a noble is a thing that most people are aware of and are forced to comply to.
In daily life, one must show reverence to the nobles who lead their lands and if ordered, give up the taxes demanded from them even to their own expense.
In war, no matter how much one valiantly fights, the praise and rewards are always received by the noble officer that led their soldiers.
Kokonotsu is aware that his victory in Kikyo has shaken these long-standing precepts between the commoners and nobles. For the first time in probably forever, an illegitimate noble that is almost indistinguishable in social standing as a commoner fought against the norm of depending on nobles and won against his enemies.
Normally, it would be the nobles who would be expected to solve and be credited with such a victory… But Kokonotsu not only defended his besieged town but also brought his men out of their stronghold to bring the fight to their mortal enemies… and if the rumors are to be believed, that faction is no more because of his decisions.
That is why when Kokonotsu finally appeared in the presence of the emperor, the court nobles all trembled in utter shock and disbelief after hearing the words of their young monarch.
"In my name, Yamagata Yasashiku, Emperor of Japan and all of its vassal lands, I declare henceforth that you, Kikyo Kou Kokonotsu, will be my new military regent!"
"W-What?"
"Hahaha! Raise your head, my Shogun! You are now the general of my entire army and a noble of the highest rank! None in this land are higher than you except for I and my family!"
The twelve-year-old emperor, raised to the throne by his elder brother, Yamagata Genji, who infamously took on hundreds of wives and concubines and placed his children in favorable political positions across the central plains, is best described as an eccentric equal to his elder brother when it comes to flaunting his power and authority around.
"Y-Your Majesty! This is preposterous!"
"Taking him in as your military regent and giving him the highest noble rank!? I beg you to reconsider!"
"Please, Your Majesty! We cannot allow for this to happen!"
As expected, the court nobles all responded to the declaration with pleas to the young emperor to reconsider things first. However, although eccentric to the bone, Yasashiku is in no ways an incompetent or spineless ruler whose mind can be changed by such words.
"And can you lot give me a reason not to do so? You seem to have such strong feelings against my decree and yet, none of you can speak out about why I shouldn't continue with it."
"It is simply too abrupt, Your Majesty! First of all, this man is nothing but an illegitimate child of a lower noble from the south! He cannot inherit his father's lands and yet, you are gracing him with such a high honor and position."
"Right! He has achieved nothing but a minor victory against a disorganized mob of savages! He isn't worthy of the responsibility and prestige of leading Your Majesty's army!"
"In the first place, is he really the one who achieved such a victory, or is it just a bogus claim for he and his family to gain prestige in your eyes? I believe that the answer is obviously the latter, Your Majesty!"
One by one, slanderous words and claims that aren't only spoken against Kokonotsu, but also to his family which the larger circle of nobles has long been undermining, was spoken out in the open. It has soon descended into a twisted and rotten game of who can come up with the most outrageous slandering in order to further drive the Kikyo clan's honor and credibility to the ground.
"I see… Kokonotsu over here isn't worthy of the position that I will give him and the Kikyo clan whom he belongs to are also not worthy of any praise, you were saying?"
"Rightfully so, my emperor!"
"That is exactly right!"
"Well then, you have no problem if I declare that the Kikyo clan immediately cut off their trade relations with your lands, then?"
"""-!!!"""
"Additionally, I will remove the law that limits the outflow of peasants from your lands that wish to go under the Kikyo clan."
"Y-Your Majesty! We didn't-"
"Lastly, I'll give the Kikyo clan the noble prestige and position that has long been withheld from them. I believe that if my ancestors who once sat on this throne knew the truth about the sacrifices and exploits that they have done for the sake of our nation, all of which you and your forefathers have hidden and oftentimes, misreported in a wrong light, they would also do the same as I am doing now."
Again, Yamagata Yasashiku is a twelve-year old saddled with the job of being the emperor by his elder brother. But he isn't any less competent than his predecessors… to be more accurate, he might even be called as too competent for the job.
