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Assassin's Creed: Resurgence is a comic book limited series published by Dark Horse Comics and written by Chip Zdarsky. It is the sequel to Assassin's Creed: Renegade and the third and final installment of the Kavanagh Saga.
The comic concludes the Kavanagh Saga with Takao Hayato, an English-Japanese Assassin, as he rebuilds the Japanese Brotherhood from the ashes of its destruction. His descendant Jin Chen explores Hayato's memories in order to finally locate the Armor of Ares and rescue his friend Roberto Garcia from the clutches of Abstergo Industries.
Synopsis[]
"Witness the thrilling conclusion of the Kavanagh Saga as Takao Hayato, the son of Lonan Kavanagh and grandson of Arthur Kavanagh, the last Assassin of the Japanese Brotherhood makes a final stand against the Preservers of Humanity and the Templar Order. In the modern day, Jin Chen must relive the memories of his ancestor and make his own last stand against the Preservers and Templars in the race to acquire the Armor of Ares."
Plot[]
Issue 1[]
Minutes after Zhao Baozhai's message to the Assassins, Gina immediately begins getting to work on retrieving Robbie. She makes a call to William Miles and shares the contents of the video message with him. Miles acknowledges what he has been told and arranges for funds to be transferred to them so that they may board a flight to Beijing.
The group then begin hastily packing, Jin and Sam can see Gina is worried but she is making an effort to appear calm. Sam's guilt gets the better of her and she confesses that Robbie's capture must have been her fault, explaining that she spent the last few nights sneaking out to observe her family in Forest Hills. This is where Gina snaps, getting in Sam's face she curses her out and calls her irresponsible and stupid, threatening to never forgive her if anything happens to Robbie.
Jin steps in between them and urges for the two to stop, admitting that what Sam did was stupid and that he should have said something sooner. Gina then turns her fury on to him, raging at him for letting Sam do what she did. However, Jin cuts her off and tells her there is no time to point fingers and the main priority right now is figuring out a plan to save Robbie.
Gina relents, calming down and agrees. She apologises to Sam, lamenting that he is the only family she has left. Jin sympathises and assures her that they will get him back. That same day, Jin and the Assassins board a flight to Beijing. The group begin formulating plans to rescue Robbie but none of them are sustainable, this is when Jin ultimately decides that Robbie's best chance at release is if he actually gives himself up.
Gina and Sam argue against this but Jin states they have no other choice, that they will use the time they have to continue training Jin so that he is able to escape Abstergo once the trade has been complete. Wary of this plan of action, Gina reluctantly accepts much to the dismay of Sam but Jin states that Robbie's kidnapping is partly his fault and this is his chance to rectify it. Gina thanks Jin for doing this for her brother, hugging him.
Arriving in China 13 hours later, the Assassins rent a motel and remain there as they prepare to make the trade. However, an anxious Jin requests to enter the Animus and search into the memories of Lonan's son, to see if he can aid the Assassins a little more in locating the Armor of Ares before being forced to do so by Abstergo. Gina grants Jin this request and asks Sam to set up an Animus session. After doing so, he enters the Animus and is placed in Edo, Japan in 1627.
Lonan's son, Hayato, is tending to Mariko who is gravely ill. Seeing that symptoms are beginning to grow worse, he needed to bring a doctor to her. Hayato travels around Edo and begs for any doctor to help his mother, but no one is willing to aid him. He then encounters a group of men that say they could help her, leading him to a "doctor" in a nearby alley way. However, they are merely opportunists attempting to rob Hayato.
Hayato tries to fight them off and keep his money, but due to his age and small stature Hayato is badly beaten by this group of males. He is nonetheless rescued by an older man missing the lower end of his arm - Hashimoto Kenshin.
Issue 2[]
Kenshin handily beats the men up, despite only having one arm. Kenshin prepares to leave before he is stopped by Hayato who beggs him to help his mother. Initially reluctant, Kenshin eventually agrees to help and Hayato promptly leads him to his small home in the poorer area of Edo. Kenshin tends to Mariko, ultimately deciding it is best to treat her at his estate. Bringing Hayato with him, Hayato witnesses Kenshin and some other doctors tend to her illness over the next few days, however she unfortunately is unable to be saved and passes. Hayato iss devastated at the loss of his only family. Taking pity on the boy, Kenshin offers Hayato a place to live at his estate as well, as to take care of him in his mother's stead. With no other options, Hayato accepts Kenshin's offer.
A few days later, Kenshin grows curious to know who Hayato's father was and subsequently inquires to know. Hayato shares what he knows, that his father was an Englishman named Lonan but didn't know much else. Hayato is nonetheless confused at Kenshin's response that came after, Kenshin simply repeated Lonan's name and then remained silent before abruptly leaving the room. Hayato is left utterly dumbfounded as he was unaware of Kenshin's past history with Lonan, and their eventual falling out.
In 1631, although their relationship started off initially rocky - Hayato and Kenshin have since formed a close bond with the boy even seeing him as a father figure. Hayato is exploring the estate, which has now been repaired since its destruction in 1619. With the aid of his Eagle Vision Hayato discovers the entrance to a secret room. Entering inside, he comes across several discarded and abandoned Assassin tools - such as Kenshin's old Hidden Blades, his old robes, and his katana.
Issue 3[]
Kenshin comes upon Hayato in the room filled with his former Assassin equipment, he appears angered and demands Hayato get out. Complying, he exits the room as Kenshin slams the door shut telling him to never go back in there. Despite this, Hayato's curiosity gets the better of him and he repeatedly inquires to know what all of the equipment was, if it belonged to him, and why he didn't want Hayato to see. After several days of insistant questioning, Kenshin finally relents and tells him everything.
He tells Hayato of his former past as an Assassin, what they were and what they did, of the Templars and their destruction of the Assassin Brotherhood. Hayato then learns the truth about his father, finding out that he was once and Assassin. Kenshin, still believing Ito Ichiro's lies, told Hayato that Lonan betrayed the Brotherhood and killed both Kenshin's father and Hayato's grandfather, Arthur, before fleeing to the Templars. Hayato deduces that Kenshin lost his arm when the Templars attacked in 1619, which Kenshin confirms.
Following this, Hayato shares his belief that he and Kenshin should rebuild the Brotherhood and stop the Templars from gaining control of Japan. Kenshin refuses, stating that an "old man and a child" stand no chance against the entire Order. Hayato asks Kenshin to train him then which he refuses, Hayato insists but Kenshin angrily declines stating that he has lost too many people he cared about to the war and refuses to lose him too. Ending the discussion, Kenshin leaves.
Despite their disagreement, Hayato holds true to his convictions and truly believes that the Templars should not have so much power. Hayato pesters Kenshin for almost year before Kenshin finally agrees to train him, internally believing that the training would be too much for Hayato and that he would eventually give up. Firstly, Kenshin asks if this is what Hayato truly wants and he affirms this.
Issue 4[]
Jin would relive Hayato's gruelling training from 1632 to 1635, witnessing Hayato learning combat, freerunning, and stealth. In June 1635, Hayato accompanied Kenshin to Edo in order to gather supplies for the estate. While there, Hayato was tasked to watch the horse and carriage while Kenshin bought supplies from the stores in the market. During this time, Hayato spotted a European man with a group of important looking individuals. Spotting their Templar insignias on their rings, this was the moment Hayato realised that the European man was none other than his father, Lonan.
Hayato briefly considers confronting the group of Templars, but instead elects to utilise his newly acquired skills to eavesdrop on their conversation. Abandoning the horse and carriage, he follows Lonan and the other Templars which consisted of the Grand Master Shimazu Tadatsune, Miyamoto Mushashi, Hayashi Hyōzaemon, Itakura Shigemasa and Kinoshita Nobuyoshi. Hayato overhears the Templars discussion the recovery of a "final piece" - Ares' chestplate - but Lonan was intercepted en route back to Japan and it was seized by the Preservers. Despite this, they were not a threat as the Templars still owned the Sword and Shield. Hayato recalls the lessons he had been taught by Kenshin, realising that the Templars had found the final piece of the armor.
Following hearing this, Hayato returns to Kenshin who is waiting for him at the carriage. He is reprimanded for leaving it unattended but Hayato informs him that he saw Lonan, who had arrived back in Japan. As well as this, he shares that the Templars located the final piece of the Armor of Ares but the Preservers managed to seize it from him. Hayato expressed his eagerness to recover any of the pieces for the Assassins and halt the Templars and Preservers plans. While Kenshin praises him for recovering the necessary intel, he refuses to let him purse the Armor as he was not ready and is "only a boy with three years training, going up against two dangerous groups". Hayato is visibly deflated by this but Kenshin lifts his mood, stating that once they return to the estate - he believes Hayato is ready to receive his Hidden Blades.
Two years later, Jin would witness the conclusion of Hayato's training and his induction into the Brotherhood, following his reciting of the Assassin's Creed. After Hayato's induction, he is given his Templar targets which include his father. Kenshin asks if he will be remain convicted in assassinating his father, Hayato remains determined in eliminating their presence in Japan.
Issue 5[]
In the modern day, Jin and Gina sparring, he demonstrates his skills remarkably - blending in what he has learned from both Lonan and Hayato. During their sparring match, Gina remarks how impressed she is at his fast developing abilities and even expresses optimism that Jin may be able to escape Abstergo himself. However, Jin remains silent on this - having not revealed his true reason for wanting to give himself up to Abstergo. It is because Jin believes that the Templars may have a point.
