ZENPAN, KADAINA, AND ITE WERE IN THE PLANNING ROOM, with the two men sitting at the chessboard. The pieces carved of either birch or ebony were all cramped up in a single corner of the board. Kadaina stared at what he had created in frustration. Ite did not react to this much, as she stayed away from the board, focusing more on the possibility that the worst had already come to Yukan.

"So," Zenpan said, breaking the silence, "do you need some more Tylenol?"

"No," Kadaina answered the general, "my hangover is not the issue here. I'm trying to find any other way besides a siege, but with Yukan gone I don't know what else to do."

"We could try to attack from the inside again," Zenpan proposed, recalling the success of their previous false flag mission.

"They already pulled the same trick on us," Kadaina replied, shooting the idea down. "They are going to expect it and it will be twice as hard to get someone inside their forces to do the job."

"So, this layout is your plan?" Zenpan asked. As he gestured toward the board, Kadaina looked down upon the chaotic arrangement. The pieces, all stuck in a single corner, looked like there was a complete lack of any form put into the process. No gaps existed between pieces. No open tiles in that bottom left corner from Kadaina's perspective could be seen.

"It's the only way we stand any chance for victory," the strategist remarked, gazing upon the imperfect nature of his creation. "There are still many flaws and variations I'm missing, but we're running out of time. We need to rescue Yukan if we stand any chance. This is the only way not to get wiped out in the process."

"So you're saying that victory is unattainable without Yukan?" Zenpan quarreled with the strategist, disturbed by the implications that the army had become reliant on Yukan and that Kadaina said they were about as easy to best as a gentle wave on the shore compared to the mighty tsunami they were with the assistance of the now-absent swordsman.

"Yes," the mage answered, still wary of the state the army would be in from last night's party. "I know that they have an Alpha Blade wielder on their side. What if today is the day he decides to return to the battlefield? We need Yukan to fight them otherwise we are royally screwed."

"Even with Ite's bow and your magical abilities?" the general continued, still confused as to how Kunshu is supposedly able to outmatch both of their strengths combined. Zenpan grew even more worried that two weapons out of a surplus that had been created to possess roughly equal power had shone as being enough to entirely counteract all other weapons of this collection.

"We're talking about a legendary blade here," Kadaina put it bluntly. "There is no victory without a piece to match its strength."

Out of frustration, Ite began to bite her lip to try to keep her feelings of anger under check. Not too long after this, the three of them emerged and announced their plan. And so, the premiere military of Akuni began to march toward the fortress of Yaoseyun.

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After they began to surround the fortress, Kadaina walked over to Ite.

"How are you holding up?" Kadaina started.

"Not the best," Ite started to open up a little bit before closing once more, "but it's not the time to worry for me."

"I know you want to rescue Yukan," the strategist began, knowing that her reaction to what he was preparing to say would be negative. "I know you desperately want to fight in this war, Ite. But I can't let you come into this battle."

"What?!" Ite yelled out as soon as those words hit her ears. "Why not?!"

"First of all," Kadaina began to make a list of reasons why she shouldn't partake in this battle, "Yukan would murder my ass if I let you fight without him watching your back. Second, you are going to get yourself killed."

"I can defend myself-" Ite started to say before suddenly being cut off. She stopped speaking as Kadaina pulled out a knife and put it to her throat as she spoke. After shaking his head, he put the blade away.

"You're too distracted," he remarked before taking a deep breath and continuing. "I can't lose you, okay? I'm already really worried about Yukan. I can't lose someone else to Kunshu. I just can't. If you won't stay here for Yukan, please stay for me. For me AND Master Kashikoi."

"Kadaina..." Ite tried to apologize with a sorry tone before her words trailed off once more.

"Look," Kadaina interjected, trying his best to keep the archer out of this fray. "Every time I see you and Yukan, I think of Shisuta and Ani. You guys are like my siblings and I'd never sleep again if something were to happen to any of you. I would never let them touch the kitchen knives. If they got mixed up in this, the first thing they'd do is terrorize me. They are just kids, and so are you. I'm still a kid as well. Please, just...stay here, Ite." The two of them stood in silence for a few seconds.

"Okay," Ite complied, her head dropping down. "I'll stay here. But you'll have to promise me."

"Promise you what?" Kadaina began.

"Promise you'll bring him back to me," she cried out to him.

"I will do everything in my power to get him back," the mage promised her, holding his staff as if it were a club. "I swear upon Brildinjr." The smile on Kadaina's face begins to turn to a frown as he meets with Zenpan.

"We're spreading our forces a bit thin," the general remarked.

"It's the only way to surround the entire fortress and keep them from flanking us from behind," Kadaina said to him. "It's going to be a relentless battle, but we're out of time and options."

"Is it wise to keep Ite away?" Zenpan began to question. "She has wiped out a great majority of the Aotoshi army."

"Mentally, she's too distracted," the strategist told his general. "This is for the best. Could you please sound the horn? It's time to start." The general nods and gives a signal to the men.

The horn sounded and the battle began. The troops started to rush in to try to catch the enemy off guard. Unfortunately, the Aotoshi army was more prepared than Akuni could have anticipated.

"They are starting to sort out the chaos and form strategies," Zenpan told Kadaina as they began to stand back to back. "We're taking some heavy losses on our side."

"We just have to hold out for now-" the mage yelled back before an opening was seized by a foe. Shirei plunged his broadsword into Kadaina's shoulder, causing him to jump back. He attempted to heal, but Shirei gave him no time to accomplish such a thing.

"So you're the annoying punk who has been planning the attacks," Aotoshi's commander remarked, smirking as he saw Kadaina writhing in pain on the ground. "You're a bit of a pain in my ass, you know that?"

"Well," Kadaina let out a chuckle, not too worried about the strength of the behemoth before him and how his actions would likely lead to his demise, "aren't you a charmer? I guess that you're just a goon of Kunshu. Such a shame you're nobody important."

"Why, you little-" Shirei began to assault him further. After a hefty blow to the cheekbone, Kadaina collapsed, Brildinjr falling too far for him to grab.

"You're a pretty bad fighter for someone so strategic," the commander remarked, critiquing his weakness in physical combat. "You can't even block properly. How about I put you out of your misery?" Shirei raised his sword above his head, preparing to deliver the final blow and take Kadaina's life. Suddenly, an arrow pierces through his shoulder, causing him to stumble backward.