"H-How did His Majesty learn about-"
"My, my… have none of you esteemed gentlemen noticed that we have been looking into your secrets all this time?"
"You are-!"
"G-Grand Prince!"
All of a sudden, the infamous grand prince of the empire appeared from behind the throne of his younger brother while wearing his signature smug expression.
"I have sent my people to investigate all of you and it seems like my suspicion that you are all colluding to drive out the Kikyo clan from the imperial favor is true."
"How did-"
"I believe you lot are aware of the punishment for lying to the emperor… the same shall go to your ancestors who did the same to the past emperors, yes?"
"""-!"""
"Soldiers! Take these nobles to the holding chamber and let none of them get out! I will sort them and their crimes later!"
"""Yes, sir!"""
The purge in the imperial court resounded a single message across the empire: "The Kikyo clan and its hero is now favored highly by the emperor". A week later, a letter of promotion was sent to the Kikyo clan, certifying them as high-class nobles and giving them perks usually reserved for court nobles.
However, the center of attention and rumors alike is the illegitimate child of the Kikyo clan, Kikyo Kokonotsu. Some say that the emperor wishes for him to marry into the imperial family by marrying his half-sister with Kokonotsu. Other rumors say that after being given the position of military regent, he will be sent northward to expand the borders of the empire towards the mountainous regions rumored to have the mines that contain the new metal that the empire needs.
In the end, a town crier spread the news from inside the imperial court that is credible.
"Shogun Kikyo Kou Kokonotsu has accepted His Imperial Majesty's offer to be military regent! He has declared the conquest of the southern provinces to expand our glorious empire!"
Kokonotsu, now the commander of the emperor's army, chose to go to the south instead of the north which everyone expected to be conquered first.
"Is this really the only way?"
["I cannot answer that. Although I will guarantee you that going to the south would open your mind about the true purpose of your new life as the Shogun."]
"…"
["I know that you are thinking if I led you through all of this for my own ends… but I want to remind you that I am simply doing all of this after I saw your wholehearted wish to serve your country and people."]
"I see…"
["In the end, you have to give up something in order to fulfill your wish."]
Days before he and the imperial army proceeded towards their expedition though, dire news reached Kokonotsu's ears about his homeland.
"W-What…?"
"Your half-brother, Kikyo Kou Kōsho, has taken over the leadership of your lands, and are requesting the Imperial court to disavow you and return you to their side lest they withhold their grain trade and starve the rest of the empire!"
Kōsho, who seem to have reached a breaking point in his jealousy against his half-brother, staged a coup d'état against his father and after taking over, held the food supply of the empire hostage to get them to give Kokonotsu up so that he can kill him.
His miscalculation though, is the fact that he became a leader through treachery, rather than the support of his citizens.
"Break the gate!!!"
"Drag them out!"
Without even needing Kokonotsu's directions and using only the memory of his valiant leading of them during that war, the citizens of Kikyo rose up in rebellion against Kōsho and before Kokonotsu arrived with the Imperial army, the rebellion was finished.
"Father… I-"
"You don't need to apologize, Kokonotsu… It was all Kōsho's misplaced ambition and jealousy that caused this."
"B-But it was me who-"
"You did what was right and was rewarded for it. Don't ever consider the envy that others have for whatever recompense you receive for your honorable actions as a bad thing. I did it and I lost my chance to declare you and your mother as my true family… do not make the same mistake as I once did."
"…"
"You are now serving under the emperor, Kokonotsu. You can't afford to show weakness anymore and risk losing everyone's respect for you. Raise your head and show them your competence. Show them that you are the man who fought and won against the most impossible of odds."
This conversation with his father laid the foundation for the actions and decisions that Kokonotsu will use for the rest of his life as the Shogun.
In a matter of one and a half years, he would reach the Southern Triad and be in good terms with the powerful clan in its center who once presented one of the Imperial regalia to the empire, the Kusanagi clan. He would vouch for their inclusion in the Imperial nobility and soon, the empire gained a bulwark in the south.