Following their sparring session, Jin and the others begin preparations to have him give himself up. They then leave their hotel and make their way over to the Abstergo Foundation facility located in Beijing. Jin decides to go in alone, unsure if the Templars will hold up their end of the bargain and wanting Gina and Sam to have a chance to escape. Entering inside the facility, he is met by force from the guards but immediately surrenders. He is taken to the office of the facility's head, Zhao Baozhai, before being left alone with her.
Baozhai, mockingly expresses her surprise at an Assassin with the concept of honor. Jin corrects her, stating that he isn't an Assassin and demands for Robbie to be released. As a woman of her word, she complies and calls in for Robbie's release and pulls up the live feed on a monitor to prove her point. Following this, she then introduces herself as Zhao Baozhai but Jin bluntly expresses his lack of care. Sharing that one of the reasons he gave himself up is so he could help the Templars find the Armor, revealing that he believes their path to peace may be the best option, using himself as an example of humanity's flaws and how freewill is a dangerous goal.
Baozhai expresses both her surprise and approval at Jin's views, and their alignments with Templar ideology. She asks why the change of heart and Jin reveals he has experienced humanity at its worst. He tells her of when he was misled into taking part in an execution of a rival gang, and witnessed the horrors humans were capable of firsthand - as well as this, he confesses that he was forced to shoot an innocent young girl. Baozhai expresses her sympathies, off-handedly stating that he was "more like Dad than [she] thought".
Jin asks what she means and why she was referring to his father in a shared contect. This is when Baozhai explains, in a nonchalant demeanour, that the reason she brought Robbie all the way to China was because she wanted to meet him, to save him from the Assassins and offer him a place in the New World. She then reveals that she is Jin's half-sister.
Issue 6[]
Jin and Baozhai are walking through the Abstergo Foundation facility, Jin is still in shock at the fact Baozhai is his half-sister. He asks her how this is possible but she ignores the question, asking him how much progress he and the Assassins made on locating the Armor of Ares. Jin fills her in, explaining that they tracked the Armor to Japan through the memories of the Kavanagh family but are still unaware of its final location. However, Baozhai already knows of this from having access to the Templar's historical records on Lonan Kavanagh - despite this, she still believes that the Armor may be somewhere in Japan, revealing that Lonan remained there until his death in 1646. But the only way they can find out is through Hayato's memories.
Following this, Baozhai asks what it is he knows of the Preservers and he shares what he has learned, their history, their goals and that they too want to find the Armor through Jin's genetic memories. After their discussion, Baozhai states that she is on a time crunch for Abstergo and urges Jin to re-enter the Animus and further research into Hayato's memories. However, Jin puts his foot down and demands to know more about his half-sister. Offering to compromise, she promises to explain when Jin has made significant progress. Begrudgingly, Jin agrees and enters the Animus.
In Japan 1637, some months have passed since Hayato's induction into the Assassin Brotherhood. He has since learned of rumours of a revolt soon to take place on Shimabara Peninsula and Amakusa. The daimyō Matsukura Katsuie has caused unrest among the people with overtaxation and famine, Hayato believes this to be the work of the Templars and travels to Shimabara to investigate. By December, Hayato successfully learns that the Templar, Hayashi Hyōzaemon, is the local daikan and surmises that he has been manipulating Katsuie into committing his cruel acts.
Tracking the Templar down, Hayato non-lethally dispatches its guards and infiltrates Hyashi's dwelling. Coming upon Hayashi's sleeping person, he internally wrestles with himself on if he has what it takes to take a life. Hayato decides that it may be possible to avoid a civil war if he merely threatens Hayashi into getting Katsuie to treat his people better. Going with this plan, Hayato wakes Hayashi up by smothering his hand against his mouth and hovering his Hidden Blade over the sound of his neck. He threatens to kill him if he makes a sound. Hayashi complies in being quiet and immediately asks how it is he is here, mentioning that the Assassins' were destroyed 17 yeard prior.
Ignoring the question, Hayato asks if the Templars are behind the threat of civil war. Hayashi reluctantly answers, revealing that the Templars plan to instigate a rebellion and depose the Tokugawa shogunate, placing a Templar puppet in control of Japan. He adds that Templars on both the Shimabara government and looming rebellion are working to make this war a reality. Hayato questions why their main priorty isn't the Armor of Ares but Hayashi claims that if the Templars are unable to recover the Armor, control of Japan is their fallback plan.
Still reluctant to kill Hayashi, Hayato lightly penetrates Hayashi's skin with his Hidden Blade and demands he convince the other Templars to call off the war. He would also make the empty threat that Hayashi would die if he failed to do so. Following this, Hayato left and returned to Honshu naively believing that this would prevent the outbreak of a civil war. However, he would learn some weeks later that Hayashi was nonetheless assassinated by the rebels and rebellion had spread across the Amakusa islands.
Issue 7[]
Hayato is subsequently reprimanded by Kenshin for his lack of will to kill, stating that he did not train all these years to hesitate to take a life. Hayato apologises, believing that their was a better way but Kenshin continues to curse out his student, reminding Hayato that it was he who pestered him for an entire year to be trained as an Assassin. Hayato remains silent knowing that Kenshin is right, still angered, Kenshin demands Hayato fix this. Despite his remorse for his failure, Hayato questions if the rebellion is truly a bad thing - Shimabara and the Amakusa islands belong to the people and he believes they should take it back.
Despite this, Kenshin informs Hayato that while it would be ideal but if the rebellion leads to the overthrowing of the Tokugawa shogunate, Japan will be ripe for the Templars to take. Hayato acknowledges this and swears to right his wrongs. By February 1638, Hayato learns of the presence of three Templars, Miyamoto Musashi, Hosokawa Tadatoshi, and Itakura Shigemasa, are present there for the Siege of Hara Castle. Hayato subsequently travels to the Hizen Province and arrives there on 14 February, making his way to the battlefield.
Utilising his skills in stealth, Hayato infiltrates Hara Castle and while remaining neutral in the conflict, temporarily allies with the rebels in order to assassinate his targets. Hayato briefly encounters two of the rebellion's leaders - Amakusa Shirō and Mori Sōiken and helps defend against the Tokugawa as they attack, led by Itakura. Hayato successfully manages to assassinate Itakura with an arrow, before dying Hayato learns that the Templars intend for the Tokugawa forces to suffer a defeat at the hands of the rebels, to showcase their incompetence at rulership. As well as this, a Templar is also among the rebels and is pulling the strings to make the siege go into the favour of the rebels.
Issue 8[]
Hayato spends the next three months of the siege both searching for ways to root out the Templar within the rebel forces, as well as search for an opening to assassinate Miyamoto and Hosokawa. Despite this, the Tokugawa forces are making headway on the siege thanks to Hayato killing Itsakura. Hayato wrestles with his desire to aid the rebels, fighting for their rights but his awareness of the Templar plot that lurks beneath compels him to sabotage the rebellion.
By 12 April, troops under the command of the Kuroda clan of Hizen stormed the fortress, capturing the outer defences in the process. In the chaos, Hayato searches for the Templar within the rebel forces. Hayato aids Sōiken in holding back the advancing forces while the rebels retreat, however, Hayato notices a Templar insignia exposed on his necklace. Immediately, he strikes at Sōiken's neck but he manages to defend himself and fearfully realises Hayato is an Assassin. Sōiken flees and Hayato chases him back into the castle, giving way for the Tokugawa troops to advance.
Hayato corners Sōiken in a secluded area and and the two briefly duel, but he successfully manages to assassinate Sōiken. Sōiken tells Hayato he has condemned the rebel forces, and that Sōiken could have led them to claim the freedom that the Assassins so desperately seek. Despite his attempts to guilt Hayato, he reminds him that the Templars orchestrated this conflict and the deaths of the peasants are on the Templar's hands.
Following Sōiken's death, he is forced to flee the castle knowing that the Tokugawa will subsequently crush the rebellion and foil the Templar's plans. Despite this, he cannot help but feel he guilty knowing he contributed to the rebellion's failure and to the deaths of the rebels who were simply tired of being mistreated. However, he steels himself and remembers this was at the fault of the Templars.
Following Hayato's return to Kakureta, he informs Kenshin of his success. Kenshin congratulates him on this but relays bad news, informing Hayato that he has learned that the Shimazu Tadatsune has passed away and Lonan has ascended to the rank of Grand Master.
Issue 9[]
Jin is pulled from the Animus and is introduced to Huang Min - an Abstergo scientist assigned to observe and monitor Jin's Animus sessions. After questioning why he had been ejected from Hayato's memories, Min informs him that Baozhai had ordered her to take him out to reduce the risk of negative effects. He requests to see his half-sister in order to get the answers he wished for but Min tries to prevent him from seeing her, telling him that she is in a meeting.
Lacking care, Jin pushes passed her and is then stopped by the guards disallowing him from leaving his complex. However, tired of being left in the dark and treated like a tool, he knocks out the guards and begins fighting his way through the facility. Jin manages to take down scores of Abstergo agents but is eventually overwhelmed when he is tased into unconsciousness.
Waking up a few hours later, he is met by both Baozhai and Min. His elder sister chastises him, sharing that she believed him to be different but he was just as violent and incapable of reason than his Assassin ancestors. Angered, Jin retorts her stating that if Abstergo hadn't treated him like a pet he wouldn't have acted out. Baozhai expresses her frustration and reiterates that she will tell him what he needs to know when he made significant process, Jin argues he has but Baozhai disagrees before leaving him with Min.
