Xiaochen’s silver hair shimmered, his crimson eyes blazing with a terrifying, unyielding resolve. The first strike was coming. The real war, the cosmic war, had finally begun.
***
The subterranean cavern still hummed with the echoes of their oath. The liquid in the communal bowl remained agitated. The tremor from above had been a warning. Xiaochen looked at the ceiling.
"They know," he said.
General Gao tightened his gauntlets. "Let them know. A cornered dog bites hardest."
"It's not just a bite we need, General," Xiaochen said. "It's a slaughter of the lie itself."
"The squads are ready," Merchant Wei reported. "They're positioned near every major Qi distribution node in the city. We're waiting for your signal."
"And the distraction?" Scholar Li asked. Her voice trembled.
"Kage is
