Inazuma City

Jason looked through his checklist again. He rarely left his house to travel to Inazuma City, and couldn't afford to forget to buy whatever was needed.

Akana called out to him. "We're all set, Master!"

"Mhm. Let us be off then." After locking the door, he placed a straw hat over his head and covered his shirt with a jacket.

He was looking forward to the trip; having already finished reading the hundreds of light novels he brought from the Yae Publishing House; it was time to add another stack of them to his collection.

They continued walking through the forest for hours before they finally reached a clearing.

"There's the waypoint, looks like … eh?"

He stopped in his tracks and motioned for Akane to do the same. In the distance, there was a group of Samurai sitting right around it.

"B-bandits!" Akane placed a hand over her mouth. "I've never heard of them being so brazen enough to occupy a checkpoint."

Jason kept quiet as he continued to survey the scene before him. The situation in Inazuma must have really deteriorated for such an incident to occur. Some definitely had happened.

"I'll handle this, you stay behind, Akane." He stood up and walked out of the forest, right towards the rogue ronins. He didn't have any intention to carry out a sneak attack; the result would be the same either way.

Jason soon caught the attention of the ronins, and one of them stood up to meet him.

"What do we have here? A lone traveler? It's one hundred thousand mora if you wish to use the teleport waypoint, young man." A rough-looking bandit let out a burst of mocking laughter, drawing pitiful gazes from his other four companions.

"And if I were to refuse?"

"Then you will pay … with your life." The ronin sneered, drawing out his katana and pointing the tip of it right at him.

Jason then let out a soft sigh, and touched the hilt of his sword. "What a waste …"

No sooner did the words leave his mouth, he completed a single strike right at the chest of the arrogant ronin, piercing all the way through his back - It was so quick that he wasn't even able to scream.

He pulled the sword out in a clean motion and swiped it towards his right, wanting to make some of the blood stuck to it to clear off. The ronin's body fell flat on the ground with a thud while he did so.

"Asahi!"

"We'll make you pay!"

"Get him!'

The other four companions charged at him in reckless abandon, stunned and anguished from the loss of their friend.

However in Jason 's eyes- their movements were incredibly sluggish. He was someone 'blessed" with the breathing of sun techniques and had honed and developed them from the basics ever since he was sent into Inazuma.

(I'll have to suppress this the best I can ... so that the damage is not too overwhelming)

"Sun Breathing: Clear Blue Sky."

Jason spun his body along with his blade, unleashing a circle of flame all around him that sliced right through the bodies of the approaching ronin. Upon contact, their bodies were incinerated, turning into a heap of ashes.

"I should be more careful … if I used too much power I could have damaged the teleport waypoint," Jason murmured, then signaled to Akane who was hiding among the bushes in the distance. "It's clear now!"

The girl ran over, her eyes sparkling. "You were so cool, Master!"

He felt his heart skip a beat as he avoided Akane's gaze. Since when did the girl become so attractive? The red kimono she was wearing accentuated her shapely proportion - it was clearly too small for her. No ... this was all so wrong, Akane was her disciple and nothing more than that. It must be because of all the novels he was reading that caused his imagination to run wild.

"Ahem, go search the ashes and that corpse for any handguards. If we're lucky we might get one or two to sell for some mora."

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Inazuma City Teleport Waypoint

The Capital of the nation of Inazuma, Inazuma City, was one without walls on the outside. Over ten million inhabitants called the place their home.

It had a beautiful landscape. The outskirts of the city were littered with villages and sakura blooms, and the city was mostly surrounded by sea all around. The deeper one traveled in the city, the higher they would go.

At the deepest part and heart of the city was the palace, the Tenshukaku. From a bird's eye view, there was a stunningly tall tower that stood out among the rest, making one feel as if they were being gazed upon. Even the estates of the tri-commission clans paled in comparison in terms of size.

The Tenshukaku was the center of power in Inazuma, where the Electro Deity - the Raiden Shogun resided. A place where matters of importance were discussed between the High Ranking Officials of the Tri-Commission and the Shogun.

While there were no gates and walls around the city, Shogunate soldiers could be seen manning the entry points. There were a few teleport waypoints that adventurers and travelers could use to teleport directly inside. But anyone who did so would find themselves likely facing punishment. Only a few select people had special permission to do so.

But even that would not explain why there were so many more soldiers than usual manning the entry points. At least, that was what Jason thought as he posed a finger to his chin; while waiting in line for his turn to be checked.

"...Why are there so many guards? There weren't that many last month."

"It's because the Shogun's birthday is coming right up! It's a special occasion for the people of Inazuma. She has always been protecting and watching over all of us since the founding of our nation." Akane responded, a look of worship and awe in her eyes.

"Is that so …"

Still, it hardly made sense. Jason already knew that it would be the Shogun's birthday soon. Compared to last year, the security seemed way too tight. In the first place it was unthinkable there was anyone who would dare to cause trouble in the Capital. Only a fool would dare to try anything funny there.

Finally, it was their turn to be inspected. A samurai in purple military uniform, with a vest bearing the electro symbol called out to them in a stern voice.

"State your name and purpose."

"I'm Jason, and the girl beside me is Akane. We're visiting Inazuma City to purchase supplies."

The soldier nodded. "As per the Vision Hunt Decree, all citizens of Inazuma are to relinquish custody of their vision to Her Excellency at once. There will be severe repercussions for those found to defy the order. Declare right now whether you or your disciple wield any. If you give up your visions, there will be no punishment."

"Vision Hunt Decree?"

The samurai tapped his foot and his tone grew harsher. "Just say yes or no. Don't waste my time. Look at the queue behind you."

"... no, we don't."

"Good, proceed then."

The samurai waved him away. It seemed to Jason that he wasn't the first one who had asked about it. The Vision Hunt Decree had to be something only recently introduced.

What exactly was going on?

(1200 Words))