Smoke drifted from the battlefield. Half the training yard was destroyed.
Miss Mizuki arrived just in time to see the final blow.
Students gathered. Teachers returned. Medics rushed in.
Rogiru arrived in silence, eyes dark.
He looked at the remains, then at Kaito, Taru, and the others—wounded, but standing.
> "This wasn't random," he muttered. "They're testing our walls… our strength."
And then, louder:
> "Prepare. War is no longer coming. It's already begun."
The smoke hadn't even cleared. The remains of the training yard still glowed from the flames and lightning. Medical staff sprinted to carry away the wounded. Students gathered in shock and awe at what Squad Delta had managed to do.
Then—
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
The earth began to tremble.
Atop the broken guard towers, the scouts froze.
Their mouths fell open in terror.
"T-There's… fifty of them—FIFTY!" one of the scouts screamed, his voice cracking as he dropped the binoculars. "Fifty Blado Demons at the east wall!"
A single one had pushed the school to its knees. Now fifty stood outside the walls.
---
Rogiru's Fury – The Demon Awakens
Inside the command chamber of Shinsei Combat Academy, Principal Rogiru stood perfectly still.
He was no longer smiling. No longer dancing. No longer joking about food or singing about bath time.
The usual goofy demon was gone.
And in his place… something darker had awoken.
A silence fell upon the command chamber. Captain Taro Oetsu and Captain Ryujin Namato stared at him cautiously. Even the wind seemed to still.
Rogiru's head lowered, and his voice came out—low, guttural, ancient.
> "They want war…?"
"Then let me remind them why they sealed me away centuries ago."
He stepped outside, slowly, his heavy steps like war drums pounding the ground. His eyes, normally golden and playful, had turned jet black—crimson rings glowing at their centers.
Every student and teacher watching from the upper decks stopped breathing as Rogiru walked past them.
---
Outside the School Walls
Fifty Blado Demons stood in tight formation.
Their claws were sharp enough to cut steel. Their howls harmonized in a dreadful rhythm. Some had wings. Some were fused with weapons. Each carried the unmistakable aura of corrupted Venin—unstable, deadly.
Then—Rogiru stepped through the eastern gate.
Alone.
The wind blew his coat back as he stared across the battlefield.
One demon stepped forward, snarling.
> "We are evolution. The blood moon rises. Your era is over, demon."
Rogiru… laughed.
Just once.
And then—
> "You lot killed five of my students. You burned my schoolyard. You hurt my children."
> "I'm going to kill every last one of you. Slowly. And then I'm going to find the bastard who sent you."
His arms unsealed, massive magic chains dropping from his wrists. His form shimmered with demonic energy, no longer restrained.
"Rogiru's going full form!" someone whispered from the walls.
"Is this… the second man who beat General Iman?"
---
The Massacre Begins
The first five Blado Demons lunged forward—
And in less than a second—
They were vaporized.
No movement. No sound. Just gone.
Rogiru moved like lightning wearing flesh. Each step cracked the earth. His chains were alive, dancing through the air and tearing through monsters with surgical precision.
A demon tried to fly—he snapped its wings off mid-air and slammed it into the others like a club.
One minute later, 27 were dead.
The sky turned red from the pressure.
Taro Oetsu and Namato finally stepped in, flanking Rogiru.
> "Don't hog all the fun," Namato said, cracking his neck, his halberd igniting with golden light.
> "We've trained enough kids," Taro added calmly, "Let's show them why we're the twelve strongest."
Together, they surged forward.
---
Meanwhile – Inside the Academy
Rogiru wasn't just fighting.
He was making a statement to whatever force had dared send fifty Blado Demons:
"This school is protected. If you try again… you'll be next."
Ash still floated faintly in the air, the once vibrant training yard now pitted and scorched from battle. The charred remains of the fifty Blado Demons—massive beasts with obsidian-like hides and molten cores—were being cleared by staff and older students. Bodies of fallen guards had been covered with white cloths. A silence hung over the academy like a mourning veil.
For the first time in years, Principal Rogiru stood at the center of the courtyard, not smiling, not eating, not dancing.
He was quiet.
Dead quiet.
Even the wind dared not speak.
At his sides were Captain Ryujin Namato and Captain Zenn Kimura, both bearing injuries but alive. A slight limp in Namato's step, a cracked pauldron on Zenn's shoulder—proof that even the strongest had struggled in this encounter.
Behind them, the students of Squad Delta stood in formation: Kaito, Taru, Renn, Kazuki, Kobito, Kazan, Akiho, Shouta, and the other chosen boys from Class A, B, and the upper years. Many had fresh bandages and torn uniforms, but their gazes were unflinching.
"We lost twelve guards," Rogiru finally spoke, voice hoarse with restraint. "Seventeen students wounded. Three buildings destroyed."
"But we lived," said Ryujin, arms folded. "Because of them."
He turned toward Squad Delta. "Because of you."