Begrudgingly, Jin says the Assassins and Templars are as bad as each other. Min apologises for his treatment by Abstergo, sharing Jin's feelings. He expresses that he thought the Templars' goals were the most assurable, but having witnessed what the Templars were capable of and what they did through Hayato's memories, Jin was beginning to have second thoughts. Min reveals that she was forced to join the Templars when her research with Abstergo led to her uncovery of the Assassin-Templar conflict, and that she was offered a "choice" to join the Templars or die. However, she disagrees with the Assassins' ways and believe that their goal is impossible and naive. She apologises for everything Jin has been forced to go through but reminds him that finding the Armor of Ares is the top priority right now.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Beijing Robbie has reunited with his sister and Sam. The three have spent the passed day devising a plan to break Jin out but to no avail. Robbie apologises to the team for getting caught and putting them all in this situation, however Sam puts the blame on herself. Gina tells them that what's done is done and that they need to accept it and move on, that rescuing Jin is their highest priority.
Issue 10[]
It is 1641, three years since the Shimabara Rebellion and the Tokugawa shogunate's implemation of the Sakoku policy, Hayato is actively searching for Ares' chestpiece. After learning that Lonan had made the search for the Chestpiece the highest priority from a Portugese Templar a year prior, Hayato put his eradication of the Templars on the backburner in order to retrieve the Chestpiece from the Preservers and keep it out of the Templars hands. Deciding to kill two birds with one stone, Hayato actively hunted Mukai Shōgen Tadakatsu - a high ranking Templar on his list, and someone likely to have information on the Templars' progress.
Recovering information of another Templar meeting in Edo on 26 April 1641, Hayato promptly travels there and found the location of their meeting. In attendance were Mukai and Hosokawa, accompanied by a guard of samurai. Hayato tails them and learns that the Templars have been growing suspicious of the Assassins' resurgence following the recent deaths of a multitude of Templars in the prior few years. During this discussion, the two Templars meet with Kinoshita Nobuyoshi and the three discuss the Templars' progress on acquiring the Chestplate.
Mukai informs Nobuyoshi and Hosokawa of a lead he had found during his travels, an important shipment is set to be sent to China from Dejima within a week's time. Having retrieved the shipment records, he learned that it is to be acquired by Sun Chuanting upon its arrival. Nobuyoshi questions how certain Mukai is that this is the Chestplate and he confesses that he doesn't and that it is a hunch.
This is when Nobuyoshi then revealed his awareness of Hayato's presence, telling him to show himself. Forced out of hiding, Hayato shows himself and Nobuyoshi expresses his surprise that there were any Assassins left, impressed at their persistence. Hayato remains silent, plotting out a plan in his head of how to go about this situation. The younger Templar orders Mokou and Hosokawa to flee and prepares to deal with Hayato. However, Hayato decides to assassinate Mokou and Hosokawa first - leaving Nobuyoshi for another time.
Tagging the two older Templars with his Eagle Vision, he subsequently detonates a smoke grenade and scales his way to the top of a rooftop - avoiding combat with Nobuyoshi and heading after Mokou and Hosokawa. He chases them to a port and assassinates the both and then escapes. Following this, Hayato books passage and travels to Dejima in order to investigate the important shipment.
Issue 11[]
Hayato arrives in Nagasaki a week later and heads to Dejima, using his Eagle Vision he locates a target of interest and tails them to where the shipment is alleged to be. As he does this, he overhears his target discussing the shipment with a subordinate and confirms that it is indeed the Chestplate of Ares. Realising that this target is a member of the Preservers, Hayato also learns that the Chestplate has been sent to Sun Chuangting, to aid in the defence against the ongoing rebellion in China - and as an act of good faith in convincing Sun to join the Preservers.
Blending within the crowd, Hayato watches as the Preserver arrives to oversee the shipment. As he prepares to intercept the shipment, Hayato sees Nobuyoshi with samurai guards through the crowd who is here for the same reason. However, with the area too populated Hayato is unable to confront both Nobuyoshi and intercept the shipment. Instead, he hangs back and watches things play out.
Moving in closer, he overhears Nobuyoshi using his authority to force the Preserver to hand over the Chestplate, however, both are aware of the other's true nature. The negotiations draw out and Hayato seizes the opportunity to sneak his way onto the ship and attempt to steal the Chestplate back. However, when Nobuyoshi forces his way on to the ship Hayato is discovered. The Assassin, Templar and Preserver then proceed to enter a stand-off with Nobuyoshi demanding he hand it over. Following Hayato's refusal, Nobuyoshi attacks Hayato and the two engage in a duel. Hayato easily dispatches Nobuyosh's guards but the Templar is too skilled to be easily defeated.
Their duel results in Hayato and Nobuyoshi getting knocked overboard and falling onto the docks below. In the chaos, the Preserver takes advantage of the situation and immediately orders the ship to depart to Shanxi. Hayato and Nobuyoshi are too distracted and when its too late, realise the ship has departed. During their duel, Nobuyoshi looks into Hayato's eyes and finds a sense of familiarity in them. However, their duel is promptly stopped by the authorities who arrive in defence of Nobuyoshi, revealing he is a daimyo.
Planning to arrest him, Hayato fights his way out and utilises his Hidden Rope Dart to launch himself on to a rooftop. Leading a roof top, Hayato makes his way to the edge of a roof and prepares to perform a Leap of Faith to escape - however, he is shot in the shoulder and falls into a cart of hay below.
Issue 12[]
Hayato wakes up in a cell in Kodenma-chō, his shoulder bandaged up from the gunshot. Examining his room, he then sees that Nobuyoshi had arrived to speak with him. Remaining silent initially, Nobuyoshi surmises that Hayato is probably confused on why he's alive after having committed such a serious offence. He proceeds to explain to him that he has used his status as daimyo to delay his execution.
Hayato inquires why and Nobuyoshi confesses that he was curious, telling him he looked familiar. Now more so that his face has been revealed, he asks Hayato his name. When he reveals his name, Nobuyoshi is visibly surprised leading him to ask who his mother is. Apprehensive, Hayato asks why he wishes to know and Nobuyoshi, answers revealing that he knew Mariko in his youth. Nobuyoshi explains that he lived with her and her father but was thrown out when it was discovered she was pregnant with a European's child. Hayato realises that Nobuyoshi did indeed know his mother but decides to keep it to himself for now.
Nobuyoshi then tells Hayato that he searched for her over a decade prior, only to find out that she had died and her son, Hayato, had gone missing. He again asks if Hayato is this child but the Assassin remains coy. Despite this, he silence is telling and Nobuyoshi deduces that Hayato is indeed Mariko and Lonan's son, his demeanour changes from hostile to joy. Hayato is surprised at this as he watched Nobuyoshi quietly celebrate that Mariko's child survived and that a piece of her lives on through him. However, he then realises that they are both on opposite sides of the conflict which leads Nobuyoshi to ask where he received his Assassin training.
Hayato refuses to answer, merely stating that he will escape and continue to foil the Templars' plans. Saddened to hear this, Nobuyoshi expresses his belief that the Assassins' "faulty Creed" has already corrupted him, but believes that he can "still be saved". With that, Nobuyoshi leaves, telling Hayato that he will be back at some point. Hayato spends the rest of the night looking for ways to escape or planning ways to escape on his own, to no avail.
The next day, Hayato is met by Nobuyoshi once again. Immediately, he asks what happened to the Chestplate and Nobuyoshi irritatedly blames him for its loss - confessing that Lonan has travelled to China in order to seek it. Moving on, Nobuyoshi once again tries to convince Hayato to abandon his goal of joining the Assassins, expressing that it pained him to be at odds with Mariko's child. This leads to Hayato asking what his relationship was to his mother, Nobuyoshi then reveals that Lonan saved him when he was a child and he was then placed in the care of Mariko and Hayato's grandfather. He explains that she looked out for him and that he came to care for her, seeing her as a sister.
Nobuyoshi also reveals that the reason why Hayato was forced to grow up in poverty was due to Hayato's grandfather banishing her from their estate. The Templar takes the opportunity to push his ideals on to Hayato through his past and the death of his mother, stating that in a world controlled by the Templar Order there would be no poverty, no suffering, and that all would be equal. Despite this, Hayato deems the cost too great - disagreeing with robbing humanity of what makes them unique, as well as recalling the deaths of various innocents in the rebellion due to the Templars' influence. Annoyed at this, Nobuyoshi's demeanour shifts and he states that he has a chance to leave if he sides with them.
However, Hayato expresses he'd rather die for a cause he believed in. Angered, Nobuyoshi tells him that it can be arranged before once again leaving.
Issue 13[]
Nobuyoshi spends the next month attempting to convince Hayato to join the Templars, but when he sees that the Assassin remains convicted in his beliefs. He begrudgingly decides that he cannot save Hayato and calls for his execution. However, Hayato took the time he had to memorise the guard routes and the layout of where he is being held. Despite this, a woman disguised as one of the guards comes to his aid and knocks out the guard stationed at Hayato's cell. Freeing him, she reveals introduces herself as Hattori Himari, Hayato recognises her name and she reveals that she is the daughter of Hattori Masanari - an Assassin.
Handing him his tools and equipment in a sack, Hayato promptly equips his Hidden Blades and places the sack on his back. As the two stealthily make their escape, Hayato asks how it is Himari found him and she states that it was Kenshin who sent her to rescue him. Thanking her, he shares his belief that he was the only Assassin left and she confirms that he is. Revealing that while she received some training from her father, she did not have the heart to commit to the Brotherhood. Hayato questions why it is she would even risk her life to rescue him and Himari expresses her belief that the Assassins need to be brought back, to challenge the Templars, and Hayato is the only one that can do that.
The two eventually make their escape without having raised a single alarm or alerted any guard. Boarding secret passage, they travel back to Honshu before parting ways but not before Himari wishes him luck, telling him "Asashin no shōri (Victory to the Assassins)" . Jin finishes concludes a significant portion of Hayato's memories and is taken out of the Animus, however he is met by both Baozhai and Min this time.
