ROYAL KOMBAT

THE EMPEROR'S REBIRTH CEREMONY A CITY ON EDGE

The capital was no longer the same. The once-thriving streets, bustling with merchants, and scholars alike, were now filled with a hidden of fear. The Ghost Legion moved through the various capital's alleys like wraiths, their black-plated armor blending into the night, everyday of their routine patrol. Every tavern you could scout hear whispers of the imperial purge, and every noble kept daggers hidden behind their smiles. Who wants to be somebody else sacrificial lamb? I leave that question to you guys!.

Kai-Hoon's personal guard had locked down the city in his quest to hint me down. But with.y eagle eyes as an assassin I could see his grip on his sword tightened with every passing hour. But I had no time to dwell on the chaos, I had a ledger filled with secrets, and if I played my cards right, I could strike at the heart of his growing empire before his Rebirth Ceremony took place.

> SYSTEM MESSAGE:

✔ NEW OBJECTIVE: Find Out the Ritual's Purpose

Gather information from secret informants in the capital. Discover how the ceremony will grant Kai-Hoon untold power.

✓MISSION ACCEPTED.

The ceremony wasn't just about political power. No, this was something more. The whispers of the occult, the blood rituals, and Kai-Hoon wasn't just seizing a throne. He was trying to ascend beyond mortality.

---

STEALTH IN THE SLUMS

I pulled my hood lower, and melted into the streets along with others citizens. The Slums of Ironwood, the underbelly of the capital, were where the forgotten, and desperate dwelled. It was also where the most valuable information could be bought and for the right price.

Hidden among the market stalls and beggars, I approached Elder So-Jin, a former imperial alchemist who had fallen from grace. His stall, disguised as a humble herbalist's shop, reeked of dried roots, and alchemical reagents.

> Dialogue Choice:

✔ "I need to know about the Rebirth Ceremony."

✔ "The ledger speaks of blood rituals. What does it mean?"

✔ "How do I stop Kai-Hoon before it's too late?"

So-Jin peered at me through his wrinkled gaze, recognizing the weight of my words. He pulled me inside, and locked the door behind us.

"What do you think you are doing, asking such questions in the public? Well, if you must know, the ritual is an abomination. It involves the Emperor's tomb… the Soul Lotus…and Kai-Hoon intends to fuse his soul with the spirits of the fallen kings. If he succeeds, he will become unstoppable." He whimper softly into my eyes, and a cold dread settled in my chest. This wasn't just a political coup, this was an ascension. He would become a god-king, his power drawn from the spirits of the past emperors who once ruled this land.

> SYSTEM MESSAGE:

✔ NEW INTEL UNLOCKED: Kai-Hoon's Ritual Requires Three Artifacts

1. The Soul Lotus

2. The Emperor's Bloodstone

3. The Jade Throne Incantation

> ✔ NEW QUEST: Sabotage the Ritual

Locate and destroy at least one of the three artifacts before the ceremony.

---

The Ghost Legion Strikes

Before I could ask more details, the walls of the shabby shop trembled. A crossbow bolt shattered the lantern behind us, and I barely had time to duck before the second one buried itself into a wooden beam.

> SYSTEM MESSAGE:

⚠ AMBUSH! THE GHOST LEGION HAS FOUND YOU.

Survive the attack, and escape before reinforcements arrive.

The Ghost Legion are assassins like me but trained differently within the palace by the head palace guard. The assassins moved with such ruthless precision that their blackened armor reflected no light, their curved blades looks threatening through the air. They weren't here to interrogate. They were here to execute.

> Quick-time Event:

✔ Press 1 to roll away from the incoming strike!

✔ Tap Square to parry an incoming blade!

✔ Hold 6 to execute a counter-kill!

Without wasting time, I struck fast. My assassin's dagger found its mark in the throat of the first soldier, his blood spilling onto the alchemist's floor. The second lunged with a poisoned short sword, but I deflected his blow, and drove my knee into his ribs, forcing him back.

> SPECIAL MOVE UNLOCKED: SILENT REQUIEM

Chain-kill two enemies in a single motion.

I didn't hesitate. With a swift flick of my wrist sent a hidden throwing needle into the third assassin's eye, dropping him instantly. But there was no time to celebrate, because the entire district would soon be swarming with Kai-Hoon's enforcers. I need to escape.

> SYSTEM MESSAGE:

✔ OBJECTIVE COMPLETE: Escape from Ironwood Slums.