No one spoke. The weight of the encounter, the horror of the illusioner who nearly wiped them out—and the hellish appearance of the Blado Demons right after—was still fresh in everyone's bones.
"They were coordinated," Captain Zenn added. "The demons… the illusioner… they were not sent at random."
Rogiru's crimson eyes narrowed. "This wasn't an attack."
"It was a message."
---
Elsewhere – Secret Hollow Gale Remnants Base
Deep underground, in a forgotten city buried beneath roots and bones, the Illusioner stood beside a twisted map glowing with sigils. His coat fluttered lightly, though there was no wind, and his sickles rested against the wall, freshly cleaned. His hood was pulled back just enough to show silver eyes—void of light, rich with experience.
A lower-ranked Hollow Gale scout knelt before him, trembling. "Why didn't you finish them?"
"Because," the Illusioner replied coolly, his voice like water dripping from stone, "people learn better through pain."
He stepped forward, raising a single finger.
"They now know the taste of helplessness. That lesson… festers deeper than death."
He paused. Then:
> "Scars do not fade when burned into the soul."
Behind him, figures began to gather—strange silhouettes with masks, weapons, and unnatural auras. The new enemy faction, far more dangerous than even the Hollow Gale's remnants, was stirring.
---
Back at the Academy – Infirmary Wing
Ayaka sat up slowly on her bed. The window near her showed the sunrise after the longest night the school had seen. Taru sat at the end of the bed, head lowered, hands wrapped in bandages.
"You're… still here," she whispered.
He looked up, tired eyes meeting hers. "I promised I would be."
She reached out weakly. "Taru… tell me again… about our mother."
He nodded, his voice trembling. "Her laugh was soft. She'd hum when brushing your hair. She always said you were her little flame."
Ayaka smiled faintly, and tears shimmered at the corners of her eyes.
Outside the infirmary window, students gathered again. But this time, they weren't just students anymore.
They were survivors.
And now… soldiers.
It was silent — unnaturally so. Even the wind dared not blow.
Rino stopped, glancing up at the jagged stone ridge where the shadows curved unnaturally inward.
"I know you're watching," he said calmly. "Show yourself."
A single breath passed.
And then…
There he was.
The Illusioner stood casually on the ledge above, cloak swaying, two sickles hanging at his sides like twin serpents. His face was still hidden in shadow, yet the air grew colder as his presence became undeniable.
"You came alone," the Illusioner said, voice as smooth as smoke. "Either brave… or broken."
Rino didn't move. "I came to measure something."
"Oh?" the Illusioner tilted his head.
"My own limits."
He drew his blade slowly — a wide-edged katana that shimmered with pale blue energy. The very ground under Rino's feet cracked slightly from the sudden shift in his aura.
Then it began.
The Illusioner vanished in a blur of mist — no sound, no warning. Rino didn't flinch. His blade whipped around just in time to clash with the sickle from above.
CLANG!
A shockwave exploded outward, flattening grass and sending cracks spiderwebbing across nearby boulders.
Rino parried and twisted, elbowing the Illusioner back before stepping in with a follow-up strike — a precise cut aimed at the ribs. But the Illusioner twisted, letting it graze his coat as he spun around, both sickles slicing horizontally.
CLANK-CLINK-CLANG!
Rino weaved through the flurry, blade shimmering with each perfect deflection, sparks lighting up the twilight.
"You're calm," the Illusioner murmured, matching pace. "Measured. Almost surgical."
"I'm a teacher," Rino replied, pivoting and slashing upward. "That means knowing when to strike—"
BOOM!
A sudden palm strike blasted the Illusioner back through a stone wall.
Rino didn't wait. He dashed forward, slicing through the crumbled rubble, blade glowing with condensed energy. The moment the Illusioner reappeared—
SWOOSH!
Rino's blade connected — but passed through a misty afterimage.
A hand gripped his shoulder from behind.
"Too slow."
SLASH.
Blood sprayed into the dirt as one of the sickles dug into Rino's side, nearly opening his flank. He stumbled but retaliated instantly, slicing upward in a wide arc and forcing the Illusioner back.
Rino's knees bent.
First Release: Spectral Flow.
Light burst from his blade. Dozens of phantom slashes erupted around him, each one a floating blade of pure aura. They danced and spun in a ring, homing in on the Illusioner from every angle.
The Illusioner remained still — then extended his hand.
"Pain... answers all."
Black mist exploded.
It ate the spectral blades, consuming them mid-air before they ever touched him. Rino's eyes widened just in time for a sickle to slice across his back.
The Illusioner was already behind him again.
SLASH.
Another cut across the shoulder.
SLASH.
One at the leg.
Blood splattered the rocks.
Rino grunted, forcing himself to stand upright. "You... think you've won...?"
He raised his hand, blood seeping through his fingers.
"Second Release — Absolute Point."
His blade compressed into a needle of energy, glowing hot white. The wind ceased. Even the Illusioner paused — watching. For the first time, there was a flicker of curiosity in his stance.
Rino dashed.
Time slowed.
