YUKAN RALLIED ITE, ZENPAN, AND THE REST OF AKUNI MILITARY into the strategy room. He took out Kadaina's chess set, which still had his initials underneath the pieces and in the bottom right corner.

"Okay..." Yukan began as he placed the pieces in specific places, "they have us on the defensive. They probably aren't expecting an attack straight away. We've been playing a huge game of chess all of this time and now the enemy is in check. We cannot waste any of our moves right now. A friend once told me 'Chess teaches foresight, by having to plan ahead; vigilance, by having to keep watch over the entire board; and caution, by having to restrain ourselves from making hasty moves.' A head-on attack is what I have been planning for roughly eighteen months now. Our usual plans involve deception and carefully planned steps to sneak up behind the enemy. We need to go in when they least expect it and when the moment arrives, we attack."

"Are you suggesting that you go alone with Kunshu?" Zenpan asked the strategic lead of the operation, knowing exactly where this was going to end up going.

"Yes," he answered. "Yes, I am. I used to let him attack me because that was all I knew how to do. Now I need to attack him because that is what works best. As David Schenk once said, 'Chess is rarely a game of ideal moves. Almost always, a player faces a series of difficult consequences whichever move he makes.' Whatever we choose to do now will have consequences. I am the only one who can face Kunshu and still have a chance of telling the tale."

"This is suicide-" the general remarked.

"This is the only way I can keep Ite safe," Yukan explained, cutting him off.

"I can defend myself-" Ite argued.

"You are the most important part of this whole plan," the swordsman continued. "You must be kept alive no matter what. You are the final hope, Ite. You are the last one who stands between Kunshu and getting what he wants."

"What are you going on about?" she continued, taken aback by what Yukan was telling her to do.

"You are this army's queen," Yukan carried on. "The most important piece who holds the most power. That being said, you must not fall whatsoever. The queen is the only piece that can make all of the moves."

"Are you going to further explain why Ite is so important to this plan?" Zenpan inquired.

"No," Yukan answered. "You cannot let any harm come to her, Zenpan. Unless we have any other ideas I suggest we get moving. Time is running out and this could very well be our last battle."

"Very well," Zenpan sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to change Yukan's mind. "What are our positions?"

"I will be going through this side of Kunshu's palace over here," Yukan said, moving the pawn he usually kept posted to his right on the table toward the opposing king. "I will be by myself. Any more than one person will draw attention to me. The rest of you will attack the castle head-on. Try to stay as hidden as possible and then attack full force in the first moments of confusion and try to wipe out as much of the enemy as possible. Once they regroup and figure out what is happening, they will all come out to confront you. During that time, I will wait for Kunshu to be isolated and strike him down."

"You heard the man, everyone," the general announced to his men, showing his consent toward the plan. "Ite, you will remain near the back lines with a guard detail. We will leave in half an hour!"

The troops were then dismissed as they began to prepare for an attack on Central Aotoshi itself. Yukan began to walk Ite back to her room, but she stopped and turned around before they exited the strategy room.

"What the hell, Yukan?" she berated him. "What happened to 'always together'?"

"Ite," Yukan calmly said to her. "This needs to be done. I cannot let any harm come to you. If I die, you need to be on this earth. I will not allow you to fight." He then pulled her into a hug, desperate to make sure that she stays safe.

"I love you so much it hurts," he continued. "At least one of us has to make it out alive. We will both try our best to make it out alive. We will both try our best to make it back home and see Oba and the others again. That's why I need you to stay in Akuni this time. You need to stay away from the fighting. You need to promise me."

"You first," Ite replied, worrying about the possible outcomes. "I'm not promising anything until you promise to come back to us."

"I promise," Yukan spoke to her in a tone that bordered upon a whisper. "I will do everything I can to be in your arms again." They eventually came to a compromise so that Ite would be dropped off at the gates of Central Aotoshi. Once that had been done, the two of them went their separate ways, with Yukan preparing for the final encounter.

While he got himself prepared, he found his mind set ablaze. This flame had been ignited by the realization that he was the most endangered member of the Akuni military. He was one of the few troops that had a higher chance of dying in this battle. However, he decided that the only way to ensure victory in any manner was to take up this mantle and be the person to fight against Kunshu. He knew that he was the only person who could drink from this poisonous cup presented to Akuni and have even a sliver of a chance of finishing the toxin without dying. It was something he believed himself to be the only person capable of accomplishing. Once he resigned himself to his fate, Yukan left his quarters and joined with the rest of the army, helping Ite up to join him upon the white steed upon which he rode as they marched into the horizon, sealing their fates.