Baozhai looks happier, congratulating him on his progress stating her belief that she feels they are getting closer. Min suggests they call today's session, Baozhai then tells Jin that she is ready to tell him what he wishes to know.
Issue 14[]
Jin and Baozhai are wandering through the facility, its silent between them and Jin is waiting for answers. Sensing his growing impatience, she finally speaks up - revealing that she is his illegitimate older half-sister. Their father, Junfeng, sired her several years before Jin's birth and was present in her life for some years before vanishing when she was 6, expressing that she had always hated him for that. Baozhai confesses that without the help of their criminal father, she and her mother struggled greatly. It led to her developing a desire to see equality across the world, where no one would need to struggle.
Wishing to be able to support her mother, she tells Jin that she studied hard during school which allowed her to get into Peking University. Abstergo then took an interest in her work and immediately hired her out of graduation, and eventually she impressed them enough where she was offered a place within the Templar Order. Jin expresses his dissatisfaction with the story but Baozhai is unsympathetic to him. He asks how she knew about him and Baozhai confesses that she didn't know about him until she was tasked with finding the Armor of Ares. After tracing the Kavanagh bloodline to Jin, she then discovered they were related through his records.
This leads Jin to realise that the reason she kidnapped Robbie was to use him as bait, which she confirms. He questions why she didn't kill him when she had gotten what she needed, Baozhai confesses she wanted to earn his trust and show him the Templars aren't as bad as he was probably led to believe. Unswayed by this, he mentions the atrocities he witnessed the Japanese Templars cause while reliving the memories of Hayato, but Baozhai counters this by telling him that the Templars have had moments where they have lost their way, similar to the Assassins. She reminded him of how the Assassins also lost their way when they were being led by Ito Ichiro.
Jin asks what it is she wanted from him when she didn't even know him, Baozhai confesses she longed to be close to him due to their familial connection. She reveals that her mother died before she graduated college, leaving her with no known family and that she knows Jin is in the same situation. As his older sister, she cannot help but feel protective of him and wants to keep him safe from the Templar's wrath as well as the danger life as an Assassin would pose. As well as this, they are the only family the other have left and she wanted to form a connection with him. Understanding this, Jin nods in agreement.
Baozhai, sensing Jin's reluctance to embrace the Templar cause, asks that if Hayato's memories have skewed his desire to aid the Templar Order. Jin admits that he is unsure now, that he initially thought the Templar's goals made the most sense but having seen what they would resort to to achieve it, he is reconsidering. He sees the pros and cons of both sides, unaware of what side he truly wants to back. Acknowledging this, Baozhai encourages her brother to take the time she needs and urges him to rest for the remainder of the day before returning to the Animus.
At nightfall, Jin returns to his quarters where he finds Min waiting for him. He asks her what it is she wants and Min reveals she needs to tell him something, that Baozhai isn't who she seems to be. Min then reveals that Baozhai had an involvement in the death of Jin's mother.
Issue 15[]
Shocked at what he has just been told, Jin asks her how it is she knew this. Min reveals that she had learned about Xiu's murder after being assigned to work at Beijing's Abstergo foundation. Prior to learning of Jin and his mother's connection to the Kavanagh family, Baozhai secretly ordered the death of Chen Xiu due in part because of her resentment toward her father for leaving and beginning a new family. Jin questions why he wasn't killed as well and Min tells him that Baozhai was unwilling to kill a child.
Angered by the truth of his mother's death, as well as Baozhai's deception, his mind is made up on where he stands - allying with the Assassins. Jin subsequently requests the aid of Min, thanking her for revealing the truth to him, he believes that she is the only one he can trust. He asks her if that she could some way send the footage gathered from his Animus sessions to the Assassins, so that they have a leg up against the Templars. Min is reluctant to do this, fearful of what will happen if the Templars find out what they are doing, eventually she declines to help and expresses her sympathies before leaving.
Back in 1641, Hayato returns to Kakureta and reunites with Kenshin. Kenshin expresses his happiness and relief that Hayato is alive and escaped relatively unharmed, Hayato proceeds to thank his mentor for sending help when he needed it and figuring out where he was before asking him how he did so. Kenshin simply states that he still maintains the connections the Brotherhood had when it was still active. Following this, Hayato informs Kenshin that he located the Chestplate and that it had been sent to China with Lonan in pursuit. Noting this, Kenshin immediately makes arrangements to have Hayato travel to China through his connections with the Tokugawa shogunate.
A few days later, he boards a merchant ship and travels to Shanxi, arriving some time later. Upon his arrival, Hayato makes contact with the Chinese Brotherhood and meets with the Chinese Mentor in order to inform them of his mission. Upon realising their motivations have aligned as well as learning of Sun's status as a Preserver, the Mentor of the Brotherhood agrees to aid Hayato in retrieving the Chestpiece. Hayato would also learn that the Assassins are currently supporting the current rebellion led by Li Zicheng, in order to oversee the transition of power and allow new rulers to take over where the Ming dynasty had failed. As well as this, he is made aware of the fact that the Chinese Rite are currently backing the war as well, in order to take control of China through the void of power left in the wake of the rebellion.
After a few months pass, it is now 1642 and Hayato has spent most of his time in China attempting to locate the whereabouts of Sun. Eventually, Hayato discovers that Li has attacked the city of Nanyang in order to take control of it and Sun is currently there in an attempt to defend the city. Arriving at the west side of the city, Hayato meets with Xú Jing who had been there for a year already in attempts to take the city. He asks how their progress is going but Jing, unhappily, states that progress is slow. She then introduces him to Li Zicheng himself who appreciates his aid, despite his Japanese heritage. Rubbed the wrong way by this comment, Hayato intends to confront him but is stopped by Jing.
She apologises for Li's behaviour, stating that everyone is on edge and eager to reclaim the city. Hayato acknowledges the strategic benefits for conquering Nanyang, but expresses his disapproval of the Assassins siding with an army that is likely hurting innocents in the crossfire. Jing agrees with Hayato's disapproval, however she reminds him of how bad things were in China before the uprising, reminding him that this entire siege was for the good of the people.
Issue 16[]
A few more months pass and Li's rebellion has made significant progress in claiming Nanyang, however Hayato has made little progress in reaching Sun. Preparing to make their final push to claim the city, Hayato, Jing, and the other Assassins would aid Li and his men in the final assault. Meanwhile, Hayato prepared himself to finally assassinate Sun and retrieve the Chestplate.
On the eve of the last push, Hayato and Jing have a discussion. She comments on how, despite having been together for a few months she barely had any time to ask him questions about his personal life. Aloofly, he permits her to ask now as it is a better time than any, Jing inquires what its like to be the last Assassin and if he ever loses faith in his mission to restore the Brotherhood. Hayato answers her question, confessing that it is difficult and tiring having the weight of Japan rest on his shoulders but if he wouldn't take the responsibility then who would. He adds that he has such faith in the Assassins goals and means for the future, he wishes to see it through - or at the very least, play his part in achieving the Assassins' goal.
Jing agrees with him, noting that while humanity isn't perfect - nothing is, and that is what makes life a beautiful thing. And while her actions will be forgotten to history, she is proud that she would have contributed to humanity's advancement. Hayato acknowledges this, sharing these same feelings. Despite this though, he asks her if she truly believes the Assassins can educate humanity into bringing peace amongst themselves. Jing deliberates for a moment before sharing that she believes so, using Hayato and herself as reference she says that if they have the capacity to work to better and enlighten themselves, so does everyone else.
Jing's simple analogy has a profound effect on both Hayato and Jin who is directly experiencing his memores. Now more than ever, Hayato's devotion to the Assassins has never been stronger while Jin finally understands and believes the Assassins' goals to be the right one. The next day, Lin's rebellion begin their attack on Nanyang and Hayato aids them while also searching for Sun among the chaos.
Hayato fights his way through the Ming soldiers with Jing following close behind, wishing to support him. Locating Sun wearing the Chestplate and leading his men, Hayato engages Sun and after a brief fight, Jing stabs him in the back. Sun miraculously and rapidly heals from his wound before backhanding Jing and launching her into the wall of a building. Hayato attacks Sun but is quickly grabbed by the throat, Sun states that he isn't surprised the Assassins would come for the Armor before swearing to destroy the rebellion and purging the Assassins and Templars from the planet.
Sun prepars to kill Hayato but he sees that Li and his men are overwhelming his own and the city had been lost. Throwing Hayato into an unwitting rebel, he calls for his men to retreat before falling back. As Hayato regains his bearings, he goes to find Jing as the rebels celebrate their claiming of Nanyang. Waking her up, Jing is unharmed but is suffering a concussion from hitting the wall. With that, he takes her to be treated now that the battle is over.
Issue 17[]
In the latter half of 1643, Hayato has spent the past year taking part in various battles across Henan in hopes of retrieving the Chestplate, to no avail. During this time, he expected to cross paths with his father and to his pleasure, he has not done so yet. Deciding to take matters in his own hands, Hayato heads to infiltrate Beijing in the hopes of finding Sun. Jing bids him farewell and good luck, desiring to go with him and help him find the Chestpiece but Hayato tells her that the Assassins need her there, and that they are close to toppling the Ming Empire.
Arriving in Beijing by November, Hayato spends the next few days within the city searching for leads on Sun. He eventually learns of a barrack that Sun frequents through eavesdropping on a variety of military patrols in the city. At nightfall, Hayato infiltrates this military barrack before triggering his Eagle Vision to search for Sun but to no avail. Improvising, Hayato decides to sneak his way into the captain's tent in the hopes of locating any information on Sun's current movements or whereabouts.
