The False Mask
A day ago
In one of the Samurai headquarters, the place was dimly lit, with flickering candles barely piercing the darkness. A figure stood there, only one eye and a powerful aura visible.
The door opened, and Jin entered, respectfully bowing to the figure. Jin stood up and asked, "Why have you summoned me, Commander?"
He answered, "You've been sent on a mission to kill Yusuko."
I was shocked by what I just heard. A mission to kill Yusuko was like a death sentence. There had to be a reason for sending me on such a mission.
The commander answered what I was thinking: "The reason you've been sent on this mission isn't to kill Yusuko, but to monitor a certain person."
A certain person? What did he mean by that? My expression changed in shock, and I asked the commander, "And who is that person?"
He replied, "It's the samurai Akayama."
I was stunned by his words. What was so important about that samurai that I was being sent to watch him? His energy is weak, and his body frail, from a fallen family. What's so important about him?
The commander said, "I know you're wondering what the point of watching that samurai is, but from what I've seen, he's pretending to be weak. He's completed all his missions, and each one was extremely dangerous. When I think about it, I suspect he's not even human. Most likely, he's a yokai disguised as that person."
The atmosphere began to grow tense. If what the commander said was true, then this was truly terrifying. A yokai disguised as a human could easily destroy an entire city.
I bowed and said respectfully, "Very well, I will carry out the mission."
"Good. Pretend to lose to Yusuko and observe what happens."
Back to the present
I did what the commander ordered and faked unconsciousness, but what I was seeing felt like fantasy. My body began to tremble in fear. How could a human do such a thing? In the moment Yusuko spoke a single word, I realized I could never defeat him—and he hadn't even shown his full power! Even if Yusuko was weaker than the current commanders, that didn't mean he was weak. To defeat him, one would have to be capable of killing an entire battalion of the most brutal and bloodthirsty samurai—in just one minute.
It seems the commander's suspicions were wrong. The person I'm seeing now isn't a yokai, nor is he human. He's worse than both. I feel the presence of a terrifying entity. I have to report what I saw immediately.
I started running as fast as I could, activating my lightning power. Every step I took, I felt more fear. I kept thinking: what if he knew I was spying on him? What will happen to me?
I began breathing heavily, and as I tried to escape, I remembered what the commander told me afterward:
"If you are discovered, kill yourself."
And when I reached a distant place, I heard nearby footsteps. I began to sweat in fear. A samurai's shadow appeared, a terrifying one. Then I heard the sound of clapping.
"Looks like the rat has finally shown itself."
I couldn't move. My body trembled. The aura I felt was suffocating, making it hard to breathe. His form appeared—it was Akayama. He had discovered me, and he was smiling wickedly.
"I knew from the beginning that you were spying on me."
I decided to run with all my might. If I died now without them knowing his true identity, the entire empire would fall at the hands of that monster.
I released lightning energy around my feet, drew my sword, and charged at him, pretending I would attack.
But he appeared in front of me, grabbed my katana, and broke it with his bare hands. He smiled wickedly and said:
"Don't worry, I won't kill you."
I responded in shock, "What do you mean by that?"
"You have a mission to carry out."
Suddenly, I felt an intense pain, as if strings were moving inside my body. Suddenly, it felt like they reached my brain. The pain grew worse, and I could only scream.
I began seeing my memories of that battle vanish. I felt as if I were inside a dark void, and then—I realized my memories had been manipulated, and I lost consciousness.
He laughed and said, "Your mission is to be my puppet."
And high up in a distant place, someone was watching everything that happened. A terrifying aura radiated from him. His face and body weren't visible—only a terrifying smile appeared on his face.
End of the chapter.