Even the name Tenshukaku, all on its own, conveyed humanity's arrogance. Though they were creatures of the earth, they still fancied themselves lords of the heavens.
To call it a place that guarded the land in the name of heaven—what a laughable name.
And that was only the modest version, a name adopted later because it sounded similar.
Its true original name should have been "Tenju"—the Lord of Heaven.
Those in power liked to stand above everyone else, looking down from on high. Only then could they feel the difference between themselves and the people below, and emphasize their own superiority.
That meant Tenshukaku was the tallest building in the surrounding area, making it easy to pick out at a glance.
It was also the easiest building to mark as a target.
To show off his diligence, the daimyo always appeared at Tenshukaku bright and early, reviewing reports or standing on its terrace, gazing out over the city he had trampled beneath his feet.
But today, what he saw wasn't a populace hard at work. Instead, his eyes reflected a miraculous light he had never seen before in his life: a brilliant golden radiance that had appeared in the sky.
"Hmm? What's that..."
The moment the question formed in his mind, his life reached its end.
The surging stream of light had already burst into Tenshukaku. It passed straight through without slowing down and vanished into the azure sky.
The sharp roar of its passage and the visually overwhelming stream of light made for a sight so shocking that even shinobi who had experienced the Shinobi World Wars had rarely seen anything like it.
Tenshukaku, the country's highest seat of power, had taken the full force of that seemingly miraculous Tokyo light cannon. Now, only half of it remained, reduced