The Ruthless Magic Swordsman

Eastern Border, Fortress Interior — Days Later

The physical battle paused—but a different war seeped through the cracks.

Whispers. Rumors. Paranoia.

Among the soldiers:

"Achilles isn't normal…"

"No noble survives assassination untouched…"

"Maybe he's one of them… a weapon in human skin."

"The nobles sent him here to die… maybe we're all bait."

Morale hung by threads.

Ascendria's psychological strike unfolded exactly as designed.

Captain Kael reported grimly:

> "Enemy agents spread disinformation—fabricated letters, forged orders, whispers of treason."

"If they fracture the Legion's trust, it crumbles from within."

Achilles, standing before the flickering war map, remained cold, calculating:

>>> Internal Threat Assessment: High

>>> Subversion Vectors: 3 Confirmed

>>> Rewriting Opportunity: Moderate

---

🩸 Targeting the Infection

Achilles understood code.

Propaganda was just corrupted input.

Time to debug the system.

He acted swiftly:

Cross-referencing handwriting, ink composition, seal imprints—the forgeries unraveled like flawed programs.

Planting contradictory, controlled rumors to isolate Ascendria's narratives.

Exposing false officers who acted as enemy proxies.

Kael watched in awe as Achilles anticipated every move:

> "You… read the Legion like code."

"Every variable, every vulnerability."

Achilles' reply was distant:

> "They try to rewrite this front with lies."

"But they lack the syntax for control."

---

⚔ Turning Fear Into Function

The soldiers, once shaken, began to see through the deception.

The System pulsed:

>>> Legion Morale: Stabilizing

>>> Internal Division: Reduced

>>> Enemy Psychological Warfare: Compromised

Achilles stood before his troops, voice clear:

> "Ascendria cannot breach our walls."

"They cannot shatter our blades."

"So they poison your minds."

"But fear is predictable."

"We overwrite it—with discipline, truth, and victory."

Cheers followed—not wild, but solid, rebuilding piece by piece.

---

🌑 Across the Battlefield

Ascendrian command received grim reports:

Assassins dead.

Psychological operations failing.

The 3rd Legion still standing.

Marshal Kaedros scowled:

> "The boy learns fast…"

"His mind is dangerous… but minds can still bleed."

His next orders were darker:

> "Prepare the irregular units."

"Saboteurs. Cultists. Traitors within their own kingdom."

"Let's test the boy's resolve in the fires of true chaos."