LEARNING THE FORGOTTEN ARTS

The path to power was not only built in the shadows—it was forged in battle.

Ash understood that controlling the underworld wasn't enough. To truly lead, he had to surpass those who followed him. His power needed to radiate from both the mind and the body. And to do that, he needed to evolve beyond what he once was. In the world he was entering, physical and mental prowess would determine the future.

THE SHIROGIRI DOJO

Deep within the restored Shirogiri Manor, in a secluded corner known only to the most trusted of his inner circle, lay a forgotten wing of the estate—the ancestral dojo. This was a place not marked on any map, hidden even from most of the Shirogiri family. The air was thick with the weight of history, thick enough to almost feel the whispers of the warriors who once trained here.

Polished wooden floors bore the scars of countless duels and hours spent honing techniques that had been passed down through generations. The walls were lined with scrolls, each one detailing combat philosophies and strategies that had long been abandoned in favor of modern methods.

The dojo was a vault of knowledge, a treasure trove of forgotten arts that had been lost in time. Here, the old world and the new collided, and Ash's next step was clear: he would resurrect the forgotten arts of the Shogunate and use them to cement his power.

Kenshiko's voice, sharp and steady, echoed through the speakers lining the room, breaking the silence. "The archives have been decrypted. You now have access to the Shogun Vault—techniques lost even to the greatest martial schools of today. Are you ready to begin?"

Ash exhaled slowly, a deep sense of purpose settling in his chest. "Let's do this."

LEARNING THE FORGOTTEN ARTS

The lessons began immediately. Kenshiko had programmed holographic sparring simulations—digital avatars of legendary warriors who had once fought to protect the Shirogiri name. They were not mere simulations; they were warriors with the skill, the grace, and the relentless drive of their ancestors.

Ash wasn't simply learning techniques; he was engaging with ghosts—warriors whose blood had stained the floor long ago, but whose legacy lived on in every precise movement.

• The Windless Blade – A technique designed to strip away excess motion, focusing only on the essentials. Every strike had to be instantaneous, as if it had always been in motion, inevitable and precise. With each session, Ash's strikes became faster, sharper, his body anticipating movement before it happened, as if the blade were an extension of his very soul.

• Phantom Step – A technique rooted in deception. The goal wasn't to move faster; it was to move unseen. Ash learned to blur the lines between presence and absence, vanishing in the blink of an eye and appearing in a place where his opponent least expected him. The Phantom Step made him a shadow—a fleeting image in the mind of those who tried to track him.

• Void Counter – This technique, perhaps the most dangerous of them all, was about absorbing force rather than deflecting it. The goal was to take an opponent's attack and transform it into an opportunity. Ash learned to meet each strike with not just defense but with a counterstrike that sent the attacker's momentum crashing back upon themselves.

Kenshiko's training methods were brutal—every failure, every misstep, was met with sharp, unforgiving criticism. "Again," she commanded. "You hesitated. In a real fight, you'd already be dead."

Each blow was a lesson. Every mistake, a stepping stone. Sweat soaked Ash's clothes, the sting of failure sharp on his skin, but he never stopped. He couldn't afford to.

THE TEST

After weeks of relentless training, Kenshiko decided it was time for Ash to face the ultimate challenge—the culmination of everything he had learned.

"Today," she said, her voice laced with authority, "you will face the ultimate opponent. The AI has been programmed with every known combat technique in history, with all the strategies of the past and present. It is more than just a simulation. It is your final test."

Ash stood in the center of the dojo, the cold silence of anticipation pressing against him. The AI materialized in front of him—a warrior clad in spectral armor, its movements eerily perfect, as if it had no limit to its understanding of combat.

"You are no longer training," Kenshiko said, her tone even more commanding. "You are fighting for mastery."

The duel began.

Ash could feel the difference immediately. This was not a fight between man and machine. It was a test of everything he had become. The speed, precision, and power of the AI were beyond human limits. Every strike was a perfect execution, every movement calculated and instantaneous.

But Ash didn't hesitate. He didn't think.

He fought with instinct, with the calm clarity that Kenshiko had drilled into him. The Windless Blade became an extension of his thoughts, every strike flowing seamlessly from the next. Phantom Step allowed him to slip through the AI's defenses, vanishing just as it anticipated his movement. And when the AI came at him with a devastating strike, Ash used Void Counter to turn the AI's own strength against it.

Speed. Precision. Power.

Each moment, each movement, became an act of complete harmony. And then, in a sudden moment of clarity, Ash feinted. The AI, expecting a direct assault, overextended itself—and that was his opening.

A pivot. A strike. The AI flickered and collapsed, its holographic form vanishing into nothingness.

Silence.

Ash stood still, breathing heavily, sweat dripping from his brow. His heart raced, but his mind felt sharper than ever before. He had done it. He wasn't just stronger—he had become something more.

Kenshiko's voice broke through the silence, softer now but no less commanding. "Victory."

Ash stood in the center of the dojo, his mind clear and focused, his body now a weapon honed to perfection. He wasn't just a player in the underworld. He was becoming something else—a force of nature, unstoppable and poised to seize everything.

The future was his. And the Shirogiri legacy would be his to command.