The clan head's healing session was scheduled for the upcoming night. Overall, Stas wasn't interested in how Io managed to convince the healers to leave the hall with Goro. Ordyntsev had enough worries without taking on another one.

It was only known that Hideo was not against it. And it made sense, for it was impossible to help the clan head.

There were only three such healing halls in the entire Citadel, and occupying even one of them with a patient beyond hope was too wasteful.

The stream of wounded from the front was constant, and many of them also needed this healing complex.

When warmasters in black masks approached Stas's room, he followed them without any questions. Besides, they were joined by Kaede and Mari, and Leviathan flowed near them within the walls.

Notwithstanding the deal, Stas wasn't going to fully trust anyone. Especially in such a difficult time.

The shadows glanced at his people with displeasure but said nothing.

They didn't move directly but deliberately meandered to avoid any possible encounters.

During the measured walk, there was time to think and to mentally repeat the healing process.

Some might be surprised that Io showed no doubt in Stas's skills.

But it's important to understand that Goro was, in effect, as good as dead. If Stas said he could heal him, Io had nothing to lose by letting him try.

And if he failed, Shiro would pay in full.

The silent shadows politely opened the doors for Stas, then stood beside them outside and inside the hall.

Kaede and Mari also placed themselves on either side of the doors. Levi took a position right behind them, inside.

Artifact plates on the ceiling gave off a not-very-bright yellowish light with a greenish shimmer. Symbols on the floor and walls mysteriously flickered, creating the feeling that you were inside some fantastical ship made in a Japanese style.

'Let's not waste time,' Stas patiently began to gather natural energy and tune it to the required result.

Since he needed guaranteed success, the process took a lot of time.

Having finished, he carefully approached the control part of the seal complex and then pressed several symbols.

The green bubble surrounding Goro's body dimmed noticeably, losing much of its glow.

The seal would have hindered the operation of natural energy and further biological processes, so Ordyntsev had to weaken it. But now he had to hurry because Goro began to die rapidly.

Ordyntsev leaned over the clan head and, placing his hands on his chest, introduced the pre-prepared technique into the body.

However, initiating the technique was only a small part of the healing. Now it was necessary to carefully monitor the process itself, to replenish the technique and, of course, to correct it if it went astray.

The organism of the supreme momentarily froze in shock, as if not understanding what had just been poured into it, but after a second, it greedily began to absorb the incoming energy.

The dying cells of the mighty warmaster, functioning only on the last crumbs of prana, stirred, unexpectedly receiving tangible support.

Tendrils of natural energy rapidly spread throughout the body, penetrating every bone and muscle.

In the case of an ordinary infection with natural energy, human cells would have already started to go mad, quickly mutating and deforming the entire body. But now they patiently waited, obeying the will of the Serpent.

Finally, at some point, natural energy filled the entire body, which required significant effort. The thing is, the body of the supreme could well be called inhuman. Cells altered by prana turned out to be much more resistant than those of common people.

But Stas coped, and now it was time to start the second stage.

Ordyntsev, still not removing his hands from Goro's chest, ordered the natural energy to activate, and the technique began its work.

Damaged or partially destroyed parts mercilessly disintegrated, and new tissues sprouted in their place.

If before the energy was just enough to barely support the collapsing system, now there was so much that it almost spilled out.

Ordyntsev played the role of a living pump, transferring gigantic volumes of natural energy into the supreme's body, which the latter greedily absorbed.

Pieces of tissue, stones, or metal shards that were missed by previous healers slowly crawled out of wounds, pushed out by growing flesh.

The technique did not overlook the destroyed prana channels either. Natural energy seized their remnants and destroyed them, leaving only those parts that did not harm the body.

And these were only fragments of channels and the prana core near the very heart, which no longer went anywhere.

To put it simply, Goro's prana channels lost their spine in the battle, leaving only the "brain" intact. Now, Stas finally removed the dead and useless tissue.

But internal injuries were not the end of it.

Slowly, millimeter by millimeter, on the mostly unharmed hand of the supreme, a new little finger began to grow in place of the lost one. The same happened with the foot and the destroyed right hand.

When Stas confirmed that the primary body damage was healed, he shifted the bulk of the technique's energy to Goro's limbs.

And here, he had to give his all. The healing took many hours, during which he took breaks more than once to cleanse himself of natural energy and rest.

He even had to eat prana-restoring pills twice.

The new tissues grew very slowly, as the flesh of the supreme warmaster required much more energy.

However, by dawn, Ordyntsev had finished his work.

Before him lay the completely intact head of the Sumada clan. His chest rose and fell rhythmically. Arms and legs were in place, and there was not a scratch on his body.

Having made sure that everything was done correctly, Ordyntsev signaled to the shadows.