With the conquest of the southern provinces finished, the northern frontier was next in his agenda. It only took him and his grand imperial army two years before they carved out a large swathe of land in the name of the Empire where iron and gold mines allowed them to be independent from the foreign trade of metals.
Most would already be satisfied with these achievements, but Kokonotsu soon realized that everything that he faced against in his expeditions wasn't man-made, there are supernatural beings that has hindered his rise to power and even his conquest to unify the country.
"You've been leading me all these years to victories that I can never have attained without you… But when will all of this end?"
["It will soon… But the road ahead of you will now be more treacherous. Are you prepared to face it?"]
"No need to even ask. At this point, I am ready for anything."
Ready for anything he is indeed, for a year after returning to the capital, marrying his fiancée and settling down to rest and bond with his family, Kokonotsu will start another conquest… but instead of against fellow humans, his enemies are now the spirits and Yokai that has began to harass the empire after its spread of its borders attracted the mischievous beings.
At first, it was just minor nature spirits that inconvenienced the people, but his prey became larger and greater in strength and numbers. In a span of a single year, almost all of the nature spirits and Yokai folk of the central plains was eradicated, leaving only a few who pledged to not interfere with the natural flow of nature for the sake of causing mischief.
On the north, he faced cursed spirits and Curses from residual human emotions… and in the south, he faced off against mythical beasts, either injuring them enough for them to leave the land entirely, or in more severe cases, straight up kill them.
The site of his greatest slaughter was in the mythical forest of Len at the outskirts of the land of the Kusanagi clan. Being asked by the Kusanagi daimyo to relieve his land from the attacks of the rabid creatures from the forest, Kokonotsu did more than just relieve them.
He went all by himself inside the forest, sparing none of the spirits, Yokai and mythical creatures that has been stained by negative aura in the place and after making sure that none was left alive, ordered for the entire forest to be torched to the ground.
It was said that it took a hundred years for anything to even grow in that land because of the sheer amount of carnage that happened there… and yet, Kokonotsu was still not done with his rampage.
Hearing the rumors that a remote village in between the Kusanagi clan's province and its neighboring lands are being ruled over by a malevolent Kirin that demands young women as brides which it will later devour after giving birth, Kokonotsu didn't even bother to direct his men to the place. He rode his horse and came back three days later to pierce the Kirin's dismembered head on a spear and present it to the emperor as a trophy.
So great was the terror he sowed in the hearts of these beings that four of the greatest spirits agreed to convene with the humans in order to cease their hostilities, forming the four sanctums dotted across the land that the four great spirits dwelt in to become the empire's guardian spirits.
Kokonotsu's conquest over the supernatural beings changed not only the empire and how it works, but he as well. His men would oftentimes say that their master lost his youthful and friendly demeanor, turning into a quiet and reserved person who only speaks as a general and soldier instead of a person that one can see as a friend.
His wife, Yuno, would also notice this change in her husband as he stopped complaining about life which amused her when she and him were newlyweds. But she did admit that Kokonotsu depended more and more on her to comfort him whenever he is home… something that their seven children proven to anyone who knows about it.
Many years will pass, and the empire grew under its own hard work. For the first time since time immemorial, there was relative peace across the lands… But this will not hold for long.
"Yuno… Yuno…!"
"Don't cry so much, Ko-kun… I'm just… going to sleep for a long time."
"No… Don't just accept it! There must be a way! I can find a way!"
Kikyo Kou Yuno, Kokonotsu's wife for thirty long years, fell ill with an unknown disease that slowly weakened her body. Though the best doctors was brought to identify her illness, none of them can offer any answer.
Faced with this predicament, Kokonotsu turned to the being that he knew has the answer for him.
["Your wife's disease is caused by a great cursed spirit."]
"-!!!"
["You've been too lenient, Kokonotsu. I told you to eradicate all of them, but you left some alive."]
"But I made them pledge to not interfere with humanity anymore! They can't possibly harm us lest they die as well!"
["Right… Something that they are prepared to do if it means that they can make you feel the same loss that they felt."]
