"You're the last one! Souji! Once we're done here, we'll be moving on to end the shogunate!" A man shouted to another person. Towards Souji. That person, who is currently in his adolescence has a thick brown hair with a ponytail on the back of his head, flowing down on his waist is currently standing there motionless, coupled with his long bangs, wearing his black plain kimono and white hakama. He also wears tabi and zori on his feet and katana on his left waist tucked on his also black obi.

"I'm… the last one?" He replied as his golden eyes flashed in rage.

"Worry not. We'll end there shogunate's evil here and now after finishing you. We won't make the same monsters like you, hitokiri!"

"… You killed them…"

"We indeed killed them. We know you, seven hitokiri are not evil. But we have to kill you if we wanted to end this once and for all. We know you're still kids but there's no other way. You won't back down from defending the shogun and the evil daimyos! We promise to give you a painless death. That is. If you wish to not fight." The man said at the front of hundreds of troops with a fierce look on his face.

"What reason do I have? This is my job. I don't kill out of grudge. I kill, because it's my job." Souji replied with a lifeless look that then immediately became a crazed one and added, "shall we begin???"

"Soldiers! Prepare!" Upon shouting an order. The bowmen then prepared their arrows and aimed. The melee combatants readied their blades and spears. At first. It seems it was an onslaught, a one-sided match that seemed obvious that the hundreds of soldiers will simply butcher the young swordsman. But in the blink of an eye that that young person holds the handle of his katana. He disappeared instantaneously with already many troops dead at the left flank of the army.

"There! Release!" Although there are already many deaths on that side. There are still few living. However, they prioritize the death of the opponent rather than the safety of their comrades since before arriving here. They originally count to over a thousand but now they all way less than that. Because each of these seven hitokiri are monsters on their own rights.

The bowmen and their leader doesn't mind whether they hit their comrades or not. Their sole attention is solely on Souji who's currently wreaking havoc among their rank. Although there were countless arrows as if it was rain. It never hit the only target.

Souji turned his attention towards the bowmen at the center and are very well protected in a circular formation that treats them as the strongest asset they have. The blades and spears readied as everybody sweated in terror. How can such a young man do such a massacre? But that's no more as shocking as before since they already fought with the other six. They only sweat in terror because this is the strongest out of them. Each of the seven had their own distinguishable weapons and they had to come up with different tactics and strategies to kill each.

Every hitokiri has their unique weapon of kodachi, bow, spear, kusarigama, odachi, an almost impenetrable shield, and lastly katana, wielded by Souji.

"Defend!"

Despite this. Souji above their heads and struck the ground with his blade. Throwing everybody upwards for a brief moment that causes their formation to be broken. While they were trying to regain stature. Souji began slaughtering and killing off the defenseless bowmen as they can't fight in close quarters.

"S-save me!" That was the last words of most bowmen as Souji stabbed, slashed or decapitated them.

After a brief period of killing the bowmen that count to less than a hundred. He said words of relief with a crazed smug. "Phew. Finally done with the annoyance."

While the troops that defended the bowmen at the center had fallen to the ground. There are many more at the outer side of the formation which is now charging to him. All done while the troops that had fallen began to recover up. Not to trample their comrades. Those wielding blades leapt into the air and the spears have been hurled all towards Souji.

Surprisingly. With an upward swing of his katana onto the air. A wind current then rises up, defending him from the spears coming from all direction. But even so. those wielding blades arrived next to him and began attacking him.

A sword's been swing onto him to which he defended against and then with a horizontal swing of his katana. That person is decapitated. Another two rushes towards him from the back and he manages to defend against both, he retaliated and stabbed the one on the right and slashes the other. A swing came from behind that then manages to slash across his back. The battle continued on until the spear wielders also joined the fray. Hundreds of troops fell but few manage to leave significant damage. At the end. Although Souji manages to kill every single enemy. He's left with wounds all over his body.

"Huff– huff– gladly. I'm… able to finish this. My mind... is going blank... I'm… losing blood."

