The Last Sovereign

0•Tower Emergence

[Legend:]
["Speaking Japanese"
"Speaking Korean"
"Speaking English"
'Thoughts']

Everything started that night, that night where Humanity faced a new challenge they cannot just ignore.

That night where everything changed...

[2023. 1 Hour Before New Years Eve.]

"So, Akashi. How was high school? Got a girlfriend yet?" A youth asked another in front of him, who had a shinai bag over his shoulder.

"No. Never really gave much thought into getting into a relationship." He answered back. "What about you Ryusei? Have you and Mizuki finally tied the knot?"

Ryusei who was drinking from a soda can didn't expect Akashi to ask such question, he felt heat travelling to his cheeks as it turned bright red, looking away from the shinai carrying youth. Seeing his friend react to his retort, he could only smile as they both continued their chat, passing through multiple people.

"You really gonna spend the New Year alone Akashi?"

"I don't really mind it."

"Still, to think that the famous Ukiyo Akashi, proclaimed to be a Kendo Prodigy not have a date for New Years Eve." 

"What about you? Shouldn't you be with Mizuki?" Reminding him of his plans with the girl named Mizuki, Ryusei's eyes widened, his body twisted the other direction.

"Shit. I'll catch you later Akashi! Don't be a stranger till then!" He said before running of to meet his appointment with Mizuki, leaving Akashi, who only stared at his running friend with a smile on his face.

Gripping the strap of his shinai case, Akashi continued his lonely walk until he spotted a empty park. It was night, the moon had already ascended to the sky few hours back and it was 1 hour until New Years Eve. Most people would be with either their family or significant others. The shinai carrying youth stood in the lonely park in silent, feeling the passing cold breeze blow against his body, hearing nothing but silence around him. Akashi was as tranquil and calm as someone could get, placing down the shinai bag over his shoulder on an empty bench along with his black trench coat. He began doing basic stretches, making sure his body was in top condition as multiple inaudible pops came from his stretching body before he took the shinai from its bag and went into his stance.

Being proclaimed as a Kendo Prodigy Akashi's displayed a kendo stance called "Chūdan-no-kamae" where he had both feet parallel from one another with the left foot slightly behind the right and both his hand gripping the shinai pointed in front of him, as if he was pointing at an opponents throat. His shoulders began to relax and his hips straightened forwards, with the center of gravity of his body between both his feet. 

With a breath of cold wind passing by him, and a cold breath coming out of his lips, Akashi's stance hardened, his eyes turned serious as he imagined a man about 180 cm in height standing straight facing him. The grip on his shinai hardened before he brought it above his head and swung in a swift yet fluid manner in the air aiming for the imaginary man's head.

"Men."

Just as the shinai was about to his the head, however Akashi abruptly stops before resuming his original position. His shinai clearly aimed at the imaginary man's throat. With another cold breath escaping his lips, he hardened his stance once more, bringing his shinai above his head and swinging it down, aiming at the wrist.

"Kote."

Similar to earlier, Akashi abruptly stops just as he was about to hit his mark before resuming back to his earlier position. Akashi repeats this for two more move. One aiming for the body (Do) and the other aiming for the throat (Tsuki).