Chief of the Nine Territories, Shuza (Story 1: Tales of Destiny, Blade of Carnage)
The last I spoke about Shuza in any detail was almost a year ago, when he was first released. [Link]Â
Finally, I have an update for you on his story!
Story 1
Tales of Destiny: Blade of Carnage
 Pirika:
Princess Tsuru!!
You say itâs a state of emergency?!
 Princess Tsuru:
Itâs the Volunteer Army!
Oh, yes it is!
Itâs a true state of emergency!
In fact, the dragon of calamity has awaken from its slumber!!
 Phoena:
The dragon of calamity?
Whatâs that?
  Princess Tsuru:
âAt the depths of the volcano sleeps a dragon that brings forth catastrophic eventsâ
âWhen the dragon stirs, the ground shakes and, should it yawn, the mountain will spew fire.â
âŚItâs a Territories legend that has been passed on throughout the ages
I had always thought that was only a fairy tale aimed at childrenâŚ
 Pirika:
You mean thereâs really a dragon sleeping in the volcano?!
 Princess Tsuru:
Yes⌠We hadnât believed it at first but now that it has appeared before us, we can only accept its existence
To make things worse, the dragon of calamity has brought with it swathes of creatures.
Itâs truly the greatest incident of the Nine Territories!!
 Pirika:
It sure seems like itâŚ
So, what can we do to help?
 Princess Tsuru:
⌠Go talk to Shuza
Right now, the dragon is ravaging the First Territory
 Phoena:
Got it!
 Pirika:
Tsukamu-kun, letâs head to the First Territory!
 Dragon of Calamity:
Graaaaaawr!!
 Shuza:
Huh. The dragon from the legends..
It seems heâs awakened from a long nap and has plenty of energy to spare.
.. however, the Nine Territories belong to me.
I wonât let a large* lizard bring devastation to this land.
 (Translatorâs note: He technically says âlarge-ishâ but it didnât suit his tone of voice)
 If you have energy to spare, Iâll play.
Come on, bring it on!
 Dragon of Calamity:
Graaaaaawr!!
 <battle>
 Creatures:
AaawrrrrrrrrâŚ
 First Territory Soldier A:
Lance wielders, to the front!
Weâll stop the creatures from advancing!
 First Territory Soldier B:
Archers, fire together!!
Take down as many as you can!
 Pirika:
Woahh, what a fierce battle!!
 Phoena:
Wow, it truly is.
As much as weâd like to track down the dragon of calamityâŚ
 Pirika:
It seems like there are too many creatures roaming around.
We canât move ahead if we leave them as they are.
Tsukamu-kun, all we can do is fight alongside the First Territory soldiers and take them down..
 First Territory Soldier A:
âŚItâs the Volunteer Army!
The Volunteer Army have arrived!
 First Territory Soldier B:
Let us clear the way for them as Lord Shuza commanded!
 Soldiers:
Roger that!!
 Phoena:
Wow.. the soldiers are pushing the creatures back!
With this, we can head towards the dragon.
 Pirika:
Yup, letâs hurry!
 Shuza:
There you are⌠you sure took your time.
 Pirika:
Huh?
 Shuza:
Iâm talking about you.
I assumed youâd want to stick your nose into our business.
Perhaps Tsuru asked you to come this way.
Youâre here as reinforcement, right?
 Pirika:
Y-yep.
Thatâs exactly the case butâŚ
 Phoena:
The other soldiers mentioned it was an order from you so you must have anticipated our arrival
 Pirika:
T-trust ShuzaâŚ
So, whatâs going on with the dragon of calamity?
 Shuza:
If youâre looking for it, it just turned tail and ran.
Literally.
 Pirika:
W-whaaaat?!
You mean you chased it away by yourself?
Shuza:
A bleary-eyed dragon isnât even a blip on my radar.
That said, I didnât have enough manpower to take it down for good.
Too many mobs got in my way.
Thatâs why I was awaiting your arrival.
âŚNow, Volunteer Army, follow my commands so we can take down the dragon!
 Pirika:
G-got it!!
Thatâs pretty much what Princess Tsuru asked us to do anyway!
Tsukamu-kun, letâs cooperate with Shuza and take down the dragon* together!
 (*Translatorâs note: Pirika says dragon and creatures but it couldnât be translated smoothly)
 <battle>
 Pirika:
Whew! That clears out most of the mobs! ButâŚ
 Phoena:
Yes, even though weâve helped, the dragon of calamity is still going strong
I wonder if Shuza will be alright getting rid of the enemy on his ownâŚ
 Pirika:
Y-yeah. We should go save him!
