Chapter 4: The Golden Cloth
(Preview)

-X-

Lord Nobu's Manor

?: "Ten Knights in Japan? What are these knights, anyway?"

Inside the manor, a meeting was being held. A large group of reporters sat in front of a wall where the bald man was presenting the main topic on a projector. The projector showed destroyed mountains and ruined land, as well as old Knight armor. Lights flashed as reporters took pictures of what was being presented to them. The bald man cleared his throat before continuing his explanation.

"Esteemed members of the press, I know you have many questions, and I assure you, it is the purpose of this briefing to answer them." The bald man spoke before the image on the projector showed what seem to be a giant crater. "To begin, look carefully at this slide."

The next few slides showed what seem to be meteorites that were either destroyed or split in two. "What are those? Meteorite craters? Volcanic pits?" One of the members of the press asked in confusion. "What's this got to do with Knights?"

"This destruction was caused by Knights using their bodies." The bald man stated.

"Huh?" Another confused reporter said. "B-But flesh and bone couldn't..."

A man from the press stands up to ask his question. "What does this mean? Did these Knights use a Martial Art, like Karate or Boxing?"

"No, they use something far more powerful." The bald man explained. "It is unlike any Martial Art in existence today. Knights possess an inner universe, a power nucleus, which they burn, releasing awesome destructive power. By crushing atoms, the Knights have acquired the ultimate destructive ability. Thus, they can perform superhuman feats such as this." He then shows a slide of what seemed to be a ruined kingdom. "For example, we believe even a Knight can strike with a speed greater than Mach 1."

"M-Mach 1?" A reporter from the press asked. "Super-Sonic punches?"

The bald man nodded at this. "Correct. At Mach 1 an object travels nearly 380 yards per second...Which means if the distance to an enemy were 3.8 yards, a Knight could strike 100 times in a second." The press gasped at this before he continued. "You seem skeptical, but history is filled with evidence of the Knights' work. The defeats of Napoleon and Kublai Khan, the Fall of the Roman Empire...Many of the great, unexplained reversals in history...Are attributable to Knights working in the shadows."

"But I don't quite understand..." A reporter said, scratching their head at what they were hearing. "Why are these Knights coming here to Japan?"

"Heh, that's-"

"Perhaps I should explain." A voice from afar said.

The bald man turned and noticed that it was his master, the one that he serves under...The girl with purple long hair. Standing alongside her was a young woman with blonde, wavy hair that was bending over her to the shoulders. She had a thin and tall build, with dark blue eyes that had a violet tone. The two females enter the room as the bald man directs his attention towards them. "Milady..."

As the lady of the manor made her presence known, each reporter in the room quickly got to their feet and were completely struck in awe by the woman that stood before them. "That woman, that's Lady Saori Kido!" One of the reporters declared. "The granddaughter of Lord Mitsumasa Kido of Japan's-No, of Asia's-largest foundation, The Graude Foundation! Since her grandfather's death, she holds all the reins of power. Just look at her..."

"She's so beautiful!" The reporter said as he and the others were captivated by her beauty.

The Mistress of the manor stood in front of the press and spoke to them. "Gentlemen, you know that during his lifetime, my grandfather had a tremendous interest in the martial arts." The Mistress said to the public. "And that we, the Graude Foundation, have never lacked participating in, nor funding, world martial arts interests. A year after grandfather died, we received a special box from Northern Europe."

The projector next to the Mistress showed the image of an old church that was surrounded by a small neighborhood. "Because of that box, we knew that the Knights and their armors called Cloths, truly existed. Grandfather already knew, and had made plans. He took in 99 orphans. After a few years under his care, he sent them to various places around the world. Their objective was to become Knights. They were to receive the appropriate training, and told not to return until they had gained a cloth. These cloths are the proof of Knighthood."

