1-9: DEATH WEARS WHITE

In this climactic action sequence, the assassin-slave named after the young king, battles King of Kings, The name I have kept sacred. A mysterious, cold, and deadly warrior named after the young king. At this point, it is revealed that the King of the realm had orchestrated a trap, expecting the assassin's arrival. However, the assassin, enhanced by absorbed Storm light and wielding supernatural combat abilities through the use of mystical lashings, systematically dismantles the king's defenses, slaughters guards and soldiers, and finally kills the king and his two elite shardbearing guards.

The chapter opens with the master assassin, the servant and the one who is named after the young king. His name is known only as one who keeps himself cool and methodical in applying advanced supernatural killing techniques. The chapter, in short, may be the climax of a story or the start. His mission is to execute King of the Kings of all lands. The narrative opens with the slaughter of the feast hall where the king dines with nobles and guards. The assassin systematically destroys with both his shardblade and through the use of supernatural lashings that manipulate weight and gravity. After the initial massacre, the king reveals he had anticipated this attack and has two elite shardbearing guards and troops equipped with half-shard shields. The assassin adapts his tactics, discarding his shardblade and instead using his body as a weapon, infusing and lashing soldiers through the air. He displays mastery of an ancient martial art called kammar. Through a series of acrobatic maneuvers involving quarter-lashings that reduce his weight, he defeats the first shardbearer by lashing a massive stone block at him with multiplied force. He then defeats the second shardbearer by using a broken tabletop as a platform, riding it upward before dropping onto the shardbearer with his reformed shardblade. The assassin pursues the fleeing king outside, cuts through the remaining guards, shatters the king's half-shard shield, and finally kills the king by driving his shardblade through the man's face. Throughout, the assassin experiences emotional turmoil, hating himself and the king irrationally, yet feeling numb by the slaughter's end.