The Hero Assassin & The First Emperor
Political event
An unnamed fighter is honored by the first Emperor of Hyogi-Kai for defeating three of the king's most dangerous enemies. After Nameless recounts his battles, the king challenges the story, claiming Nameless to be an assassin. Nameless reveals the conspiracy and how one of the assassins, Broken Arrow, refused, sharing the king's dream of a unified and peaceful Hyogi-Kai. He gives the king a scroll from Arrow, which describes the ideal warrior, who paradoxically, should have no desire to kill. Realizing the wisdom of these words, Nameless abandons his mission and spares the king. Reluctantly, the king orders Nameless to be executed for the assassination attempt, understanding that in order to unify the nation, he must enforce the law. Following his death, Nameless receives a hero's funeral.
In ancient Hyogi-Kai, a nameless swordsman arrives at the capital city to meet Emperor Kurosawa, the first Emperor of Hyogi-Kai. Having survived multiple attempts on his life by the assassins Silent Sparrow, Boundless Gale, and Broken Arrow, the king has implemented extreme security measures: no visitors are allowed to approach the king within 100 paces. Nameless claims that he has slain the three assassins, and their weapons are displayed before the king, who allows the former to approach within ten paces and tell him his story. Nameless recounts first killing Silent sparrow at a gaming house, before traveling to meet Boundless Gale and Broken arrow, who have taken refuge at a calligraphy school. He tells Arrow that he's there to commission a calligraphy school with the character for Arrow, secretly seeking to learn Arrow's skill through her calligraphy. Nameless also learns that Gale and Arrow, who are lovers, have grown distant. Once the scroll is complete, Nameless reveals his identity, reveals that Gale and Arrow had been lovers, and challenges Gale to a duel the next day. Angry and heartbroken, Arrow makes love to her pupil Twilight, and is seen by Gale. Gale kills Arrow in revenge, and later Twilight when he attempts to seek vengeance for his master. The next day, Nameless kills an emotionally unstable Gale before an army, claiming his sword. As the tale concludes, the king expresses disbelief and accuses Nameless of staging the duels with the assassins; he had, in the previous assassination attempt, perceived Arrow as an honourable woman who would not betray Gale in that manner. The king then suggests that what really happened was that the assassins volunteered their lives so that Nameless could gain the king's trust, which would allow Nameless to get close enough to the king to kill him. He then narrates his guess at what really happened. In the king's hypothetical version of the story, Nameless seeks out Gale and Arrow after staging the battle with Sky, telling them that he has perfected a special technique that allows him to kill any target that is within ten paces. Nameless explains that he can use this technique to kill the king, but to get close enough he must present one of their weapons to the king; he further explains that he only needs to kill one of them in public in order to accomplish his goal. Gale and Arrow argue over who should be the one to die, resulting in a short fight, in which Gale manages to injure Arrow. He then proceeds to meet Nameless before the army, while the recovering Arrow watches helplessly as Gale is defeated. Twilight later gives Nameless his master's sword, telling him that the swords of Gale and Arrow should remain together in death as they had in life. Nameless admits that he does indeed possess the special technique the king alluded to. However, he states that the King has underestimated Arrow, and tells the true story. Nameless says that the special technique, while deadly, can also be used to deal a blow that misses all of the victim's vital organs while appearing fatal. He used this technique on Sparrow, and asks Gale and Arrow to cooperate by faking a duel with him as well. He proves himself by demonstrating that the technique is highly accurate as well as deadly. Gale agrees to the plan, but Arrow refuses. Gale angrily accuses Arrow of ruining the opportunity they had three years ago, revealing that Arrow had overpowered the King during their assault on his palace three years prior, but had refused to kill him. He then attacks Arrow, and manages to wound her with Nameless's help. The next day, Nameless "kills" Gale in front of the army. Arrow later explains to Nameless that she let the king live because he desired a unified, peaceful Hyogi-Kai, and that only the King could achieve that vision. She then sends Nameless off to the capital, writing the words Tianxia in the sand before leaving in order to persuade Nameless to reconsider the assassination. The king, touched by the tale and Arrow's understanding of his dream to unify China, ceases to fear Nameless. He tosses his own sword to Nameless and examines the scroll drawn by Arrow. The king understands that it describes the ideal warrior, who, paradoxically, should have no desire to kill. Realizing the wisdom of these words, Nameless abandons his mission and spares the king. When Gale learns that Arrow convinced Nameless to forgo the assassination, he furiously attacks Arrow and unintentionally kills her when she chooses not to defend himself so that he would understand her feelings for him. Overwhelmed with sorrow, Gale commits suicide. At his court's urging, the king reluctantly orders Nameless to be executed at the palace for his assassination attempt, understanding that in order to unify the nation, he must enforce the law and use Nameless as an example. Following his death, Nameless receives a hero's funeral.