It amused Stas how Io's people paused for a second before a fully healthy Goro. The warmasters were astounded that Ordyntsev had indeed managed to do the impossible.

Nevertheless, the shock quickly passed and, throwing a cloak on Goro, they quickly carried him away somewhere. At the exact moment, a new group of Shadow Stone agents appeared and placed a corpse exactly like Goro's in his place.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

All the injuries were recreated with incredible precision. Clearly, a professional had worked on it.

Curious, Stas touched the corpse with his Healing Hand.

Even though the level of prana could no longer be measured, the level of prana-altered cells could. In life, this had been a strong warmaster, which was quite enough for a superficial check. As for a thorough examination, Stas was sure that Io would not allow it.

And since morning had come, it was time to get the people promised to Stas, as his part of the deal was done.

Besides, he had to hurry.

Yes, the ceremony for choosing the head would not start immediately after the arrival of the princes, but it was better to make some preparations in advance.

******

"Who has made progress?" Toshiyuki Eiko, the head of the main Eiko family, scanned the gathered with his eyes. "On our part, we managed to talk and convince one of the supremes from the Council. He said he would vote for Master Jishin."

Right now, in the spacious room, all the heads of the main families supporting Jishin were gathered. Namely, four out of the ten main families of Sumada.

"I wouldn't be so confident," Mitsuo, the elder of the main Oro family, a lean old man with perpetually pursed lips and a dissatisfied face, gave the head of the trading family a contemptuous look. "While you're trying to sweet-talk everyone, our opponents are snatching power from us!"

"And what does Master Mitsuo suggest then?" Eiko asked with a smile that seemed polite but was filled with mockery.

"I suggest we stop fussing with all the neutrals," the elder abruptly concluded. "Enough allowing the elder prince's lackeys to recruit those sitting ducks as they please. It's time we showed our fangs."

"Sitting ducks?" Mako, the elder of the main Irno family, cautiously questioned. He was a very prudent man who preferred to check ten times the place where he was stepping. It was all the more surprising that he had decided to join the younger prince. "I heard that several warmasters from the Council reacted violently to your offers. There were casualties, and some switched to Izuna's side."

"Acceptable losses," elder Oro dismissed Mako. "Izuna's sycophants do the same thing. Many who suffered from the elder prince came to us, too."

"I have another question," the fourth man spoke up. His name was Tsuto, and he was the elder of the main Jero family. The power of the latter had been greatly shaken over the past years, apparently, which is why they decided to support Jishin. "Why are today's proceedings being started by the damned Eiko?! Since when did traders start commanding and managing the meeting for all of us?"

"Maybe since you slept through the Deathbringers' attack?" Toshiyuki sarcastically clarified, watching as a thick vein popped on Jero's bald head. "Moreover, although the investigation did not find your involvement, a lot of evidence was not in your favor."

"We were framed!" Tsuto bellowed. "The Deathbringers deliberately spared our people to set up my family."

"Those are just your words," the aggressive elder Oro, who had earlier called for more decisive action, smirked. "And you crawled to us only because your affairs are bad. Rumor has it you could even lose your place as a main family. Thus, in your shoes, I'd remain seated and silent. Maybe you'll be lucky enough to keep your place among the ten families of Sumada."

"But you are not in my shoes, Oro!" Tsuto couldn't bear the insults. "So shove your words up your own ass!"

"What did you say?!"

"Elders, please, calm down," the peace-loving elder Irno tried to reconcile them. "We are all working towards a common goal..."

Even Eiko grimaced at yet another disgraceful squabble.

He was already thoroughly tired of trying to reconcile with all these idiots. More or less normal was only Irno. But just because he didn't like to argue didn't mean he agreed with everything that was offered to him.

The sudden sound of a door swinging open made the quarreling elders freeze in surprise and look bewilderedly at the entered man.

The only one whose eyes retained composure was the head of Eiko. It was Toshiyuki who immediately recognized the quite famous Shiro the Serpent, a close friend of the younger prince. Of course, in recent years, he had been seldom seen, raising questions about his current relationship with the prince, yet the Serpent was famous even on his own.

And before any of the elders could say anything, dressed in black, fighters of the Shadow Stone began to enter the room, immediately making the gathered tense up.

Also, the elders didn't miss the identity of Arata the Trap; the supreme deliberately positioned himself to the right shoulder of Shiro, who stood in the center.

"How dare you?!" Jero finally came to his senses. "This is a private meeting and private territory. Where is the security looking?"

"The security, like you, reports to Master Jishin Sumada," Stas stated, looking at the red-faced Jero disdainfully. And then, without letting anyone speak, he continued. Now, it was necessary to keep the initiative in his own hands.

