ASAHI NO NISHISEI - Rising Sun Goes West (1)

Part 1: Premonition of War | Tokyo Disturbance

October 10, 2029, 01:00

Hanzōmon Entrance, Imperial Palace, Tokyo

On the night that the amphibious assault ship Kojima departed Yokosuka with a cargo of medicine to save the princess of a faraway land, the streets of Tokyo were still sparkling and the city was still full of people, unchanged from the day before. Tokyo had become the world's largest city, both in name and reality, as a result of the transference. The people of Terralus, upon seeing the city, were unanimous in calling in this. This is truly the capital of another world.

The stories of those who have visited here arouse the curiosity of the people of Terralus, who have never set foot in Japan. Through this chain of events, this country has become a great dream of the inhabitants of this world. Hiding in the shadows of the light emitted by the metropolis, three figures wearing hoodies and disguised as Japanese were hiding in the vicinity of Hanzōmon.

"How long are you Japanese going to stay awake?"

"Seriously. Even this late at night, the city lights are still on. It's as bright as daylight."

Two men complained about the shining lights of Tokyo, the "city that never sleeps," where the lights never go down, not even late at night. According to their common sense, at around one in the morning, the streets of Tokyo, whether in the capital or the countryside, are so dark that you can't walk around without turning on a light.

"It is truly the capital of another world..." One man murmured.

Soon after, a third man, who had been monitoring the surroundings, gave orders to the two men.

"Alright, let's go!"

In response to the order, the two men glided down the bank, followed by the man who gave them the order. They had only one goal: to swim across the Hanzōmon's moat and enter the Imperial Palace.

The moat leading up to the Imperial Palace (the former Edo Castle) stands in front of the three men as they run down the bank. The water filling the moat reflected the lights of the city and seemed to sparkle. Facing the reservoir, the depth of which was unknown, the three men were at a standstill. If they continued to linger, they would only be wasting their time. One of them, sensing this, spoke up.

"...This is a holy war. Not only we will be spreading the glory of our absolute God, but we will also be saving the people of this country, a total of 100 million people, who are drowning in religious disorder!"

The man invigorates himself and dipped his right leg into the moat's reservoir. When his feet touched the bottom of the water and he found that the moat is shallow, he threw himself to the water from the waist down and began to walk toward the Imperial Palace. The other two men, who seemed determined, also threw themselves into the moat. At that moment...

"Hey, what are you doing!?"

""!!""

An Imperial Guard officer assigned to guard Hanzōmon noticed the suspicious figures trying to sneak into the palace. In response to his voice, searchlights set up in the vicinity illuminated the three intruders at once.

"All security guards. This is Kanata! We found intruders near Hanzōmon Gate! Three in number, all foreigners!"

Yuichi Kanata, an Imperial Guard officer, discovered them and sends a request for backup to his fellow Imperial Guard officers. Soon after, Imperial Guardsmen who had been escorting them to the Imperial Palace gathered from all over the place.

"Quickly, get to the other side of the river! Grab the target by any means necessary!"

One of the men shouted, pointing to the Imperial Palace. The three intruders were moving steadily, step by step, toward the Imperial Palace, their feet being held back by the resistance of the water.