Upon entering the tent, Hayato is immediately caught off guard by Lonan who pins him against a wooden pillar at gunpoint as Hayato activates his Hidden Blade. Lonan greets his son in a confident manner whereas Hayato meets his greeting with contempt. The Assassin manages to slip out of the Templar's grasp and kick him away, the two enter a brief stand-off with Hayato fully prepared to engage with his father. However, Lonan reminds him that they are deep within an area infested with soldiers that will kill them on sight, and that it would be wiser to not fight. Activating his Eagle Vision, he sees that Lonan is not a threat at this current time and retracts his Hidden Blade.
Lonan, correctly deduces that the both of them are there for the same reason - locating Sun. Hayato non-verbally confirms this and Lonan proposes they work together to find it. Hayato proceeds to bring up the issue of what happens when they find it, knowing that the outcome will not be positive. Pausing, Lonan shrugs and states that they will handle that issue when they get to it. While reluctant to work with a Templar, Hayato was nonetheless curious about his father and to maybe hear his side of events - why he betrayed the Assassins. It is this curiosity that leads to the Assassin agreeing to work with his father.
The two search around the tent, looking for any information that will lead them to Sun. Eventually Lonan finds information that tells the pair that Sun had passed through the barracks a few days prior. However, he also learns that Sun is currently headed to lend aid to the Ming forces in Tongguan, Shaanxi.
Issue 18[]
Hayato and Lonan are settled around a camp, having ridden for Shaanxi on horseback the night following their meeting. The sun has began to set and the two are now resting for the night. Sat on a log by the campfire, the two sit in an awkward silence for a few moments before Lonan ultimately breaks the ice. He expresses his condolences at Mariko's death, confessing she was the only woman he'd ever loved, Hayato is silent but acknowledges his words. Lonan speaks up more and assures Hayato that if he knew Mariko had been pregnant he would have stayed, and maybe even left the Templars altogether - confessing his devotion to those he cared for sat higher than his devotion to either the Assassins or Templars.
Hayato snaps back, questioning if that was true then why did he murder Arthur and Rose Kavanagh, his grandfather and aunt. Sighing, Lonan admits that he isn't surprised Kenshin still believes that story. Lonan reminds Hayato that he spared Kenshin 20 years prior before he divulges the truth of what really happened to Arthur and regrettably informing his son that he killed his sister in self defence, and that it still haunts him to this day. Hayato uses his Eagle Vision to see whether Lonan is telling the truth or not and as he scans the Templar's aura, he sees that he is telling the truth.
Lonan then asks how Kenshin is doing, Hayato bluntly says "still missing an arm" reminding Lonan of how they parted ways. Lonan shares his regrets, explaining that he did not wish to kill him but Kenshin refused to back down. He then snickers, finding it ironic that he had warned his old friend to not rebuild the Brotherhood and then indoctrinates Lonan's own son. Hayato corrects Lonan in defence of Kenshin, telling him that it was what he himself wanted as much as Kenshin fought against it, sharing his belief that the Templars needed to be stopped.
Lonan argues that the Templars wanted the same goal, peace, but theirs was simply more attainable. However, Hayato fights against it believing that the removal of human autonomy and individuality is too great a cost. Lonan argues that the Assassin notion of peace is a childish and naive dream, reminding his son that humanity was created to be subservient and it was practically human nature to be controlled - calling back to the current events of China, the rebels' fight to depose the Ming Empre and set in place a new ruler. As well as this he critiques that the Assassins, who entertain anarchy, are supporting the transition of power to a more suitable leader.
Hayato counters Lonan's statements that he, as a former Assassin, should know that it was never about anarchy and that the Assassins' support governments that emphasizes individual liberty and choice as main principles, not the abolition of order and government in its entirety. The Assassins support the people and their right to be treated better, not Li himself. This leads Lonan to round back to the Templar goal, questioning how their goals differ from the current uprising. Angered, Hayato tells him he knows exactly how it differs but he just chooses to be obtuse.
With that, the two spend the remainder of the night in cold silence before heading to bed. 5 days later, the pair arrived in Shaanxi and tracked Sun to the battlefield in Tongguan. The pair scoured the battlefield, fighting against Ming soldiers and searching for Sun throughout the many faces in the battle. During the battle, he sees Jing who is engaging and taking out multiple opponents before she is suddenly injured by a slice in the back.
Issue 19[]
Hayato rushes to her aid, telling Lonan to find Sun. He quickly dispatches her attackers and helps her up, while still in pain she makes a joke that she expected to see him there. However, Hayato jokes that he came there to see her and asks if she is alright - she confirms she is okay, but she's hurt. She tells him that she was going to eliminate the Ming's artillery but is uncertain if she'll be able to. Hayato tells her to take it easy and that he will take care of it, hijacking an enemy rider, Hayato kicks the Ming soldier off his horse and uses it to ride toward the artillerymen.
Leaping off of the horse, Hayato kills a group of artillerymen and then destroys their field gun before stealing a dead soldier's firearm and shooting at a powder keg next to another field gun, blowing it up and setting off a chain reaction which in turn destroys more field guns. What is left of the artillerymen causes a rout with many of the Ming soldiers beginning to retreat.
Amidst the chaos, mounting the horse he had stole, Hayato searches for Lonan who he can see engaged in combat with Sun. He gets a better look at Sun and notices he is not wearing the Chestplate. The Assassin charges toward the two and once close enough, he leaps off of the horse and assassinates a surprised Sun - who has now been abandoned by his men. In the moments before his death, Hayato inquires where the Chestplate is, and Sun, with nothing left to lose confesses that he wasn't confident in repelling the rebellion but knew that the Chestplate could not fall into the hands of the Assassins or Templars. Ultimately he refuses to tell them and dies.
Frustrated, Lonan tells Hayato that he will look into it and notify Hayato of his progress before departing. Moments later, Jing arrives and asks who that man was, Hayato confesses that he was his father and also a Templar. Jing is shocked by this, asking why he would work with him, Hayato confesses he doesn't actually know and chalks it up to misplaced sentiment and desperation. She expresses her hope that he is making the right choice, Hayato then notifies Jing that he is essentially back to square one now. Despite this, Jing tries to reassure him that despite that - the death of Sun was a crucial victory.
Issue 20[]
Concluding the 1641 to 1643 portion of Hayato's memories, Jin is once again pulled out of the Animus after having been inside for a large amount of hours. He is once more met by Min, Jin rubs his head stating all this time in the Animus with three different ancestors couldn't be good for his brain. Min tells him that in the past, it could be deadly, however with the improvement of Animus technology the harsh effects have been reduced significantly and he should be fine.
Asking where Baozhai is, he expresses his desire to confront her but Min opts against it knowing she would simply deny it. However, Min reveals that she has had a change of mind and confesses that after viewing the live feed of Jin's Animus session with Hayato, she found Jing's words to be profound. Confused at what she is getting at, he asks what she means and Min tells him that the point she is getting at is that she wants to help him.
Pleased to hear this, Jin thanks Min for her support but admits he isn't sure of how he is supposed to leak footage to the Assassins. Min subsequently reveals that the footage recovered from Hayato's memories is encrypted within the Abstergo Cloud, located in the servers within the basement level. Understanding what she's alluding too, he surmises that he needs to go to the servers and recover them but admits he isn't good at hacking. Min explains that it will be simple, and provides him with a device able to hack into the servers and downloaded the encrypted memories - but decrypting them might be the issue. He isn't worried about this, knowing Sam will be able to decrypt the memory data.
Jin then asks why he has to do all of this and Min accurately states that he is more valuable than her, if he's caught they will just increase security but if she's caught her fate may be worse. In addition, she also tells Jin that she will rig the cameras to loop old footage. Following this, Min returns home for the night and leaves the door to his cell unlocked. Jin bides his time before he makes his move to download Hayto's memories, he exits his cell and begins to sneak his way to the servers. While on his way, he sees the holding cells of the other captured descendants of notable Assassins and Templars, feeling sympathy for their plight.
Managing to avoid any guards thanks to the stealth abilities he acquired from his ancestors, Jin successfully makes his way to the Abstergo mainframe and subsequently downloads Hayato's memory data before returning back to his cell. That morning, he meets up with Min before the start of his Animus session and hands her the hard drive in which he stored a copy of Hayato's memories. Min thanks him for this and assures him she will send it over to the Assassins, however, as Jin had not located the final resting place of the Armor of Ares - she informs him he would need to hack into the mainframe again once he's concluded reliving Hayato's memories.
With that, Min readies the Animus and Jin returns to Hayato's memories.
Issue 21[]
April 1644, 5 months have passed since Sun Chuanting's assassination at the hands of Hayato. During this time, Hayato and Lonan have searched high and low for the location of the Chestplate - both together and seperately. Hayato seeks out Lonan in Beijing after receiving word from his father that he had found promising information on the Chestpiece. At this point, the Ming empire was stretched thin both defending against attacks from the Manchu in the North and against the rebels - the empire was in its final days.
Meeting with Lonan, he informs Hayato that he has learned that the Chestplate is currently within the possession of the Chongzhen Emperor Zhu Youjan. As well as this, he makes Hayato aware of an upcoming negotation between Li, Zhu and his ministers. With his status as Grand Master, he has secured both Hayato and himself a place within these talks. There, they will attempt to acquire the Chestplate however Hayato orders Lonan to not kill Zhu with the possibility of Zhu surrendering and ending further bloodshed being important. Reluctantly, Lonan complies with his son's wishes but expresses his lack of faith in their ability to negotiate a peaceful surrender as it is human nature.
