The hearty laughter of various leaders rang out through one of the many ornate halls of Azuchi Palace that they were gathered in. The seven members of a certain coalition, Alexander, Augustus, Bismarck, Genghis Khan, Boudicca, Montezuma, and the host of this particular meeting, Nobunaga, were all gathered around a low bearing, circular table, talking amicably as the official topic had long ago been settled. And, somehow, the conversation had drifted onto the topic of the antiquated objects of swords.

"Ha!" Boudicca cheered, taking a hearty swig out of the mug in front of her before slamming the gladius that usually hung from her side down onto the table. "Clearly, mine is the best! Balanced, good reach, sturdy material..."

"Please," Alexander replied with a dismissive wave of the hand, before unsheathing his kopis and twirling it around in his hands a few times, much to Augustus' chagrin as the metal edged closer to his face with each rotation, before the Greek King finally returned the blade to its scabbard. "A sword is only as good as the person using it."

The Celtic Queen glowered at his comment, reaching for the hilt of her sword. "Perhaps you would like to put that theory to the test, pretty boy?"

Alexander shot her a smug grin in return, but before he could offer a quip of his own, a bout of laughter from the Mongolian leader sitting between the two interrupted them.

"Your argument is pointless; I could easily best the both of you," to prove his point, the Khan unsheathed his sabre and leveled it between the gazes of the two leaders, who each eyed him with a degree of incredulity. Bismarck putting down his glass rather loudly drew then attention of the table to the chancellor, who looked like he was trying to hold back laughter at the sight of the curved blade.

"Zat's not a sword," the German remarked. "Zis is a sword!"

Bismarck's rebuttal was followed by him slamming his Zweihander onto the table, the edge of the massive broadsword being buried into the wood. Alexander, Boudicca and Genghis Khan each visibly flinched at the sight, and Bismarck only raised an eyebrow, apparently satisfied in having settled the debate in his favor. Montezuma's guileless cackling, however, begged to differ.

"What about my sword?" Montezuma then pulled out his ceremonial knife and stabbed it into the table. Nobunaga took a stoic sip out of his teacup, reserving any thoughts he had about his furniture being used as a chopping block, while the other five leaders reactions varied from nervous to deadpan.

"That's a dagger, Montezuma," Montezuma crossed his arms and leered at Alexander for his comment.

"So? It's sharp and pointy and shiny!" no one was willing to argue with the deranged Aztec's logic, primarily out of the fear that he might try to demonstrate his point.

"Nobunaga," Boudicca began, hoping to draw attention away from Montezuma, and causing the Daimyo to look up. "Surely you have an opinion on the matter? You are one of the most respected swordsmen in the world."

The six other heads at the table turned to face the Japanese leader, who had set down his cup of tea, and had stroked his moustache in contemplation.

"Perhaps..." the man muttered before standing. "Follow Nobunaga."

The Daimyo turned and began to walk away towards a side room, the various leaders exchanging glances before collecting their arms and following, Augustus absentmindedly wondering why he was still present with the actual talks concluded. Nobuanga slid open the panel that served as a door to the room, revealing a massive closet with a massive amount of swords of varying sizes lining the walls.

"Is this... an armory?" the armored man shook his head in response to Boudicca's question.

"Nobunaga's collection."

"How many swords could one man need?" though the question was asked by Bismarck, it reflected the thoughts of many of the other leaders staring into the room that their host had now entered.

"You can never have to many weapons," Genghis Khan commented.

"Indeed," Nobunaga replied, removing one blade from its place on the wall. "Every sword has its place."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Take this one for example; it is specifically designed to break deadlocks," the Daimyo returned the weapon to its place and took another one. "Or this one; its length makes it best for fighting against multiple opponents."

"Or these;" the man then turned around to another wall rack. "That blade is best for decapitation."

The other leaders reactions varied, but, save Montezuma's increased interest, most of them contained some amount of disturbed. Nobunaga carried on. "The sword above that is best impaling foes, and the one above that is specifically designed for ritual disembowelment, and this one is-"

"Thank you, Nobunaga, but I believe we get the idea," a slightly green Alexander hastily commented, taking a cautious step away from the increasingly fascinated, and pantless, Aztec that was standing next to him.

Augustus rolled his eyes. "And, pray tell, what is the practicality of having twenty or so different swords designed for one purpose when one can simply accomplish all of them?"

"By mastering many the many different uses of a sword, one can convey them into a single blade. And so, there is only one way to determine who has mastered the blade the most," Nobunaga picked another blade off the shelf and quickly drew it from its scabbard, the Princeps taking a few steps back as the other leaders drew their own blades. Montezuma looked on eagerly.

The five leaders spread out, each eyeing the other warily as they took fighting stances. Nobunaga spun his katana in his hand a few times, before fluidly retracting his blade. Not a second had passed after the Daimyo's display that a loud crack rang out through the room, and Nobunaga grunted as his shoulder flew back, sword clattering to the ground and free hand quickly clutching his bloody wound. Everyone turned around in shock, watching as Augustus put a pistol back in his toga.

"I have a gun. I win."

The Roman's voice was stately and utterly devoid of emotion as he turned around and left the room at a leisurely pace, leaving behind four thoroughly shocked allies, a smarting Nobunaga, and a disappointed Aztec.

Author's Notes:

I'm not really certain what to think of this chapter, but at least I got it out on time.