The tip of the blade neared the Illusioner's chest — aimed directly at his heart.
Inches.
Centimeters.
Heartbeat away.
The Illusioner smiled.
"No," he whispered. "You're still in my domain."
Everything shattered.
The entire landscape twisted — warped. The air bent into cubes, the ground turned liquid, and Rino's momentum broke as if crashing through glass. Reality itself fractured.
Rino gasped — unable to breathe. His attack fizzled. He was stuck in a space that wasn't space. It was illusion, but with real physics. A warped prison.
CRACK.
The Illusioner appeared inside the fractured bubble — right in front of him — and stabbed his sickle into Rino's gut.
The teacher coughed blood.
The bubble burst.
---
A Minute Later
Rino lay on the ground, chest rising and falling slowly. His katana was gone. The earth around him burned and warped.
The Illusioner stood above him silently.
"You're strong," he said quietly. "Had we fought on neutral ground… I may have needed to try harder."
He turned.
"But pain isn't fair."
And then he walked away, leaving Rino alive — but barely. The message was clear.
He could have killed him. But chose not to.
---
Back at the Academy — Infirmary
Rino opened his eyes three days later.
Taro, Kazuki, and Kaito stood at his bedside.
"You fought him," Kaito said quietly. "And lived."
Barely, Rino thought.
"I measured something," he rasped.
"What?" asked Taru.
"…That we're not ready."
And outside the academy walls, clouds gathered once again
One Week Later…
Despite the illusioner's devastating display of unmatched Venin, the academy walls stood tall. But inside… there was tension. A storm no one could quite name.
The captains of the 12 Divisions had gathered once again in the Grand Assembly Room. Principal Rogiru, more serious than ever, stood in the center — a single grape in his hand, which he didn't eat for once.
Taro Oetsu and Namato stood near him, while Rino, still recovering from the Illusioner's battle, was seated with a cane at his side. His wounds had sealed… but the mental image of how completely outmatched he'd been never left.
"He didn't kill you," said Captain Aria Hoshino, her voice soft like wind. "That bothers me."
"He didn't want to," Rino said hoarsely. "He wanted to send a message."
Lysander Kuroba, the grim and mysterious Captain of Squad 4, spoke next. "We now face an anomaly. He doesn't serve the Hollow Gale… he doesn't serve anyone. And yet he appears at our weakest points."
Captain Lila Katsuragi leaned forward, smiling despite the tension. "I say we find him and crush him like the shadow he is."
But Rogiru shook his head.
"War is coming. He is not the only threat anymore."
All heads turned to him.
"There's something else," Rogiru said, pulling a scroll sealed in five locks. "The group I told you about. The one more dangerous than the Hollow Gale."
He glanced at Rino. Rino nodded.
"We've confirmed their symbol etched into the corpse of a Blado Demon… and in ruins even Iman was afraid to step into."
Tension ran through the captains.
Namato stepped forward. "And while this happens, we're forming elite units — not just training squads anymore. War formations."
Squad Delta, which now included:
Kaito
Taru
Renn
Kazuki
Kobito
Kazan
Akiho
Shouta
Hayato (Class B's reckless striker)
Shin Iwata (tactical genius from Class A)
Riku Sanda (second-year prodigy with sensory-type powers)
…had already proven themselves.
Now they were being trained for something more.
Combat realism. Tactical survival. Small-group infiltration.
"Every student in Squad Delta," said Taro, "will be trained under real conditions. We have no time for simulated battles."
---
Meanwhile, in the Dormitory Courtyard…
Kaito stood in the courtyard with Kazan, both sweat-soaked from another intense training match. Kazuki leaned nearby, sipping water, while Akiho lay flat on the ground, panting.
"You're getting faster," Kazan noted, wiping his face with a towel. "But your fire's still too raw. Control it."
Kaito smirked. "Trying. But it wants to explode."
"That's the thing about flames," said Kazuki. "They burn… or they protect. Depends on your will."
Nearby, Taru sat with Ayaka. She'd returned to her playful self, braiding her hair while humming.
She glanced at him, eyes soft. "I had a dream," she said. "Of our house. The one before everything."
Taru looked up.
"I was trying to remember where I left my little boots. And you were there. Just… a baby, sitting on the floor."
Taru's throat tightened. "You remember?"
"Not all," she said. "But enough to feel something when I look at you."
She reached over and touched his hand gently. "I believe you, Taru. Even if I don't remember it all."
In a mist-laden wasteland, the Illusioner stood atop a shattered shrine, his twin sickles resting beside him in the dirt.
He stared at the moon. Not as a man full of hate — but as one heavy with purpose.
Behind him, the wind whispered.
And from the mist emerged a figure… cloaked in darker robes than even his.
"You interfered," said the figure. "Again."
"I act alone," the Illusioner said calmly. "I serve no master."
The figure didn't respond — only stepped back and vanished.
The Illusioner stared up at the sky one last time.
And whispered:
> "They think pain is something they can train for.
But pain… pain is where the world ends."