"I must inform you that the prince is currently on his way and doing his best to get here quickly. However, to improve our chances and secure the victory, he has granted me full authority. From this moment on, I forbid you to act independently. I have my own plan, and we will stick to it."

"W-what?" This time, elder Oro gasped. "What do you mean 'forbid'? Who on earth are you?! A nameless kid who was accepted into the clan out of sheer kindness! How dare you even speak to us? Begone, or your life won't be worth even the smallest coin!"

"Elder Mitsuo," Ordyntsev nodded to one of the shadows who had been waiting for him in the Citadel since the beginning. "This is Heru, the right-hand man of Shin, familiar to everyone here. He will confirm that my words are the absolute truth. And until Jishin's return, authority passes to me."

"Yes, it is so." Heru stepped forward and removed the mask. "Jishin-sama said exactly this."

"This is nonsense!" Jero threw his hands up in exasperation. "Maybe we should ask someone else? Perhaps our prince's cleaner, right? Why not, actually? I'm sure he'll confirm everything, too."

"We don't have a cleaner here," Stas maintained absolute calm. "But I think there's no need to introduce you to Horoyama Sumada?"

A tall man stepped forward, calmly removed his mask for a few seconds, then put it back on. Each of his actions was accompanied by deafening silence.

Among those gathered, there was no one who didn't know one of the main aides to the head of the Shadow Stone. Horoyama was Io's right hand, unofficially considered his successor.

The cold and absolutely ruthless Horoyama had gained a terrifying reputation in the clan of warmasters as a man who would be ready to carry out any order from his no less dreadful boss.

Considering his strength, which had almost passed the level of an advanced veteran, he was well known.

And if he demonstratively supported the Serpent, it meant...

A cunning smile flickered on Toshiyuki Eiko's face. He had patiently waited for the development of events throughout this dispute and was not mistaken. The smart trader didn't believe that the Shiro he knew would come here unprepared.

But he certainly did not expect this.

Jero and Oro blinked uncomprehendingly, trying to restore their shattered world. They had spent a lot of effort and time trying to persuade Io to act on their side. But he flatly refused them all. So, in the name of all the Kami, why did he decide to agree to the proposal of a clanless man no one cared about?

What kind of joke is this?!

Now the figure of the Serpent was seen by the gathered in a completely different light.

Horoyama gave Ordyntsev a scrutinizing look. He was one of the few who knew why his boss changed his decision and still decided to support one of the candidates.

The rational mind of the assistant found it quite irritating that Io-sama had such an obvious weakness. On the other hand, now that this weakness had been removed from the board and was not a concern in the near future.

However, Horoyama was indeed interested in Shiro the Serpent's personality. Given that they were forced to side with Jishin, the assistant doubted that the Serpent would simply disappear from the political arena.

Shiro demonstrated all the qualities of a competent person, which meant he was dangerous. And although Horoyama himself, as he believed, had no weaknesses or attachments, he had no intention of letting his guard down around the Serpent.

Stas walked up to the common table and, pulling one of the chairs towards him, calmly sat down. After that, he gestured to the gathered shadows, and they, bowing, left the hall.

Now, there was no danger for him.

Only Horoyama remained, standing behind the earthling, as well as Stas's personal guard in the form of Kaede and Mari.

"As I said," Stas began nonchalantly, scanning the gathered with a serious look. "I have a plan for us to win. There are two days left until the princes return. And I intend to fully utilize them. However..."

Ordyntsev paused.

"I believe it's time to end the active recruiting. If, at first, it bore some fruit, now it only leads to disorder and the approach of civil war. Io-sama also agrees with me on this matter. The Shadow Stone is finding it increasingly costly to contain the escalation of the conflict."

The last phrase made the elders fall silent in puzzlement and look suspiciously at Horoyama.

Io's assistant himself frowned under the mask. The cunning with which the Serpent was shedding his skin started to annoy him.

For right now, before his eyes, Shiro sowed confusion in the ranks of the elders, hinting that his actions were actually backed by Io, and he himself was nothing more than a mere puppet.

'How many faces does he have, and which one is real?'

Meanwhile, Stas himself suppressed a satisfied smirk.

Let them think, doubt, and look at each other suspiciously. The main thing is - they don't interfere.

And since possible obstacles were dealt with, and their ranks were as united as ever, it was time for the third part of his plan.

And in it, Io's people would come in very handy.

Ordyntsev intended to bring to this realm a strategy heavily employed by earthly politicians, one that had grown to alarming extents over the last few years.

Kaede, standing to the side, smiled happily under her mask. She loved watching Shiro deceive and manipulate these foolish humans.

The yokai had long ceased to consider the Serpent as part of the human race.

The only thing that worried her was that Minoru had been contacting her less and less lately.

For some reason, Kaede felt uneasy, but she decided to put this problem aside for now.