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Ballad of the Prevailing AssassinationAuthor: Sasaki Mitsuzō
| Original Title | 流行暗殺節 |
|---|---|
| Author | 佐々木 味津三 |
| Genre | Historical Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In the shadowed autumn of Meiji-era Kyoto, five assassins stalk their prey—Ōmura Masujirō, a visionary military leader whose reforms threaten the samurai’s ancient privileges. Cloaked in darkness, they move like phantoms, blades poised to sever the thread of progress. Among them is Naoto Koujiro, a killer of eight, whose sword obeys others’ wills but never his own. As they infiltrate Ōmura’s lodgings, tension crackles: gunfire erupts, blood spills, and the mission unravels into chaos. \nNaoto’s blade falters—a first in his lethal career—leaving Ōmura wounded but alive. Hunted through rain-slick streets, the assassins scatter, their brotherhood fraying. Naoto, nursing a festering wound and a gnawing emptiness, spirals into nihilism. Why kill for a nation he cannot fathom? Why serve masters who discard him like a blunt tool? \nAmid geisha laughter and whispered conspiracies, betrayal brews. Loyalties dissolve as Naoto’s rage ignites—not for duty, but for the raw thrill of hatred. Yet shadows tighten: authorities close in, allies turn suspect, and the price of defiance looms. In a world where honor bleeds into ambition, can a man who trades lives for coin find meaning… or merely a martyr’s end? |
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