[Main Plot I: Awakening of the Black Card] Tokigumo Academy - Off Campus - Deep inside the abandoned old school building, Yoru Mikazuki stood in the middle of a collapsed lecture hall and stared at the figure blocking his way.
The figure wore a tattered academy uniform, half of his face hidden behind a jet-black mask. His voice was hoarse, but his eyes were sharper than any instructor's.
"You wish to awaken the First Form?"
Yoru nodded, his voice firm. "I have made my decision."
"Then understand this - awakening the First Form is not about gaining power," the stranger stepped closer, his tone cutting through the silence, "it's about... enduring your true essence."
Yoru froze.
In that instant, the magic circle beneath his feet ignited and the room shattered like glass.
The next second, he was swallowed by the Otherworld Projection: Realm of Inner Reflections.
[Trial I: Judgement of the Black Card] Yoru fell into a dark watery plane, surrounded by twisted versions of himself.
Each "Yoru" wore a different expression - a grin, cheeks streaked with tears, and twisted magic cards in their hands.
One grinned with cold confidence:
"Are you looking for strength... or just running away from responsibility?"
Another held Sayo Kandou's hand and whispered, "You shouldn't have left. You know what she would..."
"Shut up!" Yoru growled.
But each version of himself drew the same card:
-The card pulsed in his palm, burning like a fuse that ignited his soul.
"If you want to call yourself a king, then bet everything: your emotions, your fears, your beliefs."
Gritting his teeth, Yoru plunged the card into his chest.
At that moment, obsidian wings spread from his back and a true magic card manifested in the air:
[Black Card - Absolute Illusion] - First Form: Awakened!
But with this awakening came no surge of power, only the inescapable cost embedded in his soul: -He would lose "Reality" and "Stability".
From now on, illusion and truth would be blurred beyond recognition.
[Main Plot II: The Price of Emotion] Meanwhile - Tokigumo Academy - Sickbay Sayo Kandou sat by the bed, holding the playing card Yoru had left behind.
White Ran entered quietly and said:
"He's gone."
"I know," Sayo replied weakly.
"You know why he didn't let you go with him."
"He was afraid I would die."
Silence.
White Ran sat down next to her. After a pause, he asked:
"But did you ever think - he's also afraid that if he dies, what will happen to you?"
Her eyes trembled.
Rain began to fall outside the window.
"He keeps making decisions for us. But he's still just a student... Just a boy desperately trying to survive."
Sayo gently wiped her eyes.
"You... if you dare to die alone..."
She let out a soft laugh and murmured:
"Then I'll take your most precious card and find you myself."
[Main Plot III: Awakening of Blackblade] Meanwhile - SaintEdu Foundation - Research Facility No. 13 Blackblade floated in a strengthening tank, pulsing with chaotic energy.
In his mind, voices from the past echoed: "You will betray them, eventually."
"You are a monster forged from failure."
Blackblade opened his eyes.
"You said I couldn't have feelings."
"Then I'll use this 'monster body' to shatter everything they believe in."
Augmentation complete.
-Second form: Heretic Mode - Boneburst Unlocked.
His eyes blazed with murderous intent.
[Shadows Converge] Yoru emerged from the dark trial, pale, but with an unquenchable fire in his eyes.
The masked wanderer stood on a cliff above.
"You are ready."
"From now on, you are no longer Yoru Mikazuki."
"You are... the Cardbearer of the Illusory King."
Yoru looked up, holding the BLACK JACK card in his hand.
"I will end this game with my own hands."
Five-Division Summit × Power Awakening Project Date: Three days after the Iron Fist Battle of the Otherworld Location: Tokigumo Academy - Sealed Room in the Old Library Although the exhaustion of the battle still lingered, a new storm was quietly brewing.
The five faction leaders were gathered in this room, which Kyōichi Tendō had personally selected and sealed.
Kyōichi Tendō, Swordsmanship Club President Retsu Gōzanshi, Hand-to-Hand Club President (arm in a cast) Sayo Kandou, Acting Archery Club President White Ran, Acting Magic Club President Katsura Onimaru, Spear Club President The silence thickened, sharp as a blade.
Until - "We won," Kyōichi said, scanning the room with calm eyes.
"But it's not nearly enough."
He stood, the sword resting beside him, his voice heavy.
"The invaders from the other world are breaking through the barrier faster than ever."
"Yoru Mikazuki... is undergoing training far beyond normal comprehension. If we remain stagnant, we'll end up being the ones who need protection."
Retsu grinned wryly:
"So you want us to start 'First Form Awakening' as well?"
"Not awakening," Onimaru interrupted with folded arms.
"It's about rebuilding the philosophy of fighting itself."
White Ran nodded.
"I agree. Illusions and psychic interference cannot be countered with technique alone.
The Magic Club will begin to develop anti-psychic thought frameworks for training."
Sayo's voice trembled slightly, but remained firm:
"I don't know what Yoru is going through... But I won't just wait for him to come back and protect me."
"I will become stronger. So that when he returns, I'll be at his side - not behind him."
Silence.
Kyōichi nodded resolutely.
"As the vice president of the student council, I will initiate the special project to increase strength."
"Starting today, all S-Class members of the five factions will undergo a three-week resonance training of the First Form."
He looked at the others, his eyes deadly serious.
"When Yoru returns, we must all be strong enough - to stand beside him."
Onimaru nodded silently.
Retsu laughed softly and fiercely.
White Ran's eyes shone coolly.
Sayo bit her lip, her determination deepening.
For the first time, the five factions were truly united.
[Chapter Epilogue: Five Leaders' Inner Monologues - Short Sentences] Kyōichi Tendō:
"The real battle... is just beginning."
White Ran:
"I am intelligence... and a blade. Yoru, go all out. I'll take care of the rest."
Retsu Gōzanshi: "Once I heal, I'll be the first to crush those freaks."
Katsura Onimaru: "The spear that shatters illusion... will rise again.
Sayo Kandou:
"Yoru... I will continue to wait for you.
But when I see you again, you will not go alone."