 Dragon of Calamity:
GrrrrrrrrâŚ
 Shuza:
⌠So here it ends.*
 (*Translatorâs note: Shuzaâs comment is interesting because it may imply that his life is in imminent danger and heâs about to die)
 Dragon of Calamity:
Graaaaaawr!!!
 Pirika:
Sh-Shuza!
Weâre here to sa-..
 Shuza:
Unnecessary.
 Pirika:
Huh?!
 Dragon of Calamity:
Graaaaaawr!!!
Shuza:
⌠I tire of you, begone!
  Dragon of Calamity:
A�!?!
 Shuza:
âŚUseless.
You arenât even fit to play with.
 Pirika:
H-he sliced* the dragon in an instantâŚ
 (*Translatorâs note: technically says âsliced into many piecesâ but I couldnât integrate it)
 Phoena:
I canât believe it!
Even though itâs the legendary dragonâŚ
 Shuza:
Legendary would be overstating its power
Come now. This brings an end to the battle.
Raise your voices for we leave victorious!
 Soldiers:
Hurrah!
 Shuza:
Now thenâŚ
Chiyome!
 Chiyome:
Yes, my lord.
Chiyome reporting.
 Shuza:
Have you made preparations for a banquet?
The soldiers have worked hard today.
We must show them gratitude for their efforts.
âŚVolunteer Army, it would be best you join us.
 Phoena:
Is that an invitation for us?
 Shuza:
Giving thanks to soldiers is my duty as the Territory head.
The calibre of a leader is determined by their understanding of their people.
âŚAre you saying you will not accept my gesture?
 Options:
1.      Not at all. We would love to attend
2.      If you donât feed us poison, weâll eat the plates as well
 Shuza:
Heh, you truly are a commander, despite your age.
Surely you can have a drink among friends without letting down your guard.
I donât mind whether you bring your friends along or even your weapon.
 Pirika:
.. Well if you insist, weâd love to come along
 Shuza:
âŚChiyome, show them to their seats
Huh? You mean heâs not joining us?
 Chiyome:
Thatâs right. Our lord is incredibly busy.
Once the battle is over, he looks through information from other Territories.
âŚAnyway, follow me
 ~~
 Pirika:
Oooo~, so a First Territory Lordâs mansion really is huge!
 Phoena:
And itâs decorated with such beautiful artworksâŚ
 Pirika:
Huh~, there really are so many.
Black and white pictures and things that look like words*
 Phoena:
That must be the ink wash paintings and writings that the Nine Territories prides itself on.
 Pirika:
I wonder if Shuza collected these himself?
 Chiyome:
These were individually painted by Lord Shuza
 Pirika:
W-whaaaaat?!
That Shuza did?!
But Shuzaâs always fighting, isnât he?...
 Chiyome:
Our lord is also quite gifted in the arts
Furthermore, his swordsmanship is one of the best in history while his tactical skills are unrivalled
Not only does our lord excel in calligraphy, he is skilled in other artforms too.
 Shuza:
âŚChiyome, have you been secretly honing the ninjutsu of boasting, have you?
 Chiyome:
U-uhh! Umm, my lord, this is-!
My deepest apologiesâŚ.
 Shuza:
Hm, ah well.
It seems like everyone has chosen to gather here.
As I, Shuza, am the one who invited you all so you may as well enjoy yourselves tonight.
 Pirika:
This dish is so delicious!
 Phoena:
It is. There must be a top-class chef catering for us today.
 Pirika:
I suppose you can count on the First Territory leader to have such an exceptional person amongst his people. âŚoh~ this is nice too!
 Phoena:
Pirika, donât eat too much. Not like he heard me, thoughâŚ
 Shuza:
What are you doing over there, not taking part in the banquet.
Thereâs no poison in the food
 Options:
1.      An enemy might appear out of nowhere again
2.      Iâm just a bit weary
 Shuza:
You sure are a worrywart.
âŚNo, perhaps I should say youâre cautious
⌠only when necessary, young man.
What did you see when you saw me fighting the dragon?
 Options:
1.      Your great swordsmanship
2.      The dragonâs movement
 Shuza:
âŚI see, you truly are different from the others.
Youâre likely the only one who looked at the dragon.
At times like those, were I to fail, you would have taken over and finished the deed, correct?
How foolish of you.
Like I would lose to a scaly creature.
That said, hold your head high and steel yourself for whatâs to come.
Are you not used to banquets such as these?
Or is it thatâŚ
⌠what is it you see?
 Options:
1.      The cup of sake in Shuzaâs hand
2.      The sword at Shuzaâs waist
 Shuza:
Have you heard the story of previous Territory heads that used the skulls of their enemies as cups for their sake?
That kind of intimidation tactic doesnât work on you, right?
