Tyranny of Steel

Itami Riyo held the hilt of her blade in her hand with a fierce grip. The Katana she wielded was made from tamahagane steel using modern smithing techniques to ensure that all the impurities were removed. A famous sword smith in the heartland of Japan, who was said to be a descendent of the legendary sword smith Masamune, had manufactured the sword specifically for her.

Though the albino beauty rarely engaged in combat due to the fact that she was a woman, and was naturally weaker than the male warriors she fought against, she currently used all the skills she had as she slashed at the unarmored waist of an enemy solder. The fine steel blade of her Katana cut diagonally into the man's unarmored torso, revealing his rib cage as it effortlessly cut through his heart.

The Army, loyal to the newfound Itami Shogunate, had bombarded the city of Naniwa for three days and three nights and on the fourth day, the traitor known as Shimazu Takatame revealed himself. The moment he did so a bloody battle ensued, where Riyo was now caught in the middle of.

Initially, the battle had begun with the exchange of matchlock fire. Resulting in large casualties on the Shimazu Clan's side. Though her enemies had matchlocks, they did not know the proper tactics to use them. Inspired by her time in Westpoint, Itami Riyo made use of line tactics to effectively gun down her enemy. Eventually, the woman ran out of patience and charged into the fray with her blade in hand as she led her warriors to the front where she and her elite samurai now clashed with the rebels.

An oncoming spear thrust itself towards the young woman. However, it merely glanced off of her tosei gusoku before she cut the man's neck with her blade. The man collapsed to the floor as he struggled to stop the bleeding, but it was no use. He was already a dead man. Upon seeing another one of his retainers fall to the blade of the albino woman, Shimazu Takatame called out to her in an attempt to enrage the young woman who now claimed to be Shogun of Japan.

"You bitch! If you had just agreed to my proposal, none of this would be happening! I will forgive you if you surrender and present yourself to me!"

Riyo's only response was to snarl like a beast as she cut away at a nearby ashigaru who put up the best fight possible against the female warlord, however in the end he was driven back, and stabbed through the gut. There were only a few men between her and her target, and Riyo intended to claim the rebel's head.

Working alongside her greatest warriors, the front line protecting the rebel general began to collapse, as the Samurai used their yari and katana to slaughter the enemy. A sense of overwhelming dread began to take hold of Takatame's heart as he gazed upon the woman he loved so mercilessly cut down his soldiers.

He could not believe she had marched so swiftly just to claim his life. After all, there were plenty of other rebels she had to worry about. Why was he the target of her fury? This woman seriously never knew when to quit. Such tenacity was unladylike. He now questioned what he had ever seen in such a ferocious woman. However, Riyo did not care about his opinions, instead she howled like a banshee as she called out the traitor's name.

"Takatame-san, I am coming for you!"

This response sent chills down the man's spine, however what was more terrifying was after saying this, she cut down another man who was in between her and her target. In doing so, she had positioned herself in a perfect position to strike. The rebel general panicked and quickly withdrew his blade from its saya. He could not help but feel defeated as he gazed into the blood-red eyes of the beautiful woman who sought to kill him.

"It didn't have to be this way, Itami-sama!"

However, the woman was not in the mood to talk and quickly slashed at the man, who was once one of her closest advisors. As if she could see nothing but red, the woman charged at the man in a Berzerker frenzy, forcing him on the back step. Though her skill in the blade was exceptional, her speed and strength were lacking relative to a man. It was because of this that the traitor could quickly regain his composure and drove Riyo back into her own lines.

This only made Riyo more furious as she counterattacked by withdrawing her wakizashi and fighting with two blades against her opponent. Each strike was perfectly positioned, as if it were going to tear the man's limbs off. Slowly but surely, cuts began to accumulate in the less armored areas of her opponent's body. With every drop of blood spilled, the man became more feeble.

In an act of desperation, Takatame slashed at the woman's hand, and though it did not get through her thick armor, it knocked her wakizashi away from her, forcing Riyo to fight with only her Katana once more. Despite his best efforts, Takatame could not rally forth his soldiers to defend him as they were too busy dealing with the samurai beneath Riyo's command. With a smug smirk on her face, the young Shogun taunted her prey.

"What's the matter Takatame-san? You can't handle a woman in single combat? You truly are pathetic. Maybe if you spent more time focusing on the sword, instead of on your concubines, you might have stood a chance against me. You are half the man your father was, and not even close to being worthy of me!"

Such an insult to the man's honor was unforgiveable. Despite the massive wounds that had accumulated all over his body, he charged forth with all his strength in an attempt to end Riyo's life with one swift decapitating blow.

However, the sly woman knew exactly what he was planning and evaded his strike while bringing her blade through the unarmored portion of the man's waist. For a second it appeared as if he was unharmed, that is, until he stumbled and fell to his knees, his guts spilling all over the floor.

By now Riyo knew she had won, and she regained her composure as she stared coldly at the man who had started a rebellion because he was rejected. A single phrase escaped her pretty lips as she brought the sword down on the man's neck.

"Not even worth your weight in piss!"

Those were the last words that Shimazu Takatame heard as his head was severed from his neck. Having slain her enemy, Itami Riyo slashed her blade into the air, splashing the blood that slaked her blade onto the ground below. Having done this, she sheathed her sword and stood back as the soldiers beneath the fallen traitor's command crumbled without their leader. The woman grabbed hold of the severed head that belonged to the Rebel General and held it high in the air as she made her declaration of victory.

"The traitor is dead! Long live the Itami Shogunate!"

Those who still resisted quickly dropped their weapons as they realized their leader had been slain. Without the support of a major daimyo, they were mere ronin at best, or simple peasants forced to wield the spear at the worst. Many of the samurai who belonged to Takatame's faction wanted to commit seppuku at that moment. That is, until Riyo raised her voice once more.

"Many of you have fought alongside me before, and though you betrayed me because of your master, he is now dead, and yet I am still here. Swear your loyalty to me, the new Shogun, and I will spare your lives. In fact, I will reward you for your loyalty as you fight for me against my many enemies!

Nobody here can say that I am a poor ruler. Your master raised his sword in rebellion because I rejected his marriage proposal. He was weak, and the fact that he lost to me in single combat proves this! Join me, and together we will create a new empire, one that is unrivaled in this world!" ᴀʟ ʟ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ full.com

Though her words were harsh, there was hope in them, and this hope inspired those who had previously lifted their swords in rebellion to kneel before the woman and swear their loyalty to her. After all, she had led her forces to squash the Ashikaga Shogunate, and now crushed the Shimazu clan. It was only now they realized the height of their folly.

With this victory, Itami Riyo would incorporate what remained of the Shimazu Clan into her domain. She would use them as the shock troops in her war against the other rebels. Her plan was simple: crush the rebellion, establish absolute authority, and then invade Hokkaido. However, she had only made one small step towards this destiny, and for the time being, she still had many enemies to face.