On April 23, the pair are present during the negotations between Li and Zhu - Jing is also present, within the company of Li. Unfortunately, despite the attempts of Hayato and Jing to bring about a peaceful transfer of power - Zhu refuses to surrender. As the negotations fall through and the two groups part ways, Lonan reprimands Hayato and frustratedly tells him he should have let him kill Zhu and be done with it - bringing about an end to this civil war sooner. Li informs the three that in a day's time, he will begin an attack on Beijing's walls.
The next day, Hayato and Lonan are present during the attack on Beijing but actively do not take part - choosing to focus on recovering the Chestplate. Hayato and Lonan infiltrate the royal palace and search for Zhu. Horrified, the pair followed a blood trail found at the bodies of Consort Yuan and Princess Zhaoren, reaching its end they find Zhu preparing to kill his daughter, Princess Changpin but Lonan shoots at the Emperor's hand - blowing it off. However, he drops his sword on Changpin's left arm severing it, Hayato utilises the opportunity to assassinate the Emperor.
Tearfully, Zhu uses his dying words and expresses he was afraid for his family and did not want them to bear a terrible fate, believing what he did to be a mercy. Angered, Lonan asks what he did with the Chestplate and Zhu promises to tell them if they show his daughter mercy by killing her. Lonan agrees and Hayato asks him why he hid it, Zhu knew that his empire would fall and believed the Chestplate was best hidden away from the eventual hands of the Assassins and Templars - inadvertently revealing himself to be a Preserver. Zhu then reveals that he hid it, buried on a small hill beneath a pagoda tree in what would be the modern day Jingshan Park. Zhu then passes and Hayato gives him his final rights - feeling deep remorse over what Zhu had resorted to and sympathising with the man.
Changpin passed out during the entire ordeal and Lonan prepared to kill her, honoring Zhu's wish as a father. However, Hayato stops him and tells him there must be a better way, that enough unnecesarry blood had been spilled. Lonan rhetorically asks what they should do, laying out their limited options. Suddenly the two hear something within the distance and Lonan orders for whoever it is to come out, a young eunuch then emerges, having witnessed the entire thing. Formulating an idea from this, Hayato summons the eunuch over and orders him to treat Zhu and help her escape, the eunuch agrees, taking the princess and leaving.
Issue 22[]
Hayato and Lonan travel to the location they were told by Zhu, arriving under the pagoda tree mentioned. Hayato begins to dig under the tree, as he does so he takes the opportunity to ask why he believes in the Templar cause so much. Sighing, Lonan confesses that his views had always aligned with the Templars since childhood but wasn't aware of it. He further adds that while he believes the Assassins' goal to be noble, it simply isn't sustainable as he has said time and time again calling himself foolish and optimistic for believing otherwise.
Lonan also states that his belief comes from his lack of faith in humanity, their repeated wars and other forms of atrocities was a noticeable pattern. As well as this, the Templar goal is the most realistic and attainable. Hayato shares his disagreement and Lonan knows this but the both would rather not engage in another debate that will go nowhere. Finally, Hayato recovers the Chestplate and Lonan mentions they are at a standstill.
The Templar admits that during their time together, he has grown to admire and respect his son knowing that his death would be a waste. However, Hayato states his refusal to join the Templar cause. Lonan knows that Hayato is too proud to join the Templars and proposes that he should simply give up his cause and that they could avoid any bloodshed. However, Hayato regretfully tells him that this won't happen and that he won't give up. A visibly upset Lonan sighs and comments at their impass, stating he wished it wouldn't have come to this.
Lonan draws his sword and Hayato follows suit, drawing his katana and wakizashi. The two then engaged in a brief duel but it ends with Hayato unleashing a kick to Lonan's abdomen and not having the heart to kill his father - he tackles Lonan to the ground and punches him until he's unconscious. With that, he leaves the area and makes his return to the base of the Chinese Assassins.
Upon returning, he notifies the Mentor on his success and receives thanks from the Assassin leader for aiding the Assassins in overthrowing the Ming empire. Hayato cannot help but express his sympathy for the royal family, explaining that Zhu had resorted to killing his family in order to prevent them from having a worse fate. The Mentor acknowledges Hayato's feelings, telling him that the choices they make are never easy and to feel what he feels makes him human. However, he reminds him that for many years the people of China had suffered drought, famine, plagues, and war due to the poor leadership of the Ming, and it was time for reformation.
Hayato acknowledges this and then asks what the Chinese Brotherhood will do now that the Emperor is dead. The Mentor reveals that the Assassins will work to eliminate the Templar influence within the Shun ranks, as well as eliminate the threat of Zhang Xianzhong - self-proclaimed emperor of the Xi dynasty - who the Templars are also backing. Hayato wishes them luck and begins making preperations to return to Japan.
Issue 23[]
In May 1644, Hayato prepares to board another merchant ship back to Japan but not before saying his goodbyes to Jing, who had grown close to in their time together. She expresses her sadness to see him go but acknowledges his greater mission of restoring the Brotherhood in Japan, nonetheless she thanks him for his aid and shares that she treasured the time that they had. Hayato shares that he had enjoyed being among more Assassins, expressing that it is a lonely path back in Japan - as well as this, he was happy to have met Jing and call her friend.
Before departing, Hayato and Jing embrace one another before he steps on the ship with Jing wishing him luck. Returning to Japan some days later with the Chestplate, Hayato makes his way back to Kakureta excited to see Kenshin once again after 3 years. However, upon arriving to the Hashimoto estate he finds it in ruins and no sign of Kenshin.
Hayato rushes to the estate to search for Kenshin, calling out to him and rummaging through all the rubble. Eventually, he finds Kenshin's body seeing he had been there for a few days. Tearfully, he cradles Kenshin's body and apologises to him for not being there with him when the estate was attacked. Recovering his body, Hayato proceeds to bury his body in front of the ruined estate and swears to him he will honor his memory, eliminating the Templars and restoring the Assassins. As well as this, he speaks to Kenshin's grave, admitting that he always saw him as a father and that he hopes he made him proud. As well as this, he wished that he had something more profound to him before departing to China.
A year later, Hayato has spent this time weakening the Templar presence across Japan through assassinating many high ranking members withing the Order. Eventually, this draws the attention of the Templars and they focus their efforts on eliminating Hayato and put the reclaimation of the Chestplate on the backburner. Through assassinating a Templar agent, he acquires information revealing the location of Miyamoto Mushashi in Higo Province. As well as this, he learns that Miyamoto has fallen gravely ill and his active duties as a Templar have ceased, as well as this he has retired to Reigandō cave.
By June 1645, Hayato travels to the cave and finds Miyamoto there, alone, and he is unsurprised at the Assassin's arrival. Remarking that he had been "clearing up shop" this past year and expected he was soon on the list. However, he is unfearful of death knowing that he is going to die soon regardless. Hayato remains silent and approaches the Templar, Miyamoto mentions the attack on the Hashimoto estate and Kenshin's death, correctly guessing that his killing spree is the result of that. Finally speaking up, he asks where Lonan and Nobuyoshi are, promising to grant him peace if he answers.
With nothing left to lose and having come to accept that the Templars are finished in Japan, he reveals that Lonan and Nobuyoshi are holed up within the Templar base, a fort on the outskirts of Heian-kyō. However, he tells the Assassin that he will not get to them there as the fort is too heavily guarded and armed. Hayato tells him not to worry before plunging his Hidden Blade into Miyamoto's neck, granting him a quick death. Following this, Hayato recovers Miyamoto's incriminating documents revealing the Templars' various schemes and attempts to depose the Tokugawa shogunate.
Issue 24[]
January 1646, Hayato has spent the past 7 months in Heian-kyō - searching for ways to infiltrate the fort. Eventually, the Assassin manages to formulate a plan to infiltrate the fort with the aid of the Tokugawa shogunate's military.
Using his connections with Kenshin to grant himself an audience with the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu. There, he hands over the incriminating documents he had recovered from Miyamoto. Hayato manages to stoke the shogun's rage who wishes to punish Nobuyoshi and execute him for his treachery. A few days pass and the Tokugawa military arrive at the entrance of the fort, immediately they attack. Hidden from the sidelines, Hayato watches as they initiate their assault and uses the chaos as a distraction to infiltrate inside.
Freerunning over the fort's walls, Hayato navigates through the assault but not before assassinating an officer who threatens to reveal his presence among the soldiers. Making his way to the castle inside, he enters and begins searching for the Templars and the remaining pieces of the Armor of Ares. He finds Lonan waiting for him who tells him to give up his fool's errand, however, Hayato reminds him that the Tokugawa are breaking down his doors right now and the Templars are practically finished in Japan. He then asks Lonan where Nobuyoshi and the Sword and Shield are.
Lonan reveals Hayato that they had been aware of his killing spree the past year, Nobuyoshi left with the Sword and Shield months prior knowing that he would someday reach them. Lonan states that he opted to remain at the fort expressing his desire to talk Hayato out of his fool's crusade - and if that failed, at least he would provide an efficient distraction. Hayato reminds him of Kenshin's murder, stating that the chance for a peaceful solution was long gone.
The father and son then draw their swords and engage in a duel, this time however he notices Lonan's fighting is much more aggressive despite his old age. Hayato feels himself struggling to defend and counter against his father's onslaught, now realising that Lonan was going easy on him back in China. During their duel, Lonan tells Hayato that Kenshin's death was not by his order and Nobuyoshi had made a grave error, ordering it while he was gone. Still enraged, Hayato expresses his anger by telling him that he is still going out of his way to defend Nobuyoshi.
This leads Lonan to tell him that the future of the Templars rests on the younger man's shoulders, Hayato quickly reminds him that that dream is dead. Despite this, Lonan states that the Templar ideals will never die and that no matter what he does, they will be restored once again. Countering this, Hayato states that the Assassins will remain to oppose them. Lonan once again argues for the Templar's cause, telling him that in a world controlled by them that they will create a utopia, ending war, famine, inequality, prejudices and more.