"-!"
["I told you back then and I have always told you so… If you aren't prepared to face the same losses that you bring to other people, make sure that none of them are left to do it towards you later on. You didn't heed my words. You will pay for it now."]
Although he did get an answer out of him, Kokonotsu was also told to just accept his wife's fate… but that is the moment that Kokonotsu finally got the answer that he has been finding ever since that day.
"Fate… Fate!"
("Then I will break fate! …I will destroy this accursed fate and save this town and its people! I will do everything necessary to do it!")
Breaking fate and deciding by himself what path he shall take… it is something that he has done time and time again ever since he met that being. He won a losing war, he saved his town and people, he escaped assassinations, he won countless battles and now, nothing is any different.
"COME OUT! I WILL END ALL OF YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!"
"Curse you, Kirin Lord!!!"
For the next half a year, Kokonotsu went on a greater and more ferocious rampage than before. And now, although he is alone, he inflicted more carnage towards the supernatural beings than he did when he had men in tow.
No patch of land wasn't stained by the blood or essence of the beings. From the most miniscule spirits to the greatest creatures of the country, none was left alive to tell their fellow supernatural beings about the carnage or warn them about the rampaging mortal that is deadest to exterminate their kind who has truly overstepped their bounds.
All of it only ended with one last battle where he pulled the four guardian spirits out of their sanctums, bringing them to the wasteland of Onnoki where for the next few weeks, he ceaselessly fought the four all by himself and yet, didn't show any sign of being on the defensive or being tired. It was the four guardian spirits that was battered beyond help and only got to escape with their lives when he wordlessly burned talismans that brought them back to their sanctums.
"Yuno… this is for the best…"
"…"
"Take care of our children… and live on even when I am no longer beside you."
Back at his home, Kokonotsu congealed and converted all of the negative miasma that he gained from all of the killings that he did into positive aura and passed it to his wife that is almost losing her life.
["Was this the answer that you arrived at after so long?"]
"Yes… I realized that the reason why you can't answer any of my questions is because you can't really see into the future."
["…"]
"Back then, you only formed a sight that was most probable with the events happening in the present. You cannot see a future that is yet to be decided."
The being in his head was silenced by his realization. This proved to Kokonotsu that he was right after all.
"This made me think if you have any credibility at all, or you were just manipulating me all this time… but then, I realized something."
["And that is?"]
"In every step of my journey, you warned me about things, but never directed me about what I should do. Instead, you made me think more about my choices and in the end, I got an outcome that I knew I truly desired in exchange for giving it my all."
Kokonotsu finally gave his answer to the being. An answer that he believed, everyone should know and live by.
"You made me challenge my fate and change it so that I can live without any regrets… and because of that, even if I have to leave Yuno and our children behind, I don't feel like I made the wrong choice."
["…Your wife would surely be lonely once you are gone. You saved and extended her life, but it will be years upon years without you on her side."]
"I've given her seven wonderful children to accompany her until she follows me later on. She raised them properly, I have no fear about her being too lonely until then."
["She might find a dashing young man who reminds her of you after you're gone. Who knows, she might remarry and forget about you and this selfish move that you made."]
"Nah."
["Nah?"]
"Yuno is too heels-over-head on me to replace me… and besides, I am too high of a standard for anyone to even size up to. I'm sure no one can make her heart pound as good as I do."
["Ahahahaha! Man, you're hilarious!"]
For the first time, since they met and spoke to each other, Kokonotsu heard this being speak with emotions and even laugh at something. Because of this, and the fact that he doesn't have long to live himself, Kokonotsu threw his reservations away and decided to ask the being who and what he really is.
"Just who are you and what kind of being are you?"
["I guess now that your life is almost done, and I will permanently lose my connection with that world, I can finally let you in the secret that I am not supposed to tell anyone."]
"Go… on?"
["I am someone who came from the world that lays ruined below yours. An old world of filth, disgrace and chaos that I was forced to destroy before it endangers the other worlds that exist in the great chain of fragmented realities. That is to say, I destroyed my world and left it to someone to build the world that you are in now atop its ruins."]
