The sun had finally set for Hayate Amatsukami, and as the darkness of the Akashima bathed everything in blackness the young naïve found himself yearning. Yearning for some kind of excitement in his mundane life, the kind of excitement that the young clan’s men hadn’t felt in many years. From the fourth floor of the Amatsukami manor he could see the streets of the city begin to clear out as all the residents filed into their houses getting ready for the night. He’d noticed that around this time the only persons on the streets were either the shogun’s soldiers patrolling or roaming gangs of the underground criminal scene here in Akashima.

Tonight was like every other with one soldier, followed by a pair of them not long after. It was normal for the shogun to send his men over to the Yukon district of town to look out for the more generous families. The Amatsukami were one of the four noble bloodlines that had lived here in Akashima for a number of generations, and were some of the only clans still lining the shogun’s coffers regularly. As the three men passed by the archway to the estate they turned and shined their paper lanterns down the pathway up to the mansion. After a few moments they moved on down the street and disappeared into a nearby alleyway.

Hayate was pleased to see that Lord Yami was still keeping his supporters happy and holding up his end of the bargain. It wasn’t like the Amatsukami house wasn’t capable of defending their own, but bureaucracy was a better means of defense in times like these. Appearances were everything when dealing with the noble clans in the shogun’s court so it was better if he and his men didn’t sully their own hands and leave the dirty work to the soldier they pay.

Quickly the young clan’s men felt a wave of regret wash over him as he remembered last week when he found a cat burglar attempting to scale the outer walls of his estate. He still kicks himself for allowing the shogun’s men to come handle the situation for them. It would have been very simple to just make the man disappear and keep it quite yet if the shogun, or anyone, had begun to ask questions their operation would have been in jeopardy. It had simply been too long since Hayate had gotten his hand dirty.

Days passed Hayate had decided enough was enough and he needed to see if he still had the skills that got him the position he holds as Head of the Amatsukami. With some instructions left behind for his retainer the young lord left the comfort of his estate and made his way to the hustle and bustle of Radasanth. His destination was the Citadel, rumors made this place sound like it was run by some monks able to revive the dead. It seemed like the most fitting place to flex and see how rusty he had become.

It wasn’t long before the registration process was over and Hayate was escorted to the large doors of the arena. The monks reassured the man that nothing that happened within these walls was permanent and any injuries he sustained would be healed by them at the end of the match. With this information the young lord pushed open the doors and was instantly teleported to world like he had never seen. Inside he found himself standing on a large stone tablet suspended in the air. As if by magic the large circulate stone defied gravity making a very solid surface for him and his opponent fight. All around him was a deep black void of nothingness, yet the platform seemed to be visible. It was as if the arena was the only thing that mattered and the only thing this strange world would allow him to see.

Strange… Hayate thought as he began stretching his arms. Strapped to his back he had a large Katana that compared to him in size. Along with his devilish mask to keep his identity hidden he had everything he needed to have some fun, now all he had to do was wait for his enemy.