The identity of the Shepherd is finally revealed!
Were you able to guess who it was? As far as mysteries go, it wasn't a very big one: and that's fine. I think it's important for there to be a mystery aspect to every story, even if it's just for a chapter or two like this one was. Book 4 had the third student of Sensei's to find, after all, and I think that bit of intrigue really adds a lot to a story regardless of genre.
Speaking of genre, thanks to an army of rotten samurai, we've shifted into a certain type of apocalypse story! It's not something I'm a huge fan of, but that's the benefit of having three stories in one book: you're able to go places and play with ideas you otherwise wouldn't dare!
I'm able to step out of my comfort zone with this stuff because I don't have to dedicate 200k+ words to it, you know?