Eighteen days have passed since the battle at Bianjing. Kunshu was sitting in his throne room, as usual, playing another round of shadow chess, listening to Shostakovich's 8th String Quartet in C Minor. Not too long after, Shirei entered in his usual fashion. His black eye had healed for the most part, but there was still some bruising in the area.

"What news do you grace my ears with today, Shirei?" the king asked.

"Unfortunately, we lost in Northwell," he informed his ruler. "We didn't fall for an ambush this time. Instead, they had hidden as some of our own and started the attack from within. They finally faced us down, but we weren't enough in numbers."

The king began to slowly rise from his throne, taking a deep breath as rage began to build up inside of him, a blazing wildfire of frustration growing in his core. Suddenly, he tossed his chessboard across the room in anger, with many of his fine glass pieces shattering. The quartet was taken aback by this and nearly slipped up. Fortunately, they had caught themselves before any mistakes were made.

"This has gone on for far too long," Kunshu exclaimed, his ugly side on full display. "It's time to finally play real chess, Shirei. Enough checkers. Call in Mirikiteki Shikaku right now."

"As you wish, my liege."

Shirei then left Kunshu's room. A few minutes passed followed by the entrance of the assassin, Mirikiteki Shikaku. She was a very young and beautiful figure whom many considered one of the best bounty hunters in all of Crenon. Her smile was distinct, a very wide grin with a sort of malice hidden within it.

"You called, my lord?" she answered, bowing before her king. Even somebody with as high a status in Aotoshi as Mirikiteki either feared Kunshu or had too strong of an admiration for him to dare go against his will.

"Yes, my young assassin," Kunshu responded, preparing to lay down her task. "I have a job I believe only you can achieve."

"Oh?" Mirikiteki responded, eyes widening. "I trust that there will be a great payment for this service?"

"Of course," the king answered her. "We can't have it any other way, now can we?" He hands her a large wad of cash. She began counting the bills and it came out to roughly 525 Aotoshi Rands*. She put on her signature grin with satisfaction, ready to do a job with the expertise only she could provide.

"I am at your command, my lord," she said, confirming her loyalty to the deed that was being asked of her.

"There is a young boy," Kunshu began, "Yukan Kenshi. He is one of the fighters in the Akuni army and he wields the Omega Blade, for he is an heir of Oji."

"I wasn't aware that a member of that bloodline was still alive," the assassin interjected. "Very well, what shall I do with this Yukan kid?"

"I would like you to first isolate him from the army," the king began, laying down his demands. "He has an annoyingly strong girlfriend and an annoyingly...annoying...friend. They will be glued to his hip most of the time. Also, watch out for their general. Zenpan Imoru is a dangerous man."

"What would you like me to do once I have him isolated?" she asked him.

"I would like him to be brought here to be executed by my blade," the king answered as he began to unsheathe the Alpha Blade. Much like the Omega Blade, it was a massive specimen, almost as tall as Mirikiteki. The main difference was the attachment at the bottom, being the still-beating heart of a skeletal dragon, and the build, as the Alpha Blade was thinner for better mobility. The heart had once atrophied due to a lack of blood fueling it, but since Kunshu claimed the blade it had swelled back to its size during the Great Trifecta War.

"Merciless as always, my lord," Mirikiteki commented. "I will do as you say and capture this child. Farewell for now."

The assassin left Kunshu's chamber, grinning wildly. Kunshu had begun to place a request to get a replacement for the chessboard he had destroyed in a fit of rage.