He said to himself as he stumbles through the forest.

He stopped on a nearby tree to catch his breath.

"So… there's no point living now? You guys died. You promised me. You promised me you'll keep on living..."

Although he said such in a calm voice. The pain and anger within him is overwhelming. His tears flowed on his cheeks as his eyes once again turned lifeless. It was as if he had no more reason to keep on going on from this path.

"If I'll die of blood loss here. It's alright, I think. There's no more reason to fight on after all."

"If you wanted. I'll give you a swift death." A deep calm voice came from behind.

He hurriedly turned behind and swung his sword. But that person simply defended with a kodachi.

"Hey. I'm trying to help you. Kid."

"Who are you?"

"Well. Let me say that I'm an enemy. But I'm offering you such a good thing. Don't you like that?" The man said with a smile. The man then added. "Well. It seems our plan works. You see. Those you fought are high-quality fighters. There were originally over a thousand of them to fight the seven of you. But it was now annihilated. You see. We have many more men. Those are just sacrificial pawns. Although I felt bad since they are the best among the elites. But that doesn't matter. You seven are the strongest asset the shogunate have after all. But as I took pity on you. This is the least I can do for you. Commit seppuku. I'll spare you the pain by severing your head."

"They're dead, right?" Souji said in a lifeless voice.

"Yes. They are."

"Show me proof. I haven't seen them in years. But show me proof. Their pen–" his speech has been interrupted when the man handed forward pendants of different shapes and different gemstones attached to them.

"Here."

"These..."

"Is this not enough of a proof?"

Souji then began sobbing and eventually crying.

"We… just wanted to end this war. So that we could live the life we always wanted!"

He slashes forward multiple times with his katana but all are defended against by the man.

"How…"

"You're weakened. It's no wonder that even I, a weak combatant could defend against those attack of yours."

Souji then disappeared and instantly appeared behind him.

"It's no use."

As he's going to strike. An arrow came towards his back.

"Gah!"

He stumbles around due to being extremely weakened and exhausted but is trying to kill this man in front of him.

"You! If only… you don't retaliate against the shogun! We would have… been happy together. The seven of us!" Souji desperately cried out.

As he once again tried to strike the motionless man. More arrows came from different directions and that's when the man finally turned.

"I'm sorry kid. This is… not what we also wanted. Many are also oppressed. I am truly sorry. But please. Please rest in the afterlife." He said and grabbed Souji from behind.

"I'm sorry." The man also added as he slits his throat.

"Heuukk!!!"

The tired and weakened Souji tried to fight back while his throat is being slitted but is unable to due to his body falling apart.

"Please. Rest. Goodbye." He finished the job and Souji's motionless body fell on the dirt.

But in the last seconds of his life. He then remembered the last time he spent with the others. They're in a dark room with only a candle at the middle. It was so long ago that he doesn't remember their faces very well in his vision. Their images are quite ambiguous. But he does know a lot and still remembers things about them and even some of their conversations at the last moments they all were together.

Next thing he knew.

He's somewhere grassy.

"Eh? Grass?" He mumbled as he opened his eyes. He saw the sunlight along with the towering trees.

"Is this heaven? Not bad. I hope they're all here."

He sat up and looked around.

"Huh? I thought this was supposed to be heaven?"

He slowly sat up and looks left and right towards his surroundings.

"I'm in a forest, hmm..."

He looked in front of him and found his katana resting on the ground.

"What the fuck? Why is it here?"

He looked on himself and saw that his clothes and every equipment he have on his body are also completely intact.

"Where the hell am I by the way?"

After picking up his katana. He rose up from his seat and walked started to walk aimlessly.

"I don't know where to go... Where the fuck is this?!"

Suddenly. The ground began rumbling.

"…"

Of course, he wouldn't be startled by such a thing. He witnessed a much worse scenario than just a simple rumbling of the earth.

And then. A gigantic black centipede towering tens of times taller than him shoots up from the dirt below.

"What the?"