Griffin suddenly froze.
While sitting quietly at his desk inside the faculty room, his eyes narrowed as if something invisible brushed against his senses. It wasn't just energy… it felt wrong. Distorted. Hollow.
"…So it started," he muttered.
He stood up without hesitation, grabbing his hat and adjusting his coat. His movements were calm, but his eyes were sharp. He reached for his twin flintlock pistols, checking them quickly before placing them back into their holsters.
Then he walked out.
Judas Iscariot, who had been leaning against the wall nearby, watched him leave with a sigh.
"I wonder what he sensed this time…"
A moment of silence passed.
"…Maybe that erasure guy," Judas added quietly.
At the training yard, the atmosphere was completely different.
Kairo was doing intense push-ups, his arms shaking slightly as he pushed himself beyond his limit. Sweat dripped down his face and onto the ground, but he didn't stop. Nearby, heavy equipment large metal weights and training tools were scattered around him, showing just how hard he had been training.
"...98… 99… 100…"
He dropped for a second, breathing heavily, then immediately grabbed a massive weighted bar and began pulling it upward with pure effort.
Not far from him, Tyouro sat casually on a bench, eating onigiri like he had no care in the world.
"Man… life is good," he mumbled with a grin.
Suddenly, his eyes shifted.
A boy walked past the yard entrance, heading toward the school building. As he passed by, Tyouro's onigiri slipped from his hand and fell straight onto the ground.
The boy didn't even look at it.
He just kept walking.
Tyouro blinked.
"…No respect," he said.
Without hesitation, he stood up and dashed forward at incredible speed, reaching the fallen onigiri in an instant. He looked around quickly, making sure no one important was watching, then picked it up.
"…Still good."
He ate it.
Nearby girls stared at him in shock.
"Did he just eat food from the ground?"
"Ew… that's disgusting…"
They laughed and walked away, whispering to each other.
Tyouro chewed proudly.
"Y'all don't understand greatness."
Yura stepped into the yard, arms crossed, clearly unimpressed.
"Oh well… are you in love with your onigiri or something?" she said.
Tyouro grinned.
"Yes. It's delicious. Pure art."
Yura shook her head.
"Call Kairo. We have a meeting for our teamwork."
Tyouro gave a thumbs up.
"Roger that."
He sprinted toward Kairo, who was now shirtless, lifting a massive training weight with visible strain.
"HEY! KAIRO!"
"What?" Kairo replied, clearly annoyed.
"Our baddie called us. We've got a teamwork meeting."
Kairo paused mid-lift.
"…Baddie?"
Tyouro nodded seriously.
"Yeah. Scary, cold, strong… definitely a baddie."
Kairo dropped the weight with a loud thud.
"…You're gonna get kicked."
A few minutes later, the group gathered under a large tree near the edge of the training grounds.
Yura stood in front of them, arms crossed, her expression calm but serious. Kimimaru leaned against the tree, silent as always, while Tyouro sat on the grass casually. Kairo arrived last, wiping sweat from his face.
"Alright," Yura began. "This isn't just a normal meeting."
Tyouro raised his hand.
"Is it about my onigiri?"
"No."
"Damn."
Kairo sighed.
"Can you be serious for once?"
"I am serious. That was my last one."
Yura ignored them.
"Sensei called for a mission."
The air shifted slightly.
Kimimaru opened his eyes.
"…A mission?"
Yura nodded.
"Yes. And from what I can tell… it's not simple."
Kairo crossed his arms.
"So what are we dealing with?"
Yura hesitated for a moment.
"…We don't have full details yet. But there have been disappearances."
"Disappearances?" Tyouro repeated.
"Entire villages," she continued. "Animals, people… gone. No bodies. No signs of battle."
Kairo's expression changed.
"…That's not normal."
Kimimaru spoke quietly.
"It means one thing."
Everyone looked at him.
"…They didn't die normally."
Silence.
At the same time, far away from the academy, Griffin moved across the land at incredible speed. His coat flowed behind him as he traveled, his eyes focused on the direction of Dragonbone Ridge.
"The pattern is clear…" he muttered. "Complete erasure. No residue. No remains."
He adjusted his hat slightly.
"…Advanced energy user."
His expression darkened.
"…And not just any level."
Back at the academy, the group continued their discussion.
"So what's the plan?" Kairo asked.
Yura looked at each of them.
"We don't rush in. We move together, we observe, and we adapt."
Tyouro smirked.
"So basically… don't die."
"…Exactly."
Kairo cracked his knuckles.
"Sounds easy enough."
Kimimaru glanced at him.
"…It's never easy."
Suddenly-
BOOM!
A loud explosion echoed from the far side of the training grounds.
Everyone turned instantly.
"What was that?" Kairo said.
A student came running toward them, panicked.
"T-There's a fight near the outer field!"
Yura's eyes sharpened.
"Let's go."
They arrived within seconds.
A group of students had gathered, forming a circle around two fighters. One of them was clearly struggling, being overwhelmed by another student who was using aggressive energy attacks.
"Move!" Yura said, pushing through the crowd.
The attacking student launched another blast, sending the other crashing into the ground.
"Pathetic," he muttered.
Kairo stepped forward.
"That's enough."
The attacker turned.
"…Who are you?"
"Tired of your noise," Kairo replied.
The guy smirked.
"Oh? You wanna try?"
Before Kairo could move-
A small force suddenly pressed down on the attacker.
He froze.
"…What the—?"
Yura's hand was slightly raised.
"Stop."
The pressure increased just enough to make him drop to one knee.
"…This isn't the place for that," she said calmly.
The crowd went silent.
Tyouro leaned toward Kairo.
"Yeah… she's definitely the baddie."
"…Shut up."
The situation calmed down quickly, but the mood didn't return to normal.
Something felt off.
Even small fights now felt heavier.
More tense.
As if something bigger was coming.
Later that evening, the four of them sat together again, this time on the academy rooftop.
The sky was turning orange as the sun began to set.
Kairo leaned back, looking up.
"…You think we're ready for this?"
Tyouro stretched.
"I was born ready."
Yura stayed quiet.
Kimimaru spoke.
"…We don't have a choice."
Silence followed.
---
Far away…
A man stood alone.
The wind blew past him, carrying ashes through the air.
Yoshiro Kagetsu slowly opened his hand.
"…Soon."