Find refuge, and plan your next move.

*****

A New Safehouse

Running away, I sprinted through back alleys, vaulting over crates, and rolling beneath hanging laundry. The sounds of pursuit faded, but I knew the Ghost Legion never gave up easily.

After weaving through hidden paths, I arrived at my last refuge, it is a hidden base beneath an abandoned temple. It wasn't much yet, but it would grow. A place for rebels, assassins, and those who still believed in the true empire.

> NEW FEATURE UNLOCKED: UPGRADEABLE HIDDEN BASE

Recruit allies, expand operations, and forge legendary weapons here.

I tossed the bloodstained ledger onto the table, and exhaled out softly. The battle for the throne had truly begun.

> SYSTEM MESSAGE:

✔ NEW MAIN QUEST UNLOCKED: BREAK THE EMPEROR'S RITUAL

Infiltrate the Forbidden Palace, sabotage the ritual, and defeat Kai-Hoon before his ascension.

---

The War Begins

The path ahead was clear. The Rebirth Ceremony was only days away, and I had to strike first. With my hidden base, my personal assassin squad, and the knowledge of the ritual's secrets, I was ready to turn the hunt back on Kai-Hoon.

The capital thought I was just a ghost, a remnant of a fallen dynasty, but they were wrong.

> NEXT CHAPTER: THE INFILTRATION OF THE FORBIDDEN PALACE

✓Shadows in the Inner Circle

✓A Throne Built on Fear

The capital belonged to Kai-Hoon, but his empire was far from stable. The closer I got to his inner circle, the more cracks I saw in his rule. Ministers who feared for their lives, generals who doubted his leadership, and nobles who clung to their wealth in an attempt to protect their families, while the city suffered. If I played my cards right, I wouldn't need to take the throne by force, all I would need to do is to let his own allies tear him apart from within.

But first, I needed a network of my own. A rebellion wasn't built on blades alone, it needed secret whispers in the dark, unseen hands pulling the strings behind the curtain.

> NEW OBJECTIVE UNLOCKED:

✓Recruit Key Allies in the Inner Circle

✓Gain the trust of three key figures who can weaken Kai-Hoon from within.

---

The Hidden Base – Expanding the Shadows

Back at my upgradeable hidden base, the underground hideout beneath the ruined temple was secretly coming to life. Smugglers, blacksmiths, and alchemists worked in the dim glow of lanterns, forging weapons, and crafting poisons for the war ahead.

> NEW BASE FEATURES UNLOCKED:

✔ Assassin's Forge – Craft custom weapons, and armor.

✔ Alchemy Lab – Create deadly poisons, bombs, and antidotes.

✔ Intel Chamber – Gather information,and blackmail targets.

I walked through the base, watching my personal assassin squad training in the courtyard. Their movements were sharp, precise, soon, they would be ready to strike at Kai-Hoon's elite forces. More they need more hard training

> NEW COMPANION BONUS:

✓Squad Members Now Grant Unique Perks

✓Assign assassins to gather intel, craft gear, or join infiltration missions.

---

The Three Key Allies

If I was going to infiltrate the Forbidden Palace, I needed allies who could open doors that even my blades could not. Which are:

1. Lord Baek Joon – The Disillusioned General

He was once the empire's greatest war hero, but now a pawn in Kai-Hoon's army. He despises the Ghost Legion's cruelty the most, but his loyalty to the empire keeps him leashed.

Mission: Prove Kai-Hoon's corruption by exposing the Ghost Legion's secret prison.

2. Lady Yoon Hae-Rin – The Emperor's Shadow Advisor

A master of court intrigue, she controls the merchant networks, and spy rings within the palace. She plays both sides but values power above all.

Mission: Secure an alliance by supplying her with exclusive forbidden schematics from my hidden base.

3. Monk Wu-Ji – The Keeper of the Emperor's Tomb

He is a scholar of ancient rituals, he knows the truth about the Rebirth Ceremony, but refuses to act. A man of faith, not war.

Mission: Convince him to help by retrieving a stolen sacred artifact from a corrupt noble.

---

A Game of Strategy

I studied the map of the city carefully, tracing my finger over the districts controlled by Kai-Hoon's forces. The Ghost Legion's barracks, the imperial supply routes, the hidden vaults storing Kai-Hoon's treasures and all potential targets, in preparation of my next move.