Loki's predatory smile widened. "So now the legendary assassin is abandoned by his employer, hiding in a fortress while trying to recover his lost power. And according to my information network, Merc Assault called a meeting with all his remaining forces yesterday. My spies couldn't get complete details, but the pieces we heard suggest he's planning revenge against both you and Chronus. The assassin feels betrayed, used, and discarded."

"Good," Satou said, his voice absolutely frigid. "Let him hate Chronus. Let him plan whatever revenge he wants against that temporal coward. It changes nothing. Merc Assault still tortured me, tried to break my mind. Still weaponized my love for Jessica against me. He dies regardless of his grievances with Chronus."

He turned fully to face Loki, that cold fury matching the demon lord's own. "You're suggesting we strike now. Before Merc Assault recovers. Before he can execute whatever plan he's forming. Before Chronus can make another move."

"I'm suggesting," Loki corrected with savage satisfaction, "that we eliminate a threat before it becomes bigger. And in the process, we send Chronus a very clear message about what happens when he hires assassins to attack my people."

The demon lord leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with malicious anticipation. "We kill Merc Assault, Chronus loses his investment and his hired weapon. We make it painfully clear that the assassination failed. We demonstrate that you're not just alive but strong enough to hunt down and destroy the legendary assassin who tried to kill you. And we prove to that temporal bastard that his schemes have severe consequences."

Loki's voice dropped to something darker. "And when we succeed, when Merc Assault is dead and you're standing victorious over his corpse, I'm going to make absolutely certain that Chronus knows exactly who killed his prized assassin. I want that arrogant fool to understand that his three-hundred-year war with me just escalated to a level he's going to regret for the next century."

Satou felt that dark satisfaction settling in his chest, mixing with the cold fury that had been burning since he woke from the nightmare torture. This wasn't just about personal revenge anymore—though that was certainly a major factor. This was about sending a message that would echo through the demon realm.

"When do we leave?" Satou asked, his voice carrying absolute determination.

Loki's savage smile widened. "That's exactly what I was hoping you'd say. We can depart within the hour if you want. I brought enough forces to handle any resistance we might encounter, plus Morgana's apprentice and your new nightmare abilities should be more than sufficient to handle Merc Assault even if he's stronger than our intelligence suggests."

"And when we kill him," Loki continued, his voice dripping with dark anticipation, "I want you to make it clear who ended him. I want Merc Assault to understand in his final moments that trying to kill you was the worst mistake of his long career. And I want Chronus to receive a very detailed report of exactly how his hired assassin died."

Satou nodded slowly, that ice-cold fury burning steady and controlled. "Chronus will know. I'll make absolutely certain of it."

But then his attention shifted back to the mysterious cloaked figure standing silently at Loki's right. Shadow hadn't moved or spoken during the entire exchange about Chronus, but Satou could feel their presence like a weight in the room—that controlled bloodlust, that patient rage.

"You still haven't fully explained who this is," Satou said, gesturing to Shadow. "And why they're necessary for this mission beyond guiding us through the forest."

Loki's expression became more serious, his rage at Chronus banking back to focused purpose. "That brings us to the tactical complications we're facing." He gestured for everyone to remain seated as he pulled out a detailed map, spreading it across the table.

"Merc Assault's fortress is here—" he tapped a location marked in the region labeled 'Howling Wastes' "—approximately two days' travel from your settlement. But the path isn't straightforward. To reach it, you'll need to pass through this region." His finger traced across a large area marked with dense green coloring and warnings in multiple languages.

"The Illusion Forest," Loki said grimly. "One of the most dangerous magical barriers in this part of the demon realm. It was created centuries ago by a coalition of mages as a defensive perimeter. The forest doesn't just obscure vision or create false paths—it fundamentally distorts reality within its boundaries."

He looked up at Satou, his expression deadly serious. "Most people who enter the Illusion Forest never find their way out. Those who do emerge weeks later, having aged years while thinking only days had passed. Some come out decades later, their minds broken by experiencing entire lifetimes in what felt like hours. Others simply vanish completely, lost in infinite loops of false reality."

Urgot's face had gone pale. "That sounds... Lord Loki, is there no way around it?"

"The forest surrounds Merc Assault's fortress for hundreds of miles in every direction," Loki explained, tracing the massive green area on the map. "Going around would take weeks, and even then you'd have to traverse territory controlled by other hostile forces. The Illusion Forest is the most direct route—and Merc Assault chose his fortress location precisely because the forest acts as a natural barrier that keeps most threats away."

Kelvin raised his hand hesitantly. "But... can't Lady Morgana teleport us past it? She teleported to save Lord Satou before."

Morgana shook her head, and there was genuine regret in her ancient eyes. "I'm afraid not. My teleportation magic requires a clear visual memory of the destination point—I must have physically been to a location before to anchor my spell there. I can picture it in my mind, recall every detail, and use that as a targeting coordinate."

She gestured at the map apologetically. "I've never been to the Howling Wastes. I've never seen Merc Assault's fortress. Without that visual anchor, attempting to teleport there would be... catastrophic. We could end up scattered across hundreds of miles, or materialized inside solid rock, or simply torn apart by the spatial distortion."

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