The hall was suffocating—thick with sweat, steel, and silent dread. Shadows stretched long beneath the flickering glow of artificial lights, casting ghosts on the metallic floor.
Reika stood still, arms crossed, eyes sharp. A single thought pulsed in her mind.
Survive.
The trainees around her fidgeted, shifting uneasily. Some masked their nerves with cocky grins.
"Tch. When's this endless training gonna end?"
Daigo's voice was lazy, but Reika wasn't fooled. His body—relaxed as it seemed—was coiled like a spring, ready to snap. His raven-black hair was a mess, barely hiding the fox-like glint in his eyes.
"It's only been six days," Ishigo scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Last session today."
"So what?" Daigo cracked his knuckles, lips curling. "I want a real mission. Actual Shikiban to kill. Not some weaklings in a level test."
A real mission.
Reika's gaze stayed forward. Her voice cut through their chatter, cold and precise.
"But if you can't even pass this, how do you expect to become a Kageshiki?"
Daigo's eyes flicked toward her, amusement glinting beneath his arrogance.
"Tch. Icy as ever."
"It's not underestimation."Her tone was flat. "Overconfidence will kill you before the enemy does."
Daigo grinned. "My confidence is beyond overconfidence."
"Huh?"
"It's called mega-confidence."
Reika raised a brow. Idiot. But a strong idiot.
She clenched her fists. Strength alone wasn't enough.
"Get this damn arm off me! I can't breathe, you idiot!"
Ishigo's irritated yell shattered her thoughts.
Daigo howled with laughter. "HAHA! You look hilarious!"
"You bastard—!"
"Look, Reika's enjoying our show!"
She narrowed her eyes. "I'm not enjoying it. Just wondering what kind of crazy friends I got."
Deep breath. Slow exhale.
This is it. The last day. The pre-test.
A trainer stepped forward, voice sharp as a blade. "Kageshiki trainees, stand in line."
The room fell silent.
"This is the final training session of Day Seven. Those who survive will be selected for the test."
A pause.
"Today's training will unlock your senses, sharpen your reflexes, and enhance your combat instincts. This is the Pre-Test Examination—a simulation of all six days of training combined into one deadly challenge."
Tension crackled in the air.
"The strong will pass." The trainer's voice darkened. "The weak will die."
A chilling silence.
Reika exhaled slowly. Death, huh?
She had seen it before. Felt its cold breath in her nightmares. Watched it take everything.
I refuse to die here.
"Bro, today's gonna be fun!"Daigo grinned.
Ishigo snorted. "Yeah, yeah. Nothing like getting close to death for some real fun."
"Don't worry, your bro's got your back!"
A trainee pointed ahead. "That's where the pre-test starts."
Reika narrowed her eyes at the massive iron gate.
The trainer smirked. "Inside, you'll face holographic Kageshiki. Enhanced speed, invisibility, lethal combat instincts."
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
"They're as strong as real ones. But they have a weakness."
A smirk.
"A single red wire on their neck. Cut it, and they die."
The gates groaned open.
Beyond them, a vast battlefield stretched into darkness.
The trainees stepped forward.
SLAM!
The moment Reika passed through, an iron wall crashed behind her—separating her from everyone else.
"What the hell?!" Daigo's voice echoed.
"Ishigo?! Bro?!"
No response.
Her pulse quickened. A separation tactic.
She scanned the area—1000 square meters of empty space.
Then—
A voice echoed from the walls. "Kageshiki trainee. Your opponent will appear shortly."
Reika's katana materialized in midair.
She wasn't alone.
A dark figure emerged.
Human-like. Wrapped in shadows. Its face featureless—except for two glowing crimson slits.
Her muscles tensed.
Then—
It spoke.
"You're not ready, Reika."
Her blood turned cold.
"What…?"
The Kage-shiki vanished.
SHING!
A blade sliced toward her from behind.
She barely flipped away—millimeters from losing her neck.
Too fast.
CLANG!
She blocked, bones rattling.
"Tch—!"
The Kage-shiki disappeared again.
A sharp sting—
Blood. Her arm.
Reika exhaled. Fear was useless. Doubt was useless.
She wasn't a child anymore.
I won't die here.
She shifted her stance.
Analyze. Adapt. Strike.
The Kage-shiki always vanished after attacking.
Which meant—
It had a pattern.
A second after an attack, it reappeared to reset.
There.
Reika adjusted her grip.
The Kage-shiki lunged.
She didn't dodge.
She moved into it.
Blade whistling—
At the last second—
She dropped, spinning her katana upward.
SLASH!
A clean cut—right through its red wire.
The Kage-shiki stopped.
Its crimson eyes flickered.
Then—it collapsed.
Silence.
Reika exhaled.
Her muscles burned. Her breath came in sharp gasps.
One more mistake, and I'm dead.
She wiped the blood from her arm.
The next opponent would be stronger. Faster.
A low growl rumbled through the air.
Reika tensed. The darkness shifted.
Two more figures emerged.
She clenched her katana, steadying her breath.
Let them come.
The real battle was just beginning.