Tenshiko Academy – 0-Rank Ceremony
The grand hall of Tenshiko Academy stretched wide, its dark ceiling veined with glowing threads of red light that pulsed slowly like a heartbeat. Rows of Kageshiki stood in formation—around 25 of them. They were the survivors. The ones who had made it.
Among them stood Reika, arms crossed, her green eyes scanning the space coldly. Ishigo was to her left, glasses slightly fogged. Daigo stood tall and tense like a boulder, and Yeaga leaned back with a faint grin. Yeji, silent as always, was watching everything.
The main gate groaned open.
Footsteps echoed. Heavy. Confident.
Kenjiku entered first, flanked by ten I-Rank Kageshiki. Behind them… Souta Arakawa.
Of course, he was here.
Reika's jaw clenched as Souta's smirk cut through the air like a blade. His silver hair brushed over his eyes, hiding the thoughts behind them.
"Tch," she muttered under her breath, averting her gaze. Why the hell is he always smirking? Damn annoying.
She shifted slightly. It had been nearly two weeks since she last stepped foot inside Tenshiko's main hall. Just two weeks… but it felt like years.
So many had died. Brutally. Pointlessly.
The training? A lie. They hadn't trained them. They'd thrown them into chaos—one trial after another, as if the academy wanted to break them before molding them. Out of the original 200, only 25 remained.
Reika had seen people torn apart. Screaming. Some had begged. Others had fought to the last breath. None of it mattered.
She exhaled slowly. Whatever. People dying… it doesn't matter. Not to me. I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to kill Shikibans. I'm here to survive.
Kenjiku's voice rose above the silence.
"All 0-Rank Kageshiki—" He stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back. "Congratulations. You all survived. Passed the tests. The trials. The pain. You're what's left of 200."
A long silence.
"Sounds brutal, doesn't it?" he added, his tone eerily casual. "But that's the truth. The weak die. The strong continue. That's the world."
He let the words hang.
"You want to live? You want to win? Then remember this: Only the strong survive. Only the ruthless rise."
The tension in the hall thickened.
"Now," he said, stepping aside, "to be officially registered as 0-Rank, you'll need to fill out your core information. The system will do the rest."
A long, sleek machine rose from the floor with a mechanical hiss. Its panels lit up, revealing screens and scanners.
"Look at your badges," Kenjiku instructed.
Reika glanced at the black emblem pinned to her uniform. The silver letters "(0)2" glowed faintly. Each badge was linked to their personal data, scanned and tracked by a chip embedded during the early tests. It measured strength, stamina, reflexes, even mental resilience. The machine would use that to confirm their rank… and monitor them in the future.
"Step forward, one by one. Fill in your details. Then wait."
Yeji moved first, silent and confident. Reika followed behind, her footsteps echoing across the polished floor.
Daigo gave her a nod. "I'm after you."
"Fine."
But before she could take another step, a whisper brushed her ear.
"You planning to rush this?"
Reika flinched, turning sharply. "Why the hell are you whispering in my ear, Ishigo?"
He adjusted his glasses. "Just felt like it."
Reika rolled her eyes. "What's your 0-Rank?"
"(0)4."
Yeaga leaned in with a lazy smile. "(0)5 for me."
She stared at them. "Do I need therapy after meeting you two?"
Ishigo chuckled. "Maybe."
"Who do you think'll be our captain?" he asked next, voice dropping just a bit. "Someone serious? Friendly? Or a maniac?"
Reika didn't answer right away.<
"Pray it's not a sadist," she finally muttered.
The lights dimmed. A low hum filled the hall.
A new door opened.
A tall figure stepped out, cloaked and hooded, carrying a weapon wrapped in dark cloth. Another figure followed, similarly armed.
"Huh… our weapons?" Yeaga asked. "My twin scythes…"
One of the cloaked instructors spoke, his voice sharp and mechanical.
"You don't carry weapons here. You command them. These aren't blades. They're extensions of your will. Think of them… and they'll appear."
He raised a hand. His weapon dissolved into particles of light.
"Try it."
Reika glanced at her own weapon—Seishomurei—her unique blade. She reached for it in her mind.
A violet spark.
The blade vanished from her grip.
She blinked. "Cool."
The main door at the far end opened with a thunderous creak.
Silence fell.
A figure entered.
He was tall, easily over six feet. A grey coat swept the floor behind him. A golden "I(1)" badge glinted on his chest. His silver hair fell over his eyes—both completely covered.
Every Kageshiki in the room stiffened.
Reika's eyes widened slightly. No way.
Souta Arakawa walked forward, the weight of his presence crushing. Calm. Cold. Unstoppable.
He stopped in front of the group and looked around slowly.
Then that smirk appeared again.
"Welcome to the world of Kageshiki," he said, his voice smooth and cold. "From now on, I am your captain."
The room went dead silent.
Reika's heart thumped once, hard.
Of course… it's him.