Mutagen

Within the Mitsui Clan\'s clan hall, there was an ongoing meeting between the clan\'s highest figures.

The current topic of the discussion was...

"Has anyone figured out why the Alliance Meeting was suddenly postponed?"

One of the elders asked.

And to that question, the only answer was...

"According to the information currently circulating within the Temple, it seemed there was a sudden influx of both [Infected] and robots in the route the representatives of the Auraboros were supposed to take. Due to the massive number, their opted to wait for the tide of [Infected] to disperse before attempting to pass through it again."

As the leaked report was heard by the Clan Head and the elders, all their eyes fell on Keiji, who could only grip his fist tightly in silence.

The sudden influx of [Infected] in that route might have been the result of the scheme that Keiji cooked up to deal with Ren and the Black Lotus.

Keiji might have succeeded in weeding out one of the thickest patches of weeds within their garden. He even retrieved the Clan Seal from the hands of his sister. However, no one thought it would be the reason why the Alliance Meeting was postponed.

"No, this shouldn\'t be the real reason," The Clan Head, Mitsui Kinjiro, spoke. "If it is the [Infected] they are worried about, they could just take another route. They are not humans. They should be capable of that much."

All those present in the meeting agreed with the Clan Head. They were not stupid to believe things easily. Nonetheless, it was still a fact that the results of Keiji\'s actions became a factor that messed up their current plans.

The Mitsui Clan had been among the leading clans in Japan. They owned one of Japan\'s richest conglomerates, handling business in a wide variety of commercial fields. The clan also had a rich history through different Japanese eras.

During the era of samurais and conflict in Japan, while not among the most powerful ones, the Mitsui Clan was a Samurai Clan. One of their clan ancestors was a Samurai Commander in the Shiga Prefecture.

However, it was not the start of the clan\'s legacy. There was a secret that only a few in the clan knew. It was the origin of the clan\'s ambition and envy and why the Mitsui clan somehow had an unbreakable fate with the clan that harbored the Priests and Priestesses of the Ise Shrine.

It all originated in the lost era. The era when the Gods walked the Earth.

One of the maiden ancestors of the Mitsui Clan was recorded as one of Amaterasu\'s servants.

However, within the myths still being passed on up to this day, there was not a single mention of their ancestor. On the other hand, everyone that knew of the myths knew about the Ise Clan\'s maiden ancestor.

Amaterasu\'s seamstress. The victim of Susanoo\'s rampage. And one of the reasons Amaterasu retreated to the cave, plunging Japan into a state of darkness.

And as it was something done in secret, the myths did not contain such detail. However, the family of that seamstress was compensated with a blessing passed down through their family and descendants.

That blessing created an opportunity and strength for the Ise Clan. And as the blessing was passed down, the deeper the roots of the Ise Clan\'s influence on the country became.

This influence was even enough to make the Prime Ministers obey since, in the time of calamity, it was the inheritor of the blessing who would protect the country.

The current holder of that blessing was Ise Hikari. The current Priestess of the Temple. And as prophesized, she protected the Reclaimed City when the calamity of the world\'s change struck the Earth.

On the other hand, the Mitsui Clan, whose ancestor was one of Amaterasu\'s high priestesses, was never mentioned. Not even once. While she lived the incident, she did not give any kind of good opportunity for her clan and descendants.

It was the root of the Mitsui Clan\'s envy. It was the very root of their ambition to surpass the Ise Clan.

And because the Mitsui Clan also needed to rely on the protection the Ise Clan could give, they never managed to have the opportunity to overthrow their hated rival.

But now...

The Mitsui Clan gained a new backer. A Deity of the past, the Demon Deity of Flames, Gar\'Vlam.

With the cooperation of Gar\'Vlam and the Demons, the Mitsui Clan would gain control of Japan\'s final line of defense. After all, it was the humans that the Demons hated, specifically those who could fight them. Specifically, the Temple and its priests. And if the Temple was destroyed and Reclaimed City was ruled by an ally, the Demons would not care much and would focus on their other enemy. The current Japan Branch of Auraboros.

However, due to the sudden rescheduling of the Alliance Meeting, a whole lot of the plans the Mitsui Clan and the Demons prepared turned into a mess.

The Demons, already waiting to attack the Reclaimed City, had to return. Even the things the clan had already prepared had to be held back.

And worse, the Mitsui Clan had no concrete idea of what had happened.

"It seemed we had nothing we could come up with regarding the issue of the Alliance Meeting. We can only prepare until the next five days."

Another elder said, in which everyone, even the Clan Head, could only agree. The issue of the Alliance Meeting was far beyond their grasp.

"Then, let\'s move to the next topic."

Mitsui Kinjiro said as he waved his hand to one of his servants.

The servant then walked to the center of the room, where everyone could see her and what she held in her hands.

Raising her hands forward, she held an antique-looking rectangular box. It was not just an antique, but the box actually felt alive. On the lid of the box was an indention of letters depicting the name and symbol of the Mitsui Clan. And by the looks of it, it was locked, despite not having any kind of locks outside.

