rubick cube never really got to shine in this series anyway, most of his strategies were fails, DEM houken cheats, politican backstabs, or playing "let's kill legendary-general/deputy-of-the-week". Guys that were somehow equal to the six/three or equal to their apprentices, yet get one shotted the one way an one-off villain would. Killing them is hardly meaningful. Every battle or political game he won, it all came undone by how he won it or how he would lose the next battle. Not to mention his constant overhyped depiction made him look worse.
it's kinda sad, cos he's really nice, fair, honest as far as either political or military leaders go, and a handsome ikemen too.
shouheikun had much less screen time than him and yet had like 3 moments to shine. Also outsmarted rubick cube a couple of times.
iirc, the author said in some interview that he wanted to make rubickcube the protagonist but his BAD END made it too sad so he picked shin. Could anyone confirm?
at least rubickcube-boi got to shine in that one-shot manga.