Hayato argues that the cost is too great and that a forced peace is not true peace. Lonan counters that he is declaring semantics, and that if humanity is given the freedom that the Assassins desire so much - they will become violent, give into their most primal instincts and erupt the world in chaos. Hayato then tells Lonan that this is why humanity must be educated and guided toward this peace, not forced into it against their will as it will build resentment and he refers to the people of China revolting against the Ming. Hayato points out Lonan's lack of faith in humanity's ability to improve upon themselves, but he then refers to the two of them - who are aware of their innate flaws as humans, and work to overcome them arguing that everyone deserves that chance to better themselves.
In that moment, Lonan successfully disarms Hayato and moves in to kill him. However, Hayato manages to evade the attack, countering Lonan's sword with his Hidden Blades and subsequently stabbing him in a vital artery within his abdomen. Falling to one knee, Lonan remarks his impression at his son's resilliance and determination remarking how he reminded him of himself as a young man. Lonan, in this moment, laments on how the Assassin-Templar conflict had essentially torn apart his family, robbing him of a normal life. However, as it was the only life he had ever known, he couldn't complain. In his final moments, Lonan reminds him that despite his oncoming success the Templars will never be stopped, collapsing dead.
In a moment of regret, Hayato remarks how he too wished things could have been different before departing.
Issue 25[]
In 1647, Hayato has spent the past year searching for any kind of leads and turning up with nothing, realising Nobuyoshi had effectively hidden himself. In September, he was contacted by an old ally, Hattori Himari, who has become a well-informed spy with a vast array of connections across Japan. She had asked him to meet her in Bungo, Kyūshū. Working for the Tokugawa shogunate, her and her contacts across Japan have been searching for Nobuyoshi for several months.
After arriving in Bungo, he meets with Himari at a tavern where she informs him that her spies have finally located Nobuyoshi. When she contacted him prior, he had been seen around the area and as recently as today, her spies pinned his location to a Shinto shrine, Yasuhara. He asks her why she was helping him and Himari remarks on how his rampage against the Templars didn't go unnoticed for those "in the know", and noticing how much he had eradicated their presence, she wanted to help him. As well as that, she also reminds him that 6 years prior she had told him that she believed the Templars needed to be stopped.
Following this conversation, Hayato thanks her and makes his way to Yasuhara with the Chestplate on his person. Upon arriving, he sees no signs of Nobuyoshi, however, using his Eagle Vision Hayato noticed that the shrine had mechanations that granted access to a hidden entrance. Activating these, Hayato unlocks the hidden entrance beneath the shrine. Travelling down it, he soon realises that he is inside an Precursor Temple. Because of this, he begins to grow increasignly suspicious as he ventures through it.
Eventually, he finds Nobuyoshi with the Sword and Shield, who appears to be waiting for him in a crypt. Hayato deduces that this was a trap to which Nobuyoshi confirms, stating that he had not just simply been in hiding this past year. The last Templar reveals that he had recovered documents during Hayato's continued killing spree for the prior 3 years, detailing that to truly harnass the combined power of the Armor of Ares he would need assistance from one of the many Isu shrines located across the world. Hayato quickly realises that Nobuyoshi intentionally made his presence known in order to gain access to the Chestplate. Nobuyoshi confirms this promptly attacking him with an energy blast from Ares' Sword.
Hayato manages to barely defend himself against the blast through blocking it with the Chestplate, but the force of the blast knocks him back and causes him to drop it. Recovering from the attack, he sees Nobuyoshi doing the same realising that using both the Sword and Shield in tangent with one another severely effects the Templar. As the both see the Chestplate in the distance, the Assassin and Templar rush towards it but Nobuyoshi successfully recovers it by attacking Hayato with the combined strength of the Sword and Shield. Hayato is knocked into a pillar, but also sees that the Armor is taking its toll on Nobuyoshi.
The Assassin quickly devises a plan to weaken Nobuyoshi through forcing him to extenstively use the powers of the Armor. Nobuyoshi declares that he will create a world ruled by the Templars once he has dealt with Hayato. Utilising his stealth, Hayato forces Nobuyoshi to senselessly attack him. After repeatedly evading his attacks and hiding throughout the crypt, Hayato successfully manages to wear out Nobuyoshi. The Assassin subsequently seizes the opportunity to finish off Nobuyoshi,
Before dying, Nobuyoshi remorsefully wishes that he could have honored Lonan and Mariko, taking their son under his wing and ushering in a New World together. He expresses his desire to have become Hayato's brother. Despite this, Hayato argues that Lonan had been more of a father to Nobuyoshi than he was to him, and that his mother would have never agreed with the Templar ideals if she knew about them. Choking on his blood, defeatedly, Nobuyoshi states that they will never know.
Now dead, Hayato gathers the three pieces of the Armor of Ares and exits the shrine - sealing it off.
Issue 26[]
Five months later, Hayato returns to the Hashimoto estate which is in the same state he had left it in four years prior. Carrying a large rucksack, he visits Kenshin's unmarked grave and he informs his mentor that he had succeeded despite all odds, despite Kenshin's objections - he had defeated the Templars. However, he remarks that he feels nothing but emptiness and even though he has accomplished something great, he has never felt so alone. While he had stopped the Templars from controlling Japan and the world, the cost was too great, having lost so many people and witnessed so much death along the way.
He ponders that being an Assassin asks for a life of heart ache and pain in pursuit of the greater good, he then remarks that no worthwhile goal was ever easy. Hayato tells Kenshin's burial that he had spent the last few months routing out the Templars and now he was left with the Armor of Ares, unsure of what to do with it. Noting that the Preservers presence was still a threat, he explains that he decided to hide them away from the world - too dangerous for the hands of man. Hayato proceeds to bury the Shield in Kenshin's burial, and the rucksack he is carrying is revealed to be holding the pieces of the Armor of Ares.
His words carry over into narration as he buries the Chestplate beneath his former home in Edo, and the Sword in the ruins of the Templar fort outside of Heian-kyō. Within the narration Hayato states that he will now focus on rebuilding the Assassins' presence in Japan, hoping to make them stronger than before in order to defend the common folk and oversee humanity's continued progress from a distance. As he leaves the abandoned fort, the camera focuses on the Sword's burial place and Min can be heard in the distance saying that they'd found it.
Jin exits the Animus and sees that he had spent the entire day reliving Hayato's memories and it is once again nightfall. Min informs him that everyone has gone home but it works in their favour as Baozhai is currently unaware that they have located the Armor of Ares, she tells him he will be able to sneak into the server room once more and have the Hayato's encrypted memories sent to the Assassins before Abstergo sets off to find them. After Jin acknowledges this, Min returns home for the night but not before repeating what she did before which helped Jin sneak through the facility.
Following Min's departure, Jin once again sneaks back into the server room and downloads Hayato's remaining memories before returning to his cell to sleep. While asleep he experiences a dream where he relives the most traumatic moments in his ancestor's lives - from Arthur witnessing James' death, Lonan watching his father's murder, and Hayato recovering Kenshin's body. Jin is then placed in the memory of finding his mother's body, and then being forced to kill the little girl four years prior.
Standing over the girl's body are Arthur, Lonan and Hayato - and behind them are their great accomplishments. It is in this moment, Jin realises what it means to be an Assassin, experiencing great pain ignites the drive to bring about its end. Jin fully embraces his identity as an Assassin.
Issue 27[]
The next day, Jin and Min are present in Baozhai's office as she overlooks the footage of Hayato's memories. Gleefully, she praises Jin for his success and informs the two that she will begin making preparations to recover the Armor pieces in Japan, expressing her desire to oversee the retrieval herself. Baozhai then tells Jin that he has greatly aided the Templar Order and was certain that a place for him would be found among their ranks soon, as well as this she assures Min that she will be greatly rewarded as well.
Following this, alarms begin to blare across the facility and the trio head to see the commotion and discover that it is being attacked. Baozhai demands to know who it is that is attacking and a security guard informs her that the Assassins are behind it all. Grinning, Jin reveals to Baozhai that they'd been feeding the Assassins information all along and that they no doubt have already gotten to the Armor pieces already. Shocked, she asks him why he did that and how she thought that he'd seen their way. Jin tells her that he did initially but he realised it was wrong to rob humanity of its freedom.
Suddenly, more security arrive to protect Baozhai and she orders them to apprehend Jin and Min. Jin fights off the first few guards, disarming one and taking one of their riot sticks before taking Min and leading her to safety. During this, Jin discovers a familiar katana which triggered the Bleeding Effect making him realise it was Hayato's sword, preserved and recovered by Abstergo. Meanwhile, Gina is amongst the Chinese Brotherhood members and sees Jin within the chaos, and fights her way to him. Meanwhile, with Hayato's katana, Jin continues to defend himself against the other guards as he tries to simultaneously defend Min and find an escape route - however, Gina finally arrives. She and Jin fight off a wave of guards, with Jin recovered, the Assassins begin making their retreat.
As they make their escape Jin expresses his happiness to see her again while Gina compliments him on his improves skills. Finally escaping into the foundation's grounds, Jin shares his surprise that she managed to amass a strike team so fast. Gina seems confused, telling him that they'd contacted the Chinese Brotherhood and planned a breakout for some weeks now. Also confused, Jin reminds her that she had been sent the footage of Hayato's memories but Gina states that the Assassins received no such thing. Turning to Min, he activates his Eagle Vision and immediately sees she is no longer an ally. He asks her who she really sent the footage too, and she smugly tells him to "ask them" his self.
