(MoD) Chapter 40: The First Horseman

Chapter 40: The First Horseman

The atmosphere surrounding the Ashikaga Clan had been tense upon Takauji’s initial arrival, and now, the long-awaited Shogun had taken it up a notch.

He had audaciously ordered Tsuji to gather everyone in the main hall so he could announce something, and the Patriarch didn’t even think about refusing him. Setting aside his clear autonomy over Kamigyo, Tsuji felt every bit inclined to follow his grandson’s words to the letter.

It was the whole reason he wanted Takauji here in the first place anyway, to take over—and now Takauji was doing precisely that. 

The only question was—what form would said leadership take? From Tsuji’s perspective, it was clear that he wasn’t an ordinary Magician anymore.

Or even a Magician at all, for that matter.

“I plan on making this quick, so I might as well begin,” Takauji spoke, finally breaking the ice in the room. 

He narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction of where his family, steward, and contractor were gathered. 

“You don’t need to be here; rather, you’d be better off if you weren’t.” That statement alone was enough to drastically worsen the foreboding feeling that was stirring within everyone's stomachs.

“Do you plan on elaborating why?” Sona crossed her arms. Takauji hadn’t talked with anyone other than Tsuji after entering the tablet’s room, and she could already tell that he had gone through a drastic change just from his presence alone. 

Right now, what Sona wanted more than anything was answers. What in Lucifer’s name was going on with her Contracted Magician? 

“Later,” he said with plain indifference.

“That’s it?” 

Takauji raised his eyebrow, acting as if he didn’t know why Sona was unsatisfied with that answer.

“After everything we’ve just witnessed,” Sona shot an accusatory glare at Tsuji. “As well the stuff that we didn’t see, you expect us to be alright with doing whatever you want just by telling us later?” 

Takauji sighed, “You want to know what happened, and I’ve agreed to tell you. But I have something important to attend to right now, so it’ll have to wait.” 

“I’m not finished—” 

He waved his hand, and Sona, Murayama, Raynare, and his parents vanished, reappearing outside of the Ashikaga Clan’s front gate.

Which had now been sealed.

“That bastard!” Sona stomped.

At this point, Taro and Miho couldn’t help but wonder if they should’ve been home more often, or if that would’ve even made a difference… 

“I’m not sure how many of you have noticed,” Takauji addressed the room filled with Ashikaga Clan Magicians and Mitsuko and Miwa from the Akahashi Clan. "But I’m a Grim Reaper now,” he called out his Death Scythe. Even though the design of it wasn’t all that menacing, the pressure it exuded was more than enough to send beads of cold sweat running down their skin.

“Impossible! You can’t just become—!” Takumi tried to yell, but suddenly lost the ability to speak midway through his sentence.

“I’d rather you keep your voices down, my body’s still getting used to its new strength, so I might accidentally kill one of you if you disturb my hearing too much.” The five senses of a Grim Reaper went far above that of a human, and Takauji had absorbed the purest Grim Reaper bloodline in all existence.

Right now, he was capable of perceiving every micromovement the people in the room were making—their fingers twitching, their lips quivering, their eyes exchanging brief glances of worry with one another—all of it flooding into his mind like a broken reservoir.

“Was it the tablet?” Mitsuko asked while keeping her voice as tranquil as possible, offering her niece Miwa a reassuring glance.

“In a way,” he nodded. “It was always intended for me; I was just a bit late picking it up. But now I’ve taken what was rightfully mine,” he turned to Takumi. “So I wouldn’t bother going in to try stealing any of it, there’s nothing left anymore.”

“Tch,” Takumi clicked his tongue.

“From what I know,” Mitsuko continued. “Grim Reapers are split into factions, aren’t they?” 

“Progressive, Conservative, and Militant.” He affirmed, “I’m not affiliated with any of them. I haven’t even met their representatives yet since I only just became a Grim Reaper, but I’ll probably end up seeing them somewhere down the line.”

“And do you plan on allying yourself with any of them?” 

He chuckled coldly, “You mean, do I plan on becoming their subordinates?” 

“You already aligned yourself with the Sitri Clan’s Heiress, and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume you’d do the same with one of the powerful Grim Reaper factions.” 

“Aunt Mitsuko!” Miwa looked at the Matriarch with concern.

She had basically called him a boot-licker to his face.

Strangely enough, Takauji didn’t seem to be even mildly irritated, even though it was well within his character to lash out at Mitsuko for that comment, maybe even going as far as to give her the same near-death experience as Takumi.

“Let me guess, you’re not afraid of dying because you’re already on the brink of it?” 

“If that’s what you want to believe.” 

“It’s not what I believe, it’s what I know.” Takauji tapped his temple, “I’m a Grim Reaper. I can tell how little of your life-force remains, and that you only have a little more than a week before the last of it is snuffed out.” 

Miwa’s heart dropped upon hearing his words, but Mitsuko remained steadfast as ever. Already aware of her upcoming fate.

“And what of it?” 

“There’s no need to be so standoffish,” he pressed his lips together. “I could change that for you, if you’d like.” 

