]1]The Return of the Iron Fist from the Otherworld Tokigumo Academy - Martial Arts District, Abandoned Training Grounds - Dusk A towering figure strode slowly into the arena, muscles forged like iron, a strange gray-black steam swirling around him.
Otherworldly Walker - The Second Coming: "Iron Fist - Magnus" His pupils glowed red. An unhealed otherworldly mark burned on his forehead, and incomplete draconic scales crawled over his body. The air trembled with each swing of his fist.
"I'm not looking for Yoruha Crows..."
His gaze fell on the training grounds of the Combat Club.
With a single blow, he shattered two walls. His heavy footsteps echoed as a mad smile twisted his lips.
"I came to defeat one man - Gōzanjiratsu."
[2]Gōzanjiratsu - The Shattered Fist Ryūga Arena erupted with sound, fists clashing in a storm.
Gōzanjiratsu roared like thunder, arms wrapped in battle tape, scarlet fists blazing. His punches crashed like thunderclaps against Magnus' otherworldly brute strength.
"You are no ruler of the Otherworld! You're just a madman trapped between realms!"
Magnus sneered. A single blow shattered Ratsu's defense, imbued with spiritual suppression, and landed squarely on his chest - "Is this all the 'Fist King' of Tokigumo Academy has to offer?"
-Crack.
Ratsu's arm broke. His body crashed into a stone pillar. Before he fell unconscious, the last thing he saw were Yoruha Crows and others rushing towards him.
But he could no longer react.
Yoruha Crows, Hakuran and Mitō Karuma mobilized immediately - but even when the three worked together, Magnus' power defied understanding. They barely managed to drive him away, but they couldn't defeat him.
Ratsu was carried to the infirmary - unconscious.
Yoruha stood at the end of the corridor with a clenched fist. Hakuran murmured:
"He's no ordinary enemy... His power... is still developing."
[3]Sword Club Turmoil - The Defeat of Shirakawa [Invisible Blade - Sword Club Secret Chamber] In the silence of the training hall, Shirakawa stood clad in a snow-white robe, his silver hair tied back, his usual gentleness replaced by a sharp edge.
"I won't accept it - just because you are the 'legend', you get to stand above us all."
He drew his sword. The air rang with a cutting whistle-"Torrent Flash: First Slash" tore through the dust like a storm.
Tendō Kyōichi stood still, eyes closed. He exhaled softly.
"Come."
Slowly, he unsheathed his wooden sword, his gaze icy as frost.
The air stirred between them. Sword intent collided.
Boom!
Shirakawa lunged forward, "Torrent Slash: Triple Sever," three slashes blurred into afterimages, sealing any escape. But Kyōichi tilted his body just half an inch at the last moment, dodged all three and thrust a precise counter into Shirakawa's left shoulder.
-The difference in swordsmanship was minute, but fatal.
Shirakawa staggered back, blood on his lips.
"Your sword is... empty."
"Yes," Kyōichi murmured. "Because - when the heart is empty, the blade knows no limits."
Then his eyes opened.
Heart Blade: Shatter Illusion - Draw Slash.
No light. No sound. Just the moment when Shirakawa's entire being - consciousness, senses, spirit - was cut.
He fell to his knees.
"I have lost..."
Kyōichi silently sheathed his sword. For a fleeting moment, Shirakawa saw his figure bathed in moonlight - solitary as a god.
Shirakawa - Heart of the Defeated "Why? I trained just as hard. My talent was never lacking.
"But with a single sword stroke... he destroyed everything I believed in."
"What am I missing...?"
"I won't accept this... I can't end here... even if I have to step into the darkness."
Tendō Kyōichi - The Lone Swordsman "I didn't want to defeat you, Shirakawa."
"I just won't allow another version of myself in this club - someone who sacrifices humanity for victory."
"But I know... you've chosen that path now."
[4]Main Character's Withdrawal - Choice and Farewell Academy Infirmary, the sunset casting long shadows.
Yoruha Crows stood by the bed, staring solemnly at the unconscious Gōzanjiratsu.
At the door, Mitō Karuma sighed: "When are you leaving?"
Yoruha looked down: "Tomorrow."
He would leave the school and enter the Borderland Grove where the mysterious wanderer had directed him - to begin the training of Phase One: "Black Jack".
Hakuran stepped in, calm as always: "I'll stay behind - to uncover the truth about the SaintEdu Foundation."
Mitō patted Yoruha's shoulder: "When you return... I hope you're still the same person we know."
[5]Hōdō Saya - Solitary Monologue That night, on the roof of the infirmary.
Hōdō Saya leaned against the railing and looked up at the starless sky.
"He always chooses to carry everything alone."
She looked down at the figure walking through the gates, her hand clenching into a fist.
"This time... I won't let you fight alone."
"6]Black Blade - Omen of Awakening In the depths of the SaintEdu Foundation's dungeon... Naked, steaming with black mist, Black Blade's body floated in a vat of liquid. His blood-red eyes opened slowly.
A voice echoed, "Enhancement Protocol: Phase One Complete."
"Objective: Destroy all superpowered hunters of the Five Academies."
Black Blade grinned coldly and murmured:
"Yoruha Crows... what will you choose?"
"7. Final Farewell That night, outside the school gates.
Yoruha stood with his backpack, ready to leave. Behind him, Hōdō Saya ran up, her eyes slightly red.
"Not even a proper goodbye...?"
Yoruha paused, but didn't turn around.
She ran forward and grabbed his hand.
"Can you promise to come back?"
After a long silence, Yoruha whispered:
"I can't be sure."
"Then I will wait for you... even if you are not the person you were."
The wind stirred. The lights of the infirmary flickered in the distance. The night deepened, dark as ink.
Yoruha Crows - Inner Thoughts "Their world... is different from mine."
"But I cannot turn back... If I falter now, who will stand against what is to come?"
"Tendō Kyōichi... I feel your loneliness. Perhaps one day, I too will have to choose the same path."
Hōdō Saya - Silent Watcher "You all fight... and I can do nothing."
"I'm afraid that one day... Yoruha, you'll disappear from my world too."
"What must I do... to keep you by my side?
Hakuran - Silent Determination "They push forward in the battle... I must go deeper."
"The truth behind the foundation... cannot be ignored."
"Shirakawa... will you be my enemy or my ally?"
Mitō Karuma - The Mentor's Worry "Kyōichi may have won, but that wasn't victory."
"What worries me more... was the look in Shirakawa's eyes."
"That wasn't the look of defeat... it was the seed of transformation."
"He's already marked."
The battle is over. The victors stand.
But the still waters of fate... have begun to ripple deeper.