Normally, Kokonotsu can never understand nor accept the explanation being told to him right now. But with this probably being their last conversation before he dies, he believed everything that was narrated to him without a shred of doubt.
["In the end, my enemies won and made all of humanity become the gods that they wish to become… but at the price of their humanity. Soon, they all descended into chaos since everyone wanted to do something but cannot do so without another one impeding them. Battles raged on and on, but there is no end as none of them can die. That is when their dreams became a nightmare, as the gift they desired became a curse that they can no longer escape from. That is when I reappeared and with the same object that they used to attain godhood that I stole from them long ago, ended all of their lives as well as the world that we all once called home."]
"So, the reason why you didn't want to be prayed to and be called a god is…"
["Right… it's a touchy subject for me, you see."]
Kokonotsu listened more until they arrived at the part where he felt like he can really relate to what is being said.
["I mean… I am at the top and it is all nice here. But I just feel empty now that I am here. I long to regain my love for the people I hold dear so that I can go back and enjoy my days with them just like how we used to… I also want to finally give my answer to the woman who has supported me all this time and wanted to be on my side… I feel pathetic sometimes."]
"You have a great and kind heart. I know that you can do it once you accept and get past the guilt from everything you think was your fault."
["Well, that's kind of you… I wish someone else told me that back then."]
"I've lived a long life. I can say as much as that from my own experience."
Kokonotsu finally sensed that his wife's health is coming back and before she can wake up, gave her one final kiss and goodbye before leaving for the Imperial palace with his prized cast iron sword.
"Before I do this… you've never told me about your name at all. Were you thinking of leaving that as a secret?"
["Nah. I just got too engrossed with my life story that I forgot about it. My name isn't that special anyway…"]
"Still, I want to know the name of the one who has led me throughout my life all this time."
The name of that being, although he claimed wasn't that special, would be a name that would shape this world's history for the rest of eternity.
["My name is Ephraim. Ephraim Seliah Chronia."]
Kokonotsu remembered that name as he knelt on the courtyard of the imperial palace, and as a sign of repentance for failing to serve his master for the rest of his life after he gave up his life force to save his wife, sunk his sword into his belly, and became the first person to practice Bushido and be claimed by its precept of regaining his honor.
This is the legend of the First Kirin Lord. And for the next thousands of years, that title was given to someone who has the heart and will to challenge their fate and bring unprecedented change that saved the country countless times until the present… where it is now held by the young man that Ephraim intended to help out even beyond the expanse of the infinite number of realities.
"Kirin Lord Iwasawa. It is time to go."
"I understand… I will follow later."
And in the land where the loved ones of Kikyo Kou Kokonotsu settled and multiplied into many families, his everlasting legacy still lives on through the seven families that came from his seven children.
"Who would've thought that the Misanagi, Aoyama, Fumikage, Hikigaya, Shinju, Nagisa and Shimura clans all came from the children of the First Kirin Lord? How amusing that thousands of years later, a person who is leading the land that they retreated to and called home would claim that title once again."
As Hiroshi placed back the old book that contained the history of Kiko that links it back to the First Kirin Lord, he noticed something at the spine of the book where its name is also written.
"Huh… "Fate is written by those who dare to defy it first"."
Such words sparked the end of the First Kirin Lord's legacy in this new world, and the beginning of the legacy of the last man who deserved to bear that title.
SUY NGHĨ CỦA NGƯỜI SÁNG TẠO 
Ephraim_Chronia
Ephraim_Chronia "You thought this was just all loosely connected, but you're wrong. Author Rai literally sewn together each one of his stories."
- Editor ZERO
"At this point, Ephraim is just Aizen. You think you outsmarted him with a plan, but even that is part of Ephraim's plan."
- Editor KEY
"If you're asking what I am smoking when I'm making these extra chapters, my answer is my exam reviewers. Yeah, I'm in college and I am literally torching my class materials just to make these."
- Author Rai
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