Jin, Gina and a small group of Assassin escorts are suddenly attacked by Maria and Frederic.
Issue 28[]
The Assassins are promptly killed by Frederic as Maria engages with Jin and Gina. Although Gina is well trained and Jin has the skills of both Lonan and Hayato, they still struggle to keep up and defend against Maria - who is much more experienced than the two. With their escort dead, Frederic joins Maria in her duel against Jin and Gina. The two are overwhelmed by Maria's deadly skills and Frederic's inhuman strength. Meanwhile, Baozhai is escorted to the roof of the Abstergo Foundation facility where she promptly enters a helicopter and it begins to take off.
Gina is knocked out and Jin is knocked to the ground by Frederic and Maria. Before they can kill the two Assassins, Min sees the helicopter taking off and notifies the pair of Preservers. Maria orders Frederic to stay while she escorts Min away. Jin calls out to Min as Frederic grabs him by the throat, he asks her why. Min tells him that the Assassins and Templars are a plight on the world and need to be removed, allowing humanity to progress on its own. She also tells him that she had lied about Baozhai killing his mother and really, her death was at the hands of the Preservers. Frederic sees Jin's eyes noticeably flare from rage and he grins.
With that, Min and Maria leave Jin with Frederic. Jin repeatedly kicks Frederic in the abdomen and manages to land a kick in his groin which causes the Preserver to drop Jin. Falling to his knees, he gasps for air and forces himself to recover as much air as he can before rolling out of the way of another attack. The two continue to fight and Jin puts up a valiant effort, but is knocked to the floor once again. Frederic climbs on top of him and begins to strangle the Assassin, as the light begins to leave his eyes, he leans in and whispers to him. Frederic tells him that when they found his mother, she put up a good fight, but he killed her when striking her too hard. They made her death look like a suicide.
On the verge of death, Robbie suddenly arrives and stabs Frederic in the back of the neck. However, in his last moments, Frederic utilises the last of his strength and grabs Robbie by the wrist and throws him overhead before attempting to finish off Jin. Dazed, Robbie sees Jin is in need of aid and tosses him a Hidden Blade he had brought over for him. Catching it, he proceeds to activate the bracer into Frederic's throat, killing him. His body falls on Jin and he struggles to push him off but Robbie gets up and helps him move the body. Jin thanks Robbie for helping him, asking him how he knew to come. Robbie states that he didn't and simply just didn't want to wait on the sidelines whilst everyone else risked their life, and had happened to find him in need of assistance.
The two then approach Gina and wake her up, Jin tells the two that he knows where the Armor pieces are located and that they need to notify the Assassins in Japan to get there before the Templars or Preservers do. They then make their escape to the hideout of the Chinese Brotherhood. Arriving there, he is greeted by Sam and she embraces him telling him that she is glad that he is alive and well. Despite their initial sweet greeting, he informs the Mentor of the Chinese Assassins of what he had told Gina and Robbie.
The Mentor acknowledges this, notifying Jin that he will contact the Assassins and arrange for him and his cell to be transported to Japan as soon as possible.
Issue 29[]
Some hours later, Jin, Gina, Robbie and Sam are on a military plane en route to Japan. The pilot informs the Assassins over the speaker that a team led by Kiyoshi Takakura had successfully retrieved Ares' Sword from Kyoto with some casualties. As well as this, the team sent to recover the Shield in Tokyo have gone dark. Robbie expresses that this is good news. Jin is noticeably quiet which the others notice, they ask him what's up and he states that he believes this is all his fault. Sam asks how and Jin confesses that he willingly handed himself over to the Templars because he believed they could quickly put an end to the suffering in the world.
His team are shocked by this, but Jin continues and states that he eventually saw that their ways were wrong and tried to rectify it by sending the Assassins the footage of Hayato's memories. He then grows visibly angry at the thought of Min, mentioning that she preyed on his desperation and tricked him into retrieving the memories so she could keep the Preservers updated - and now good Assassins are dying because of his mistake. Gina reminds him that right now he is accompanying to make up for his mistake, and that should mean something to him.
Robbie adds that, while Min hoodwinked him, his actions came from a place of good and now they were going to stop both groups from acquiring the Armor. Sam adds in that she's sorry about what happened to his mother. However, Jin states that he is happy that he has some sort of closure and that she didn't willingly leave him. He can make peace with that.
The Assassins arrive in Japan some time later before heading over to the location of where Kakureta and the Hashimoto estate was formerly located. They arrive there to find Baozhai leading a team that is already searching the area, Gina orders Robbie and Sam to keep watch while she and Jin eliminate the Abstergo members. She promptly hands him a smoke bomb, the two throw it into the area and rush toward the agents engulfed in smoke. They assassinate a large amount of Abstergo agents before the smoke dissipates. With a small number left, Jin and Gina then assassinate the remaining agents.
Now alone, Baozhai confronts Jin who expresses her disappointment in his decision to ally with the Assassins. Despite this, Jin - now knowing Baozhai was not involved with his mother's murder - wants to reconcile somehow. He tells her that they don't have to fight and that their familial connection should overrule their dedication to the Assassins and Templars. Despite this, Baozhai reminds him of Lonan and Hayato, and how their nature as father and son bared no weight on their duties - no matter how hard they tried. Pleadingly, Jin states that the two of them are all that they have in the world but a dismissive Baozhai states that he made his choice when he betrayed her.
Suddenly a loud gunshot is heard and Jin realises Baozhai has been shot by Maria, accompanied by Min and another member of the Preservers. Gina immediately rushes into action and engages Maria, meanwhile Jin rushes to Baozhai and puts pressure on her wound. Calling out to Sam in desperation, he pleads for her to help Baozhai. Emerging from their hiding spots, they come to Jin's aid although Robbie expresses his reluctance to save a Templar regardless if she is Jin's half-sister or not. However, Sam reminds her that she is a high-ranking Templar and having her as a prisoner could be useful. Jin thanks the two before making his way to aid Gina who is struggling to combat both Maria and the other Preserver.
Seeing that Min is unprotected by Maria, as she is distracted by Jin and Gina, Robbie seizes the opportunity to attempt to seize Min. Leaving Sam with Baozhai, he rushes toward Min and successfully apprehends her, placing her in a chokehold from behind with his good arm. Meanwhile, Jin and Gina are seperated with the former being forced to face Maria on his own while the latter engages the other.
Gina is struggling to fight against the Preserver, Robbie, after putting Min to sleep, rushes to his sister's aid. Unfortunately, due to his injured shoulder Robbie is unable to be of much help and is quickly dispatched. Despite this, it gives Gina enough time to surprise the Preserver and perform a scissor leg takedown. Landing on top of the Preservers she successfully stabs him with her Hidden Blade.
Meanwhile, as Gina's fight was taking place, Jin fought against Maria. Using Hayato's katana against her, she defended herself through precision counters and blocks with her knife, as well as evading his strikes. During this, Maria taunts him saying that with all of his skills that he still cannot best her. Continuing, she states that he is on the wrong side of this fight, that the Assassins and Templars are two sides of one wrong coin. However, unlike his ancestors, Jin is not interested in debating philosophies.
Eventually, he manages to strike her arm - severing it with the katana. Jin then plunges the blade into her abdomen and whispers "that was for [his] mother" before watching her die.
Issue 30[]
Following the events of the skirmish, Jin sees that Gina and Robbie managed to defeat the other Preserver member and detain Min. He then approaches Sam to see how she is doing, however, Sam was unable to save Baozhai who had died from blood loss. Saddened by this, Jin states that he wished things could be different - empathising with Lonan and Hayato when they went through similar points. Closing her eyes, he gives her her final rights in Mandarin. Sam expresses her condolences but Jin states that while he didn't know her well, she was still his sister, and wished to have gotten to know her more.
Following this, Gina receives confirmation that the Assassin cell recovering the Shield in Tokyo were wiped out but one managed to escape with the Shield. Happy to hear this news, Jin and the others dig up the Chestplate from where Hayato had left it four decades prior. They then call to rendezvouz with the other Assassins at a specific location, taking Min with them in order to interrogate her once she awakened. As they made their way out of Kakureta, Jin expressed his desire to hunt down and eliminate the Preservers.
In the epilogue, it is 1685 and a now elderly Hayato has become Mentor of a revived Japanese Brotherhood and is currently tutoring a class of Assassin pupils. He is met by his daughter, Mei, who he informs of his plan to assassinate the Emperor Go-Sai, a Preserver who has grown too ambitious, plotting to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate by way of a coup. Mei confirms that she and her husband will carry out the task herself. However, before leaving, she mentions that Hayato has led the Assassins for over 40 years and ponders if he will ever step down from the life of an Assassin.
Hayato tells his daughter that the work will never be done, and as long as he breathes, he will continue to fight in order to ensure the freewill of man. As well as to educate man to know wisdom, to bring about a world free from pain and suffering. Hayato then expresses that one day, he will hope to pass on his knowledge to her so she will carry out what he started many years prior. Deliberating, Mei tells her father that she hopes to one day make him proud.
Characters[]
Edo period[]
- Takao Hayato
- Hashimoto Kenshin
- Kinoshita Nobuyoshi
- Lonan Kavanagh
- Xú Jing
- Shimazu Tadatsune
- Miyamoto Musashi
- Hosokawa Tadatoshi
- Mori Sōiken
- Mukai Shōgen Tadakatsu
- Hattori Himari
- Sun Chuanting
- Li Zicheng
- Hayashi Hyōzaemon
- Itsakura Shigemasa
- Matsukura Katsuie
- Zhu Youjan
- Consort Yuan
- Princess Zhaoren
- Princess Changpin
- Tokugawa Iemitsu
- Takao Mariko