Postscript: Hi! Buddhacide/Yosei here. Thank you for coming on the journey of Imperial Fire, a Claymore x Dynasty Warriors 6 crossover. This project originally started out on a whim, as part of a fanciful reflection on what it would be like if the Claymores of Yagi's world clashed against the characters of my favourite franchise, Koei. A difficult part was in ensuring that both worlds got equal representation. The most famous figure that towers above all is easily Cao Cao, the military and political genius who is seen to be the archetypal villain of almost every story related to the Three Kingdoms. Those familiar with Chinese mythology will also recognize creation goddess Nu Wa, whose biting personality and design I drew from Warriors Orochi 2. The WO2 version of Cao Cao and Nu Wa also share an affiliation, but how DW6 Cao Cao and Nu Wa relate in Imperial Fire is quite different. Aside from Galatea x Cao Cao, Nu Wa x Cao Cao are my favourite ship, but it cannot be said to be of a conventionally romantic nature.

Galatea, Cynthia and Flora do not enjoy nearly the same fame as Clare, Miria, Helen and Deneve. Yet the former three are my favourite Claymores out of Yagi's imagination and I have no intention of ceasing my consistent patronage of these three characters. They were chosen to be the protagonists of Imperial Fire for various specific reasons, most of which have worked out well. On the DW6 side, stoic Zhou Tai and maternal Yue Ying are often sidelined compared to more famous personages such as Zhao Yun, Zhuge Liang, or Lu Xun. It is partly for this reason and for the fact that Zhou Tai and Yue Ying are actually terriblyunderrated that I chose them as the counterparts to Cynthia and Flora respectively. It has been a great run and I feel very fortunate that a crossover like this was "doable." But for now, a break is order before I begin the first stages of Imperial Fire 2: Evening Star, which is the sequel to the adventure begun in this story.

Evening Star will feature an all-original plot with almost no allusion to any historical battles like Chi Bi, He Fei, Wu Zhang Plains, et cetera. Like Imperial Fire, it will also include much of my own original ideas regarding the "world" (examples of these are the Stone Sentinels, the Pyrotroopers, or the three historical swords of legend). Following the model of Imperial Fire, a new series of protagonists shall be introduced (with several familiar faces – whose, I will not reveal just yet). The sequel will also involve two famous Awakened Beings who have been conspicuously missing from the story so far. In other words, it will be on an even grander, more sinister, and bloodier scale than Imperial Fire. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I'll enjoy writing it.

It is thanks to Claymore that my interest in western fantasy was revived. So much is owed to Yagi. Thanks to Koei for giving crazy superpowers to historical people who actually existed. But even more gratitude is owed to you. Thanks for reading again, and I hope you continue to check out my stuff. =3

TO BE CONTINUED IN IMPERIAL FIRE 2: EVENING STAR