Two days later..

  "It was a failure, Haet."

  Toda sat upon his obsidian throne, one leg draped casually over the other, his posture deceptively relaxed. His massive fist rested beneath his chin, supporting his head like a stone pillar bracing a crumbling temple. Shadows danced across his angular face from the flickering lanterns lining the chamber walls, but the fire in his eyes outshone them all—sharp, angry, unrelenting. His voice reverberated through the silent hall like the toll of a war drum.

  He continued, his glare intensifying, "We lost Endo and the city of Trivoko. We have enough money to hire a thousand mercenaries... but it's not enough!"

  I stayed bowed, knees pressed firmly into the cold marble floor. My head was low, but my gaze never left his boots. "Vellin was saved by Zhen Lithberg, who transcended, and there were still a few officers left. There was nothing I could do."

  Toda gritted his teeth, the muscles in his jaw twitching. "Tell me you at least crippled them."

  A sly grin crept across my face, unseen from beneath the hood of my cloak. I spoke with quiet satisfaction. "Yes, Zhen Lithberg won't get in our way. I broke his neck."

  A flicker of approval softened his expression—barely. Toda smiled slightly, the gesture like a knife being unsheathed. "Good, good."

  The atmosphere in the room shifted instantaneously.

  His smile vanished. A wave of killing intent surged from his throne like a tide of flame. It was suffocating, palpable, pressing into my chest like a mountain. I felt the hairs on my neck rise, and my instincts screamed to flee.

  "Why didn't you team up with Endo!?" he roared.

  I froze, terrified.

  This is the strongest man on Earth’s power!

  It pressed into my chest like an avalanche, heavy and cold. My limbs refused to move. Every instinct screamed to flee, but I remained kneeling, trapped between fear and loyalty. I couldn’t even lift my head, couldn’t breathe.

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  My voice came out strained, brittle as cracked glass. “I wanted to wait until Endo weakened him… but he was killed in one attack. I thought he would fight some more, I couldn’t, I just couldn’t.”

  Toda released his killing intent, and the air returned to the chamber like a thunderclap in reverse. I inhaled sharply, trembling with relief.

  “Ugh. You incompetent bastards. You and Endo.” His tone was disgusted, like our failure had physically stained his throne. “Haet, I know of your nature. You steal kills from others, but only when the other is unable to finish it. I like that. But the one time I need a victory, you fail.”

  His words stung more than his aura. I had lived under his command for years, clawing my way up, surviving battles, silencing rivals. Yet here I was—reduced to a mistake.

  No—I wouldn’t be discarded like this.

  I clenched my fists, then slammed them against the marble, the pain grounding me. “Please allow me to take revenge on Vellin, the Piercing Serpent, myself! I will not fail this time!”

  He regarded me with mild disdain, then shook his head. “Not needed nor advised. Alexander, Finn, and Kaiguro are decimating our forces in the west. Luckily, the only transcended we've lost is Endo. It’s just officers and soldiers in the crossfire.”

  Still catching my breath, I looked up, heart racing. “Will they break past?”

  He was silent for a moment, then answered with steel in his voice. “No, they shouldn’t. I have men watching. Our profits have decreased immensely, sure, but it doesn’t matter. Once we hire the mercenaries, gather the Grillir, we will launch an all-out assault.”

  Grillir?

  My heart skipped a beat. I’d heard whispers—tales too brutal to be true.

  Those madmen?

  He saw the flicker of interest in my expression and grinned. “Oh, I didn’t tell you about the plans I have for Grillir yet. We need the Grillir to bolster our forces further. Sun employs five thousand soldiers, two hundred and eighty-two officers, and five Flames. Right now, we employ three thousand soldiers, one hundred and ninety-six officers, and eight Minerals.”

  A pause. Then a correction.

  “Seven.”

  The silence that followed was heavy.

  “As I was saying,” he continued, undeterred, “the four hundred or so Grillir that were part of the raiding parties that nearly wiped the North out—are all officer level or above. I’ve even heard of one ‘Titan of the North’ who killed Kumo in a duel.”

  My blood ran cold.

  Kumo!? The Aikido Grandmaster? The one said to rival Ryuha, the two symbols of perfect balance—defense and offense! He was getting on in age... but to lose?

  Toda’s gaze sharpened with memory. “I met Kumo, and he was strong. He beat you in technique and power, but you have more speed and endurance. We need to recruit that man. I’ve sent Zion and Geralt to Hasfra to recruit and offer them what they want.”

  I rose from my bow slowly, reverently. My voice came from a deeper place now—one of awe and understanding.

  “An honorable death in a battle that will never be forgotten...”

  Toda smiled.

  "That is exactly what they'll get."