At the top of Amaterasu’s sword mountain, a bird with a small letter tied around its neck chirped and flew through the window of the dojo.
At the center of the dojo, a bald-headed man with a traditional outfit sat, his eyes closed in a meditative state. He had a crimson sheath with a red-patterned sword hilt lying beside him, as if it were a mighty weapon waiting to be wielded.
Kiryu then opened his eyes and smiled at the bird that flew circles near the ceiling.
“A letter for me?” He opened his palm, and the blue-feathered bird landed on it.
Kiryu then took the letter, and after the bird flapped its wings and flew away, he opened the letter and read it curiously.
“Hmm, a red-ranked outlaw named Ambrose.” Kiryu slowly folded the letter and placed it gently beside him. “It’s indeed dangerous to have a red-ranked outlaw walking down the streets of Amaterasu.
“It’s something my students have to intervene with.” Kiryu touched his chin and smiled. “However, this is a player. I need to know his intentions.”
Clap, clap—he clapped his hands twice, and immediately ten figures slammed through doors and stood respectfully with their arms behind their backs and chests pushed forward.
They were training in their own quarters, but it was as if their ears were taught to hear the clapping from miles away, and they immediately responded to the signal.
“I’ll be visiting the city.” Kiryu stood up, hunching forward, as he picked up his hat and coat.
While putting them on, he said, “Take care of the new players. I’ll be returning shortly.”
“Master, should one of us accompany you?” A silver-haired student with a small stubble asked, concern etched on his face.
Their master rarely visited the city, so it must be for an important reason.
“No.” Kiryu shook his head and patted the hat on his head. He then wielded his crimson sheath, which suddenly turned into a crimson walking cane.
“I’ll be back soon.” Kiryu said with an elderly laugh and tapped the walking cane against the floor as he walked out of the dojo.
The students looked at each other, wondering what was going on. But then, they remembered the task of taking care of the players.
There were hundreds of new players coming every day, and they needed to be guided.
Kiryu could create his own dimensions, send the players there, and talk to them via his clones.
The students didn’t have that luxury. They had to speak to them individually, and it was a troublesome task.
…
“You are now a student of Immortal Dojo.” Ambrose tapped his wooden sword on the shoulders of a straight-faced man, as if he were knighting them.
After the straight-faced man bowed and returned to stand beside other students, Ambrose finally finished doing the official procedure of changing the students of Reverse Tiger Blade into students of Immortal Style.
There was a clear hesitation in the students’ eyes as their new master was quite young; some were even older than him, but he was clearly powerful; they just didn’t know how strong he was.
Tiger Erwin and Ken stood on the sidelines; they were also now students of Immortal Style.
Ken, at first, was very unwilling and tried to argue with his former master, but in the end, he resigned to his fate.
The Reverse Tiger Blade would either live on with Ambrose or die with him.
“What shall we do from now on, master?” Tiger Erwin asked respectfully, bowing.
His back slightly hurt, as he had already become quite old and hadn’t bowed to anyone in decades.
“There’ll be hierarchy among students.” Ambrose said, tapping his wooden sword against the floor. “While I am gone, students of higher hierarchy will teach the lower ones on my behalf.
“Tiger Erwin, I trust you with a task.”
“What is it, master?”
“The new ranks will be white, yellow, green, purple, orange, blue, brown, red, and black, respectfully. Your task is to go to a tailor and order hundreds of belts in the colors I just mentioned.
“Make the belt from thick cotton, and tell the tailor to make sure the stitching is strong and durable.”
“Yes, master.” Tiger Erwin said with a slight bow, determined to succeed in his first rank. “When shall we know our ranks, then?”
“All the students start from the white belt.” Ambrose said. “Except you and Ken. Tiger Erwin, you will be a green belt. Ken will be a yellow belt. You two are the highest-ranking students so far.”
Tiger Erwin and every other student nodded simultaneously.
“While Tiger Erwin goes to order the belts, two of the students replace the dojo sign with Immortal Dojo sign. Use some of the money from Reverse Tiger Blade’s treasure to pay for it.
“Everyone else will help with the renovations, changing all the old furniture and decorations to match the new name and theme of the dojo. The sigil will be a sword piercing through a heart.
“It will symbolize the eternal bond between the dojo and its students.”
“Yes, master!” Everyone shouted in unison.
“After all that is done, go to the backyard and do a thousand quick drawing practices. If I hear that anyone is lacking, I’ll kick you out of the dojo.”
“Q-quick drawing practices, master?” Ken asked hesitantly. “Is that part of your style, master?”
“I’ll teach you some of the basics first that allow me to lay the foundation.” Ambrose said with a smile. ‘I’ll also teach them some of Mortal Style. My style is suicidal, and I can’t possibly teach every skill.
‘I wouldn’t have many students left if they used the Kill or Suicide Sword in their first fight and then just died.’
Ken nodded, still hesitant about the importance of the quick drawing practice. He couldn’t find any reason for what use it would have. He didn’t see the value in it.
“I’ll be returning tonight.” Ambrose said and stored his wooden sword back in his inventory, then took out his black poncho and covered him with it.
“Tiger Erwin, once you are done visiting tailors, empty your office for me. Find another room for yourself and keep the receipts of your previous transactions with other dojo’s. I might catch a glimpse of them someday.
“I assume you all have still been taxing others for staying in your territory, correct?”
“Yes, master.” Tiger Erwin said.
“Very well, do not stop doing that.” Ambrose then covered his head with the black hood, nodded at everyone, and walked out of the dojo, soon disappearing among the crowd in the streets.
‘I hope Kiryu didn’t take notice of the letter.’ Tiger Erwin spoke inside his mind. He was too afraid to mention it to Ambrose because he still didn’t know him.
Who knows, maybe behind his calm facade he might be a murderous lunatic, as he definitely didn’t become feared and respected red-ranked outlaw by being a saint.
“All right, get to work!” Ken shouted. “He is our new dojo master now. Let’s finish the tasks before nightfall and show our worth!”
The white-belted students nodded and joined hands in changing the decorations and the furniture around the dojo. They wondered what their future would hold with their new master.