Kirito stood up from the bed, walked over to the small table, and spread out the strategic map of the entire kingdom onto the wooden surface under the dim light. He used his slender finger to trace along the territories, muttering in analysis:
"Looking at the overall situation right now, the two factions holding the greatest potential and danger are the alliance between General Akaza and female General Shinobu."
He reached out to rub his chin, his eyes narrowing in calculation.
They colluded to form a loose yet immensely powerful alliance, monopolizing the entire largest fishing port in the country—the vascular hub for commodity and resource trade. Not stopping there, they also directly controlled two massive iron mines supplying weapons for the war.
Kirito’s underlying intent gradually took shape. He needed to find a way to destroy this alliance first. Shutting down their iron-mining center would undoubtedly cause the remaining forces to glare enviously and leap into the fray, thereby igniting an even larger-scale chaotic battle.
Thinking of this, a sudden thought crossed Kirito’s mind, causing the corners of his lips to twitch upwards unconsciously:
"I wonder if that female General Shinobu possesses a charming beauty or not?"
Yet instantly, he shook his head vigorously to banish those idle, stray thoughts, focusing entirely back onto reality.
Creak...
Suddenly, an extremely faint sound echoed from the window frame. That was the underground trap system Kirito had pre-set: he had tied a thin fishing line tightly near the edge of the roof, connecting to a small bronze bell hanging delicately on the wall; anyone who accidentally stepped and moved onto that area would cause the bell to ring.
Without hesitating, Kirito immediately slipped his familiar black attire back on, darting straight out through the window.
Just upon hitting the ground, he caught a fleeting glimpse of a vague dark shadow agilely gliding across the opposite rooftop. At that exact moment, a flawless plan instantly sparked in Kirito’s mind. He deliberately reined in his speed, quietly tailing behind the strange assassin without alerting him.
Meanwhile, in the office downstairs, Hian’s castle lord was still leisurely sitting and drinking night tea. Suddenly, from outside the window, a roaring dark shadow abruptly lunged inward with boiling killing intent.
Kirito had anticipated the enemy’s path, leaping forward to block the window right on cue, swinging his sword to clash directly head-on with the assassin.
Clang! Clang! The blades of both sides sparked amidst midair.
Realizing his path was blocked, the assassin whirled around to hurl a dense rain of kunais to finish off his opponent, but Kirito spun his katana, batting away all the concealed weapons to crash heavily onto the ground.
"What is this?! Is an assassin breaking in to assassinate me?!" Hian’s castle lord startled violently, panic-stricken as he dropped his teacup and hastily retreated into the corner of the room.
Kirito intentionally put on an act, gritting his teeth and shouting loudly to divert attention: "Stupid old man! Hurry up and find a place to hide!"
Realizing the assassination mission had failed and he was bogged down, the assassin tossed two smoke bombs down onto the floor to create a thick blinding fog, then bolted away at lightning speed.
He sprang to glide across the rooftops at a dizzying speed, thoroughly convinced he had shaken off the obstacle. Little did he expect that Kirito was still quietly tailing him like a shadow right behind his back.
When the two of them sprinted rapidly out to the open space beyond the boundary of the citadel, Kirito smiled faintly. He swung his hand to hurl two special smoke bombs directly ahead of the opponent’s path.
The assassin startled, altering his direction to dodge, but the toxic smoke mixed with anesthetic drugs quickly enveloped him. In less than a few breaths, the assassin staggered and collapsed onto the ground unconscious.
Kirito leisurely walked over, juggling the remaining smoke bomb in his hand, his gaze full of smugness:
"This smoke bomb blended with specialized anesthetic drugs is truly an extremely useful toy in the darkness. Last time I almost forgot to bring it along..."
With a plan ready in mind, Kirito hoisted the assassin by the collar onto his shoulder, dragging him to a large tree in the small forest and tying him securely with ropes. Afterward, he expertly used a makeup kit to alter all the facial features of the assassin to resemble himself identically as if cast from the same mold, then stripped away the man’s attire to put it on himself, while dressing the other guy back in his own tattered, patched garments.
In just a fleeting moment, the bound figure there looked no different from a clone of Kirito.
"Done." Kirito dusted off his hands in satisfaction.
He unleashed a heaven-shattering punch straight into the assassin’s abdominal area. The bone-chilling pain instantly woke him up in a dazed, panicked state. Kirito quickly stuffed two small pieces of wood into the man’s mouth, binding it tightly to prevent him from having a chance to bite his tongue and commit suicide.
The assassin stared wide-eyed around him, realizing he had been thoroughly captured, causing his entire body to shake violently while his eyes flashed with hateful yet helpless feelings:
"Hmph... bastard..."
Kirito offered a faint smile, leisurely squatting down before him:
"Now, obediently confess. Who was standing behind ordering you to come here and assassinate?"
Blocked in the mouth by the wooden piece, the assassin could no longer commit suicide, only able to emit mumbling sounds from deep within his throat:
"Don’t even dream... that I’d ever confess to you?"
Seeing the opponent still stubborn, Kirito wasted no words, coldly driving the tip of his sword straight through the man’s thigh. The assassin’s mouth spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his eyes widening massively from the brain-piercing, flesh-tearing pain.
"Speak the truth, and you will be granted a quick and painless death. Otherwise, you’ll taste every single one of the most brutal torture methods before closing your eyes for good."
Finished speaking, Kirito mercilessly pressed his finger straight into the open wound. The pain exceeding endurance limits caused the assassin to struggle, screaming agonizing, voiceless cries:
"Ahhh...! Stop... stop it... I’ll talk! I’ll confess everything!"
Only then did Kirito withdraw his hand, smiling faintly: "Cooperating early makes it less painful, doesn’t it? Speak up quickly, I already grasped way more information than you imagined."
Saying that, Kirito pulled a small pill shaped like a silkworm cocoon from his pouch — the very control poison he had used to subdue Empress Mika earlier. He forced the assassin’s mouth open, compelling him to swallow the pill straight down his belly.
"The pill I just made you swallow contains the eggs of a venomous worm. When it hatches, that worm will gradually gnaw away all the internal organs inside your body until you die a slow, agonizing death."
The assassin dilated his eyes in extreme terror, his body trembling like a leaf in the wind.
Kirito held out a small antidote pill in the palm of his hand: "And this is the only thing that can suppress it, putting that worm into a deep sleep. Your life rests in your hands. Now, is that enough reason for you to tell the truth?"
The assassin nodded frantically, stammering amidst tears:
"I’ll talk... I’ll confess everything! I’m actually an assassin from the Western Swamps, dispatched directly under orders from Lord Akaza’s faction. The purpose of assassinating Hian’s castle lord is because this citadel controls far too massive a strategic territory; if it’s taken down, Akaza’s faction will create a tremendously huge launching pad for military expansion."
After extracting a series of secret intelligence regarding forces, troop deployments, and fatal weaknesses of Akaza’s faction from the assassin’s mouth, Kirito spared no traitor, coldly swinging his sword to end his life.
He stood up, staring intently toward the direction of the opposing faction, a cold, sharp gleam flashing in his eyes:
"Very well... The plan officially begins."