Timeless Assassin

(Planet Tithia, The First Elder's Office, Leo's POV)

Leo sat calmly inside the First Elder's office beside Veyr, as they both waited patiently for the old man to arrive.

It had been eight days since Leo left Planet Vorthas, having completed his mastery over [Shapeshift], and somewhere over that past week, Veyr seemed to have finished his training as well.

Now, with both of them ready, they had been summoned to Tithia for their first official mission briefing.

"8 days cousin…. It took you 8 days to finish after me?" Leo asked teasingly, as Veyr chuckled in response.

"Five…. It only took me five, but then the twelfth elder gave me a crash course for a couple days on how to plan a planetary assault.

To be honest…. I respect him and all that, but the fucker talks too much." Veyr said, as Leo couldn't help but chuckle at that remark.

Slowly but surely, the two Dragons were getting on the same mental wavelength, as somewhere deep down, that was exactly how Leo felt about the Twelfth Elder as well.

*Creek*

The sound of the office door opening cut their conversation short, as the two warriors straightened their stance and wiped off the smug grins from their faces.

*Step*

*Step*

The First Elder stepped inside without fanfare, his long robes fluttering softly behind him, as he took his seat before the two.

He gave neither greeting nor acknowledgment to either of them, merely alternating his gaze, as if to show this was serious.

"Your mission begins in two days," he said flatly.

The atmosphere inside tensed at his words, as Veyr shifted in his seat just a little.

"As you must already know, your deployment planet is Koral. A moderately industrialized node within the outer Eastern Cluster, currently under Su Clan's control.

It's divided into twelve main zones, and your point of entry has been decided as zone twelve.

Inside, there is a mid-tier military garrison primarily guarded by Grandmaster-tier officers and a few Transcendents.

And in terms of proximity, it's the furthest away from any major civilian hubs."

The First Elder pressed a button on the table as two small holo-discs lit up, projecting the faces of two unassuming Lieutenants, both brown-haired, both average in build, both invisible in a crowd.

"These are your identities. Lieutenant Aaron and Lieutenant Larry. You'll take their place. But first, you'll arrive on the planet posing as external maintenance workers on loan from another garrison.

Once you're in the base, eliminate these two, assume their faces using [Shapeshift], dispose of the bodies without alerting anyone, and take over their roles within the command roster."

His voice didn't raise, didn't sharpen, but the room felt like it was tilting forward, as Leo felt his left eye twitch with anger.

What did the First Elder mean by taking over their roles?

They needed more information than that.

They needed specific details about who they were impersonating and what they did.

But he didn't interrupt just yet.

"Once you've embedded yourselves, you'll have seven days to complete the following objectives."

The first elder continued, as a second holo-map flickered to life, displaying the topographical scan of Koral's planetary defense net.

"One. Locate and identify the position of every mana shield core scattered across the planet.

If possible, also determine a viable method to destroy or deactivate one of them from the ground."

He allowed a pause, just long enough to emphasize that part, before continuing.

"Two. Confirm the number of troops stationed across the various bases, their tier distribution, and the full extent of Koral's planetary defensive capabilities…. turrets, air cannons, early warning sensors, emergency portals, and any off-world reinforcements on standby."

"Three. Gather detailed information on the planet's acting Commander…. his habits, daily schedule, psychological profile, and, most importantly, information about his family….. pretty much any leverage we can find to blackmail him."

The projection flicked off, and the First Elder leaned forward slightly.

"Four. Within seven days, draft a complete step-by-step plan for how you would take over this planet with the resources currently at your disposal.

A detailed list of how many ships and men you have will be shared with you by this evening."

The map shifted again, this time zooming into an area marked 'Blackridge Fortress.'

"If anything goes wrong, find a yellow hut inside blackridge forest. It's actually a Cult hideout.

Inside you will find an emergency line to contact us, and we will find a way to extract you—"

"Your identities as maintenance workers have been seeded into the system ahead of time.

And a supply ship belonging to the White Tiger union has been arranged to bring you in and out of the planet.

Once you land, you're on your own, until extraction day, where the same ship will take you out."

He closed the file with a final snap of his fingers, the room's lights dimming slightly as the holos shut down.

"If things go wrong and you are compromised, do not fight to the death.

Your lives are worth more than this information.

Remember, the Elders Council assigns missions to the Dragon only to mold him and shape him to become stronger, and not because there is no one suitable within the Cult who can't carry out this mission on his own.

But, as per the guidance of Lord Soron, if you are to someday ascend past the Monarch stage and step into the realm of Demi-Gods or Divinity, you must live a life full of dangers and hardships, since the best predators are not raised in captivity but rather in the wild."

He rose from his seat, robes cascading down like a slow wave.

"You leave at dawn the day after. Carry nothing you don't need. Speak only when necessary. Act like shadows. Kill without hesitation."

The First Elder looked at them both, his expression unreadable.

"This is the Cult's first official comeback in thirty-two years. Don't mess it up."

He turned and exited the office with the same silent authority he had entered with, leaving Leo and Veyr to rise slowly, neither speaking as they processed the weight of the assignment ahead.