Princess Kaguya had originally worn robes whiter than snow,
but now she knelt where she was, her hair disheveled,
blood staining her entire body.
This was a world without a moon,
yet countless brilliant stars were faintly visible now.
Pale starlight spilled down,
settling quietly over Princess Kaguya.
Her head was slightly bowed,
and she looked desolate and forlorn.
No one knew what she was thinking.
"Come on, girl. Give in to me."
The black-clad leader sneered,
rubbing his hands together
as he moved toward Princess Kaguya.
Just then, a cold wind howled past,
and their surroundings were utterly still,
the rustle of flowers and falling leaves clearly audible.
Along with them came the black-clad leader's heavy breathing.
"You... are courting death!"
Suddenly, a nightmarish voice seemed to rise from the deepest pits of hell.
It echoed through the space around them.
"Who? Who's speaking?"
The black-clad leader was instantly terrified,
turning to look all around.
The voice was simply too chilling,
carrying a coldness that reached straight into his heart
and made him shudder despite himself.
But when he turned, all he saw were the other black-clad samurai, looking just as confused.
They exchanged glances.
Their expressions were equally bewildered.
Yet that did nothing to reassure them.
Instead, it deepened the fear within their hearts.
The equally terrified expressions of their companions
made it clear to them
that the voice from the depths of hell
had definitely not been their imagination.
The dark, windswept night
was enough to make anyone tremble,
but the black-clad samurai had numbers on their side.
And they had just captured Princess Kaguya, who likewise possessed unfathomable, supernatural powers,
which only emboldened them further.
For the moment, they forced themselves to calm down.
"Strange. There's no one here."
The black-clad leader swallowed.
"Maybe I imagined