That box was an artifact. An artifact that the clan had kept for thousands of years.

Mitsui Kinjiro then turned to his son, and Keiji nodded before stepping forward.

Within Keiji\'s hand was the Clan Seal.

Keiji and the servant cooperated as Keiji stamped the seal right on the indention of letters. The symbols under the seal and the indention matched as the seal locked with a click on the lid of the box.

And there, the lid loosened, sending a strong aura around the room. Amazingly enough, the aura was contained within the room, not leaking out for anyone outside to feel it.

This strong aura did not come from the box but from what it contained.

Keiji lifted the box, and it revealed the Mitsui Clan\'s precious treasure.

A treasure that could likely cause another world war if its existence was known to people.

It was a katana with a bluish-green glass blade that emitted a powerful aura.

The mythological sword, [Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi]. It was the sword made from the tail of the eight-headed dragon, Yamata no Orochi. It was said to be given to Amaterasu by Susanoo as a sign of reconciliation. And afterward, Amaterasu gave to a young prince related to one of her highest priestesses.

It was a sword that was supposed to be lost during the Battle of Dan-no-Ura. Yet, as if fate dictated it, the sword ended up in the hands of the descendants of one of Amaterasu\'s mortal servants.

However, instead of handing it back to the shrine that harbored most of Amaterasu\'s belongings, now managed by the Ise Clan, the Mitsui Clan kept the sword and made it their treasure.

Unfortunately, since the [Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi] was a mythological artifact, none of the Mitsui Clan\'s members was able to wield it. Thus, every generation, the clan would conduct a ceremony for the heirs of the clan to try and wield the sword. But that tradition was not performed immediately during this generation.

It was due to the fact that the previous Clan Head handed the Clan Seal to Ren instead of her father.

And now, they were performing the ceremony as they attempted to see if Keiji could wield the sword.

Everyone watched in anticipation as Keiji tried to grab the sword\'s hilt.

However...

CRACKLE!

Keiji could only pull his hand back as the sword fiercely rejected his attempt. He grasped his right hand with his left as he felt the pain with his palm left with scorched patches due to the sword\'s retaliation.

The Clan Head frowned while the elders sighed. It would have been nice if Keiji could wield the sword. It would help a lot in the upcoming revolution they were planning.

Alas, it was not meant to be.

It looked like they could only rely on the previous preparations. 

"Keiji, get your hand healed," Mitsui Kinjiro told his son before turning to the servant holding the box. "Store the treasure as secure as possible."

The servant bowed as she brought the box away while leaving the Clan Seal in the hands of the Clan Head.

"It seemed that the blade isn\'t meant to be in the hands of our clan."

An elder voiced out to the annoyance of everyone else in the room. But the elder was unperturbed as he continued talking.

"What if Ren managed to try to hold the blade? Will she be able to do it?"

It was a good question to ask. Unfortunately, Ren left the clan a long time ago. And worst, she was now dead, supposedly gnawed out by the [Infected].

Such a pity that someone like Ren, someone with genuine talent with the sword, had a personality not fit for the clan and its ambitions.

"The Alliance Meeting was postponed, Keiji failed to wield the treasured blade... And the acquisition of Kachidoki was being proactively hindered by the Temple... We are having such bad luck this time around."

Another one of the elders voiced his concerns. And the others could not refute what he was saying.

Many strange things were happening. In the first place, it was not the Temple\'s behavior to dabble with the division and management of the Reclaimed City\'s territories. Yet, they were joining the fray.

Was it because of Ren? It was no secret that the late Clan Head had a close friendship with the current Priestess. And due to that connection, Ren came to know the Priestess and became personally close to her.

Mitsui Kinjiro tapped his forehead. The only possible reason he could see from the Temple\'s interference was the Priestess\' close relationship with his daughter. 

However, Mitsui Kinjiro was feeling something odd. Was there was another factor in play?

Unfortunately, Mitsui Kinjiro could not pinpoint the odd feeling he had. They lacked clues and information.

At this time, Mitsui Kijiro could only frown.

Things would have been different if Ren carried the same interest as the clan. Killing a prodigy like her was such a waste. But it was clear that she would become an obstacle if she was not eliminated from the chessboard.

"Prepare someone to contact Shin," Mitsui Kinjiro shook his head and moved on to the next topic. "We need to relay the information we had to them in order to make our plans come to fruition."

***

The Mitsui Clan was scheming. However, the Demons were also annoyed by the situation.

And as Shin received the message from the Mitsui Clan, he immediately opted for the Demons to temporarily retreat. There was no point in waiting as the Alliance Meeting was postponed for another week. Two days had already passed since it was postponed. There should be another five days to wait.

At that time, Shin will lead the Demons to battle. And behind them would be their Deity, Gar\'Vlam.

Shin looked at the silhouette of the Reclaimed City from the ruins outside.

"Another five days... Just wait another five days..."