⌠It seems like you havenât had a sip of alcohol tonight.
You havenât had a drop of alcohol and your other hand rests at the hilt of your blade-
It seems youâve noticed, young man.
 Options:
1.      âŚThatâs right
2.      What are you talking about?
 Shuza:
Heh, I will, at the very least, recognise your courage.
However, it doesnât seem as though your friends have come to realise
That this room* is surrounded by my subordinates.
 (*Translatorâs note: he refers to this room as a zashiki which is a traditional Japanese room with tatami mats)
 Pirika:
Omnomnom⌠huh?
What did you say?
 Shuza:
I have just informed you that my subordinates are surrounding this room.
 Pirika:
W-why would you do such a thing?!
 Shuza:
The likes of that legendary dragon have not settled my thirst for battle.
Iâll quench it through a showdown with you lot.
 Phoena:
N-no way!
To fight without reasonâŚ
 Shuza:
Silence!
The Nine Territories is the land of ogres where we seek carnage.
We live to battle and we fight to the end. That is the trail of carnage.
When I encounter an ogre, I will take it down,
And if I encounter a dragon, that too will be taken down. That is my way of living.
Young man, you as the leader of the Volunteer Army and an indomitable spirit
Surely, you wonât refuse my request.
 Option:
1.      Sure, Iâll take on your challenge.
2.      Bring it on, Iâll play with you.
 Shuza:
Saving the world? You sure talk big talk.
If you want that to come to fruition, hit me with all youâve got!
 Pirika:
Tsukamu-kunâŚ
Youâll be right!
 Phoena:
Yes, letâs believe in him!
 Shuza:
You people (of the Volunteer Army) sure are interesting.
Letâs have a match, you and my subordinates!
You canât tell at a glance but you guys are stronger than you seem, however, my subordinates wonât lose to yours on strength alone!
 <battle>
 Pirika:
We finally took down his subordinates butâŚ
Where are Tsukamu-kun and Shuza?
 Phoena:
It seems the battle hasnât ended yet!
 Shuza:
Destruction*!!
 (*Translatorâs note: not sure if itâs supposed to be punny but it sounds like âhaâ, the sound you make when you vocalise how much strength youâre putting in)
 Heh, not nearly enough (to beat me)!!
His will to fight is decent and weâve been on the verge of life or death many times over, however,
Thatâs insufficient!
 Pirika:
Oh no! His blade was knocked away!
âŚb-but!!
  Phoena:
Thatâs right!
We believe in youâŚ*
(*Translatorâs note: Original Phoenaâs phrase when you does her special!)
 Shuza:
⌠A heart that doesnât lose hope and tenacity in battle are attributes of a great hero.
However, anyone can hold strong. That alone doesnât win battles.
Believe in yourself and win one battle at a time and, before long, you will be known as a hero.
âŚNever forget that, young man.
Iâve lost interest now. That will be all for today.
 Pirika:
Oh, Shuza put his weapon away!
âŚW-what does that mean?
 Shuza:
Did I not tell you that this was a game?
Hey, young man and the lady
 Pirika:
You mean us?!
 Phoena:
W-what might it be?
 Shuza:
Do you know what we ogres dislike most as appreciators of carnage?
 Pirika:
Erm⌠to lose?
 Phoena:
Perhaps itâs when your aspirations are crushed?
 Shuza:
No, thatâs not it..
Young man, do you know what it is?
 Options:
1.      When you run out of people to fight* (The word he uses is âplayâ)
2.      When you lack a rival
 Shuza: Hahaha, thatâs absolutely right!
To always be the best is absolutely devastating.
That is why our land is divided into nine territoriesâŚ
So that we can continue battling forevermore.
Young man⌠you are aware of how tough the path youâve chosen for yourself is, are you not?
If you intend to continue down this path of carnage and destruction, you will someday become a warrior worthy to be my opponent
For now, however, you lack experience.
But despite this, you still battle opponents that are beyond your capabilities. That is naievity on your part.
If you die in a ditch in a land unknown, you will never become a rival worthy of me.
For this reason, if youâre every fighting a strong opponent, call my name.
 Pirika:
D-does that mean heâll help the Volunteer Army out?
 Shuza:
Help?
No, I simply seek strong warriors.
⌠got it, young man?
If you no longer have the qualities to lead as the commander of the Volunteer Army, I will take them in!
Keep in mind, the road we take is that of carnage so brace yourself.
 Options:
1.      Iâll train harder so I can overtake you
2.      Itâs strength Iâll need anyway to protect everyone.
 Shuza:
Haha! So youâre saying youâll defeat me in battle?
Excellent, I look forward to the day!
Donât let me down, Tsukamu!
 More to come (:
