"Is he dead or not?" Ri Boku hadn't been able to sleep well due to the misunderstood threat that Jun posed to his plans.
Reports indicated that all the assassins and the brigade he had personally sent were wiped out.
No survivors.
Since then, he had been investigating everything about Jun by any means necessary, and as time passed, he uncovered even more terrifying truths.
"We're still investigating..."
"Damn it, fine, I'll bury him once Qin is taken and torn to pieces," muttered Ri Boku with a distorted expression.
That pebble in his shoe had slowly turned into a mountain, one he could not remove from his path to conquest.
Still, he thought it would be simple to take Jun's head once all of Qin was under his control.
...
The tension between Wei and Zhao was rising. Amidst the ongoing unification efforts, the true intentions between the two nations remained unclear.
Initially, Wei had offered to help attack Qin, with the agreement that once the war was over, Zhao would be the next target.
Bearing this in mind, advisors were negotiating with nations that had not yet taken such an unusual stance toward Zhao.
On top of a mountain filled with the banners of Jun's army, deep within the forest where all the assassin clans that hadn't gone into hiding had gathered under the orders of the great King of Assassins, a contemplative figure stood.
"Sir, the coalitions set to attack Qin are fractured due to the information we've delivered to Wei. Doubts will plague them as they mobilize their armies against Qin," Vera said as she respectfully bowed upon reaching the figure.
The figure who turned around was none other than Jun, fully recovered from his injuries and back in the forest where he had been battling Zhao all this time.
"I suppose Wei is now looking for allies to attack Zhao after the war. If Wei finds an interesting ally, they might start a direct war with Zhao. While they clash, we, alongside Qin's army, could sweep through that nation," Jun said, carefully considering his options now that his army was powerful enough to shape his destiny.
The time had come to decide what he wanted, and what intrigued him most was creating temples where assassin towers would remain distant yet ingrained in the minds of the world.
Jun knew he didn't want to be just another commander at the king's orders. He wanted to be recognized for who he truly was, and there was no greater title than that of an assassin.
The King of Assassins needed his palace. Assassins needed a place in society. The world needed their expertise to deal with enemies.
In Jun's eyes, everyone would benefit.
"Have the crows flown to Qin?"
Vera nodded at the question and replied, "The information you've gathered has been sent as instructed. We're confident everyone will realize they're playing your game."
The clever ones would, at least. As for the coalition, they had no idea that all the information provided to them had been altered by third parties.
The growing resentment between Zhao and Wei would give Jun the edge to strike both nations simultaneously. While Qin attacked Wei, Jun could take care of Zhao during their confrontation.
How would he prevent them from discovering his plan?
The assassins' hawks had been trained to eliminate messenger birds, while ground operatives had more persuasive methods.
"Now that we've manipulated the information, Wei will suppress their resentment toward Zhao to join the unification. If we win the war, Zhao and Wei will fight, which will benefit us by allowing us to seize both nations when the time is right," Jun stated, his goals crystal clear.
Vera was astonished by all of this but said nothing. Jun was orchestrating so much in silence, and she had never imagined his influence over the warring states could be so significant.
...
Qin Palace
All the war advisors were frantically analyzing the strategy that had been handed to them. They sought alternative paths, but in their eyes—and those of the one who delivered this strategy—it was the only way to defend against an attack from all warring states.
Ei Sei, unusually deep in thought, was surprised when a man rushed in and shouted, "Your Majesty, an urgent message! A crow has delivered new information."
"Read it aloud."
The guard looked at the King and said, "This is a message from the Black Moon, a missive exclusively for Your Majesty."
Everyone fell silent. That Black Moon was Ei Sei's most powerful servant. Everyone knew it was he who had eliminated the opposition.
"Very well, hand it to me," Ei Sei said calmly, addressing everyone.
Since he had no more opponents, there was no reason to hide anything. However, knowing that enemies could arise at any time and place, he would follow Jun's advice to maintain discretion.
As he took the letter, Ei Sei displayed a serious expression and said, "All the warring states have decided to unify, but among them, a rift exists that we can exploit to our advantage."