Kill The Boss

Stop looking at the horizon. It is already in the arena.

The emperor calls you commander and points. That is the whole speech. Something huge wants the ground under your feet, and it brought a line of friends who get worse every time one of them drops.

House-sized slimes. Frogs with no business being that tall. Bamboo that decided to stand up. Tengu. Demons. A spirit big enough to blot out the yard. They take turns. They do not take a hint.

Your ninjas are out. The fire is lit. Stone is already coming down. You land the first blow. They do not wait for a second order.

The emperor will keep watching until the arena is empty and he has no one left to name.

Kill the boss, Commander.