“I’m not going to like where this is going, am I?” Mitsuko’s suspicion rose, and all the tension in the room shifted to the words she and Takauji were exchanging. 

Furthermore, their conversation had earned Tsuji’s particular interest, especially once Takauji had mentioned Mitsuko’s lifespan.

Takauji’s smile widened. “I’m offering to turn you into a Grim Reaper. You’ll be able to live forever, and your youth will be fully restored by yours truly.” 

“You can…turn people into Grim Reapers?” Mitsuko’s voice carried an understandable amount of disbelief. 

A lot about how Grim Reapers operated wasn’t known to the public, especially the part about there being generations. It wasn’t a surprise that a Magician like Mitsuko couldn’t access it, Clan Matriarch or not.

“I can; actually, I’ve already recruited one. My biggest problem right now is my lack of manpower. This is a chance for you to live a more meaningful life than what you’ve got going for you now. I suggest you accept.” 

Mitsuko breathed a dry chuckle. “Right…because living on as your servant is so much more meaningful than what I’m doing now…”

“Exactly,” Takauji said firmly, stepping off the main hall’s leading platform and approaching Mitsuko, much to her surprise. “You know better than I do that your clan currently exists to be nothing more than an accessory to the Ashikaga Clan, you don’t even have the same footing as them in the Magician’s Council. But I could help you change that, I won’t even ask you to step away from your clan. You could do whatever you want with them, but with my support, and you’re newfound vitality.”

“Well, aren’t you a forward young man…” 

“I’ve never been one for beating around the bush,” he extended his hand out towards her. “Your decision?”

She gulped nervously, clearly hesitant about his offer. 

“Can I…have some time to think about this?” 

“Time?” He scoffed, “Are you sure you can afford to use that up now? As we’ve just established, you don’t have a whole lot of it remaining.” 

“I know, but…it’s still a lot to think about, besides, I don’t even understand why you’re trying to recruit me of all people in the first place…” 

“Who knows?” Takauji got alarmingly close to his grandmother, daringly cupping her face with his palm. “Maybe I’m just attracted to you.” 

“Ahem!” Tsuji cleared his throat, hoping his grandson would take a hint. 

‘I’m trying to hook you up with the young woman next to her! Not your grandmother!’ 

“I’m extending the same offer to the rest of you,” he addressed the rest of the clan. “You have one month to decide.” 

“And if we refuse?” Takumi asked with a fierce scowl.

“The fact that you even asked me that question tells me you already know the answer,” Takauji twirled his cane while making his departure from the main hall. “I’ll see you when I see you, goodbye, for now.” 

Evidently, they had been given a lot to discuss.

…

Over in Kuoh Town, disaster had struck.

Every television, in every household, was displaying the exact same thing on every single news channel.

“At 9:47 AM, a huge brawl broke out at Kuoh Town’s local plaza, involving over 1,000 local shoppers. Authorities are unsure as to what the motive or initiation for the brawl was, but CCTV footage clearly shows the sheer brutality and aimless hostility displayed by everyone involved. Please be warned, the following footage has been deemed graphic.” 

The channel cut to footage captured by the cameras stationed around Kuoh’s Plaza. The local news stations had attempted to send ground teams to obtain higher-quality footage; however, the attempt had proven unsuccessful.

For some reason, all the reporters and authorities who had been sent to record and contain the situation got involved in the brawl as participants rather than third-party members.

Even before they got anywhere near the actual location of the conflict.

It was as if they had been possessed by something. 

Overcome by rage the likes of which had never been seen before, and for no apparent reason whatsoever.

They tore at each other’s eyes. 

They bit down on each other’s necks, tearing flesh out with their canines.

They scraped at each other’s faces with their nails like rabid animals.

It was one of, if not the most brutal, fights Japan had ever seen, and they couldn’t even decipher why or how it had happened in the first place.

“The JIHS (Japanese Institute for Health Security) believes this to be the work of some kind of airborne disease affecting the brain’s amygdala. A quarantine order has already been deployed around Kuoh’s local mall and the town’s perimeter. Residents are urged to remain inside and check their mobile devices for orders regarding the quarantine issue—” 

The number of lives lost in the outbreak of rage had already reached three figures, with every other remaining participant being admitted into intensive care, despite the brawl itself hardly even lasting ten minutes. 

And from the sidelines of all this carnage, a strange figure had been watching.

A dark-colored owl.

Its eyes were comically large and almost cartoonish, with sporadic, ringed pupils.

It had been there when the brawl began, and it had been there when the brawl ended.

Watching, observing.

War had come to Kuoh.

And War only had two things on her mind.

Finding a vessel.

And finding her brother, who was responsible for her awakening in the first place.

The fact that he had been audacious enough to bring her out of her slumber without showing himself irked her to the very core. 

Punishment needed to be administered.

━━━━

Bro has been Death for barely even a few minutes, and already tried to rizz up his grandmother and pissed off his “sister.” 

Average Magician of Darkness activities right here gentlemen.