"Over the last 7 years, we lost contact with 88 of these boys." The Mistress glanced over at the bald man who slowly shook his head before ignoring his warning. "To be honest, we were originally to have a total of 100 boys. This means one was...lost in the process."

"My lord..." A reporter said in shock.

"The remaining 10 became Knights." The Mistress continued. "And, so far, 7 of the 10 have returned. As evidence of their return, please look at this." The bald man presses a button on a nearby machine...causing the wall behind them to rise.

The reporters were caught off guard by this reveal. "Uh...Oh! W-What's this!?" The wall rose up and revealed...The 7 Cloth Boxes! Each Steel Box held a special aura around them. These Boxes seemed majestic yet fierce as the crowd watched on in pure surprise and disbelief. The Mistress remained calm underneath the flashing lights of camera's and shouting individuals. "Cloth..." A reporter cautiously said. "That's a Cloth?! Until now, I thought we were being set up!

"The remaining 3 will be arriving within days." The Mistress said before stepping forward. "Among these 10 Knights...we will have a war!"

"A war!?" Another reporter shouted. "Is...Is that possible?"

"However, it will be a contained war, to be fought only between Knights."

The crowd jumped back at this news. "Then, the late Kido...used his financial power to make this possible..." A journalist said. "This may be the greatest martial arts contest Japan has ever held! It may even rival the Hunter Exams!"

"Regrettably, grandfather will be unable to witness the culmination of his work." The Mistress said with a hint of regret filling her voice. "Work he left for me, in his will, when he passed on 5 years ago. Gentlemen, I ask for your assistance in making my grandfather's dream a success. Perhaps, together, we can make this event as great, or even greater, than the fights once held in the Roman Coliseum."

"If she can do that, then the whole world will be watching!" A reporter said. "Have you considered the possibility of useless bloodshed, like there was in the Coliseum?"

"You have no need to worry." The Mistress spoke, catching the reporter off guard. "They are not required to fight to the death, and, unlike the Coliseum fights, they will have a purpose. They will by trying to gain the box that my grandfather found."

This news caused the press to storm up to the stand in pure surprise. Upon this sight, the Mistress allowed a sinister smile to plant itself on her face, a smile that went un-noticed by the bald man and the blond haired girl. "What? There're more of these things? Incredible!"

She then returned to her elegant appearance before speaking. "The Cloths come from well known places from around the world. Yet, the Cloths before you are of the lowest level."

"The lowest!?" A cameraman said in shock. "What do you mean?"

"What Knights can do may seem mystical, even at the lowest level, because they have assistance from the heavens." The Mistress of the manor said. "That is to say, there are only as many Cloths as there are Constellations. With 29 from the Northern Hemisphere, and 47 from the Southern..." The projector went to the next slide, which contained an image of the Ancient Greek Zodiac Circle, showing each of the signs.

Then there is the Golden Road between the two. This road is the path the sun follows on its course through the Zodiac. These 12 constellations make for a total of 88. The Zodiac Cloths, Gold Cloths, are the highest that a Knight can achieve. Only 12 people are allowed to wear these Cloths. And this is what my Knights will be fighting for...

The bald man brought out a new Cloth. However, this one was covered in pure Gold and carried an aura that over-shadowed the others. He placed it on a high stand and presented it to the public. "The Sagittarius Gold Cloth!"

"I already feel sorry for the losers!" A reporter commented. "This brings on a totally new aspect! With the Gold Cloth..."

A journalist cautiously walks up to the Boxes. "Fantastic...Can you imagine the kind of power the winner will have?" Every individual in the room was completely unaware of the doors that was opening right behind them. Underneath their feet...Ryo was maneuvering around them and reached the stage where the Cloths were being displayed. "This may be the fiercest sets of matches we've ever seen."

?: "Sorry we're late."

"Huh!?" A Journalist said before he and several other turned to face the source of the voice. "Wait, that voice sounds familiar."

The source of the voice was none other than...

-X-

To Be Continued