Ana's corpse lay twisted on the cracked asphalt, her lifeless eyes staring into the abyss. The dim streetlights flickered, casting eerie shadows over the scene, as if mourning the brutal end that had unfolded. Blood painted the pavement in a grotesque masterpiece, a silent testament to the horror that had transpired.
A loose circle of "I" Rank Kageshiki surrounded the body, their expressions unreadable. At the center knelt a Kageõhiki doctor, Araki Miyazaki, his sharp gray eyes glinting with calculation as he studied the remains.
"Tsk."Araki exhaled sharply. "Her body's been devoured… by a Shikiban."He trailed off, his gaze sharpening. "No. Not just any Shikiban. A special one."
Souta, standing nearby, smirked. "The Shikiban King?"
Araki nodded, voice weighted with unspoken dread. "Yeah. Look at her forehead."
The 禍 mark burned into Ana's cold skin was unmistakable. Whenever this symbol appeared on a victim, it meant only one thing—the King had chosen them.
Souta crouched beside the body, running a gloved finger over the dried blood. "Regular Shikiban kills leave the mark blue. This? This is different. Just like the others."
Araki stood, his coat billowing as the wind howled through the alley. "We need to hide this. Fast. If the public catches wind of this, it'll be chaos."
The Kageshiki agents moved without hesitation. The mangled corpse was swiftly lifted and placed into the black vehicle waiting at the curb. Koharu swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why are Shikibans so brutal?"
Hideaki scoffed, a teasing smirk playing on his lips. "Yeah, yeah, that's why I still can't figure out how you made it into Kageshiki."
Koharu pouted, punching his arm. "Tch. I earned my place here!"
Souta leaned against the car, watching their exchange with amusement. His thoughts, however, drifted elsewhere. Reika… If she becomes my student, I'll make her life hell just to see how she handles it. He chuckled under his breath, already anticipating the torment.
---
Inside the grand hall, the air was thick with tension. Kenjiku strode in, his presence enough to command absolute silence. Before him, the selected Kageshiki trainees stood in rigid formation, their gazes locked forward. Even the ten "I" Rank Kageshiki flanking him maintained a reverent stillness.
"Congratulations," Kenjiku's deep voice echoed through the chamber. "You survived the training. Barely."
Reika crossed her arms, watching intently. Daigo and Ishigo stood beside her, their expressions unreadable.
Ishigo exhaled. "This old man is terrifyingly respectable."
Daigo nodded. "That's why training was brutal. Makes you wonder how horrifying the actual test will be."
Reika smirked. "If the real test is worse than training, then they want us perfect."
"But why?" Daigo frowned.
"Because Shikibans aren't mindless monsters,"Ishigo answered, his voice cool and analytical. "They're intelligent. Higher IQ than most humans. Supernatural abilities that manipulate reality. Predatory instincts sharper than any beast. A normal person wouldn't last a second against them. That's why Kageshiki exist. But to become one… you have to endure training that breaks a person."
Daigo cracked his knuckles. "Fuck. I can't wait to kill those bastards."
Reika chuckled. "What if you end up fighting a female Kageshiki?"
Daigo smirked. "Too beautiful. You might fall in love."
"They'd be hideous in their true forms. Trust me."
Before their conversation could continue, a sharp *beep* echoed through the hall. A holographic screen flickered to life in front of Kenjiku, revealing grim statistics.
---
**Kageshiki Trainee Report:**
**Total Trainees:** 200
**Disqualified Due to Injury:** 45
**Disqualified Due to Death:** 60
**Remaining Candidates:** 95
---
Reika murmured, "So… our competition is down to 93."
Ishigo frowned. "Competition? Our enemies are Shikiban, not each other."
Reika fell silent, her lips pressing into a thin line.
Kenjiku's voice cut through the murmurs. "The weak have been eliminated. Now, let's talk about the test."
A tense silence settled in.
"There are five levels,"he continued. "Level One—you get no weapons. You'll fight first-level Shikibans with nothing but your hands. If you're strong enough, you'll survive. If not? You'll be dead before the second level."
A few trainees swallowed hard. Daigo grinned. "Sounds fun."
"Level Two." Kenjiku's gaze darkened. "At this stage, you receive a knife. Not just any knife—this blade evolves. With each Shikiban you kill, it absorbs their soul energy. The more you slay, the deadlier your weapon becomes."
Reika narrowed her eyes. "A living weapon?"
"Correct." Kenjiku's expression was unreadable. "By Level Five, if you survive, your weapon will take its true form—shaped by your soul's emotional core. Fear, rage, hatred… whatever fuels you, fuels your blade."
Murmurs rippled through the hall. Daigo's grin widened. "Sick."
A trainee raised his hand. "What about Levels Three, Four, and Five?"
Kenjiku smirked. "You'll find out soon enough."
The weight of his words hung over them. Reika clenched her fists. No rest. No mercy. Just survival.
"The test begins tomorrow,"Kenjiku announced. "Level One lasts one day. Level Five lasts five."
A voice broke the silence. "But we just finished our pre-test! We need rest!"
Kenjiku's gaze turned ice-cold. "To become a Kageshiki, there is no rest."
Reika swallowed hard. If I die, my body won't even be found.
She exhaled slowly, her determination like steel. No. I can. I will endure this. And I will fucking win.