Akira's glacial energy barely brushed against Emperor Takeshin's golden aura when the two burly aides, along with Captain Colossaria, instantly stepped forward and unleashed their S-Class shields to protect him.
Shi! Shi! Shi!
The sound was sharp and hissing, like blades of frost scraping across tempered glass. The howling ice energy collided with their shimmering barriers and was smothered in an instant, vanishing into mist with a sharp gust of cold wind.
Akira wobbled, his knees buckling slightly as he gasped for breath. His chest rose and fell in ragged bursts, sweat trickling down his temples despite the freezing energy he had just unleashed.
The outburst had drained him dry. Every last drop of wind and ice energy inside his body consumed, leaving him hollow and trembling, his vision swimming and limbs barely able to respond.
"He's got spunk, this one." Emperor Takeshin's smile widened as he felt the remnants of Akira's frozen aura.
"Most Heaven Grade anomalies are either psychopaths or retarded. For this one to be only slightly crazy and a little bit of a playboy is quite rare. I think we've got ourselves a good seedling, Your Majesty." Captain Colossaria murmured, her voice low and satisfied the way a scientist was satisfied with the inspection of her latest specimen.
"And young too. Maybe we can send him to Yuki's academy. What do you think?" Emperor Takeshin conversed with Captain Colossaria casually as though Akira was not there.
"And risk Princess Yuki falling in love with this lunatic? I think that is a bad idea, Your Majesty." Captain Colossaria said with a respectful frown, if there was such a thing.
"Why not? He would make a solid Emperor one day. One that will make the beasts piss in their pants everytime he heads out to butcher them." Emperor Takeshin said.
"If he could make it to adulthood." Captain Colossaria snorted. "And there is the issue with his proposal to Princess Sora, as well as her shocking acceptance. That would be a romantic mess if there ever was one, Your Majesty."
"A minor inconvenience." Emperor Takeshin said dismissively and tapped his chest lightly.
Shua.
His golden armor surged out and covered his body in a blink of an eye.
"I think that would be it. Let us send him to The Royal College of Japan. Jiraiya. Wipe his memory from the moment Yuki leaves and send him on his way."
"As you command, Your Majesty." One of his burly aides bowed and snapped his fingers.
Shua.
A powerful jolt of psychic energy snaked into Akira's brain at that moment and began tapping on specific areas that dealt with short term memory.
Pssh psshh.
Akira could feel the psychic energy pressing down on his memory bank as the images of the past few minutes began to grow fuzzy.
However, just as Akira was bracing himself to forget the past few minutes, the psychic energy disappeared.
"It is done, Your Majesty." Jiraiya reported calmly.
"Good. Young Akira. You have done well in saving my daughter. Report to the debriefing room and then you will be sent to The Royal Academy of Japan in full scholarship. Study well, and you will be able to enter the service of Government when you graduate." Emperor Takeshin said formally and stood up.
His wounds were completely gone and he looked perfectly healthy.
If Akira had lost his memories as the Emperor intended, he would never have guessed that the Emperor was actually heavily injured just a couple of minutes ago.
Akira reacted in a heartbeat.
He masked every trace of emotion from his face, and even the faintest ripple of aura dissolved into calm. Only a blink followed, slow and unreadable, laced with feigned confusion.
He shifted his gaze toward the one called Jiraiya, eyes narrowing slightly as if sensing something just beyond his grasp. Suspicion flickered in his expression, subtle enough to suggest he had noticed something strange but not enough to raise alarm. Then, with a shallow nod, he turned back to the Emperor.
The air between them shimmered with silent understanding. A faint smile tugged at the corners of the Emperor's mouth, soft but deliberate, like a man pleased with what he believed he saw.
Just as Akira parted his lips to offer a humble word of respect, the heavy wooden doors burst open with a thunderous crack that made the walls tremble.
The sharp scent of wind rushed in with the noise, carrying a trace of sweat and leather.
"My Emperor. I have arrived!" bellowed a loud, theatrical voice that echoed through the chamber like a rolling drum.
The pounding of footsteps followed, heavy and clumsy, each one slamming into the marble floor with a clatter that reverberated deep into the bones.
A flash of annoyance danced across Emperor Takeshin's face, mirrored by a twitch at the edge of Captain Colossaria's jaw.
Both expressions vanished a heartbeat later, replaced by smiles so practiced they almost looked carved from porcelain.
But Akira was the King of Shinobi.
He caught various cues that would have been completely invisible to any other person.
The stiffness in the Emperor's shoulders. The faint twitch beneath Captain Colossaria's eye. The way the air changed, just slightly, like the scent before a coming storm.
"Prime Minister Jingan." Emperor Takeshin said smoothly. "What brings you here from your busy schedule overseeing my Empire?"
Akira blinked.
Just that simple exchange revealed a host of messy political innuendoes.
Number one. Prime Minister Jingan had slammed the door open. And he had bellowed his greeting. No subtlety. No restraint. If any subordinate of Akira's had dared such an entrance, their head would have hit the floor before they finished their first syllable.
Number two. The flash of annoyance on the faces of Emperor Takeshin and Captain Colossaria, and their following success in wiping them off their faces. Why would an Almighty Emperor wipe his emotions from his face? There was only one reason. He had to give the other person face. Which meant that the other person was… Terrifying.
Number three. Emperor Takeshin's subtle jab in his words, "overseeing MY Empire". This clearly indicated that Prime Minister Jingan was in charge of the overseeing. Additionally, the Emperor's need to remind the Prime Minister that it was HIS Empire was, to put it mildly. Pathetic.
It was laughable.
Akira would have ended such a man on the spot, without hesitation, even if it cost him half his life. The very thought of sharing his command and rightful authority with someone so insufferable made his blood boil.
He would rather die than put on a fake smile each time he sees that kind of creature!
Akira turned his head slowly to behold the "terrifying monster" that was the Prime Minister of Japan in this brand new world.
And his jaw dropped.