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The bus drove out of the city and onto winding mountain roads. Familiar roadside trees and asphalt gradually came into view. The closer they got to Hagun Academy, the stronger Ryoji's unease grew.
Inside the bus, Saijou Ikazuchi was driving. The six representative contestants, including Ryoji, were all present. Even Arisuin Nagi sat calmly in his seat, as if nothing were amiss, Kagami in tow.
Theoretically, this lineup was already incredibly powerful. As long as they weren't facing world-class opponents like legal lolis, they had a fighting chance against anyone. Moreover, they possessed a strategy guaranteed to strike their target.
Yet Ryoji couldn't shake his growing unease. It felt as if some colossal danger awaited them ahead, their advance like sheep entering a tiger's lair, leaving him deeply uneasy.
'But no matter how uneasy I am, there's no other way.'
Ryoji forced himself to stay calm.
For some reason, he couldn't reach anyone who could help resolve this crisis.
They were on their own to weather this storm, and they had already devised the most effective strategy they could think of. There were no other options.
Fortunately, according to Arisuin Nagi, their client had specifically ordered them not to kill anyone, so they didn't have to worry about casualties.
No matter how dire the situation became, no one would die.
Ryoji stilled his wavering heart with a mind like a clear mirror and still water, while summoning his Brave Heart to enter peak battle readiness.
"Junior Brother, look!"
Toudou Touka suddenly pointed out the window.
Thick black smoke billowed into the sky, and flames lit up the distant horizon.
"It's coming from the academy!"
"Those bastards got there first!"
The group in the car clenched their teeth in frustration.
Judging by the smoke and flames, Hagun Academy must already be under attack and was being ravaged by the enemy.
Watching the flames outside the window, Arisuin Nagi's face remained serene.
Kurogane Shizuku sat beside him, her head bowed, lost in thought.
The bus climbed the slope and came to a halt before the gates of Hagun Academy.
The passengers surged off the bus, their hearts pounding with urgency as they rushed into the campus.
Signs of destruction were everywhere.
Vast swathes of trees had been felled, walls lay shattered, and flames raged through the forest, plunging the once-grand Hagun Academy into a sea of fire.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
Suddenly, a frivolous, comical voice echoed from above.
The group looked up, following the sound, and spotted a clown-like figure perched atop the fiercely burning faculty building.
"To the Hagun Academy delegation, welcome back from your long journey! We've been waiting for you here for quite some time, hee hee hee hee!"
The man spread his arms wide, striking an exaggerated theatrical pose, and burst into triumphant laughter.
Hiraga Reisen!
First-year student at Wenqu Academy, Puppet Warlock!
"Did you do this?"
Kurogane Ikki's expression was grim as he summoned his Spiritual Item (Device), his entire being radiating a sharp, oppressive aura.
"Oh my, don't be so hasty!" Hiraga Reisen chuckled. "To be precise, it's not just me!"
With a flourish, he stepped forward and leaped from the thirty-meter-high rooftop!
And he wasn't alone.
Other figures surged from behind him, following his plunge.
Invisibly thin threads crisscrossed the sky, catching the falling figures and lowering them gently to the ground.
"It's not just me, it's all of us from Akatsuki Academy!"
Kurogane Ouma, clutching a three-meter-long Ōdachi, fixed Stella with a cold, indifferent stare.
Shinomiya Amane grinned innocently, gazing at Ryoji with a look of devout admiration.
Sara's gaze burned into Ryoji.
Kazamatsuri Rinna studied him like a work of art, her face alight with admiration, while Charlotte Cordé subtly radiated hostility. Both rode atop a black lion.
Tatara Yui grinned savagely, her expression perfectly complementing the chainsaw in her hand, making her resemble a pure-blooded killer.
Seven individuals in total, plus the lion.
All familiar faces.
All Villains.jpg
"Akatsuki Academy... you mean you guys?"
Ryoji's gaze swept across the seven figures one by one.
This lineup matched the list he had discovered perfectly.
Everything clicked into place.
It began with his encounter with Sara at the exhibition hall. For some inexplicable reason, she had fixated on Ryoji, becoming the catalyst for the clash between the two sides. The subsequent night ambush on the long street and the Okutama incident cemented their animosity and ultimately exposed them.
"Akatsuki Academy, of course, refers to the eighth knight-nurturing school in Japan, independent of the Seven Stars Academies!"
Hiraga Reisen adjusted his clown mask. "As the antithesis of you, who symbolize the Big Dipper's seven stars, we are the Dawn. What do you think? Quite an artistic name, don't you think?"
"The eighth school?"
Hearing this, the crowd stared in disbelief.
This wasn't an act.
Even with intelligence support from Arisuin Nagi, they had been completely unaware of such a development!
In other words, even Arisuin Nagi hadn't known about this!
Each of them was a representative contestant from the Seven Stars Academies.
Now they had joined forces to form an eighth school?
'What a joke!'
How could such a thing be acknowledged? The League would never stand idly by. Once this international organization took action, Akatsuki Academy, a mere finger-flick away from annihilation, would be crushed without a second thought.
"What exactly is going on here?"
Kurogane Ikki couldn't help but turn to Kurogane Ouma across from him.
"Ouma Big Brother, I've never even heard of Akatsuki Academy before."
"Don't act so familiar. I severed ties with you all long ago."
Kurogane Ouma's response was so icy it sent a chill down their spines.
He didn't even spare a glance for his own younger brother and little sister, his gaze fixed entirely on Stella's body, unwavering.
"This man is incredibly strong!"
Stella's expression tightened.
Facing Kurogane Ouma directly, she felt the full weight of the incomprehensible pressure emanating from his body, a terrifyingly overwhelming force!
Stella understood immediately. While her opponents were no ordinary fighters, Kurogane Ouma was undoubtedly the strongest among them.
Compared to the others, Kurogane Ouma's presence was on an entirely different level.
"I'm sure you're wondering what exactly Akatsuki Academy is and what our true purpose is. Allow me to explain," Hiraga Reisen declared, stepping forward to openly reveal their purpose.
"The answer is simple. Akatsuki Academy is a new school not recognized by the League. Even if our students qualify for the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, we'll be banned if the organizing committee refuses to acknowledge us. Therefore, we must prove in the most undeniable way possible that this 'battle to determine Japan's strongest Student Knight' would be meaningless without our participation!"
(End Of This Chapter)