After years, the regime of Vårizan I has resulted in heavy taxing of the poor populace, contrary to his oath to follow the policies of Tsuri II. Zen returns from Ru'yeo, after returning from a trip around the world, and he returns, boldly proclaiming his heritage at the palace at Sånyeta. About to be seized by royal guards, the Court Chronicler stops them, procuring the memoirs of Tsuri II and the witnessed reports of the advisors to the late emperor.
Zen is taken to the throne room of Vårizan I, and there he please for the throne peacefully. Vårizan, now one of the most powerful men in the East, laughs at Zen, claiming proudly that he does not bow to a man who was born of illegitimate lineage, and who had lived his entire life as a vagabond. Zen then challenges the king to a dual in order to determine the true owner of the throne. To this, the king proudly accepts.
Zen is then invited to stay the night, so that he may fight in the arena the following day. Having trained his body intensely for ten years, he does not eat or drink at a feast held that night for fear he may be poisoned. During the night, he is woken by assassins which are infiltrating his room. In the dark of the room, he pulls out a small spherical object from his coat, covers his eyes, and pulls a string from it and tossing it, causing it to explode with a bright flash but low blast. Using this period of confusion to his advantage, he quickly draws his sword, and knocks out the assassins in the room without harming them outside of head injuries.
The following morning, Zen wakes and heads off to the arena, where he stands at one side opposing Vårizan. A crowd fills the stadium, which to Zen's dismay, is splattered with blood in many places around the arena. They then both draw their swords, and rush at each other, and begin exchanging blows, no one being able to land a hit. After about ten minutes of fighting, Vårizan is panting and drenched in sweat, already tired from the fight in the hot sun. Zen, however, remains alert, focused and full of energy, and is not breathing much more than any usual person would do at rest.
Somewhere around thirteen minutes, Zen begins to be able to manipulate Vårizan's movements in the arena, and begins to back him into a corner. In a feint, Zen forces Vårizan to trip over an animal bone, and manages to kick Vårizan's sword away. Zen then holds Vårizan at swordpoint, offering one more time to turn the kingdom over to him peacefully, so that no blood would need to be shed. Vårizan then takes this opportunity to throw dust into the eyes of Zen so that he may recover his sword.
Zen, having been trained in the most extreme martial art practices in Ru'yeo and Resūrgēta, hears the footsteps of the fleeing Vårizan, and throws his sword in that direction, skewering the king through the heart, where he then instantly dies.
The crowd remains as a mix of angry and pleased, having mixed opinions of the now-late Vårizan.
This attitude is very similar throughout the land. As many of the nobles did not like Tsuri II for taxing them, and liked Vårizan because he repealed this tax, instead taxed the poor, put in place a rigid examination process in order to enter schooling, and consolidated power toward the feudal monarchy, and took power from the republic. The people however, praise Tsuri II for his kindness and compassion toward them, and hated Vårizan II for taxing them heavily, backing up these new policies with military force.
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